Charter: Dwarf Settlement

-I see a light! -Stan saw a yellow light come into view.

There was a whole village of dwarves in the mountains, the mountains were so high you couldn't see the dim clouds that covered the sun, and instead of daylight they had candelabras of red fire and a similar variety of orange fluorescent mushrooms that had glowed in the forest with Adam long ago. In this place you could relax and hear a lot of dwarves playing flutes, but you could also hear somewhere in the distance forging iron and making armor from red crystals and iron, which is mined by the dwarves using a safe recipe without harming the locals and nature in general.

There are large mountain goats that help the inhabitants to get to the upper levels of the houses built in the walls for the animals as well, they invented wall steps for easy jumping from side to side Francie was delighted to watch the animals skilfully jumping on one wall to another was like parkour that people do in her homeworld.

They noticed that not all the dwarves wore full uniforms, only the knights wore them, and the rest of them wore simple fur boots and fur clothes, for there could be a strong wind inside.

A dwarf woman with tattoos all over her body walked up to Francie and took her hand: -Come with me, our Mer is waiting for you.- Francie obeyed the girl's affectionate voice and followed her, seeing that Stan was a little distracted from the path and stroking the mountain goats instead of following her, so she tapped him discreetly on the leg with a displeased look on her face.

The tattooed dwarf laughed and invited her into a very nicely decorated room, which caught her attention with a multitude of orange lights.

-Put him in this orange frame. -said an unfamiliar, gruff voice. You wouldn't know it from the voice, but standing near the frame was a woman with almost blonde gray hair with a light orange tint at the tips.

She was wearing a warm green coat and had two green tattoos on her face, one ending at her temple and the other at the tip of her nose.

-Okay...- Said Stan and placed Dolan in the window frame, he began to literally float weightlessly in the orange light, the light was like a magical x-ray looking through the body. The woman began to examine Dolan and at the same time spoke to the boys who were watching her.

-Which of you carries the will of the dark elfes? -Who are you? As soon as you entered my territory, I felt something familiar and invited you in. -The woman looked at Dolan thoughtfully, admiration in her gaze, but she waved it away and looked at Stan.

-I, my name is Francis, Al-Orah sent our company to retrieve the Declaration of the Kingdom from Valafar and return the throne to its rightful owner after he showed her the prophecy.

-Oh, so that old man showed you your future and your past, he rarely does such favors for anyone, obviously he found something interesting about you...well, so did I. -She looked at the sick Dolan again.

-Yes, but now we have to cure our friend, we don't understand why he got sick and how to cure him.

-Ohohoho, I see, but he has a protective mark on his forehead against this disease, your friend has ingested something that poisons the trees in the Maple Forest and it can be cured if caught immediately, but his case is very complicated...he will die....

-But how? You don't have a cure? -Francie has tears in her eyes.

-Unfortunately, I've run out of medicine long ago, but young lady, the ingredients to make it are beyond the dwarf settlement, but it's a long and arduous journey to get there.

-Then tell us where the ingredients are and we'll follow you.

-Hmm... Are you sure? Because these areas are home to some of the most dangerous creatures in the world. But if that's what you want, there you go. -The dwarf is holding a sand map.

-Look, we have two exits besides the Stone Gate, one leads to Skandium and the conquered kingdom, and the other leads to the forests of Morsalia, where you will find the Lake of Weepers and the Gardens of Lilac, and your ingredients, Dragon's Tears and Golden Lotus. But be careful, no one goes there for no reason. I heard that half of the Lilac Gardens are under the dome that separates us from the rest of the kingdoms. It's already night, so I suggest you go tomorrow, especially because of that invisible mark on your forehead, the disease is spreading very slowly. -The map crumbled in her hands and she walked over to Dolan to see where the infection had started, finding a small wooden burr on the boy's finger, dark as tar, she quickly removed the burr.

-AAAAH! -Dolan screamed violently, continuing to moan and thrash in the intense heat, unconsciously floating in the fluorescent painting.

-Thank you.

-Call me Isil, I am the measure of the Stone Mountain Dwarves, or you can call me Stone Gate, whatever you prefer. -She smiled.

-Miss Isil, on our journey we met a dwarf called ...

-Versavius….-Isis finished her sentence.

-Did you know him? -Stan asked the man in charge.

-Of course, he's my brother. -Stan and Francie were stunned, then Olustin came over to Isil and whispered the latest news, she changed her look.

-Olustin has prepared your quarters for you to sleep in, follow him...- The dwarf said in a shaky, raspy voice, and the knight led the boys away to show them their quarters. When the travelers were out of sight, she threw a tantrum about the death of a relative: -Versavius, you better stay here...!