85 Dwarven walls

"Come on down then. After being defeated, I should at least treat you to a drink."

Night Owl turned out to be a very nice dark elf if one disregarded the whole domain thing. He invited me into his wooden cottage at the bottom of the wall and served me a liquid he called tea.

Whether it was actual tea or something else was hard for me to tell. I was in my essence still a tree and taking in hot, colored liquid had absolutely no effect on me. I couldn't even taste it! But what matters is the intention.

"You mentioned an attack by king magi. I fear you are too late, we were already attacked a few days ago."

'I can't be sure but I assume they were mostly just forcefully promoted. How did they look like, a bunch of gray cloaked figures?'

"That's indeed how they looked. Seems it wasn't my power that rendered them helpless but their weakness. I still have a long way to go."

'Well, you couldn't have known. For now, you should try your best to increase your defensive capacity to the absolute peak.'

"I'm the wrong person to talk to if you want to change anything about those defenses. I'm just here to fight the strong enemies. Come, I'll introduce you to the dwarven king."

Upon the wall, a dwarf was sitting on an iron throne surrounded by a group of dwarves in full armor. As far as I could tell, none of them were at the king level. Tentatively I inquired towards Night Owl.

'Why are there no king level generals here? Are they busy defending somewhere?'

"It's nothing complicated like that. They simply don't have anyone at the king level."

'How did they hold on until now?'

"The dwarves have neglected personal strength in favor of equipment. Their defenses don't just look fortresslike, they are very progressive when it comes to the art of defense."

As we approach, the circle around the king opens up and the king addressed us. Or to be exact, he addressed Night Owl.

"Lord Night Owl, are you leaving already?"

"It would seem I will be staying a little longer. King Durin, may I introduce my new friend to you. He came here to warn us about a second attack that will be stronger than the last."

"How have you come to trust this man?"

"He bested me in combat."

"What?!!!"

Undeniable shock was written all over the dwarves' faces as they took in the words Night Owl had just spoken. They had probably witnessed him fight before and struggled to believe that I had bested him. Of the whole group of dwarves, it was the king who first regained his bearings.

"Salutations, chosen one! I am Durin, king of the dwarves and commander of the defenses against the undead."

'Greetings, king. I am known as Eldar.'

"The divine tree, Yggdrasil?"

'Sigh. I am also known by that name, but I prefer Eldar.'

Once again, I recounted the whole situation and the assault that was about to happen. The dwarven generals around the king soon sprung into action and started asking me questions about prior assaults and my fight with a true undead king magus.

Night Owl had left minutes ago and the generals were still prattling on about potential perils. Finally, the king once again took part in the conversation.

"Windolf, activate the dwarven gates and bring our secret stash here! We will show these pesky undead that we are not to be trifled with!"

"But your Majesty, those things are meant to defend the capital!"

"If the undead get past this point, they will be hard to locate and that will, in turn, endanger the capital. We will stop them here and through that defend the capital. As for the others, evenly distribute the reserve soldiers to the other walls. I wish for no breaches!"

Hurriedly, all the generals dispersed, running off to fulfill the duties given to them. I was really curious as to what that secret stash of the dwarves contained. After all, it seemed to be a trump card of the dwarven race meant to defend their capital.

But until the battle began, I wouldn't get to see any of that. Thus, I spent the next few hours in Night Owls cottage, watching as he brewed that tea of his. Apparently, doing this before a battle helped him calm down.