Hello. I would like to start by saying that english is not my main language, so I apologize in advance for the possible grammar you find this type of mistakes, do not be hesitant to tell me. This is also my first attempt at a fanfic and I hope it will at least prove to be a decent read. Constructive criticism is most welcome, so please help me to improve myself, and the story.
The sun was starting to rise on the horizon, illuminating the pink sky as the veil of night was starting to fade. A layer of mist started to form as the cold night was giving way to the warm day ahead. Sparkling drops of water that looked like pearls adorned the fresh pine needles of the trees. A lonely hawk was flying over the vast forest situated at the base of the Beor Mountains, searching for a rabbit to sate its hunger. In a small clearing not far away from its location, the remnants of a fire were smoldering, emanating a thin smoke.
"Wake up, ye lazy hunter! That's all what you are good at: sleeping until your stomach demands food".
"Alright, just don't do what you usually do. We have a long way ahead of us and no river nearby to replenish our water supply," came a lazy reply from the other dwarf.
"Then lets get moving! I don't have the time, nor the patience to linger here forever. We both know that you really take your time before you are ready to depart," he added in an angry tone.
"Will do, just let me grab a bite, will ya?" As soon as he finished the question, he reached for his sack and grabbed a hunk of bread and a piece of jerky. Lifting the tasty morsel, the dwarf stopped when the shrilling sound of metal against rock reached his ears.
"What's that for Sagnar?" asked the dwarf with a curious expression, barely hiding his indignation for the sudden interruption.
The dwarf known as Sagnar was a middle aged dwarf. He was slightly taller than most of the dwarves. A two inch black mustache was forking from above his lips. A similar colored beard was decorating his lower jaw and his mahogany eyes were contrasting with his deer skin jacket and his black leggings. His thick eyebrows were frowned almost all the time, as if he was under constant pressure.
"This, my friend, is for when trouble seems imminent. You can't drive an angry Shrrg away by shouting at it," chuckled Sagnar. He continued to sharpen his axe until he was pleased with the result, paying no to his companion who was munching on his food.
"I'm ready!" answered the other dwarf with a satisfied voice. As if trying to annoy his companion, he added slyly. "Such fine meal it was. You cannot embark on a journey without fuel to burn, you know." He rubbed his belly contently before he got up to his feet, a groan escaping him in the process.
"It was about time, Furin! Our time is limited and I do not want to face the consequences for being late. You are well aware of the king's attitude when he receives a late response." He paused for a second, glancing at his companion who seemed preoccupied with checking the remaining supplies. With a dismayed look, he voiced his concerns. "Is every miner eating as much as you do? I would not be surprised if you ask me to stop in the next hour for a break." Sagnar tapped his foot impatiently while he awaited for a response, his companion still browsing the contents of his backpack.
"Fine, you convinced me. You just go ahead while I gather my things and equip myself", he replied with a hint of exasperation in his voice, clearly not happy being rushed like this. He threw away the little hunk of bread that remained in his hand and picked up his bag, sighing loudly.
Sagnar noticed this and departed without adding a thing, muttering quietly something that only he could understand.
The dwarf noticed that his companion wasn't in the best mood so he tried to move as fast as his legs would allow him. If there was one thing he did not want to experience alone, that would be finding his way out of the woods.
Furin was slightly younger than his companion. His hair and beard were bronze and both were cut shorter than other dwarves. With eyes were dark as ebony, but across his right cheek a scar could be seen running from his eyebrow to his lower jaw, a reminder of his dangerous work. He had an impassive expression due to his undwarfish lazy nature.
He initially met Sagnar when he needed to buy several pelts for his job on behalf of the miner's guild. Greedy as always, the hunter charged him more than the pelts were actually worth. At first, his intention was to see if the miner actually falls for it and he was surprised that he did. Having no time to argue over a few coins, Furin paid the full amount and left. Pleased with the quality of his products, the miner became a loyal customer, always accepting the bitter price of Sagnar's items. When a new merchant arrived, selling different stuff cheaper than Sagnar, Furin was furious for not realizing the dwarf's treachery. After a mild fight which resulted with several guards needed to calm the two angry dwarves, the king decided to punish them by sending them together in the search of a possible mining site where their skills would prove valuable. Without the chance to voice their disapproval, the dwarves embarked on the journey, leaving a part of their conflict aside as their cooperation was needed if they were to get along. Even if he was not showing it, Furin has always envied Sagnar for his skill with the axe, his courage and mainly his job.
Sagnar looked back and, noticing that his companion was catching up, asked loudly.
"So Furin, what exactly are we looking for? As a miner, you should know the details better," questioned Sagnar, raising an eyebrow as Furin stopped by his side.
He took a moment, catching his breath before answering.
"According to the details the king has provided us with, a new mining site was discovered. And what a site it is! The farmer who discovered it couldn't stop talking about the shiny stones he found inside the cavern. If what he says it's true, then we are about to uncover something which will bring tremendous riches to us…and of course, to our king." His mind started to drift towards the rich colored, sparkling stones, but he was quickly brought back to his senses by a howl in the distance.
