Walking out of the castle and onto the bridge, I can see several shimmering buildings ahead. They all look like they were carved out of diamond and gold.
They emitted a mana unlike any other. There was something ancient in them.
Crossing the crevasse and the guard gate on the other side, we were greeted with a main street of sorts.
It was much more tame than the outer city but looked to be much more expensive. As we walked through with armed escort, we could see people stepping aside from us. I saw most Asgardians in the crowd with some Forest Giants. I even saw some hooded figures. These hooded figures were shimmering and gave of a particular mana. Their life force was different too.
I was tempted to call Muninn to find out who they were until I noticed some smaller people in the crowd in certain areas. I was confused as I didn't know if they were affected with genetic disorders.
They seemed to steer clear of the restaurants. Speaking of which I saw several businesses including restaurants, mead halls, Blacksmiths, Apothecaries, auction houses, general good stores, and stores that sell all kinds of antiquities. Some of the businesses dealt with information, others looked elegant like a type of perfume parlor for women.
I saw there were manors apart from Main Street that were heavily defended. I guess this whole mountain was made to be the safest fortress for the Asgard should a war occur.
There were two specific buildings that surprised me though. The Warrior Hall which is where warrior are managed, taught, and enlisted, and the Blacksmiths guild.
They were both huge buildings made of pure gold. Ironically enough we looked to be headed to the blacksmith guild.
As we walked I saw more of the smaller people. As I was about to ask about it until we came to the front door of the blacksmith guild. One of the people who I am suspecting to have a disease like Achondroplasia or dwarfism was guarding the door.
My father went up to him and said, "I would like to open up the gates to Nidavellir for my son."
Nidavellir isn't that where the Dwa....
Holy shit.
[LANGUAGE]
These people are dwarves. How long have they been here.
[Most dwarves are located exclusively in the inner city. Because you avoided the city when you were exploring outside with Muninn, you missed them completely]
So much for being thorough.
I look at this Dwarf with a different light now. Dwarves were said to be masters if their craft. If I can learn anything from them, I'd profit immensely.
The guard looked at me for a second and said "your majesty, although our alliance and shared interest keeps our society together. You must be aware that to remain in Nidavellir, you must show crafting capabilities."
"I'm aware of the rules which is why I've brought my son to learn the art of forge mastering," my father said.
"Very well", he said turning around and pushing open the gate.
"Welcome to Nidavellir Kid" he said with a smile.
Behind the gate wasn't a huge blacksmithing guild but a room with a long spiral stair case running through it.
Due to the size of the building, it was very open. It was almost like a cathedral from my old world with a spiral staircase running underground in the center.
There were concierge desks in all four corners with guards placed all around the room. Especially in front of the stair case.
The back of the hall looked to be a treasure bank were weapons and artifacts crafted by these forge masters were all placed to be sold.
The concierge was manned by female dwarves. They were just as short in stature as their male counterparts except for the hair.
Arriving to the staircase we passed the guards and made our way through with our guards.
My father was strict and stoic at this point. After about 50 stories worth of stairs, we were greeted by a large chamber 30 stories high. Large carved rock pillars held the roof up. Runes were scattered all over the place.
There were murals on the side depicting dwarves fighting, forging, and making peace with Odin. I could tell by the missing eye.
At the end of the huge hall had the face of a bearded dwarf carved into it. Huge double doors were in the statues mouth.
Two more guards stood watch. We walked forward for the guards to open the gate for us.
Behind this gate was a whole other city below our own. It was well lit because lava dotted the landscape. We were at the top of descending grand stair like coming out of a church.
A huge river of lava looked to be at the end. This is likely the bottom of the Crevasse.
Stone pillars can be seen in the distance. The mana here is so potent I see flickering light of the elements everywhere.
I see forges in ever corner and homes carved in stone. These home are smaller than the city above and clearly hold as much space to fit a population the size of both the inner city and the outer city combined.
I see Dwarven handicrafts shops of all kinds and liquor stores around every corner. Gems, Swords, metal wonders, I can see all kinds of objects as we walk through the city.
As we approach the river of lava, I see a large spot of land and some light shining just ahead. It seems the land where my castle is on a pillar of rock. Originally I thought the castle was surrounded by a mixture of magma but apparently it's not. I can see at this level close to the river of lava, that across the lava is a whole other area of mines and warehouses underground. It was covered in more rock so it looks like an abyss from up where the castle is.
Coincidentally, where the pillar where the castle stands, there's another building carved into the pillar. If I'm not mistaken, this should be the center of dwarven rule.
"Loki, the Dwarves and us have lived in symbiotic relationship for eons. They live under our cities and provide smithing works, architecture, and other jobs they excel at including mining. While we protect them from any threats and provide them food from our stock of ocean and farm lands in the south. They have trouble finding food because they cannot be in the sun too long because their skin burns" My father said looking at me in wonder.
My father continued, "Our governments are even fused to a certain degree with the head blacksmith of the dwarves being the leader of the chamber of the people while they have one of our elders represent our interests in their government".
"It is to ensure peace between us", my father said while looking at me if I had any questions.
"Father why didn't our bloodlines merge?" I asked.
"It's actually quite embarrassing but, truthfully, the Aesir and the Asynjur (female asgardians) had trouble reproducing with them. Also the dwarves height and constant lust for women made the Asgard fearful of producing children with similar traits. So we settled for an eternal alliance". My father said in a low tone.
Oh so the old tales of dwarves being on the little bit of the perverted side were true.
"That's not to say they are like that now. Actually Asgardian culture of valor and honor along with the thinning of their bloodline over the years has lead them to not exhibit so many negative traits. Instead they only have a insatiable lust for liquor. It's almost like a drug. That's why most dwarves prefer to stay away from feasts and restaurants with humans so as to not go through an entire cellar." Said my father.
That makes a lot of sense why the head blacksmith avoided my feast and the dwarves were avoiding restaurants. It also explains the large amount of liquor stores down here.
My father continued, "Nidavellir is their home, but we also use it to store any precious material and objects in the warehouses you see around here. The dwarves are very friendly and being underground under an Asgard city makes this place almost impenetrable."
"In front of us is the home of the head Blacksmith and the seat of government for the entire dwarven kingdom in the Lost woods. Their system is the same as ours so you would no doubt find the architecture similar." My father pointed in front of us to the bridge crossing the lava.
I looked at it and smiled because this is some of the crazy crap I was expecting to see in this world. A marvel of engineering!