Paco and I walked through the center of town towards the main building. It was pretty hard to miss honestly. Around the square with all of the merchants, there was a large building to the North. Once again, it was entirely made of wood, with intricate carvings of dwarves holding axes and shields. The main difference were the banners which hung from some of the ramparts. Most were bright red, but there were a few that were green and others which were yellow. There was no fancy embroidery to them, just hues of color which contrasted nicely with the dark wood of the building.
We walked up the steps to the main entrance. Before we could even reach the doors, they burst open to a lot of fanfare. Music came erupting out from the inside, followed by laughter, and the raucous droning of multiple conversations all happening at the same time.
“BY THE AX OF LORD GREATWOOD!” Bruk’s voice boomed over all the citizens dancing and raising their flagons. They all turned to look at us as the room fell silent. Paco ran in and I followed him.
“WELCOME MY FRIENDS. MAY YOUR FLAGONS NEVER EMPTY AND YOUR STOMACHS BE FULL!” Brukrag raised his flagon along with everyone else. Winduwen brought a flagon over to each of us.
Paco raised his in one hand, then produced his stick in the other. He raised the stick, and shouted. “By the Ax of Lord Greatwood!” he screeched.
The next moment was pure chaos. Everyone cheered and raised their flagons to their mouths. Men and women started dancing. I saw what looked like a harp being played, and another which looked to be similar to a violin. Dwarves rushed us and picked Paco up, launching him into the air. His flagon did, in fact, empty as it rained down on him and the people below. I drank from mine, and it was a nice mead. Sweet and strong.
I walked through the hall. Brukrag beckoned me to sit next to him on his left hand side. He refilled my flagon before I even sat down.
“It is nice to have you here, my friend. By the ax of Lord Greatwood, may our swords never dull and our shields never splinter. With his fury may the ground we walk upon give way to dust and rubble. With his patience may the waves still and the winds fall silent in our presence. With his mercy, may our souls find peace within the earth we once emerged. Lord Greatwood, guide my hand. I am Brukrag, your humble vassal, come to this land to do thy bidding until I am once again called home. Hoy,” he bowed his head. I returned the nod.
“What are those instruments called?” I asked.
“That one is called a ‘lyre,’” he pointed to the man playing the instrument which looked like a harp. “And that one is my personal favorite, the ‘talharpa.’”
“I really like how they sound,” I said awkwardly. I watched as Paco was repeatedly caught and tossed into the air. He was laughing each time. He still had a grip on his empty flagon, but he had put his stick back into his inventory. I could see it attached to the string on his hips, but it stuck close to his body despite the thrashing he was currently taking.
“So, uh, where should we go to level up our skills?” I asked as I started to drink more.
“There’s a low-level hunting ground not far from here. You can start there and get a feel for your skills and abilities. Then we can venture out when you hit level 5 and take you on a real hunt,” Bruk raised his flagon to me. He smashed it into the side of mine and spilled mead from both of them onto the table.
“Any advice you got?”
“I’ve trained many a dwarve. Once they hit their teenage years, we really start to push them. My best advice, ‘don’t die.’” He laughed.
“Easier said than done. We almost died to a Demon Hawk.”
“Yeah, it’s unfortunate that the Council kept your kind locked away. You’d easily be close to level 100 by now if you started training as a child. But what can you do?” he shrugged. “Lord Greatwood brought you here, and as a devotee, I will not let any harm come to you so long as I may live.”
Paco had finally stopped being thrown into the air and stumbled over to us. He swayed back and forth as he walked, definitely from being dizzy and having his equilibrium being off.
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“My boy!” Bruk shouted as he slammed an open palm on Paco’s shoulder. “Please, sit down,” he pulled the chair out on his right and let Paco sit down. He also filled his flagon before he even sat down.
“Thank you, Mr. Shoulder,” Paco said as he lifted his flagon and took a sip. The look on his face showed pleasure rather than the disdain he had for the alcohol he received at Wilduwen’s Inn.
I watched as Bruk gently pat Paco on the head, then moved his hand to his back.
