Kyrie stepped out of the teleportation centre and took in the sight in front of her. Flat fields lay in front of her and in the middle lay a path which led to a large wall. Behind the wall she could see the city of Karzasham spread initially on flat land and then rising up to nestle itself on the slopes of a large mountain.

Kyrie looked to the other side to see the path take her to a passageway between two mountains. The city of Karzasham was nestled in a humongous valley surrounded by tall mountains whose tops Kyrie could not see.

Kyrie looked back at the city and even at the distance she could see the two large doors on the East and the West. She knew of these doors. They led into the mountain where the remaining part of Karzasham was present including the royal palace and her destination. She had to report to a dwarf named Parric Durnsworn, one of the aides to Princess Furorin.

She started walking towards the city walls. The teleporter for Karzasham was about a couple of kilometers away from the walls. She did not have a long walk. As she made her way through the fields, she breathed in the fresh air. There was a river flowing past the fields and artificial rivulets had been dug in order to supply water to the fields. Kyrie decided that she would follow the river to the source in the mountains and have a dip there. It would be refreshing.

Kyrie took her time walking and reached the wall of the city within half an hour. The entrance to the city was through huge gates which were at least as tall as fifty feet and wide enough to fit ten carts passing through them. Kyrie smiled as she finally entered the city.

The city was arranged in a spiral pattern, with curved roads between which various houses and establishments were present. From a nearby umaru guard, Kyrie first took the directions to the adventurer’s guild. The guard pointed it on Kyrie’s map and she started walking towards the guild.

The city was huge and Kyrie was sure it housed millions of residents. She checked the map and found that it would take her a couple of hours to reach the guild. The adventurer’s guild was located near the eastern gate into the mountain. Kyrie could have taken a mechanical quadruped or a MQ cab but she wanted to walk. She was simply enjoying the sights and sensations of a new city.

She finally reached the adventurers’ guild. It did not seem to be as packed with adventurers as she had predicted but it was still filled well with adventurers. The major quest was bringing in a lot of adventurers from across the landmasses to Golimath and specifically to Karzasham.

As she set her revival point at the resurrection stone at the guild, she kept her ears open for any gossip or rumors that she could accidentally overhear. There was not much she could get from the conversations. Hardly anyone was discussing the major quest. Kyrie did feel a little disappointed.

After setting the revival point she exited the guild and looked at the time. It was a little early for lunch but Kyrie was feeling hungry. She decided to go to a restaurant near the Western gate leading into the mountain. She wanted to spend as much time as possible outdoors before entering the dark mountain city.

She found a nice cozy restaurant and ordered a sandwich and freshly squeezed juice. Her lunch was delicious and she thought about her fellow water nymphs who could not eat. Water nymphs usually survived only on water and they needed nothing else for sustenance. Fresh natural water sources were always better for water nymphs.

However, Kyrie was not just a water nymph. She was a hybrid. She knew her father was not a water nymph, but her mother had never told her what sort of a nymph he was. Kyrie had inherited a majority of her mother’s characteristics and was majorly a water nymph. But there were some characteristics of her father in her which allowed her to eat and drink normal food which the other water nymphs could not do. She pitied them sometimes. The food that she was eating right now was divine and the flavours mixed together to give her a sense of ecstasy which she would not have gotten from simply drinking or swimming in water. She took a bit of her sandwich and sighed. Life was good.

After her lunch, Kyrie started to make her way towards the city inside the mountain. Asking the locals for directions, she came to know that the part of the city inside the mountain was called inner Karzasham or inner city. Not very creative but practical and Kyrie had no problem with it.

Kyrie made her way into the inner city. As soon as she walked through the gate she gasped. She did not know what she expected but the sight before her astounded her.

It seemed as if someone had just emptied a huge chunk of the mountain and made a city inside it. She could see various tunnels and passageways in the distance, but most of the city was in an empty space like a humongous cavern whose ceiling was as tall as a large skyscraper. Moreover, the ceiling of the city was glowing with a faint translucent blue light which was shining the various areas of the inner city from quite a distance.

“Gawk from some other place. Keep moving”, said a guard and Kyrie started to move. Even from the entrance she could see the palace. It was huge and seemed to be carved right from the mountain itself. It was at the far end of the inner city deep within the mountain.

