- “Go on, El! Just a little more! Show me your spirit, las!” Jericho was coaching little Scarlet as she was struggling on the floor.

- “Ghiuuu!” The poor girl responded.

- “Just like that! We are almost there! Ah, snap.”

The fragile kid once again couldn’t perform a simplest exercise even for a minute.

- “Well, at least we can see a progression… forty seconds, hm? To be honest, I have trained few warriors in my life, not just Zariel and Gisele, the problem is, that they were already trained individuals. They had motivation and…”

- “But I am motivated!” Lil’ Scarlet yelled almost in crying tone.

- “No. Sweetie. They have a precise goal to achieve. You don’t. You just want to be stronger. But how much will be strong enough for you?”

- “…So I won’t be a burden… Kya!” Jericho slapped back of her head with an open palm.

- “WRONG! You should say: [I want to be strongest in the world!] like Gisele said, or [Nothing but perfection will satisfy me] like Zariel did.”

- “M…Mister Zariel said that?”

- “O-ho. I think I just found what motivates you…” Girl blushed a little. “… tell me, what does it mean to be strong for you?”

- “T..To be able to protect yourself and those who you l..love.”

- “Just like Zari.”

- “R..Realy?!”

- “Well, he was putting a bigger accent on self-survival, but I think that it was influenced by his childhood. All three-four months of it. Still, for him be able to protect himself means to become stronger than anything. If there will be nothing to beat you, then your life and lives of those who you treasure would be secured. Gis is much more bolded. Her desire to become stronger comes from the time when her biological father was bullying her. Each time she, as mere hatchling would charge at the grown up dragon, just to be send back to home with broken bones. And you don’t want to be a burden? Sweet child. Do you see the difference in motivation between you and then?”

She remained silent, with her face lowered down as she was trying to hide her red face.

- “… I want to be strong enough to repay my debt” She said quietly. “To show mister Zariel that I am something more that sick girl that needs to be taken care off. Stronger than people that put this… thing in me. Stronger than miss Gisele, stronger than sister!”

- “Good! GOOD! That’s better! From [not being a burden] to [be stronger than strongest human alive]! Why!? WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE STRONGER?!”

- “BECAUSE I AM TIRED!!” She started crying. “I have enough of being helpless, I have enough of being weak! Of seeing nothing! My sister and father would tell me a stories when I was laying in bed. That when I would feel better a handsome prince would come to me! And I was waiting for this day with everything! With set up mind, with calm heart! I couldn’t imagine better life than being a good wife, of making my family stronger! But now… but now… I don’t want it! I don’t want a prince, I don’t want a boring life! I want to see the world, the world that Mister Zariel told me about! I want to see the mountains and seas! I want… to go on the adventure… by his side!” She was crying loudly as she finally was able to say something that was not letting her sleep at night.

- “Child, you know that this is nearly impossible task?”

What? What does he mean by that!?

- “Gisele is a half dragon. She has both body and mind designed for fighting. Her stubbornness allows her to break limits of her own body. She has trained since she was five years old. Now she is twenty. Fifteen years of never ending training. Here she spends hours in training room mastering weapon, on journeys she gather experience of fighting with real enemies. Her bravery and dedication makes her a perfect front liner.

Zariel was born and raised in the wild. Hunted by the church almost since the day of his birth. He mastered every art of survival, he is an avatar of adaptability. One would say that a warrior that focus on too many branches of art would never ever master even one of them. But, he skillfully switch his stances. He is all, support, range bombardier, rogue, front liner. Depending on his team, environment and random events – always with plan – he moves forward becoming stronger with every enemy he defeat. Now we have you… little, sweet flower. Your fate was awful, sweetie. You have nothing to start this life. No skills, not even a prepared body… and you want to reach these people that won’t look back? Working twice as much will bring you nowhere. Not even trice us much. They are in the league of their own. What will you say?”

- “Then I will work a hundred times as hard. I refuse staying behind them! So please…” She fell on her knees. “No, I beg you.” She fell on her all four with head hitting floor “Help me become stronger.”

- “Zari asked me just to bring you pack in shape… stretching and cardio… But, wait a second, I should have it somewhere here… A-ha!”

He said after he picked small box from behind his table.

- “You want to be an adventurer. Adventurers are fighting. Your magic potential, as far as I can tell, is equal zero. With your body structure you will be useless as front liner. We have already started stretching exercises, so what would you say about becoming a rogue? Here, have this.”

He pushed the box in her direction. Inside there was a beautiful, small dagger.

- “It is your new best friend. Easy to hide, in skilled hands deadlier than every sword, mace and axe.”

- “It’s… beautiful! What a small handle!”

- “Indeed. People with big hands could never even hold it properly. In the end it was designed for specific person, but as your hands are similar as I thought.”

