Work first, drink later.

[Erik Vrell]

Erik passed through the gate into the frozen fields. It was the first time he had been to the fields, and as he breathed in the cold air he knew he had come to the right place. He missed his mountain home dearly, and the tundra was the next best thing. The sky was hidden behind dark clouds, and snow drifted lightly to the ground in a light blanket. The horizon was also clouded by a thin mist, obscuring he horizon. Erik urged his horse forward excitedly, which responded apprehensively. It was obviously not as attuned to the cold as Erik himself was.

 As the horse trotted forward, Erik wondered how to get to Dwarfholm. Although it was one of the major cities in the region, it wasn't exactly announcing its presence. Erik decided that finding one of the smaller dwarf villages and going from there would be more reliable than blindly searching for the capital. His horse reluctantly sped up at Erik's urging, not pleased by the chill. After traveling for some time, Erik saw a small group of lights in the distant fog. He approached them slowly, not wanting to startle the source. A small group of short humanoids came into view. 'Dwarves!' Erik thought to himself, a small smile unconsciously crossing his face.

 The foremost dwarf signalled for the others to stop, and called to Erik. "Who goes there?" Despite his size, his voice was quite deep, with a noticeable accent. There were five dwarves in all, each of which wore a heavy coat to keep the snow off and had their long beards tied in a tight knot. They also had various weapons strapped to their belts, ranging from swords to axes to a crossbow on one dwarf's back. Two dwarves had deer held over their shoulders, obviously killed on a recent hunt. "Greetings." Erik called back. "My name is Erik Vrell. I'm looking for directions to Dwarfholm." The leader eyed him suspiciously. "Forgive me, but what business do you have with Dwarfholm?" 

Erik paused for a moment, considering his wording. "I admire the dwarves skills in smithing and fighting, and their love for drink." Erik said. "I was hoping to become a dwarf friend and gain entrance to their halls." The lead dwarf inspected him for a few tense moments, before nodding, apparently satisfied with that answer. "Forgive me, Erik, was it? We can't be too careful with those darkling folk around. They don't hide their love for Nebula, though, so I trust you. My name is Davras, and I'm the leader of this hunting expedition." 

Erik dismounted his horse, and reached out to shake the dwarf's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Davras." Erik said, suppressing a grin. He had heard stories of dwarves even before coming to the Omniverse, but this was his first encounter with one. Davras motioned for Erik to keep moving. "Come on then, we'll take you to Dwarfholm where you can meet someone who'll tell you what to do. We have to get moving before it gets dark, though." Erik looked at the dwarf with a puzzled expression. "Is Dwarfholm that far away? It looks like it's still bright out through the clouds." Davras chuckled, as if a child had just asked him a question with a painfully obvious answer. "Oh ho, lad, you haven't been to the fields before my have ya?" Erik shook his head, feeling as if he was missing something. "It can turn from day to dark in a matter of minutes. We're running out of daylight quick, too, so if we're not hasty you'll get to see it yourself."

Concerned, Erik simply nodded and moved to follow the dwarf's lead, leading his horse by the reigns rather than riding the already unhappy animal. The hunting party set off at a steady pace, easily moving at the same pace as Erik, despite being almost half his size. The dwarves behind Erik talked amongst themselves occasionally, but mostly kept to themselves. "So, Erik." Davras began, breaking the silence. "You said you admire our skills in smithing?" Erik nodded vigorously. "I hear dwarves works are the best in the world." The dwarf laughed at the comment. "Well, whoever told you is right. This may sound facetious, but you really won't find much better craft. So, do you have experience in smithing?" 

Erik nodded again, and drew Mageslayer partially from its sheath. "I made this blade myself on my 18th birthday. It took me some time to learn, but I got it right eventually." Davras eyed the blade curiously for a moment. "Hmm. May I?" The dwarf said as he extended his arms, motioning for Erik to give him the sword if he wished. Erik obliged, and handed the blade to the dwarf. Davras hummed as he peered at the blade and turned it over in his hands. "For a human such as yourself, this is fine craftsmanship." He said finally, handing the sword back to Erik. "It's not perfect, though. There's always room to improve." Erik nodded silently, not sure whether he was pleased or upset with the analysis. 

The remainder of the journey continued quietly, before they came to a gate built into a large cave opening, which was guarded by a pair of dwarves clad in full armour. "Who goes there?" One of the guards cried. "Davras, son of Darvok. We have returned from our hunt with a guest." The guards eyed Erik with the same suspicion Davras first had, but nodded and let them pass. As the doors opened and Erik stepped inside, he was struck by the temperature difference of the cavern. It was warm inside, almost hot. Erik was escorted by the hunting party through the tunnel, until it opened into a larger area where dwarves of all kinds went about their duties. Buildings populated this area, forming a whole city in the cavern. 

In the centre of the cavern lay a vast, shining building. "What is that?" Erik asked breathlessly. "Mithril hall." Davras replied. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Erik nodded in wonder, moving to follow the dwarf before being stopped. "This is where we part ways for now." Davras said. "Wait here, I'll arrange for someone to come guide you." Erik nodded once more, a little sad that his new friend was leaving so soon. "Good luck, lad." Davras said with a grin as he left. 

Erik waited in the busy square for a while before a spectacled dwarf approached him. "Are you Erik?" He asked. "Indeed I am." The psychic replied, having gotten over his awe at the magnitude of the city. "Please, follow me." The dwarf said. "I work for the Mithril hall, and it's my job to set the conditions of your entry." The dwarf led Erik through the city to a building near Mithril hall. "Watch your head." The dwarf said as he unlocked the door and entered, followed by a slightly stooped over Erik. Fortunately, the room seemed to be designed for bigger folk so he didn't have to duck his heas to avoid hitting the roof.

"Now, for you to prove your dedication to the Mithril hall I'm going to have to ask you to do some... small jobs. The first job is to go into the mines and extract some cobalt. Our supplies are running low, and we're having to dig deeper and deeper to find it so an extra hand is always appreciated." Erik nodded. "Sounds simple enough. Is there anything else I need to know?" The dwarf considered the question for a moment. "Well... When you get about one hundred metres into the mines, you'll come to a fork. You may have more luck finding cobalt on the left fork, because it's been mined less." Erik nodded enthusiastically, and left the building without considering why it had been mined less.