Denizens of the Labyrinth

The dwarf who had been speaking with Jazmel from the gate at the beginning introduced himself as Fraelin II but asked Jazmel to call him Frae instead. Jazmel nodded and they shook on it, while his hands were much smaller than Jazmel's and he could not help but surrender to the coarseness of his palm and the strength in the grip. Dwarves were strong even in their diminutive size.

“We have not heard that voice for going on five hundred years.” Frae told Jazmel and he listened a little shocked.

“How can that be possible?” Jazmel asked, his head trying to do the math.

“Inside the labyrinth, time is slower. Much slower, that is how everyone manages to move around and for so long also. Think about it if you enter a gate at night time. You can walk through into a sunny day in the afternoon. It depends on the gates, right?” he asked, and Jazmel nodded.

“Well consider what it must be like for the gates that are different in setting and layout. The labyrinth has people entering gates nonstop, up, and down. From strong people to frail weaklings and it has to make sure that everyone goes the right places. Well time is needed to make this happen and to do this, everyone has to be affected.” He explained.

“Five hundred years in a locked gate is probably less than fifty out there. But there was nothing we could do. The gate was locked and as nobody was linked to the system, we could not break free of our curse.” He told Jazmel.

“How does a gate end up locked?” Jazmel asked.

“Nobody knows, you seem to tell when fewer and fewer seekers frequent your halls. But the difference for us, was that the system shut us out when the gates were locked. That is how we knew.” Frae explained and then Jazmel realised why their Mana seemed locked away, it was stored within, and they were all just waiting for the system again.

“I was born during the locked years, so I have never been part of the system. But my mother told me about it as a child.” He told Jazmel. They were sitting inside the garrison and Jazmel was nursing a strong mead while frae drank from a flagon of beer.

“We need to do what the system is asking, that is the first time it has asked us to do anything. So, I know many are anxious at the chance to be free of this place.” Frae told Jazmel and he nodded, understanding that the chance at freedom was seldom lacking.

“I need to sell my wares.” Jazmel said, and frae nodded at the covered sled.

“Show me what you have then.” He beckoned and Jazmel tore off the brush he had been using.

Frae whistled and admired all that Jazmel had brought.

“Lots of people will want a chance at all these things. You killed a lot of monsters out there.” Frae commented and Jazmel nodded.

“Do you still use gold here?” Jazmel asked and for the first time Frae smiled.

“Do we dwarves use gold?” he laughed at this.

“Bring the sled.” He pushed off from the table and headed out, they headed for the back of the garrison where metal clanging could be heard and Jazmel did not realise until they approached but it was a mine cart, or it had been long ago. It had been refashioned and stabilised so four dwarves or two people could sit in it. Frae bid Jazmel sit down, and he dragged an empty cart down where he strapped the sled atop it, lifting it on his own and without any sign of struggle.

So, dwarves are strong and also exceptionally good at building things. Jazmel said to himself.

In less than twenty minutes. Frae had the sled secured to the same line and he came in and sat on the opposite side of Jazmel, in the middle of the seating cart was a level and a steering rod. He managed them expertly and soon; he and Jazmel were flying along the railing into the mountain and below the ground. Every couple of yards a lantern had been erected and inside it a simple Mana stone hung to light the next few yards. They rode the cart for about thirty minutes but already Jazmel could tell they were deep in the mountain.

They came up to a line that waved at Frae, he waved back, and the railing switched allowing them to moor at this part; a station of sorts.

“This the one then?” the man asked, nodding after Jazmel. Frae waved him away but nodded a little with a wry smile.

“Bring the sled for us Bargo. The alchemists are going to want to see it.” He said over his shoulder and then he beckoned Jazmel to follow him.

“You need to get out of those rags.” He motioned at Jazmel, and he realised he probably did look like a horror out of the woods.

He beckoned Jazmel in and before him a woman with a measuring tape stood waiting.

“I will be the first in the clan to clothe a man then. No small feat eh.” She said with a laugh. She was tiny, less than four and a half feet tall. But extremely curvy, it took all of Jazmel's discipline to not stare at her and she laughed.

“Ahhh, we have a gentleman here, have you not seen a woman shaped like this before?” she cooed at him, and he felt the back of his neck growing hot.

“Behave yourself Melle, just put him in some decent clothes so he doesn’t think we are braggards please.” Frae cautioned and she mock stamped to attention, which made her chest move in a way that Jazmel had to look away. He closed his eyes, and she laughed harder.

After a while, Jazmel was clothed. Melle was good at her job, she had him in a forest green jerkin and a thick woollen cloak, she promised to fix the hag’s rags, but he told her not to. She shook her head, telling him she could feel something from it. Using his eyes, he noticed that a little Mana was seeping from it. He left her to it.

When he and Frae left, the entered another building where loud voices were shouting and haggling and when they entered a room, the sled had been placed in the centre of it, everyone was haggling over it, but nothing had been taken.

“Dwarves are not thieves; they are simply figuring out the best price for the things they want.” Frae explained and Jazmel nodded, not worried at all.

“I will give you 100 gold coins for the fiend corpse!”

“Give it to me and I will give you 150!” another shouted.

They started barking and shouting at him and Jazmel grew swamped.

“Stop that!” Frae shouted and everyone looked at him.

“Get a hold of yourselves. We are not savages! We will buy the lot off of him and then you can figure out which of it you want?” Frae said, a lose murmur of moaning went around the room, but Frae stamped and then looked over the dwarves again.

“how much would you sell everything for?” they asked Jazmel.

“I am not sure how much things are here, and we don’t usually have to figure these things out, the system usually tells you.” Jazmel confessed.

“But I have more.” He emptied his storage space of all the things he had kept from the woods.

“We will give you two hundred and fifty white gold coins.” Frae said and the room fell silent.

“That is a lot.” Jazmel mouthed, trying to hide his own shock.

“You are the first seeker to enter our home in five hundred years. We have money older than you in this mountain.” Frae exclaimed and some of the dwarves laughed.

“Bring him the coin!” Frae shouted and some dwarves at the door rushed off. as the deal had been decided, Jazmel turned to face Frae.

“Why does everyone listen to you hear?” he asked Frae.

“I am the Lord of Orevalor. My father built this mountain.” Frae told him, keeping a straight face.

Jazmel whistled now; this dwarf had the wealth of the mountain at his fingertips. He could afford the costs of white gold coins and Jazmel was profoundly grateful.

They brought in two full chests of gleaming coins. He gaped at them but accepted gratefully, he raised his hand with his storage ring; that he used for his currency and the system chimed.

DING!

WHITE GOLD COINS X2050

…

WILL YOU ADD MANA

…

YES!

MANA ADDED

2066X WHITE GOLD COINS

867X GOLD COINS

..

CHANGING

…

2X PLATINUM COINS

66X WHITE GOLD COINS

867X GOLD COINS

Jazmel shook his head. This was unbelievable.

“Can you eat? Before war, we should always eat.” Frae said and patted his own stomach.

Jazmel nodded and soon he Frae led the way.