Chapter 43: 41 – Past and Present

As I follow behind the aide, I think back to that meeting. I thought it went well. For being essentially a republic, they actually seemed to have their shit together. What really surprised me was their accents. Or near lack thereof. Was it racist to assume dwarves would have a Scottish or generally Northern European brogue accent and use more archaic phrases? Maybe. 

Besides having deeper, more resounding voices, their speech seemed completely normal for this world. Their appearance was closer to what I expected. They were all around four feet tall and had a stockier build with larger muscles. A decent amount of beards on the men, but none that reached the floor. Most were well trimmed and maintained at a reasonable length and there were a decent amount of men that looked to have kept theirs shaved. 

I really tried to come across as a ruler that had half a brain for politics, economics, and respected knowledge as much as military or economic power. I also purposefully used my armor instead of just a cloak. From glancing at the general when I walked in, it seemed he had appraisal since he went a bit white. At level 50, he wasn't too bad himself. However, I hope the message that we're small in numbers but not a group to fuck with got across. Like a small country with nukes. Yeah, we might lose a war, but we'll make it not worth starting.

Looking around when I came through the gate, after a short tunnel, it opened up into a large hollowed out dome area inside the mountain. There was the stereotypical dwarven city feel I was hoping for. The stables that Talon was taken to were down a side tunnel of the gate. She's such a sweet hippogryph. Always so well behaved. I hope none of the animals there try to bully her. Joke's on them. She'll fucking eat them if they do. 

The Great Hall we went to was a little ways into the dome. It was a large building, and walking in gave me a very 'city hall' and 'bureaucratic' feeling. Especially the lines and booths with center seating and even fucking number calls that made me think of a DMV. Oooo, I don't miss going there to renew tags every year.

The buildings I saw were, of course, all stone and had a very practical, squared off look. Similar to the brutalist architecture style. Spread along the top of the dome were multiple light magic enchantments that reminded me of supermarket lighting. 

We're walking through a main thoroughfare and there are dwarves with stalls selling food, people at stores selling the normal items, and overall, the liveliness of any surface city. We're getting some stares—well, I am—but walking with Shane, nobody said anything or tried to stop us. I'll most likely be a good source of gossip for a while. 

"I believe your name was Shane?" I asked my guide.

"Yes, Queen Midnight. I am Shane Redrik."

"May I ask about the enchantments on the ceiling? At least from my millennia old records, I was under the impression that dwarves didn't use much magic, and the mana cost to run enchantments like that must be enormous."

He explained as we continued walking. "It is true that we lack as much magical talent as the other races, and we can't recreate the ceiling lighting of our cities. They were made multiple millennia ago and connect to the dungeons of the cities to provide power. However, how exactly that was done is lost to us. Records say that the elves helped to connect them to the dungeon, but I don't know more than that. Indeed, any individual light magic for homes is done using monster cores gathered from the dungeon to fuel them."

"Very interesting. Thank you Shane," I said.

"My pleasure, Queen Midnight. We are approaching our destination," Shane said. "It is the best inn in the city, used for when council members of other cities come for meetings. I hope you enjoy your stay while here. Since it is getting late, would you like to rest for the night and tour the city tomorrow morning?"

"I would enjoy that. Thank you Shane. I would also like to know what monetary system you currently use. We have our own that is a base ten system of normal coins and big coins in metals ranging from iron, copper, silver, and gold."

I take out examples from storage to show him. He digs into a pocket and takes out some coins of his own. They look almost identical but with a different image.

"We actually use the same system. Looking at the size of your coins, they don't appear any different than ours. Our monetary system has never changed in our history that I know of."

Well that makes things simple. I guess the old vampires adopted a worldwide standard or something when they made their own.

"Then while I am out tomorrow, if something catches my fancy would I be allowed to purchase it with my own coins or would you prefer I exchange them with your government so as not to introduce 'strange' money into your system? I would hate for a tailor or shopkeeper to be accused of counterfeiting if they used my coins for something."

"That's very considerate, but should be unnecessary," he said. "Each new king or council member will request a run of coins to be minted in their image. There are hundreds of images in circulation. Yours might be an oddity, but would earn nothing more than a shrug. The size and metal content looks to be the same, and that's what they care about the most. Feel free to use them for any purchases."

"I see. They really keep the coining presses busy then."

"Ha! That they do, Queen Midnight. That they do. Here. We have arrived. If you'll excuse me, I will book your room and it will be covered by the government for this visit."

