The three walked silently, followed by countless gazes and whispers as they made their way toward one of the entrances to the arena. Kai looked toward Elizabeth with newfound awe, respect, and fear. Her angry expression slowly turned to a neutral one as she calmed down, smiling after meeting Kai’s gaze. “That bastard always icked me the wrong way, but to think he’d be so insane he’d raise his hand against you… he had it coming!” She complained, cleaning her hand with a handkerchief which she quickly burnt away with fire crystals. “I’m sorry you had to see that, but scum like that can be found anywhere. To think he’d dare try to hit a child… my Goddess…”

Kai decided to remain silent, only giving a small shrug before glancing forward, his eyes lighting up as they landed upon Sverik’s small figure in the distance. He stood in front of the entrance, dressed in light metallic armor and a small helmet. His long hair ran down his back, with a few strands resting on his chest, right next to an intricately forged symbol of a hammer entangled with a rose. Next to him sat Zarman, whose hands were crossed as he waited patiently next to his pupil. “That must be Sverik’s adopted house,” Aina said with a smile, “The house of the Gentle Hammer. They’re ancient and survived through countless calamities. Kai, you must be respectful toward them, especially toward Zarman.”

“Mhm…” Kai nodded softly, picking up the pace.

“They’re here.” Zarman clicked his tongue as his eyes landed on the trio. “That damned woman is as attractive as ever…” He said under his breath, although not quiet enough for Sverik to pretend not to hear.

“You say that about every woman you see.” He quipped gently, waiting for Kai to arrive with a soft smile.

“Yeah but that’s different, I mean it this time. They may not be good at forging, but elven charms are hard to surpass.”

“You’re just an old pervert…”

“Yeah, yeah. Go meet your friend, he’s taking his time it seems.” Zarman nudged Sverik, making the boy let out a soft sigh and approached Kai with a rattling sound.

“You finally made it, took you a while,” Sverik said, shaking hands with Kai as they waited for Aina and Elizabeth. “How do you find Monten? It’s not the biggest city, but it’s where I grew up.”

“It’s charming.” Kai replied with a hidden smile, “This is my first time inside the dwarven cities, are they all like this?”

“More or less, the only difference is size… and housing size. Because of the influx of visitors here every few years, the locals decided to modify their houses to accommodate bigger people, but it’s a rare sight in other parts of the kingdom.” Kai nodded, finally making sense of one of the questions he had at the back of his mind. “Thank you for coming, by the way. My round starts in two days, but I can show you around in the meantime.”

“Sure, that’d be great! But I haven’t been told much about what this event is about besides… hiring?”

“Ah!” Sverik let out a light gasp. “It’s simple, the new generations of the dwarves must show off their skill in both forgery and combat, the best of which will be chosen by other race’s elites to be their personal smiths or will be recruited by the dwarven army. Of course, the participants can refuse both as long as they pass. Although…” Pausing, his eyes wandered off as he seemingly got lost deep in thought.

“Sverik, you there?” Kai shook his shoulder, breaking him out of his trance.

“Ah? Yeah, sorry… I wanted to say that if you fail in both contests and nobody picks you… you’ll be sent toward the Northen Mountains.”

“The Northen Mountains?” Kai asked, confused.

“Humiliation.” Aina’s voice echoed behind him, her tone full of disdain and pity. “It’s a place inhabited by certain species of mysterious Lizardmen and a multitude of beasts. That place is almost barren of plants, and even less trees.”

“What?! Why would they send their young to such a place?” Kai’s voice rose slightly as his mind reeled in shock. “Wouldn’t that kill them?”

“Dwarves are tougher than other races, and a high percentage of those sent there come back alive. As for the reason… nothing more than to toughen them up before being sent to the army for training.”

“Wouldn’t the army do a better job in toughening them up?”

“Not exactly…” Sverik interjected, “Our armies aren’t as good or skilled as the other races, and our generals are mostly old smiths who can’t pick a hammer up anymore, so it’s up to us to train and get stronger. Their excuse for such treatment… are our golems.”

“That’s stupid! It’s like saying Evicario is safe because of the giant tree at The First Gate!” Kai exclaimed angrily, garnering a few dozen angry glances.

“Shh!” Sverik lightly tapped his shoulder, “It’s how things are. That’s not even the worst thing, after the three-year mandatory service you can either choose to live in the village, stay in the army, or go to the academy.” Clenching his fists as he mentioned the latter, his pupils trembled slightly as he bit into his lower lip. “However the acceptance rate for people in these conditions are… miniscule, as the academy doesn’t see any value in us.”

