Osh’Vaelie, a vast and prosperous country of Dwarves was located 994 miles away from the Kingdom of Dalei. Population 4.2 million dwarves, 528 thousand humans, 180 thousand elves, and 33 thousand orcs.

The country is known for rich minerals excavation, metal production, magical crystal trading, gold coin crafting, small dungeons that spawn orichalcum, and jewelry-crafting. An enormous country whose territory is surrounded by state of the art walls that are alloyed with the anti-fire magical coating. A solid object that can withstand even a dragon’s attack. Atop its massive walkways stand guards armed with various weapons. From anything that is a two-handed Ax to swords and hammers. Most carry a small pistol or a crossbow on their belts.

The guards are approximately 1.37-1.41 meters tall. These men and women are known as dwarves of Dedrillon, a race that does not use magic too much. Instead, they are adept in engineering, crafting, and inventing. In their ranks there exist only four rules and tenents of Dwarfism:

1) Drink good alcohol, eat good food, and get a good ingot for crafting,

2) Always finish the started work to the very end, no matter how bitter or hard it may be,

3) If you make a promise, keep it!

And,

4) Love your spouse and friends just as much as you love drinking and crafting.

Despite what most Dwarves may say about their rules, these four always remains a constant. Never broken, never turned down, and never refused or forgotten. Everone of this race cuts their flesh, embeds these laws into their heart, mind, and soul and intertwines it while curing the wound.

*Yawn*

“Oh, my god. I am so tired today! I want to be inside of my cozy bed with my good drinking cup. Nothing would beat sleeping with it!” Said a dwarf standing guard on the southeast part of the wall who removed a flask and drank an oddly colored liquid. His comrade was patiently listening to him with his eyes widened.

“Hey, hey! Are you telling me that you have been hiding such an excellent piece of art inside your flask?! And then, you have a gull to talk to me about being tired while you sip on it without even asking your fella if he wants a share? Come on! I thought we were best friends!” Replied the man while trying to snatch away the flask.

“Huh?! It is my bloody first day working with you! I have absolutely not the slightest idea what you are talking about,” replied the man with an innocent grin, moving out of his friend’s way and drinking some more.

“Bastard! I will bloody tell your wife of your pranks here! I promise you that if you don’t let me have some, I will…. I will not share the mead that I have at home!” (Dwarf 2)

“Huh?! You have a bottle of mead?! Here, here! Fine. Have some whiskey. Now, can you bring it tomorrow? We are best friends after all, are we not?!” (Dwarf 1)

“Oi, wait. What is that sound?”

“What sound?! You ain’t even bloody drunk yet…”

*Growl*

“Oi, bloody hell. You are right there mate!” (Dwarf 1)

The two dwarves looked down from the wall. Despite it being past midnight, the magical crystals illuminated the area in the vicinity quite clearly.

“Ah, the typical undead and the foolish death hounds. God damn it! Here I was, thinking that tonight I might get to sleep while on duty and wake up tomorrow morning to only fall back asleep for the good night’s work. I hate night shifts!” (Dwarf 1)

“Oi, Oi! Quit complaining ya fatass! We gotta deal with that noise. Me ain’t gonna listen to this bloody growl all night. If ya think I will, might as well shoot me in the head now and end my misery.” (Dwarf 2)

“Oi, Oi. You are overexaggerating it. What is the worst that can happen?”

“Hm, are ya forgetting about our fella from yesterday? He bloody got drunk, listened to the creature's howl. Got pissed off and tossed his armor away, jumped in naked in front of the hounds and bloody killed them with his posture. Ya don’t wanna embarrass yourself like that, do ya?’

“Ah, that fella. Well… granted he had good muscle build! But yes, I remember that. Say, how long did he last before crying to want to go to the infirmary?”

“Not even an hour! He was begging for more drink, and when he was excused the nurse happened to be his wife on duty. She dragged his sorry ass home and grounded him for a full week with no drinks at all! Can you imagine that?!”

“A full…”

Without finishing his sentence, the faces of both dwarves went pale.