"Much appreciated, Shane."

Looking around the inn, it leaned more towards 'hotel' than it did 'fantasy tavern.' Yes, there was a bar with waiters and waitresses bringing food and drinks to dwarves sitting around at tables. Yet, there was none of the enormous tankards of ale or lager from their stereotype. Their clothing looked nicer than that of the dwarves walking around outside, but there wasn't any of the snobbishness of nobles. If anything, the groups reminded me of corporate office workers on a business trip visiting TGI Fridays or something. Lively, but not standing on tables.

Really, my preconceived ideas of the dwarves from fantasy games and novels were shattered today. This trip so far was more like traveling for a city council meeting and getting a hotel downtown for the night. Where are the non-stop forges? Where are the giant battle axes? Where is the drunken diplomacy? Is there no Adventurers' Guild? Seriously. Am I visiting my first city in a fantasy world or my local Social Security office?

Shane returns, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Here is your key, Queen Midnight. Your room number is 501. It is the nicest style of single room available and has a great view of the city. What time would you like to tour the city tomorrow?"

"Thank you, Shane." I take my key. "Would one o'clock be alright?"

"Certainly. Then I will see you an hour after sunrise. Be aware that the ceiling lights will dim slightly at night. Please enjoy your rest."

With that, Shane left and I went up to my room. Walking in, I freeze.

"Am I staying at a fucking Holiday Inn?" I mumbled to myself.

Inside, was a standard hotel layout. It was on the nicer side and very reminiscent of Earth. Kitchenette to the right of the door. Couch, coffee table, and two chairs to the left. Short privacy wall blocking the sitting area from the bedroom area. The bed was nice with white sheets. It was just a touch shorter than a standard, but not like my feet would hang off. As wide as long, so it was more of a square, with a side table. 

A writing desk and chair on the other side of the bed with a set of drawers and a closet across from it. There was even a fucking painting of the wall that looked like a POV of someone hammering a bar of iron. Window on the far side with light curtains and then thicker privacy curtains. 

A small bathroom with a sink, stone toilet, and bathtub with a sign that read, 'if assistance filling or heating water is needed, please contact the receptionist.' I thought we were pretty progressive when we introduced a water tower, and plumbing. The dwarves are essentially right behind that. The toilet here looked like the tank had to be filled after flushing, but it was still a fucking flush toilet. The sink was more of a bucket of clean water with a drain. Besides everything being built a bit shorter and without water pressure, it was close to a fucking modern hotel.

(Navi…) I pitifully spoke mentally.

(What's up, Lia? Everything alright?) she said.

(The dwarves…)

(Do we need to destroy the dwarves? Enough cores and I could probably collapse their mountain. Give me a month!)

(No. They're just a bunch of bureaucrats and I'm staying at a Marriott right now. Where the fuck is the fantasy setting?)

I spent the next dozen minutes explaining to Navi about how things went, what the dwarves are like, and the similarities I see between everything. 

(Hahahaha! That's freaking amazing!) she said. (I'm laughing so hard I had to stop flying! What's next, are the elves going to work in fast food? Are they going to be supermarket workers? Will the elves have khaki pants and name tags and have a greeter saying 'welcome to the home of the elves.' Hahaha! Oh man, Lia. I haven't laughed like this in a long time! This is so funny. 

(Well at the very least, the humans of this world seem more stereotypical fantasy. They do have a 'Monster Hunters' Guild.' Same with stories I've heard from our humans about their taverns and inns. Since magic has been suppressed for the majority, things like baths are a luxury. Don't worry, Lia. You'll get your fantasy setting back. You can experience the full, smelly, sensation of medieval Europe when you go there. In the meantime, enjoy your Super 8! Hahahaha!)

Are the humans of this world that far behind? I haven't visited the elves yet, but at least for the dwarves, they seem centuries above what I've heard from Steph and Sara about humans. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Breaking out of my thoughts, I look at the time and it's just after sunset. The lights on the dome also dimmed like Shane said. Oh man. If we can hook into the power of dungeons, enchantments could be so powerful. The wall enchantments around the city were probably powered by the Tutorial Dungeon. Thoughts for another time. Now, time to focus on the important things.

(Hey, Ailine, Anastasia. How is everything back home?) I said.

(Mommy Lia!) Anastasia called out.

(Good evening, Lia.) Ailine said. (Did you make contact with the dwarves?)

