Master Of None

The party was able to deal with the slight teasing and lighten the mood by joining in. The dwarf gave them a pretty good story about a merchant that had brought a full carriage of cheese only to realize that he had spent a week in the city instead of three days. He had fallen behind on his delivery and quit the job all together just to switch from selling cheese to soap. Apparently, the merchant now supplies the dwarves with the majority of their soap and never sets deadlines for himself as it is his own business.Â

The party really appreciated the feel good story since they were wide awake and thought that their return journey was a bit sad due to the time mix up. "My king, I have brought the heroes." The dwarf didn't use the term boss in front of the king but they all knew that the dwarves on the surface called the king of the surface this. It was some form of habit after many years.Â

"Ah, good. I had all this stuff sent up here from the deep caves and the high forge. They piled it here and said to pass it on to the heroes when they left and that they would be paying the tab. But the fools have plenty of gold to pay themselves. Especially since it doesn't sound like any of you had a choice in what they sent." The king was hovering over some maps and other documents but gestured to a large stack of materials and crates.Â

"Well, the materials to build the forge were needed. Grey said that he would arrange for them to be ready for me." Walker wasn't going to lie and say that he had not wanted them. He had made some very good connections while her and he did not wish t tint them with lies.Â

"I see, still. You are our guest. We may be rebuilding but that is nothing when the cost is concerned. As you may have heard, dwarves are greedy creatures. It is true if you ever see the inside of the treasuries we have. And yes, treasuries, not treasury." The king of the surface held a sneaky glint in his eye.Â

Walker felt that he had missed something and started to realize that every time the kings or even the basic people of the dwarven city spoke or acted to rebuild, they were not concerned with the cost of materials. He felt so stupid to have missed this completely. He was still too naive for his own good sometimes.Â

"Now, I have plenty of leftover in my budget. I was planning to hoard it away, but I have found some things that I find more valuable. Your materials are paid for. I would say you are building a forge?" This sounded like a question that Walker could not avoid answering. It was more of a demand in the tone of voice than just a question.Â

Walker believed that the king of the surface was not like the king of the deep that found his purpose in mining and not like the king of the middle who found his purpose in the people. The king of the surface found his purpose in the acquisition of knowledge on the surface and growth of his protected territory, along with the army he commanded.Â

"I have the portable forge skill now and will need these materials to use it properly. The wood and stone pieces should be able to fit together in to a flooring and roof type structure. Then there is the forge furnace. Although, I'm not sure what the other materials are or what those crates are." Walker didn't lie at all and saw that the king of the surface was wearing a larger smile than Walker, nor any of his guards had ever seen.

"That must have caused some commotion. Those smiths in the high forge must be running around more jealous than a crow seeing a shiny rock in another crows' beak. That also explains the myriad of crystals, monster materials, and ores in the other crates. Not to mention the tools for alchemy and the two alchemists that headed off toward your new city." The king of the surface was enjoying all of this very much.

"Well, I was also asked to send that elders' golems to the city too. I look forward to visiting it. But for now, please clean up my map room." The king of the surface finally relaxed in to his normal mood and watched as Walker got to storing everything. "And if you want, leave the wood and stone. I will have it built in the next two hours so you can store it fully. You should all take some of the dust root powder in a glass of water. Fixes your sleeping habit." The king of the surface fell back in to his planning and maps as the guards led them out.Â

"I didn't think they would offer us dust root powder. It was thought to be left over from a dream god and grew. The root dries out and crumbles in to powder that blows in the wind to seed other plants later. But this dust also causes people to fall asleep. The area it grows is very hard to travel without the right potions to resist it." Remey had heard and seen the dust root before but this was a very good use for it that she noted down.Â

"If Remey approves it and it will help us sleep I am sold." Gil took the small packet from the roayl guard and followed Walker toward an open area. The party decided they wanted to sleep under the stars. They had missed them more than they thought after being underground.Â

Walker let the spirits run about as they wished since they could return when the sun rose. The light spirit was the only one that stayed near them since it preferred the daylight instead. The tea made by Remey with the dust root was bitter but worked wonders. All of them had fallen to their naps before they realized they no longer could see the stars.Â

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