“We better do our job then, no? I wouldn’t want to face that lady if something were to happen.” (Dwarf 1)

“Agreed. Then who goes for this round?” (Dwarf 2)

*Rock, Paper, Scissor.*

“Rock!” (Dwarf 2)

“Scissor… bloody hell, ya cheater!” (Dwarf 1)

“What?! How do ya even cheat in a rock, paper, scissor?! Sorry mate, but ya lost. You know the rules!” Winked the dwarf who was excited to receive the flask from his friend.

“Ya better bring that mead you spoke of tomorrow, else there ain’t no avoiding of whooping your ass!”

“Yes, yes. Now hurry!”

*Sigh*

“DEATH HOUNDS, YA PIECES OF SHIT! YA BETTER BE READY FOR MY WRATH FOR YA HAVE DISTURBED ME WHILE DRINKING ON MY DUTY. THIS IS MY VENGENCE!” Shouted the man, getting a grip of his two-handed hammer and jumping down. If one were to describe his landing, it would be a man falling flat on his butt. The dwarven males had a tendency to be more muscular and much stouter compared to their counterparts. Getting up, he gently touched his braided beard and grinned.

You have used [Charging Bull]. -200 Mana. The target is paralyzed and will receive +20% damage from blunt weapons.

“Woohoo! Now, kiss your bony bones good-bye,” said the dwarf while starting to spin around with his hammer. The man did not use any form of magic or martial arts.

You have dealt 4,322 damage to the Death Hound. The creature dies Instantly. +200 experience gained.

“Hey, hey! There is a Lich right there,” yelled the dwarf’s friend who was sipping the alcohol from the flask while ecstatically observing the battle.

“Ho, a Lich?! A LICH THINKS IT WILL STOP ME?!” Shouted the man in anger, taking out his pistol and a small vial filled with a bluish liquid of sorts, loading it into the weapon, and hitting it three times before pulling the trigger.

*Boom*

Your Pistol has dealt 500 Holy Damage and has weakened the Lich. You have decreased its defenses by 30%

“Ha, ha, ha! Weakened now aren’t ya?! It is ok. You will join your friends soon enough,” said the man while charging at the Lich. Despite its weakened state, the creature managed to pull off an [Advanced Fireball] that was meant to deal significant damage to the dwarf and allow for its retreat.

This did not happen.

The lich has damaged you with a [Fireball]. -500 HP. The [Dwarrven Metabolism] has kicked in. You are immune to pain for 10 seconds.

The man took the spell aimed at him head-on, shrugging it off, and hitting the lich with his mighty hammer. “Oh, I am sorry. I did not know you wanted to taste the other side too. Here you go,” said the dwarf as he hit the creature’s face and broke its bony structure.

You have dealt 2,300 damage to the Lich. Your second strike has dealt critical hit. Damage modified by 1.5 You have dealt 5750 damage. The lich dies instantly. +1200 experience.

Satisfied, the man removed the blue crystal from inside the skull and walked away while ever slightly cursing.

“And may I ask how do you plan to get up here Yotgrom?” Teased the dwarf from atop the walls.

“Shut up and drop the ladder, I am agitated now!” Replied Yotgrom whose mood turned sour. After he climbed up, he did not talk much. Instead, the man looked in the direction where the sun would rise from in a few hours.

“Oi, Oi! Ya fatass, don’t tell me that this is because of Mimi?”

“Certainly is! I was hoping to shrug it off with a drink, but I can not seem to pass the fact that my daughter is going out to a Magical Institute of Dalei Kingdom as soon as later this morning. Bloody hell. What a shame! The girl is like her mother. She is overly stubborn and won’t even listen to me. What magic? Why study magic when you can craft to yer heart’s content?!”

“But she does like crafting, doesn’t she? Relax Yotgrom. Don’t forget how we dwarves are. Besides, I think yer anger is not about her wanting to learn magic but because you don’t want let your precious princess go. Bahahaha, ha, ha! She is like Viola eh?”

Hearing the man mention his spouse’s name caused his face to twist several times before taking a saddened look.

“… I am sorry. I did not mean to.”

