Dangerous Dwarf Challenge

Devin sent Elijah a message to inform him that he had been thrown in jail, but there was no reply. That guy must be busy in reality.

Bored out of his mind, Devin considered logging out, but he hesitated, fearing that the dwarves wouldn't be able to find him.

Finally, a guy appeared and brought Devin out of jail, escorting him to a hall where he saw an old dwarf sitting in the middle, surrounded by other dwarves who stared intently at Devin.

"How did you activate our secret realm teleportation?" asked the old man sitting in the middle.

"A friend drew the teleportation circle on my hand," answered Devin.

"Lies! It's not possible for outsiders to know the coordinates of our teleportation circle," said one of the four seated dwarves.

"Who said Its an outsider? I brought a message from the friend, but I must deliver it to the priest of the village," said Devin.

"I am the priest of the village, Lorenzo," answered the old man.

Seeing that the others didn't refuse the man, Devin brought out the ring Xander had given him and passed it to the old man. "He told me to give this ring to you, and he said you would know what to do," explained Devin.

When the old man saw the ring, he frowned at its familiarity but couldn't quite recall it until he felt the aura used to enchant the ring. Suddenly, the old man stood up, startling the others as he started shaking in excitement. His words became incoherent.

The other dwarves, worried by Lorenzo's reaction, became hostile towards Devin. Before he could defend himself, the priest shouted, "What are you doing? This is our honored guest! Anyone who dares to disrespect him has disrespected me, the priest Lorenzo."

The rest of the dwarves looked at their priest as if he had been bewitched. Wasn't it their priest who had told them to be aggressive with the guest?

"I apologize, honored guest, for our earlier behavior. Please allow me to introduce ourselves. My name is Lorenzo, the chief priest of Valendor. These four are the elders of the tribe. Bezalel is in charge of production and design, Mim handles food production, Balin is responsible for security and guards, and Gaz is in charge of management," explained the priest.

Devin listened as the introductions were made, taking note of each person's role and the strong auras they emitted, especially the priest whose strength he couldn't quite judge.

Devin also introduced himself as the dwarves offered him a seat.

The priest had already explained what the ring was and who it belonged to. These pleased the elders that they started treating Devin with more cordiality.

"How did you get the ring?" questioned Balin who was not overly swept away by the excitement.

"I was able to meet the soul of priest Xander on one of my adventures. He told me about the secret realm and told me to give the ring to the priest he would understand." Answered Devin.

"Thank you for bringing this to us. Please feel free to walk around the village. I have asked them to prepare a special cottage for you" said the priest Devin knows there must be a lot for them to discuss and didn't bother to wait around. It's not like they could escape his grasp.

Devin walked around the secret realm and found the energy in the air is lower than the one outside. The dwarfs population should be around one thousand, the dwarfs find it hard to reproduce. There were a lot of forges with smoke coming out and a land where they grow their crops. There are trade areas, taverns, etc . The dwarfs are living life in their own way.

"Why is there another visitor?" Asked a dwarf.

"He is the priest's guest" answered the guard that's showing him around.

The people were curious about Devin as they started asking him different questions and what's going on outside.

Meanwhile the elders and the priest are also having a serious discussion.

"Priest, what's in the ring?" Asked Mim.

"There's a seal that only people possessing witch power can untie," the priest said as he poured his witch power to unseal the ring. The expression of the witch changed when he brought a totem. The others were also shocked but had a reverent look when they saw the totem.

"Our clan is no longer without history. The original totem of their clan has finally returned, it means the soul of the clan is back." Said the priest There's also a letter telling them the prophecy is real and the person that brings the message is the one they have been waiting for. It's time for Valendor to see the sun again. There were other treasures in the ring but the message and the totem is the biggest bombshell.

"Is this really from priest Xander?" Asked Balin.

"I can't mistake the aura and the seal. It has only something that belongs to the witch's inheritance" confirmed the priest.

