Re: Giotto, The Great Dwarf Queen (Kala)
The two dwarves looked to Kala as the slime congratulated them. The two smiled at each other, and raised their tools for easy inspection. They were indeed imbued with magic. "
Have ya a good eye or was it a lucky guess?" one dwarf asked with a grin. "
Aye, imbued to be finer than any normal tool any human could make. Requires little physical effort, allowing absolute precision! Coupled with my sixty years of experience, there's nothin' I can't make!" she declared, announcing herself to be an elder to Kala. If she asked, the other dwarf would reveal that she was the little sister, fifty-four years old. If she asked further, she'd find that the average lifespan of a dwarf is an impressive two-hundred and fifty years. Given their slightly pointy ears, they might share some ancestry with elves. Though Kala would remember enough to realize associating a dwarf with an elf is an obvious offense to both parties.
The lizards meanwhile still looked angry, but the dwarves winning their challenge made them a bit humble. "
They may have redeemed themselves... But a friendship may be pushing it. We will see." the lizard resigned to that, before her and her guard turned and went back through the darkness.
"
We wasn't wise to the lizard presence, Miss Slime!" the dwarf announced. "
But we gots our gold! So a deal is a deal!" she nodded together with her sister, both stroking their hair drawn down their cheeks and tied at their chin to form makeshift beards, stroking said beards happily, as if such was a mannerism of respect to the slime. "
A slime made of shiny metal, like liquid mercury! We saw it within our own mines, near the Queen's Forge. Some say it was born from the leftover materials the Queen left behind, and the magic of the forge gave it life!" the dwarf theorized. "
Only we know about it! My sis can show ya while I collect the gold!" she declared gleefully, eyes filled with happy greed.
The sister dwarf looked ready to help Kala find her way, though needed a bit of lift back up through the hole, before she'd fashion a rope for her other sister. She was ready to lead after that, back through the confusing maze of bridges and caves, seemingly going back to the same place three times, before it became much more clear where they were going. The bridges looked to be of a finer craft, and more beautiful and overwhelmingly impressive weapons were hanging and placed near dwarven smithies. There was little question they were heading into Giotto's territory within the mines.
They passed through a long cave, seemingly going in a single direction, before they reached a large expanse of space. Huge pyramid shaped buildings with many stories and archways leading out onto balconies that allowed one to walk all around the construction, were built throughout this giant hole in the planet. The huge expanse was easily large enough to fit an entire kingdom inside, and such was easily what it was. A giant kingdom, filled with no two buildings that looked the same. Differing architecture abound, but the layout was confusing if one were looking for a specific house. There was no organization, but thankfully, what they were looking for was the most massive construction of all. Towering over all else, a massive forge was at the very back of this large cave. Overwhelming amounts of smoke rose from this forge, going through a hole in the cave leading outside, where the sunlight could barely punch through the thick smoke. "
That's Queen Giotto's forge!" the little dwarf announced. "
But we're not going there. Come on!" The dwarf announced, leading Kala through the complex underground city of dwarves. "
They say Giotto's brilliant craft is only second to that of the legendary cyclops. Though no one has any proof such a creature exists that is better than she, as no one has seen a single tool that rivals Giotto's work!" she announced.
Eventually, Kala and the dwarf would find themselves at the back of the cave, and finding yet more holes dug through the earth. "
She's somewhere in this cave tunnel..." the dwarf hummed, walking slowly inside. But then there was suddenly yelling from behind. "
Stop that slime!" someone shouted, at first it sounded like they were yelling at Kala, before a metallic colored slime jumped overhead, landing in front of Kala and the dwarf, before reshaping itself in front of them,
looking rather pleased.
"
The bloody thing ate my metal! Catch it!" a angry dwarf came running from the city, causing the metal slime to be alerted, and turn to flee into the cave.