(I did. All the dwarves are really nice. I'll know more tomorrow or the day after, but chances are good that they will come to help with the tunnel and a church.)

(That's great! Good work, Lia.)

(Good job, Mommy Lia!)

(How about you two? Is everyone at home doing alright?) I asked.

(Yup!) Anastasia excitedly chirped. (I made more drawings to show you! Some of these are of me fighting monsters!)

(That's great! I can't wait to see them.) I smiled to myself thinking about her drawings.

(Things are good,) Ailine explained. (Navi found a group that Sara and her team are in route to take out. In a few days they should get there. Besides that, everything has been normal.)

(Mommy Lia! Mitena has been flapping her wings more! Maybe she will fly soon! We should have Talon teach her when you get back.)

(That sounds like a good idea. Maybe while you're asleep Talon can give her lessons and then Mitena will surprise you by flying someday,) I said.

I highly doubted a hippogryph could teach a dragon to fly, but I'll fucking cut anyone that tells my daughter that straight to her face. 

(Yeah!)

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After talking for a bit more, they continued their night, and I finished mine going to sleep in my hotel room. What a trippy fucking day.

The next morning I head downstairs to see Shane already there. 

"Good morning, Queen Midnight."

"Good morning, Shane."

"Is there anything in particular you would like to see?" he asked. "Also, I was informed that His Majesty and the Elder Council have come to their decisions on what you discussed yesterday. They will be holding a meeting later in the afternoon and will inform you of their decisions at that time."

I'm a little surprised. "That was quick. Then I will certainly be there. I would like to stop by the stables first so I can feed Talon. Then if possible, I would like to see the dwarven forges. I have always connected dwarves and blacksmithing in my mind. Besides that, I would enjoy seeing your people interact and learning more about your culture. Maybe a market area. Or visiting a church tomorrow."

"Certainly. Then we can depart as soon as you are ready."

Walking out of the inn, we make our way along the main road and I look around at all the people going about their day. It reminds me a lot of the couple times we've taken Anastasia to the town during the day. People going to and from shops. Kids running around chasing other kids. There really isn't a difference. 

I arrive to find a well behaved Talon with empty stalls on both sides. Looks like they gave her some breathing room. Giving her half a deer and refilling her water, I also answered some questions that Shane had from the leaders about how far travel was, terrain, etc. He handed a letter to a soldier with answers and then we continued on.

Our population is still low, but in a city like this, it isn't like there are millions of people running about. Actually, this might be a good thing to check. Elden didn't have any info when I asked him.

"Shane, while we are out, I would like to ask you some general questions. The knowledge we have of the world is from the old vampires, so I would like to get as much of a feel for the current situation as possible."

"Of course, Queen Midnight. I was given permission to answer about anything not deemed classified."

"Do you know any information on the demographics of the races? Mainly what the population of the races are? Or the size of their military? From the books we have, the dwarves had five cities, with this being the largest. What happened to population numbers after the war with the vampires and more recently against the humans?"

Shane nods and takes on a teaching tone. "You are correct that we have five mountain cities. The majority are to the south of our lands and work as a protective buffer against invasion. We have numerous smaller towns or villages outside of these cities. 

"As for population, I can only speak of the dwarves with any degree of accuracy at all. The majority of our people live outside of the mountains, which makes them almost more like fortresses or castle towns, with the leaders being protected inside. 

"Population wise, there are roughly two hundred thousand dwarves. Our population hit an all-time low during the final days of war with the humans, and even now, we are still recovering due to our slower birth rates. Our military is always around ten percent of the population. We have a mandatory decade of service when a dwarf becomes an adult, so most of our citizens have some level of training with weapons and are at a level that they can defend against most common monsters. Here in the capital of Dunmoor, we're proud to be able to house fifteen thousand with half being military.

He paused to gather his thoughts before continuing. "Since the standstill in the war with humans, our population has primarily concentrated further north. Using the mountain cities as a buffer should the humans ever attack. This does hamper our ability to farm on a large scale, but the exchange for security is readily accepted by many. The northern settlements focus primarily on hunting and trapping around their towns and villages.

"As for the elves, if I remember correctly when the war against the humans was slowing, they had under five thousand people left, but they all retreated at once from the front line in the final days before the pause for a still unknown reason. They haven't had interactions with others since then. That we know of, at least."

I was a little surprised by the number of elves. "That few?"

