The Ballad Of A Semi-Benevolent Dragon

Chapter 31: The King Prepares

Harald walked through the freshly hewn halls of his people and smiled. It had been more than a month since he and his followers had settled into what they were calling the Twin Peaks. They had chosen to build their first settlement in the eastern peak since it had the best landing site for the sky ship.

Progress had been swift. Unlike humans or elves, dwarves were not restricted to simply digging with whatever tools they could make. No. Dwarves were sons of rock and stone and earth. Even the weakest dwarf was capable of learning some earth magic, and they could use their earth magic to vastly increase the speed and safety of excavation.

There were few dwarves with the raw strength to simply carve out halls and chambers with magic alone. However, there were many dwarves amongst his followers who could use their magic to soften even hard rock into something their stout tools could deal with easily. It became more like shovelling loose sand or gravel than hewing through solid stone.

"Birger!" Harald called. "How is our progress?"

The stout dwarf fell into step beside him as Harald continued his walk toward the entrance of their new home. Birger was a poor warrior and a mediocre craftsman, but there were few who understood the earth the way he did. He was in charge of excavation, not only for living quarters but also for mining and defence. Birger was of an age with Harald's eldest son, Leif, and the two had been friends since childhood. Harald had counselled Leif to maintain that friendship. There were few more important to the proper functioning of a dwarf settlement than those who had mastered the art of delving into the earth.

"It goes well, my king. We are continuing to carve out living quarters, and there have been no setbacks. We have also made good progress in carving out chambers to grow food. If anything, our people are overeager. I have had to enforce rests and breaks upon my workers."

Harald chuckled. "Can you blame them? We lived as exiles for decades, and now we have a mountain of our own one filled with riches! Who would not wish to act swiftly?"

"Aye, that is true." Birger chuckled. As usual, his hands were coated in a thin layer of dirt. His earth magic was potent indeed, but it required physical contact to be at its best. Tucked into the belt at his waist was a magical cloth that could clean his hands in a moment. It was much more convenient than using water. "But we have time now, and it is better to get it right the first time."

Harald grinned. It was a much better problem to have than wondering if their homes would be able to withstand the next winter or heavy rain. "What of the mines and defences?"

"We have dug several tunnels and shafts already in accordance with your directions," Birger said. "Our miners have confirmed your suspicions." He gave Harald a shrewd glance. "Your prospecting magic is potent indeed, my king. We are fortunate to have you."

Harald had never said where he had learned it, but Birger was no fool. He had not possessed it before, but they had sworn oaths of loyalty to a certain flying, fire-breathing font of magical knowledge. "Just make sure the tunnels and shafts are properly reinforced. We will be using them for quite some time."

It would take them millennia to mine out the mountain, so great was its wealth. Harald would have to speak to the miners once again. Like any dwarf, they would be tempted to focus on what was most valuable first. However, they needed to devote a suitable portion of their efforts to more practical materials, especially those that could be used for defence.

With their fortress deep in Doomwing's territory, there was little chance of an attack by some rival kingdom. However, the mountains and foothills at the edge of the volcanic region were rife with monsters and other wildlife. Some, such as the hardy mountain goats that traipsed up the steep slopes with ease, could be domesticated or hunted without much difficulty. Others, however, such as the wyverns, drakes, giant lizards, and various other reptiles were more troublesome.

It would have been easy for Doomwing to simply annihilate anything that could threaten them, but Harald could see the test for what it was. Doomwing had given them a land filled with riches. It was now up to them to prove they were worthy of it. If they had to run to him for help whenever a monster so much as looked their way, they could not call themselves proper dwarves, nor could Harald call himself a proper king.

Their rocs had done much to aid them, patrolling the skies and helping them keep monsters at bay. They had also had some success in negotiating with the younger and smaller wyverns. Due to their size and youth, they were often forced away from the best hunting grounds, forced to eke out livings in less hospitable areas where they were often preyed upon by the hydras, drakes, and manticores that stalked the slopes.

