Episode 256: The Mountain of Harkmak (1)
A donkey-drawn cart trundled along the dusty road.
“That’s the Harkmak mountain range up ahead,” the old man said, pointing straight ahead. The young man lying in the cart lifted his head.
The mountains loomed like a fortress wall, so grand they were almost intimidating.
“Impressive, isn’t it? They call it the ‘Wall of the World’ or something equally grand,” the old man continued.
“Seems like it deserves the name,” the young man replied, prompting a hearty laugh from the old man.
“But you’ve been wearing that mask all this time? Must be uncomfortable,” the old man remarked, eyeing the wooden mask the young man had worn since they met.
“It’s quite comfortable, actually,” the young man replied.
“Ah, these young folks today, hard to understand,” the old man muttered, shaking his head.
“But what business do you have in such a dangerous place? No one dares to go there,” the old man inquired.
“You agreed not to ask,” the young man reminded him.
“Ah, my memory’s not what it used to be,” the old man chuckled.
The young man climbed down from the cart and handed the old man a few silver coins. The old man accepted them with a grin.
“You’re a generous young man. Well, I’ll be heading back now.”
The old man turned the cart around, then paused, scratching his head. “What was your name again?”
“Victor,” the young man replied curtly. “You can call me Victor the Woodcutter.”
The old man drove the cart away.
Damian stood still, watching him leave. He hadn’t needed the cart; he could travel faster on his own.
But he used it to leave a clear trail of Victor the Woodcutter. That way, when the Weapon Master was dead, it would be easy for Pandemonium to trace it back to him.
“This place is treacherous,” Damian murmured, surveying the mountains.
He’d faced many mountains before, but none seemed as perilous as these.
Damian opened a pocket dimension and retrieved a travel trunk. As he opened it, an endless darkness lay within.
Suddenly, something leaped out from the darkness—a wolf made of shadows pounced on Damian, knocking him over.
-Master! Master!
The wolf licked Damian’s face enthusiastically. Damian grimaced and pushed it away.
“Get off me.”
-Master… you’re so cold…!
The wolf, named Munch, retreated with a whimper. Damian stood up, dusting off his clothes.
Then, another figure emerged from the darkness—a girl with an androgynous appearance.
“Yip! Yip!”
The girl, Mia, let out a sharp cry as if scolding Damian for not letting her out sooner.
“What’s with the attitude?” Damian glared, and Mia quickly averted her gaze, hiding behind Munch.
-Master! You’re scary when you’re mad!
“Yip! Yip!”
With Munch joining in, Mia’s cries grew louder. Damian, unable to take it anymore, raised his fist, and the two scampered off.
“When did those two get so chummy?” Damian muttered. Just then, the darkness stirred again.
This time, a knight clad in black armor emerged.
-My lord, it’s been a while.
“Yes, it’s been some time. Have you been well?”
-Nothing of note, my lord. I’ve been focused on training as you commanded.
The travel trunk was a magical artifact designed to store undead. Its interior was a vast pocket dimension.
Besides these three, skeletons also resided within, soldiers who once served Dominico and the Duchy of Almond.
-But you’re wearing a mask, my lord. I’ve never seen you like this before.
“I have my reasons. For now, call me Victor, not Damian Haxen.”
-What?
Dominico’s face showed confusion at the sudden order.
“Well, you see…” Damian briefly explained the recent events to Dominico.
After hearing the explanation, Dominico looked around in surprise.
-So, the Weapon Master is here?
“Yes, though I don’t know the exact location.”
Dominico’s expression grew serious.
-Finding a dwarf city… that’s a challenge. I’ve heard almost no humans have found one on their own.
Dwarves, with their penchant for living in caves, built their cities in secretive locations, making them hard to find.
-And searching such a vast area…
Dominico looked around the mountain range, troubled.
“It’ll be tough, but we have to do it.”
-I understand. To rid the world of filth, one must endure some hardship.
Dominico’s eyes darkened.
The reason Dominico and the soldiers of the Duchy pledged loyalty to Damian was simple: to repay a debt and to destroy the dark sorcerers.
-First, we need a clue. It’d be nice if a dwarf just dropped in front of us.
