^^ Indra, but not so much metal ^^

--- Dimitri ---

I faced the charging Dwarf, and roared out a challenge, nimbly skipping out of the way, and bringing a foot across his face as hard as my position permitted, then dodging the hammer again.

He was skilled with the hammer, clearly a master of the Warhammer, but he was slow, because Rune-Stone or not, that hammer wasn't built for speed, but rather devastatingly powerful blows.

He was tough, still taking my blows as well as a giant would, or maybe even better, but I was the clear victor from the moment the first strike missed and cracked the floors.

I stood back a bit as he heaved for breath, and grinned. "Could I get a weapon, anyone? Or is this a fight to the death where anything goes?"

Someone tossed me a bastard sword, and I smiled, holding the sword in one hand, then focusing on the Dwarf with the hammer.

"You ready for another go?" I grinned.

He snarled, and darted forward, the hammer raised above his left shoulder.

I slipped past him like a wisp in the mists, and took his head cleanly with a swing of my borrowed sword, then caught the hammer before it damaged the floor even more.

I gave both to the King, and debated returning the sword to its owner, but decided to keep it for now.

He nodded slowly, and sighed. "And so judgement falls upon Hadley, Chief of the Iron-Sides, Third Son of the Sathorn Legacy, by hand of Dimitri the Dwarf, son of-... you never told me your lineage, Dimitri."

"I am called Dimitri Termini the Dwarf, first and only Son of the Giant, Wyler the Driven, and the Elf, Lila Termini the Rabid, and I am a Warriorborn of the Fell." I answered.

He nodded and finished his sentence to the group. "-Dimitri Termini the Dwarf, Eldest son of Wyler the Driven and Lila the Rabid, Chaste Warriorborn of the Fabled Fell."

Two of the Chiefs took his body out, wrapping it in what smelled like Treated Muscovite, a very thin stone that, when treated correctly, had the consistency of rubber.

"And I agree that your challenge extends to the entire Clan, as much as it pains me to remove an entire clan... but I won't kill them." The King said clearly, and sat in his throne.

I raised an eyebrow. "You'd have me Feud with them, instead of killing them all at once?"

He shook his head. "What you do to them if you meet them outside my halls is none of my concern, but they are no longer members of my kingdom."

I nodded. "Ah. I see."

He addressed his gathered Chiefs. "As of right now, this day, this hour, the Iron-Sides are not welcome in our halls, nor allowed to call themselves Kalægiran Dwarves. They are Banished, and will be branded as Cowards and Traitors for their treachery. Chiefs, they have three days to completely leave this kingdom. They may not take more than the clothes that they bear on their backs. All else now belongs to the King, to do with as he pleases."

They bowed and rushed out, hunting down all the members they could find. They were quick and efficient, considering the miles and miles of tunnels that made up this mountain.

"Have they done this before?" I asked.

"Banished a clan?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Twice before, in the last sixty years that I've been King... Most Kings would have simply executed them all... but I don't like that massive loss of life. It's not useful." He shook his head.

I raised an eyebrow. "But it prevents enemies down the road. If you've banished three clans, they likely banded together in some way, and now you have a sizable force to deal with."

I shrugged at his calculating gaze. "We had to destroy two Clans as well, but for our own reasons." I explained.

He hummed. "Another time, and over ale, we might discuss that at length... but as of now I must find a way to calm my people... and my granddaughter." He sighed at the sobbing Dwarf girl, who still managed to be beautiful with swollen eyes and a red nose.

"Her mother must be the most stunning creature in the realm, to make such a beautiful child with a brute such as you." I said honestly, and he blinked, surprised.

Holden laughed uproariously, and then slapped his thigh. "ITS TRUE!!!" He guffawed, and pounded his brother's back heartily.

The King grinned. "Indeed. My daughter Indra is the most beautiful woman in the Dwarven Kingdoms... as was her mother. Tamara is... differently beautiful. To a dwarf, her face isn't..." he stopped, confused, and looked at Holden for help.

