themonasnovels Chapter 14: The possibilities are endless
Chapter 14: The possibilities are endless
Chapter 14: The possibilities are endless
Dantes didnt have to walk much further to reach the first dwarf. He was short and stocky, which was unsurprising, with a shaved head and a long braided beard full of decorations of bone and carved stone. A large stone hammer was leaned against the wall next to him as he observed the hall with a calm sturdiness.
He noticed Dantes as he approached, and casually lifted the hammer off the wall to hold it in his hands.
The hells are you doing here, Mutt, he asked, sounding almost bored in spite of his aggressive words and posture.
Looking to make a deal. Want to meet with Iron.
Whatre you looking to get from him?The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))
Protection.
The dwarf looked Dantes up and down. Yer not nearly pretty enough for him to take that deal.
Dantes shook his head. I wouldnt travel all the way through Kobold territory to be his bitch. Got some information. A way to hurt the Elfland Kings. He wanted to play things close to the chest. If he could get all the way to Iron without revealing exactly what he had to trade, it could only benefit him.
The dwarf tested the weight of the hammers head in his hand. Why dont you tell me the information, and Ill see if its worth bringing up.
No. My offer is for Iron in the Mine, no one else.
What if I just break your arms and legs until you tell me what you know? That way I get it for free.
Dantes laughed. I cant stand pain. Ill pass out the moment you start and youll never get anything out of me anyway.
He took a step closer, but Dantes stood his ground, standing two heads taller than the dwarf.
One of the others spoke up. Hey, is he the same mutt that the Kings have been looking for?
Iron smirked. Thats a good question. Are you some kind of genius who decided hed just double down on pissing them off or what?
Something like that.
Iron laughed, and the rest of the room joined in, then he stopped suddenly, and the rest of the room did its best to stop with him, one of them getting a firm smack to the back of his head when he kept laughing a little too long.
So you give me that mirror and tell me how to use it, and then what? I can pretend Im an elf to get them to smuggle me pithy little materials until they get wise and then the mirrors useless? Or I can put the tip of this, He pulled his blunderbus from his belt and pointed it at Dantes, through it and pull the trigger for a laugh?
Dantes stayed quiet and still with the guns barrel in his face. Normally in life or death situations he had a number of ways to survive pop into his head. In this particular case he was drawing a blank, but forced himself to talk anyway. Appearing weak would do him no favors.
The possibilities are endless.
Iron chuckled and lowered his pistol, though he didnt holster it. It isnt a bad offer. We dont often miss an opportunity to fuck with the Kings. Anything to shut up their comments about height and the weaknesses of having a beard. He sneered. Unfortunately for you, we made peace with their grand duke just yesterday. He swung his blunderbuss with more speed than Dantes thought hed have at his disposal, and struck the mirror, shattering it into a dozen small pieces. He followed that up with a fist to his gut, causing him to hunch over and fall to his knees.
Dantes gritted his teeth, and carefully picked up the pieces of the mirror while he was pretending to recover, slipping them into his pockets. As he picked up the last of the visible shards and slipped it away, Iron drove his foot into his side.
His vision went white with pain, but it wasnt just his own. Jacopo had been sitting in his jacket exactly where the dwarfs foot had struck. Dantes adjusted his position so that Jacopo wouldnt be in any danger from the next several strikes that hit him.
Now, said Iron, Im still not the biggest fan of the Kings, and I appreciate the balls it took you to get this far, so Ill tell you what I wont hand you off to them, but I will have my men drop you in the maw. He climbed back up to his throne and sat down. Id wish you luck, but honestly? I dont care if a mutt like you lives or dies.