"Yes." Shane smiled sadly. "All of the races had populations at an all-time high before the Vampire War. They all lost about three-fifths of their military forces' original numbers to the vampires. The elves lost more because they were targeted heavily for being good magicians. Almost all elven mages were killed. There are stories recorded about vampire assassins taking out entire companies of mages in a single night. 

"How true old tales are, I can't say. Although, it's a fact that all races' populations sharply decreased during the war. Especially at the vampire's last stand. Multiple reports from that time corroborate each other, so it is safe to say that it is true that during the final battle when all remaining forces converged, the estimate of soldiers that died was close to one hundred fifty thousand in order to kill an estimated one hundred fifty vampires. The saying recorded as being popular at that time was along the lines of 'a vampire is worth a thousand lives.'

"Each of the vampire cities that were besieged were taken at the cost of thousands of lives. In our history, not only did we disappoint the gods for joining the coalition, we also lost many of our strongest and best warriors. It is still seen as our greatest blunder, and even in schools, it is taught as an example to not be too rash in decisions.

"During the war, the elves and dwarves also had major losses to our civilian population. Being flanked by the monster lands, historians now theorize that the massive incursion into the land disturbed the territories of the stronger monsters, sending them north and south into our lands. At the time, both races had larger populations towards the center of the continent in less hostile climates. 

"It makes sense when you consider a massive offensive of hundreds of thousands all marching through the area. The smarter monsters abandoned their homes, and like a plow, they were pushed to both sides and made new homes in the areas with the least resistance. Our homelands. With almost our entire military force engaging the vampires, we lost many towns and villages overnight to monsters without sufficient defenders. Because the counter offensive of the vampires is recorded as being so fierce, no races could spare to send many men back to protect the home front."

As we walked, I eagerly listened to him. "You seem quite knowledgeable on all of this, Shane."

"Thank you." He smiled back, proud but slightly embarrassed. "During university, before I became an aide for His Majesty, I heavily studied history and was fascinated by the Vampire War and the early wars against the humans."

"I see." I remembered a quote from Earth. "Those who don't learn from their past are doomed to repeat their mistakes in the future."

"That… is quite profound, Queen Midnight."

I wave it off. "It's just a bastardized quote I once heard. And what of the elves?"

"For the elves, it only got worse," he explained. "During the centuries of wars against the humans, they targeted the elves more so than dwarves. With many of the elven mages dead, their military power was severely limited, even more than ours. The humans took advantage of that.

"The elves also didn't have any large cities besides their capital, choosing to live in smaller and more spread out groups. Outside of their capital, there weren't any substantial walls to speak of and the human numbers were so large that they essentially flooded the forests. Without the numbers to defend a large war front, the elves were decimated. With their low birth rates, I doubt there are even ten thousand elves left.

"The humans lost the most numbers in all of the wars, but they reproduce so quickly that if I was to estimate based on numbers from the last war… Perhaps between three or four million humans? Maybe more. It's hard to get any accurate count, but with their high number of large cities and low monster attacks, from the records we have, that would be my guess. They have so many villages and towns as well. They are quite numerous. I believe their capital at one time had over three hundred thousand residents."

That's… both a lot, but not many at the same time. This world really is so much smaller than Earth. From the maps I found and using the flight here as a scale, the continent is probably around the size of the US forty-eight and half of Canada. Only the far west is uninhabited because of monsters, the far north is rugged mountains, and the vast forests of the south sound almost like the Amazon. With these, everyone is more pushed to the open areas towards the center, of which the majority is controlled by the humans. Still, populations seem low for that amount of land, but I guess it could be like a post-plaque Europe in terms of losing most of the people.

The humans alone are only as numerous as what, Utah or Connecticut? But they're spread over a much larger area. Hell, even just getting here, Talon had to fly us damn near seven hundred fifty miles. While in flight, there was nothing in between. Like flying over northern Canada or Alaska level nothing. With that many humans spread out, no wonder nobody blinks when travelers or even villages disappear. Yes, the world is small in comparison to Earth, but the potential for growth is massive if this is really close to the population totals.

"Ah, here we are at the forges already," Shane said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "We have a section of the mountain with enchantments designed to blow all of the smoke out of the mountain. A mirrored enchantment on the other side brings fresh air in, so there is almost always a very slight breeze here in Dunmoor."