“Attention everyone! I’d like to formally begin this wondrous feast,” Brukrag shouted as he stood up from his chair. Everyone in the hall immediately made their way to their seats as two long tables were dragged before us. It was like a symphony how quickly they produced an entire arrangement of utensils and plates before themselves. I watched as they all sat down and quieted, waiting for Brukrag to continue.
“Before you sit two strangers from Earth, Chris and Paco. They have traveled far amongst the stars, refugees in their own right. There planet is actively engaged in a war with the Orc empire.” When Brukrag said this, everyone booed. “While we cannot do much to help their families and friends, the least we can do is make them comfortable as they become accustomed to their new lives as temporary members of the Council. They’ve already picked their classes, and had a run in with a mother Demon Hawk…and survived!” Everyone cheered and raised their flagons. I turned and Paco was doing the same. “Tomorrow I will take them to the hunting grounds as I have done with most of you. There they will learn more about themselves. By the ax of Lord Greatwood, may our swords never dull and our shields never splinter. With his fury may the ground we walk upon give way to dust and rubble. With his patience may the waves still and the winds fall silent in our presence. With his mercy, may our souls find peace within the earth we once emerged. Lord Greatwood, guide my hand. I am Brukrag, your humble vassal, come to this land to do thy bidding until I am once again called home. Hoy.” I bowed his head. I raised my flagon and nodded to Paco.
“By the ax of Lord Greatwood,” we shouted in unison. If I thought there was chaos when Paco uttered those words before, then this was a full on war. Before me men and women jumped on the tables as fast as they could remove their plates. They all started cheering, screaming, and creating a ruckus that would put the largest sporting event in the world to shame.
I reached behind Brukrag and toasted Paco. “Cheers buddy.” Our flagons clinked and we each took a sip.
Brukrag looked on as everyone celebrated our arrival. He let this go on for a few minutes then called for everyone to take their seats.
“Bring on the food!” he shouted. Everyone smashed their flagons together and let alcohol spill on the tables before food was swiftly brought out before them.
I watched on as everyone laughed and cheered. Wilduwen brought me and Paco our own plates of food. There were roasted potatoes covered in what smelled like thyme, carrots sauteed and caramelized with onions, and meat that tasted like a mixture between pork and turkey smothered in a rich brown gravy. It was like Thanksgiving, only amazing, and not the horribly dry turkey that everyone insisted was the best thing they ate all year. This was actually the best thing I ate all year. Though as I ate it, the realization hit me again. Everyone I knew was probably dead, and they would have all loved to have one more meal together, no matter how bad it truly was. Meanwhile, I was living on another planet celebrating my own survival with a talking raccoon. I sighed.
“Survivor’s guilt is okay,” Brukrag said as he put a hand on my shoulder. “Just because you are alive, does not mean you must feel guilt for it. The universe, Lord Greatwood, and the other gods that be have chosen you. And you should take great pride in that magnificence. You must cherish the life that you can continue to live even if you cherish it for the people who have lost theirs. One day, you can enact your vengeance if you so wish, but today, you must celebrate life with your friends and family.”
I looked over at Bruk. He had a solemn look in his eyes. “But I have no family now,” I whispered.
“Nonsense,” he dismissed me. “Look,” he pointed ahead. Paco was in the hall talking and meandering between dwarves. He was laughing and toasting anyone he could. “He may not be of the same race, but he is still your family. In time, you will grow to understand that. Now please, eat,” he raised his flagon to me.
I grabbed mine and clinked it against his.
“To cherishing life,” I said.
“Ay. To cherishing life.”
The next few hours were filled with more alcohol, food, and desserts than I could even comprehend. I felt stuffed, over-full, like I would throw up at any given moment. But we ate and ate until we could hardly breathe. I laughed and joked as men and women walked up to the table I sat at with Brukrag. Paco rarely came back except to bring up some background story on a random dwarf that he hardly remembered and definitely talked about way too fast to understand fully.
“Ahem!” Brukrag shouted as the desserts finished and everyone started to wind down. “It seems as though our feast is coming to a close. Soon it will be morning again. I would like to announce an official holiday for tomorrow in honor of our guests!”
Everyone cheered.
“No work! Enjoy the day as you wish and recover from this wondrous fe—-,” his words came to a sharp end as the main door to the hall blew open and fire rocketed towards the men and women before me.