“No, it is okay. It is just as you say. Bloody hell! One in one. Ha, ha, ha. Tell ya what mate, tomorrow yer off-shift no? We should definitely hang out and make a toast for Mimi’s departure. Does not matter how insane her dream is, she is a dwarf! We never back down from our goals and finish the work we start,” declared Yotgrom with a bright smile and a grin. “Come now, we have more patrolling to do.”

“Welp, true enough,” agreed his friend and the two carried on with their work.

****

*Ting, Ting, Ting*

“How many hours has she been doing that?” Asked a human male to his dwarven colleague.

“Dunno there mate. She is an odd one. Better ask for how many years has she been working here,” replied the man with a shrug.

“Still… it is 3 am in the morning. You know, most children sleep at this time of the day.”

“Hey, hey! Keep your voice low and don’t call her a child,” said the Dwarf, gesturing to the man to zip his mouth. “She turned sixteen years old an hour ago. You do not want to anger that one.”

“Wait, is that the girl everyone keeps talking about? The crazy girl?!”

“Not crazy, just an odd one. There is a difference.”

“What is her name again?”

“Hey, you two there! Shut up and keep working!” Snorted the orc overseer that came over after hearing a disturbance with the rhythm of mining.

“Fine, fine,” replied the human who picked up his pickaxe and continued mining the mineral rocks. “And still, what was her name again?” He thought.

*Ting, Ting, Ting*

The girl kept mining the rocks, not ever paying the slightest attention to people walking around or talking about her. She was a slim girl, with A – cup sized breasts. The girl was much taller than average dwarves at 1.48 meters. Part of this was due to her mother being a human while her father was a dwarf. The girl’s most prominent features were her large hazel-colored eyes and blonde hair, a rare color for dwarves as most had brown or black.

The name of this girl was Mimi, and she was the best miner known in the entire country. The speed at which she got the job done, the long shifts she worked, and the many ways and tactics the girl had shown her colleagues to increase efficiency while reducing fatigue level incurred were extraordinary. Furthermore, the fact that this young girl had started working at the mine when she was seven years of age had been known to every single person in the country of Osh’Vaelie.

Nobody quite understood why the girl started working at that age. Most children that were of the dwarven race would typically be interested in crafting. Mimi was no different, except she was born with a gift in Summoning schools of magic. Her intelligence stat was rather high for her race, and as such had spent the majority of her life infusing her talent with crafting.

At the age of six, she had already started developing wobbly sketches and blueprints of her biggest dreams. She was fond of mini machinery that dwarves carried as their secondary weapons. Mimi was also obsessed with golems because her mother was able to create Elemental Water Golems and as such, she dreamt of learning more about magic. Dwarves being dwarves, it was impossible and futile to make her redecide much to her father’s dislike.

Over the past nine years that Mimi had worked at the mine, she had gathered more than enough wealth to pay for her tuition all by herself. Yotgrom was a man that was getting well-paid, but the girl hated to bother him or ask for money. Especially when her ambitions were this odd for dwarven society.

*Ting, Ting, Ting*

“Hey there, Mimi. It is almost 5 o’clock in the morning now. You should get going home. I understand that you never slack off during work, but don’t you have an important event going on today?” Asked the overseer after checking on the girl. Despite many workers commenting on this orc being very rude and of hellish origins, the man was fair and paid well. He also had an affection towards Mimi, as he was a father himself. Seeing such a young girl work from the very early age of her life had inspired him to succeed in life and caused him to work harder, thus acquiring enough wealth to buy out the mine. Soon after, he got married and had a son and a daughter.

“Ah! You are correct. T-thank you very much, uncle Gruul,” said Mimi, putting down her pickaxe and walking towards the office to clock out.

“You are welcome, kiddo. Here is your payment for today. Also, take this,” said Gruul, extending a pouch that seemed to weigh heavier than usual.

“What is this?!” Asked Mimi with broadened eyes.

