explosion of suns, the formation of the great blackness, the swirling of galaxies, all of this I witnessed.”
“Three… three billion years?” said Dol and his arm dropped to his side and the hammer with it.
“Indeed,” said Gazadum and the roiling creature seemed to smile as it became more dragon like yet with fiery red eyes and a long purple tongue. “The shaping of a world is a time consuming process but the result is well worth the effort. You and your kind came of the twisting of Glangaldum, although that too took millions of years.”
“You claim we were not meant to be slaves,” said Dol and raised the hammer back up. “But, the legends of Craggen Steep say we overthrew your rule and took your great citadel for our own.”
“This is all true. Some of my… children, for lack of a better word, did not fully understand our plans or perhaps over the many years we forgot them ourselves. The trappings of power are great, Dol Delius of Craggen Steep, and to be feared more than anything else. No one is immune to power and the greater the more seductive. My children grew arrogant and jealous of the living creatures that arose over the years. They did enslave them and I, to my shame, allowed it to happen. My power, my strength, it was spent in the creation of my children and in the fashioning of this world. I am a shell of what once strode the earth but I do not lament.”
“You claim that you did not want to enslave us so that I might spare your life?” said Dol and turned his head a little to the side. “It seems odd to have such as you begging for your existence.”
“Quite the opposite, Dol Delius of Craggen Steep. I do not beg for more of that which I have had so much. So very much. Looking back it is clear I should have allowed myself to be slain back in Tor Balog when your kind expelled me from my ancient seat of power but I allowed my children, Hezfer the Blue Flame, Shadak the Black Fire, and of course, beautiful Eleniak the Dancing Flame, beautiful, beautiful Eleniak, to sway me. Do not mistake my words for the begging of forgiveness or for mercy; no, indeed, now I welcome you here. For of all the many years I have seen none have been more awful than these last few thousand. Sitting idly and watching. I am a creature of action in self-enforced idleness. There are many of my kind still in the stars and they will perhaps live forever, but we four chose a different road. We chose to come to this planet, to forge it, to birth life, life, Dol Delius, life. We chose our fate all those years ago and we did it knowingly. Perhaps I beg, but I do not beg for mercy.”
“Only you four then,” said Dol.
“Oh no,” said Gazadum and the dragon shape opened its massive maw and laughter boomed like thunder causing the chamber to shake. “There are many stars and many more planets yet. My people of fire, those of air, earth, and water forged into countless billions of little bands. We settled on many worlds, many, many worlds. Our plans were great. My only regret in all of this is that I will not see how the others fared. Did we four shine brightly or are our creations dull and lifeless little things? Someday your kind will traverse the stars and meet the children of the others. I will not see such. I am used up. I am tired. I am sad. After so long I find myself ready for an end. I have spoken long enough. Raise your hammer, Dol Delius of Craggen Steep. Let us see if you are the one who can end my life. But be warned, although perhaps I am ready for death, still I will cling to life. I will fight for more of that which I’ve had so much!” With that the creature suddenly seemed to finish its shifting into the shape of a great dragon, its terrible maw open and striding across the floor with motions that seemed leisurely but covered the distance between the two in a twinkling.
Dol raised his hammer and brought it down towards the side of the creature and connected with a hard blow that did not even slow the beast. Dol felt energy from the dragon shoot up the hammer and into his body, and suddenly his arm stiffened although he felt such power that his head seemed to glow with power. Dol staggered back and away from a swiping blow that missed his head by a few inches. He looked down at his arm, trying to figure out what caused the strange stiffness. First he saw that the hammer glowed even more brightly and seemed to pulse and throb. Then the reason for the stiffness in his arm became clear. His chain armor seemed to have melted into a solid mass and somehow fused with his flesh. Dol felt a presence on his right and ducked away from another strike and lashed out with a blow that landed powerfully on the creature’s lower leg and sent it sprawling to the floor with an ear-bursting roar. This time Dol watched as the energy of the beast flowed into his hammer and although much of it was somehow absorbed, the residual heat tore into him like a bolt of lightning spearing a tall tree. Dol screamed in both agony and ecstasy.
Dol maneuvered to the side of the creature which seemed to be having trouble moving and aimed a blow just as the beast opened its mouth and a ball of molten fire leapt from the beast and engulfed the dwarf warrior. He felt fire in his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes and the ripping, burning sensation pierced his lungs, and he felt his internal organs shriveling from the blast. Somehow he ignored the pain for long enough to continue forward and bring down a killing blow on the head of the beast.
Gazadum managed to squirm or flow or somehow move just to the right and the hammer came down hard on its upper shoulder region and sent it crashing to the ground with the sound of a boulder smashing to the earth after a long fall.
Dol staggered backwards and fell to one knee, his lungs burning and his eyes unable to focus. It took a moment for him to recover enough to rise back to one foot and squint so that he could see Gazadum. The terrible elemental lay in a heap on the floor, most of its dragon form now more like molten rock, and it shimmered and twisted as it tried to regain its feet. “I have you now,” said Dol and moved forward slowly, his legs somehow did not seem to work properly.
“Dol!” shrieked Milli from the doorway as she saw what she could only assume was her friend close in on the beast. His body glowed red where the metal of his armor fused with it. One eye was burned out and the other showed a milky iris. His skin was melted and burnt black where not combined with the armor and his hand appeared melted to the handle of Kanoner whose formerly lily white coloring was scorched black along one side.
Dol turned and saw as the girl collapsed to the ground, lurching forward and trying to reach out to him. Her skin was blue in color and a crusty yellow chalk formed around her lips, nose, ears, and eyes. She tried to crawl once again towards him, raised one hand, but then her head fell and her body stopped all movement.
Dol turned once again to Gazadum and raised his hammer, “Now you die!”
“I am ready,” said Gazadum from the floor, although it still tried to regain its footing.
Dol squinted through his one good eye and saw clearly for a moment that great molten tears were falling from the eyes of the ancient creature.
“You fear death?” asked Dol as he stepped forward.
“No,” said Gazadum. “These are tears of joy for a life well spent. Perhaps I will never see my children reach the stars. I will never see if they were stronger than those created by the others. But, looking at you, I think I know the answer. Dol Delius of Craggen Steep, I thank you. Perhaps you would request a boon before you slay me. Even now in my weakened state there is little beyond me.”
Dol hesitated a moment and the great power of the hammer flowed through his dying body. He suddenly felt shame, terrible, intense shame, and then looked at Milli dying on the floor and pointed at her, “Yes, great Gazadum, my friend. There is a woman in the hills not far from here. Could you send Milli to her? So that she might live a full life, a life like yours?”
Gazadum nodded his head and the girl suddenly vanished. “There is nothing you want for yourself? Your wounds are mortal.”
Dol felt the fire burning in his lungs. “I have lived my life as fully as could be, I think. No, I have nothing… wait, yes, great Gazadum. I wish to die among my people in Craggen Steep, there is something I want to say to them before I pass. Can you do that?”
“I can,” said Gazadum. “Bring down your hammer and it will be done.”
Dol, tears in his own eyes, raised the hammer high and brought it down.
Chapter 30
The High Council chamber was in an uproar with hundreds of young dwarves packing the floor and balcony of the great room shouting and yelling obscenities at the two dozen golden-armored pike warriors who protected the seven council members in their high-backed chairs.
Cordoned off were the figures of Borombus Blackiron, First Edos Fierfelm and half a dozen other dwarfs,
