Note: It may be too soon to say, but I think I want to complete this one before I move on to other stuff, as I feel I'm on a roll with this fic.
Some of Ferolia's history is described here, as well as some elements that'll be touched on later. It's entirely made up, but the idea came to me and wouldn't leave me alone. It'll be expanded on whenever Ludgar enters the picture, or the beastmen are discussed.
Also, if I don't get to it in this chapter (I usually type these notes before or during the writing process), rest assured, the other four will be accounted for, as well as the retaking of Jadd.
The Dwarf Village
From his precarious handhold on the now dangling remains of the bridge, Duran, stunned with horror and disbelief, hung frozen, looking down in horror at what had just transpired. The words he had called the young woman echoed through his mind, not allowing him just a second of internal silence.
"Move out!" he heard one of the mages yell. "Get down to the bottom of the ravine! Hurry!" he couldn't exactly see it, but he heard them all scrambling and running off to find some safe passage down to the area below.
Move! Faerie certainly wasn't helping in that department either. You've got to move up! As if seemingly working against her, he began to try and shimmy his way down. You can't be serious! This drop's who knows how many feet! You could break something from this height! Or miss the river entirely! The winged woman pleaded. Duran, please! What good would potentially injuring, or better yet, killing yourself do for Angela?! Duran paused in his trek for a moment, unable to ignore Faerie's words.
"But…" he began to protest. "But…" just then, he was interrupted; he heard the boards above him having weight added to them. Looking up, he saw a figure looking down at him. The figure's features couldn't precisely be distinguished, yet from what little he could tell, he had quite the dark face (or was it coated in shadow) with a helmet bearing small, curved horns and a full, brown beard and mustache. But as quickly as he appeared, he then vanished from sight. "H-Hey!" Duran called out, climbing up as soon as possible to get to solid ground. "Hey!" he called out. "Wait! Don't go off!" but then, he caught sight of a short shape darting into the cavern, the soldier quickly giving chase. "Hey, stop! I need-" he ran forward, tracking the footsteps he heard, only to be stopped by what appeared to be a solid wall of rock. "...to ask you something." he surveyed the extensive collection of boulders in front of him. He could still hear footsteps, surprisingly not cut out altogether by the barrier, but how could he still listen to them? Better yet, how did that little guy manage to get through? Was there some sort of secret switch or something?
"You really wanna know?" Lumina then said, materializing before him. "Truth is, this whole thing isn't real."
"What?" Duran asked, perplexed, Lumina only giggling in response.
"Aw, you humans never get old! But yeah, this whole rock wall is an illusion created by refracted light. Cool, huh?"
"How can you be so blase about any of this?!" Duran then questioned, then holding up his broken weapon. "My sword's ruined, the bridge has been blown to shit, that bastard wizard is on his way to the kingdom, and Angela-" he paused, grimacing at the memories that seemed to make it their goal to torment him. "Angela…" he only repeated, unable to say much more.
Lumina only nodded understandably. "Rest assured." he then said. "She's alive."
"Wh-What?" Both Duran and Faerie were taken aback by this. "H-How can you tell?!"
"I've got a direct link with Mana, remember?" the Elemental reminded the young man. "And with my role, I can sense the light that comes from every soul that lives. I can tell when someone is full of it or close to death. And the latter part is taken over by another friend of mine. But rest assured, hun, she's still up and kicking." Had he not wished to maintain some portion of his dignity, Duran would've up and done everything from cartwheels to flipping over backward at this news. "But," Lumina continued. "We've gotta go through here to find her." Duran approached the rock wall instantly. "Remember, it's all an illusion."
Slowly but steadily, the soldier placed his hand outward and, to his shock, found that it passed right through. "Whoa…" drawing it back and sticking it through the illusion again, Duran did this several times before he stuck a leg out and took a tentative step forward, passing through the rock wall to reveal a long tunnel that resembled a mine, lanterns hanging above and pillars of wood lining the carved out the earth.
"Oh! Nearly forgot!" the Light Elemental then said.
"What is it?" Faerie asked, having come out.
"You might wanna keep yourself hidden, hun." Lumina then said. "And you," he said, looking at Duran. "You probably need to be extra careful down here."
"Why?" the winged woman asked.