Now here is something much more 'fantasy dwarf.' An entire block with no buildings, just furnaces, anvils, and dwarves. Almost all of the dwarves here kept their beards shorter or trimmed. That always made more sense to me for working around fire than the long beard trope. 

With a cacophony of hammers striking metal, I'm able to check off watching dwarves smith items from my magical-world bucket list. I just watch them work for a while. Satisfied, we moved to the markets and I bought various things for those back home. Things like hats, patterned fabrics, large rugs, stuffed monsters and animals, they even had beer mugs that said 'his' and 'hers.' Even though we'd never use them, I bought two that said 'hers.' Spending money while on a trip also helps that place, even if just a little. 

Finally, the afternoon rolled around and I was brought back to the Great Hall. Seeing that the light magic lights were off and the lightbulbs were being used, I unequipped my armor and equipped my clothes while walking in. This time along with my crown, I wore a red long sleeved off the shoulder dress with a thigh slit and a V-neck line. I must say, Ailine's ability to alter some of the old dresses is amazing as this fits like a glove. 

Making my way to the center of the room, I see the King at the end and the five Elders. I also notice the Head Priestess who still excitedly jitters like she snorted a line of cocaine. The captain I first met is here, but looks worn out and resigned for some reason. There are also a few others I don't recognize.

King Rancorock speaks as I get to the center of the room. "Greetings, Dalia Midnight, Queen of the Vampires. Thank you for coming again before us."

"Greetings, Aiden Rancorock, King of the Dwarves, Elder Council members, and esteemed guests. Thank you for letting me stay and having Shane escort me. You have a wonderful city and happy people, and I was glad to see a portion of it," I honestly said.

"We are happy to have you." He smiled slightly then went back to his stoic expression. "Now then, down to the main topic. After discussion with the Elder Council, your proposals were all accepted. In exchange for the storage pouch and items you displayed yesterday, we will send a qualified team of five dwarves with expertise in creating and managing large tunnels. Head Priestess Alienor and a fellow priest will also be going. For the safety of my people on the trip, Captain Dridok and two squads will also escort them for the duration of their stay in your city. While in your city, a portion of his men will also assist on the tunnel."

I nodded at his offer. "I would gladly accept all of them. Thank you for agreeing to the trade."

"Thank you for bringing it to us. As you said, a mutually beneficial working relationship will be good for both of our people." He paused for a moment. "We also have a request of our own. We would like to send five dwarves as observers to your city. Just from the things you have already shown us, I believe we could learn from your knowledge. What would be acceptable for these observers to learn more about your city, people, and creations?"

Oh? That's actually great. I wanted some type of cultural exchange in the future, so this just moves things along. The dwarves are shaping up to be good partners for the future.

"King Rancorock, if I may. I welcome that with open arms. All I would ask is that sometime in the future, we be allowed to do the same here. I want to create a place where all the races can learn and interact with each other. Of course, any state level secrets are protected, but anything that we have opened up to our own public, including the castle library and Tutorial Dungeon, they are welcome to access, ask questions, and learn from. I can give them a guide or they are welcome to wander and explore the town as they see fit. They will be informed of specific laws that all citizens must follow, but I think a cultural exchange is a great idea."

"Elder Council?" he said, looking at the dwarves to his side.

One of them says, "I move we accept the trade of sending five observers with the dwarven team in exchange for Queen Midnight bringing her own at a to be determined time in the future."

"Second."

"Third. Your Majesty?"

"Approved." King Rancorock hit his gavel. "Thank you Queen Midnight. That was all we had for you for today. Our team should be ready to leave in three days and we estimate travel with the wagons to be about three to four weeks. You are welcome to stay and explore the city. Will you also be traveling with the caravan or do you plan to leave before then?"

"That is excellent," I said. "I plan to join the caravan as an additional guard. Talon, being a monster, can naturally intimidate monsters of a lesser level. Since I raised her to level 59 so far, the vast majority of monsters keep their distance from her. This should also make travel a bit easier. We will also hunt for our own meals, and many times while looking for monsters, we will come across deer or other small game that we can give to the caravan. Nobody wants to travel solely on preserved trail rations."

"I see. Then for today, let's end discussions here," he said. "Have a good evening Queen Midnight and we will plan to see everyone off on the morning of departure."

With that, I went back to my hotel room and looked out the window to the evening streets below with my cloak on. Another step in the plan is complete. After I get home, I plan to visit the elves. I hope everything goes well with them, but that warning from Chaos doesn't bode well.

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