Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Boris hesitated, torn between respecting rules or guiding Henry to the village. For centuries, a strict rule had been passed down among the dwarves: no strangers were to be brought into the village. This law stemmed from a time when humans had exploited their goodwill, leading to them being robbed and kidnapped. Yet, the man before him now was different. He was the descendant of Garret, the Son of Fire and Anvil, the hero who had once saved them and helped build their village. The Stone Village had debts.

"The elders will understand" - Boris reassured himself, trying to muster the courage to break one of the first laws of Stone Village - "I hope they don't put me inside the forge for this." - He shivered, recalling the punishment for those who disrespected the village's most sacred rule and put it in danger. Every dwarf must return to the fire; this was why they were cremated after death. Disrespecting a capital rule meant an earlier return to the fire, being thrown alive into the furnace to meet a gruesome end.

Henry could see the dwarf's internal struggle but remained silent, not wanting to press him. Forcing Boris with a sword to his neck would undoubtedly break any relations between Stahl and the dwarf village, potentially leading the situation to a way of brutality, where the only way out was subjugation. Henry wanted to avoid this outcome. He preferred to win their allegiance willingly, ensuring their loyalty. After a brief moment of contemplation, Boris came to a decision. "Aye, descendant of the King, I'll guide ye to our village," he declared, nodding his head and thumping his fist against his chest. Despite the pain radiating through his body, he maintained a hard expression, determined to see this through. Henry smiled and gave a simple nod of acknowledgment - "Stahl appreciates your decision, Boris Hammerfel. Lead the way." Boris looked up at the clouded sky, then moistened his finger with his tongue before lifting it into the air. He stood like that for a couple of seconds before opening his eyes - "This way, Descendant of the King." - Despite his small frame and injuries, he moved swiftly through the forest. Henry nodded to Leier and the barbarians behind him before following closely. Leier, still wary, kept a close watch on Boris as they moved forward. The forest grew denser, the sounds of the pursuing Ice Giants fading slightly, though the numbers of howls seemed to keep increasing, likely surpassing a hundred. As they walked, Boris glanced at Henry - "Our village is hidin' within the heart of the mountains. The path is tricky, but it's kept us safe for generations. It's a place where those icicle and hairless brutes can't reach. " "Have you guys lived there your whole lives?" - Henry asked, his eyes scanning the mountain's shadows growing in front of them.

"Aye, the elders said that the Son of Fire and Anvil led us there and then used his sword to carve the mountain to open space for us to build the village" - Boris replied, his hands waving energetically as if he was holding the sword himself, as if he were there witnessing the scene - "They say he used a single stab to pierce through the mountain, and if he weren't careful enough, he would've pierced right through it. That single slash was enough to drill a hole the size of an entire city within the mountain." Henry's eyes shone, imagining the scene and already anticipating seeing the village carved into the mountain with a sword. Ever since he received Caelum, he couldn't help but wonder about Garret's life, the man who had fought against the dangers beyond the Frozen Forest almost his entire life. He wanted to unearth and assimilate the memories inside Caelum as quickly as possible, knowing there was something valuable within them.

As he pondered Garret's achievements, a question arose in his mind, which he voiced to the dwarf - "If the ancestor was so powerful, why didn't he kill all these Ice Giants? With strength capable of carving a whole village into the mountain with a single attack, it shouldn't have been a problem, right?" Boris looked at him, a bit angry, wanting to lash out but remembering that he was the descendant of the man himself, he restrained himself - "Well, those son of a beasts weren't here when the Son of Fire and Anvil was alive. They suddenly appeared one day like they'd been hidin' inside the mountains, and by that time, the hero was already dead." "Why didn't you reach out for help?" Henry asked as the mountain's shadow that hugged the valley grew larger, making the trees look like small toothpicks. "The elders of that time didn't want any contact with humans, not after yer kin came here to steal our work and kidnapped a few of us to make 'em work on their walls or somethin' like that," Boris said, casting his eyes downward. "And we didn't know that the Son of Fire and Anvil had children. If we had, the elders might have agreed to seek help. It's a shame." At those words, Henry remained silent, digesting all the information he had just received. There were many mysteries surrounding the appearance of these creatures. They came right after the founder of Stahl died, as if some kind of restraint had been lifted, giving them freedom. It was strange. Henry couldn't help but feel that something dangerous was approaching, and he had to be ready to face it. He had to build his kingdom and prepare himself. They continued their journey in silence, climbing a steep path carved alongside the mountain, with an abyss on one side where they could fall at any moment. For Boris, it seemed comfortable, but for Henry and the others, they could barely put one foot in front of the other without risking a fall.

Henry turned his head and could already see the whole Screaming Valley. The clouds above them obscured the sky, and the forest hugged by the mountain looked like a dead forest.

"We're about to reach the village!" - Boris announced, breaking the silence.