"Well...it's been a while, but if I'm right, the guys that live down here are not exactly friendly to those that come from above. I guess it's their nature, but you should at least have your...oh, yeah. That's right, your sword." Duran groaned, not exactly wishing to be reminded. "Well, you still have your shield, right?"
Those words weren't the best encouragement, but if it led him to where Angela could...so be it.
Cavern at Stonesplit Gap
Duran took small, tentative steps as he continued down the seemingly endless shaft, violet eyes shifting around and surveying for any potential threat he would need to combat. Not that he had much in the ways of defense as it was, given the state of his sword. But then, the soldier remembered something Lumina had said. "Hey," he said to the elemental, despite them not being visibly present at the moment. "Just what did you mean by 'not being friendly to those above'?"
"Oh, that," Lumina answered. "Well, it's just from my past witnessing of their behavior."
"Behavior?" Faerie questioned.
"Yeah," Lumina confirmed. "They usually just keep to themselves, and unless they have to, they don't involve themselves in or care about the outside world."
"Well, doesn't THAT sound familiar?" Duran growled at Faerie's barb; she shut up then and there. Though not before adding in. "Well, it's sort of true."
They traveled further and further until the tunnel began to expand, a series of openings that resembled doorways being seen, as well as signs directing to shops, provisions, and, to Duran's delight, a blacksmith. That was enough to make him want to approach, but the light Elemental urged him to stop for a moment.
"Look, I can't guarantee how they'll react when they see you, but if you remain calm and explain yourself, then you MIGHT be ok."
"Um, might isn't exactly a good guarantee," Faerie said from inside.
"Yeah, I know. But at the moment, hun, it's the best we got." he then paused. "But hey! Who knows? Maybe nothing will happen at all! Maybe we'll be able to come on in, and once our dear boy here explains, maybe they'll see a poor thing appealing to the goodness of their hearts and extend a hand to an unfortunate youth who-"
If not for his reflexes, the pickaxe would've struck Duran right in the temple. "Hey!" the soldier shouted, lowering his shield. "Who threw that?!" Soon, more pickaxes came his way, blocking them all and keeping him on the defensive. Despite its condition, Duran drew his sword and brandished it high. "I'm warning you; I'm armed!" upon that declaration, several figures popped out from their hiding places, each resembling the figure that he had seen peering over the bridge beforehand: small, humanoid forms wearing thick trousers and boots with gloves and darkened faces to where only their large, round noses could be seen and their seemingly glowing eyes. They all bore helmets with curved horns on each of them, and from how they held up their tools, they were very eager and ready to take him out.
"You just had to say something, didn't you?" Faerie sighed.
And indeed, they did so.
Rushing forward, Duran managed to push back some, yet the small men essentially dog-piled him, leaping onto him, and when he was on the ground, more and more of their fellow brethren came up to add to the weight. Again, she said nothing, yet Faerie was rather thankful for her current position. "Um," she began, her host unable to say much of anything aside from muffled shouts and demands to get off of him. "What was that you said about the 'goodness; of their hearts?" Lumina didn't answer, mainly wincing at the blows the young man was receiving. Faerie, in turn, only sighed. She had a feeling this was going to be yet ANOTHER roadblock.
Chasm Below the Bridge
"Look everywhere! Leave no stone unturned!" a red-haired mage bellowed out, her fellow magic-users searching the area with wide, worried eyes. The bridge was down, and the one they had been ordered to take in alive should she be found might very well be beyond their reach. And for all they knew, she was possibly dead.
All thanks to the creations that were supposed to give them an edge in the invasions of Valsena and the other nations.
"I don't see her anywhere, Elsa!" a blonde shouted back to the red-haired woman. "I think she might be-"
"No!" Elsa interrupted. "Don't you dare speak it! She MUST be here! She CAN NOT be gone! Not yet! Keep looking!" the sorceress folded her arms over her chest, sweat beading down her face.