"How are we going to confirm the prophecy? This is a serious matter that will decide the fate of the whole clan," said Bezalel.

The priest sighed "whether he is the one we are waiting for or not we still have to show hospitality. Let's have a welcoming banquet to welcome him to the clan" said the priest.

The banquet the dwarfs prepared was a bonfire open dinner under the moonlight.

There were wooden tables filled with lavish feast, adorned with platters of roasted meats, hearty stews, and golden bread that filled the room with its comforting aromas as the air buzzed with excitement and mirth.

Devin saw the dwarfs' sincerity in preparing this banquet as he had a wide grin adorning his face.

The priest got the attention of the people attending "today is a special day for the Clan, today we were able to recover a stolen relic a traitor stole from us. Today our dear friend Devin was able to recover and return it to us" this led to a lot of cheers from the dwarves. The priest continued "As our good friend we must entertain him in the way of our dwarves" said the priest.

Devin seeing this decided to contribute to the banquet and brought out the fifty barrels of alcohol he was keeping in his ring. This met with the approval of the dwarves as they cheered louder.

[Congratulations to player Devin the dwarves now see you as a friend]

This is the prompt Devin has been waiting for. The dwarfs erupted in joyful cheers and boisterous laughter, clapping him heartily on the back. Their faces beamed with delight, eyes twinkling with anticipation of the merry feast ahead.

The sound of clinking tankards echoed through the banquet as the dwarfs raised their mugs in a toast to Devin. The banquet resounded with jubilant voices, each dwarf expressing their heartfelt appreciation for the bountiful gift he had bestowed upon them.

Although they heckled Devin when he opted for juice saying his body is too weak and needed to beef up.

"Devin, you've brought us the elixir of happiness!" exclaimed a stout dwarf who introduced himself as Felix with a fiery red beard that matched his exuberant personality. "Tonight, we celebrate your generosity, and we shall honor you as kin."

With a gleeful twinkle in his eye, Devin joined in the merriment, his spirit uplifted by the boisterous camaraderie that surrounded him. Taking a seat at the long table, he found himself at the heart of the festivities, dwarf friends cheering his arrival and raising their tankards in his honor.

Servers wearing aprons adorned with the sigil of the dwarven stronghold swiftly bustled around, presenting plate after plate of succulent roasted meats, meticulously seasoned vegetables, and rich, savory gravies. The delicious scents of the feast enveloped the air, causing stomachs to rumble in anticipation.

Amidst the laughter and storytelling, Devin found himself regaled with tales of dwarf bravery and heroic quests. He shared in their triumphs, his laughter intertwining with the boisterous voices around him. Stories flowed like rivers of mead, gushing with memories and embellishments, each dwarf eager to impress Devin with their legendary exploits or their ancestors exploits.

In the center of it all, Devin found himself caught up in the whirlwind of dwarf revelry. Grinning from ear to ear, he clinked his mug with those around him, toasting to the newfound friendship they had forged. Their laughter echoed under the moon, a testament to the warmth and joy that permeated the space.

As the night drew to a close, and the dwarfs' bellies were filled with feasting and camaraderie, Devin rose with a reverence rarely seen outside dwarven halls. He lifted his tankard high, speaking with heartfelt sincerity.

"To my dear friends and kin, I raise this glass to you. You have bestowed upon me a night of mirth and companionship that shall forever be etched in my heart. May our friendship endure, and may we always find joy in each other's company."

The room erupted in cheers of agreement, their voices mingling with the sounds of clinking mugs and hearty laughter. The dwarfs embraced Devin as one of their own, welcoming him fully into their tight-knit community.

As the feast reached its zenith, the music began. Energetic dwarven musicians, their fingers dancing across strings and their drums reverberating in unison, filled the air with a lively symphony. Feet stomped in rhythm, and braided beards swayed to the beat as dwarven dancers took to the floor, spinning and twirling with infectious merriment.

