Enmity of Atlas

The bird beat its mighty wings against the air, somehow generating lift despite the obviously poor aerodynamics of the metal bird's construction. It rose into the air, soaring over the twinkling city many hundreds of feet below. They reasonably had no way off of the bird when they were so high up, unless they intended to fall to their death, but Andree still seemed absolutely determined to ensure they went nowhere despite this. Although, with how tired he looked, it didn’t seem like they had much opposition if they really wanted to try something.

“Should fight back…help that little bastard. He’s just getting exactly what he wants,” Garrote muttered to himself next to Trenton, writhing in his fury.

“It’s all I can do to keep everyone alive. We do as little as we can and leave,” Trenton reassured him, keeping his voice low to at least try to bar Andree from the conversation.

“I know…but I just can’t shake the feeling. I want to wring the little fuckers neck,” Garote said, holding up his one arm and squeezing as if the kid was still right there in front of him.

“If there’s anything I can do, I will. For now, just try to keep calm. Take the night to relax. I bought us at least some time before we have to do anything,” Trenton looked over at Andree, who looked to be spacing out, his eyes somewhere off in the distance. “You won’t bug us while we sleep, will you?”

“Hmm? It’s a big place. You couldn’t possibly sneak out unnoticed, so yes. You’ll have your peace,” the dwarf replied, yawning and stretching his arms.

“Just take it easy,” Trenton said quietly to Garrote.

He wasn’t happy by any means, but his expression softened somewhat as he closed his eyes, internalizing and dissecting his fury. Hopefully by morning he’d have a much better handle over himself. They’d need all the focus they could muster.

Trenton carefully stood to his full height, walking over to the dwarven man, who grew more alert the closer Trenton got, his whole body tense, ready. Trenton sat down a couple feet from him, taking a moment to steel himself, old memories flooding his mind.

“You look a lot like a dwarf I used to know. A warrior named Brus,” Trenton said.

Andree looked interested for a moment, but as soon as he heard the name, his whole face soured, “Oh, so you’re one of his pals, are you?” He spat out.

“He used to travel with my brother. You don’t sound too fond of him.”

Andree stopped, squinting at Trenton as if looking for something. Then, his eyes widened, something clicking in his mind, a bitter tone creeping into his voice, “Boulreguard, I knew the name sounded familiar. So you’re Delis’s little brat brother. I should have figured. You’re just like him. It seems no matter what I do, I just can’t seem to escape you two,” Andree hefted his battleaxe toward Trenton, poking him in the chest with the end of the weapon. “I’ve half a mind to just kill you now, pay back Delis for everything he took from me, but I’d rather not make an enemy of Delis again. If he learned I was alive…” Andree trailed off, considering Trenton carefully for a moment, stroking his luscious beard with his free hand, “...and anyway, Drawven seems intent on using you lot for whatever he can get. Consider yourself lucky.”

He must have known that Aria fell, but since Brus and Delis were travelers, he had no way of knowing they were there the day it fell. He must’ve thought they were still out there somewhere, a very real and present threat. In that case, Trenton would have to be careful to keep it that way. It was a valuable chip to keep on the board.

“Lucky isn’t the word I’d use,” Trenton said, pushing the battleax away from his chest. “I wouldn’t worry so much about Delis. He never told me anything about you. By this point he’s probably forgotten all about it, just another minor obstacle swept away by the wind.”

Andree stood, almost pressing his face into Trenton’s with how close he was, “Then I’ll make ‘im remember. I’ll drain ‘im of every breath he’s got left in that body of his, flay him till he’s nothing but a pile of goo on the ground, make him suffer for every godsdamned moment he made me…but not yet,” Andree settled back, slowly calming himself. “I’ll deal with Brus first, trim the family tree a little bit, then I can deal with Delis.”

“Brus was your brother? I had no idea he had any siblings.”