- “S..sir, whose dagger it is?”

- “It was a certain spellcasters. It wasn’t her main weapon, more like an emergency-one. Just use it right and never, ever lose it. I don’t have many mementos after my wife.”

The condition of Gisele wasn’t getting any better. I was afraid that if I would let it continue for any longer we would be able to witness history of Smaug version 2.0.

- “Anyway, that’s most of stuff you should have know. Also, old fa… father’s common language may be bit rusty. By rusty I mean that he barely even learned it, so I will be translating.”

- “That’s something that has been bothering me for quite some time. Why so many races speak language of human, yet human so few other language.”

- “One – you are breeding like rabbits, thus you are everywhere. The whole continent practically belong to you. Two, you are strong – as a race. Once again, it is related to your fertility and skills that are allowing you to combine already existing arts into something usable. Three, your life lasts for a blink. In your average life of a few dozen years you barely have time to learn basic rules of this world and many of you simply have no time for language studying. Dwarfs, elfs, demons can live centuries and even millennial. Oh, and your language is primitive – easy to learn. I am sure I would break my tongue trying to say that we have a nice weather. They tend to make their sentences extremely, pointlessly long…”

- “Ajakin est en havaki grahi asoon, tav-e-khal… that’s pretty much the only sentence I can say in Elvish.”

- “The fuck does it mean?”

- “… That means [we are having a nice weather].”

- “See? It takes so long to communicate such a simple thing! Useless garbage language for useless garbage people. Anyway, we are about to enter hall of brothers. Act with dignity, but not with arrogance… actually… just say hello and do nothing.”

- “Did you hear it, Gis? Leave the talking to us?”

- “O…of course I did!” IT SPOKE! “I wouldn’t know what to say anyway. I assume that [sup everyone] won’t do trick this time.”

- “It won’t. Now, come on, you lazy bastards! How is that possible that despite the fact that you have legs twice as long as mine you are staying so far behind?!”

Florian walked past the guards, which let us through while bowing their heads with respect. They put their hands on the wings of the door and pushed them, allowing us to walk in.

Then the fun part came, the one I had no idea what was going on. Florian with a serious expressions bowed before a huge table around which many dwarfs in rich robes and armors were sitting. The dwarf sitting on a elevated chair, as if to honor him, raised and shouted loudly. He left his spot just to walk down to prince and hug him tightly.

Yup. A family reunion is always a nice thing to watch. And I will just keep standing there awkwardly not knowing what to do.

- “Pardon my intrusion, elders and clan leaders, but as I heard that the times are dire, I would allow myself to get straight to the point. I,. Fional, son of Fehron is reporting for duty.”

- “Is that you…” My father raised from his chair. “BY MY BEARD! You are really back! My son!” He almost jumped at me.

The old fart got really sentimental when I was away. Normally he would just mumble something like [Hm? So you were gone?] – so either he really needs a blacksmith, a good blacksmith – that is, or he is playing in front of clan heads to show how good he treats his family. Yeah, I am sure that it is the last thing.

- “Father, as soon as I would leave this hall I would go straight to the smith, but before that let me introduce these two – good friends of mine…”

Well, [good friends] my ass. I barely talked with them twice or thrice before, I wouldn’t even talk to them in the first place if not my debt to Blackwood. Still, politics and courtesy requires to call them a good friends.

- “…Zariel, called Whiteraven and his maiden, Gisele Redwing. One of the best adventurers from human’s kingdom. They agreed fighting along our side”

- “I am overjoyed seeing you, son, you make me proud showing your sense of duty and I am glad for you bringing your friends. If not these bloody greenskins I would welcome you and them with feast they deserve. Yet, I will allow myself that I doubt that two warriors could change tide of battle… especially that thin brat… where are his muscles? Lass is promising… just why is she drooling?”

I needed to clear my throat.

- “P..Please, pay no attention to her rude behavior, I am afraid that because of her dragon’s blood she may be bit… overwhelmed by gold in this chamber. Regarding the [brat]… please, father, don’t underestimate him. Many did. These [many] no longer walk this earth.”

- “Bullshit!” Gurvan Ironblood spited an insult. “Yeah. We are happy as fuck! Your son is back and can aid you by forging some nice steel. So nice for you to that he made an appearance now, before we would vote for the leadership! He even brought two PEOPLE. No two divisions, no two legions, two PEOPLE! Am I the only one who can see how fake and rigged this whole reunion is!”

My father wanted to answer, yet I disturbed him. Mostly because knowing his and Gurvan’s temperament the meeting could turn into brawl.