Lord Koren's orders were clear, and unless they came back with something, then, as he said, they would be considered potential candidates for the awakening of the Stone's power and the others that Altena would consent to. Yet, Elsa thought, if that was the case, then why was he so insistent that the Princess would be the perfect offering for the ritual? Granted, she and the majority (if not all) of the kingdom's residents were potential candidates for the sacrifice. Yet, one had to wonder why the blonde wizard had what appeared to be some strange fixation on making her the intended target. True, it was not only by his order that Princess Angela was to be captured and brought back to the kingdom but by the Queen of Reason herself. She was dead set on having the young woman be the necessary offering to the Stone. True, that had been the initial plan, Elsa herself being among the soldiers in the throne room at the time to take the Princess to a holding cell, yet even with that, she and several others couldn't fathom as to why Koren, let alone the Queen herself, wanted to sacrifice the only available heir to the throne? Indeed the Queen, mighty as she was, wasn't blind to the fact she wouldn't live forever. Did she have plans to turn the kingdom over to someone else? And if so...no. Elsa shook her head. No, that was ridiculous. She would never turn it over to Lord Koren, would she? That would defy everything! That would be a complete contrast against the woman's very title as the Queen of Reason! And yes, Lord Koren was the head wizard of the entire kingdom, but he held no right to such things! Head wizard, commander or not! He couldn't have...how would he even…?
"Elsa?" the mage turned, seeing a young woman with blonde, braided pigtails. One around the Princess' age. "Are...you ok?"
"Yes." the red-haired soldier answered. "Just...go back to searching, Harriet."
"Are you sure-"
"Yes, now go!" With that, Harrier returned to looking for the Princess, leaving Elsa to oversee the ongoing search, the ridiculous theories and nonsensical conspiracies still flooding her mind.
At least, she told herself that was all they were.
A Short Distance Away
The golem slowly yet steadily lifted itself from its place on the ground, the waters of the ongoing river lapping at its metallic form. It hoisted itself up and out of the body of water, surveying itself and its current condition. Its limbs were still intact, yet as it tried to move, it found that its left leg was heavily compromised, forcing it to limp, and its right arm had nearly been severed entirely. But such things could be repaired. Its purpose could still be fulfilled in this state.
And the purpose was in front of it.
Though she was laid out a few yards away, the Princess was sprawled out on the wet, pebble-covered ground, still and silent, the machine unaware of her current condition. Nevertheless, unless it made it to her, it would never know whether or not she was still among the living. Thus, albeit slowly, the automaton began to make its way toward the unmoving Angela. It was a slow, arduous journey, its joints popping and gears winding as it tried to maneuver the stout body forward. Closer and closer it drew to her still form; it reached out a hand to place on her-
Only to feel a massive amount of force ram itself in its side, the golem flying and crashing into one of the large boulders that lined the walls of the casam. Turning its head to look at what had been the source, the golem found it got little more than a glimpse as its head was crushed underneath a big paw, its claws making it surrender to its superior mass. What this creature was would remain unknown to the automaton, as its inner mechanisms were rendered as little more than flattened cogs and springs, its outer form little more than twisted metal. Its consciousness steadily faded more and more, the environment becoming little more than twisted shapes and colors before it knew no more.
The creature that had done away with the Altenan creation turned its head and spied with its small eyes a shape, yet that was all at most. Its eyesight wasn't the best, so its other senses had to be used to navigate. Its large paws maneuvered its massive body towards the blurry form. It was aware that something was there, yet there was one way to detect whether or not it was worth taking back. The mechanical creature had been one of the strange things that had caused the commotion above; it had to duck into one of the smaller tunnels available to escape the falling pieces of the bridge above. And it just happened that the mechanical creature had gotten just a bit too close to its hiding place. Thus, it responded in kind. But still, perhaps something from this thing could be salvaged. A long, slippery appendage slipped all over the form of the golem, its eyes lighting up at the familiar yet savory tastes that met its tongue. Yes, oh yes! They were small bits, but they tasted fantastic nonetheless! All the other forms that had come from above had little to none, but this thing was loaded with them! Its entire body was a magnet for them!
Then, the creature looked toward the other form near the river. It momentarily abandoned the automaton and approached it, giving the far softer, more fragile shell a small taste. Hmm...not as tasty as the other one, yet it was covered in the same delicious bits. And ultimately, it was still growing and needed as much nutrition as possible.
Far Above
His promise, his father's sword, and what remained of his pride.
On the ground sat Duran, a thick rope tied around his upper half, restraining his arms while another secured his ankles, essentially keeping him in place. The small men had also relieved him of his sword and shield. "You know," he said quietly to himself. "You could see if there's a loose spot somewhere."
