Ida chewed on the stiffest piece of jerky she’d ever had the displeasure of putting into her mouth as she sat in an alleyway near the nagerie’s street. It was like trying to eat a brick — possibly worse. She’d given eating bricks a shot a few tis in her childhood, and she was pretty sure they were more pliable than this.
I hate this town.
It was little wonder the Devil’s Den had such a massive crowd gathering for it. There wasn’t as single other competent inn in the entirety of Milten. Sure, there were a few places that sold food that tasteless humans might be able to tolerate, but not one of them had anything for a proper dwarf.
Their at was stiff. Their drinks were weak. Their bread was stale.
This was torture.
Ida swallowed the lump in her mouth.
Her pocket buzzed.
Dread prickled at the back of her neck.
Her pocket buzzed again.
Ida let out a sharp breath and reached into her pocket. She hesitated for a mont. Her jaw clenched — or perhaps she’d just developed lockjaw from trying to eat the clump of tortured flesh that tried to pass for jerky.
Then she pulled a small white stone free from her pocket. Dread prickled at the back of her mind as she stared into its glossy surface. Reluctantly, she removed one of her gauntlets and let the stone rest on her bare palm.
An instant slipped by. For a mont, there was nothing but silence. A flicker of relief passed through Ida.
It was short lived.
A buzz poked at the back of her mind as a foreign presence snapped awake like an eagle roused from its sleep. Words echoed through her mind, wizened and bitter.
Ida. You’re reporting late. What’s taken you so long? Have you dealt with the rogue smith?
We were wrong. I don’t think Ifrit was trained by a Dwarven Smith. He’s sothing else entirely.
Nonsense. What are you spouting, girl? The demonstration at the Proving Grounds was more than enough. I’m no fool, and I know for a fact that I raised you not to be one. That human is using our techniques. There’s no other way he could have created equipnt like what he demonstrated without them. Are you trying to avoid confrontation?
Ida’s jaw clenched even tighter. She found her fingers squeezing the rock in her palm like she was trying to shatter it. It took a supre force of will for her to unclench her hand.
No. I already confronted him.
There was a mont of silence.
You lost.
I told you, he’s not a Dwarven Smith. I was unprepared for what he was capable of. He… he ate my hamr.
He did what?
Another pang of anger, this one mixed with stinging sha, cut through Ida. The very mark of her efforts. Years of training to beco a smith, just so she could wield her hamr. A hamr that Ifrit had chomped in half like it was softer than the jerky she’d been subjected to monts before.
He ate it.
Ridiculous. This is not funny, Ida. I gave you a serious mission. You know what humans do when they get their hands on power. There’s a reason the council restricts access to our better equipnt. They’d tear the world to shreds if it weren’t for us regulating them.
Ida was pretty sure the reason the council restricted access to the best Dwarven Smiths was actually because it made their profit margins better, but she kept that thought buried so deep in her head that it couldn’t manifest itself through the magical connection.
I am not joking. Do you really think I would joke about sothing like this? We were wrong. I spoke with Ifrit, and I don’t think his techniques are Dwarven. He’s sothing else entirely.
Bah. You just lack experience, girl. But this has gone far beyond what he is. That arrogant bastard dared destroy your hamr? The situation has escalated. I will need to step in.
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Ida’s stomach clenched. This was exactly what she’d been concerned about.
No. I’m fine. I don’t need—
Enough, Ida. You’ve had your chance. I will not allow my daughter to be disrespected like this. We have a legacy to uphold. Our na will not be sullied by so… human.
I’ll deal with this myself. I don’t need help. There are other ways to go around this. I don’t need you bailing out every ti sothing goes wrong. If you do, I’ll never be anything more than Indrana’s daughter.
You are my daughter. It is not my fault you have not yet lived up to my na. This discussion is over. I will be sending soone to deal with this. Ifrit has gone too far. Gideon has been begging for a chance to prove himself. This will prove sufficient.
All the blood rushed from Ida’s features. Her stomach dropped all the way down to her feet and she nearly choked on her own saliva.
No! Don’t do that! I’m fine! I—
I told you to be silent!
Ida flinched as words slamd into her skull like a hamr, landing with enough force to send a throbbing headache through her temple like a gong had been rung inside her head.
Gideon will co imdiately. He’s been begging for a chance to prove he’s worthy of your hand. This will be suitable. Perhaps he can do what you could not. And if not… then he is not worthy.
