Fields of Ice

[Amaterasu]

After what Mack and Kushi took to calling the “Sabotage incident” and the subsequent attempt of Frozen Mugs of absorbing them, the hill that the Barrels of Thunder had to climb was a little steep, but they made it.

Kushi placed greater trust in Mack with each passing day as the dwarf’s knowledge of the culture around Dwarfholm and his relationships with its inhabitants got them out of hairy situations over and over. On the other hand, Mack understood that the fresh, independant outlook of Kushi on the situation was equally important to the bar, and he questioned her a little less often. Like two halves forming one whole, they would have sunk the ship that was the sake bar in a few days had they been alone, but together they not only managed to keep it afloat, but also improved it with slow and steady steps.

Days after the sabotage Mack submitted a list of dwarves that were banned from the Barrels of Thunder and Kushi accepted with little fuss. McHermansson was on top of the list, and with him were various dwarves of similar disposition, several unsavory individuals known for getting into fights when drunk and smashing up the places they visited, a handful of dwarves who were forbidden from drinking by law and a few with drinking problems who put in letters to all bars in Dwarfholm requesting that they be refused service if their will lost against their body. Enforcing that list would not be as easy as putting it up, of course, especially due to the lack of a bouncer, but Kushi did her best to memorize the mugshots - or, lacking those, charcoal drawings - of the dwarves in question. They acquired a pair of crossbows to keep behind the counter in case of emergencies, and that was that.

Kushi needed next to no convincing from Mack that McHermansson would be the last non-employee who got to visit their brewing area. She understood that letting anyone into the back was a great risk to their business because of potential saboteurs, whether they did it for fun or to eliminate competitors. There may even be goons hired by Frozen Mugs Affiliated coming - after having rejected their offer, neither of them thought that this was the last that they’d heard from them. What was almost as risky as sabotage was that people might try to copy the recipes. There was no such thing as patents for brewing methods in Dwarfholm, so if their secrets got spilled they would have no legal defense because “intellectual property”. Mack told Kushi a few horror stories, and like a kid scared straight by its parents with stories of murderers and kidnappers she took to keeping the brewing secrets far closer to her heart. They began to state that allowing patrons in the back would violate their “Health Code” and threw out more than one dwarf who tried to sneak behind the bar.

One morning Mack came in early to find Kushi burning several parchments with kanji on them with a candle. He flew into a panic until she explained to him that she was not, in fact, burning their bookkeeping documentation, but the recipes of advanced sake brewing. “I’ll keep them in my head and teach you from mouth to ear when the time is right”, she said. “These recipes are the trump card of our bar and an heirloom from my family of sake brewers perfected through generations. If we lost them I would never forgive myself.”

“Aye, well ah get tha’, bu’ do ye hav’ta burn ‘em in ‘ere? The burnin’ ink’s smokin’ up the whole room!”

That day, Kushi learned what a dwarven chimney was.

A month after the sabotage incident, they found their brewing rooms to be infested with cockroaches and fruit flies who thrived in the warm, moist environment. Fortunately for them they had not spreaded too far yet and they could save most of their products, but it set them back greatly nonetheless since their fermenting equipment needed to be washed thoroughly and the whole room had to be treated by exterminators, which in turn meant that it could not be used for a while. Their reserves dwindled quickly and would have dried up had Mack not found a cheap space to rent in the lower levels of Dwarfholm, where they were able to set up Koji palettes until the bar was usable again.

However, the exterminators that they hired to clean out the room gathered up shards of several “vases”, as they described them, and corks. They brought them to Mack explaining that they thought they might be important, and Kushi found that they had traces of cockroach droppings on the inside. Putting the shards together they found that there were four spherical pots with tiny air holes and a hole at the top which the cork fit in perfectly. Biological grenades full of insects, so to speak. “Another saboteur”, concluded Kushi. “Whoever it was must have good access to the outside world… cockroaches aren’t common in the Fields.”

“Ye think it mighta been the Frozen Mugs?” asked Mack. “Ah swear ta…”

“Maybe, but we have no proof. Plus, the infestation work was done sloppily. The insects haven’t been spreaded around. Whoever threw these grenades has thrown them against the front and not lobbed them into the darker corners. If it was a competitor, they’ve hired pretty cheap goons to do this.”

“When they hear tha’ we’re doin’ fine, they’ll try again.”

“We should do something about it… but our budget won’t cover a nightguard.”