And potentially get a pick ax to the face? No, thank you! Faerie exclaimed. Though neither she nor Lumina could be seen at the moment, they didn't exactly offer much.
'Got no hands, remember?' the Elemental commented, giving a nervous chuckle.
Duran only deadpanned. 'Yeah, yeah.' his attention was brought back to his captors by a sharp punch to the side of his head.
"Pay attention when we're talking to you, kid!" one of the small men shouted, and several of his brethren stared down at him. Duran thought it was probably the only way that they would ever stand above anyone, but he (at Faerie's insistence) decided to keep that to himself.
"What's a topsoiler like you doing here in our village?" another humanoid asked, flicking the young man's forehead when he didn't answer fast enough. "Talk!"
"I WOULD if you'd back off for a minute!" Duran shouted, everyone sort of taken aback by just how much fire he had still left in him. Even though there were more of them, and they ultimately won the struggle, no one could deny that it took quite a bit even to take the human down, let alone restrain him. Though when he began to try and speak, another one of his captors interrupted.
"How'd you get past the wall anyway?" they asked. "Nobody's figured out the truth of it from the outside, nobody!"
"It wasn't THAT hard." Duran scoffed. "It's far from anything genius." This earned him another knock to the head.
"Nobody, and I means NOBODY, but dwarves are allowed down here!" another said.
"Wait, dwarves?" the human questioned.
"Of course!" the one that had spoken stated. "What else would we be?"
If not for their rather rough treatment of him, Duran would've been in a deeper state of awe at the prospect of being in the presence of such beings. It was far before his time, yet he had heard tales about the little people living underneath everyone else's feet. Again, it was before his time, yet from what he was aware, in days of old, even before the kingdom and country itself, the native ground dwellers had cultivated and essentially shaped the land that everyone knew today. The discovery of silver, gold and other precious minerals came from them, yet with that, the drive to lay claim to it. He didn't know all the details, and history was not precisely one of his strong points. Still, from what little he knew, the humans who'd inhabited Valsena a century or two ago had the initiative to begin trading with the dwarves for the valuables they could seemingly dig up with ease. At first, things were fine, but relations began to become strained, whether due to one side or the other, and eventually, the dwarves saw fit to cut themselves off from the world and hide away in their tunnels. How long ago that was, Duran knew not, but it had just been the way of things since his father's and even his grandfather's time.
"And," another one began, jabbing his finger in the young man's face. "We don't take too kindly to your folk barging in here like you own the place!"
"Yeah! You've got an entire upper ground to trample on and do whatever you like! But here, THIS place is ours!"
"You're here for our stock, aren't you?" the dwarf continued before Duran could even get a word in. "Don't deny it! You're here to try and score some extra loot for yourself, aren't you? You topsoilers are all the same! Always wanting what doesn't belong to you because it's all shiny and pretty! It's not like you can't put in the work to get it for yourselves!"
"Yeah!" Everyone agreed, nodding to each other. Though after this, they fell silent for a moment.
"But you're on our turf now! And since you aren't going anywhere anytime soon, we'll...we'll…" one dwarf began, so sure of himself beforehand, yet as he went along, he found himself trailing off. "Um...we'll…" He pulled someone close to him. "Um, now what?"
"What do you mean, now what?" the one pulled close asked.
"What do we do?" he asked, gesturing to Duran. "With him?"
"Oh, uh…" the other said, glowing eyes shifting. Then, they all got together, huddling in a circle and discussing among themselves, their speech quiet and relatively indistinguishable to Duran's ears. But the brief bits he caught were 'Why is he here?' and 'Who knows? You know how humans are.' On and on, they went, discussing the same question that seemed to take forever to get an answer for. But one statement caught his attention, as well as the smirk of the one that had said it. 'Let's just get rid of him!' 'Yeah, it'll be easy! Just like that!' 'It's not like anyone would know where we are anyway! And our secret will stay safe!' Then, all the dwarves turned to face him.
"Ok, we've decided!" one dwarf at the front said, he and the rest of them giggling among themselves. "We're going to execute you," he said so matter of factly.
Duran could've sworn then the entire area went silent. "Uh...what?"
"You heard me." the dwarf said. "We're gonna take you out."
"Yeah, can't have you squealing to your friends about where we are!" They brought out an assortment of pickaxes, shovels, and other tools.