In exchange for serving as their mounts, these younger wyverns were allowed to roost near the settlement in areas the dwarves had hewn out of the stone. A young wyvern was no match for an adult roc in the air, but wyverns grew larger with age although they would likely stop growing once they were similar in size to a roc. They were not like dragons and drakes who would grow until the day they died. Still, simply having more fliers at their disposal made them safe, for even the most vicious manticore or drake was unlikely to attack a group of half a dozen other fliers.

Hydras were another story. The multi-headed reptiles were fierce, and their acid, venom, and corrosive blood made fighting them a nightmare, to say nothing of their regeneration. Harald had ordered the forging of hydra-resistant armour that made use of their dwindling supplies of rare materials. They needed protection now, and those materials would soon be replaced as their mining operations got underway.

They also had the Stalwart Guard, and the sky ship had proven to be a deadly weapon against the hydras. Its magical and mundane weaponry combined with its ability to fly allowed it to attack hydras from a safe distance and to devastating effect. Hydras could regenerate, but that regeneration had limits. Being blown into thousands of bloody chunks by the magical cannons of the Stalwart Guard surpassed those limits.

They had used the sky ship to scour the mountain of the most aggressive hydras, and those that remained knew to give the dwarves a wide berth. That had given them the time they needed to construct more cannons and other defences around their settlement. They were still unable to make anything that could match the power and range of the Stalwart Guard's weaponry, but his craftsmen could still make weapons of similar power to those used in the Sky Claw Mountains.

They were fortunate that the only hydras that lived upon the mountain were of the lesser sort, with the mightiest only possessing a mere four heads. An ancient hydra a beast possessing seven or more heads would have been a threat to even the Stalwart Guard, and Harald would have been forced to call upon Doomwing for aid if such a beast had been found.

Harald could still remember the stories he'd been told of the time a nine-headed hydra had laid siege to the kingdoms of the Sky Claw Mountains. They had been forced to band together to face it, dispatching multiple armies and dozens of heroes of renown. They had all perished, and the hydra had only been slain when the dwarves had reached out to a dragon in desperation.

They had offered the dragon an absolutely exorbitant sum to deal with the hydra. Even so, the battle had been fierce. According to legend, the dragon had been seriously wounded before emerging victorious. If accounts were to be believed, the hydra had measured almost a quarter of a mile in length, with the dragon being of similar size. Not even the famed armour of the dwarves had been able to withstand the hydra's acid, and its size and bulk had allowed it to tear open the gates of multiple cities to attack those within.

Of course, even such a foe would be nothing before Doomwing. The primordial dragon could easily crush it with a single blow or annihilate it with magic.

Harald had ordered his alchemists to carefully collect the remains of the hydras they had slain. The scales of a hydra could be ground into powder that could be added to certain alloys to vastly increase their resistance to acid and other corrosive agents. A hydra's blood and venom were both deadly toxins. Arrows and other weapons dipped into them would soon corrode, but their killing power would be vastly increased.

Basilisks, drakes, and the other monsters that lurked nearby were all loath to risk wounds from weapons dipped in hydra blood or venom. It might not kill them immediately, but it would weaken them, and the dwarves had many bows and crossbows available. It was simply not worth the risk, so they would look elsewhere for prey.

Harald would have to keep a close eye on the hydra population. Wiping it out might be gratifying, but they were a source of many useful materials. Could they be reared as livestock? Unlikely. Hydras were too intelligent and prideful for that to work. It might be best to manage them, killing off any that grew too strong while allowing the weaker ones to survive away from the settlement. Alternatively, they could wipe them all out and seek out hydras elsewhere. His scouts had already reported many groups of them on neighbouring mountains and amidst the foothills and plains.

"Our defences are also proceeding well," Birger said. "As per your instructions, we have focused on fortifying the entrance and establishing outposts nearby that give us full view of our surroundings."

"Good." Harald paused to greet the guards near the entrance. Theirs was a tiresome duty until there was trouble, then it could get very exciting in all the wrong sorts of ways. "We are not so many yet that we can afford to meet any foe we encounter in open battle. It is better to let the mountain fight on our behalf. If we can see our foes coming, then we can retreat into the mountain and let them break upon our fortifications. We also require time to launch the Stalwart Guard, and the sky ship remains our greatest weapon."

