Glittering Star Jewels
Life for the first dwarves was a mystery, but also deadly. They blinked into existence from nothingness, just like every race- nude, curious, and adventurous!
Such a mindset is nice; it leads to growth. Except for the fact that they were doing it in the middle of an unknown, potentially dangerous forest.
The first dwarves were very peaceful by nature, quickly finding their place as they began chopping down trees with sharpened rocks.
As is typical with dwarves, they had an unusual attraction to rocks. They quickly advanced to the stone age, sharpening tools and accidentally discovering flint after one of their beards caught fire.
Har Firebeard became the name of the one who's beard caught fire. A simple name born from laughter and his beard catching fire. His hair was ginger, so it ironically matched the new nickname.
Within a few months, the dwarves had discovered both stoneworking and fire.
------------------
"Har har har! Behold, my stick of fire!" Har waved a stick with a flickering flame, surrounded by cheering dwarves. "My name be Firebeard!"
"Har Firebeard!" someone taunted from the crowd.
Har's face turned as red as his beard as he waved his stick forward, "Show yourself, coward!"
"Har har har," A female dwarf stepped forward, covered in leaves. To Har's eyes, she was absolutely stunning! More beautiful than any other dwarf in their gathering!
Her lusciously ginger, well-trimmed beard glistened in the firelight. Her bulging muscular arms, hairy and strong, and her calloused hands- what dwarf wouldn't want her?
His shade of red deepened into full blown embarrassment. "Ah- Riverlily, I'm sorry for raising my voice..." He trailed off, lowering his torch.
Lowering his head with a determined breath, he gripped the torch with both hands and knelt before her. "Riverlily, will you take this and be mine alone?"
Riverlily's eyes examined the torch before scoffing. "A wooden stick? You think so little of me."
Har Firebeard rose sharply to his feet.
"No, my Riverlily! Ignore this! I will show you that you mean everything to me!"
Turning sharply, Har disappeared into the forest.
Days later, he returned holding a smooth stone staff with a ball of dried leaves and twigs burning atop. He beamed with pride and confidence.
"Behold, I have you a stick of stone that burns! Tis it not enough to win your heart?" Har boasted confidently, puffing out his toned chest and flexing his muscles.
Sighing, she shook her head. "It is merely stone with twigs on top."
Har refused to be disheartened and ventured back into the foreign lands, accompanied this time with several other determined dwarves.
Each of them found women that were precious to them, but none of the females were satisfied.
------------------
"I've tried everything," one dwarf grumbled. "I created a wreath of the most beautiful flowers! She refused it because they made her itch."
"That is nothing!" another snapped. "When I heard mine complain about dirty feet, I carved wooden covers for her to walk in. She said they were too hard!"
"Pah! All of you pale in comparison to what I did!" a third interjected. "When she said she was tired of the weather, I built her shelter made of wood and stone. But refused to stay because the interior was 'boring and unimaginative!'"
Har turned, raising his hands and bellowing. "Do not be disheartened! We've been among the greenery for too long. Even my Riverlily wants something that glitters more beautifully than the jeweled stars in the night sky!
The other dwarves cast him doubtful looks, but Har turned confidently toward the towering mountain that loomed before them. He squinted at the strange flying creatures circling its peak.
"We will venture forth! While other dwarves settle for lesser women, and will return with only the most beautiful stones!"
One dwarf hesitated. "What about the beasts up there, Har?"
"Hornfinger, do you have spare stone tools?"
"Aye, why?" Hornfinger grumbled.
"The beasts that howled and took your finger- we may meet worse." Har pointed at his missing finger stub replaced with a rabbit's horn. "We must be ready! Beasts fly above!"
Hornfinger sighed, pulling out two sticks with jagged stones attached. "You should've said something before we left. Yer lucky I always carry my strong stone. Find good stones and sticks, and I'll craft us more."
Har grinned, his fiery beard catching the light. "Then onward! To the mountain and to glory!"
The dwarves roared in agreement as they marched toward the unknown, dreams of shimmering stones and hard-won affection driving them forward.
-----------------
The dwarves climbed relentlessly, braving the rocky terrain and sharp winds as they pressed onward. Along the way, they designated roles to keep their expedition organized.
Some carried tools forged from Hornfinger for both fighting and hitting stone. Others carried leaf-woven bags strapped to their backs with twigs, ready to haul supplies. A few were tasked with foraging for food, scouring the unfamiliar landscape for anything edible.
When night fell, the dwarves found shelter in a nearby cave at the base of the mountain. But what they didn't expect to find were glistening purple crystal rocks dotting the cave, their surface reflecting the torchlight into a spectrum of colors.
Delving deeper, the crystals grew in size and beauty. The crystals shimmered and refracted light, casting mesmerizing shades of purple, blue, and silver—hues that no flame alone could produce.
Eager and wide eyed, the dwarves set to work immediately and used their sharpened stones to chip away at the walls. Large cascades of glowing crystal chunks fell, sending waves of glittering dust into the air.
Binding together a series of fallen wooden logs, they created a makeshift platform and loaded a large crystal the size of three of them. It took the combined effort of all the dwarves to hoist the crystal onto the platform, and several grueling days to drag it back to their camp.
When they finally arrived, the dwarven women gathered around, their eyes widening at the dazzling treasure. The male dwarves who refused to join the expedition, hung their heads in shame with their women casting disapproving glares upon them.
"With this crystal," Har said, beckoning at the enormous crystal. "I shall craft you a crystal necklace and rings. You will be the most beautiful lady in all the lands!"
"Me and every other lady here?" she scoffed, gesturing toward the group of women as they admired the treasure. The other dwarves were making similar promises, each one eager to impress except it was working for them.
Har's confidence wavered for a split second, but he quickly inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, centering himself. Disheartened? No. His resolve was as firm as the stones he worked with.
"We found such beauties at the base of the mountain..." Har said slowly, his voice steady. "Undoubtedly, there is more to discover. And the most beautiful, the rarest of them all- I shall deliver it to you!"
Riverlily's expression softened, her lips curving into a gentle smile. She stepped forward and kissed him lightly on the forehead. Har's face flushed deep red, his cheeks burning like embers.
"I'm sure you will," she whispered, meeting his gaze for a moment before turning away.
Har stood frozen in place, his heart pounding in his chest, but with a wide grin slowly spreading across his face. That mountain had not seen the last of him!
-----------------
Atlas pressed pause on the replay button, breathing out slowly.
"Wow... That's... romantic?" Atlas shivered, however, his thoughts resting on the females' desires for more. "Their bravery was driven by love but that lady just wants more..."
Wisp chirped innocently, "She is greedy. But if not for Riverlily's greed and Har's determination to win her love, they wouldn't have advanced so quickly."
"There's more?"
"Yes. Because you slept, you missed many opportunities to alter their fate- and perhaps make it easier for poor Har Firebeard."
Atlas felt a little guilty and his gaze returned to the determined, love-struck dwarf. He wouldn't be able to alter Firebeard's fate either as dwarves lived for only 300 years and over 400 had passed.
"I didn't know just going to sleep would skip all of this..."
"I tried to warn you," Wisp said without mercy. "But luckily for you, the dwarves have thrived. The urgency, after you've finished catching up here, is with the elves on the eastern continent.
Frowning, Atlas glanced across the globe at the continent. Elves in a desert? Yeah, that probably wasn't going well. But then again, dwarves spawning above ground?
Pressing the replay on his CDIM screen, the summarized video with key events continued to play on his screen with walls of text giving further details running next to it.