- “I have to disappoint you, Gurvan, son of Gurlic, but my appearance is completely accidental. About the war I have heard few hours ago on the border. I came here, for I promised Zariel – my friend to make him an armor that individual such as himself could wear with pride. I came to beg my father to use his forges. On the same border I asked them to run around and leave, yet they insisted fighting for my homeland. I will have to take back your insulting words, Gurvan, words that should not be heard from mouth of clan leader, words that are insulting your ancestors more than are insulting me and my guests, you are bringing shame on your house and our entire race!”

- “You little, short-bearded…”

- “ENOUGH!” The head rune guardian yelled. “It is one thing, that fathers should always have a right to greet his son that returned from long journey, it is extremely important to show our hospitality to those, that one of us called friends, and finally one have to remember to not disgrace this halls with idle, pointless insults! Sit down, Gurvan, son of Gurlic.”

Ah, it’s good to stick to the protocol when the guardian is watching. You are just as dense as I remember you to be, Gurvan.

- “Indeed, Guardian, I shall apologize later for my behaviors…” I bet you would. No chances, old fart, you would prefer cutting your own tongue off than apologizing me or my father. “Yet still, two warriors? The one that are not knowing our tactics? Our hierarchy? They will only slow us down and weakened our lines!”

- “That’s a fair point, Ironblood, what will you answer, young prince?”

- “I will just repeat what I told my father. They are not to be underestimated.”

- “Would you mind if we would check that?” Fucking asshole from Ironblood! That’s what you wanted from the start?

- “I am speechless!” I tried to save situation. “My friends came with me for I promised to give them a gift, then I had to break a word I gave them hiding behind need of my people. Not only they forgive me right away, not only they followed me as they wanted to help, not only they weren’t welcomed with feast. But, right now you want to welcome them with axe, I am truly, speechless. I have no idea what was I expecting from you, Gurvan, maybe at least pretending that you care for our traditions, but what you just asked for is truly beyond my comprehending!”

Good. GOOD, that was good! Ha-ha! Someone, bring the mirror so he can see his face now.

- “Hey, Flori…” It was Zariel. “It is true that I can’t understand a word, but guessing by gestures and tones I think that your friend from across the table doesn’t like me. Also, cuz he pointed on weapons and such I think he is not sure about my combat abilities. I don’t mind partaking tho…”

It couldn’t be even better! From my point of view at last. Not only I shamed that old fucker, but Zari just declared that he wants to fight! Despite that he doesn’t have to, he agreed on a duel! To have such a brave, bold and loyal friend! I think I scored few additional points for father! HA! EVEN MORE! Because of his position he would lose nothing if he would be defeated, but if he would win – HA! Old fart will become Great King for the time of war for sure!

Even better. Most of dwarfs in hall do know common speech! Gurvan knows it. The Guardian of Runes too. That’s more than enough.

- “Please, please, dear guest. Think nothing of it… why no one brought them a chalices yet?! This will be shameful for us to cover your hands with sweat and blood instead of food and mead!”

- “It will be even more shameful for me, if someone would offend my friend in front of me and I would let it be.”

And then he did what I taught him a moment ago. He knelled on one of his knee, chest out and smashed his fists into each other – giving his honor to the elder.

- “Whatever are the circumstances, I am more than eager to support my dear friend and his nation in time of war, nation that he spoke so highly about. If it requires me to show off my strength. So be it. I am ready to prove my worth and protect his good name.”

Most of the clan heads were taken aback..

- “Extraordinary…” Vakirra – shieldmaiden, head of Stonecrushers clan said. “It is truly extraordinary to see human showing more respect to our values and traditions than a certain dwarf.” She then looked at Gurvan which was forced to swallow all insults that he wanted to yell. “If that’s a desire of our guest, than clan of Stonecrushers see nothing against allowing the duel. Right here and now.”

- “Clan of Flamehearts shall allow it!”

- “Clan of Vulcanforge shall allow it!”

- “Clan of Stormshield shall allow it!”

- “Clan of…”

10 clans shouted out their approval. Only Redbeards (my clan) and Ironblood remained silent. Mostly because Ironblood was the one challenging, and our clan being challenged.

- “If none was against it, then you are free to call for one of your fighters, Gurvan, son of Gurlic, head of Ironblood.”

Now. Who will you choose? One of your private guard? One of your front liners? Your 2nd in command or…”

- “I chose Gurwirg, son of Gurvan.”

Fuck. Of course! He picked his son. In case if he would win he would show that his blood is strong… I forgot about it!

Even more, that kid is nothing to laugh about. There are warriors. There are skilled warriors. There are veterans. There are bulldozers. There are veteran bulldozers, and then there is his son. Commander of Ironblood legion, and he reached that position not only thanks to his father. It was said that when he start raging even berserkers are afraid to approach him. There is even a minor legend that once he moved alone into the territory of greenskins, where he fought for three days and three nights. To be honest, when I saw him for the first time I started doubting if that was just a legend.

Sorry Zariel, my friend. I fucked up!