It was sobering to remember that the sky ship was a mere 'destroyer' and that there had once been far more powerful vessels to sail the skies. But the Stalwart Guard would not be alone forever. He and his people would work hard to unlock its secrets, and then they would build sky ships of their own.

Harald spoke a bit more with Birger, but all was going according to his expectations. His followers were hard-working folk, and they all knew how important it was not to squander the opportunity they'd been given. They had resigned themselves to lives of exile, but they had been given a chance to rise higher than they ever imagined possible. Unlike the old kingdoms of the Sky Claw Mountains where it could be almost impossible for a dwarf of common blood to rise above their station, Harald's new kingdom was full of opportunities.

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Back when they had lived around the excavation of the sky ship, rank amongst his followers had been determined by merit. He had made it clear that he intended to continue that policy. He would not have a nobility comprised of backbiters and schemers. Instead, those who contributed the most to the kingdom's success could expect the greatest rewards. Better dwarves whose hands were worn from mining, crafting, fighting, and building than dwarves who knew only soft beds and council chambers.

Outside, Harald savoured the brisk wind upon his face and the panoramic view of the landscape. It was not the land of his birth, but there was beauty to be found amidst the rolling hills, rising peaks, and the land of fire and ruin to their north. Great plumes of ash and smoke filled the north, and the volcanic glow of rivers of lava could be seen even from afar.

And approaching from the north was another sight that filled him with both fear and awe.

It was Doomwing.

The dragon arrived in a matter of moments, for he flew more swiftly than anything Harald had ever seen. Not even the swiftest of rocs could match his pace, and Doomwing had cautioned him against trying to outdo him with the Stalwart Guard. Apparently, Doomwing had raced the fastest vessels of the Third Age and had never lost, and he was faster now than he had been then.

To Harald's surprise, however, Doomwing was not alone. Instead, two smaller dragons accompanied him, both of whom shared his general appearance and colouration, and both of whom were about twelve feet in length. In fact the two smaller dragons looked virtually identical.

"I did not know that you had hatchlings," Harald called out.

Doomwing chuckled, and the air shook. Harald could see a few of their newly acquired wyverns panic, but their handlers calmed them with soothing words and hands. "They are not hatchlings. They are constructs doppelgangers that can carry out my will in my absence. They carry my knowledge and wisdom. I will be leaving one here with your people."

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"We are grateful," Harald said. "What will your doppelganger be doing?" Inwardly, he was stunned. He had seen doppelgangers before. Some dwarves could make them out of earth. But none looked so lifelike as these ones did, nor could they be counted on to do anything but the most rudimentary tasks.

"I am Vngr," one of the doppelgangers said. "I will be staying here with your people. My task is to pass on my knowledge and wisdom in the areas of metalwork, artifice, alchemy, magic, and whatever else I think you might find useful. I will teach as much as you can learn."

"This thank you!" Harald bowed deeply. If Vngr truly possessed Doomwing's knowledge and wisdom, then this was a priceless opportunity. "We will do our best to learn all that we can."

Vngr landed beside him. The doppelganger was oddly proportioned. His wings were too big and his tail too short. Was this what Doomwing had looked like in his youth? Perhaps, although Harald was not so foolish as to ask. Amusingly, though, the voice that came from the construct was Doomwing's, deep and striking, rather than the more childish voice that a hatchling would have.

"I will teach all who are willing to learn," Vngr said. "But I will only teach what people are able to learn. Should your people prove talented and hardworking, they will learn much. Should they prove untalented and lazy, they will learn nothing."

"Rest assured, there are no lazy dwarves here," Harald replied. "And there are many of talent amongst us. I will gather them at once."

"Do so," Doomwing said. "I will remain out here. One of the reasons I created these doppelgangers was because my size makes entering settlements like yours difficult."

"Ah. That does seem like it might be an issue," Harald said. "Vngr how strong are you?"

"I shall be blunt," the doppelganger said. "My power is nothing compared to Doomwing's. Nevertheless, even spells of the twelfth order are easy enough for me, and I can employ the more useful greater runes too." The little dragon bared his teeth as Harald gawped in amazement. "I could easily face every single thing living upon this mountain and win, so rest assured, although I will not fight all your battles for you, if some foe should appear that is beyond you, I will deal with it."

