WIEDERGEBURT Act II: Chapter 14

We had been traveling for what I estimated to be two days, though saying that, I only assumed two days had passed because we slept twice during our journey. The sky still remained a blood red.

The small men who reached no higher than my waist led us up a mountain. There was no set path. Sometimes we would walk on ground with a slow elevation, while other times we would have to climb up sheer cliffs. Those moments were hard for Kari, Erica, and Tungsten, who all wielded massive weapons. I had it relatively easy compared to them.

At that moment, our group was walking along a natural path. We were traveling in the center of the formation—all except Kari, who was speaking to the small man with red hair and a long beard.

“So this world is called Niðavellir?” she asked. “And your people are known as the Dweorg?”

“Aye,” the redhead, who called himself Samraek, said with a nod.

“And Sekbeists are your natural enemies?”

“Not quite.” Samraek shook his head. “The Sekbeist are creatures that don’t belong in this world. They invaded our world centuries ago and began a war ter conquer our lands and people. I’m sure ye’ve noticed how desolate this land is. It’s like this because of them. Not even we know where they come from.”

“Oh… it sounds like these Sekbeist are like otherworld conquerors who travel between worlds to fight.”

“That is the conclusion we have reached as well.”

Kari seemed to be enjoying learning what she could about this world, so I didn’t stop her from talking to Samraek and the other Dweorg. Erica and Tungsten didn’t seem as enthused. Well, Tungsten was always stoic, so that was par for the course, but I was surprised by how reluctant Erica was to engage in conversation with these Dwoergs, considering how useful their knowledge could prove to be.

It took a long time, but after traveling up until we were nearly half way between the peak and the base of the mountain, we came upon a large door. Kari and I stared in surprise. The door was massive, easily several times larger than me, and it had Runes etched into it. While Erica and Tungsten also seemed impressed by what they were seeing, the two of us were shocked because this was the same kind of door that led into the ruins located on the mountainous region between the Northern Plains and the Rotfang Forest.

Samreak raised his ax. I felt a surge of Spiritual Power. It had an earthen feel, though it was also quite hot, causing sweat to break out on my skin. The Runes etched into the door glowed a bright blue, and then the door split down the middle and opened.

“This be our home,” Samreak said to us. “The last bastion of our people… Jordiskger.”

Along with the other Dwoerg, Samreak led us through the door, which opened into an entrance hall that was even more massive than the one Kari and I journeyed through with the Explorers Guild. Massive columns that reached heights unimaginable jutted from the ground. I followed one of those columns with my eyes, all the way to the ceiling high overhead, which I could barely see.

Unlike the entrance hall we’d seen back in our world, this one was filled with people. They were all Dwoergs. The stout men littered many areas of this hall. It looked like many of them had formed groups and were holding conversations, though most of them stopped when they caught sight of us.

“It seems we’re quite the rarity here,” I murmured.

Samreak grunted. “What’d ye expect? No human has ever set foot in our world before, yet now we have four of ye. Anyway, follow me. I’ll lead ye ter our king. He’ll want ter meet ye for sure, and he can answer yer questions better than I can.”

The other Dwoergs split off from us, seemingly more than happy to leave us to Samreak. He began walking without hesitation. We had no choice but to move quickly to catch up.

At the far end of the massive entrance hall was another large door, which a pair of guards opened for Samreak. On the other side of the door was something I could scarcely comprehend. Walkways that looked as if they’d been carved out of the surroundings meandered across the interior. These myriad of walkways led to what looked like numerous forges. I could see Dwoergs working away in several of these areas. However, perhaps even more shocking than the walkways, staircases, and foges was the lava flowing everywhere. Numerous waterfalls of lava flowed into a lake at the bottom.

I wasn’t the only one who was shocked. Kari, Erica, and Tungsten all looked at their newfound surroundings in complete astonishment. Their eyes had grown wide, mouths hanging open. I bet they never in their wildest dreams expected to see an underground city built on a lake of lava.

“Don’t just stand there,” Samreak grunted at us. “Let’s go.”

We were led across one of the walkways, which took us to a set of stairs that went down. As we descended, a sweltering heat made my sweat break out on my skin. My three companions weren’t much better. The stairs soon tapered off into a walkway with stone tiles and a railing. By this point, we were only a few dozen or so meters above the lava lake.

