Fulmenbour

The Order Peninsula is a region equivalent to a kingdom divided into five cities. In the central city lies the largest military fortress of the three great empires, making it the safest place in the entire known world: the capital of the Order. Surrounding the capital are the four cities representing the four great orders: the Order of Vagus, the Order of Solomon, the Order of Fulmenbour, and the Order of Myrddin.

Each city is surrounded by a wall and separated by more than five hours of travel. Outside the walls are small towns of merchants and peasants. It was in one of these that Theo battled Sigmore five days ago.

Nine hours ago, the two carriages of the special class of Wispells, from the Order of Vagus, arrived in Fulmenbour. Ivan was treated at the hospital but was soon released, as he had only overexerted himself physically, which could easily be cured with a few hours of sleep.

Aryna, Rebecca, and Antony had to spend three hours under medical observation due to high energy distribution. Antony created more than six weapons that required a lot of strength, Rebecca spent fifty minutes creating barriers, and Aryna spent twice the energy of the other two with just three attacks.

As for Theo, he had to be hospitalized. In addition to expending a huge amount of energy with the Artemis arrow—a spell he used involuntarily—he also suffered immense physical and mental strain.

☽✪☾

"Look at this! How beautiful!" Aryna exclaimed, drooling over a shop window.

'These country kids...' Paul complained.

"Look at all the jewels in this necklace!" she exclaimed at another window.

"How do we make them stop?" Antony complained, watching the two girls wanting to buy everything that had a jewel, even if it was a fake diamond.

"I'd rather stay at the hospital..." Ivan muttered, trying to keep his distance from the two girls.

"You need to socialize," said Paul. "Especially you, Tony. As the second son of the northern king, you should have a high social standing..."

"That's something that bothers me..." Ivan argued. "You're a future king and you're playing... adventurer."

"Great kings are those who battle, not those who sit around," Antony retorted. "Besides, I can't become a king by being in the shadow of my older brother."

"You'll have to fight to be a star next to your brother," said Paul. "Trying to match a Titan is not just difficult, it's impossible."

"Shouldn't you be encouraging him?..."

"He's right," Ivan retorted. "A Titan is such a high rank that not even a thousand grade ten deviants could match it. You're grade one considering your limitations... It will take a thousand years for that. And I'm being humble."

"No problem. Let it take a million!"

"Did he just speak in the United Empire's language?" Ivan whispered to Paul.

"Yes," Paul replied.

Even with a universal language, where all empires and kingdoms speak the same tongue, each region has its own language created by their armies. During wartime, soldiers created a specific language to communicate without their adversaries understanding them. Thus, in all kingdoms, two languages are taught: the universal language and the national one.

"They disappeared from my sight..." Paul commented, trying to find the two girls.

"I saw them entering that store," Ivan pointed to a store on the left. "They went in when the baby started crying."

"Can you two get back home on your own? I'll have to go with them."

"No problem," the two replied.

"But before..." said Antony. "You're coming with me," he pointed at Ivan, who shook his head. "Yes, you are. We're visiting Vulcanus' workshop."

"And what makes you think I'll go with you?"

Vulcanus' Workshop

— 08:17 am —

In Snegriya—Ivan's homeland—dwarves are highly sought after, as they are the best at crafting weapons. Since Fulmenbour was founded and became the main source of commerce for the entire continent, dwarves began migrating from all corners of the world, making the race rare in the icy continent of Snegriya.

After that, the current patriarch founded, two thousand years ago, the workshop of Vulcanus (a reference to a cultural belief in Romerian, referring to the god of fire and forges). Since then, all nobles and hunters have desired to have their weapons made by the dwarves of this workshop.

Therefore, after a bit of blackmail, Antony managed to bring Ivan to the factory. After all, how could Ivan, who came from a tribe of hunters, escape a meeting with the dwarf king?

"Hey," Antony called, pointing to a scythe. "Fits your style, doesn't it?"

"Kind of," Ivan replied. "But I'm not sure... weapons aren't really my strong suit."

"I get it. Anyway, we're not here for the weapons. We're here for their creator..."

Walking to a restricted elevator in the corner of the store, Antony and Ivan were stopped by a security guard.

"Guests?" the guard inquired.

Antony cleared his throat.

"I'm Antony Windsor, of the Windsor royal family, northern kingdom of the great empire. I'm here for a meeting with the patriarch..."

'Is he pretending to be formal?...' Ivan wondered.

"Is this a family meeting? Two other members of the Windsor family arrived a few minutes ago."

"Really?" Antony asked, surprised. "Well, can we go in?"