"We'll try not to trouble you," Harald said. "We are dwarves. We'd prefer to do the fighting ourselves if possible."

Harald took Vngr inside and introduced the doppelganger to his people. They accepted him without much trouble. Doomwing's power was so far beyond what they considered reasonable that him turning up with a doppelganger who looked and acted like an actual dragon was simply attributed to Doomwing's exceptional power, regardless of how impossible it might seem.

When Harald explained what Vngr would be doing, he was pleased to see the spark of ambition in his people's eyes. They knew how valuable this opportunity was, and they would not waste it. In short order, Vngr was organising times for various kinds of classes. The doppelganger seemed to enjoy the process, which made Harald wonder if Doomwing also felt the same about teaching. Perhaps, but it must be hard finding people who could meet his standards.

As his people resumed their tasks, Vngr accompanied Harald to his chambers. There, he gave him two objects cubes of dull grey material. The doppelganger explained what they were, and Harald carefully set them on a table nearby.

"You have brought us many gifts today," Harald said. "The debt we owe you grows larger and larger."

"Repay it by serving well and by taking full advantage of the opportunities that you have been given." Vngr hummed thoughtfully. "You and your dwarves have made much progress since arriving, and you have ruled wisely. You dealt with threats swiftly and decisively and have focused on fortifying this settlement instead of just trying to haul as much treasure out of the ground as possible."

"Treasure is only good if you can keep it. Besides, defence comes first. We are no great kingdom yet, and not a single dwarf under my rule should lose their life needlessly."

"Still, you have likely felt much better now than before your arrival," Vngr pressed.

"That is so." Harald nodded. "But wouldn't anyone after finding a home again?"

"Hmm" Vngr's brows furrowed. "I see you do not know."

"Know what?" Harald asked.

"Dwarves are sons of rocks and earth and stone. That is not merely a saying or a reference to your origins. It speaks to your very nature." The doppelganger's eyes narrowed. "Dwarves draw their strength from the earth itself. That connection is strongest when you are within or upon the mountains you call your homes."

"Aye," Harald said quietly. "We dwarves do get homesick easily. It is why few of us become merchants. No dwarf likes to leave their home for long."

"You still do not understand. I am saying that your actual power is weakened when you are away from a mountain you have a connection with. You are weakened in a very real way when you are away from your mountain homes. Why do you think no exiles have ever rebelled or tried to take their homes back by force?" Vngr asked. "Or why exiles struggle so hard to claim new homes for themselves? They lack the strength to do so."

"Wait" Harald's eyes widened. "You're saying that it goes beyond mere homesickness? I felt weaker upon leaving the mountains behind, as did my followers, but I always attributed that to homesickness and the ills that come from being in an unfamiliar place without the comforts of home."

"The effect becomes stronger over time," Vngr explained. "And it is worse amongst normal dwarves. The blood of kings flows through your veins, Harald. That same blood means your connection to the mountains of your birth is deeper and longer-lasting than a regular dwarf's."

The doppelganger touched a claw to his chest, and Harald could suddenly see into himself. A network of light appeared within him, and he realised that he must be seeing his magical circulatory system.

"That is your magical circulatory system. From your expression, I can see you have some familiarity with it."

"Yes. We are taught of it as children," Harald said. "However, I have never seen it so clearly before. Even the exercises we are given as warriors to help shape it only allow for a crude grasp of it, more intuitive than anything else."

"I will teach you how to perceive it more directly. It will be useful. In any case, what is important is that dwarves naturally draw in magic from their surroundings. They use this magic to increase the size of their reserves and to expand their magical circulatory system. These two processes will strengthen a dwarf. This process is natural and occurs automatically and without conscious effort."

"I have been told something along those lines," Harald said. Experts in this sort of magical theory were rare amongst the dwarves. They tended to focus on more practical areas, especially since they lacked the tools to investigate it properly.

"Not all people work the same way. Humans, for instance, must be taught to absorb magic from their surroundings, and the process of absorbing magic, refining it, and then using it to expand their reserves is not natural for them either. In fact, many who attempt to learn how will perish in the attempt."

