My Life As A Salamander 39 The Road North

It was a couple months after our arrival at the town that we said our farewell. The townsfolk held a large feast in our honor. Unfortunately I couldn't eat because I eat too much. I went hunting a little earlier and caught a Giant Deer. The thing was 10 foot tall and 8 feet long with a large set of antlers. The chefs were in slight awe but quickly prepared a meal for me from it. Deer haggis, Steak, stew, and even a strange tasting type of flattened, battered, and deep fried meat dish. ( It brings back memories of something from home..... ) I thought as I felt nostalgia settle in.

It was only halfway through the feast that they brought out huge barrels of wine and ale. I personally didn't drink when I was alive but I decided to try the wine. I ended up having an entire barrel to myself. Unfortunately I didn't feel a thing. Mostly because something got in the way.

/ Host has ingested harmful substance. Nullifying with poison resistance. Nullified/

"... d.a.m.n." I whispered. I was actually slightly impressed. " I can't get drunk.... hehehehehehe!" I chuckled to myself. The food I ate was pretty good. There was one main thing I understood through the feast. I enjoyed seeing everyone smile. It was heartwarming. It was even funny at one point. Children started asking Sam if they could go for a ride on my back. After getting my consent the children were giggling as I strode around the inside of the town. I kept them all in place with my shields forming a small fence around them. after some time the children fell asleep on my back and I took them to their mothers who had gathered together like a gaggle of geese.

They all smiled a little as they took their sleeping kids from my back and carried them home. I couldn't help but think about leaving. I had protected these people for what felt like eternity. Now I had to trust them to defend themselves. The next morning we headed out. The sky was clear and the smell of pine filled the forest. I walked while Sam rode on my back. It was going to be a long road to the city and I wanted to conserve energy by walking a fair distance. Sam readily agreed and with some insotstance on my part she agreed to ride along.

As we walked we noticed a few things. The further north we went the colder it got. The trees became more thin in number and the stones were protruding out of the ground more. Sam pulled out a map that the captain had given her the night before as a farewell present, and observed it for some time.

" We must have made port at the southernmost part of the continent. We should be approaching some rolling hills in a few hours. After that the terrain seems to get harsher." Sam said thoughtfully.

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" Harsher?" I asked curious of what we were going to be experiencing.

" Yes. There will be less soft soil and vegetation will be thinning out even more. After all, Belmac is primarily a mountainous region. The mountains never dissapeared due to a ma.s.sive earth creature beneath them. It constantly pulls rock from around the Continent inward to protect itself and feed. Because of that it pushes the unusable rock upward making the mountains." She said in a matter of fact fashion. I guess she was the studious one of her brothers. I think if she wasn't so hot blooded she could have been a great scholar.

We ventured onward. The forest gave way to rolling hills that were filled with horned rabbits. My very presence seemed to scare most of them away. There were some who were brave enough to stay. But in a matter of speaking they were very delicious. It took a few more days to reach another settlement. Except this one was a city. It was built into a mountain. The gates were as tall as a small sky sc.r.a.per and covered in the image of a great tree.

" Who go there?!" A Male voice shouted from atop the wall. Sam held her hands in the air above her head. " We come from the town to the south. The people there said we should venture here for shelter!" She shouted back.

" Hold there till I get word!" another shiut replied. A large border flew from the top of the wall.

Sam sat down. " Seems that we have to wait." Her voice was filled with disappointment. We waited. Night came and we settled on the side of the road for the night. I helped Sam pitch her tent and I got stones arranged and a fire started. The food for the night was rations we prepared a couple days before. Rabbit meat we had turned into jerky. Lucky for us though I managed to spot a badger like creature and removed its head with my tongue strike. I have to admit that almost anything is better than rabbit jerky.

It took till supper the next day for word to get back from the town. The bird flew in with something wrapped around its legs. ( A parcel?) I thought in slight confusion. A few moments later the voice echoed from the gates. " You may enter. We caution you not to cause trouble. We do not take well to trouble in these parts." We began walking through. Sam walked through just fine. As soon as I walked through the gates I heard many clicks across the wall. I turned my head. The entire wall was covered in dwarves. They stood on shelf like things that protruded from the gateway. Each had a large crossbow aimed at me. Sam started to speak but I raised my hand.

