Chương 32: Lord Ignis
The dwarven mountains were a huge forbidden zone in which countless magical creatures resided. Besides the steel-tailed scorpions and silver fur wolves, there were also ghosts that could trap beasts, humans and acolytes alike in a destructive cycle of nightmares, eventually starving their body to death. Then, the ghosts would feast on the poor prey's soul.
Because of this very reason, the Lord of the City of Steel, Ignis, the immediate-rank dwarven blacksmith had sealed the doors of his city, the countless runic formations left behind his ancestors protecting him as well as his people. Inside, tens of thousands of dwarves lived in harmony, the huge steel walls and golems providing them a semblance of safety.
Still, they were dependant on humans for food, since regular dwarven soldiers were not strong enough to reach the surface, the magical creatures in the underground being too fierce and too big for the craftsman species.
Even Ignis, despite being of intermediate rank, was a craftsman at heart, rather than a fighter. This was the reason why he had signed a soul contract with Janna Heartsteel, allowing them to contribute to each other's growth. He was overjoyed at first when he heard Janna coming to defend their walls after Ignis received reports of blue-caped acolytes trying to pierce through the walls.
He naturally provided all of his support to make the Crimson Castle a possibility. All of his blacksmiths were working tirelessly in the smithery to provide the manufactured items. The design and complexity of the structure was unlike anything Ignis had seen before, and part of the reason he agreed to help was to make such a wonderful plan come to reality.
Still, Ignis sealed his doors and only opened them when the golem masters from the Arcane faction arrived at their doorsteps. That way, the blacksmiths working at the smithery were safe, protected by the walls, and the blacksmiths working at the construction site were safe too, as there were dozens of crimson clan acolytes protecting them.
However, this strategy would only work under one condition : The golem masters needed to travel from the City of Steel to the entrance of the underground of the dwarven mountains, at the surface. Such travels with golems carrying tons of steel were easy prey for the gigantic magical creatures like the Steel-tail scorpions.
Many times, the golem masters would return empty-handed to the construction site, delaying its progress significantly. Be it because of magical beasts, or skirmishes, only 40% of journeys were successful. Furthermore, due to the duration of such missions, they could only make the trip two to three times a day.
On the construction site, Lord Ignis was carving a rune on the Crimson Castle foundation with anxiety. He had bet everything on this project. Not just his life, but the future of his people. It included his wife, his children, his grandchildren, but also neighbours and neighbours of neighbours. He had broken the vow of neutrality that his ancestors had passed down generation to generation, by implicating himself into this grand project.
Part of his decision was hubris, the ambition of creating a powerful and undestructible castle in the entrance of the dwarven mountain that would seal the underground from any intruders, including human acolytes who did not belong to the crimson clan.
Part of his decision was purely strategic. The city of steel suffered greatly from its lack of territory. The population was growing, and so did the demand in food. However, their productivity was still limited by the size of the city of steel, which could not be expanded due to the evil ghosts and creatures in its vacinity. They were confined in the depths of this acursed mountains, and instead of dying from their inactivity, Ignis decided to take a leap of faith, seizing an opportunity proposed by his two-decade-long friend Janna Heartsteel, a young girl that lost herself in the dwarven mountains twenty years ago and lived 5 years in the city of steel.
The young girl had turned into a fearsome warrior, and leader of a prestigious clan that rose faster than any other organization.
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