Kyrie pondered for a moment whether she should walk or take a cab this time. The streets should be bustling with various adventurers and non-adventurers, more than those present outside. It seemed to her that she had discovered the heart of Karzasham.

Kyrie finally decided to walk. It would take a long time to reach the palace and she would be tired, but it was alright. In return she would get to see the inner Karzasham, and she was happy with it.

She marvelled at dwarven architecture as she moved through the inner city. There was another adventurers’ guild in the inner city and Kyrie decided to check it out. There was a resurrection stone in this guild too. Kyrie had a long chat with the guild master and found out that the adventurers could either have their resurrection point set either in the inner city or the outer city. Most adventurers set their resurrection points in the outer city as it is the first they chance on and majorly the quests are outside the city. However, Kyrie set her resurrection point in the inner city. Something told her it would make more sense in the current major quest.

Kyrie finally reached the main gates of the palace at 16:00 hours, an hour well after night had fallen. From afar Kyrie had presumed that the palace was going to be large. However, from up close Kyrie could see that she had actually underestimated the palace’s size. It was humongous, and Kyrie could hardly see all parts of it from the entrance which was set about five hundred metres away from any other building. There were roads to the left and the right which led to different passageways while a straight road to the palace gate where Kyrie was standing.

The gate to the palace was about twenty feet high and iron spikes protruded out of it. It was closed currently and Kyrie could see no guards. Kyrie wondered what to do. Should she knock?

Then she saw a peculiar sight. The wall beside the palace gate opened and a dwarven guard stepped out. He held a mace and a shield in his hand, ready for attack as he walked towards Kyrie. Behind the guard, at the opened up wall, stood another guard with a crossbow in his hand, ready to fire if he found anything suspicious.

“Hail traveller”, said the guard as he reached Kyrie, “Who are you and what business do you have here?”

Kyrie explained the reason for her visit. The guard listened patiently and then gestured something to the other guard who lowered his crossbow. The guard talking to Kyrie also relaxed.

The guard said, “You are late. The palace gates close at 15:00 hours and there is no entry to anyone except family members, their friends or those who are invited. Are you one of those?”

“No”, Kyrie shook her head.

“Then come on tomorrow after zero hour. Also, if you wish to meet Parric, then come after 02:00 hours. He is available in his office after that.”

“Alright”, said Kyrie. She wondered if she should message one of the Ori brothers to allow her entry. She messaged Orik.

The guard said, “What are you waiting for? Gorking scram now. Come again tomorrow.”

Kyrie held up a finger, “One moment.”

She smiled as she got a reply. Kyrie said, “I think I just got an invitation.”

“What?” gaped the guard when he got called by the guard at the hidden wall gate.

The guard talking to Kyrie went back and had a discussion with the other guard. Kyrie thought to ask the guard’s name when he came back.

The guard came back and said, “Follow me.”

Before Kyrie could see anything, the guard started walking towards the hidden wall gate. Kyrie followed him. The hidden wall gate opened to a large lawn with various paths leading to different entrances. The guard led Kyrie down a path which led to the right side of the palace. There was an entrance through which the guard led Kyrie.

Kyrie saw various guards as she walked with the guard through the lawn and then through the palace rooms. The right side entrance had led to some sort of a waiting room which then exited to a passageway. The guard led Kyrie up two flights of stairs and then through another passageway to lead her to a posh area of the palace. This had to be the residential area of the palace.

The guard led Kyrie through various passageways before he stepped before a grand door.

The guards said, “The princes await you.”

Kyrie entered the room and the guard closed the door behind her. The room was large and divided into two parts with a partition in the centre. The partition seemed to be wooden and it was carved in various beautiful patterns. There seemed to be lamps inside the partition which glowed highlighting various sections giving it a soothing yet beautiful effect.

The area before the partition seemed to be a room where the princes entertained guests. Lounge chairs and sofas were set up in the room with a table in the middle. There was a small door like gap to the right of the partition which Kyrie was sure led to the private chambers.

That door opened as Kyrie walked towards it and Oril put his head out.

“There you are, Kyrie”, shouted Oril with enthusiasm, “Come on in. We are waiting for you.”

