***The City of Montserrant…***
The usual day in a miner's life under the employ of the dwarf guild of Cole started with a call in the 5th hour of the day. Then, once awake, the dwarf would proceed to the guild's pantry—a large area deep in the underground city where dwarves would congregate before and after work hours. It was here that the miner would receive his/her breakfast, cooked by the guild's kitchen staff, and also his/her lunch, consumed once they were in the mines. Cole was a mining guild in-charge of extracting iron in the depth of the mountain of Montserrant, which was vital to the economy of the entire land of Equality, thus, the Church of the Golden Hammer had maintained an 'iron grip' and 'surveillance' in all of its operations.
"…"
Meanwhile, the leader of the Cole Miner's Guild, the Queen Paula Cole, was not one to bow before the church officials. She was also a dwarf whose societal status in life didn't affect how she mingled with her employees/subjects. As much as possible, she would share their lot, and would work in the mines with equal hours like an ordinary miner. Because of that, she would also experience the same hardships her guild members would face whenever the church would assert its authority over them.
"…"
Of course, with such arrangement, it's not a surprise many of them wished to 'throw off' the yoke imposed by the Bishop of Montserrant, who was used to extort them with exorbitant tax fees and duties. And this was one of the times they were offered the chance…
"The time is ripe to rise up, brave dwarves of the Cole Miners' Guild!"
"Who are you? And you came here unannounced! You must be one of the church people!"
"Please separate me from those disgusting lot!"
"Stop the false accusations!" the queen of the Cole Miners' Guild demanded, for her employees won't stop heckling the lady wearing a black mourning dress that suddenly appeared at their pantry, in front of every dwarf miners eating their breakfast.
"So, you are the leader of the Cole Miner's Guild?" the latter asked.
"Yes, what do you need from me?" Paula stepped forward. "We rarely accept visitors, for there is nothing to visit in this miserable place. What brings you here?"
"I came here because of the Prince Uhrian," the black-clad lady explained. "And I can see the questions in your mind; if you wish to know my name, then you're standing before the holy presence of the Saint of the Apocalypse, Seirna Stephanie."
"Saint of the Apocalypse?" the guild queen chuckled, followed by her employees. "Sounds like someone who's into delusions. You won't fool me, lady; even in this land, we're aware that there are only the Human Saint ruling in Chersea, the Beastman Saint in Cherwind, the Demon Saint at the Federal Republic, the Elf Saint of Cherwoods, and the Dwarf Saint…though she's now lost."
"I'll forgive you for your unbelief," Seirna told her. "After all, your people purposefully forgot me and the god I serve, in exchange for the material riches that has made your guild fall in the old days. Now tell me, would you like to break free from the church that destroyed you?"
"What are you saying?"
"It is as it is. Revenge and freedom? Or silence and slavery?"
"Stop speaking in riddles."
"Again, I think you haven't heard that I'm with the Prince Giuseppe Uhrian, of whom you are working together to undermine his father's church," the Overseer Saint reiterated. "And I bring you freedom, though you have to cooperate with me. Will you be willing to work together?"
"How do I know you're not someone trying to fool us into open rebellion?" the guild queen put another question. "If you can truly see my mind, you'd know the circumstances that led me to become a skeptic to your words!"
"Of course, I am aware of your guild's history," Seirna smirked. "Of how your father tried to placate the Church by giving gifts to them, only to be 'eliminated' in the end because his beliefs are contrary to the official teachings of your religion. Would you like me to tell you the exact circumstances of how he stood for his ideals? Of how he realized, this 'equality' thing your Golden Hammer espoused is leading your people to decadence and ruin? And how your father attempted to reverse that, only to be killed?"
The queen of the Cole Miner's Guild fell silent for a few moments. She couldn't believe that the lady standing before her knew the events that she alone witnessed. Looking at her fellow miners who supported her father's, and her rule as well, she knew that it was only a matter of time before the church moved to eliminate them completely. For in Equality, the 'loving' Golden Hammer protected their 'freedom' by forcing them to give it up, and shutting the mouths of those who raised objections.
"…"
"If you're not convinced, then how about this?"
"!!!"
