Lara’s Point of View

  "You mean this was built by a dwarf? And she was named the Queen of Traders?" I asked, my eyes trailing over the impressive structures of the kingdom.

  Liam, Thailon, and Caelum were off handling their own business, leaving me to wander with Lian and her little sister, Jilian, who was comfortably nestled in my arms. She had dozed off sometime during our walk, her tiny fingers curled against my tunic.

  "Yes," Lian answered, her gaze drifting as if lost in old memories. "She was. But after she disappeared, a new King of Traders was announced."

  There was something in her tone—nostalgia, maybe even sorrow. Like the loss of this queen was more than just history to her. Like it still weighed on the hearts of the people.

  "Gone?" I asked, shifting Jilian slightly to keep her from slipping. "What happened to her?"

  Lian shook her head. "No one knows for sure. But she was the greatest dwarf of them all. She created absurd inventions—things people thought were ridiculous at first. But over time, they accepted her ideas. She became one of the greatest heroes in our history."

  I let out a low whistle. "That's amazing." A small smile tugged at my lips as a familiar face came to mind. "I once knew a dwarf who made ridiculous things, too."

  "Really?" Lian turned to me, her eyes lighting up with interest.

  "Yeah, really. She kept blowing things up, like a freakin’ dragon in a blacksmith shop," I chuckled, the image of Bruni’s wild grin flashing in my mind.

  I missed Bruni.

  Lara’s Point of View

  Flashback

  I swear, I can’t even turn my back for a second without these two causing trouble.

  "I ain't doin' nothin', don't be absurd!" Bruni’s voice boomed across the room, the thick dwarven accent only making her words sound even more defensive.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "Ain't doin' nothin'~?! You broke my dress armor, you little—!" Thailon snarled, pointing dramatically at his now-charred armor. What was once a perfectly polished and elegant piece of craftsmanship was now nothing more than a scorched ruin hanging off his shoulders.

  I sighed. "Hey, stop it, you two!" I quickly stepped between them before this turned into an all-out brawl. Knowing Thailon, he’d make it a dramatic one. Knowing Bruni, she’d make it explosive.

  "This elf keeps sayin' the most ridiculous things!" Bruni huffed, crossing her arms. Her stocky frame and wild beard were unmistakably dwarf-like, but her legendary stubbornness? That was uniquely hers. Dwarves and elves never seemed to get along, but these two took it to another level.

  "Ridiculous things? You aimed at me! LOOK AT THIS—MY ARMOR IS BURNIN’!" Thailon bellowed, gesturing wildly at the still-smoking mess clinging to his body.

  "You two are loud," Caelum muttered, stepping into the room. His hair was damp as he dried it lazily with a towel, his usual calm aura completely unfazed by the chaos unfolding around us.

  "They fightin' again?" Kaida asked, completely uninterested, casually munching on something as she strolled past.

  "That’s the most obvious question you could ask," Morven deadpanned, walking by with some glowing crystal in his hands.

  Wait. What?

  "Hey, what are you doing?" I asked, eyes narrowing at the eerie glow surrounding the crystal. There was something... off about it.

  "Oh, just making the dead alive," he said with a shrug, like he wasn’t just casually talking about raising the dead.

  I blinked. "Wait—you mean you're literally doing that?"

  "Yeah, well, you say all kinds of absurd things, so I thought I'd try it out. Can’t hurt, can it?" Morven grinned, clearly enjoying my reaction.

  I stared at him. This child is creepy.

  "This is YOUR fault!" Thailon shouted again, his rage reigniting as he turned back to Bruni.

  "You don’t need to shout," I groaned, rubbing my temples. I pulled up my system and scrolled through my inventory before pulling out a new set of armor. With an exasperated sigh, I tossed it at him. "Here, use this."

  Thailon snatched it mid-air, examining it like a jeweler inspecting a flawed diamond. Finally, he grumbled, "Thanks," before slipping it on.

  "And Bruni," I turned to the dwarf, who was now grinning like she hadn’t just set Thailon on fire, "why were you aiming at people?"

  "Oh! I was testin’ out the cannon—the one you mentioned!" she beamed, eyes twinkling with pride beneath her thick brows.

  "...The cannon?" I repeated, my brain short-circuiting for a moment.

  "Aye! Y’know, the big one! The one ye said could launch a hole clean through a mountain! I just had to give it a shot. Though, eh... might’ve been a bit of an overshot." Bruni scratched the back of her head, looking just a tiny bit guilty.

  I inhaled slowly. I exhaled even slower.

  This group is going to be the death of me.

  End of Flashback.