“Mmmh… ah’ve got me an idea. Bu’ it ain’t gonna be cheap.” The dwarf went on to explain that there were professional seal engravers in Dwarfholm, a profession that mixed aspects from sculptors and mages. Seals converted the lingering magic in the air to energy and could be used for just about anything, from simple utilities like creating flames for cooking, to military usage such as enhancing a sword’s sharpness or durability. It would be easy to create barriers that only allowed certain people to pass. The problem is, seals weren’t cheap. Commissioning a professional to engrave quality seals, even less so.

“I think we can’t really save on costs right now. We can pay them back over time, and once the debt is paid off the engravings will stay for a long time.”

“Aye. Only need t’be controlled once every five years or so.”

“Then we’ll have to plan that into our budget, one way or another.”

It was indeed an expensive job, but the magic seals that the engraver placed over the course of a few days and with great care effectively turned the brewing and storage rooms into a vault with magic barriers impassable to all but the two of them. It was more than worth the cost. The cut that their budget took, however, forced them to continue running the shop with two people instead of hiring a waiter or two, as Kushi had hoped to do that year. That plan was out the window for the time being.

In terms of clientele, the bar quickly built up to be an “insider tip”, with several regulars and small numbers of random visitors coming in to check things out. Because of the hits they had taken to their production after the Thunder Night they had not managed to rocket their way up into the big leagues of Dwarfholm’s service businesses as the many clients they could not serve because of insufficient stocks did not give it a second chance. But thanks to their loyal patrons and the occasional high-class dwarf who ordered a special delivery they had more than enough business to keep themselves afloat even though they paid off the debt to the engraver, and still ran a small profit after all the deductions. Kushi foresaw a raise for Mack and perhaps an expansion of the facilities in a few years’ time.


Then, it happened.

It was early in the morning, before the Barrels of Thunder opened, and Kushi was just in the process of controlling Mack’s latest batch of koji, closely eyeing the fermentation process.

“The progress on this one is very nice, you’re just saving a little too much on the liquid. Here, you can see how…”

Her lecture was interrupted by loud knocks on the door. Both looked up.

“Do you think that’s some patron coming early?”

“Nah. They wouln’ knock this hard. ‘sides, most o’ our regulars are workin’.” He eyeballed the cupboard near the entrance to the seal-protected room where they kept some additional crossbows in.

“Let’s see who it is”, Kushi said then.

“Jes’ don’ open the door.”

“I know.”

The dwarf had recently installed one of those rectangular peepholes in the door with a glass pane that could be blocked from inside with a sliding iron bolt, for security purposes. Things had yet to get violent enough that a full-on home defense was required, but Mack trusted Dwarfholm’s inhabitants very little - he had lived here all his life and thus knew how bad the ‘bad’ dwarves really could get. Kushi squatted, slid the bolt aside and peeked through the glass pane. Two dwarves in uniforms were standing there, both wearing light armor and the standard-issue weaponry for guardsmen. Having heard the metal sliding aside, they looked at the peephole.

“Good morning, officers”, Kushi greeted them through the door. “I apologize but we’re not open yet.”

“We’re here on duty, lass”, one of the dwarves said. In the past Kushi might have thought him to be speaking rudely, but after the time spent in Dwarfholm she knew that the grunting was a completely normal way of dwarves to speak. He produced a badge that he held in front of the opening for her to see. “We’re here on behalf o’ ‘is majesty.”

“Just a moment.” She pulled back. “Mack, two of his majesty’s men are at the door.”

“Wha’? Lemme speak to ‘em”, the dwarf said with a frown and stepped closer. Kushi got aside and he stood before the door. Of course, he did not need to squat. “Fine mornin’ to ye, officers. What can we do fer ye?”

“We’ve got some letters fer ye ta hang on yer blackboard. Ye don’ have a mailbox so we knocked.”

Mack’s face shifted. Suddenly he was beaming with pride. “Oh! O’ course! Please come in.” He pulled the security bolts back and opened the door. The two dwarves walked in and looked around. One of them eyeballed Kushi with a mixture of distaste and interest, like one would eye an exotic but hideous animal. “Would ye like ta take a seat?” Mack asked.

“Nay. We’re jes’ here ta leave these” the dwarf that had mostly remained silent so far said as he pulled out a stack of papers and put them on the nearest table. His colleague did the same, though his stack was a little smaller. Kushi took the top sheet of the former and turned it over. A mugshot stared at her out of ink-printed eyes, with some text beneath it and a sum at the bottom. A WANTED poster. By the time she looked up the two officers were already on their way back out.