The Overseer Saint suddenly threw her rapier to one of the dwarves, hitting him on the neck. Blood spurted out from his mouth, as he tried to remove the blade. Everyone froze at what she did, until the poor fellow fell on the floor, dead. At once, the dwarves' anger burned against Seirna, and they picked their war hammers and battle axes.
However…
With a flick of her finger, dark light enveloped her hands, and Seirna cast it on the dead dwarf. Much to everyone's surprise, he sat up and greeted them as if nothing happened.
"Necromancy!" someone in the crowd shouted. "You're a witch!"
This time, Seirna wasn't taking any of their 'disbelief'. To 'convince' them further, she showed them her beautiful black wings, while speaking, "You accuse me of necromancy, but people raised by sinful necromancers are merely a shell of their former selves! Look at your companion! Make sure he can think and speak for himself!"
Once the others made sure their fellow dwarf was fine, taking a deep breath, Paula ordered a battle axe be brought to her. She told Seirna, "So be it, my battle axe, as well as the lives of my people are in your hands. Tell us what we can do to help?"
"Well," the Overseer Saint smiled, pulling out her rapier. "I'd like you to summon your air armies to attack Hemelin and create a diversion for the Lord Kuro of Arles."
"Huh? The Lord Kuro of Arles? Isn't that man the one they call the 'Saints' Beloved'? What's he doing here?"
"No time to explain, queen," Seirna insisted. "Are you with us, or not?"
"No worries, Your Holiness," Paula kneeled before her. "Your cause is righteous, then as the heirs to the old Miners' Guild, we will march together with you."
----------
**Kuro, in the Holy City of Hemelin, a few days later…**
From the city of Temun, it wasn't that much travel to the holy city of Hemelin, though the distance between the two points were almost equal to a flight from one place in Asia (Manila) to some distant city somewhere in the middle of Africa (Timbuktu). Take note, I could only estimate (and I love estimating distances; my father's working overseas back in my world), because I based the distance of our journey from the hours it took us before we eventually arrived. Compared to Chersea, Cherwind, Cherwoods and the Demon Republic, the train system here was fully developed, running from the upgraded steam engines made by the dwarves (and alien to my world), as well as from technological concepts of the Golden Hammer himself, so the public transport was easy.
Now I can tell why the dwarves are pretty secretive, these techs can upend the social order in those other worlds…
"…"
As usual, everything was too much for Lily to take and understand. She would often get lost, or her mind would float off somewhere. I always made sure she was within my eyesight; I didn't want to lose her here. For the Lady Seirna Stephanie, she refrained from coming with us, preferring to wait in Temun instead.
"If you haven't come back within five days, I'll come looking," she told us. "And, please forgive me beforehand if I ever went on a rampage just to get you." The Overseer Saint said those to Lady Hughes, as we knew that she a relative of the Golden Hammer. It's both an assurance and a warning, as Seirna would never back down from her threats unless she was convinced.
However, the dwarf lady said nothing, practically ignoring her. I had no idea what's going on between these two, but I was under impression that they both hated each other's guts.
"…"
Anyway, moving forward…
The dirigibles of Equality resembled the Zeppelins of the early 20th Century Earth, though the interiors looked like the ones found in modern planes…minus the air-conditioned cabin. Here, the air outside was enough to keep temperature at bearable levels, or if it got too cold, there were plenty of woolen jackets to warm the passengers. Like Chersea and the rest of the worlds, the 'sun' never set in this place, but yes, the prolonged stay in the windy, chilly skies of Equality was too much even for dwarves. So, as a measure, we would often fly low the mountain peaks for warmer air.
When we arrived in Hemelin, it was like we're transported into a completely different realm.
"…"
Unlike Temun, Hemelin was one of the 'great cities' of Equality. It served as the 'capital' of the Church of the Golden Hammer, and they matched their reputation with their appearance. Whereas Temun was limited to just a lonely mountain peak, Hemelin was community of nearby peaks connected by lots of stone bridges. What's even more impressive was those bridges were neighborhoods itself, that stretched from the underground caverns through the bridge proper and into the other underground cavern.
Think of it like the medieval London Bridge, only with a modern twist.
