Sachihiro

The average speed of a person walking is 9 miles an hour. We barely covered 3 miles in an hour on our way to the Dawn Mountain. Worse we skirted almost around the entire Dawn Forest, making the trip even longer.

A trip that should have taken a single day took 3 days. There were a lot of factors that contributed to the pace of course. The cumbersome nature of unrefined ore, even broken down into smaller pieces. The need for our emissaries to go on ahead and begin negotiations with the dwarves.

The leaders at the All-meet had decided to send emissaries to the other tribes to inquire about sharing a battlefield and fighting together. The Savages were reluctant at first, not wanting to diminish the fight or defeat their enemies too quickly.

When it was explained to them that every known humanoid peoples would seek a fight eventually, coveting our celestial steel weapons as spoils, it's said they cheered.

Thus we were able to confirm the Savage tribe has a chunk of the celestial ore they are working, and according to them the Jotnar have nearly 800kgs of a deposit the Savages decided to not fight over. Since they themselves had found nearly 8 tons it. A grand gift from the gods they claim, if only they knew...

Though barbarian tribes have been fighting each other since time immemorial, rarely do we get a chance to fully let loose. Otherwise, we would have killed each other off centuries ago. A barbarian is a very dangerous warrior, a berserker is a different beast altogether.

The seers from all the different tribes have secluded themselves at the base of the mountains were the Jotnar and Scavenger clans can be found. The Jotnar at the far southwest of the Titan Mountains. The Savages, Vikings, Jotnar, Scavenger, Norse and Saxons will be fighting together for the first time since the time of Bor and The Chosen. The only barbarians to Ascend in recent memory.

The Horse Eater and Dutch ignoring all communication. As per usual.

But barbarian lands are vast and covering them all with only the combined might of the tribes that only amounts to 180 000 aren't effective. Any invaders from the south-east have to go through the Savages and Saxon tribes. But from there they could go anywhere into our lands.

We eventually reached the base of the Dawn Mountain and are flanked by a dozen dwarves on each side of our path. They are in full armour carrying door shields and single-sided half-moon bladed axes. The back sides of the axes seem to have a spike. I grinned to myself, they looked fierce.

If a fight broke out we would decimate them. There were 20 of us in our delegation. 8 youths that could learn dwarven smiting, 4 youths that may learn dwarven shield fighting and 8 veterans for protection and if possible also learn some smiting. As I said, all barbarian men spend at least a little time at the forge. Some women as well.

I'm here mainly for healing. The claw marks on my chest make long silver lines. Same with my forearms, then my right-hand ends in a stump.

Dwarves are short and bearded. I know I expected it, but it still surprised me. They look like mean hairy children or some sort of mountain creatures. They have wide shoulders and big hands and very deep voices I notice as we are greeted at the mouth of the cave. Very beautiful cave mouth, I think to myself.

There are fortifications on both sides of the entrance. Strong stone towers somehow built into the mountain. The main dwarf and uncle Brian talk and exchange greetings. I don't hear much being at the back.

I expected to see ma, da and the contrary old man with the white hair. Tosting the Bold the others call him. He's funny, I will admit but usually at someone's expense. Those three went ahead as emissaries to explain the situation and negotiate on the tribe's behalf.

I'm worried and it seems so is uncle Brian as he refuses the dwarves hospitality without first conferring with our emissaries. The ore we have hidden in the woods.

I grip the handle of my single-handed axe and look around, scowling at the dwarves. Om looks menacing with the scare on his face and his constant expressionless facial expression.

We wait a few minutes then da walks out with a few new scars and a limp. Otherwise, he seems fine. I move forward to hear better.

"You alright?" One of the elders asks never got his name, everyone calls him Elder.

Da grunts as the dwarves give us an illusion of privacy. "They aren't a bad sort once you get some ale into them. Had to fight a few duels though. Little buggers hold the strangest of grudges, challenged 'cause barbarians killed an aunt, a cousin some 200 years ago, a second cousin, a brother. Tosting and I have been fighting at least two duels a day. They are very resilient little burgers and make it hard not to kill them. With you lot here we can finally rest, Brian I haven't seen you fight in ages."

"Alright. Let's go in and greet our new friends properly then?" Uncle Brian says with a grin.

We walking into the mountain through beautifully carved stone doors that stand at least 10 feet high, and look like they slide closed. Inside the 12 feet wide tunnel is another gate made of a metal that seems to fall closed and lift to open held up by thick iron chains.

The ceiling is of vaulted stone with glass or gems that give light to the tunnel. The walls are carved with decorations of stags, hogs, wolves and even a few Barbarians fighting dwarves. We walk straight for a few minutes, but I notice there is a slight incline to the tunnel.

At the end of the tunnel is another opened metal gate held up and I notice it has spikes at the bottom that fit into the floor or cut into anyone the gate falls on. Being pinned under that would be a nightmare.

From there we go up stone steps instead of down as I expected and are lead into a twisting wide passage. The entire place is wide enough for 12 dwarves standing shoulder to shoulder in their famous shield wall.

We finally reach another stone door with 6 dwarves guarding it and are led through complete darkness and suddenly light as we turn a corner.

