POV Rio
I woke up feeling great in the morning. I look over to see Gardevoir waking up.
"Ugh. My everything hurts, and I can't feel my legs," Gardevoir says with a groan.
"Want me to heal you?"
"No, you have done enough. And I will be fine. Jerk," Gardevoir snaps.
"Hehe, are you mad you lost?"
"I did NOT lose. You cheated. That spell is banned! And where did you even learn how to do that? I never knew that a back could be so flexible," Gardevoir growls.
"Hah, not happening. You are just jealous that you can't beat me. Seems like your so-called great Pokemon physique is not so great anymore, huh?"
I have the smuggest smile.
"You will regret those words one of these days. Mark my words," Gardevoir speaks with a threatening tone.
Gardevoir has a frown on her face, so I kiss her. She huffs but responds in kind.
"I love you. And are you sure you don't want me to heal you? I don't want you in pain."
Her face softens, and she gives me a loving smile.
"I love you, too. But no, Rio, I'm fine. I'll rest a bit longer, and then I can get around using my psychic powers. But you should get going, I know you have that meeting with the head blacksmith. It's already almost noon, so get going," Gardevoir says and gives me a little kiss.
"Fine, fine, but if you aren't feeling better by the time I am back, I am healing you, and that is final. It will be a royal order."
"Oh, are you going to make your poor wife submit to your whims?" Gardevoir says while putting her hand to her forehead like a damsel in distress.
"Snort. Hahaha, says the woman who tried to be dominant last night. What you failed and now want to be dominated?"
"Try me bitch," Gardevoir says with narrowed eyes.
"Language! That kind of language has no place in such a beautiful lady of such high class."
I say with an appalled face. Then I whisper in her ear.
"Unless they are being naughty."
I walk away as Gardevoir turns redder than a tomato and even has some blood coming out of her nose. I left her in her fantasy land as I really needed to get going, so I wasn't late. I quickly got ready and made my way to my horse. On my way, I let the staff know that my room needed extensive cleaning, but that they needed to wait until Gardevoir was gone. Before I could leave the palace, I was stopped by a very tired-looking Sergios.
"Sir, while I am happy that you and the Duchess have a healthy relationship, may I ask if it is possible to purchase soundproofing for your room?" Sergios asks politely.
"Huh, why?"
"You kept the entire palace up until very early this morning. I haven't slept at all, and I know the rest of the staff are mostly the same," Sergios says with an exhausted face.
I blushed a bit as I didn't think we were that loud.
"Ehem, well, erm. Yes, that would be more than okay. And give the staff the day off, or at least give them some rest. And do please apologize on Gardevoir's and my behalf."
He yawns, then bows and takes his leave. I get on my horse and make the journey to the city of Moria. The trip was made much easier due to an underground railway. It was made by the dwarves and powered by magic. As such, all I needed to do was head to the entrance to the undercity, and I would meet Dwelgar Stonefist. It would be my first time in the undercity.
'This will be interesting.'
The elevator they used to get to and from the Undercity, I was very impressed by the mechanics behind it. I thought at first it was powered by steam or maybe a pulley system, but like most things that are advanced, it is powered by a magic array that includes 12 different spells.
'Sealing magic, I think. Or maybe not quite.'
I spent the ride studying the elevator, but when it landed, I was drawn to the massive orb in the sky.
'That is a near-perfect replica of the Orb in Blackreach, just much, much larger.'
I was easily over a hundred miles away from the center, and I could tell it must be massive. Before I could get distracted, I noticed a dwarf looking at me.
"Ye, must be the new Duke. My name be Dwelgar Stonefist. I will take ye to Moria to see the prototypes ye requested," Dwelgar said with a large smile.
"A pleasure to meet you, Dwelgar. I am excited to experience the minecart ride."
"Ah, it's quite the experience. Just don't lose yer lunch. I must warn ye, it can be a bit bumpy. But ye will love what the dwarves have ready for your visit," Dwelgar says with a wide smile.
We get into the cart and we strap in. Dwelgar looks at me.
"Yer gonna love this," Dwelgar says while flipping a switch.
CLUNK
The carts start rolling, and I start to hear music.
(AN: Play ♪ Diggy Diggy Hole on YouTube by The Yogcast for the music. )
"Brothers of the mine rejoice!
Swing, swing, swing with me.
Raise your pick and raise your voice!
Sing, sing, sing with me.
Down and down into the deep.
Who knows what we'll find beneath?
Diamonds, rubies, gold and more.
Hidden in the mountain store.
~
Born underground, suckled from a teat of stone.
Raised in the dark, the safety of our mountain home.
Skin made of iron, steel in our bones.
To dig and dig makes us free.
Come on brothers sing with me!
~
I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole.
Diggy, diggy hole, diggy, diggy hole.
I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole.
~
The sunlight will not reach this low.
Deep, deep in the mine.