However, in keeping with its holy status, Hemelin was filled with temples dedicated to the worship of the Golden Hammer. These were dwarves we're talking about, hence, what's normal for them was astoundingly amazing for us. Gilded temple spinnerets and domes could be seen as far as our eyes could see…even more breathtaking than the huge Saint's Cathedral in the Holy Palatial Gardens. Lady Hughes would point to one temple and explain…
"This one was commissioned by the former king of the Miners' Guild."
"King? Miners' Guild?" I asked.
"The leaders of the guilds here are called either king or queen," Lady Hughes explained. "They are like your own sovereigns, though if I may boil it down, they 'reign' over trade companies than actual countries."
"From where I am, the bosses in the guilds are called 'Guild Masters'."
"We got them as well, though they are designated as 'branch leaders' than the management of the entire guild," the dwarf pointed out. "Do you mean to say your guilds are smaller than ours?"
"I guess?" I turned towards the vast Hemelin skyline. "Look, you said that the big temple over there was commissioned by the 'king' of your Miners' Guild. The guilds I know from my world's games are powerful and influential, but at least not to this extent. It's like they're managing a kingdom than a guild."
"Well, to be fair, the Miners' Guild was the biggest guild in all of Equality."
"Was?"
Lady Hughes nodded, "Nowadays, under the leadership of the current miner queen, Paula Cole, the Miners' Guild shrunk from its influence as well as its importance."
"Is there…anything that caused that?"
"A lot of things," the dwarf lady quipped. "But if I'll get to the reason of it, I'd say Queen Paula Cole is not one to let herself be under the church's influence."
"Oh…"
"Besides, the Miners' Guild had a long-standing 'beef' with the Church Guild, now the Church of the Golden Hammer. As formerly the most powerful, a lot of mining dwarves can't accept the truth that they got outmaneuvered by the Church. The former king was one of the few exceptions to have an amicable relationship with the Golden Hammer, but throughout the Miners' Guild history, they always strive to annoy the holy dwarves of Equality."
"A political tug-of-war between the church and the miners, huh?"
Lady Hughes said nothing. I could tell from her expression that my words were spot on. Nevertheless, I'd like to know her own sentiments, so I asked, "And what's your opinion in this?"
"Does it matter?"
"Maybe?"
"Heh, I don't know what's with you, trying to learn my thoughts regarding that. I'm just one of the many dwarves who lives in this place, and if we listen to everyone, we'll get nothing done yet our precious time wasted," the dwarf smirked. "However, if you insist, I don't side with either; the miners are assholes, and so are the church people. Whoever wins, we ordinary folk lose."
"You're right…"
"It's prudent of you not to say anything when you don't know the backstory," she commented.
"I'm interested in that conflict, yes," I admitted. "However, I'd like to have an informed opinion on the matter, hence I won't say anything until I learned its root cause. Before, in my world, it's common sense; in the years before I got summoned, it has become a virtue. Everyone wants to say their take on the matter, yet their views are often misled and misinformed. And your Equality might be taking the same route…"
"Is…that so?" Somehow, there was a poignant look on Lady Hughes face, something I only saw just now.
"Well, that's just me. I'm praying I'm mistaken, though," I tried reassuring her. "But first, I want to talk to the Golden Hammer himself, if he's still alive."
"He is still living," the dwarf pointed towards the biggest temple in the city. "You'll have to do it alone, though."
"Huh?"
Lady Hughes shook her head. "I won't meet with that guy, though technically, he's my…" Her voice trailed off just as she ended her sentence.
"Your what?"
"My…g-gramps."
"Well, how can we proceed if you won't go?"
The dwarf fell silent. I could feel that she was reluctant to come with us, but for some reason, she had no other choice. Still, Lady Hughes defended her decision.
"I was only forced to accompany you," she insisted. "If anything, I'd rather remain in Chersea than here. There's nothing for me in this place…"
There was a hint of bitterness in her voice, though I didn't want to ask the dwarf about it. It's not like I would have a reluctant companion guide us, but as we were, we were strangers in this place. We only got a vague idea of how the dwarves conduct themselves!
"Aaargh!" Lady Hughes stomped her feet and ruffled her hair. "Alright then, I'll just guide you until the gates of the main temple! From there, it's your business. The Overseer Saint has already given you clues on how and where the dwarf saint may be found, so use that!"