Holden cleared his throat. "The jaw... it's round and paradoxically pointy, like a human, versus..." he rubbed his block jaw.

I grinned. "I understand. Davila is also the most beautiful Giantess in our village, and any other I've ever met."

He blinked and lowered his voice. "Even without-" he mined breasts, confused, and I leaned away as Davila pegged one of her boots at his head.

I laughed, along with the King, and he shook his head to clear it. "I... think I may have... deserved that..." he said slowly.

"Indeed. I meant her face, you Luddite." I chuckled.

He nodded. "I see. Yes, she does have certain features that Dwarves would find attractive, but... she's much too big."

She raised the other boot threateningly, making Tamara laugh a wet-sounding laugh. "Grampa Holden! You can't say things like that! I'll tell mama!!!" She threatened shakily, smiling tremulously.

He gasped in what might have been false terror, making me grin. "No! No, that's not necessary, leave your mother out of this-"

"Leave me out of WHAT?" A stocky dwarf with relatively pleasing features rounded the throne from the rooms behind it.

He squeaked and hid behind his brother, and she raised an eyebrow slowly, the metal piercings in the bushy brows shining gently. "Father." She curtsied genially.

He nodded. "Lovely daughter Indra... I am sorry you had to hear of Hadley from someone who wasn't me."

She hummed softly. "I was behind the throne as his crimes were read. I am not surprised... but I do grieve. Now where is my baby girl? Tamara? What are you wearing?!?" She placed her hands on her hips for some sort of stance.

Tamara glanced down. "It's... a coat? I think? Made of... some type of leather?"

"Fire Dragon Leather." I coughed awkwardly when they stared at me slowly.

Princess Indra raised an eyebrow slowly. "And you're wearing it because...?"

"I rushed here in my nightie without realizing, and Dimitri gave it to me to cover me up?" She answered slowly.

She glanced at me, and hummed. "I see... I'm actually curious as to what it's made of."

"Fire Dragon Leather, as I said... and I wonder why Gruner hasn't woken yet... he's usually so active at night." I murmured, then cursed myself for speaking.

Gruner popped out of the breast-portion of the coat, making Tamara squeak, and then he began gnawing on her earrings, which were large pieces of bronze.

She giggled and went to give it to him, and I cleared my throat. "Don't. If you give him even one thing, he'll want all your shiny things, and he's very stubborn. I'll handle this." I reached inside the carriage, and removed one of my gold coins, biting it loudly.

He snapped to attention, one paw towards her nose, where a gold stud was positioned, and with his other three feet resting on her breasts for support, his wings out for balance.

"Gruner! Here!" I flipped it into the air.

He shrieked and launched himself at it, and curled around it protectively, scuttling into his hoard to hide.

Princess Indra laughed. "A Forest Dragon. Amusing... Small, and not as violent as a Dungeon Dragon." She tapped her cheek gently.

"Indeed. Now, Lady Tamara, if I could requisition my Coat? Or would you like to keep it until morning? I wish to get some more sleep, so as to be ready for my activities tomorrow." I cracked my back.

She pulled it around herself tighter. "I-I'm keeping it!" She stuttered, blushing gently.

I chuckled. "So be it. Davila, love, will you stay here and play with the cute dwarf, or would you like some more sleep?"

She hummed. "It's Dawn already."

I froze as I felt the Dawn in my bones. "Ah... you're right... then no sleep will be had."

The King sighed and stepped off his throne heavily. "I think you'll like a tour of the Armory and Forges, Dimitri? I might as well check their progress. We're trying a new formula for bronze, but it's... being difficult." He walked next to me.

"Davila, you coming? Some forging likely to be done!" I grinned.

She nodded and set Tamara down. "Come if you want, little one, but I am going to go hammer some Dwarven Bronze!!!" She cheered.

"Enthusiastic, isn't she?" The King and Indra said simultaneously.

She grinned. "I've been waiting for this for a very long time!!!"

I nodded. "We've been told our whole lives that Dwarves were the only Mortal Beings that would match or challenge our skill with a hammer. To see proof yay or nay in person..." I shook my head slowly.

