Neghwahrum, the City of Dwarfs
Somewhere deep in the dwarf mines, a heated argument echoes through the tunnels.
“Ah, you cheated, admit it!” a dwarf blurts out.
“Don’t talk nonsense! How could I cheat? I’m not one of that hairless lot!”
A pair of dwarfs are playing cards at a table pressed against the mine wall. A lantern hanging above them throws light over the area. The air is heavy, but it does not seem to bother them.
Another dwarf arrives carrying beer mugs and drops two of them on the table.
“So, who’s winning?” he asks.
“Me!” the two other dwarfs answer in unison.
They glance at each other, laugh, finish their beers, then start a new round with broad smiles.
“So, did we hit the quota?”
“A good ton of useless stone for those damned hairless bastards,” one of them says.
They laugh again. Then one of them picks up a rock from the ground and tosses it into a cart already full of the same kind of stone.
Higher up, on the surface, lies Neghwahrum, the City of Dwarfs, now flying the banners of the Kingdom of Estoubine. The air is tense. Dwarfs and humans barely coexist. Some dwarfs wear slavery collars, a clear sign of their submission to human rule.
In the throne room, a human emissary is speaking with the King of Dwarfs.
“King Thergur. King Edward is growing impatient. The stones you’ve delivered are of poor quality.”
“Oh? We have not changed our methods. The quota is being met, is it not?”
“True, but they do not satisfy wartime demand. If this keeps up, I’m afraid the front line will reach this city.”
“I’ll see what can be done. Unfortunately, the veins run much deeper now.”
They hold each other’s gaze, each trying to read the other’s thoughts.
A few moments later, the doors to the throne room swing open. A dwarf guard rushes in and drops to one knee before his king, ignoring the emissary completely.
“My king, we received an urgent missive from the lower depths of the mines,” he says.
“Oh? Do I need to intervene?”
“I’m afraid so…”
King Thergur turns toward the emissary.
“I’m afraid our discussion ends here.”
“I don’t think so. I’ll accompany you and see for myself what this is really about.”
In those words, King Thergur grimaces. He rises and starts walking. The guard turns and leads the way. The human emissary smiles and follows.
“I hope you’re not hiding anything from me. That would be most unfortunate,” the emissary says.
“Don’t worry. Most likely part of the mine collapsed.”
“That would be a disaster.”
“Yes, we’d hate to see the front line reach this place.”
They exchange wary looks. Both smile, but neither wants to make the situation harder than it already is.
Several years earlier, before the human assault, the City of Dwarfs had been prosperous. Trade thrived, and nearby villages could easily acquire weapons and tools. Humans were scarcely seen on dwarf land, allowing other races to walk the city without fear, and giving the feeling of a peaceful haven.
The Kingdom of Estoubine decided to put an end to that. An army advanced toward the City of Dwarfs.
“Look at that. What a gathering,” remarked a dwarf guard.
“I don’t know. Captain! Come see this!”
Hearing the call, the captain walked slowly to the edge of the wall.
“What’s the human army doing here?” he wondered.
He scratched his beard.
“Leave the gates open and inform the king.”
The captain kept watching the situation.
A few minutes later, King Thergur arrived. A human emissary stood at the gates, surrounded by human soldiers.
“What is going on here?” he asked.
“King Thergur, allow me to introduce myself. Stefano di Savignano, emissary of the Kingdom of Estoubine.”
“And what brings you here?”
“I’m pleased to inform you that King Edward has decided to take possession of the City of Dwarfs.”
“Is this a declaration of war?”
“More of a swift annexation.”
Before King Thergur could answer, several human soldiers entered the city. Some dwarfs tried to resist, but they were quickly subdued.
“It seems humans have betrayed us.”
“We suspect you have been supplying weapons to our enemies. Not very diplomatic.”
King Thergur looked around. Panic spread through his people. Human soldiers were placing collars not only on his troops, but on everyone who was not human.
“One day, I’ll kill you!” he shouted.
“Oh? Really? If that day comes, your city will burn,” the emissary replied.
King Thergur glared at him, teeth clenched. The emissary smiled back, hands folded behind his back, human soldiers ready to defend him.
“I almost forgot. No ore, ingot, weapon, or tool leaves this city without my permission. And, of course, any decision you make goes through me first.”
“Wouldn’t it be simpler for you to take my throne?”
“The idea has been discussed. However, you represent the image of the dwarfs.”
“You want a puppet.”
“I would never dare say such a thing.”
And so the City of Dwarfs fell into human hands, and its freedoms collapsed.
Years pass. King Thergur remains in place, preserving a fragile appearance of harmony within the City of Dwarfs.
A few hours later, they reach the mine entrance. Massive reinforced metal doors have been erected recently, and their complex lock can only be opened by dwarfs.
The emissary has tried many times to learn the mechanism. Yet the King of Dwarfs has never shown him the same method twice.
“Every time I see these doors, I’m impressed,” says the emissary.
“They’re there to prevent an invasion from the deepest pits of hell,” King Thergur comments.
“Yes, you always give the same reason.”