“Kushi, ye know wha’ this means, don’t ye?” Mack asked gleefully.

“Uh… that we have to put these up?”

“Tha’ we’re gettin’ the attention o’ the royal police. They don’ bother with small places, it ain’t worth the paper. Nobody visitin’, y’know.”

“So that means… we’re past that threshold and now they consider us big enough to deserve their attention?”

“Tha’s it. It’s like…” He thought for a moment. “Like an official stamp o’ approval sayin’ that we’re not one o’ the underdogs anymore now.”

“Well, that sounds great. And what are these?” She took the top letter of the second stack, the smaller one, and flipped it over to read. “Hmm… this one’s not a wanted poster. It’s... “ She skimmed over the text. “... it’s a reward offering for slaying mutated Roaches in the Dwarfholm sewers and bringing back proof.”

“Aye. An offer ta adventurers. Ah’ve seen ‘em hangin’ around other pubs an’ bars before.”

“Well, this is great! Hopefully this will attract some adventurers and bounty hunters on top of the regular patrons.”

The dwarf nodded eagerly. “We’re finally gettin’ things off the ground fer real.”

Kushi chuckled and closed the door again, then pushed the bolts into place. “Well, we should hang them up! But after that it’s right back to the brewing lesson.”

“Speakin’ o’ which, wouldn’ usin’ less water concentrate the taste?” asked Mack while grabbing both stacks of paper.

“The taste is already fairly concentrated. If you put in too little water too much of it might evaporate, which messes with the fermenting process. And sake is meant to be a finer, less intense taste.”

“Hmmh. Ah wonder wha’ a real strong sake would taste like.”

“Do you? Well… I might be able to oblige.” With a broad grin Kushi walked behind the counter and produced a red barrel. “Remember this?”

“Tha’ drink ye’ve been tellin’ me ta keep me hands off of fer the past month or so?”

“I was saving it for a big occasion. I figured we might as well break it out today! Eight Purification Sake, the strongest I can brew!” She laughed as she placed two small sake cups on the counter and opened the barrel. As the lid popped off a potent intoxicating smell filled the room. Mack’s eyes widened.

“Lass, ah… wha’s in that barrel? Ah’m a sturdy drinker, bu’ this…”

“It’s every bit as potent as it smells, my friend”, said Kushi proudly. “Normally it’s best enjoyed diluted with water, but I doubt that you’re having any of that.”

Mack laughed. “Ah’m sure ah’ll regret this t’morrow, but give me the pure stuff.”

Kushi obliged. For herself though, she only dripped a few droplets into her cup and filled the rest with water. Then she pushed the cup forward to Mack, who had taken a seat on a bar stool, both took their cups and raised them. “Bottoms up!” they spoke, and drank.

The next moment the dwarf’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He had meant to leave the sake in his mouth to savor the taste but now saw himself forced to swallow before he spat it back out. Even so he coughed until his face was red. “B-bruenor’s beard”, he exclaimed once he caught himself, “ah feel like a wee lad ‘avin’ me first ale!”

Kushi shuddered as she swallowed. Even though her drink was heavily diluted it burnt going down her throat. “Oof… it’s good though, isn’t it. It’s distilled with the same method as the Thunder Brew, but refined eightfold and blessed by the kami. According to the legend told in my home country, the warrior Nagi used this sake to intoxicate the demon serpent Orochi. It was weakened enough that it could be sealed away. My family traces its origins back to the brewer who made that sake. Well, that’s the legend anyway.”

Mack grinned. “Yer tongue’s way loosened when yer tipsy, y’know.”

“Same goes for you, Mack!” laughed Kushi and refilled their cups. This time diluted for the both of them. They drank, and Kushi felt her cheeks redden.

“I ain’t drunk yet!” protested Mack. “Not even yer miracle-sake’s that strong.”

“Well… We should cut ourselves off before that changes, then. Still got a store to run, don’t we.” And though Mack looked at the barrel with great desire, he agreed. It was swiftly sealed and put away to a safe place. Kushi just poured herself a glass of water to clear her head and make the ground wobble around less, when a “DING” sound from the back room drew her attention.

“What was that?”

“Yer Communicator, ain’t it?”

“Oh! Oh, right. I almost forgot I had that… who would be contacting me at this time?” She walked through the rune-barrier and opened the cupboard that she kept her belongings in while in the bar. Though she barely ever used her Communicator she always had it with her, on the off chance that Amaterasu sent her something one day. As a result it was right there, under her casual clothing, with a red light blinking.