At the end of this walkway was a large entrance that led into a hallway, intricately decorated with gold and numerous Runes. It was a surprising work of beauty. However, Samreak paid it no mind as he walked through the entrance and into the hall. Left with no other choice, we dutifully followed him.

“This place is pretty amazing,” Kari said as she walked beside me. Her eyes were shining like a child’s during their coming of age birthday. “I never imagined we’d get to see something so incredible.”

“Me neither,” I admitted. “I wonder… do you think those ruins we visited in our world looked like this at one point?”

“Maybe.” Kari looked at the smooth walls on either side, and then at the flat ceiling overhead. “The architecture here is definitely similar to those ruins. I imagine they were built by the Dwoergs.”

I nodded, having reached a similar conclusion.

As we reached the end of the hall, where another door guarded by a pair of Dwoergs stood, Samreak stopped before the door and announced himself. “Samreak, Son of Sakreon, has returned home from his expedition and brings otherworld visitors! I would seek an audience with King Hreidmar!”

The two guards at the gate were, like the others, stout members of the Dwoerg race. Their gleaming armor looked like silver, but there seemed to be something more mystical about it that made me feel like it was made from something else. Each of them was wielding a massive poleaxe, which they tapped against the ground once.

“Ye have been granted permission te enter,” they announced at the same time.

The doors opened without any outside assistance, making me wonder how such a thing was possible, but I heard strange cranking noises and assumed they were using some sort of pulley system. The ruins back in my world had used similar contraptions.

On the other side of the door was something that I could only assume was a throne room. The ground was made of polished marble, the columns on either side of us were intricate and beautiful, and on the far side was a set of stairs leading to a grand chair. Samreak traveled unhesitantly to the end of the hall. We followed.

As we got closer, I finally realized that someone was sitting on the throne. Like the others, he was a stout man, a Dwoerg with flaming red hair and a beard. He wore clothing that was far more extravagant than anyone else I’d seen so far. His golden armor gleamed brightly. A battleaxe of the same golden color leaned against his chair. He stared at us with unfathomable eyes that seemed to radiate power and wisdom in equal measure.

“Samreak,” the man, Hreidmar I assumed, said in an aged but powerful voice. “It seems you have returned with interesting company.” He looked at us, paused at me and frowned, and then moved on. I frowned as he spoke again. “It has been a long time since I last saw a human. I’m surprised your kind was able to come to this world. Tell me, how did you four get here?”

Since Kari seemed the most comfortable with talking, we let her explain what happened in our own world, about how the Sekbeists had invaded one of our cities, how we fought to clear them out, and how we’d been struck by darkness when the Warp Gate destabilized. Hreidmar listened to her story with a frown, his eyes flickering to me every so often. When she finished, he released a deep, rumbling noise that somehow sounded thoughtful.

“It is not possible for humans to pass through dimensions like that,” he announced, his eyes on me. “Unless, of course, one of you is not fully human.”

At those words, Kari, Erica, and Tungsten glanced at me as well. All of them seemed surprised. Even Kari was looking at me with shock.

I stared at Hreidmar. “Are you saying I’m not human? And if I am not human, then what am I?”

“If you do not know yourself, then I’m not sure how you would expect me to know.” Hreidmar stroked his beard as he looked at me. “My kind are not knowledgeable in the ways of Spiritualism. We are crafters and warriors. The only thing I can say is that your hair color is definitely not one a human can possess.”

I reached up and grabbed a lock of my green hair, which I did recognize was an unusual color. No one else I’d met had this color of hair. Among the many people Kari and I made contact with, the only colors we’d seen were black, brown, blond, red, and the varying shades corresponding with those colors. Green was not a natural hair color as far as I could tell.

“Do you know of a way for us to return to our world?” asked Tungsten.

“There is a way,” Hreidmar admitted. Tungsten and Erica both smiled, but his next words put a damper on their enthusiasm. “But at present, it is impossible.”

“Why is that?” asked Erica with a frown.

Hriedmar released a large gust of wind from his mouth. “Because the only gate capable of traversing dimensions is located in Hovebrann—our capital, which has been taken from us by the Sekbeists, and we are incapable of creating another one. That gate was made by our greatest smith. Sadly, Barikfrek was slain during the Sekbeist invasion of Hovebrann.”

“So the only way to get home is to reach this gate in your capital city,” Tungsten said. “However, the city is currently overrun by Sekbeists.”