"Of course, this way." The guard guided the two to the elevator, where he pulled a lever, and a gear spun above their heads, moving the small compartment and releasing them into a vertical tunnel.

For twenty meters, they were launched without any support. However, every twenty meters, a wave of energy met a crystal on the elevator floor, cushioning the fall. Being his first time, Ivan was amazed by the dwarves' engineering, though he was even more surprised by the scene he witnessed.

The first reason the dwarves migrated to Fulmenbour wasn't commerce, but something underground: a meteor. Scientists are still studying it, but they haven't come up with any plausible theory or conclusion. Meanwhile, the dwarves use the minerals—after removing the cosmic radiation—to create their most powerful weapons.

After falling almost 300 meters in the elevator, they stopped on a track that connected all points of the industry. The tracks took the elevator platform to a room somewhat distant from the meteor.

"This is the Patriarch's room. I suggest you be careful and don't show nervousness in the presence of His Highness," the guard indicated.

"Yes, sir," Ivan replied before Antony could say anything.

The two jumped off the platform, which then moved and returned along the track at high speed—disappearing from their sight in seconds.

They walked to a huge wooden door, almost five meters tall.

"If they're dwarves, why have something so big?" A genuine comment escaped Antony's mouth.

"I don't know. Ask the patriarch."

"I'll try to remember. Open the door."

"No. You're the one who came to talk to him. I'm just here to accompany you."

Antony clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction before opening the door. He really thought he could make Ivan go in before him.

Upon entering, Antony's shoulders relaxed, and his posture returned to a formal one. Not because of the Patriarch, but because of the relatives present: like Antony, a pair of brown-haired twins next to a redhead. Green eyes, unlike Antony's brown ones. Both covered by a black robe that hid a military uniform underneath.

The young man looked at Antony but quickly looked away, showing some discomfort. The young woman looked at her younger brother and soon a beautiful smile appeared.

Ivan's first observation was the emblem on the twins' shoulders: a royal crown, accompanied by the world tree—Yggdrasil, in Norse mythology, which influenced the ancient belief of the great empire.

After noticing the imperial family's emblem, Ivan brought his right hand to his left chest and slightly bowed forward.

"No need," Candice corrected. The eldest daughter of the Windsors walked up to Antony and hugged him. "I thought it would take longer to see you, brother. What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to the sir," Antony said, answering his sister while looking directly at the dwarf Patriarch.

Aiden Bladesmith, the Patriarch or king of the dwarves, is a proper dwarf with hair as red as embers. His skin was dry, and his hands calloused. Even though he is the king of his species in general, Aiden continued to be the best swordsmith in the area. Therefore, for only one day a month, Aiden acts as a true king, while on other days he is just a swordsmith.

The reason Antony's two siblings were there was quite simple: they just wanted new swords for the specialized troop of Windsor—for the grandmaster and his apprentices.

"Decided to have a family meeting in my office?" Aiden inquired, his voice hoarse and lips dry as he spat into the air. "What do you have to tell me, young Master Windsor?"

Antony swallowed dryly before speaking: "I came to ask you to hire me."

William, Antony's older brother, settled into his chair and looked at the floor toward his younger brother. Candice also became interested in her brother's words, so she leaned on the dwarf king's counter.

Aiden then jumped from his high chair and walked with small steps—literally—toward Antony. Resting his hand on his chin, the Patriarch questioned:

"Why should I? No, no. First: what is your desire with this? Be honest, and maybe we'll move to the second step."

The second son of the Windsor house exchanged glances with Candice and the Patriarch. Swallowing his shame, Antony retorted:

"Because of the interschool. I need a recommendation to participate, so I came to you..."

"And why? Vagus has over a hundred small organizations for you to join and earn enough credits to be recommended..."

"Tony is a support blacksmith," Ivan answered Aiden. Stepping away from the wall and going to his friend's side, he continued: "A great support blacksmith. In the heat and pressure of battle, he can create perfect metal weapons."

Aiden turned his eye to Antony.

'What a gut punch!' Ivan thought. 'Talking to someone like a king really isn't easy...'

"Examples," said Aiden.

"A little over ten years ago, I discovered my attribute: metal manipulation," Antony retorted, gesturing with his hands. "Since then, I've perfected creating the most perfect weapons for the people by my side."

"I'm proof that they're really perfect. Even though they're pure metal, they're comfortable, light, and powerful. Yes. The blade is so sharp it would make any Vulcanus apprentice jealous."

