Chapter 10: Earthborn

The groups dinner had been tense, mostly from Erhardt ignoring the group and the tied and gagged bandit behind kicking and screaming through her gag, when Erhardt walked to the nearby river afterwards to relax.

Kurgren had chose to follow him, curious about what he meant by the Elves enslaving his race and saw him sitting on a rock carving something without his gloves.

He then see that the top his hands and fingers are covered in stone plates. The Dwarves unique ability to cover themselves in stone-like plates as hard as iron.

It was then when he notice that Erhardt, and by memories of the few Dwarves he saw in Pirium, primarily uses his left hand like him, whether if it was eating, holding or punching; unlike Arden, Louise or Solaina with the former two being right handed and the latter using both hand equally.

He then sits next to the Dwarf and ask about it and why. Mainly as a small talk to ease in the other question.

Erhardt scoffs. "I don't know. Each race was made by different deity. I know you want something else so get to the fucking point or piss off!"

Kurgren nods. Clenching his fist and trying his best not to punch him.

"What did you mean when you told the Elf that her race had enslaved yours a long time ago."

Erhardt sighs, "How well do you know Arkalions history?"

Kurgren ponders before replying only about the the bright lord Nihalos, the sunderer, and his conquest of the hekarim southlands. And some history of the Orcs.

Erhardt takes a deep breath "Back in second age arcane magic was the main branch of study and research, no divine magic or technology. My people, the Volk'baram, with our lower affinity and near immunity to the arcane, meaning we couldn't put much magic into the runes of enchantment to our items, meant that we were downtrodden by the rest, even though we had a stronger control and connection to earth magic. Only reason why we weren't conquered were our homes, the Volksgard alps, natural barriers and our longbowmen."

"So your people invented the longbows. I thought it was the Elves or the Humans?"

"HA! Of course, the long-eared bastards took the credit. The only range weapon they made is the crossbow, a craven's weapon! And no one, but maybe the Orcs, can pull a properly made dwarven longbow, and fat fucking chance an Elf could even pull it with their noodly arms. Goddamnit I lost my train of thought."

"You said that no one invaded the Volksgard."

"But what in hell is a train." Kurgren's mind briefly drifted. He'll have to ask him another day.

"Ah of course. Then the Elves came from the eastern shores, bringing along their alicorns, pegasi, unicorns, and horses, from what is now their capital Salkoy. And outnumbered all the nine races and Vardskuls combined ten to one back then. Combined with their higher affinity in arcane magic, particularly their gift in wind magic, and being the first mass produced cavalry, particulary their famed pegasus knights, which can defeat a dragon rider when outnumbering them ten to one, and unfortunately for the Humans Elves and their equestrians breed like fucking rats. Meant that they had greater power over everyone else. Forging an empire rivalling the Humans. And an age later when Nihalos attacked we were hit the hardest when the Volksgard was conquered by the Orcs with Demon reinforcements. An unending black and red tide that overwhelmed us with attrition. And it was then where the Elves saved us and gave aid. Where we swore an oath to save them, even if it meant facing the Devils in hell, in their hour of need. But you know what those bastards did after we showed our friendship!"

His hand then suddenly tightens around his carving, the wood beginning to splinter under the grip. Kurgren then notice it was strangely wet and red. Hopefully it's nothing.

"They enslaved us! Even lower than an actual slave because a slave at least ate proper bread and slept under proper roofs, only few miraculously escaped and became dispossessed clans in hiding. Where it's known that the Elves can easily murder a Dwarf in daylight or take away the men or women's virginity without punishment because they are above the rule!"

He then takes a moment to breath and calm down. While Kurgren became skeptical.

"Are you sure that's true? While I don't know the detail what I commonly heard was that while they did enslaved the Dwarves and put them under bad conditions they never reached such evil, treating the Dwarves just the same as other slaves."

Erhardt looks to him with a frown.

"It seems others have a poor grasp on history."

Kurgren sighs, sensing it would be pointless to argue.

"Of course this extended to the Humans, Orcs and the five with the former managed to fought them to a stalemate, while the five still had their kingdoms as vassal and second class citizen to the Elves paying large tithes, or become enslaved, while the latter was thought more as as beast to be exterminated instead. The Vardskuls and Yukione were untouched due to the harshness of their land and their desire for neutrality. And for a damned age we suffered as they continously brag about how they were the ones who stopped Nihalos and pushed his forces back south. Ignoring or embellishing the contribution of the Dwarves that helped them. Especially our power of earth magic that they can never reach to make the great walls that form the remaining southern nation of Byzalem! But one Dwarf wanted to change that."

His lips then curls to a smile "His name was Otto Reicmange and, having lost his clan, the Charlemange, escaped when he was chosen by Morathor, our god, to be his apostle, a person chosen by a god and tested to to see if their worthy to become their herald, who blessed him as he journeys into the dangerous darkland beneath Kalran where he found the lost artifact, bergnir, a mighty hammer said to be given to the first emperor, from a time where our body were stone instead of flesh. And formed a revolution with his discovery of gunpowder and iron."

His tone then shifted to a darker one.

"But then the orcish incursion came. You know about it right?"