"What was that?" asked Furin, clenching his hands on the bag he was holding.
"It's probably a predator trying to keep the other animals away from its territory. You are not going to run away because of a little Shrrg, are you?" Sagnar smiled, and continued to move, apparently undisturbed.
"You can't possibly believe that I…." he suddenly stopped as he heard a strange noise. "Wait, did you hear that?" the dwarf asked suddenly, as panic could be visible on his face. Waiting for a second to get himself together, Furin pushed his fear aside and quickly reached for the dagger which was hanging on to his belt.
"It's probably your imagination mate. No beast can deceive a hunter, especially one like me. Dozens of beasts have fallen before my axe and in some cases, my bow ended their life. My experience is uncontesta…."he tried to finish, but his attention switched to the trees on his right. Whatever it was, the leaves and bushes were concealing it.
"Barzul! You have managed to transfer your panic to me! That's what happens when you travel with a…" With an angry grunt, a nagra stormed out from between the shadowy trees, targeting the two dwarves. Sagnar quickly rolled to his left, avoiding the charging nagra by a hairsbreadth. Taking advantage of his current position, he brought down the axe in an attempt to hit the nagra's backside, but to no avail. For such a beast, it was surely agile.
The nagra, a species native to the Beor Moutains, was a bit shorter than the two dwarves, and it's tusk weren't fully developed, hinting at the animal's youth. Still, it was much larger than the common boars. While it couldn't kill a dwarf with the same ease as a full grown nagra, it could still injure them badly.
"Furin, what in the world are you doing? Don't just sit there, watching! If we are to bring down this beast, we have to work together," shouted Sagnar angrily at his absent minded companion who's hands and legs were trembling slightly. He tried to distract the angry nagra long enough to come up with a plan; after a brief while something came to mind.
"Lets try to circle it. This basic tactic always works. I just hope it is not too big of a deal for you." After he finished explaining his strategy, he stared at Furin's dagger, a skeptical look on his face.
"In Guntera's name, why, of all the weapons which were available to you, picked such an insignificant one?" yelled Sagnar, his voice filled with frustration.
"Next time I will make sure to bring my pickaxe, if that pleases you," Furin retorted.
The nagra turned around, forgetting about the dwarf which was making loud noises to distract it and fixed it's eyes on the other one, targeting Furin. It looked like it was going to charge once again.
That incompetent miner will not help me at all. If someone is to do this right, then that person is me! As soon as the nagra started to build up speed, Sagnar threw a dagger at its side to get its attention. And it worked. Enraged by the feeling of pain, the nagra suddenly stopped from its current action and eyed the one who had hurt it.
Not wasting any moment, the dwarf started to run towards the beast, lifting his axe in the process. Once he was close enough, he jumped, bringing his weapon down with all his strength. The sound of metal cutting through flesh and bone filled the forest. Birds left the trees, fearing for their safety. The beast was dead.
Furin watched in shock as blood started to gush out from, a few meters away from him. Then, his gloomy face gave way to a large grin as he began to cheer.
"I knew it! I knew you could handle it, lad," he said enthusiastically as he approached his companion that was laying on the ground next to the nagra. Stains of blood covered his tunic and leggings. Much to his dismay, the hunter's reaction was much more different than he would have expected it to be.
"Shut yer mouth, Furin!" he yelled. "You know that I did all the work to bring it down and your contribution was close to nothing. Should I had failed to get that lucky strike, we would have been seriously injured, or worse, dead." He continued his rant about the encounter with the nagra until he noticed that Furin was looking away, clearly not interested in what he had to say.
This indifference enraged him even more, up to the point where he felt that he needed to instill some common sense into his companion. The dwarf got up quickly and poked Furin hard in the chest.
"Are you even listening to what I have to say?" he frowned when no change occurred in his behavior. "Never mind, you wouldn't even understand that. You are a miner, after all," he spat as he got away from him and looked at the dead nagra.
Furin, realizing what Sagnar said was true and that he was more of a hindrance to him, replied with a shaky voice.
"I know that it wasn't easy to kill that thing, Sagnar. I wish I could have done more to help, but as you said, I'm a miner. I know little about fighting and I do not belong in a forest hunting dangerous creatures like you do," he apologized, hoping to lessen Sagnar's anger at least for a bit. Being abandoned and having to go alone all the way to the mine, added to the recent encounter with the nagra, scared Furin to the bone.
Sagnar turned back and laid a hand on Furin's shoulder, eyeing him with sympathy. "I know that. That is one of the reasons why I was forced to come here with you in the first place. Next time, make sure to get a bigger weapon!" he chuckled and then both of them began to laugh. After they stopped laughing, Sagnar added:.
"I believe it is time to resume our journey. This delay was a significant one and I do not wish to cross this forest after the sun sets. There are dangerous beasts living here, some that even I cannot best." With this, Sagnar gave Furin another look before turning around.