“That would be convenient, but when is life ever that easy?”
-True enough.
As the two exchanged banter, Mia tugged at Damian’s sleeve.
“Yip! Yip!”
“I’m busy now. Play later.”
“Yip! Yip!”
Mia protested vehemently. Damian frowned and turned to her.
“Why are you being so bothersome…?”
As he turned, Damian froze.
Munch had something in its mouth.
A stout figure clad in thick cloth, limbs bulging with muscle.
Damian muttered in disbelief.
”…A dwarf?”
“Let go! Let me go, you beast!”
The dwarf flailed his limbs in a futile attempt to escape Munch’s grip.
“Damn it! What kind of creature is this? How did you find me?”
“Munch, let him go.”
“Argh!”
Munch opened its mouth, and the dwarf tumbled to the ground.
“Ouch, my jaw! You stupid beast! If you’re going to let go, do it gently!”
The dwarf jumped up, shouting. Munch merely tilted its head in confusion.
“Are you from the city of Hammerstrike?” Damian asked the dwarf.
“Hmph! You already know, so why ask?” the dwarf retorted with a scowl.
“Good. Tell me how to enter your city.”
“You pale human… trying to trick me? You should know the way better than anyone!”
The dwarf’s outburst left Damian feeling uneasy.
“Know the way?”
“With undead in tow, you must be one of that bastard Weapon Master’s lackeys! If you don’t know how to enter the city, who would?”
Damian frowned.
“Explain yourself. What do you mean by that?”
Just then, Damian paused his interrogation and looked up.
From deep within the mountains, waves of magic energy erupted.
Though faint due to the distance, it was unmistakable. Someone was fighting inside.
“Dominico, hold this one.”
Dominico immediately grabbed the dwarf’s limbs.
Damian, eyes fixed on the source of the magical disturbance, commanded, “Everyone, follow me.”
Deep within the Harkmak mountain range, a fierce battle raged.
“Kill all the humans!”
“Don’t retreat! We can win if we stand together!”
Dwarves clad in armor shouted as they swung their weapons.
Their opponents were, surprisingly, humans.
“Well, well! Didn’t expect to run into these pests here!” a man on the human side laughed.
A black aura blade shimmered on the sword in his hand.
A dark knight.
And a master-class one at that.
“These fools defy our master’s orders. Kill them all!” the man commanded, and his subordinates charged at the dwarves.
At first glance, the dwarves seemed to have the upper hand, with their numbers and superior armor.
In contrast, the humans numbered only ten, armed with nothing but their weapons.
Yet the outcome was entirely different. The humans began a one-sided massacre.
“Agh! My arm! My arm!”
“Gah! Guh!”
The man’s subordinates were all knights skilled in wielding aura.
Their aura-infused weapons sliced through the dwarves’ armor with ease.
“You… demons…!”
“Our ancestors will never forgive you!”
The dwarves cursed and fought desperately, but it was futile. They were no match for the humans.
“Oh, oh no… oh no…”
Far from the battlefield, Dwarf Kilo watched the scene unfold with a face full of despair.
“This… this can’t be happening… I was only gone for a moment… oh no…”
Kilo was supposed to be with them, part of that group. But while he was away on a brief scouting mission, disaster struck.
His heart ached to rush back and help his kin, but he was trapped, unable to move.
Kilo glanced at his captors. A bizarre group: a man wearing a ridiculous wooden mask, a death knight, a mysterious young girl, and a wolf made of shadows.
It was an odd combination, but he couldn’t afford to laugh. The overwhelming dark magic emanating from them was no joke.
The situation was already dire, and if these newcomers joined the fray, it would truly be the end.
“I have to do something… at least keep these guys away…”
Just as Kilo steeled his resolve, the masked man spoke.
“Dominico.”
The death knight responded to the call.
“Yes, my lord.”
“You said you’ve been training hard. It’s time to show the results.”
A smile crept onto the death knight’s lips. Or was it really a smile? It looked more like a predator baring its fangs before sinking them into its prey.
“As you command, my lord.”
The masked man pulled a travel bag from a pocket dimension.
“Come out, everyone. It’s time to clean up the trash.”
The travel bag opened wide, and out poured dozens of skeletons.