“Happy birthday! I know that you are leaving the country today and that you are heading towards the Magical Academy of Dalei. I wanted to personally give you this gift. It contains some metals that you can use to do jewelry-crafting. I also ensured to purchase some amethysts for you. Please, Mimi. Accept this from me. You have been my greatest worker for nearly ten years now. I want you to not forget me for the years that you will be gone for your education,” said Gruul with a grin. Despite the man being an imposing, muscular, and bulky orc, he was a very kind-hearted man.

“Uncle Gruul, I…” The girl burst into tears, running up to the man and kissing him on his cheeks. “T-thank you very much! I love you!” Said Mimi sincerely, not being able to quite hold her emotions. After all, this man had been like her beloved father and a caretaker. If this man were a female, she would not have hesitated to call him her mother.

“Tehehe. Thank you, kiddo. I love you just as much. You are like a daughter to me. Send my best regards to Yotgrom, ok?”

Mimi nodded and headed home, excited from everything that was going to happen within the next few hours. As she got there, she went to take a quick shower. Dwarven cities and homes were far advanced from the regular norm of Dedrillon. As such, automated pumps that sprinkled water for a more modernized shower were available. It was quite unfortunate that other Kingdoms had not started utilizing such system. However, the cost associated with it was high thus Mimi understood.

Washing her head, scrubbing of dust and dirt off her hands, and splashing her face, the girl turned the pump off and got out from the shower. She then proceeded to grab a nearby towel to dry herself. After the process was done, Mimi approached her bed and put on her nightwear.

“All right! I will put the timer for exactly 10:40 AM and will sleep for a while,” said she while priming the alarm clock and removing two letters from her drawer to read them.

“To Mimi Dalenforn,

We are pleased to inform you that your essay submitted about Summoning schools of magic has been deemed praiseworthy and that it has displayed your in-depth knowledge about the subject. Your intelligence Stat is passing our bare minimal criteria to be accepted into the Magic Academy of Dalei.

The sum of your admission fee is 25 thousand silver and forty-four copper and will cover two full years. We will be happy to pay for 10% of this sum as a scholarship. Textbook fees are not included. Please note, that the minimum payment of 400 Silver coins to reserve your spot must be sent via magical carrier no later than January 13th of 436.

Sincerely,

Academy’s Administration.”

The next letter informed Mimi of accepted payment. The girl had available funds of thirty-five thousand silver. When she was six, the girl had asked her father how to learn magic. The man had told her to get a lot of money first and then they would talk.

The child had not slacked off ever since. She had planned to attend Academy since she was ten-years-old and had spent a lot of time and careful consideration over which one to go to. After three or so years, her father had grown weary of her efforts and decided to permit her to pursue her dream. After all, he had promised her and dwarves never broke their promise. Such were the tenets of dwarfism.

“Oh, my god! I am too excited!” Said Mimi, moving the letter closer to her heart and giggling. “Magic! I will be the dwarf that will craft magical items and summon golems!” Soon after saying this, the girl fell asleep. Yotgrom came an hour later.

The man approached his daughter’s bed and grabbed the letters she had clutched close to her chest, moving it back into the drawer. He then landed a gentle kiss on her cheeks.

“Good grief. Time flies by too quickly. How is life ever fair, if I can not even hold my daughter in my arms anymore? Children grow too rapidly. Ya can not even turn around before they are already at an age where they want to go out and explore the world. Viola, if only ya were here me love,” muttered the dwarf as he moved the blanket over to cover Mimi.

*Sigh*

Yotgrom moved out to the balcony and lit up his pipe.

“Magical Academy huh? No, the girl is too much like you. Thankfully she loves ingots like I! Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha! In the end, I suppose she is like both of us. The girl is just as stubborn as I am. “Daddy, how can I learn magic like mommy?” I remember her asking that when she was six. Oh, my god. This is too much,” laughed the man as his eyes started to water up slightly. “I have not gone out to have a good drink with my friends for almost a decade now. I suppose today would be the perfect day to do it. Mimi deserves a toast in her name,” thought he as he let out smoke.

*Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding*

Precisely at 10:40 am, Mimi’s alarm clock rang and the smell of pancakes entered the girl’s nostrils. She did not get up and instead silenced the alarm with her small hammer that was always kept under her pillow. At that moment, the girl felt somebody touch her shoulders and shake her.

“Nnn, mom. I will get up in an hour. Just let me sleep for a bit,” said the girl while slightly drooling.

“Oi, Oi. What the hell? Ya set the alarm and ya ain’t even waking up?! Get up ya sleepyhead!” Said Yotgrom loudly, removing the girl’s blanket and splashing her face with little water.

“Eeek, c-cold!” Exclaimed Mimi who jolted up, covering her body, and shivering. “D-dad, w-why?!”

“Don’t Why me! It is 10:44 am!”

“It is… what?! Oh, my!” Said the girl as she ran to her dresser and began combing her hair, quickly swirling it. “D-dad, can you help me with it?” She asked with a blush.

“Oi, aren’t ya a bit selfish? Fine, what is my princess ever gonna do without me hm?” Asked the man with a teasing tone while shrugging, approaching his daughter, and gently gathering her hair. “Single ponytail or double?”

“Double please!”

*Sigh*

Truly like her mother, thought Yotgrom as he did his daughter’s hair. “Ta-da! Now, go eat kiddo. I already packed your luggage, so ya don’t have to rush. I left everything by the door.”

“Dad, you are the best!” Said Mimi, as she kissed her father’s cheeks and ran towards the table to eat the freshly baked pancakes. After gently nomming on the food and ensuring to drink the cold milk afterward, the girl walked over to the entrance and checked her backpack.

Let’s see. Crafting hammer, check. Backup for crafting? It is here, good. Letters of acceptance, check. Proof of payment for a reservation, check. Map, check. Heat resistant gauntlets are here too. Clothing, check. Good! Everything is here, thought Mimi as she inspected the contents of the backpack.

The girl took the brown winter-coat and equipped her backpack. Before she was about to leave the door, she was stopped by her dad with a cough.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Asked Yotgrom with a teasing voice, waiving scrolls in his hands.

When the girl saw the objects in his hands, she immediately rushed over at him and attempted to take it away, but the man kept teasing her and avoided her attempts to steal them from his hands.

“Dad, please! I need those!”

“He, he. You are leaving for an Academy for two years and are not even saying goodbye. On top of that, you are forgetting the blueprints that you were sketching and planning out for nearly six years. What am I supposed to do with you, you clumsy child?” Asked the man while knocking on the girl’s head once and bursting into laughter.

“Dad, shush! I am a dwarf,” said the girl with laughter while embracing her father and holding him tightly, landing kisses multiple times and allowing small droplets of tears to stream down her cheeks.

“Now, now. Don’t cry. Aren’t ya a dwarf?! Dwarves don’t cry!” Said the man while patting the back of her daughter. “Here ya go. Go on now. And remember, we are dwarves! What do ya say?!”

“We are dwarves! A good drink is our blood, great food is our flesh, and an ingot is our soul!” Declared Mimi chirpily and with pride.

“Ada girl! Mimi, take care of yourself ok?”

The girl nodded and left the house, her destination being the train station that would take her to the Administrative center where the teleport gate was located. After she arrived at the station, she provided a payment of forty-four copper coins and received her magical ticket.

*Whistle*

“The train going to the warehouse district is arriving in ten minutes! The train heading to the Alvala center in five! Administration district in two! Everyone prepare your tickets for inspection,” instructed the human female who was walking around with a baton, moving the citizens around and gathering them in a line for checking their tickets and ensuring that they were at the correct station. Once the inspection was complete and the first train arrived, the girl and her dwarven colleagues also directed citizens to allow for passengers to get out first before boarding. They also helped out with direction when asked.

*Whistle, Whistle*

“All travelers moving to the Alvala center please board the train now. Ensure to seat yourself properly and strap on the seatbelts. Remember, no walking around while inside the train.” For Mimi, this was not the first time taking the magical train; however, the city council decided to always have conductors and guides available at all times to direct and help out the citizens or new travelers with orientation. Transportation system inside Osh’Vaelie was far too advanced and dangerous for those that were not accustomed to it. Since a lot of people from the world traveled in and out of the city, it was a necessity to have safety measures ready at any times.