I'm in awe as I stand shocked and slack-jawed.

"Welcome to Анастасѝя. The home of the Dawn Dwarves." Our guide, Artyom says with pride in his voice in a thick accent. Which when translated means, Anastasia.

The lights in the tunnel passages were dim but effective enough that no one accidentally bumps into anyone else. Their dimness is more pronounced when looking at the bright blazing town below. Or city, this could be a city; it's certainly bigger than Hill Town. It's definitely a city I finally decide.

The place looks like a glowing furnace. Technically the Dawn Mountain is within the Dawn Forrest as we had to eventually travel into the forest boundary to get here, but it was only an hour’s travel in the shade of the forest until we reached the shelter of the mountain and an old abandoned dwarven outpost. And from there we no longer felt like we were being watched. Creepy forest.

This place is huge but not because it covers a lot of flat ground, but because it's deep. There are houses carved out of the stones and wide walkways and bridges spanning the entire place. I can see other houses and walkways on lower and on higher levels. It seems the dwarves literally carved their city inside the mountain. And it's all done in such a way as to compliments the strength and structure of the stone mountain. Even an unpractised eye such as mine can tell that trying to destroy this place would be as difficult as trying to destroy the mountain itself.

It's a bloody dwarven anthill. I've kicked a lot of anthills growing up and now I'm inside one, and it's beautiful.

Ironically I think the weakest point of the city is the gates and doors. Our guide leads us to guest courter were ma and old man Testing seem to be arguing good-naturedly.

"How was the journey through the forest?" She asks me as she pulls me close and rolls my sleeve to look at my stump.

"It was fine, nothing attacked us."

"Was it your first time in the forest while it's awake?" she asks while fussing over me.

I almost lie but decide the truth is easier and I'm a man grown now anyways. "No, the atmosphere seemed more oppressive than usual though."

She smiles as she looks up at me. "I'm glad you noticed. the guardians of the forest are restless. But enough of that for now. Let's go see the dwarven elders."

The dwarves lead us into a hall where we stand at the bottom and look up at the 13 clan heads. They are seated in high chairs along the far wall in gloomy shadow, making them hard to see. Before any talk even begins mother steps forward.

"If the great dwarven clans will not treat us as equals but supplicants we can take our gifts and our peace offering elsewhere."

We are then led into another chamber with a round wooden table high enough to accommodate us. There are 13 dwarves seated and 13 others standing behind them.

"Elders, our agreement is all but concluded and still your posture for the position," Ma says to the dwarves as our elders take seats and us youth stand back.

"We have many grievances with your people still. A half-ton of celestial ore is not going to make us forget the many generations of raids for the past 500 or so years since we settled here." One of the dwarf women says. She also has a beard, though only whiskers in comparison to the men. But her womanhood is plain as the skin on her face is soft and supple and her breasts ample

"It is our way to make battle, to test ourselves and it is our hope to die in glorious battle. I have mentioned this, and it has ever been the ambition of our old to die with a dwarven war axe splitting their skulls open instead of waste away with old age.

That is why for generations our warriors have challenged your mighty mountain. Not for plunder or gold, but for glorious battle and death, for all barbarians who challenge the Dawn Dwarves receive death as their lot."

"Aye."

"Aye."

"Aye." Our elders agree and nod as ma's eloquent tongue makes it a testament of dwarven prowess instead of barbarian greed that makes us keep raiding them.

It seems to be working as well as the chest of the door guards seems to puff up under all that armour.

"Hahahahahahaha, by my beard it takes a lot of damage to take down a barbarian in berserk." One of the dwarves exclaims settling the matter.

Ale is served and we all get sits along the wall as the final treaties are made and signed. Ma adds in an extra ton of ore to be dispersed among the families most affected by the raids and another half-ton as a reward for teaching us their smiting methods. The dwarves are only too eager.

Thus gifting them a total of 2 tons of ore out of the 5 tons we brought with us. Ma makes it clear that it is the Norse Tribe they are treating with not all barbarian tribes and all is set as the drinking begins in full.

The following day I am led to a Bone-bender who introduces himself as Вѝктор before he and his helpers tell me to lie half-naked on a stone altar with strange glyphs on it.

I look at ma who nods the affirmative and da who gives me a thumbs up. Our youth are already busy at work being servant boys to the smith's apprentices until the smiths are sure they know the basics as they claim.

I lie down and am immediately shackled. "There are two ways this can be done." The dwarf says without preamble as one of the helpers passes me a cup of some vile concoction to drink.

"The painful way is quicker, it will re-grow your hand within 70 or so hours but it's excruciating. The second only start the re-growth which will continue for about a year till you have a new hand. Which do you want?

"Quick," I say without hesitation. The Sandersorians are coming and I can't miss that fight.

"Excellent." The dwarf says with a grin. Unshackling me, ‘’you forgot to urinate before we start.’’

Finishing my business I'm back on the alter tied down. I'm told to try to meditate and hold a meditative trance, given another concoction to drink and the most excruciating pain I have never imagined blooms throughout my body.

I fall into the berserker's rage immediately with a scream I buck and Rage!