Runt of the Litter - Tales from Alirast

They were forced to land an hour after they had taken flight. The Queen had to go and cast a few buff spells on the younger kids.

As it turned out, Honos flew fast enough that without proper protections they took damage just from to much exposure to the speed alone.

-=====-

It took them a week. They rested for an hour each night, and by the third day, the Queen had used rope to tie the kids to Honos' back spikes. It was not a pleasant trip for anyone but Honos and the Queen.

The dwarven citadel, which Trillia now knew as the Halls of Hammerstone, looked quite different from so high up in the sky. Despite being on the coast, it was nestled well into the mountains and cliffside. The coastal side had some ships that were coming and going from caves carved out of the cliffside. Unlike Kadessa, the citadel didn't have any balconies or courtyards overlooking the ocean. There were a few massive walls and gates at the front, and little more was readily evident. A few towers had large ballistas on them.

Honos swooped down from on high and landed near the front gate. The second people started to panic, Trillia felt three waves of power wash out over the region. Thankfully, all three were familiar.

Alliyah, Honos, and Rubious had all calmed the crowd of onlookers who weren't expecting the dragon's arrival.

"Alliyah! Little Honos! You've grown so much since last I saw you!" Rubious stepped over to them with a wide smile on his face. The group mostly fell off of Honos in varied forms of pain. Claven had to be pried off by Malor.

"Lord Hammerstone, it is an honor to see you again. I hope that your realm has flourished." Honos dipped her head as low as Trillia had ever seen it go, except when she was showing Alliyah respect.

"Aye, lass, it has! Have you mastered a drakken form yet? If not, I can send word to clear out the ports."

Honos looked over at the large cargo net carrying crates and goods. "I have finally grasped my drakken form, but should I deliver that first?"

Rubious shook his head and snapped his fingers.

The crates vanished.

Alliyah had finally dismounted Honos and gone to give the dwarven god a hug. "It's good to see you, my friend. Lord Claven has filled me in on your woes and worries. My compatriots are not used to traveling quickly and need a day of rest. While they regain their composure, perhaps you could show me some of the most problematic of areas?"

Rubious returned the hug with a warm smile. "Of course, Alliyah. I'm grateful that you could spare the time. I've heard good things about your young minotaur friend. Some of the traders we get from the Great Rift Labyrinth speak highly of his enchantments. I'll send some servants to help guide your guests." As he spoke, he walked over to Claven and gently grasped the top of the man's head.

Trillia watched as a dull-grey mana seeped into the man's head, and his nerves calmed immediately. "Easy there, lad. You made the trip back. I'll give you a day, then I need you to head through the portal and speak to that new orc Chieftain. The portal represents a terrifying weakness in our defenses, and I want to make sure that he and I are of one mind on protecting it."

Claven bowed to his god. "Your will be done, Lord Hammerstone. Thank you for the day of rest...and uhh...helping with my anxiety."

With that the group was ushered off in different directions. Honos, the Queen and Rubious headed to a different entrance then the front-gates. The others were escorted through the gates and into the citadel itself.

Malor and Amelia seemed giddy with excitement despite the soreness and exhaustion of the trip. "I can't wait! The dwarves are masters of stonework, runework, and enchanting!"

Amelia smiled with just as much enthusiasm as Malor. "They are also the only species that Father considers our equals when it comes to earthen magic. But they wield it in such unique ways! I've also heard that their bards are capable of potent buffs with just their voices, I am curious to know their secrets."

Fred also seemed excited, but that was no surprise to any of his friends. His father already had tales of the dwarves, and the man absolutely loved metalworking and smithing.

-=====-

They were led through the citadel rather quickly and without much time to stop and admire things. The place was bustling with activity, no doubt because of the very worries that Rubious had come to Alliyah with.

Still, it was a sight to behold. There were some hallways that seemed to go on forever. They were walking on the upper levels and bridges, but Trillia could look over the railing and just barely see the bottom.

As they walked through the halls it dawned on her that more than a few dwarves gave her and her friends unpleasant looks. Once they had turned from the main parts of the citadel into a side hallway, littered with doors, she finally broke her silence. "Do your kind hate us?" She asked of the dwarf leading them, an old gruff man who seemed to have the patience of a stone.

