Chapter 209 - Meeting with a king (Patreon)

Since it would take at least one week for Blue to get better and the humans had no place to stay in the city, Risli offered them to stay in the infirmary. At least while there were enough free beds, if, at some point, many injured people arrived, she would have to use the space. The news of humans arriving in the city spread like wildfire, and in front of the shaman's hut, there always were at least two dozen dwarves trying to take a peek at the visitors.

Risli explained why it was such a big deal. 12 hundred years ago, their people lived under a different mountain. However, a great fire started spreading, and they had to flee through tunnels that were yet to be explored. The ground shook, and all the survivors crossed a doorway that crumbled when the last dwarf went through. During their escape, no one was able to bring any of their belongings. With that, they lost all their culture. Only the knowledge inside each individual was retained, but sadly, the elderly and the scholars perished in the fire. The survivors struggled to reform society and renew their culture, and it took them close to 100 years to have a more or less functional city. After another 50 years, life began to have some resemblance to what it once was. Some dwarves were responsible for building, while others farmed above the ground or would go inside the dungeons for supplies. However, that was just a way to survive. Few people remembered how to tell stories, play instruments, and create something unique. In that period, things like that were a waste of time, and the knowledge was lost.

Then, disaster struck again when the sky ruler appeared. A ferocious creature that would kill and destroy every single dwarf that was in its path. That forced them to abandon the surface and hide below ground. It was thanks to the system, or as they called it, the voice of the mountain, that the dwarves knew that fighting against the sky ruler was pointless. Anyone who tried to attack it received a message telling them that all attacks were useless. They were forced to abandon the sun and remain hidden for decades. It wasn't much of a surprise when society started to crumble. People stopped trying to live and just sat around staring at the walls of their prison. It was then that two humans appeared, a man and a woman. They gave new hope for the kingdom by sharing their culture, telling the dwarves stories about life in other rooms and about the two heroes, Khan and Cyrus. The kingdom remembered what it was like to laugh, to learn to be happy, and culture started again. However, the humans wished to return to their home and tried to face the sky ruler only to be killed by the creature.

In their memory, the dwarves searched for new ways to live, and little by little, their culture returned. However, after hundreds of years, all their stories began to sound the same, and the music never changed. The kingdom had a culture, but everything was derived from the small piece left by the humans long ago. There was nothing new, nothing they could call their own. In the midst of that frustration, a human named Weston came along. He was wounded and had lost most of his right leg to molten rock. He roamed the mountain for two days before finding an entrance that led to the lake. The dwarves rescued him and treated the man nonstop for a week before he was out of danger, but his leg was lost forever. The magic that could make someone regrow a limb was lost ever since the fire. Contrary to what everyone expected, he accepted his fate, showing no desire to return. He spent his next 70 years living as a citizen of the kingdom until he passed.

During his life, Weston taught the dwarves how to create music, how to play games, make stories and create paintings. The human was an artist at heart and was always happy to help aspiring creators develop their craft. The first two humans gave the dwarves culture, but Weston showed them how to build their own.

"He must have been an amazing man. It's a shame only a few were around while he was here," Hera said.

"I agree, but I'm happy I was able to meet him," Risli smiled.

"Wait, didn't you say that he was here like 3 hundred years ago? How old are you?" Blue gasped.

Risli stared at Blue, "I'm not sure where you are from, but here it's rude to ask a lady about her age."

"Sorry, it's just that If we had met him, we would be dust by now," Blue looked away.

"I know, you humans live only 70 years. Dwarves can reach 400 if they keep a healthy lifestyle," Risli got up from the table they were sitting at and started putting their meal away. This was just the second day of Blue's treatment, but using the wheelchair, they could eat at a proper table.

"We actually can reach 90 now, even with bad diets. Healthy people can reach 120 without much trouble," Hera said.

"You have improved so much? How?" Risli asked.

"Medicine and magic. We have doctors, our version of shamans that can take care of us very well. But they don't focus as much on magic when dealing with diseases and other things."

"Could you tell me more about that?" the shaman's eyes sparkled when she asked.

"I'm not very good at that, but I think I have some medical books in my library," Hera pulled up her tablet.

"You keep medicine books in there?" Blue gasped.

"Well, yeah. I was trying to get a better healing spell, and it's not like it takes too much space," Hera shrugged.

"What are those black rocks you have? And how can you carry your library around?" Risli leaned over the table to look at the strange object.

"Right, these weren't a thing 300 years ago. Tablets are computers… no, libraries that we can keep in our pockets. Imagine if it's a rock that can show you the contents of several books as long as you put them inside it."

"Can I see it?"

"Sure," Hera pulled up her book's folder and explained how to use it. She added that there were more functions to the tablet, and if anything appeared that Risli didn't understand, it was better to show it to her. Before Risli started reading, Hera asked, "Can you explain to me one thing? Wothur said he didn't know what a doorway was, but you talked about the doorways in your story. Why is that?"

"A few of us passed down the story of our people to the younger generations. Others decided that some things were best being forgotten. Understanding that, Weston made a point never to mention the doorways unless someone else talked about it first," Risli explained.