"Yes," I gave her a head pat, though she pushed my hand away. "I guess we can take care of ourselves."
----------
During our travel to the main temple complex of the Golden Hammer, Lily suggested that we stop and take our breathers first. The problem with Lady Hughes not coming with still remained, and we would like to 're-plan' our steps, before heading to meet Equality's demi-god. As such, our dwarf guide led us to a hotel—actually, it was more of a roadside inn, than a full-fledged hotel complete with amenities like the one we availed in Temun.
"Be careful," she told us, though in whispers. "Unlike in the previous city, I literally have no 'people' in this place. Well…they know me, but they are not under my authority."
Of course, we had no choice but to trust Lady Hughes. If our 'tour guide' herself was covering her face with a makeshift mask and a hood, then by all means, we should follow her example. I was just surprised that we didn't arouse any suspicions when we entered the inn and paid for a room.
In any case, for practical and security purposes, we opted to get just one bed to stay. Not only did we see ourselves staying in this city for too long, we also plan to leave for another place should our covers be blown. After our servant gave us the keys, we immediately settled in and discussed our next move.
"We should set out for tomorrow," Lily suggested. "Lady Hughes would guide us to the gates of the main temple complex, then go on her way. We would just meet at a predetermined place in the appointed hour."
"Sounds good to me," the dwarf lady immediately agreed, not because it was a sound plan, but I knew that she was already tired from the journey. And I could tell from when the first spires of the city of Hemelin appeared, she didn't want to set foot in this place.
"Well, I got no qualms with your suggestion, too, Lily," I reiterated. "However, I'm concerned of what shall we do if the negotiations failed."
"Like if when we have to fight our way out?" the Iron Princess asked.
I nodded, then pulled out the scroll from Seirna inside my bag. "If what Her Holiness the Overseer Saint says is true, then we should find the spot where the dwarf saint was last seen. We can always go back if our covers get blown, yes, but it'll be harder for us the second and third times, especially if we're going to force our way in."
"True…" Lady Hughes quipped. "As much as possible, while I hated this place, I don't want bloodshed."
"This won't happen if you'd come with us," I replied. But of course, she already told us before that everyone in the main temple complex knew her, so bringing her along could jeopardize us, if she did something wrong and the entire household of the Golden Hammer was after her neck.
Nevertheless, the dwarf lady remained silent. Honestly, this was the first time I saw her that way, far from the usual feisty, spirited self she showed me back in Chersea and in Temun. Then, our eyes suddenly met…
"…"
From the way she looked at me, I could surmise that there's something that's bothering Lady Hughes' mind. But, as Lily wasn't finished discussing our plans for confronting the Golden Hammer, I had to keep my focus on our situation than ask about our companion's problem. There's always a 'later' for everything; for now, I'd like to listen to my fiancée.
----------
So, at the end, we came up with a plan.
"…"
It was pretty simple and straightforward. Lady Hughes would drop us at a street near one of the gates of the temple palace complex. For that, we chose a road where a tram station would unload passengers. The goal was not to allow the guards of the Golden Hammer to see our dwarf companion, and that station was far enough to prevent them from recognizing her, while close enough for us to just approach the gates and walk like the normal tourist we're pretending to be.
Not to mention, alighting passengers would permit Lady Hughes to blend into the crowd. We only agreed to meet back in this place after a few hours. If we didn't come back by the long sleep, she would contact Seirna immediately.
Meanwhile, for us, we would enter the temple complex as tourist. Then, using the crude map Lady Hughes drew for us, we would navigate our way inside the complex. Our target was the underground caverns of the place, as the scroll gave faint hints of the likely location of the dwarf saint before her disappearance.
And in case we get caught, like the usual, we could say we're lost tourists. I would also use our noble titles to gain 'diplomatic immunity' should the Golden Hammer would become angry at us.
"…"
Well, time was of the essence, and while I'd like to think of more 'solutions' for other potential scenarios, we just couldn't afford to waste our precious minutes. The longer we stayed here, the riskier for us getting caught. While I wanted to have a talk with the Golden Hammer himself, Lady Hughes immediately shot down the idea.
"You're wasting your time," her voice was full of bitterness and spite. "Even if you petition repeatedly, the Golden Hammer would only listen to his own 'advisers'. So, if you're looking for any reasons for this church to send assassins after you, ask those fuckers standing at the sides of his throne."