It was noon already. The sun was high in the sky, projecting its warm rays through the thick forest. Not far away from the two travelers the Beartooth river was flowing tumultuously, its clear waters reflecting the sun's light.
"Lets stop here for a moment," demanded Sagnar as he stopped by the river to clean the blood that stained him. The rugged terrain was wearing the travelers quite a bit and this proved to be a good opportunity to replenish their strength.
"It was about time," Furin sighed. "My legs are starting had been aching for a while."
"Do not make yourself comfortable mate. We will not spend our entire day here if that's what you had in mind." Those last words hit Furin with the force of a crushing wave.
More traveling….great he thought to himself, disgusted by this prospect.
After he replenished the water skins, Sagnar motioned Furin to follow. The did so without questioning his motives. His only consolation was their current position. He knew that the cave was not far away. All they had to do was to complete the task the king handled to them and to return to their beloved city.
When I arrive home, I will lay in bed for a day. Furin smiled at the pleasant thought and accelerated his pace slightly to reach his companion.
After a tiresome journey, a huge cave was starting to take shape in front of them. They both gasped with awe at the sight in front of them. Never have they seen such a wide cave.
"That's a pretty impressive sight. I can honestly admit that it is by far the biggest cave I have ever seen!" exclaimed Furin, clearly impressed by the sheer size of the place. "And this is just the beginning. Who knows how far and wide this cave stretches?" After he searched through his pack, the dwarf lifted something that looked like a torch and added with enthusiasm." There's only one way to find out." With this, he picked two medium sized stones from his pack and lit his torch by creating sparks with those two stones.
"Well, that didn't take so long as I would have expected, especially when it comes from you," Sagnar chuckled.
"Eh, I'm not that clumsy," he replied blankly. Without wasting any more time, he ventured into the cave without even waiting for Sagnar to follow him.
Normally, it was an uncommon sight for Sagnar to see his companion being the first one to venture into the unknown. The only explanation which could explain this was Furin's profession as a miner.
"After all, that's what you do. Braving damp, dark places such as this one," commented Sagnar with an ironic tone. Of all the places I have been to, caves are the worst ones.
With that, he ran to Furin's side, for he lacked a torch of his own.
Disgust was all that he felt at that moment. The floor was slippery and the walls were sticky. It was not long before he started questioning himself if they will ever find something in such inhospitable place.
"Do you see anything except the usual?" asked Sagnar with impatience as he touched a slimy wall, steadying himself as he lost his balance because of the slippery floor.
A calm reply came from his companion "No, not at all. I do not expect to find precious stones situated near the entrance for obvious reasons. We just have to keep going."
This was not the answer Sagnar expected. He wanted to get out and he wanted it to happen soon. While he muttered different curses in his mind, something caught his attention. A spark of red was visible not far away from them.
"Rubies!" shouted Furin, his voice filled with excitement. His eyes widened with delight at the pretty sight ahead of him. Several blood-red stones were adorning the walls of the cave. To his dismay, their location was not accessible to him.
"Do not let this demoralize you. I'm sure we will find more if we venture further." Sagnar's intervention was merely to comfort his greedy companion, which obviously wanted to take some stones for himself.
With a new determination, Furin increased his pace. "You are right! By the end of this day, we will be rich!" Those words were soon going to become a reality. In front of him, a few sapphires embed in stone could be seen, reflecting their characteristic color in the dim light of his torch.
"Barzul!" He shouted with frustration. Again, the stones were not accessible to him. But something in front of him cleared his mind of all his negative thoughts. Ahead of them, a large mass of red stones were residing, sending red rays of light across the cave. Not wasting any moment, he quickly grabbed his dagger and tried to push a stone out of the tough rock. With his mind lost to the beauty of the rubies, the dwarf struggled to pull it out.
"Furin, something is not right. I have never seen such a collection of rubies in one place. Doesn't it seem unusual to you? And what's with this unusual sound?" Worry was visible on his face, yet his companion totally ignored him.
Lost to his desire to pull the stone out, Furin replied with a grimly look "It's the wind. It is always like this in these caves. Don't bother me with what you do not understand," he snapped.
Suddenly, the rubies shifted their position and a low growl echoed inside the cave.
"By Guntera's beard! What is going on?!" yelled Sagnar in surprise as panic started to settle in.
Two reptilian eyes were visible in the distance. They sparkled like gemstones in the light provided by the torch.
"Th-the rubies! They are alive!" shouted Furin, backing away. "Lets get out of here!"
While the dwarfs were heading for the exit, a red light illuminated the whole cave, engulfing the dwarves in the process.
While it is not what you were expecting for a prologue(Duh, dwarves and the dragon war? what the....), it will prove to be of importance in the 's a hint for you: this happened before the elves arrived in isn't it? Unfortunately, more info leads to spoilers.
The next chapter will feature a young, ambitious elf while he travels in search of a chance to fulfill his dream.