He began to shift and try to break out of his bonds, yet it was then that, thankfully, someone had taken to speaking for him. "No!" Faerie cried out, manifesting before the group of short, bearded men, all of them backing off in shock. "Don't you dare!"
"Whoa, what is that!?"
"She's smaller than we are!"
"Is she flying?!"
"She's got wings!"
"Ok, guys, the joke's over!" Lumina then spoke, appearing before the dwarves as well, a glare on his usually chipper features. His appearance got an even stronger reaction than Faerie, though it seemed his manifestation robbed them of any words. Lumina maneuvered some of the vapor surrounding his form to form what appeared to be arms resting on his "hips." "Seriously, you're scaring this poor thing half to death with that talk!"
Duran, only having slightly become aware due to the shock of what he had heard the dwarves say, only registered what the Mana Spirit had just told. "N-No, I'm not!"
The dwarves were still in shock, but one of them got the courage to speak. "You could tell that we weren't serious?"
"But we didn't mean it!" another then said. "We just wanted to spook the kid so he wouldn't go off yapping about this place!"
"Honestly, you guys should be ashamed!" Lumina lectured, shaking his "finger" at them. Duran was about to protest how that seemed to look like some "hand," but the Elemental kept going. "And I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt and tell these two dears here that you weren't all that bad! Just what has this world come to when you can't step foot in a place without people making thinly veiled threats to take you out?" the Elemental huffed. "Honestly, if Gnome could see you all, he would be-"
"Wait, did you say Gnome?" one of the dwarves questioned, eyes widening and all of them looking at each other. "You KNOW Gnome?"
"Of course I do!" Lumina responded. "He and I go WAY back! Heck, we're practically brothers! In a sort of way, maybe, not entirely sure."
"Then...then you're a Mana Spirit! And the winged woman! She must be one too!"
"Well," Faerie began. "Not exactly, but I am a-"
Suddenly, all the dwarves fell to their knees and bowed. "Oh, please! Please forgive us! We had no idea! We had no idea we were in the presence of the one who would wield the Mana Sword!"
"Whoa, whoa, hey now. Let's not get carried away; get up!" Lumina answered, the dwarves immediately obeying. Despite the situation, Duran felt satisfied at suddenly seeing his captors being so submissive. "I know I'm a sight to see, heh, literally. But I am NOT an object of worship. So come on! Get up!" they all immediately did so, mainly out of fear of angering the spirit. Lumina then turned to Faerie. "How about you get a word in? It's only fair."
"Oh, really?" the winged woman was somewhat taken aback. "I...uh…"
"Hey! If anyone should get a word in, it's me!" the restrained Duran argued. "Hell, if anything, you guys should be begging me to-"
"Who's the one tied up right now?" Lumina interrupted the Valsenan soldier, who huffed in response and turned away. The spirit could've sworn he heard the human say something under his breath yet ultimately decided not to heed it. After all, someone had to be a beacon of patience for Faerie to look to.
"Well…" Faerie then nodded, having finally found something to say. "Yes! Before you stands...er, sits the future wielder of the Mana Sword! And soon to be the one that shall...wait a moment." the winged woman paused. "Did you say you knew Gnome?"
"Oh! Uh, o-of course we do!" one of the dwarves answered. "He's our protector!"
"The Earth Stone's just above here too!" another said.
"Uh, hey-" Duran began but was cut off.
"We can take you up there, no problem! What do you want?"
"Hey-"
"We can do anything for you guys! Want some food or water? Maybe a bed? Oooh, how about a back rub-"
"What I'd LIKE," Duran snarled, finally getting everyone's attention. "Is to GET OUT OF THESE ROPES!"
Later
Sitting at a table nestled in a rather large room, Duran was currently munching away at the plethora of food before him. Faerie was taken aback by his table manners. Or lack thereof. Um…she looked at Lumina, speaking telepathically. Is it natural for humans to be this...messy when eating?
Lumina couldn't help but giggle. Hun, you've got a LOT to learn about these guys.
"Again, we're so sorry." one of the dwarves said, fiddling his thumbs. It was quite a contrast to how they behaved beforehand. "We DIDN'T mean that we were gonna really kill you."