“That is correct,” Hreidmar said.

“Damn,” Tungsten muttered.

“Can you tell us more about the Sekbeists?” I asked.

“We do not know much about them ourselves,” Hreidmar admitted. “All we know is that many thousands of years ago, they appeared on Miðgarðr, the world of the humans, and instigated a great war that embroiled all nine races. Legends tell us that the Sekbeists were sealed away by one member of the eight greater races combining their powers. The nine who sealed the Sekbeists were known as the Great Overlords.”

“The Great Overlords?” Kari suddenly perked up. “So these Great Overlords sealed away the Sekbeists. Then I’m guessing those ruins on our world were made by the Great Overlords?”

“Ruins?” Hreidmar tilted his head as though she’d said something funny, but then his expression cleared. “Ah, if you are talking about the ruins on Miðgarðr, then those are likely temples created by us Dwoerg. We supposedly created them during the war as a means of connecting the other eight realms to Miðgarðr. It was a method of letting us journey to and from our realms. I suspect that is also how some of the Sekbeist managed to escape. It is likely they fled before we could seal them all away.”

So much information was being delivered to us that I was having trouble following it all. The Sekbeist, the Great Overlords, the ruins in our world, this world, and me not being human. I felt like my mind was being crammed full of knowledge. It was causing my head to spin.

“I believe we have spoken enough for now,” Hreidmar said. “I will let you four remain here for the time being. We shall give you accomodations and food, though do not expect much. This is our last stronghold and our people are on the verge of defeat.”

While it was hard to believe these people were on the “verge of defeat” considering what I’d seen, I recognized that if this really was the last safehaven they had, then it was obvious they wouldn’t have much to offer us.

All of us graciously accepted and thanked Hreidmar for his consideration. Then we were led to several rooms by another pair of Dwoergs. We were given three. We would have been given four, but Kari and I informed them of our intentions to share a room.

The rooms were interesting in that while there was very little furniture, the walls were designed with artful and elaborate motifs. Our room had a bed, a wood dresser, and a basin filled with water for us to wash ourselves. That was it.

Kari and I were both so tired from our journey that we didn’t even bother washing up. We threw ourselves onto the bed, so grateful to actually have a bed that we didn’t even care that our feet were hanging over the edge (the bed was meant for Dwoergs), and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

***

I managed to avoid getting in trouble with Kari, Fay, and Lin, but only after giving a thorough explanation on what happened between me and Dyr. Even so, the three had looked doubtful until Dyr corroborated that what I told them really had happened. The girl had then apologized to the trio. I think it was her bowing and scraping that ultimately saved me from whatever ill-begotten fate awaited me.

Now that I had returned to the group, we continued our journey. Our goal was still to reach Nymph Lake and then head to the caves where I would find Four Tongue Clovers. We’d been knocked a bit off course thanks to that unexpected battle against the Giant Svart, but we were back on track.

Our journey led us across a plain, around a large mountain with white peaks, and through another forest. According to the map we’d used to plan this route, Nymph Lake was located within a deep valley.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Demon Beast Mountain Range was that it wasn’t just a mountain range; we called it that for convenience sake. It had mountains, valleys, ravines, forests, plains… the name Demon Beast Mountain Range was actually in regards to the mountains that surrounded Nevaria, protecting the city-state from the Demon Beasts.

Because of what happened to me, it took an extra day to arrive in the forest surrounding Lake Nymph. When we arrived at the forest’s edge, our group made camp. We set up a small perimeter, created a firepit, set up our sleeping bags (I no longer had one), and went out hunting.

Since I no longer had any equipment to set up thanks to losing my backpack, I had been asked by Kari and Mikkel to procure our food alongside Fay. Geirolf had also offered to go, but he’d been shot down by everyone.

“Just how are you planning to catch food without any equipment?” asked Fay as we walked along the forest floor. The trees in this area were more open, so the light poured down from above.

I was looking at the sky, but when I heard Fay ask that question, I turned my head toward her. She was gazing at me curiously, but I just smiled.

“So long as my Spiritual Power hasn’t run dry, I always have ways of catching food.”

“I’m interested in seeing how you plan on doing that.”

“Just keep your eyes on me.”

Our banter was fairly light up to that point, but when I finished my sentence, Fay’s countenance suddenly changed. She stopped walking and stared at me. I stopped walking and turned to her. She looked away from a moment, glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes, and then her mouth opened and she said, “I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight again.”