Of course, Ivan was exaggerating some words. However, it is a fact. The weapons Antony created in the fight against the crystal were perfect for Ivan and Theo, so much so that the two felt sad to lose those weapons.

A longsword appeared in Antony's hands. The thin yet sharp blade and all the details done perfectly caught Aiden's attention. The dwarf Patriarch widened his eyes and furrowed his thick eyebrows. However, before the dwarf king could do anything, William got up from his chair and went to Antony.

William took the sword from Antony's hands, and with that, Ivan, who was right behind, was almost suffocated by a dense wave of natural energy. Feeling slightly tired just from the contact and highly intimidated, William apologized to the boy upon noticing.

"Patriarch. What's your hardest rock to cut?" he asked Aiden.

The dwarf went to a shelf and searched for a stone covered by a glass dome.

"Hey, you. Savior of the young master. You," he called Ivan. "Come here."

In just four steps, the boy reached where the Patriarch was. Taking this as a jab at his height, Aiden ordered angrily:

"Take that stone!" As he turned, the dwarf king gave a weak punch to Ivan's knee.

'What did I... Was it my long steps?...' he wondered. 'Damn, this is heavy.'

"This is a fragment of the core of that meteor. When it fell, it was open, and only this fragment was loose. To this day, we haven't developed a tool capable of breaking this stone."

Ivan went to Aiden's table and left the meteor fragment. With Antony's sword in hand, William positioned himself: placing his left leg back and raising the sword. With a movement so agile it surprised even William, a silent cut traveled from the sword to the rock.

Obviously, it didn't break it, but it did something no one had done before: it chipped off a fragment almost six centimeters long and two millimeters thick.

William went to the chipped piece and analyzed it: it seemed to boil where the cut hit. A red rust zone spread from the edges to the center of the fragment before disintegrating.

"The fragment seems to absorb vibration..." William commented.

"Yes. It absorbs vibrations and also force..." said Aiden, trying to pick up the crystal. "Hmm... It really seems strong. But it was also wielded by someone strong."

"Even so," William interrupted, swinging the sword. "The sword Tony made in a few seconds has a quality similar to the swords used by an infantry lieutenant... Imagine him with training. I'm not using the surname that doesn't belong to me, but recommending as a client to a producer, Sir Aiden."

"Hmm..." the Patriarch sighed. "Kids, who are your mentors and which class do you belong to? From which academy?"

"Wispells Academy, special class. Mentors: Amiah Neidr and Paul... I can't pronounce his last name," Antony replied.

"Paul Llamarada," William corrected.

'Paul Llamarada? The descendant of the druids?' Aiden thought, perplexed.

"Hmm... Alright. I'll send a letter to your mentors. I'll talk to them further. If it's really as you say, in a week you'll be serving me."

"Thank you very much, sir!"

"Ah. One last question. Do your weapons disappear if you run out of energy to sustain them?"

"No," Antony retorted. "Once created, my weapons only disappear if I want them to. They also don't rust naturally, requiring a vibration spell or something that affects the metal's age. I'm also not limited to creating weapons. I can deliver metal stones for you to forge and..."

"I get it. Dismissed."

The two boys quickly left. Noting that, obviously, the adults had a lot to discuss.

Candice pinched Antony's cheeks as a goodbye.

As they left the room, Antony sighed while Ivan was still sweating a bit, glancing at William from the corner of his eye.

A guard outside the office closed the huge doors.

"I knew it! I forgot to ask about the doors..." Antony commented.

"I know you used one of your strongest creations to cut the stone... I thought you didn't like your family," Aiden commented.

"What are you talking about? I just hate the name Windsor and all the rules of my family. I still love Tony as my brother," William retorted.

"Will just can't express these things; that's why he's a walking door. However, Patriarch," Candice said, pulling attention back to the subject they were discussing before the boys arrived. "Are you willing to support the House of Windsor in case of war?"

"Is that really going to happen?" Aiden inquired.

"The Chaos Empire is sneakily attacking our military bases."

"Sorry for my sister's selfish and baseless request. I'm not speaking as a prince."

Aiden struggled to climb onto his chair, but as soon as he turned, William slammed his hands on the table and stared at him with a serious tone.

"I'm speaking as a general, and also vice-leader of the Titans. We're on the brink of war, and we want to know if you, the dwarves, will remain on our side or not."

"All the pain that people caused in the past... Not to mention their distorted concept of justice... Do you still doubt my loyalty, Lord Windsor?"

"Great," William replied.

"Perfect! Now... Can we talk about economics?" Candice asked cheerfully, clapping once.

'Mercenary...' was the only word Aiden and William could think of to describe Candice.