“Us?” Kai inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. The truth is, unless I miraculously break through before tomorrow’s event ends I will be automatically sent to the mountains even if I did well in both categories.”

“That…” Speechless, Kai turned toward his two teachers, who could only give a solemn nod of affirmation. “But you’re so strong, how could they…”

“It’s fine, I’ll find a way to break through. I’m right on the cusp, I can feel it!” Sverik assured Kai, putting his arm around his shoulder, and slowly walking toward the arena.

…

Zarman walked forward to greet Kai and Elizabeth before turning to Aina, who said with a soft smile. “Zarman, nice to see you again. I see your belly hasn’t changed one bit.”

“Haha, I try to stay in shape what can I say.” He laughed, patting his belly before saying, “It seems your beauty has only grown since last time as well.”

“Oh, you flatter me.” She brought a hand to her mouth while laughing, lowering herself and pulling the man into a hug. “It’s good to see you’re as healthy as ever.”

Zarman replicated the hug and said with a chuckle. “Of course, not even a Scarlett Bear or Mountain Eel could kill me, let alone an illness.”

The small crowd around them stared at the two women, whispering amongst themselves.

“Hey isn’t that…?”

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“Yeah, that’s Old Fool Zarman… who is he meeting with? They’re so hot!”

“I think that’s… fuck I don’t know!”

“Well, I suppose a man of his caliber must have appropriate guests.”

“Mhm, mhm. He forged so many weapons for the kingdom back then, and all by himself! Did you know that’s how he got the name ‘Fool’?|

“Dude… everyone knows that.”

“That’s good,” Aina said, standing up and shooting a disgusted glance at the crowd. “Shall we go inside or stop by at your house first?”

“Well, there’s not much point to going inside now, as today is the First Generation and then tomorrow The Second. Sverik is part of The Third so we have plenty of time to kill.”

“Alright then, looks like we’re going to be loitering for a bit,” Elizabeth said as a soft smile creased her lips. “What about you two, what will you do?” She asked, turning toward the two boys.

Kai and Sverik briefly glanced at each other before letting out a simultaneous shrug. “I want to see what Sverik’s house looks like.”

“Alright then, follow me. It’s not that far away anyway.” Zarman said to the group, joyfully turning around and walking toward one of the smaller roads.

…

“This is more of a residential area,” Sverik explained as they advanced on the intricately paved road, passing by dozens of dwarven-sized houses, each one of them having a small front yard decorated uniquely with stones, rubies, crystals, weapons other forged items. Some of them had statues made entirely of metal, depicting an animal or an object, whilst some of them had plain rocks arranged in a special formation. “Our clan isn’t that big, not anymore at least, but most of the people here are under our leadership. Speaking of, Zarman’s house is right up ahead.”

Looking ahead, Kai saw a taller-than-average house hidden behind a bunch of other smaller ones. Its courtyard, significantly larger than the others housed a lot of workshops and storages, as well as a couple of farms where a few vegetables sprung out of the ground. The house itself was about five times taller than Kai, and thirty of him holding hands wouldn't be enough to measure its length. Its outside walls, made entirely out of black stone, shone with an enchanting light from the crystals imbued within, and the crimson-red roof completed the subtle yet beautiful color palette. Connected to it was a building out of which clouds of smoke and smog escaped into a ventilation system which led to parts unknown. Its nonexistent front walls clearly showed Zarman’s beautiful forgery, with furnaces and charcoal killins spread on one side, while the other had minecarts and chests full of minerals.

“It’s nothing much, but please come in!” Zarman laughed as he slammed his forged iron door open, walking on a path made out of similar-looking black stone, contrasting against the grass filled with flowers and insects on either side. Aina and Elizabeth didn’t stand on ceremony and quickly followed behind him with a soft smile creasing their lips. Kai, on the other hand, stared with an agape mouth at the subtle display of richness the dwarf before he showed.

“It’s alright Kai,” Sverik patted his shoulder. “I understand… I was the same way when I first saw it some five-odd years ago.”

“Five years ago?”

“Yeah, it’s a long story but he took me in and decided to train me in the arts of the forge, but my stubborn self insisted on learning the sword… I… I think I’m an idiot sometimes.”

Hearing that, a soft smile creased Kai’s lips, and he let out a light chuckle as he said. “You and me both. Speaking of, how old are you?”

“Ah, I’m eleven in five weeks, how about you?” Sverik asked, slightly surprised they had never asked each other this question until now.

“I turn eleven in four weeks,” Kai said, a melancholic expression forming on his face

“So we’re the same age then… well, almost. You’re a bit older.” He said, finally entering Zarman’s courtyard.