Kyrie went with Oril. There was again a small horizontal passageway behind the partition. There were three doors, two on either end and one at the centre of the passageway. The two doors on the end led to a private kitchen and a private workout area. The middle door led to the bedrooms.

Kyrie and Oril walked through the middle door. The door opened into another common room, but the way it was decorated, Kyrie felt that it was more private. There was a lounge table surrounded by chairs in the middle of the room and a balcony opening to a view of a garden at the opposite end of where they had entered. There were four doors, two on the left and two on the right and Kyrie suspected they would be bedrooms.

The lounge table was occupied with Orik and Orim. Kyrie could not see Orin though. Orik and Orim greeted Kyrie as she entered. She was soon sitting on one of the chairs which felt low to her. She sat with her legs stretched out.

Orim offered Kyrie a glass of what Kyrie assumed to be alcohol but she declined. It was not good for her health. Alcohol was bad for water nymphs in general and it poisoned them and Kyrie did not feel like getting poisoned. She explained the same to Orim as he was insisting a lot that Kyrie drink what he was offering.

“What exactly would happen?” asked Orik, “If you don’t mind me asking.”

Kyrie did not mind. She could see that Orik was genuinely curious.

She said, “Probably the same thing that would happen to you when you ingest poison, strong poison, mind you.”

Orik nodded and muttered, “Same effect as a strong poison. So, I assume you have not taken alcohol before. Not even for the sake of experimentation?”

Kyrie looked at Orik as if he had gone mad. She said, “No!”

They let the matter drop after that. They gave her a pitcher of water and glass and told her to drink it slowly so that she could keep pace with them. Kyrie found it a bit funny.

They mostly discussed the quests they had undertaken since they had last met. The dwarves drank their alcoholic drink which Kyrie forgot to ask what it was and she drank her pitcher of water.

Orin did not join them and it was informed by Oril that their brother spent a lot of time with Furorin, strategizing and finding ways to ensure her win.

They gave Kyrie Orin’s room for the night. They told her as a player registering for the tournament of kings, she would have a place to stay in the hostel nearby soon. Once she registered. Till that time she could enjoy the hospitality of dwarven royalty.

Kyrie fell asleep quickly that night, tired from the day’s adventures and hoped that the tournament would not disappoint.

***

Kyrie woke up a bit confused. She attributed it to the fact that she was sleeping diagonally on the small bed that was Orin’s. She got up, got ready and went out to find the common room empty. There was a covered plate on the lounge table with a folded note on which her name was written.

Kyrie opened the note and read.

Good Morning Kyrie,

If you are reading this, that means you slept till late. Very late. We have gone to meet up with Orin and help him. Breakfast is on the table for you. Register fast and join us. I am sure we have much to discuss.

Yours truly,

Oril

Kyrie folded the note and kept it back on the table. She uncovered the plate to find an omelette. Kyrie ate it and was surprised to find it was still warm. She wished she had juice with it but there was only water. Kyrie managed.

After breakfast she wondered how she was going to get herself registered. Maybe she should ask one of the guards. That would make sense.

As she exited the room, rooms, she did not know what to call the place where all the Ori brothers stayed, she was met with a dwarven guard. The guard led her to a registration area where Kyrie registered to fight on behalf of Furorin Gurnhold. Her details were asked and she was given a number, 9,432, which told her how many adventurers were planning to take part in the tournament. Karzasham was going to be crowded in the future.

The clerk who was registering also gave her the name of a nearby inn where her room was booked for the duration of the tournament. Kyrie decided that she would check it out once she met the Ori brothers. Oril had, after all, invited her to spend time with them that day.

Kyrie asked a nearby guard as to where she could find Oril. She figured as he was the one who had asked her to join them, it would be polite to meet with him first.

The guard escorted Kyrie through the palace. Kyrie found the palace very confusing. It seemed to her that the palace was made up of many interconnecting tunnel-like passages which opened up into big room spaces in the mountain.

The guard finally led Kyrie into an open space which looked like a training facility. Kyrie wondered where she would find the brothers in this when a voice called out.

“Ah there you are. Welcome Kyrie.”

Kyrie looked to who had called and saw Orik walking towards her.

Kyrie grinned and said, “I have registered. Oril wrote in his letter that you had something to talk about.”

“Come on then”, said Orik, “Follow me.”