He nodded. "Aye, we've been told the same... and Father speaks highly of you." He hummed.

The Dwarf princess attempted to keep up with us, tripping over my coat repeatedly, until Davila picked her up and set her on a broad shoulder.

Princess Indra and Holden walked next to us easily, as we all walked the King's Pace.

I removed my armor and bared my skin, (keeping my pants and boots,) and tossed my armor into my room as we passed it. Davila disappeared into the room with the princess, making her mother and I stiffen, but we both relaxed when no sounds other than talking and clothes were heard.

Davila exited the room wearing a thin cotton shirt, and equally thin leggings, with a hammer and pick on her belt. She tossed me my set, and grinned widely, before the princess exited, dressed in Davila's forge-clothes, which were ridiculously big on her, but cinched with a gilded rope, and managing to look fitted because of it.

My coat was rolled and buckled, creating a sort of armored, open dress that laid over her Cotten garments. It was exquisite, and accentuated her body and face in a way I found pleasing. I grinned. "Magnificent, as expected, Lady Tamara." I said gently.

Her mother hummed. "The women will be wearing this by tomorrow evening, you watch." She patted her daughter's head lovingly.

The King resumed walking, and I grinned. "That was a good test of my first Rune-Hammer, though, despite the circumstances. It was... formidable." I nodded.

He frowned. "Yes... it was. You, however, were more so. What kind of Halfling is more powerful than the original species' he was born of?" He asked, either curious or despondent, but I wasn't sure.

"One born of two warrior races, and raised in the ways of a Warriorborn... and the most stubborn and hard-working bastard this side of the Portal?" I grinned merrily.

He snorted, and Holden grinned. "I would still beat you in a real battle." He said simply.

I stopped walking. "You're joking, right? You're positively Puny, Holden the Strong, and that's coming from the smallest Giant Warriorborn in history, who happens to be one of the strongest in the entire Fell Clan." I narrowed my eyes and continued walking next to them.

He shrugged. "And I'm the strongest Dwarf under these mountains." He said simply.

"I think you're insane. A man you struggled to capture was killed by me in one blow, whilst holding a Rune-Hammer fit for a King. If that doesn't tell you the difference in our power, I don't know what does." I shrugged back.

He grinned. "We'll see."

Davila grinned just as widely. "You fight at least one person wherever we go, Dimitri... should I be worried?" She asked.

I laughed, the tension dissolving. "It's a bad habit, Davila, I'll admit that."

Tamara spoke up suddenly in Giant Tongue. "May I ask where you learned our language? It's... interesting." She said cordially.

I blinked. "Am I not enunciating correctly? I apologize, I've only known it for a few days... a Dwarf in a Guild Office gave me a manuscript written in it, as well as the translation, so I learned as best I could in only two days."

She blinked. "No, for a new language, it's actually rather well pronounced... exceptional, even, but your Ÿ's, Ś's, and Æ's need a little... definition. They sound rather... garbled." She sighed.

I grinned. "Three letters out of 82 Runes? I think that's rather impressive, no?"

She raised an eyebrow. "There are 89 Runes in the Kalægiran/Numægiran language."

I hummed. "Damn... ancient Dwarfish only has 82... I thought they were the same..."

Davila punched my shoulder harshly. "What the hell is wrong with you?!? You had a manuscript to learn Dwarf, and you didn't let me read it!?!?"

I grinned. "I'm not apologizing."

She grumbled. "Stupid Warriorborn..."

The stone in front of us started widening, and soon we had entered a massive cavern, illuminated with a blood-red glow.

A wide, thick marble staircase extended down into the glowing depths, and we started down it eagerly, grinning like fools when we saw the mountain of metals, (Ore, Ingots, and coins,) scattered around in seemingly random sorting, and then the crystal piles, both precious stones and non-precious.

Suddenly, the mountains of metal and stone moved, and a Golem stood in their place, gazing down at us with Obsidian eyes.

Holden chuckled. "That's why we were supposed to enter first, so you didn't wake him up. Down, boy." He said off-handedly.