Harald blinked. "That seems unfortunate. Is that why we are stronger than them?"

"Yes and no. Even without magic, the average dwarf is stronger than the average human. However, dwarves' instinctive and automatic absorption of magic exaggerates this difference. However humans do have one advantage over dwarves in this area."

"What is that?"

"A human who learns to absorb magic from their surroundings can absorb and purify any form of magic, at least in theory. This means that a human can live on a mountain, beside the sea, or even in a desert, and as long as the ambient magic is sufficient, they can continue to grow in strength. Dwarves are sons of rock and stone and earth. The only forms of magic your bodies can properly process are magics associated with those things, particularly when they come from a mountain or similar area that you have close ties with. In exchange for your weakness away from your mountain homes, there are few who can match your might within them."

"Then the weakness you spoke of"

"Yes. What you refer to as homesickness is weakness caused by no longer having access to large quantities of the right kind of magic. Exiles are weak because they are cut off from the magic they have grown used to having access to their entire lives. Over time, this weakness becomes greater and greater to the point that exiled dwarves have no hope of challenging those who continue to live in their homes."

"Then the wanderers, those who have survived without a mountain to call their own for generations, they must be weaker still."

"Yes." Vngr nodded. "Think about it. Why else would they continue to wander instead of seizing a home for themselves? After a few generations, they grow so weak that they are only slightly stronger than normal humans."

"Then what of my people?" Harald asked. "We have a home now and a mountain of our own."

"You and your people will be fine. Even now, your bodies are being re-energised by the rich magic of this mountain. Soon, you will be linked to this mountain and this area in much the same way as you were once linked to the Sky Claw Mountains. Within a year, it will be as if you were never driven from your homes."

"How long does this weakness take to emerge?" Harald asked. No wonder his instructors in warfare had always cautioned him about taking troops outside the mountains for too long. Even if they had not known the cause, they had still understood that dwarves were weaker away from the mountains.

"You need not be upon or inside the mountain itself to receive strength from its magic. Merely being close enough will suffice. In fact, given the sheer strength of magic in my domain, I would say that you will not suffer weakness while you remain in this area. Should you leave it, however, it would take about a month for a normal dwarf to feel any noticeable weakness. After a year, though, they would definitely feel less energetic and capable."

"How did the dwarves of the Third Age deal with this problem?" Harald asked. "For they lived upon sky ships and not inside mountains."

"The sky ships themselves solved the problem," Vngr replied. "You lack the skills for it, but in time, you will understand that the core of each sky ship radiates magic of the right type for dwarves. Although dwarves can only process certain types of magic, the same is not true for the cores themselves. They can process and absorb any type of magic, and there are functions built into them that allow them to radiate a steady field of magic associated with rock and stone and earth." Vngr's lips curled. "You felt more energetic on the sky ship, right?"

Harald nodded. "I thought that was simply the thrill of flying."

"That played a part, yes, but that was not all of it." Vngr chuckled. "In the past, dwarf lords would carry artifacts that did something similar with their armies to let them march freely beyond the mountains. There are also small devices that can be worn that will help, but the art of making those appears to have been lost to you."

"Do you know it?"

"Of course, and I will teach it if there are any who can learn." Vngr bared his teeth in a smile. "Would your son be able to rule in your place for a while?"

"Leif? I believe so. Why do you ask?"

"Soon, a great tournament will be held in a neighbouring kingdom. I intend for one of my followers, the princess, to make a suitable impression there. I believe she will be able to recruit many people. I have been informed by the king there who rules at my behest that several groups of exiled dwarves are present. Apparently, they are searching for work and lands where they may live for a time."

Harald smiled back. "And you want me to recruit them?"

"Yes. In fact, I want you to go with Doomwing in the Stalwart Guard. Show them what you have accomplished and speak to them of the lands you have been given. I believe they will be more amenable to the offer if you make it, rather than Doomwing."

"What would happen to them?" Harald asked.

"They would either live here as your followers, sworn directly to you, or they would found settlements of their own elsewhere. You would still rule over them as king as I have promised you but they would manage their own settlements, with their leader acting as a lord below you in rank and station."

"I see. Yes, that should work. When do we leave?"

"As soon as you are able."