CHAPTER 207: THE DWARVES (1)

They arrived before a set of immense doors. The attendant bowed and receded, leaving Zero alone.

On entering; hooded, silent figures, the Queen’s council, stood like statues in the shadows. At the far end, upon a throne of light-absorbing crystal, sat his Queen.

Her form was deceptively beautiful, but her eyes held the profound emptiness of the void, and her power was a crushing weight.

Zero strode the long path and knelt.

"Report," the Queen’s thought manifested in his mind. "Explain why your failsafe was activated."

Zero gritted his teeth as the memory of that filthy human breaking him surfaced once more. He remembered the begging, the crying, the moment he almost compromised his loyalty to the Collective. He forced the humiliating thought down and bowed his head lower.

"Forgive my failure, Your Majesty. The initial objectives of the mission were completed. The primary individual of power on the planet, the Elven Queen Gaya, was eliminated successfully. I also orchestrated a clash between the Elves and the Humans to sow the intended chaos." He paused, taking a breath he did not need. "Unfortunately, I could not create enough lasting chaos. I also failed in my primary objective of slaying the rest of the high powers of the world."

The Queen’s disappointment was evident, as a wave of cold washed over him in that instant. "This is not enough progress for the years you spent on this project."

"The mana in that world is not dense enough, my Queen," Zero explained, trying to keep his voice low. "And the human body I took control of... his talent was limited. I had to take a significant amount of time to increase the body’s strength before it could borrow even a fraction of my power. I acted immediately after I deemed it viable."

The Queen looked at him long and hard. "You have not told me the cause for the link’s termination. What happened?"

Zero shook his head bitterly before speaking. "The complication is an anomaly, Your Majesty. A human known as Adrian. The same individual who has now seized control of the human kingdom. He was an unforeseen variable. I had the privilege of watching grow, but I was wrong to have underestimated him."

He recounted Adrian’s abilities. "His power is erratic but grows at an exponential rate. He possesses abilities that are not native to that world or its known magical systems. He demonstrated an immense willpower, capable of resisting my vessel’s self-termination command. He also possesses a form of personal teleportation that leaves no traceable signature, and he is resourceful and highly intelligent."

He chose his next words carefully. "He cornered my vessel and forced an interrogation." He did not dare say what happened after that.

Meanwhile, the Queen was deep in thought. After seconds of chilling silence passed, Zero spoke again, "Your Majesty, grant me one more chance. I know his methods now. I will better prepare for him this time. I can eliminate him."

But the Queen shook her head, her thoughts moving to a grander scale. "That’s not necessary anymore. We have interfered far too much already. Nature will handle the rest."

Zero found her statement vague and decided to ask. "My Queen?"

"That human you speak of, Adrian," she explained. "I am confident he is not a simple person. But his days are numbered. We no longer have to provoke the human goddess to interfere, because she can no longer keep them hidden."

Zero’s eyes glinted as he understood. His failure had not cost them their ultimate goal.

"Another civilization in the Quarantine is now aware of them," the Queen continued. "And in this case, there are two scenarios."

The look she gave him made it clear she wanted him to complete her thoughts.

"Either the new civilization destroys them," Zero said, his voice regaining its confidence, "allowing us to gain our prize from the ashes... or they win instead, attracting the direct attention of the Galactic Assembly. And we still gain our prize after the Assembly deals with them."

A cold, cruel smile formed on the Queen’s features, a sight more terrifying than any frown.

"Precisely." She then added, a flicker of curiosity in her ancient mind, "I believe the second case will happen. They do not have much time to prepare. But your report on this Adrian makes me curious to see just how much a cornered rat can grow before the end."

***

Adrian found himself face to face with a patrol of wary dwarves. He had noticed their approach earlier, but the interrogation had occupied his full attention.

Now, he knew he had to give them an explanation. He was surprised by their presence; the continent of Duragut was a place he had only read of.

They were an isolationist race that rarely had contact with outsiders. ’This could be a blessing in disguise, he thought. ’It’s a chance to make an early contact.

But he knew they had gotten off to a rough start. The dwarves were petrified. They had just witnessed a brutal act of torture and a subsequent, inexplicable death by two entities that seemingly appeared out of thin air.

Adrian descended down to them, forcing them to flinch, as their stout bodies braced for a fight they knew they could not win.

Recognizing that his armored form was the primary source of their terror, Adrian made a gesture of peace.