Never seen the blue moon glow.
Dwarves won't fly so high.
Fill a glass and down some mead!
Stuff your bellies at the feast!
Stumble home and fall asleep.
Dreaming in our mountain keep.
Born underground, grown inside a rocky womb.
The earth is our cradle; the mountain shall become our tomb.
Face us on the battlefield; you will meet your doom.
We do not fear what lies beneath.
We can never dig too deep.
~
I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole.
Diggy, diggy hole, diggy, diggy hole.
I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole.
Diggy, diggy hole, digging a hole.
I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole.
Diggy, diggy hole, diggy, diggy hole.
I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole.
Diggy, diggy hole, digging a hole...
~
The lyrics pause as I can sense a feeling of loss and sadness in the tone of the music. But it starts back up with hope.
~
Born underground, suckled from a teat of stone.
Raised in the dark, the safety of our mountain home.
Skin made of iron, steel in our bones.
To dig and dig makes us free.
Come on brothers sing with me!
~
I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole.
Diggy, diggy hole, diggy, diggy hole.
I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole.
Diggy, diggy hole, digging a hole.
I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole.
Diggy, diggy hole, diggy, diggy hole.
I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole.
Diggy, diggy hole, digging a hole...
~
The music ends, and I am beyond astonished. It was amazing riding the cart and zooming past dwarves as they worked and mined. Not to mention the loud and yet even vocals the mine allowed. By the time the song ended, we had just about arrived at the Moria stop. I turned to Dwelgar and grinned widely.
"That was amazing. The dwarves have a great talent. If your other skills are anywhere the same level, I will be more than pleased."
"I am glad to hear it, and I am sure the others will say the same. Dwarves have sung this song for nearly as long as our records go. It is a great pride for any Dwarf when we get to sing it. Now let me show you to my shop," Dwelgar said while leaving the minecart.
I followed him as we entered a massive pit mine.
"Welcome to Moria. The largest mine in the world and home to some of the rarest ores and minerals as well. This mine goes 3.7 Kilometers into the Earth. Stabilized by the combination of Alteration Magic and Dwarven techniques, this mine provides much of the metals for the Duchy. Some of the metals include Mithril, Dwarvonium, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron, and Aetherium," Dwelgar says with pride.
"I know of some of those are but what are Mithril, Dwarvonium, and Aetherium?"
"Ah, yes, it's understandable ye wouldn't know of them. Mithril can only be found in two places. Moria and under Athens. It's an extremely durable metal that is stronger than steel but lighter than most other materials. It's very rare and tough to forge with. Next is Dwarvonium. It can only be found in Moria and in the ancestral lands of the Dwarves. It's far heavier than Mithril but is stronger. It is one of the toughest materials we have, and when processed by a Dwarf, can be turned into Dwarven Steel. It's used primarily for structures and defense. And armor. But only for those with high enough strength to use it safely," Dwelgar says.
"Is it the material used by Dakath in his armor?"
"Ah, him, nah, Elves don't like Dwarven Steel. A bunch of pansies, I say. No, they have to use Mythril or Magic Silver and Gold for their armor. And they forge that armor themselves, as it has to do with Elven tradition. I will admit that stuff is pretty tough. Not as great as Dwarven Steel, but it is far more mobile and breathable. More logical for a ranger and the like, not a warrior Dwarf. But where was I? Ah, yes, the last material is Aetherium. It can only be found here and in the Undercity. It's an extremely potent magical metal. It can only be forged in the Aetherium Forge, but we can't do that anymore," Dwelgar says with a frown.
"Why not?"
"For a couple of reasons. One, the Aetherium Forge is locked, and the key was lost during the reign of Radovid III. Last I checked, it was in the far north on some island called Iceland or somesuch. Beyond that, Aetherium can only be mined by the use of a special pickaxe. The pickaxe is made of Aetherium and is enchanted to be able to collect the ore. But an imbecile took the pickaxe and went off to collect some Celestial Iron on the biggest mountain in the known world," Dwelgar says while spitting on the ground in disgust.
"What's Celestial Iron?"
"It's the greatest metal in existence. Supposedly unbreakable. It is the metal of the gods. All of it was mined out by all the various pantheons, but they apparently missed one spot. The metal is so difficult to use that only divine forges or forges like the Aetherium Forge can forge the metal into shape. And like Aetherium, it requires the smith to be the peak of the craft and an Arcane Smith. Arcane Smiths are rare. Like one in a million. But we are lucky because I am the only Arcane Smith alive. Which brings me to why I am bringing this up. I have requested assistance in retrieving the pickaxe and the key for several decades, but the previous Duke always refused. As did his predecessor," Dwelgar says and then bows deeply.
"Thus, I request that the fair Duke help me in this great endeavour. If you accept me and all my kin will serve your family until our last breath. And I will see to it you are crowned King of the Dwarves," Dwelgar pleads.
