The night wore on as the Go Fast slipped over the Mother-locke, letting the river carry it over each league. None of the companions slept for very long, still alert to the threat of Dreagul or something worse. Huldain had been about to hang the dismembered Dreagul jaw over the stern of the boat to ward of any others, but Olaf stopped him.

"There are bigger fish than Dreagul out there, brother," he said. "We don't want to bait the hook for them now, do we?"

Huldain kept the jaw tied to his pack after that, making sure that no blood fell into the river. Morning came and shined down upon the companions. Orei scouted the path ahead with her rifle's scope, whilst Huldain skinned the Dreagul's jaw; Alun sat by him watching him work.

"Dreagul skin and venom can be combined to make an antidote, whilst the bone is pliable, but strong, which is excellent for bows or sheathes."

Marius stood beside Olaf, his hand on the long sword, at his side ready for attack. Olaf stood at the helm, guiding his boat through the currents of the river.

As the sun came up over the plains to the east, the marshes of the Black Forest began to touch the banks of the Mother-locke. Alun had not thought that the forest continued this far, but as the skeletal dragon remains drew closer, he began to realize the sheer volume of destruction Olaf, Huldain, and Myrian could cause. Stonehill was a blip in comparison to this wasteland.

Olaf stood vigilant, looking out into the dark reaches of the forest, and Huldain stood up in acknowledgment of the past. It was not just the wasteland that scared Alun, but the dragons that lay dead within it. He realized, with both a sense of relief and a twinge of fear, that the Dreagul they had just encountered were nothing compared to these monumental beasts.

Alun looked up at the two ancient heroes with a new found sense of respect. He had not known how terrifying a monster battle truly was until the Dreagul attack, and now, looking up at the dead remains of the dragons, he knew that neither Huldain nor Olaf had broken a sweat with the water monsters.

The great Doflhiem canal split off from the Mother-locke, and lined the edge of the Black Forest. It had been so long since it was built that the Dwarven crafted waterway seemed as if Mother Nature had carved it herself. Two great Dwarven statues marked the entrance to the canal, overgrown with moss and cracked in places.

Olaf looked up at them with a smile. "That is the first Dwarven king, Orin, and his brother Nurlin, smith of Mjolnir and your blade, Marius."

Orei span around at this, and stared at Marius. "You hold a blade of Nurlin?"

Marius nodded. "Aye, my black blade was forged by Mjolnir's smith, and it is my greatest honour to wield it."

Orei nodded in acceptance, but still watched Marius from the corner of her eye. Marius frowned. This blade was his as well as Nurlin's; it was an extension of himself, and no one would tell him otherwise. Orei saw Marius's thoughts run across his face as he touched the black blade, and Orei warned him.

"Be careful in Doflhiem, Marius. If my people knew you wielded Nurlin's own blade, they would challenge your honour and fight you for it."

Olaf laughed at this. "They can try, lass, but I taught Marius everything he knows. If a Dwarf doesn't want to end up another head shorter, he should watch out around young Marius, here."

Alun looked up at his brother, and smiled. Marius had always been strong, but now Alun could see it not only in his body, but also in his manner. Marius stood up straight and disciplined; he held himself and his blades with respect. Alun felt a touch of jealousy towards his brother for that. The skill that Olaf had taught him had clearly been worth it. Alun remembered how his brother had cut the Dreagul's head in half with no more than a twitch.

Marius still trained, in his mind and now. As they pulled in to the Doflhiem canal, he practiced against Huldain. He was less refined than Olaf, more savage, and he favoured charging instead of strategy. For most warriors, this would be suicidal, but Huldain was a berserker, a warrior that did not heed pain nor stopped his attack to plan. He continued on through all of Marius's carefully laid plans and traps – nothing could stop him.

Marius managed to touch Huldain, just before he was pushed to the deck by the haft of Huldain's axe. Olaf still yelled out advice, but this did little to help him. Orei and Alun watched, transfixed by the display of arms. Even Orei, who was quite adept with an axe, had to concede that if any Dwarf challenged Marius, they would fail. Dwarves could live for centuries, but Marius had something that Orei had never seen: his natural aptitude, balanced with his ferocity and discipline.