“Fay?”

“I…” Fay’s lips trembled for a moment, but she forced them to remain still. “I had every confidence that you were still alive after falling down that ravine, but even so… yes, even though I was confident about your survival, seeing that happen to you made my heart stop beating. I’ve never felt so distraught in my life.”

Song birds chirped around us, but I ignored them in favor of Fay, who looked like she was holding back her emotions. I realized she’d probably been keeping them in check ever since I’d returned. That was likely out of consideration for Kari who, upon me returning alive, hadn’t left my side for even a second. Actually, that made me wonder why Kari had suggested Fay and I gather food, but I realized what her intent had been seconds after this thought flashed through my mind.

She had done it for Fay.

I closed the distance between us and engulfed the redhead in a hug. Fay’s body froze like a block of ice, but as I placed one hand behind her head to stroke her hair and the other around her waist, the young woman relaxed and leaned into me. Her own arms wrapped around my body and held me tightly. I could feel her shuddering breath against my neck as the pent up emotions inside of her were finally released.

“I’m sorry for worrying you so much,” I whispered into her hair. “I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Don’t make a promise if you don’t intend to keep it,” Fay muttered.

“Who said this was a promise? I know myself well enough to know that this isn’t something I can promise with absolute certainty. If you, Kari, or Lin were ever in danger, I would rush to your side heedless of how reckless such an action was. I know that. This is why I’m not promising to always act with care… but for the sake of not worrying you three, I will try not to be so reckless when I can help it.”

“I suppose that’s the biggest concession you’re going to give me.”

“It is.”

“Then I’ll take it.”

We parted after Fay’s last comment and our banter returned to being light hearted, though I felt it was more genuine now than it had been before. Our journey continued a little while longer before I found what I’d been searching for.

“There.” I pointed at a round bird with blue and red feathers sitting on a tree. “You see that bird? It’s a blue-breasted quail. Their meat is incredibly tender when cooked over an open fire, though we’ll have to be careful not to loose any of the fat during the cooking. That’s our dinner tonight.”

“Just the one?” Fay raised an eyebrow.

“We’ll find more,” I assured her. “This type of quail is very populous in this region of the Demon Beast Mountain Range. They’re a natural source of food for the Demon Beasts who live there.”

Fay accepted my explanation with a nod, though now she had another question. “How are you going to kill it?”

“Just watch.” I gave her a mysterious smile.

Raising my right hand, I channeled the water element into it. Small misty droplets soon gathered around my hand. A tiny sphere appeared within my palm, which I closed my hand around, but then the water extended from either side of my fist, elongating into a curved bow. With a bow made entirely of water in my left hand, I created an arrow made of water in my right. There was no string like on a normal bow, but even so, I made similar movements to what a bowman would do as I took aim at the quail and released the arrow.

Guided by my Spiritual Power, my aim struck true, piercing the quail through the heart. My prey didn’t even let out a sound as it fell off the branch and hit the forest floor with a thud.

“So you can even make weapons like this out of your Spiritual Power,” Fay murmured in admiration.

I nodded as we traveled up to the quail carcass. “It’s not very useful in combat because it takes so much time to form, but it’s great for something like hunting.”

After grabbing that first quail, Fay and I hunted down seven more, one for each person, and then we returned to the camp.

It looked like everything was set up. The fire was crackling merrily, the sleeping bags had been laid out, and our group was arranged around the small area. Kari, Lin, and Dyr were tending to the fire. Meanwhile, Geirolf, Mikkel, and Earland had spread the map they’d brought across the ground and were pouring over it.

“You two are back.” Kari was the first to spot us, presumably because she’d been keeping an eye out, and stood up to greet us. “Did you two have a productive hunt?”

“We did.” I knew she wasn’t talking about the actual hunting part.

Fay nodded as well. “It was very productive. I feel much more at ease now. Thank you, Kari.”

The look on Kari’s face, filled with a genuine kindness and tender love, was such that even Fay, who I believed was a completely heterosexual woman, couldn’t help but blush a little.

“I’m glad,” Kari said simply before gesturing us over to the fire.

I had already made the spit necessary to cook the quails on, so all that was left to do was stick them and then roast them. Since I had caught the meal, the girls decided they would be the ones who cooked it. I requested they lightly sprinkle the quail with the salt and pepper we had brought.