“You’re right. He was my brother, but that’s a title far too good for him,” Andree sighed. “Ah, you’re just getting me all riled up. This is pointless. It’s not like I could kill them right now anyway. So for the time being, you’ll focus on the mission at hand. And if I hear the name Brus or Delis again, I’ll kill you. Now get up, all of you. We’re here.”

Trenton looked around, suddenly noticing how much different everything looked. While he was talking, they’d flown completely out of the city and into some expansive mining quarry, which they were currently circling above, looking for a solid spot to land. In the center, there was a massive hole wreathed in catwalks, an impressive elevator in the center rising into place just as they arrived. It was incredible how large the pit was, deeper than any other quarry he’d ever even heard of. Around the borders, past the strange machines buzzing about, tending to one task or another, was a ring of large tents staked into the ground, dwarves wandering around all below them. Some seemed content to sit at little log tables, playing card games or drinking, while others worked, shifting dirt, gravel, stone, and sand around, seeing to their duties even well into the night.

Trenton looked back over his shoulder, making sense of the distance they’d just traveled. Off in the distance, far behind them now, the city was still visible, the wall of buildings merging into the open landscape cleanly. They probably had extra space to leave them room for any industry or expansion they might need, preparing for needs far into the future–smart. It actually made a lot of sense given where Trenton had ended up after his fight with Belathial.

After wandering around for a while, he’d been able to figure out Belathial sent him completely out of the city, landing in a large clearing a little ways outside the city's southern border. Luckily, he wasn’t too far from civilization, otherwise his trudge back would’ve been a lot more agonizing. That and he would’ve had to deal with miscellaneous citizens while he was bleeding out on the ground, not a fun situation.

“Down Tallicum,” Andree said, steering the bird steadily down into an opening near the border of the hole. It looked like the dwarves below had cleared a spot for them to land, keeping far away to ensure they didn’t get caught up in the landing. The bird landed surprisingly light on its feet considering how large and heavy it was, ruffling its wings and curling up much like one would expect from a normal bird. It was odd for a metal creature, one without a soul or mind. Did they have some unique way of manufacturing them or something?

Once he was sure they were fully settled, Trenton grabbed Leo, corralling everyone off the bird. From the crowd of dwarven workers, most of whom didn’t even bat an eye at their presence, a dwarf in protective construction gear and a white collar shirt jogged towards them . He looked girthier than many of the other dwarves Trenton had seen, a rather pronounced gut nearly bursting the button on his shirt. He heaved as he moved, carrying a clipboard under his arm, sweat visibly gathering on his brow, blotches already stained into his shirt. Looks like he was the foreman, or at least one of them, given the size of the operation they had going here.

“Andree,” the dwarf said, stopping to breathe once he’d actually gotten to him, holding up a finger to indicate he’d need a moment.

“These are the kids we talked about. Give them a tent. We’re heading down tomorrow morning, so get everyone cleared out of the way by then,” Andree said, pushing past the foreman before he even got a chance to speak.

“Wait, but we’ve got at least a dozen groups still down there! It’ll take us a couple days at least to get all of them,” the foreman said, throwing his arms out to the side, the clipboard clattering to the ground.

“Great, sounds like you need to figure out how to get them out then. We’re not waiting any longer. If you don’t get them out by the time we enter, then assume their lives forfeit. Call for me if anything happens,” Andree said over his shoulder, waltzing off into the depths of the camp.

“Agh, that bastard. Now what the hell am I supposed to do?” The foreman muttered, picking up his clipboard and flipping through a couple of the sopping wet pages.

“Tent?” Karfice said, stepping forward and leaning down to be face to face with the man. The foreman staggered back, surprised by the sudden intrusion into his space.

“Oh, right, right. Jarce! Find them a tent somewhere. I’ve got to deal with this now,” the foreman called to some random dwarf drinking spirits with a handful of pals off to the side. “Guess I’m working overtime tonight…again,” the foreman said as he sauntered off towards the hole.