“Hm… the message is from someone else though”, she thought aloud.

“What’s it say? Maybe the sender’s tellin’ ye their name.”

“It’s written in kanji, so the translation might be a bit odd… Greetings Kushi, it’s Fiara writing! Amaterasu handed me your number so I could message you about this because it’s important that you know. I hope you’re doing well over in Dwarfholm, sorry that we’ve not been in touch, we were focused entirely on our journey. Speaking of which, she doesn’t mention what that resulted in. I wonder if they succeeded.

We’ll come to visit you in Dwarfholm soon, but we can’t stay for too long. I can’t really cover everything in writing but we’ll start an enormous project. There’s an evil in the Omniverse greater even than Orochi and we’re going to need to prepare for its coming if we’re to stand a chance.”

“An evil greater than Orochi?” asked Mack. “Tha’ same Orochi tha’ ye jus’ mentioned? Ah thought it was a beast o’legend.”

“Yes, well… he was unsealed shortly before Amaterasu’s arrival in Nippon, and she slew him. It’s a bit of a long story. But an evil greater than this snake? What sort of monstrosity could that be?”

“Ah’ll be frank, there’s a bunch o’ evils in the Omniverse, an’ some o’ them are pretty damn scary. Funny, there’s even one tha’s gotten sealed away years ago.”

“Fiara doesn’t go into detail either… anyway, reading on. We’re staying in a town near the gates to the Fields right now while we sort out some stuff but we’ll be coming to visit soon. Can’t give you a better timeline because Amaterasu is out doing some stuff and we need to traverse the Fields first, but I don’t think we’ll need more than 2-3 weeks.

A lot of stuff happened, we’re eager to share everything with you and hear how you did for yourself too! Best wishes, Fiara.”

“Two ta three weeks, eh? Ah’d say it’d be good if ye could book some rooms fer ‘em, Dwarfholm’s gonna be busy”, said Mack. Kushi however reread the message with a serious face.

“We need to talk”, she then said.

“Oh?”

“Let’s take a seat.” She let him lead the way back to the empty main room and sat down opposite of him. “Those two to three weeks… we’ll need them for me to wrap things up here. I’ll be leaving with Ammy.”

“Wha’? Why? Leavin’ all of a sudden, wha’s gotten into ye?”

“Remember what I just told you about the Purification Sake? About how it was used to weaken a great demon and how it’s a brew passed down through my family line?”

“Yeah…”

“If Amaterasu aims to confront an even greater evil than the snake, I must come to her aid. I don’t know if my sake will be of any aid, but while there’s the possibility…”

Mack cut her off by slamming his fist onto the table. “Then give ‘er somethin’ ta take along or somethin’! Ye can’t leave everythin’ behind jes’ like that! Wha’ about the Barrels of Thunder? We’re jes’ gettin’ it off the ground!”

“Mack…”

“Nay! Lemme finish, lass. This story ‘bout some snake gettin’ drunk on sake, tha’s a damn legend! Wha’ sorta evil would be dumb enough ta get drunk an’ let some warrior hero… wha’ was it, sealed? Tha’s jes’ a fairytale! An’ Amaterasu, she’s a Prime, ain’t she? She could jes’ summon it herself!”

As Mack tiraded away, his tongue loosened by not just the sake but his anger, Kushi listened. But he was not done yet: “Wha’ we, some simple mortal secondaries, can do doesn’ hold up ta a Prime’s powers. Sure, a handful o’ warriors could be a good aid ta one o’them, bu’ yer no warrior as far as ah know!”

“I’m not.”

“See! Ah’m not gonna say that ye should behave like… like a woman or somethin’.” As he said this he made an erratic motion with his hand. Dwarven women were far more empowered than in Camelot, where the human belief that women ‘belonged in the kitchen and with the children’ was very strong. “Bu’ the battlefield ain’t no place fer a sake brewer!”

There was one more point that he had not spoken, but Kushi could tell. He was yet early in his sake-brewing career and had a lot left to learn. Without a guiding hand he would not be able to accomplish that goal, let alone learn the advanced techniques that Kushi had yet to share with him simply because the time wasn’t right yet.

Kushi waited until Mack’s tirade died down. “Let me explain, Mack McMicksson… this is not just a matter of practicality to me, but one of honor. And besides… you’d be welcome to come along when the time comes. I do not intend you on leaving behind.”

“Bu’ the bar…”

“... will thrive, just not under our guidance. Allow me to explain.”