Once the quails were finished cooking, we stuck each one on its own stick and handed them out. We all sat around the fire. As seemed to be the usual, Lin and Kari sat on either side of me. Fay was next to Kari. Dyr had chosen to sit beside Lin. Kari’s three brothers were located on the opposite side of the fire.

As we ate, Mikkel began speaking. “I believe we should discuss our strategy for dealing with the Water Nymphs now that we’re close to Lake Nymph.”

“That’s a good idea,” I agreed. “I actually have a strategy to deal with them, if you’re interested.”

“Tch! Shouldn’t you leave something like strategizing to the people who are more experienced?” asked Geirolf. Mikkel elbowed him. “Ow! Why did you do that?”

“What strategy have you come up with?” asked Mikkel.

Nodding at him, I presented them with my plan. “Water Nymphs are individually weak but often form communities to protect themselves from other Demon Beasts. They are classified as a C-rank Demon Beast, but their threat level can go up to a B or even an A-rank depending on how many there are. This is especially true of they’re being governed by a Water Queen, the next evolutionary stage of a Water Nymph.”

Mikkel nodded along with my words, his eyes stating he already knew all this. I was presenting this information for the sake of Fay, Lin, and the others who didn’t know. On that note, I was pretty positive Kari knew because of all the studying she did.

“The best way to defeat a community of Water Nymphs is to separate them and fight each one individually or in small groups of two and three,” I continued. “That’s why I am going to use a Spiritual Water Technique to disrupt their community, drive them to the shore of the lake, and throw them into chaos. When I do that, I want everyone to split up into two groups and quickly move in to fight Water Nymphs. Do what you can to further separate them and then take them down one at a time.”

“That’s a sound strategy,” Mikkel said with a nod.

Geirolf snorted. “That sounds overly complicated. Why not just use a Spiritual Lightning Technique to fry them?”

“Because if we did that, then the Water Nymphs’ bones would get fried as well,” I chided. “The whole purpose of coming to the Demon Beast Mountain Range was to get my hands on Water Nymph Bone Marrow. If their bones fried and the marrow is destroyed, all that effort we put in would go to waste.”

“I-I knew that,” Geirolf mumbled. “I was just testing you.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “I’m sure.”

“What should we do if there’s a Water Queen?” asked Earland. “Those are B-rank Demon Beasts. I have never seen one myself, but I’m told they are even more powerful than a Giant Svart.”

“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “If there is a Water Queen among them, I will fight it.” Earland nodded like he had expected that answer. I turned to Fay, Kari, and Lin. “I would like you three to work together during this time. None of you have experienced live combat like this yet, so it’s best not to overexert yourselves. Watch each other’s backs and attack in tandem. If possible, the three of you should work on a formation where one is defending, one is attacking from close-range, and the other is providing long-range support.”

“The three of us have actually been discussing doing just that,” Kari admitted. “We were talking about it while shopping for supplies.”

“Do not worry,” Lin added. “This princess believes she can work well with Big Sister and Fay.”

“I wonder why you are ‘Big Sister’, while I’m just Fay,” Fay mumbled at Kari, who merely giggled like she knew of an inside joke they were unaware of.

“Um, excuse me?” Dyr suddenly raised her hand, causing everyone to glance at her. “What should I do?”

I studied the girl who sat uncertainly beside Lin. Did she want to help? Well, even if she didn, there was something of a problem with that.

“You can’t fight, right?” I asked with a small shrug. “In that case, you don’t need to worry about battling alongside us. That said, if you could find a secure place to hide yourself while the battle is happening, that would be ideal. I don’t think the Water Nymphs will attack you if you don’t attack them, but there’s no sense in being careless.”

Dyr nodded and accepted my suggestion. We finished our meal after that, and then prepared for bed. The sky was already growing dark. Since I didn’t have a sleeping bag anymore, I leaned against the tree next to the girls.

Lin and Kari were sharing their sleeping bags. They were actually using theirs as blankets instead of for their intended purpose. Lin’s tail stuck out of the ends, and I could see how most of it was wrapped around Kari’s body. Fay had offered to share her sleeping bag with Dyr, so the two of them were also sleeping together. All four of them had nodded off soon after climbing inside of their bags.

As I sat there, I stared up at the night sky and wondered what tomorrow would bring.