Khaladok (II)

They accompanied him to the central blacksmith, where that magical platform was. Given the insistence of the dwarfs he had helped, and his own merits, they agreed to let him use it when the shifts ended. They don't usually use it at night, unless there is an emergency. It is much more important to get drunk with comrades and sleep though the night.

Meanwhile, they took the elf around the city. They took pride in their strong walls, in the great statues of their ancestors or in their many assorted creations, especially the military ones. From far, the dwarfs weapons and armor look somewhat crude. Up close, it can be appreciated the delicacy of blacksmithing work, as well as a many inscriptions, runes, engraved with great skill.

Eldi was able to make such weapons from the game's recipes, and had some compression of the runes. But being able to create new sets of runes or modify them was beyond his abilities.

Runes are also a form of magic. Through them, the mana flows, which is redirected and modified by each of the runes, but also by all of them at the same time. Knowing what each one does individually is only the beginning of the understanding of one of the oldest branches of magic.

When that first level of knowledge is reached, the real challenge begins, to understand how they interact with each other, how a rune modifies the way other rune influences the mana. Then, what happens with sets of two runes over one. Or between two sets of rune pairs. And, as the number of sets and the runes in them increases, complexity also increases.

The worst, or the most interesting, it depends on how you look at it, is that it doesn't end there. The arrangement of the runes, surrounding or flanking, for example, also affects the whole. And also the distance, the force with which they are engraved or even the material. Adding a single rune to a complex set can completely change the behavior, or even just a change in a rune's position. It can take the whole to new heights, or ruin it.

There are so many possibilities that their research never ends. There is always room for improvement, small subtleties or big changes. And after a small talk about them, after beginning to sense the complexity of that old science, Eldi was dying to study them further. He added it mentally to his todo list. Unfortunately, right now, it wasn't an option.

Then, they went to have a snack, that is, a too abundant meal that Eldi was unable to finish up, and a lot of beer. The dwarfs weren't surprised that the elf couldn't handle his small ration, and they gladly helped him. What did surprise them was that he endured alcohol quite well. They tried to make him drink more, in order to find out how far he could go, but he refused, arguing that it was his limit, and had things to do.

The dwarfs didn't make problem for him. They can be loud, joking or curious, but also very hospitable. They would never force a guest to do what he doesn't want. Another very different thing is to tempt him with more food or drink, or make fun of him, but that falls into dwarf hospitality.

It is worth saying that male and females dwarfs drank, ate and laughed alike. There didn't seem to be any difference in physical strength or character, and even the children were there. Though they didn't let them get drunk until they came of age. That is, no more than four huge jugs of beer. They always complained, but they didn't dare disobey their elders.

Although, on that occasion, those youngsters were more interested in the news of the day, whether about the foreigner or the latest battles against trolls and orcs. And they weren't the only ones. The adults didn't hide their interest either.

Eldi was somewhat worried about the drunkenness of his companions, wondering what he was going to do now. But, as soon as a bucket of water fell on them, they woke up. No doubt, their resilience is surprising. And their non-existent hangover.

"Hey, you, lazybones, wake up! Didn't you have a fucking job to do?" the waitress that had thrown them the water shouted at them.

"Fuck!" Trelka exclaimed, sitting up suddenly. "Why did it take you so long to wake us up?"

"Come on, elf friend! Or those bastards will close the blacksmith," Trelko got up suddenly.

The elf gaped at them. They were completely soaked, but they took it as the most normal thing in the world, and there was no trace of their drunkenness. The only thing that worried them was that it was getting late.

He followed them as they made their way to the exit, passing over some dwarfs, but without stepping on them. Their movements were much more considerate and less clumsy than it might seem. And much faster. If it weren't for Rabbit Spirit, it wouldn't have been easy to follow them.

When they arrived, they found that an old dwarf was waiting for them at the door. Both brothers stopped and greeted her almost militarily, with respect, wondering what she was doing there.

"Great Wise, it's an honor," both greeted at the same time.

What surprised Eldi the most was that it was the first time that no insults came out of their mouth. The old woman was looking at the brothers, but her guards were looking at him. Their levels were varied, but there were a pair over 60.

"I'll take care of guiding our guest. So, get your ass out of here," she rapped out.

There was no hostility in hers words, rather familiarity, dwarf familiarity. The siblings said goodbye to Eldi and left, obeying. There was no fear in his voice or his face, only respect.

"Come, follow me," she said to Eldi, almost like a sweet grandmother. Then, she changed her tone to a more energetic one. "All of you wait here. If anyone peeks out, I'll kick your fat asses all the way back."

Eldi followed her, somewhat surprised, until they reached the magic platform. She turned to him.

"First of all, I wanted to thank you for your help against those trolls. Those damn brutes cause us problems continuously, but, at least this time, it's been resolved without issues. That is why we consider you a friend."

"I was just passing by. I did what anyone would've done."

"Ha ha, don't swear it. Many would simply have left, not to get into trouble. Even if they had more than enough strength to lend a hand."

The old woman stared into Eldi's eyes before speaking again, as if she could see through them.

"Secondly, there is something that worries me. You're not an elf. Who are you and what do you really want?"

Eldi was surprised. He didn't know when his disguise had been exposed. Or maybe that old woman could see through it. He feared that he had gotten into trouble.