"And you hide that information?" Blue asked.

"We don't hide it. We just don't feel the need to tell them. What is the point of talking about something we have no way of finding? I assure you, there is no doorway inside the cave. We have checked every path and stone. If a path to a different place exists, it's out there, on the mountain. It's like knowing that a poison plant lives in a place far away. Why should we bother people with that knowledge if it can't affect them? I believe you had a saying. Ignorance is a benefit."

"Ignorance is bliss," Hera corrected.

"Is that the saying? It does sound better," Risli said.

The shaman had to prepare more medicine and do a few house calls, so any more questions would have to wait. Blue and Hera went back to the infirmary. They discussed what to do. Hera knew that there was a locked doorway, and since no one knew where it was, they would have to go hiking to find it. The problem was how to do that while the sky ruler was around. It was a boss monster, and that would mean it was strong.

"Worst case scenario. How long would it take for us to reach the same level as it?" Blue asked.

"I have no idea. I mean, Helena is level 18, and it took 12 years for her to reach that."

"Are we going to be stuck here for 12 years?" Blue gasped.

"No, we won't. You heard Risli. There is a dungeon here. If we keep doing that one over and over, we should reach that level in… well. Sooner. Lena focused more on her research than leveling up," Hera sighed.

There was a moment of silence between the two. The realization that they might be here for a long time here dawning upon them. There was a knock on the door, and a few different voices talked outside. Following that, Risli entered the infirmary.

"Listen, children. Although I asked them to wait, the king came to see you. I wanted to stay with you, but Olinna just went into labor. She is my granddaughter, and I can't abandon her now," Risli's explanation made Hera and Blue uneasy. They trusted her, but that wasn't the same for the rest of the dwarves. No one else had proven that they meant no harm. Both Hera and Blue knew enough about history to tell that the odd ones tended to be the most exploited. Risli saw the worry in the humans' eyes, "Now, now. Don't worry. I made him promise not to do anything to you. Even the king wouldn't dare to lie to someone who changed his diapers. I will be back as soon as I can."

With that, Risli got up and left the infirmary. Hera quickly picked up her weapons and moved towards Blue, sitting by her side on the bed while ensuring that her handaxe and chakram were hidden from sight. A few moments passed, and three dwarves entered. On the right, there was an older man with long grey hair and a braided beard. He wore a long dark blue robe and was walking with the help of a long staff made of wood with a glowing green gem floating on top of it. To the left, a woman clad in armor. She had black hair with a few streaks of white, her equipment seemed to be copper, but the details and engravings were all gold. The armor didn't seem to have a specific image, only patterns like those in the gate. On her waist, there was a sword with a curved blade.

In the middle, a man wearing a red suit and black tie had a big smile on his face. He had a well-kept brown beard and big expressive eyes. His hair was hidden by a hat that had the same color as the suit. It was hard to tell if he looked more like an old-timey gangster or a cheesy gameshow host.

"Hello, I wish I could have been the first to welcome you two to our kingdom, but then again, guarding the gate is dreadfully dull. My name is Rutigan Berlon, and I'm the king of Boothudurn," Rutigan pointed to the old man beside him, "This is Ogryn, a member of the kingdom's high council and my mentor, and this," he gestured towards the woman, "Is Naka, the captain of the guard. Many others wish to know you, but we agreed that it would be better if a smaller party came to greet you. As to not overwhelm anyone. Now… You know what, it feels weird to be standing up while you are sitting. Let me get a chair."

The king left the infirmary, leaving the guard captain and his mentor behind. Ogryn had a soft and warm expression, but Naka kept staring at Hera, barely even blinking.

"There we go," Rutigan came back with a chair. He placed it near the bed, but Naka stopped him before he could sit.

"My liege, that is too close,"

"Enough. These are visitors, and one of them is wounded. I highly doubt that they will try to harm me. Even if they do, that's a risk I'm willing to take," he sat down on the chair and opened his mouth but was interrupted once more.

"If your right arm even twitches. Your head will be on the floor before you can even get up," Naka said to Hera.

Hera tightened the grip on her handaxe, "And if you try to reach your sword, his head will hit the floor before you reach me," Hera nodded towards Rutigan.

Naka's eyes went wide, and a vein started to pop on her forehead. However, before anything could happen, the king started laughing.

"I don't recall the last time someone confronted Naka like that," he looked at Hera, "I like you, my dear. Don't worry, she won't do a thing. Naka, take a few steps back, and you may not interfere in this conversation or attack them during this even if they kill me. This is a royal command."

The vein on her head seemed to be ready to burst at any moment, but Naka stepped back and replied between her teeth, "Yes, my liege."

"Now, I apologize for this unpleasantry. Let's try this again, shall we? I'm Rutigan, king of Boothudurn, and you are?"

"I'm Hera."

"And I'm Blue,"

"I'm delighted to meet you both. I'm positive you have many questions, and so do I, but first, how did you get here?"

Hera sighed, understanding that they would have to tell that story several times before people stopped asking. She looked to Blue, who seemed less on edge than her, and took a deep breath before recounting the events that led them to the mountain, making sure to leave the guides out of it.