12 Ironmaking
1473 Words
He didn't have enough points for Advanced Ironmaking.
"Five thousand CP? Are you kidding me?"
He had already scoured the whole manor, looking for fresh data that he could upload. And now he was starving for some more. He had no other choice but to explore uncharted territory.
He had two choices -- go out of the borders, where a thick growth of forest and larger monsters reside, or go outside of town, something that he still has a little aversion to, with the kind of reputation that he still had.
The morning meeting a few days later was quite a mess. Their tools were getting duller by the day. And now the carpenters were running out of materials for building houses. Nails were running low and the saws were desperately in need of sharpening. The lack of Blacksmithing services was now taking its toll on the manor work. Janus and the Stewards had nothing left to do but allocate some of them to do repairs.
Janus was annoyed at himself above all. If only he hadn't wasted so much CP on worthless books, he would have had this issue fixed in no time.
The next day he decided to wander off outside into the edge of the forest without telling anybody. In fact, he told them that he would be working all day in his study and researching. He escaped through the back door with the help of Dulfo, to whom he bribed with a sack of coins.
He needed some time away from everyone to clear his mind and get some fresh air. So he grabbed his trusty club and found shade under a tree where he can relax. He had a few packs of bread and moleskin of water on hand. He chose a children's storybook to read during his picnic. It had been a long time since he read for the sole purpose of entertainment.
Tales of Alfred Thachett the Bard of Eastshore was Yvaine's favorite when they were kids, she used to read stories to the Prince when they were young. A book embedded deeply into the old Prince's memory. Janus was happy to find it in the Golden Library. He had claimed it weeks ago but didn't have time to open it, until now.
Even though it was a book of children's stories, a lot of it was based on true events. There were stories of Holy Knights in conquest across the eastern Kingdoms. A tale of a Princess who fell in love with an orc that lived in a swamp. Janus found these stories too predictable for him to enjoy.
One of the stories that really interested him was the Tale of Dooby and Guzzo, which was heavily based on the war between the Highborn Dwarves and Coal Goblins in the Fjords of Dremore.
Dooby the Dwarf was wandering across the great Fjords of Dremora when he found a vein of gold at the base of a cliff. "Finally!" he said. "I could pay off my blood debt and get my sons and daughters the life they've always wanted."
So he dug and dug for hours and carried bits of ore with him. Little did he know that the gold vein was connected to another branch that could be seen from the other side of the cliff, and that there was someone else digging in it. Guzzo the Goblin had found it an hour ago, and was happily chipping away at the rock. While Dooby had better arms more suited to swinging a pickaxe on stone, clever Guzzo had a contraption of his own. It had a crank shaft, an elaborate system of pulleys and gears and a conical bit of sharp and spiraling metal at the end. If there was a human to see this, they would describe the device as a hand drill, but that would be a word that's too distasteful and boring for the common goblin.
Guzzo cranked his Windy-grindy while collecting all of the ore into his Catchy-back .
Soon enough the ore veins would join and lead both Dooby and Guzzo to the same spot. And just a few paces below that meeting point was a cavern where most of the gold ore in the Fjord could be found.
This meant that they had to meet each other, and meet they did.
Dooby was concerned as he heard the rumblings of the Windy-grindy, while Guzzo couldn't hear it at all with all the noise that he was making. While digging, Guzzo was daydreaming of enjoying a long weekend at the shores of the Fjord.
As soon he heard the sound was closing in on him, Dooby swung and hit the patch of rock as hard as he could. His pickaxe was met by the head of the drill bit. Both tools smashed against each other and immediately broke. Dooby saw the Goblin with his mouth salivating and his green face full of soot, while Guzzo saw a hairy creature with a giant nose and glowing eyes. Both creatures screamed and ran away in a panic.
They both informed their tribes of the location of the gold vein, and how there was a monster inside that was guarding it. Both races jumped at the opportunity of obtaining gold. The only monster that could deter them at this point would be a Dragon, and Dragons were to big to fit into such small spaces.
The Dwarf and the Goblin came back armed to the teeth with all their tribesmen to follow the gold and slay the beast. What they wound find would spark one of the greatest war ever known to Kalesia.
A battle broke out and neither side could win, because the space was so tight that only one dwarf could battle a goblin at the same time. The air was so low in these caverns that even when a warrior from one side won a fight, they would still need to retreat immediately lest they run out of air.
The Dwarves built a settlement surrounding their side of the Fjord while the Goblins built their own in the other. The war had been going on for a hundred years with neither side gaining the upper advantage.
It is said that until now, the gold beneath the Fjords of Dremore has never been taken ever since.
#
Janus can't help but laugh at how a silly encounter sparked a war that lasted for such a long time. He was so loud that he startled the wild animals that were roaming around. If only he was a little quieter, he would have heard the rustling of the leaves behind him, as well as the tiny footsteps that followed from the little creeping green creatures.
There was a loud thud. Everything went black.
Janus woke in a daze. He found that his hands were tied behind him as well as his feet. His eyes were covered in a blindfold and his mouth was tied in a gag. He was facing upwards, and he the felt tiny little hands that were carrying him. He could hear the sharp and high-pitched noises of snickering creatures. It sounded like little mischievous children who just got away with theft. He was in trouble, that was all he knew. He fumbled through his back to get his club, but it shot loose and fell to the ground.
There goes his final hope to defend himself.
Let me go! He tried to say through his gag, but not a word could come out. A pair of hands tightened the knot in his mouth, before a blow to his head knocked him out cold.
He awoke much later to a strange sight. He was in a little mattress inside what seemed to be a cave. He was still tied on his backs but his eyes weren't covered anymore. Candlelight shone through the interior of the cavern. He could see that there were several other hammocks hammered through the walls. And there were pulley and rope ladders scattered across the ceiling. Along with a few closets, desks, tools, pots, pans, and ragged shirts. There wasn't much space in this cave, so they used the upper areas to maximize it.
A small and pointy-eared creature came up to him carrying a wooden bowl of slop topped with a few boiled eggs. It had green skin, yellow glowing eyes, and fangs that came through its mouth. Janus was surprised to realize that he wasn't scared at all. After all, he had just been reading about them.
The little goblin handed him the bowl and said. "Eaty." The voice was growly and high-pitched and sounded like a weary old hag combined with a three-year-old boy. Janus suppressed the urge to smile.
"Eaty." It said again.
"Princey needs to be fed. You are princey yes?" the goblin said.
"Yes... I am the prince if that's what you're asking, and who are you?" Janus said, still smiling.
"My name is Adduk." The goblin grinned through muddy yellow teeth.
"Muzza!" Adduk yelled. "Chiefy! Princey is awake!"
- Writer
