Unfettered Desire

Months passed as dwarves and dragons worked together. The Primordial Dragons assisted by burning rock, while the dwarves experimented to see what could be smelted and refined.

Their earliest discovery was, of course, copper, which was the most abundant metal near their settlement. Traces of iron were found as well, and while Dragon's Breath could remove impurities, it couldn't be mass-produced.

In return for their fire, the dwarves ground, chipped, and polished gemstones. As they delved deeper into the mountain, they uncovered even more precious stones- sapphires, rubies, emeralds, topaz, and amethyst- a trade deemed worthy of the power of Dragon's Breath during this time.

But one major problem arose.

Jealousy.

The Black-scaled Primordial Dragon lost the Queen's favor, and two others grew frustrated that she continued to focus solely on the Red-Scaled Primordial. Despite their efforts, no amount of cooperation with the dwarves seemed to change her heart.

To the Black-scaled Dragon, it seemed her choice of mate was set in stone.

Among the dwarves, a similar problem brewed. The Primordial Queen refused to negotiate with Har Firebeard- only with Hornfinger. And Riverlily, the one whose heart Har had tried so desperately to win over, had begun to fall in love with Hornfinger instead.

When Har tried to speak with her, he recognized the change in her eyes- she was drawn to Hornfinger's newfound importance.

Tears fell as he watched the love he had fought for slip away.

But no matter how much it hurt, he couldn't bring himself to harm his friend.

Hornfinger had been with him since their arrival in these lands.

And that made it even worse.

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In the center of the dwarven settlement, a large bonfire crackled as dusk settled. Dwarves wrapped up their work early, gathering to celebrate another occasion.

"Let us toast to another great discovery!" Hornfinger raised his copper pint high, mead sloshing over the rim, while his other hand held a strange obsidian shard. Beside him, Riverlilly stood with a bright smile, lifting her own pint filled with fermented berry wine.

The female dwarves had spent weeks experimenting, mixing berries and honey into water, stumbling upon the first forms of mead and berry wine.

Some batches were bitter, some overly sweet, and others had a sharp sour edge- but the effects were undeniable. Intoxication. Relaxation.

A wave of cheers erupted as dwarves huddled around the fire, lifting their copper pints high, even those who remained inside their stone dwellings.

From one of the windows above, a dwarf sloshed mead over the edge, dousing an unlucky dwarf below.

"Oi!" the soaked dwarf roared in outrage, launching his pint mug straight at the window. Mead sprayed through the air, glistening in the firelight as laughter erupted. When the pint fell and hit another dwarf, a small brawl broke out.

Hornfinger, still grinning, motioned toward Har Firebeard, who stood tall with pride shining in his eyes.

"This is no ordinary obsidian!" Hornfinger declared, holding the dark shard high. "It has been two weeks since Dragon's Breath melted this stone."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd as he passed it to onlookers, their eyes widening in astonishment.

"It's still warm!"

"How can it still be warm? That doesn't- what in the mountains?!"

The murmurs grew into excited chatter as the obsidian shard made its way through the gathering. Har Firebeard stepped forward, raising his own shard into the sky.

"I declare this be called Ignis Obsidian! And all future forms that retain the fire of the Primordials shall bear the title of Ignis!" Har proclaimed triumphantly.

A thunderous cheer erupted, the name quickly catching on as dwarves clapped their mugs together, roaring in approval.

But as the crowd cheered, Har's gaze wandered toward Riverlilly. He waited- hoped- that she would glance his way.

But she didn't.

Her eyes were fixed solely on Hornfinger, the two locked in deep conversation, their smiles lingering, eyes drinking each other in.

Har's proud expression faltered. The weight of reality pressed down on his chest with a sharp, cutting sensation.

He lowered his shard, his gaze falling as the cheers around him blurred into nothing but distant noise.

Then, Riverlilly moved.

Har's heart clenched as she stepped away, but his breath hitched further when he saw where she was going.

Hornfinger watched her with wide eyes, then slowly followed.

Har's own eyes widened in horror.

She wasn't heading home. She was heading toward Hornfinger's house.

Stepping forward, Har grabbed another pint of mead and jumps in front of Hornfinger's path as a faint roar echoes in the background.

"Ah, Har!" Hornfinger greeted him with a genuine smile, though faint traces of irritation flickered across his face. "Enjoying the celebrations?"

Hornfinger's gaze lifted toward the darkening sky, listening to the distant roar. His grin widened. "Sounds like they want to join in the celebrations!"

"Aye, of course!" Har smiled back, offering him the mug of mead. "Come, drink this mead with me! Let us celebrate together!"