The golem ignored him, to his surprise, when I touched it, and reached inside, feeling for its soul.

I found an Earth Sprite, sitting in the center, uninterested and tired, and I jerked myself out before his sorrow reached me.

"Gods above you've trapped an Earth Sprite in there?!?" I snapped, angry at their cruelty.

The King and Holden blinked, confused. "Is that not how you make Golems?" Holden asked.

"No you jackass!! That's the LAZY way of making a Golem!! You've trapped a helpless spirit in that hunk of metal, and it cannot get out!" I growled.

He sighed. "I see. Well, there's nothing I or anyone here can do about it-"

I commanded the golem to disassemble, and it formed those piles of stones again. Then I breathed life into it, gently extricating the Sprite as I did so, giving it a body made of Obsidian, as that seemed it's favorite stone.

"Because it was forced into a Golem, it can't ever be without a body again... but at least now it will be free." I said softly, and placed the small jeweled being on the ground, as the new golem received its predecessor's memories and knowledge, as well as its orders.

Tamara gasped and picked up the small beast, stroking the head it had formed for itself, in the shape of a bear.

It growled and leapt out of her hands, only to shatter on the stones, and before she could cry again, recollected itself, and trundled over to my boots, where it burrowed disinterestedly, as if hiding, or hibernating.

I left it there, and then continued past the Golem, towards the sound of hammers falling.

Another mound of jewels moved, and I glared at the King. "How many Golems do you have down here?"

He shrugged. "About... 20? 21?"

I cracked my back and got back to work.

---

Davila found herself highly amused by the 35 differently-colored bears and snakes that were currently housed in my clothes, snoring peacefully, finally allowed to sleep after so many thousands of years of service.

I just sighed and placed them all, carefully, in my jacket, (which Tamara was still wearing,) then checked myself, and nodded, following a laughing Holden into the Dwarven Forge.

Bronze made up the walls, enchanted against heat, and Obsidian was the stone used, as heat had already formed it, and only a volcanic level of heat would even activate the enchantments that protected it.

The fuel was my greatest surprise, because they were using an actual Volcanic Well, suppressed with magic. The massive pressure was bled into dry-valves, and then released out of the top of the mountain, three miles above us.

"This wasn't here when we built this place..." I said softly.

Holden laughed. "Aye!!! We built the Kingforge almost sixty years ago, to replace the Giant Forge... though we didn't know why we called it that. I thought it was because of its size! It wasn't hot enough for the bronze and Brass that we create."

"The Forge wasn't the issue, it was the Fuel. Giants use our own Fuel, which is a thousand times hotter than this, and still safer, and not likely to cause a volcanic eruption if those valves are used wrong." I shook my head.

He blinked, and the king rubbed his beard. "And this... Fuel? What is it made of?"

"I won't tell you that. The Fell have developed our Rune-Forges over more millennia than your race has existed. It's our most closely guarded secret." I said stonily.

He shrugged. "I had to ask... anyway, let's have us forge something, eh Holden?" He nudged his brother.

Holden nodded and stepped up, pulling gloves and goggles on. I watched his process closely, stopping Davila from commenting several times, as he carefully pulled a rod of brass from the lava pit, and picked up a flaming hammer, striking the metal again and again, keeping it hot as the metal wanted to cool down.

The princesses showed an interesting amount of patience, laying down nearby on couches made of stone, talking quietly about 'woman-things', which confused even Davila.

Holden quenched the new blade in boiling Tar and Bones, and I nodded. "Not as cold or slick as Oil, so it sticks, and forms a protective layer as it cools... I have a process similar to this, but I use... something else." I hummed.

The King blinked. "I was going to tell you to keep this secret, because it was very... well, only Dwarves know of this." He stared at me.

"No... they don't." I shook my head. "Giants have been using alternative Quenches for-"

"-Longer than we dwarves have existed, yes yes yes, we've got it." He sighed, mildly annoyed.

I grinned. "Indeed... I believe it's my turn, King-Under-The-Mountain."