"Yeah, we were just trying to scare you off." another replied. "But...if it's not too much trouble, we'd appreciate it if you DIDN'T tell anybody about this place. I mean...not to insult YOU or anything, goodness no!" he clarified, waving his hands. "But...you know how humans can be."
"Y-Yeah," Duran said between mouthfuls of food. "Whatever." he munched on a chicken leg. "Doesn't mean...I forgive you, though."
"Oh! Then how about some more rolls! Or maybe some more salad! But then again, you seem to be more of a meat person-"
"No, no, I think he's good," Faerie answered, flying over to the dwarf that had been speaking. "Anyway...what was that you said about Gnome?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah!" the dwarf then remembered. "Gnome lives here right alongside the Mana Stone!"
"He's helped us create all of this for ourselves to live in!" another said.
"When we were forced to escape down here from the humans that wanted to rob us, we could do so thanks to Gnome and his powers!" That particular speaker drew the attention of the three visitors, all looking (Duran pulled away from his food) to see another dwarf that looked not too different from the others but bore a far higher pitched and feminine voice. They appeared not to have much of a beard, most of the hair to the sides of their face styled and neatly kept, and they wore a tiny, frilly skirt over their jumpsuit. "What?" they asked, or rather, she asked. "Haven't you ever seen a woman before?" she then did a little pose, gaining the attention of the other dwarves around her.
"Um...anyway," Faerie began again, still somewhat taken aback (seriously, how was THAT a woman?). "What else can you tell us? Has anything unusual been going on as of late?" The dwarves all looked to each other, discussing among themselves, as if not entirely sure of whether or not to release such information as of yet, despite basically bending over backward to make it up to Duran.
"You know what?" the young man said through even more mouthfuls of food (seriously, how could he STILL be eating, Faerie thought). "I think I WILL have more rolls."
"Oh! Y-Yeah! Sure!" one dwarf said, rushing to get another basket of the baked bread.
"And some beer-"
"Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!" Faerie protested. "You've probably got enough...no, MORE in you than you probably need as it is! The last thing I need is for you to get drunk! We've still got work to do!"
"And I've told you and THESE guys here that I will not be wielding the Mana Sword!"
Lumina couldn't help but burst out laughing, the dwarves looking at each other as they observed the Mana Spirit having a hoot at the scene. Indeed, this guy seemed like he'd be friends with Gnome. "In all seriousness, though," the elemental began, breaking Duran and Faerie from their argument (as well as Duran's ravenous eating). "How has Gnome been? Anything new coming up?"
"Well...sort of." one of the dwarves said.
"What do you mean by 'sort of'?" Duran questioned.
"It's kinda hard to explain, but…" another one of the dwarves began, rubbing the back of his head. "Things have been...sort of weird lately."
"Like?" Faerie asked.
The dwarves looked at each other before going forward. "While these are our tunnels and mines, some natural creatures and some unsavory fellows like goblins come down and make their homes here."
"Yeah. Like it or not, ultimately, we can't exactly control everything down here." another admitted. "They don't give us much trouble, as we can usually hold them off. And besides, they usually go about their own business."
"Batmos are more concerned with eating bugs and are good pest control. And the Goblins usually are warring between themselves and the Hobgoblins. Of course, they can cause a stir, but they mainly stay away from our mining areas." Duran could only nod, having gotten a taste of that experience. "But lately...things have been quiet."
Nothing had been detailed yet, but there was an undeniable heaviness in the air when the short, dark-faced humanoid said that. "Well...isn't that good?" Faerie questioned. "I mean...yeah, I don't know for sure, but mining can be rather noisy. But at least you'd have peace of mind when working, right?"
The dwarves were silent for a while, uncomfortably looking at each other. "We would...if we weren't in the company of something even more dangerous." Once again, everyone was engulfed in a sickening, constricting silence; Duran had long since abandoned the food and listened along with Faerie and Lumina. "I don't know for sure…" one of them began. "But it's been rumored that the Jewel Eater is somewhere in the tunnels."
All three visitors to the dwarves' home looked at each other. "Jewel Eater?" Duran asked, no food in his mouth at the moment (surprisingly, Faerie thought).