He hesitated, glancing back toward his house.

"Ah, I can't say no to a mug from a friend!" Hornfinger accepted cheerfully, but Har noticed how eager he was to move on.

Still smiling, Har watched as they locked eyes for a moment before Hornfinger raised the pint and chugged it down.

"Ah! Now, I must be off!" Hornfinger stepped forward.

But Har placed a firm hand on his chest, catching the empty pint as he smiled again.

"Let me get you another mug! We aren't done drinking together yet!"

"Har..." Hornfinger sighed, brushing Har's hand aside and placing his own hand on Har's shoulder. The fake smile slipped from Har's face, his expression becoming unreadable.

"I know what you're trying to do." Hornfinger's voice softened, but remained firm. "I'm going to go see her, and she wants to see me."

Har's jaw clenched, his chest burning with jealousy.

"After all I've done for you?"

Their gazes locked, Har's eyes sharp and intense.

"Let me try one more time. You know how long I've chased her. From the very first days we were brought to this land, my heart has burned for her. You know this."

Hornfinger shook his head.

"You've tried plenty, Har. She's made up her mind." His voice was steady, unwavering. "And I have feelings for her too now."

"She hasn't made up her mind," Har growled, poking Hornfinger's chest. "That's just you-"

As their argument was heating up, neither noticed the roars growing louder until it drowned out their words.

Turning their heads, barely visible beneath the night sky, a wave of fire descended upon the square.

Festive cheers and shouts of awe changed to screams of misery and agony as flames engulfed the square.

"What in the- Why are they attacking us?" Hornfinger shouted over the chaos.

"This is your fault," Har snapped, glaring at him as they ran in the direction of his home together.

"My fault? How the fuck do you imagine that?" Hornfinger barked back.

"You should've let me handle the diplomacy! Your clumsy-"

His words were cut short as debris from a collapsing structure came crashing down.

Both of their eyes snapped upward, but amid the chaos—Har, seeing that he was in the clear, shoved Hornfinger aside.

"You bastard!"

Hornfinger stumbled, his footing lost as the rubble came down on him.

Sickening bone crunching noises cut through the air.

Har Firebeard looked back eyes widening in horror, realizing what he had done, but kept running regardless toward the house.

A single, bloodied hand poked out from the rubble, surrounded by a pool of blood.

For a moment, he stood frozen as the weight of his actions struck him. But then- he turned away, and kept on running toward Hornfinger's house- toward Riverlilly.

Screams continued to fill the night before the Queen descended. She spotted the anomaly from the mountain, flames dancing between the trees as her sharp eyes spotted the male.

A furious mid-air battle erupted, claws and teeth flashing as the Black Primordial Dragon met her in combat.

Her claws raked his front, leaving deep gouges in his dark scales.

A roar of agony ripped through the air as dark red blood- glowing with intense heat- splattered across the ground, hissing against stone and wood.

The Black Primordial whipped his tail, slamming it into the Queen's head.

She reeled, momentarily stunned.

It was all the time he needed.

With a final, furious roar, he turned and fled, his form disappearing into the night.

The sky burned as their battle continued far beyond the settlement, deadly displays of power illuminating the darkness.

But despite her size, the Queen could not catch him and the Black Primordial escaped the land entirely.

In the months that followed, the two other disgruntled Primordials left in frustration and disagreement, abandoning the land despite two other females remaining.

Riverlilly wept openly over the mangled corpse of her lover, and Har stood behind her, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Tears streaked her face as she rose and embraced Har for comfort, burying herself in his embrace for support.

He would never breath a word of this travesty, and she would never know the truth over their centuries long lifespan.

The Primordial Queen apologized profusely to the dwarves in the wake of the destruction, lamenting that this was the result of one dragon's jealousy.

But words did not erase the loss.

The dwarves remained distrustful, their anger festering for decades.

For the first time in their history, they suffered heavy losses- friends, lovers, kin, all taken from them in fire and ruin.

Some bore permanent scars, others lost limbs, their sight, their hearing. The wounds of that night would never truly heal.

Out of caution, the dwarves migrated.

They moved to the mountains surrounding the basin, erecting new homes of stone and earth far from the den of the dragons. Most decided to build their residence inside the mountain for more protection.

Some left the landmass entirely, unwilling to share the same sky as creatures they no longer trusted.

But those who remained- including Har Firebeard and Riverlilly- chose to rebuild, even as the years stretched into centuries of silent tension.

Slowly, after countless efforts and centuries of peace, they reached a fragile understanding once more.

--------------CDIM: End of Replay--------------