"Some of us do. Dwarves are old and stubborn. You lot are from the Northern Continent, right?"

The group nodded in response.

"Some of the folks here have had to fight off goblin and orc hordes before. The northern races seem civilized enough, but how would you feel if half your family was butchered by creatures that looked exactly like me? Would you trust me with open arms?"

"I don't trust anyone with open arms, to be fair. But I see your reasoning. I didn't realize there was so much bad blood." Trillia was grateful that the man spoke the human tongue. Dwarf was another language she'd no doubt pick up in her time here.

"Aye, the Infernal Orc general did a lot to repair relations between orc and dwarf. Not only is she a damn honorable warrior, but she has a good eye for crafting and smithing as well. Lord Hammerstone tells us that we must learn to judge each individual for what they are, not what they look like, but it can be difficult."

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"I know what you mean. D'Jamu had to deal with desert orcs a few times over the years, terrifying foes. So when my family and I decided to move to Red River, we were more than a little hesitant. Thankfully, Chieftain Tormash has been nothing but kind to us and I'd happily fight to the death for my new home." Fred said somewhat off-handedly as they walked through the hallway.

The dwarf stopped in front of one door that had a twelve etched into it. "Two beds in each room. We set aside two rooms for you. One for the lasses, one for the lads. You can split it up however you'd like. There is an enchantment on the walls facing each neighboring room. If both sides pump some mana into it, another stone door should appear so you can easily visit one another without clogging the hallway. We'll send someone round with some rations at daybreak and nightfall."

The group bowed to the dwarf as he turned to leave them without another word. The group stepped into their rooms, and Trillia was surprised to see how lavish they were. The hallway was beautifully carved stone but quite barren. The inside of the rooms had all manner of stone carvings and intricate stonework on the walls. They found the enchantments easily enough, and within short order, the door between the two rooms was open.

Each room had two beds that had been carved from stone but held the lines of runic enchanting. Malor commented that the enchantments helped people find sleep swiftly and increased regeneration and healing effects while you slept in them. A small round sphere sat in the fireplace and it was easy enough to see it was there for heating or cooling.

"Should we discuss anything before sleep? I can't promise I'll remember all of it tomorrow. Honos is not gentle in flight." Amelia sat on the edge of a bed, and the second wind she had gotten from her excitement was waning quickly.

"Sleep seems like a good idea. We can chat tomorrow." The group all agreed and split up the rooms as the dwarf had suggested. As much as Trillia wanted to chat with Amelia like they used to, the moment she laid down on the bed, she found that sleep was an enemy she wouldn't be defeating tonight.

-=====-

Trillia woke a few hours later feeling well-rested. She found an attached room that had another sphere mounted into the ceiling, this one sputtered out water with a trickle of mana put into it. After a few minutes of fiddling, Trillia discovered that with the right intent, she could get it to smoothly shower out warm water. A quick scrub helped her feel a little more civilized. Seeing that Amelia was still sleeping, Trillia went ahead and washed her clothes and cleaned off any gunk, grime, and blood from her equipment as well.

It was another hour or so when Amelia finally woke up with a groan. Trillia sat in front of the fireplace wrapped up in a cover, chewing on some of the rations that the dwarves had brought while waiting for her clothes to dry. "Sleep well?"

Amelia grumbled as she dragged herself out of bed and over to where Trillia sat. "Too well. I feel more tired now than when I went to sleep. How does that work?"

"Not sure. Maybe you were just so tired that you still need more sleep?"

"Ehh...maybe. But I don't want to make the Queen wait if she needs us. I take it there is a place to clean up here?"

Trillia nodded and motioned to the wall that opened up into the cleaning stall before explaining the intent tricks that she had found.

A few more hours later, and the two girls were freshly cleaned in nice dry clothes. The wall to the boys' room had a small blue glow on the enchantments. With a trickle of Amelia's mana, the door appeared again. It seemed that if you didn't supply it every few hours the door would vanish.