Orei shook her head in disbelief as Marius continuously got to his feet, and tried a different stance, occasionally touching Huldain, but usually being beaten.

Huldain finally called the practice to an end, and nodded with approval at Marius. "You have taught him well, brother. Well done, young Marius."

Marius bowed to Huldain, then set about cleaning his blade.

Alun came over to his brother shaking his head. "I swear you made the old man sweat there for a moment."

Marius smiled, and continued to clean his blade.

The scenery changed from the dark, rotting trees of the Black Forest into the high peaks of the Mjolik Fjords. Water gushed and swirled around them, speeding up the Go Fast, causing Olaf to pay more attention to the water way. High cliffs reared up either side, covered in Dwarven carvings, and Olaf could be heard chuckling to himself as he wrestled with the wheel. Suddenly, the sky gave way to rock, and Alun looked up, surprised to see a massive cave encircle them. The water became clearer here, and the fast flowing river turned into a large lake, slowing down the Go Fast.

Olaf gave an audible sigh, making both Huldain and Marius smile: they had arrived in Doflhiem. Orei stood at the prow, watching the underground docks of Doflhiem draw closer. Alun looked about, and was surprised to see how lonely the lake was. They pulled up at the stone docks, and Huldain jumped onto the pier, pulling the docking chain behind him. Two other small boats sat around, and to Marius's surprise, no people were to be seen.

Alun craned his neck to see if he could spot anyone, but failing that, he turned to Olaf and asked, "Where are the peoples?"

Olaf smiled, and indicated to the cave. "Dwarves don't like water to much. They mostly use this lake for drinking."

Alun nodded and looked over at Orei, who was pushing the gang plank out, and grabbed her and Huldain's pack as Huldain secured the Go Fast to the dock. Alun walked across to shore, and smiled as he felt the familiar stone floors of Doflhiem beneath his feet. Marius followed, and looked about him in amazement. Over the past two months, he had heard and read so much about Doflhiem, and now, finally, he had arrived. Marius walked onto the main dockyard and listened to the roar of water, from this lake the dwarves drank and he now realised that the dockyard was, in fact, a vast dam, formed through the cave wall and carved from raw rock.

A gateway was set in the wall of this cave behind the dockyards, and it was truly massive, decorated with carvings and runes with two statues of angular, stone dwarves, holding the roof aloft. Within the threshold they held on high great aqueducts which channelled the water out into the darkness, towards the Dwarven kingdom. Marius made his way through the gateway, whilst Olaf bid farewell to his boat. Marius peered below these great statues, and was surprised to see a train station and tracks, not unlike the ones in Pasenholme, but instead of a train, strange machines sat upon the tracks. Orei released a long sigh of contentment as she saw the carts, and bustled over to them, cleaning off the dust, and checking that they were still in working order.

Olaf was the last to see the station, and he gave a small groan as he walked over to the others. Alun climbed into the passenger seat of Orei's cart, and pulled on a pair of goggles. Marius pulled himself into one of the two back seats, and followed his brother's lead as Orei did some last adjustments before stowing her pack, and pulling on her own goggles. Huldain and Olaf climbed into the cart behind them, and Marius smiled as he heard Olaf grumbling to himself.

Orei let out an excited cry as, with a mechanical clunk, their cart began to roll forward. Marius held on, and strapped himself in, suddenly terrified. Alun and Orei who were already strapped in, turned back to see if Huldain and Olaf were ready, before pushing the cart into full speed, and racing off into the darkness. Marius looked about himself in awe. Vast pillars shot up either side, and then continued on into the distance.

The section of track that they rode on seemed to be abandoned. Empty stations flew past, connected to small underground villages, built around mines that had been emptied of their ore and minerals. Orei pushed on through the ground floor, and slowly the deep orange glow of Doflhiem could be seen in the distance. The settlements grew in size, and lights flitted past the carts as they continued on. Marius began to see people, both Dwarves and Vakringuardian men; traders selling their wears or working in the mines for money. The tracks splayed out in different directions, but Orei stuck on the straight, heading directly to the main hub of the city. Alun saw the lights of Doflhiem draw closer, and he felt a pang of guilt as he remembered Luther. He looked back at his brother, and saw Marius gazing around awestruck, and smiled. They caught one another’s eye, and Marius positively beamed at him, excitement clear in his features.