"Before I agree, I need more info. First, where is the pickaxe exactly, and next is the key in the possession of someone, and finally, what does the King of the Dwarves mean?"
"Aye, I can answer that. First, the pickaxe is on the frozen corpse of the dumb dwarf on the mountain known as Chomolungma. It's the highest mountain in the known world and contains a few ores that are not known to exist anywhere else. The key is currently in the possession of King Ralof of the North Sea Empire, or what he calls an Empire. I have sent a trader or two up there, but none survive the journey. The Abrahams sink any non-Abraham vessels they find, and pirates or bad weather get the rest. Lastly, the King of the Dwarves is a title that hasn't been given in over a thousand years since the fall of the Dwarven Kingdom. It signifies you are the true ruler and protector of the Dwarves. It can be given because the royal line died with the Dwarven Kingdom. As for you being crowned, it would be simple enough, as it just needs the approval of the Dwarf Lords and families," Dwelgar explains.
(AN: Abrahams are what the Dwarves call Abrahamic Religion followers. Think Jews, Muslims, Zoroastrianists, and Christians. And any other religion that fits in that category. )
"There has to be more to that to get crowned."
"There is, but ye already did it. When ye gave us the designs for those new forges, ye met the first requirement. Inventing a device that is crucial to the advancement of the Dwarves and their craft. The next was done by an ancestor of yers. Which is to be the ruler over the majority of Dwarves on Earth. As far as I know, all Dwarves live in Concordia. The next would be to get the approval of an Arcane Smith. After that would be to get the approval of the Dwarven Council or a majority vote by the Dwarven Populace. And lastly, another Dwarven King cannot exist. I will give ye my vote and approval if ye can help us. As for the others, most already approve of ye, as the many projects ye have given us in the small amount of time ye have lived here are more than enough. The few that remain outside of them can be convinced with me help," Dwelgar explains.
I take a moment to think and figure that it would be a good idea to at least try and help.
"I will try to help. It may take some time, as right now we are in a precarious position, which brings us to why I came here."
"Aye. The firearms and cannons, as ye call them. We have made a few prototypes. The cannons have been tested with a few types of materials. Fully working cannons have been made, but they are made of Dwarven Steel and as such, are far too heavy for what ye wanted. We tested Steel, and with the new forges, they are showing some promising results. Next are the firearms. We made long-range versions again out of Dwarven Steel as they can handle higher charges and are so far very accurate at 1000 meters. But they can only be used by those with above-human strength. The normal firearms, on the other hand, are still in testing. We have been trying out different designs and taking bits and pieces of the various schematics ye gave us. All of them will take at least half a year or more to see anything even remotely approaching ready for combat, but I would recommend a year or more to make sure we produce the best possible products. We pride ourselves on quality, and if ye give us the time, I can assure ye we will make the best firearms ye could even need," Dwelgar explains.
"I suppose that is fair. I want the best products, but I must also make it clear that these weapons are the future of Concordia's survival."
"We have heard rumors from the surface, but we rarely go up top. Is it true that the Abrahams are getting restless and looking to invade us?" Dwelgar asks with a worried face.
"Yes, and no. Right this second, they are not looking to invade us. But they will be looking towards that in the possible near future. We are surrounded by enemies, and many have long wished to annex our territory. Now we have just recently expanded our territory, or are likely to do so soon, which will bring more attention to us. Which is why these new weapons are so important. They will give us a massive advantage. And will give us the ability to punch above our weight class. But that isn't all. The new reinforced concrete, the new forges, compasses, scopes, clocks, and more to come are the future I see for Concordia. One where we aren't a barely surviving nation but a thriving Empire that can protect all those that have no home elsewhere."
"I promise you that we will give you the best work we can. If an enemy comes knocking on our door, we will fight tooth and nail to protect our home. But they won't be able to breach our walls since we have successfully replicated that reinforced concrete you made. With the work of Alteration and Earth mages, we have already started to overhaul all our fortifications and walls. Our tests show that no siege weapon that exists can breach the walls. Even the new cannons we made can't even breach them with sustained fire. But I will make sure we complete the projects as soon as we can. You have my word, and a Dwarf's word is sacred," Dwelgar says with a firm look.
I nod and we talk about a few more things during my visit before I call it a day and return home.
----------------
Authors Note:
A longer chapter to make up for the song lyrics in this chapter. It came out to over 3k words, so I hope you enjoyed it. The forges Rio invented were the Bessemer Converters that allowed the production of high-quality steel in greater numbers. Other than that, Rio gave the Dwarves several dozen schematics for old musket rifles and even some revolvers to give the Dwarves some freedom in what the final product ends up as. Same with cannons, but with fewer options. The snipers are just more robust Muskets with Scopes. The scopes were made by Rio, or rather, Rio gave the process to make clearer and easier glass and lenses to the Elves to make. Until next time, Ciao.