"It's kinda a local legend around here." the female dwarf explained. "Only...I wonder if it counts as that, as it's real." she paused. "Anyway, the Jewel Eater...well...it's kinda like a...sorta like a…" she put a glove-covered finger on her shaven chin (the fact she had to shave at all raised a LOT of questions about dwarves as a whole for Duran and Faerie). "Just what COULD you say it's like?" she murmured, quieting for a short minute before speaking again. "Well...it's kinda a...mole, I guess."
"A mole?" the human soldier raised a brow. "You're all scared of a mole?"
"Hey, it's not JUST a mole!" a dwarf exclaimed. "It's one of the most ill-tempered, nasty, aggressive creatures on Earth!"
"Yeah!" another added in. "It can tear through the thickest of rock and burrow down in everything! Dirt, rock, hell, maybe even metal!"
"And not to mention the stuff it eats!"
Duran found himself surprised. "You mean it eats people?"
"What? No!" the dwarf said. "It eats jewels! Why else would it be called the Jewel Eater?"
"But it COULD crush your bones if it wanted to!" one of them added.
"Oh yeah! You'd be little more than ground dust by the time it's done with you!"
"If any part of you could be found at all, it'd probably crush everything." The dwarf that had spoken then ran into one of the small caverns, Duran rising from the table and following, seeing the dwarf kneeling and struggling to lift something. "Help me lift this, would you?"
"Help you lift what-" Duran got nothing further out as a large mass was practically shoved into his hands. Unable to keep it up, he fell to the ground, wincing as his hands were almost crushed. "What…" the young man breathed out, massaging his sore appendages. "Just what the hell IS this thing?! Why do you have a huge rock in here?!"
"Oh, that's not a rock." the dwarf said. "It's a tooth."
The human's violet eyes widened at what he had assumed to be a flattened slab before him. "A...a tooth?"
"Yeah. An ancestor of mine came across it once. I don't know how it got down here, but we get occasional floods that bring down all kinds of crazy stuff." Duran surveyed the fossilized portion of this Jewel Eater creature before him. It was flat, that much was sure, yet it was lined with ridges and went up and down in wave-like patterns. "And while I can't be sure, I think this was just one of its smaller teeth." smaller?! It was about the size of where the human's whole forearm could fit on there! "Anyway, it may be close to a mole, but everyone here knows to stay out of its way well."
"Y-Yeah. Sure." Duran said. "But if this is such a problem, why don't you find somewhere else to go?"
"And leave our home? No way!" the other dwarves had gathered by the entrance of their brethren's quarters. "This is OUR place! And nothing, NOTHING is going to be kicking us out!"
"And besides, it's not like Jewel Eaters are usually a problem anyway." another said. "Very few of them are born at all."
"What do you mean?" Faerie asked.
"The Jewel Eater is rumored to be born every one-thousand years or so, give or take maybe, no one's really for sure. They just seem to come up after long periods. Again, that's why it's kinda a legend."
"But the thing is, all of that aside." another said. "They NEVER come down here. They make their nests and lay their eggs over in Daria."
"Daria?" Faerie asked.
"It's a massive valley a small distance away from here. You have to climb to get there, and it's home to all kinds of critters even nastier than the ones you might find here."
"But the gems there are HUGE!" a dwarf practically stretched out as much as he could with his arms for emphasis. "We'd need a whole wheelbarrow to fit just a couple, maybe just one!"
"And seeing as it's called a 'Jewel Eater,' it should be up there where all the good stuff is! Why would it be interested in the small potatoes we find down here?"
"If that's the case, then why don't we make a trip to Daria and-" one began, but he was cut off.
"No can do." another shook his head. "That place is WAY too dangerous; you know that. But now, if that thing's here in our tunnels, it might be just as dangerous here as it is there."
"Nobody's been down in the mines lately because of that." another commented. "Only one loon's still going down there. Isn't that right, Watts?" The dwarf's question was only met with silence. "Watts?" again, no answer. "Wait…" it was then that everyone realized that, due to the arrival of the topsoiler and news of the state of Mana, no one even bothered to ensure that all of their own were accounted for. "Where is Watts?"
Note: Lumina's insistence not to be worshiped ties into the expansion into the backstory of both the Elementals and Benevodons that'll be touched on later. The next chapter will have some Kevin and Charlotte shenanigans, along with the tiny people. The next chapter won't have too much action as it mainly deals with both setup and things happening elsewhere.