Olaf was not having such a pleasant trip. Huldain was not as proficient at driving the carts as Orei was, and every time they were forced to speed up or slow down, Huldain would wrestle with the controls, causing the cart to jerk violently and emit grinding, crunching noises. Furthermore, his straps did not fit around his burly frame, and he had to hold on every time they sped around a corner, otherwise he would have fallen out into the abyss.

Finally, the Doflhiem station came into view, and with a few curses and a lot of grinding gears, Huldain slowed the cart down and pulled in just next to Orei. Marius leaped on to the platform, eager to see the city. From what he could spot, the very tops of the palatial tier rose up, with its golden domes and towers. Olaf staggered up beside him, white as a ghost. his tattoos flickered anxiously, and Marius smiled up at his teacher.

"That was fun, wasn't it?"

Olaf replied with a series of grumbled curses.

An old Dwarf stood at the station, patiently looking from Olaf to Huldain with a smile. It was Orei who first noticed him.

"Saurin? What are you doing here?"

Saurin smiled as Olaf and Huldain turned around to see him with shocked faces. "A bit shaken by the trip are we, Olaf?" He said. "Well, you never have liked our transport."

Olaf straightened up, and regarded the dwarf for a moment. Then his face split into a huge smile as he pulled Saurin into an embrace.

"How have you been, you old goat? It has been too long."

Saurin managed to pull himself from the giant's crushing arms, and looked up at him with a smile. "Aye, it has been. I'm grand, Olaf. A bit tired, but business as usual."

Marius watched as his brother walked up to the old Dwarf and shook his hand. "Hello, Saurin."

Saurin bobbed his head. "Alun, how are you, lad?"

Alun had a worried look on his face. "Well, thank you. How is Luther?"

Saurin's smile grew a little wider. "He is a changed man, Alun. He has found our library, and is set on reading every book within it. He is a fine scholar. You should visit him before you leave, maybe even take him with you. He could be of some use."

Alun’s eyebrows shot up and a bemused smile split across his face as he gave way to Orei, who respectfully stood waiting for Saurin to speak. Saurin looked Orei up and down with a serious look, and then smiled again.

"It would seem you found Olaf, and another."

Saurin looked up at Marius, waiting for Orei to introduce him.

Orei walked across to Marius with Saurin. "Marius, this is Saurin, Master of the Western Gate of Doflhiem. Saurin, this is Marius, brother of Alun, pupil of Olaf, and wielder of Nurlin's blade."

Saurin's eyebrows rose. "Well, you are a wild card, aren't you, lad?"

Olaf chuckled, and in a proud voice cut in. "Wildest thing I've ever taught, Saurin, so I would advise you to steer clear of any challenges for the blade."

Saurin put his hands up in defence. "Don’t worry, old man. I don't need any more honour than I already have. Let the boy keep the blade, and shame on any Dwarf that challenges him for it. Now, speaking of honour blades," he looked at Orei. "Would you like me to take yours for you, my princess?"

Orei shook her head. "No, Saurin, thank you. I'll bear them proudly from now on."

Saurin nodded with a smile. "It’s about time, lass. What about those firearms Bourin gave you? How did they go?"

Orei's face lit up. "They are amazing. Tell him to mass produce, and send a trading caravan to Trystem. The herders desperately need rifles; the Rocs are getting out of hand. Also, if you could tell him to send a few boxes of ammunition to the southern gate for Alun and myself, I would be most grateful."

Saurin gave another nod, and then looked at them all. Still smiling, he said, "I will meet you all at the southern gates then. Stay a short while to recuperate; you all look exhausted – even you Huldain."

Huldain stood behind them all, just as white as Olaf after their cart ride. Together, they all made it off the cart station, and headed into Doflhiem.