I couldn't help but be reminded of that scene from the movie I watched about a grey (who became white) wizard fighting a 'possessed' king of a kingdom of cavalry riders. The monarch was also poisoned by his adviser to turn a blind eye on the progress of 'evil' devouring his lands. Is this the same matter?
Nevertheless, after we stopped our conversation, we headed to our own breaks. Lily was exhausted, so she was early to the bed, as was the Lady Hughes. As for me, I'd be sleeping on the floor (with some bedsheets, of course). However, as my culture dictated, I went off to take a shower first, before heading to dreamland.
And I just finished now.
"…"
The first thing that caught my attention was the smell of cigar in the room. Alarmed and afraid that someone trespassed, I quickly put on clothes, forgetting to dry my hair. My weapons were in my bag, so those were out of the question. But I won't head to battle unarmed. Good thing there was a spare scissor in one of the cupboards of the bathroom; I resolved to fight our intruders with that.
"Hey, I know you're paranoid, but you can keep your laughable weapon with you. No one got in; the cigar's mine."
"!!!" My heart nearly skipped a beat as I heard the voice of Lady Hughes near the bathroom door. Nevertheless, it was a welcome development. I quickly put back the scissors, and fixed my dress, making sure it won't fall once I stepped outside.
"Yo!"
I could only stare at Lady Hughes once I saw her standing by the bathroom door. It's as if she really waited for me to come out. Not wishing to prolong the awkward atmosphere between us, I asked, "I thought you're already sleeping, milady?"
"I can't sleep," was her reply. "No, not when I'm inside this place. Hemelin holds so many memories for me, after all."
"I see…"
"And, well…I really wouldn't step here, if not for my uncle begging me to come with you."
Hearing that from her would always make me feel bad. After all, my philosophy in life was try not to be a burden to someone else, if I could help it. Yeah, I was aware that Lady Hughes should be running her own crime syndicate in Stadtsberg right now, and I 'yanked' it off from her.
I guess I haven't apologized to her.
"No need to apologize, boy," she replied, even before I opened my mouth. "And yes, your lady told me you'd do it, so I'm already telling you."
"Still…"
"Hey, listen…" the dwarf lady puffed a smoke. "Lady Lily would always brag you to me, and really, I find it annoying."
"Sorry…"
"You should be. But that's not why we're talking right now."
"Oh?"
"Don't interrupt me while I'm speaking then," Lady Hughes chuckled. "Look, Lady Lily says you're someone trustworthy. And I know we met each other in…err, not-so-good circumstances. As such, it's really awkward of me to even talk to you."
I said nothing. I just didn't know what to tell her, so I let her speak.
"Kuro…" the dwarf lady took a deep breath before continuing. "If ever…if ever you guys end up meeting the Golden Hammer, can you check him for me?"
I was flabbergasted when I heard her request. To make sure I wasn't just hallucinating, I asked her again, "What do you mean by that?"
"The…Golden Hammer is already an old man," she revealed. "I guess…look, I spent a long time in the human realm that I can tell when someone old is 'unusually old'. As in, way past the normal 'old age' of humans."
"Back in my world, there are people who can reach as old as a hundred years!"
"I'm a dwarf, and we live longer than you humans, so I apologize if my sense of time didn't match yours."
"Understandable."
"But…you see…K-Kuro, the Golden Hammer…the people in his court are…"
"Bad advisers?"
The dwarf nodded, "You already experienced the decadence and the corruption of our society, brought by the church itself."
"Yes. Those angry dwarves remind me of some people in my world. They mean good, but ends up making the situation worse by sticking to their ideals for too much."
"I know…and they use the Golden Hammer's name to avoid responsibility," Lady Hughes revealed.
Oh god…I know where this talk is going…
"Wha-What do you want me to do?" there was a great sense of dread as I put up that question. However, I needed to do it; if we could gain the 'friendship' of the Golden Hammer, then I'd grab the chance!
"You're only human, yet you've done the impossible," the dwarf said, not even looking at me. "And…really, my uncle's faith in you is so strong, he's willing to do everything to save the Golden Hammer. Please, help us…help us free him!"