The guard hurries to unlock the doors. A succession of clicks rings out as one mechanism after another engages.
Steam vents from both sides. The doors begin to open slowly, and more steam pours through the widening gap.
The dwarf guard leads them in, followed by the emissary and the king, while the human guards bring up the rear.
The deeper they go into the galleries, the heavier the air becomes. The emissary pulls out a handkerchief and presses it over his nose.
“Is it still far?” he asks.
King Thergur glances at him, then turns to the dwarf guard.
“Well? It seems our human friends are getting impatient,” he says.
“We’re only at the beginning. At least another hour.”
The emissary sighs and keeps following.
“I feel like all these galleries look the same.”
“Your impression is correct.”
King Thergur studies the human emissary. He knows the mines well, and he knows the guard is leading them in circles.
After a while, he can see the emissary and his guards are out of breath.
“My dear friend, you seem unwell. I advise you to leave the mines before this becomes fatal.”
The emissary narrows his eyes at him. He hesitates, but realizes staying in these mines may be more dangerous than he wants to admit.
“So be it. We’ll turn back.”
“Where is the problem located?” he asks.
The dwarf guard smiles, seeing the situation turn.
“Gallery G-42, section AF13, tunnel 232,” he says.
Then he turns to the emissary.
“Very well. I shall handle it, and this guard will escort you back to the exit.”
“You’ve won this time, but do not think I shall be this lenient in the future.”
He storms off, following the dwarf out of the mines.
A few minutes later, King Thergur resumes walking.
“What a craven,” he says.
“If he heard you, he’d kill you.”
“He doesn’t have the nerve. And have you been here since the start?”
King Thergur turns toward a dwarf emerging from the shadows.
“Yes. Watching them grow worse and worse was amusing.”
“More than amusing. Every time, they take the bait.”
The two of them reach a fitted-out section of an abandoned mine.
“Is that gallery name new?” asks the spy.
“More like a code to tell me exactly what’s going on.”
“Why not ask for it from the start?”
King Thergur smiles.
“To annoy those hairless fools. Nothing works better than suggesting that even possible trouble in the mines matters more than they do.”
King Thergur, followed by the spy, enters a prepared chamber, very different from the rest of the mine. Various machines are stored there.
Since the humans occupied the city of Neghwahrum, King Thergur has worked to relocate anything he can, including the intelligence center, before they take full control.
“So, what’s the news?” he asks.
The spy who followed him walks to one of the communication devices.
“Several updates. The most important for us: the hero may have appeared. We noticed that a priestess sent by the humans arrived in the town of Cottie.”
“Do we know their identity and where they are?”
The spy shakes his head.
“No. The information is still classified for now.”
“I have a bad feeling about this. What are the other updates?”
“A vixen has also arrived in the town of Cottie. She reportedly defeated bandits.”
“Is that all?”
The spy is about to answer when a communication interrupts him. King Thergur gestures for him to take it.
A few moments later, he turns back to King Thergur.
“It seems she’s a one-tailed vixen, not very tall. She apparently beat the Bloody Fangs, a troublesome bandit group. On top of that, she showed her strength in town by killing a slaver.”
“So she’s stronger than she looks.”
The spy nods.
“It appears she’s blind. She constantly wears a mask whose eyeholes are plugged. She took the adventurer rank promotion test and easily defeated the instructor, a rank C adventurer.”
“Really?”
“Apparently. Also… she seems interested in our situation.”
King Thergur frowns.
“All of this is very strange: a one-tailed vixen, blind, and powerful. Could she be the heroine in question? Still, it’s odd. Why would a vixen be the humans’ heroine?”
Silence falls as King Thergur thinks.
“Oh! I almost forgot!”
“Do not keep me waiting. Speak.”
“They say her beauty is incredible.”
King Thergur looks at him. The spy smiles.
“I see,” he replies simply.
King Thergur finally emerges from the mines. The guard who had informed him of the missive approaches.
“Well?” asks King Thergur.
“As usual, he’s irritated.”
“Good. Baernam, I am expelling you from the city. Mocking the emissary and your king as you did does not please me.”
The guard’s smile disappears and his serious expression returns.
“Since you seem to enjoy this missive so much, make it real yourself.”
“Are you truly sure, my king?”
“Yes. Very sure. Go and do the dwarfs proud.”
The guard nods and runs toward his quarters. He understands he now has a secret mission.
A few moments later, the emissary arrives beside King Thergur.
“Scheming again, are we?”
“That guard has just been expelled. I cannot allow guards to mock us.”
“You’re absolutely right. I had already understood he was stringing us along.”
The emissary and King Thergur both know the other is lying.
Baernam leaves his quarters and reaches the city gates. He spots another dwarf, recognizes the spy, and stops beside him without looking at him.
“Masked Fox, female, blonde, one tail, fox mask, red clothing, town of Cottie.”
He scratches his beard, then spreads his arms.
“Fresh air! Finally!”
The human guards watch him and let him pass.
He looks back once before continuing on the road to the town of Cottie.
“Masked Fox… I wonder just how strong she is.”