There were a total of one hundred and fifty-eight train stations located throughout the country. There were no cities, and the entire landmass territory was surrounded by walls. In one sentence, the whole country could be counted as a city that was divided into districts that were the size of small towns.

How did people travel such a significant distance, one might have asked? The answer was the dwarven state of the magical art trains that could deliver anybody from any point within an hour.

Every country leader and head of the state had sought out dwarves and hired them to create such system but for no good. This magical railway was a gift from the gods that had been given in compensation for the armageddon incident that occurred with former dwarven kingdoms five hundred years ago. As such, it was decided to allow the race to live together under one banner and one land with this system to allow for quicker defense reaction, meeting with siblings, work allocation, and movement to the outside world. Dwarves had also received an attribute boost to base Strength, Vitality and Dexterity stats. The average lifespan for dwarves was 500 years, and 100% dwarves could even be considered immortal like elves. The problem was that Pure-blood dwarves were rare and most Dwarven population were comprised of semi-dwarves.

Mimi was an exception, as her father was a pure-blood dwarf that was almost 400 years old. Irrelevant of one’s dwarf origins, dwarven tenents remained constant. It is what proved one’s dwarf genes.

After an hour of travel, Mimi reached her desired station and got off.

“Good morning officer. Can you please tell me how to get to the teleport gate for the Kingdom of Dalei?!” Asked Mimi to the uninformed dwarf that was smoking his pipe.

“Oi. Good morning. Sure can missy! Enter the administration building over there and pass a security check. Afterward, you will be directed to the underground vault where you may pay a fee and be transported to the desired location.”

“Thank you!”

“Most welcome! Have a good day and best of luck on your journey! We will await your return, citizen.”

After every procedure was completed, Mimi was teleported to the Kingdom of Dalei, the capital city of Nan Leiuro. As she appeared, the guards came over to inspect her and moved her to the infirmary for a quick inspection. After settling the business and registering in the city, she took a nearby carriage that brought her to the Academy. Fortunately, no classes were underway, and it was still four days early before anything would start.

Mimi was guided to the student’s help center and tuition hub by the entrance attendants and guides, soon reaching the place and enrolling for her studies. The Academy demanded her to present her Status information so that the girl could be allocated to the proper level of training.

Name: Mimi Race: Pure-blood Dwarf Title: None acquired Class: Not chosen Class Proficiency: 0/100 Schools of Magic: Summoning Minor Health: 1,199/1,199 (+2 per second) Mana: 1,200/1,200 (+0.3 per second) Level: 13 Current EXP: 5,037 Next Level EXP: 2,033 Vitality: 11 (8 +3) Resistance: 12 Strength: 18 (14+4) Dexterity: 13 Agility: 13 (10 +3) Intelligence: 10 (7+3) Wisdom: 12 Active Effects: Blessing of Strength Increases base strength stat from 6 to 14 Blessing of Vitality Increases base vitality stat from 4 to 8 Blessing of Dexterity Increases base dexterity stat from 8 to 13 Dwarven Origins The tenets must be obeyed Dwarven hands Crafting is life! You gain a +20% boost to crafting regardless of what it may be.

“Excellent. Miss Dalenforn, we have come to a conclusion that you should be attending beginner’s classes first. Is that all right with you?” Asked the woman who sat behind the counter.

Mimi understood and nodded in excitement. She was overly ecstatic.

“Perfect. Then can you please sign here to show us that you have arrived? Also, please provide the payment at the next counter. Thank you very much and welcome to the Magical Academy of Dalei.”

The girl did as she was told. After a few minutes, the attendant showed her to her living quarters that was a large and a spacious room. It even had a magical corner to place her forge at. The only thing that was slightly unusual was the lack of a roommate. There was one room available with another girl, but since nobody was joining the Academy and the deadline had passed, she was allowed a place for herself. With a grin, Mimi unpacked her belongings and went to bed.