Orik led Kyrie through another tunnel-like passageway which opened to a small chamber. It seemed to be a sort of a private room. The remaining Ori brothers were present in the chamber and at the end of the chamber behind a desk sat a female dwarf, regal and intimidating. Kyrie assumed that this had to be Furorin as she was flanked by guards who were eyeing Kyrie with suspicion as soon as she entered the room behind Orik.

Orin stood up from where he was sitting, reading a document, when Kyrie entered the room. He greeted her with a smile. Introductions were made and Kyrie had been right, the woman behind the desk was indeed Furorin.

Orin said, “Why are you alone? Where is Marcus?”

Orik said, “Yes, we wanted to ask you that last night too but I believe we were a bit inebriated.”

Oril said, “You were downright drunk, you gorking knob.”

“Like you were any better.”

“Alright”, said Orin, “Before we devolve this conversation into an argument, at least let Kyrie answer.”

Kyrie said, “I am sorry Marcus is not here. He should have told you himself he was not coming but where he has gone, it is a sensitive matter. I cannot divulge much but I can officially say that Marcus has been given a secret major quest pertaining to the champions and he is going to do that.”

There was a moment of silence after what Kyrie said and then all the Ori brothers started speaking simultaneously. Kyrie did not catch what they were saying except a few random words and she took a step back out of bewilderment.

“Stop behaving like children”, said a soft voice. It came from Furorin. It was not louder than the brothers but they all stopped arguing and looked at her.

Furorin continued, “I understand Marcus is your friend from what you have told about him but as I also understand Kyrie is the better adventurer versus adventurer fighter out of the two.”

“More like obsessed really”, muttered Orim earning him a glare from both Furorin and Kyrie.

Furorin continued, “Let me officially welcome you to Karzasham Kyrie. I have heard a lot about you and Marcus from these four little idiots. I am Furorin Gurnhold and I am happy you have joined the tournament from my side. We shall need strong fighters.”

Kyrie nodded and greeted Furorin back. Then they all took their seats. A separate chair was pulled for Kyrie. It was short and Kyrie again sat with her legs stretched out. Furorin noticed that and she gestured something to one of the guards. The guards disappeared and came back with a larger stool. This earned him a glare from Furorin and the guard simply shrugged, gesturing as if this was the best he could do.

Furorin said, “I am sorry Kyrie but we do not seem to have larger chairs. I hope the stool is comfortable.”

Kyrie shook her head, “Oh no, it’s okay. I am comfortable sitting on the floor too.”

“That is gorking weird”, said Orim, earning him a round of glares from others.

They soon settled and discussed the upcoming tournament. Kyrie learnt that it was going to be Furorin’s side versus Gorin’s side. Registration for the tournament was going to continue till the end of the month and the start of the new month would commence the tournament. The administrative staff of the palace was completely busy with the arrangements and registration for the participants along with logistics for everything. Furorin was planning the format of the tournament with the Ori brothers. It was almost finalized. There were minor changes to be made and it was mostly Orin helping her sister.

Kyrie sat in the discussion but for her it was boring and she half paid attention to it. During lunch, Orim, Orik and Oril decided to ditch their other siblings and invited Kyrie. Kyrie excused herself politely and went with them.

“Well that was gorking boring”, said Orim.

“Thank you for inviting me”, said Kyrie, “I don’t know how much I could contribute to what was being discussed.”

“You can admit Kyrie”, said Oril, “No need to be polite. It was gorking boring.”

“It was”, agreed Kyrie and that got her a round of laughs from the brothers.

Kyrie spent the day with the three brothers who gave her a short tour of the inner city. She learned from the brothers that this was not the only mountain where the inner city was present. The inner city consisted of three mountains and passage to each of them was developed through the mountains.

Kyrie wanted to explore each of them. The brothers promised her a guide. They had about fifteen days before the end of the month and Kyrie could explore the mountains then. There was a particular stream which the brothers claimed to be magical and were sure Kyrie would be interested.

Kyrie said her goodbyes to the brothers in the evening and went to the inn where she was staying. She was given a single room and was glad for the privacy.

Kyrie settled down in her room and sighed. Karzasham had a unique beauty and it captivated her. She was going to enjoy visiting each and every mountain before the tournament. As she lay down to rest for the night, she hoped Marcus was doing well.