"Huh, I wonder if anyone has gotten locked out of their room because of that." Malor said as he eyed the enchantment. The boys had also evidently found the cleaning room, judging by wet fur and hair. Only they hadn't woken up as early.

"Any word from Queen Alliyah yet?" Fred asked through a yawn as he chomped down on rations as well. The food really wasn't very good, but Trillia remembered the near-lethal amount of spice that the tavern had and figured the rations were a safe option to not kill guests with dwarven cooking.

"None yet. Do you all think Layla is doing well?" Trillia spoke through a half-chewed piece of meat before a mental message dinged in her head.

"Layla, we are all in the dwarven citadel. Hope you are safe and well. We are doing fine." Amelia's voice rang out in their heads as she activated the ring.

"Good idea! The notification will be there for when she can answer it."

-=====-

A couple more hours passed before a knock on the door startled the group back awake. They had all wandered off to lay back in the comfortable beds and dozed back off. Those enchantments were fast working!

Trillia opened the door to see the Queen standing there. "Gather your things and the others. We have work to do."

The Queen turned and walked back towards the entrance of the guest rooms. Trillia and the others quickly gathered their things and ran after her.

"So! Young Malor, a few of the enchantments you are working on will be overseen by Rubious and I. It will be good practice, and we can chime in if we need to. Due to the shaky nature of the rules, Rubious isn't allowed to directly work on the enchantments. The reason he wanted a General to be here is that we possess....certain traits that we can imbue into enchantments."

Malor stayed silent as he listened to the instructions.

"If you don't know how to utilize the traits of others, that's something I can help you learn. We will only work for three to four hours each day. As I am sure you are aware, weaving enchantments so close to other densely packed enchantments is a dangerous thing, and we shouldn't tamper with the enchantment lattices too much in one day. Any questions?"

"No, Your Majesty. If I think of any, I will ask."

She led the group through the citadel as if she had lived here all her life. Mostly through back tunnels and avoiding crowded areas. It wasn't long before they arrived at their first destination.

The kids stopped and stared up at the creature.

They weren't sure what they were looking at. The thing had six heads and scales like a dragon. An equal number of spikey tails flowed out behind it. That would be worrisome enough, but the creature was also massive. Trillia's curiosity got the better of her.

[Relic Hydra - Artifact Eater - 971] Destruction Mana Manipulation
Notable Traits:
Artifact Antithesis
Artifact Destroyer
Destroyer of Magic
Devourer of Divinity
...

Trillia's head started pounding, and she cut off the scan before she could read anymore. The creature's eyes were all trained on her, but it seemed incapable of moving otherwise. "What on Alirast is this?"

Alliyah stood next to the thing and looked up at it. "Edax Magicae. Or Magic Eater in the modern tongue. Terrifying opponent, for whatever reason, the system blessed it with a trait that can ignore the usual protections on artifacts, allowing it to eat them whole. We've had a few Monster Scholars and dragons come through to look at it. Turns out whenever it eats an artifact, it can pick up some of their traits."

Rubious nodded and rumbled out words as a dozen dwarven scholars dragged Malor off with scrolls in hand. "That's why it's trapped here and not dead. We can't seem to kill the fucking thing. One of the artifacts it ate finally transferred its indestructible ability to it. Even though it is in my mortal realm, I can't harm it. I've watched dragons try to kill it and watched Alliyah throw it into the Aether. The damn thing just can't be killed."

Trillia looked up at the creature, and a pang of sadness hit her. "To be trapped...for all eternity?"

"The worst fate imaginable to an orc from Amara's tribe." Alliyah added while looking at Rubious. "Their kind would rather be executed than be imprisoned."

"I see. Sorry to have dragged you here in that case, Lady Fairtrade. But I fear the creature's mind is...impossible?"

Trillia finally turned from looking at the hydra to the dwarven god.

"I can't peer into it's mind. The only one who has ever been able to is Lord Darktone. That's why so many cultists started worshipping the damn thing. They see it as more powerful than deities. In some ways, it is."

Trillia looked back at the creature.

She wasn't entirely sure why, but something deep inside of her urged her to reach out and touch the creature's mind.

So she did.