“Yeah,” Kai followed suit, smirking. “You better call me big brother Kai from now on!” He smugly said.

“Like hell, I will!” The two laughed as they made their way toward the house, which looked more like a manor compared to all the others around. The front door slammed open, revealing the luxurious, humbling interior. A weird, large brown animal skin greeted Kai right at the entrance, followed by the sight of a luscious, shining hardwood floor seemingly made out of one piece of large wood. Its brown, scarlet-ish surface blended well with the carpet decorating the living room’s floor. Accompanying them was a chandelier filled to the brim with light crystals encased in colored glass, reflecting a warm pale yellow light onto the room.

“Welcome, haha. It’s been a while since I had guests so excuse the mess.” Zarman said as he waited for everyone to enter before gently closing the door. “It’s not much, but it’s enough for an old man like me.”

This isn’t much? Kai thought, feeling slightly appalled. Then what is a lot for you?? Sverik clicked his tongue before chuckling and walked toward the kitchen.

“Do you want anything to drink?” He asked, opening what seemed to be a fridge, similar to the one Kai had in the Vampire Kingdom.

“Water will do,” Aina said, sitting down on a sofa, shortly followed by Elizabeth and Zarman, who sat opposite them on a couch.

“Bring me a tankard of ale, my boy,” Zarman yelled, turning toward Kai. “Kid, what do you want?”

Kai remained silent, unsure of how he’d drink water, or anything for that matter with a mask over his face. “I’ll… I’ll be fine, thanks.” He said sheepishly, refusing as politely as he could, gaining a chuckle from Elizabeth.

“I’ll have water as well.” She said, following her mother.

“Tsk, you all don’t know how to enjoy life!” Zarman said, clicking his tongue and leaning back into his seat, letting out a long sigh.

The two women smiled softly, glancing at each other briefly before Aina’s lips parted. “We don’t usually drink, and your stuff is too strong for us to handle. Besides we’re here to chat, not party. Not yet at least.” Her smile still creased her lips as she turned toward Sverik, who appeared with two glasses of water in one hand and a large tankard in the other.

“Haha, good! You know what this old man likes!” Zarman roared with laughter as he snatched the booze from the boy’s hands, immediately taking a big gulp before wiping his mouth.

Sverik rolled his eyes, “I’ve been living with you for five years, it’d be weird if I didn’t.”

“That’s true, haha, that’s true. Come on boy, get yourself a drink as well, we need to get ready for the competition in two days. No better way than to get blackout wasted!”

“Zar…” Sverik said, sitting down on the floor. “I’d much rather not, last time I did that I woke up in the next village.”

“Ha, yeah that’s true. You didn’t even drink that much.” Zarman laughed. “I definitely did though, yet I still managed to find you. I don’t even know how you passed the guards there.”

“Stop talking about that please.” Sverik’s face reddened visibly, his face slowly turning to the shade of a tomato. “More importantly, I need to train in order to break through…”

“Hmm…” Zarman’s expression quickly changed to a contemplative one, leaning forward and resting his right hand on his knee. “I say…” He hesitated, his trembling lips stood agape however he decided against saying his thoughts. “I say you go and do your best, and if push comes to shove… the mountains aren't that bad.”

“That’s not an option, you know that.” Sverik sighed, his hands forming into a fist.

“Yeah, I know… Where do you plan on training?”

“I’ll go to the golem… I feel like he’s my best chance at this point.”

Kai’s ears perked upon the mention of the golem, and he raised his head, looking straight at Sverik. “Yeah, I think the golem is a good idea. Let’s go, I’ll accompany you.” Saying that he immediately stood up and walked over to his friend, grabbing his shoulder and raising him with one hand.

Aina and Elizabeth stared at Kai with a shocked gaze, never having seen him be so excited about something. “Are you alright?” Elizabeth asked, fearing for Sverik’s life for once.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just- you know, it’s a living golem!” Kai replied, trying to stop himself from rushing out the door. “I mean, how cool is that? It’s a living being made out of magic! I-” He cleared his throat slightly, calming down his excitement. “I don’t know why but something inside me is way too excited about it, and I can’t contain it. I apologize.”

“No need to be sorry.” Aina placed a hand over her mouth, chuckling lightly. “I totally get it, but please don’t try to mess with it, even I can’t afford reparations.”

“Yeah, don’t worry I won’t… I just… want to look at it. Yeah, from afar…” Kai’s voice trembled slightly, his dishonest intentions evident within his tone.