“Finally, I am here. Mom, watch me become a dwarven summoner!” She declared with a grin, stretching on the bed and closing her hand into a fist. “Such a big room. I suppose I am the owner of my small keep here, no?!

The girl got quickly used to the peace and quiet that this place provided, unlike her country life where the noise of citizens and walking pedestrians could be heard all over the place. And yet, she slightly missed her home and her father. “I wonder what Dad is doing right now,” she thought with a grin.

In the meantime, Yotgrom sat inside his house loudly sobbing. His friend had come over for a celebration, but when he knocked nobody answered the door.

“Oi, Oi! Yotgrom, it’s me – Tugnig!” Said the man who was still knocking on the door. After a few minutes, it finally opened and revealed a red face that was about to choke.

“H-hello, Tugnig. S-sorry, I…”

“Ya bloody fatass. Don’t tell me you are crying cause your daughter is gone? What the hell, aren’t ya the man who always says dwarves don’t shed tears?! Ya sissy!”

*Sob, Sob*

“Oh, for crying out loud! I brought ya the mead! Me gonna turn around and go home if ya ain’t in the mood!”

Yotgmor grabbed the man by his collar and slapped his face few times while still weeping.

“No, no. It’s just me saying hello this way,” he said without ceasing to cry. “Come on in, come on in. We drink the mead ya bloody piece of filth.”

“Oi, Oi! Who is throwing the insults when being a sissy?! Mate me never gonna understand ya!”

With these words, the two of them began drinking and celebrating Mimi’s departure. Yotgrom had raised the toast over fifteen times. Neither of them feeling or getting drunk, they decided to head out to a local beer pub where food and stronger alcohol were served.

A week passed, and Mimi’s academy life began. It was an exciting experience because she got a chance to speak to and meet different people from various countries and kingdoms. The first week of education rolled by fairly quickly and no homework was issued due to it being the first week.

Mostly the students were guided around the academy and shown where to eat, what the proper etiquette was, and how to settle any and all disputes if they were to arise. Clubs also began forming and inviting new students. Sometimes upper classmates could be seen bullying newbies, but it was nothing out of proportion. Teachers were quick to react and eradicate any unacceptable behavior.

As the weekends approached, Mimi started dreaming of the classes that would begin in two days. However, it was then that something unusual happened. A teacher entered her room on Saturday evening at 9:00 pm and informed Mimi that two new students would be joining the academy effective immediately.

The first student was placed with the girl that had the said earlier room available, while the second one was to be put with Mimi. Furthermore, the words that the staff spoke after her explanation caught the dwarf by surprise:

“She will be accompanied by a man. We understand that this is a Female only dormitory. However, the Academy is making an exception. This is coming down from the headmaster. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

Every student was notified of this, not just Mimi. The girls started to feel somewhat uneasy, but they could not argue or do anything as they were promised that the man would not do anything lewd or awkward and that their privacy would Not be invaded. Apparently, he was to be stationed as a 24-hour guard. Students were curious as to what the identity of this new arrival was. To make it more suspicious, the Academy was known for not allowing students in if even an hour late for enrollment, so what had happened?!

Everyone waited around to see when the said party would arrive, but nobody showed up. After an hour, it was decided to go back into their rooms and sleep.

Another hour passed and the door leading to Mimi’s quarters opened, and a girl walked inside. The dwarf that was sitting on a sofa on the second floor and read a book heard the door opening and walked over to take a look at her supposed roommate.

Looking down, the sight she witnessed was of a giant hat that was so large, that nothing was visible under it. It was as if an umbrella was covering the girl. Mimi walked downstairs to greet her, and her sight came into view, the girl was unable to see the full face for some odd reasons. It was as if a shadow was covering the eye area of the visitor.

“Uhm, hi. My name is Mimi. I am glad to meet you, uhm, miss. What is your name?” Asked the girl while extending her hand.

The girl did not reply immediately but instead removed her giant hat and made it disappear into nothingness. What the dwarf witnessed afterward were the beautiful orange eyes and facial structure of a beauty that she had never seen throughout her life.