Mother—
The connection snapped shut, and Ida found herself staring nothing more than a plain stone in her palm. Its link had been severed. She stared at the plain rock as her head pounded and the tension in her stomach only continued to tighten.
No. No. No. I’m going to be sick.
Ida slamd the stone into her pocket. This couldn’t be happening. She’d co here to prove herself, not let an insufferable pest sohow convince her mother that she had to wed him. Gideon had been chasing her hand for years — and he’d never managed to amount to anything more than a slimy lecher so convinced of his own greatness that he couldn’t sll his own farts.
Does she care about anything other than her damned reputation? That had to just be a threat, right? There’s no way she’d just cut off so easily. This is my mission! She can’t do this to—
A buzz cut through the air behind Ida. The stone in her palm heated. Her stomach sohow managed to drop even lower. She turned, dread gripping her features, as a gray portal shimred into being behind her.
From within it stepped a dwarf. He was clad from head to toe in glistening gold and silver plate armor and bore a huge axe on his back. It was a weapon that would have already been ridiculous enough in the hands of a large human rather than a dwarf. But despite its ridiculous size, power lurked within both the axe and the armor like a coiled snake. Even though Ida couldn’t see their stats, she could feel the sheer magic contained within the tal.
Ida might have been impressed if she hadn’t known who was wearing the armor.
“My betrothed,” Gideon said, his voice like sandpaper against Ida’s ears as it ca from behind his heavy helm. “You’re looking volu—”
“Don’t speak to . We are not betrothed,” Ida spat. “If you give the slightest about what I care about, turn around and march your glossy ass right back through that portal.”
“I don’t think I can do that,” Gideon said, his laughter smug and mocking. “Your mom gave a job, love. And it’s got a reward that I just can’t refuse.”
“I won’t tell you twice,” Ida snarled. Everything was falling apart. She couldn’t let this happen. “This is my mission. Leave.”
“Not anymore.” Gideon pushed Ida out of the way with one hand, his visor turned toward the Infernal Armory on the street beyond the alleyway. “But feel free to watch. Maybe I’ll teach you a thing or two. You’re welco, by the way. You could at least act a little grateful… or possibly start picking out a dress. Unless you want to do that for you? I can think of a few good options.”
“I can think of a few good things I can shove up your arse,” Ida growled. “Reckon I could get them to co out of your mouth if I kick them hard enough.”
Gideon let out a bark of laughter. “Relax, Ida. Looks like this shit has you all worked up. Just sit down and watch. A pretty lady like you shouldn’t ever be dirtying her hands with a man’s job.”
Hatred pounded in Ida’s chest like a hamr striking tal against an anvil. She wanted nothing more to grab Gideon and fling him right back through the vile portal he’d stepped through — but the armor he wore was the real deal.
Ida recognized her mother’s work.
Sickness welled in her stomach and worked its way through her limbs. She felt like she’d been inflicted with the Rot.
I hate you. I hate both of you.
“Just sit tight, love. This won’t take long at all.” Gideon said as he strode out of the alley and for the Infernal Armory, reaching up to the massive axe on his back and drawing it free of its sheathe. “I’ll be right back. I just have to break so idiot human over my knee.”
The crowd wasn’t as thick as it normally was, and people took notice of Gideon quickly. It was rather hard to miss soone clad in a king’s armory worth of magical equipnt. People parted before him, their eyes tracking the dwarf’s approach in a mixture of interest and concern.
Ida’s stomach finally settled about six feet beneath the ground. It was probably due a funeral… and so was her future.
Everything was ruined.
***
Within the Infernal Armory, the sound of ringing tal echoed through the back room. Three n gathered around the anvil, all of them completely engrossed in their work. The outside world was nothing more than a distant mory. Even the slightest distraction would spell disaster for the intricate creation they wove together.
The Armory itself was just as focused. This was a project that required every single scrap of attention. All of their power, all of their talent. Nothing could be spared.
Not one of them was aware of the dwarf striding toward their doors, his axe ready to carve through them like butter.
But there was one final presence within the Armory. It was neither smith nor building.
It was a slumbering suit of ivory armor.
And, as the dwarf approached the doors of the armory, one of the suit’s gauntlets twitched. Sothing deep within it stirred.
A sickly crimson light ignited within the Soul Guardian’s eyes like the gates of hell themselves had opened within its helm — and the armor raised its head.
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