Kurgren nods with with a frown, remembering his mother vivid tale about it, their people vengeance against the nine races and their greatest regret. How they hid in the Kyros hills, creating their first and only immobile city Kaisilia, as the many nomadic tribes banded together under their phoenix lord Zulu Abara. And with their discovery of divine magic, forming the first knights, the avenging phoenix, who rode upon rhinos. Bringing an onslaught that brought the kingdoms to their knees. Particularly the Elves, their men, women, children, and elderly being tortured to death when captured. With sickening rumours of the most depraved Orcs raping their elven captives. Siring or bearing Ellocs.

"The attack caught all of them by surprise, particularly their ability to heal from grievous wound with their clerics and blessed fury of their knights, and the whole army, said to even included ten year old boys and girls, burning, pillaging, and raping anyone, Human to Yukione, men or women, granted the Elves had it coming. And it was only Otto and his knowledge of blackpowder and iron that that saved everyone rather than being dead under those murderous Orcs."

"The history said the Orcs only raped the Elves, and even so it was only a small part of their army who were executed when it was discovered! And when the Orcs invaded the cities they minimized damage, only pillaging when the cities didn't surrender, and they can continue like normal, even banning slavery! Have you read the damned history!"

"Are you reading the proper history! Of course, the damn races would censor the past to make themselves look better. So, do you want me to continue? If not, then piss off!"

Kurgren felt his eye twitch, never in his life he met someone so idiotic or stubborn to notice that his people censored their history.

"Sorry about that. Please, continue."

Pride then slowly filled his voice "With his power and the blessing of the gods he united the five remaining Dwarf clans and led a crusade to retake the Volksgard. Reclaiming the four other artifacts and formed the Volkunter Reinhelm. And with the gun, cannon and the five artifacts, he saved the seven races. Giving the gunpowder concordat signed with the conditions which are, in short, have the Volksgard resettled as a dwarven nation and all slaves freed, and in turn we help them. And when it came to the Elves they refused."

He then takes takes a breath. "With them refusing to concordat we and the rest of the seven didn't come to their aid when the Orcs finally reach Caynori, their coastal city, in the north east. Safe to say they deserved it."

Kurgren nods. His mind slowly recalling the tales of it, from the bards and books, as Erhardt rambled.

The genocide of Caynori. Their first city upon making contact, which held half the elven population, is a common tale sung by bards. In which the wrath of the the Orcs and Dwarves turned the city into a ghost town for an age with only few survivors, estimated about a thousand out of three million, managing to sail back to Salkoy.

From the south struck the Orcs, with such fury that their homes, treehouses said to contain the greatest of elven arts and scrolls, were reduced to carbonized husk and the lands surface burned to glass, killing any elven soldier they found, even if they surrendered.

While the north was besieged by the Dwarves, said to be just as or even worse than the Orcs. As it's rumoured that they specifically targeted civilians and any captured Elves were said to be tortured, or raped, for days on end before being killed, since they wouldn't stoop to slavery. Particularly noted that parents were killed last, as they forced them to watch as they killed their children, by the hammer or the bayonet, or grim tales of letting them "free" only to fire upon them, with a cannon for groups, as they ran, said to even be encouraged by the captains. And turned the northern shore into the deadland with a ritual, where any plant that touched the cursed soil will instantly wither and any water inside the waste will be poisoned, and tainted black, where a sip can kill a Human. Their gift in earth magic meaning it impossible to completely unbind the curse seal without their magic sequence, said to be locked within a vault beneath the Volksgard.

Even to this day Caynori hasn't truly recovered with only the central port, and most of the north and south thanks to the westward Dwarves and Orcs, being livable.

"-And while the Orcs were ravaging the south, murdering civilians and soldier alike, my people attacked north to free the slaves, only killing those who retaliated. And pushing them back till they used dishonorable tactics of scorched earth and turning the land into a barren waste, so that its dirt kills any plants and poisoned the water black. And so the remaining Elves fled back to Salkoy. Followed by the Orcs surrendering later on and the rest is history. Sorry that I brought up your people past."

Kurgren nods. He was fine with the truth. Recalling what his mother said.

"We must always remember our past, both the good and the bad, and let it guide us. But we can't let it define us or justify what we do."

Kurgren then look at Erhardt's hand and realized why the wood was red. He had accidentally cut his palm, till he could see the muscles and some bone, while they were talking.

"Erhardt your hand!"

Erhardt then gives him a confused look before looking down and noticing the cuts on his hand.

"Huh, that explained the sudden wetness and dull throbbing. But no worry it's just a flesh wound." before showing his hand to prove it.

Kurgren gapes in shock as the blood around his wound, rather than scabbing or bleeding, begins sealing itself, as if the blood was transmuting to flesh, and stitched itself together. And in a few seconds it looks like the cuts never happened.

Erhardt then chuckles "The fourth gift of our creator. To heal any wounds and cuts. Only scabbing and scarring when the wound is particularly severe, deep or large."

He then gets up and toss his carving, a simple stake, to the ground as the plates on his hands begin to recedes back into his skin and returns to camp with Kurgren following behind as they hit the hay with Ardent taking first watch.