With a single thought, the shimmering plates of black and blue energy dematerialized, flowing back into an unseen storage space, leaving him standing before them in his simple, casual clothes.

"Forgive my unannounced arrival," he said in a clear voice. "And forgive the scene you were forced to witness. It was a necessary, if unpleasant, business."

After seeing that the intimidating armor was gone and that Adrian meant them no harm, the dwarves’ immediate panic lifted, though their expressions remained a mixture of deep suspicion and awe. They recognized him as a human immediately, which only deepened their confusion.

One of them, a dwarf with a red beard, finally found his voice. "But... how did you come here? One moment there was a boy, the next, you. You both seemed to appear out of thin air." He gestured to the spot where Adrian had interrogated the entity. "And you were humiliating a fellow human. Why? That was cruel of you."

Adrian was not annoyed by their allegations, nor did he plan to entertain them with the critical answers they sought.

"That is a matter that should not worry you," he replied, politely. "It might be best if you led me to your leader instead."

The dwarf who had spoken recognized the truth and authority in what he said. He gave Adrian a long, hard look before giving a curt nod. "Very well. We will take you to meet our Lord. Follow us."

Adrian followed them from behind as they began their march. As they walked down the winding mountain path and into the valley that housed their settlement, Adrian noticed that the Dwarves were a very small and close-knit community.

The entirety of their visible domain in Duragut didn’t have many houses. Instead of a sprawling city, it was more like a single, massive fortress-town where everyone lived closely together.

’They’re more primitive than I would have guessed,’ Adrian thought to himself as he observed their society.

He had read that the Dwarves as a race rarely had an affinity for magic; hence, most of them were knights who focused on physical prowess.

That was a significant disadvantage to their society. They were unable to benefit from the countless advantages that the power of magic brought to daily life, from magical agriculture to enchanting.

As a result, their civilization hadn’t seen much large-scale development, instead focusing on perfecting what they knew: smithing, mining, and fighting.

He noticed many dwarves, busy at forges or carrying mining tools, stopping to stare at him with unconcealed curiosity and suspicion as they passed.

But with the way they hesitated to question him, immediately backing down when they saw who was leading him, it was quite obvious that they respected the dwarf a great deal.

As if reading Adrian’s thoughts, the red-bearded dwarf slowed his pace to walk beside him. "Ah, where are my manners? I did not introduce myself," he said in a low rumble.

"The name is Fody, and I am the right hand of our Lord." He said that part with gruff pride before adding, "May I know your name, human?"

Adrian kept walking, his gaze taking in the masterfully carved stone archways. "Adrian. I am the King of the human kingdom of Zarion."

Fody held his breath in shock for a moment, his eyes widening. He looked Adrian up and down again, and this time, the young man’s calm, authoritative presence made a lot more sense. He continued his strides, leading the way.

They continued their march and in no time, they reached the Lord’s hall. It wasn’t a grand, sprawling palace like those in Zarion or Eldryth.

It was a simple, powerful structure made of massive blocks of granite,.

It was more building than palace, and there were barely any guards in sight, a testament to the dwarves’ confidence in their own strength. Adrian was impressed by their simplicity.

After leading him to a set of great stone doors, Fody turned to Adrian. "Wait here. I will inform him of your visit."

Adrian nodded. Fody entered the chamber, where a lone dwarf was sitting cross-legged on a simple stone throne, cultivating in silence.

He was a powerfully built individual, his skin a deep, rich brown, and his black beard was intricately braided with silver rings.

"Lord Damien," Fody said respectfully, prompting him to look up.

"A human is here to see you," Fody reported. "He claims to be the King of Zarion. We found him at the mountain’s edge where he... well, he will tell you himself." Fody clearly didn’t know how to narrate the bizarre events he had witnessed.

Damien, the Dwarven Lord, caressed his braided beard as he thought.

"Hmm. King Theron," he said in a low tone, audible only to Fody. "What does that fool want with me now?" After a moment of thought, he waved his hand. "Let him come in, Fody."

The dwarf nodded and left to bring Adrian in. But the moment Adrian stepped through the doors and his blue eyes met Damien’s dark ones, the Dwarven Lord stood up abruptly.

With a speed that defied his bulky frame, he grabbed a colossal war hammer that had been resting beside his throne.

He slammed the butt of the hammer onto the stone floor with a resounding CRACK!, his expression shifting from curiosity to pure hostility.

"I know King Theron of Zarion. You are not him. Speak your true name and purpose, intruder, before my hammer asks for you."