Onwards to Battle

"As I have been telling you, we came here to ask for your help." John was saying, "beyond that we have no other intentions."

"And you expect us to just take your word for it." the interrogator scoffed.

"My small sword is broken my master told me it was made here, I can show you." John said

"You must take us for fools." You wish me to grant you your swords so that you can start trouble. " the interrogator stood up and slammed his hands on the table. John did not flinch and looked him straight in the eye. It was almost comical how he tried to intimidate him by mimicking anger with his short stature. To John he looked like a child throwing a tantrum.

"I should take that as a no on the me showing you evidence, then you should seek a sword smith called Zlagenmumnder, he should be able to explain when he sees my swords." John said as he nodded at Minerva. He had spoken the truth and tried as much as possible not to anger the dwarves. He looked up at his interrogator waiting for the next question but he stood there just looking at him like a statue.

The dwarf looked at his companions before he grabbed one of John's swords and tried to unsheathe it but that was an exercise in futility.

"I am the only one who can do that, even if you tried with six horses it still wouldn't happen." John said to dissuade them.

"You have a mouth on you, don't you, boy." he said as he handed the sword to the captain standing behind him. It was the bearded one with a lab coat on. He looked at the sword with interest and eventually tried the same thing but nothing happened.

At that moment the door was opened and seven dwarves filed in each walking to each of the standing dwarves and whispered something in their ears and stood aside waiting for instructions. A look of terror and trepidation showed up on each of their faces. They looked at each other and then filed out leaving only the one with slicked back hair.

"We will pick this up later, think about your answers before you do. We are unafraid to use special means." he spat before he left slamming the door. John and Minerva looked at each other before John shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes. He could still feel that the hidden presence was still lingering. He then closed his eyes and went into a trance like state.

"Noira, can you sense that?" he was in her realm but it looked vastly different than it usually looked. Everything that was usually white was dyed red, including her hair. One from her kicked John out. What was that all about.

Minerva too could feel the fury and blood thirst from Noira at that moment since they were connected but was surprised as to why. The door opened once more and a regular sized man walked in. He was dressed in black. He was the Garrison commander. He walked slowly and stood in front of them. John had never met someone that felt like him. The doctor from earlier was standing behind him sneering at them.

He took the longer of the two swords studied it quietly for about thirty seconds before taking out a key from his pockets. He unlocked John's restrains and placed the sword in front of him.

"Follow me, and let me warn you, if you try anything funny, your friend will be dead before you unsheathe that sword." John rubbed his wrists. He had never been cuffed before in his entire life. The chains were as heavy as you would expect them to be. The sneering doctor now had a look of bewilderment. What was that sword that made her father trust the prisoner enough to give him a chance.

John looked at Minerva and shrugged his shoulders once more. He grabbed his sword and slung it on his back. He left the short sword in the room next to her.

"Be safe." she said just as he exited.

Outside the room was a long hallway and beyond that a door that led out of the building.

"What is your name?" the man asked from in front.

"John, strange name, I need to see the might of your sword, call it a test of your intentions."

Before they exited the building John was given a white coat like their soldiers uniform. On a dwarf it would have been a trench coat but on John it was a regular jacket with shorter arms. They were pulled up to his elbows. With the sword on his back he followed after the man. He was almost as tall as he was. I guess not all dwarves are short, he thought to himself.

He looked around. It was almost sunset. The first thing he noticed was that they were at the bottom of the mountain they entered from. He was at the edge of a small city in the military encampment. Soldiers were running around everyone in a huge frenzy. Something had clearly happened.

"Where 'ahem' exactly are we going?" he feebly asked.

"I heard you're from the west continent, I assume you know how to deal with behemoths. Onwards to battle" the man responded. John could hear a smile from his tone. This was a test indeed.

They approached the gate and the soldiers who saw them saluted and and made a Ha! Sound followed by a surprised look on their faces. Two horses were waiting for him just beyond the gate. The soldiers leaving the gates rode on small automatons. They had A bronze seat and a spherical wheel. Only he and the man beside him rode on horses. The rest all looked like children on go carts.

The roads were well paved with bluish coloured cobblestones. They rode fast and hard. His horse felt different from the ones he had ridden before. He could tell that the weapons of choice around here were war hammers and axes which glowed blue with mysterious runes. Very few soldiers had swords as their weapons. They followed the troops through the road. Although the side of the road was covered in snow, the road itself was surprisingly dry. Was it an effect of the blue rock used to make it. Questions would have to wait until the impending battle was over.

They travelled for about three hours before they just stopped. Before him was a spectacular sight. Blue lights flickered from the myriad of weapons slung on the backs of the various dwarves. They were like shining stars on the ground. In front of the soldiers were about four behemoth creatures. Two looked like crocodiles. Their scales glowed red like hot metal. Two more beasts were like giant gorillas. Their chests shown bright blue like illuminated ice. They were in a standoff and on the head of one of the crocodiles was a young man. What kind of a battle was this.

"Commander!"

"Ha!"

"Ha!"

"Ha!"

The dwarves said one after the other in salute.

"What is the situation, what has he done this time?" the commander asked.