I slowly lowered my hand and slowly, calmly, spoke. " I know the dwarves to be a kind race but also a wary one. They defend the things that are good and smite the evil. Any who insult their honor are not worth their salt and any who give offense are thrown out. Though I know these things. I ask this to you for I am unlearned in your ways. Am I such a threat that you aim your weapons at the familiar of your guest or is this the custom of the watchmen of this city?"

Many dwarves shook slightly as I spoke. A voice rang out from the top of the wall as one dwarf descended a rope ladder. He was clad in silver armor with a helmet that guarded his face while the rest were wearing a bronze like material with only metal caps for headwear.

" You are but a beast tied to a master. We are proud dwarves. You can reek havoc in our city if not kept in check. What right do you have to question our actions?" He called. He reached the bottom of the ladder and had his hand on a sword at his side.

My head turned to the dwarf. " Having saved the town to the south I have every right to question these actions. Where they welcome my strength with warmth and politeness. Here I am treated as a threat and a scourge. Did that letter from Volmyr not state such? Or are you simply waiting to test my strength?"

My claws dug into the ground slightly as my tail slowly moved. One of the stones cracked in half as I exerted a little pressure with one of my claws. I heard a slight squeak and a tw.a.n.g. I spun and my shields moved around Sam to protect her as resounding tw.a.n.gs sounded through the air. I quickly folded my wings around me protectively. I felt an odd sensation after hearing several thuds and clattering sounds. It was a poking sensation. Similar to acupuncture but less painful? I think that's a good description.

I heard the dwarf in charge shouting.

" You blithering idiots! Who shot! Who shot first!? And why the blazes did the rest of you follow?!" He started going off like a bugle for the military.

After a few seconds of hearing the dwarf shouting at his men I started unfurling my wings and retracted my shields. " Are you alright? I asked Sam. She nodded calmly. She was perfectly fine. I looked at myself to find crossbow bolts littered my scales. The were hardly any that penetrated my scales. With a small brush of my tail they all clattered to the ground. A moment later I felt a slow surge of calm energy start rising through my feet to my wounds. Any bleeding slowly stopped and scales began to regrow and replace shattered scales with newer stronger ones.

I slowly turned my gaze to the dwarf I had heard squeak before he shot at me. I pointed at him. " You. What were you thinking?! If my hide hadn'tve been as thick my master would have died! You do not belong on this wall if you lose control at the first intimidating thing you see!" I fumed at him.

Their leader had a shocked expression on his face. " Y-your not mad we shot you?" The captains face was slightly pale as the dwarf next to him fell on his rear in fear. I turned to their leader.

" Of course I'm mad you shot me! I thought you might shoot me! Me! I had prepared for it! But that dimwit let his bolt loose in HER direction!' I pointed at Sam.

" Honor I understand well. Tests I understand my fair share. But shooting an innocent is the same as losing your honor and forsaking valor! Or do the dwarves of this wall prey on the weak? " I coldly finished.

The leader looked at me with slightly cold eyes but he didn't say a word. Instead he turned to the younger dwarf and whispered a few words. The dwarfs head hung low as he walked away.

" Back to your posts and focus on the area around the gate! You know the drill!" He shouted. He turned to us and made a gesture to follow. I followed Sam in a small procession after the dwarf. we followed him into the mountain. There was a tunnel that I had to crouch to get through. The tunnel went for a while till we saw lights. After a couple minutes of following him we came out of the tunnel and into what I can only call the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

It was a dome inside the mountain filled with Crystal's. All of them shimmered with a strange light that illuminated the city. It was huge! The houses were made of stone. The walls granite, The streets were paved in a type of marble. Everything screamed stonework. It was so detailed. The shops we pa.s.sed had pillars engraved with what they did. Blacksmiths had the image of a man smiting metal with a hammer on an anvil. Taylors had a needle and thread, Etc.

( So this is a dwarven city. )I thought in awe. The dwarf ahead of us must've seen my face and started chuckling. " If you think this is beautiful, you should see the capital. There was more gold and crystal put into our main city than anywhere else you can find." He proudly stated.