In that merry and spirited scene, ties were strengthened, and a bond of kinship was formed. Their shared laughter and enjoyment, fueled by the gift of barrels of alcohol, sealed Devin's place among the dwarfs as a cherished friend and comrade, forever woven into the tapestry of their joyous tales and celebrations.

As Devin walked around the secret realm the next day a lot of people greeted Devin with warm smiles reminiscing about the taste of the alcohol.

Devin had breakfast before going to see the priest. They were sitting the same way yesterday but the difference is they no longer have hostility towards Devin, they were smiling warmly.

"Devin we consider you as our friend so we won't lie to you. You must have noticed the energy in the secret realm is dwindling and we have been thinking of a way for the clan. We are undecided whether it's time to leave the secret realm or send some people out of the secret realm to reduce the consumption of energy. The order of priest Xander telling us to wait for the appointed time has also been a constraint on us. We have been waiting for years. This year is meant to be the last time for us to wait for Priest Xander's instructions. I am willing to take the blame for disobeying the priest" said Lorenzo.

"Priest it's not only you we are all willing to bear the burden together" said Mim while the others nodded in agreement.

"What I am trying to say is the instructions of the priest have finally come and he told us you're the one the prophecy is talking about, the one to lead our clan to glory. We don't mean to doubt the great and wise priest's words but you have to know this is about the fate of thousands of people. We need you to prove yourself to us. You can reject it if you want, you will still remain our friend but we would never put our fates into your hands and consider this conversation never happened" the priest said seriously.

They are also taking a gamble on this but this test is to prove he has the capability to help and foster them.

[The Valendor tribe have issued a challenge to test the capabilities of player Devin in order to tie themselves to player's Ship. If player accepts the reward would be calculated based on completion]

Devin knows the task could be dangerous but this is the chance he is given the dwarves are very important he needs to win them and make them join him.

"I can't let the trust of the kind priest Xander down so I am willing to accept the challenge" said Devin.

The faces of the elders and priests changed as they showed a relieved smile.

[The dwarves have a secret they are keeping there are still infected people sealed in their forbidden ground they want the player to investigate the changes that's happening in the forbidden ground]

Devin furrowed his brow as he listened to the dwarves' explanation. The fact that the infected individuals posed such a threat raised many questions in his mind.

"Why didn't you kill them when you discovered they were infected, instead of risking them infecting others?" he asked, genuine curiosity evident in his voice.

The dwarves exchanged knowing glances before Balin spoke up, his voice tinged with regret. "The priest believed that the people infected had all been taken care of by the magic circle. We had no idea that the parasite had mutated, leading to a new method of spreading madness. By the time we realized the severity of the situation, it was too late. Not only did they possess superhuman strength, but they could also easily infect others if not handled with extreme caution. Thus, Priest Xander made the difficult decision to seal them off. Recently, we have felt that the seal is weakening, and that is why we are turning to you for help. We understand that this task is difficult and dangerous, but if you wish to become our leader, you must demonstrate your ability to solve our most pressing problems."

At Balin's words, Bezalel stepped forward. "We will provide you with weapons and armor," he offered.

Devin shook his head in response. "I appreciate your offer, but I don't need weapons or armor. However, if you have any alchemy bombs or similar items, I would gladly accept those."

The dwarves quickly convened amongst themselves, discussing Devin's request. After a brief discussion, Bezalel spoke again. "We will provide you with a light orb and one hundred alchemy bombs," he declared.

Devin's eyes lit up. He understood that although the dwarves were going to join him on this mission, they were not his slaves; they were their own masters, owning their own properties and decisions.

"Thank you," Devin said sincerely. "Let's not waste any more time. The seal could break at any moment, so we must act swiftly."

The dwarves nodded in agreement, relieved to have support in their endeavor. The seal had been a source of constant worry for them, and they knew that time was of the essence. Devin's resolve and readiness to face the danger ahead assured them that they had made the right choice in entrusting him with this crucial task.