“Darlings, I know yesterday was a busy day. but more than nine hours sleeping is too much. Time to wake up!”


    Both dwarves half-opened their eyes with as much laziness as one can feel. Mim thought, for a millisecond, that all of yesterday had been a dream, but the reality was undeniable watching the demon''s inverted knees go to and fro.


    Beleg did not doubt for a moment that his bad luck was going to continue this day, he debated in the time of a sigh if the worst would be the trauma of seeing Finna fall down the abyss or the adventure that lay ahead of them was going to overcome that suffering by far.


    “While you were sleeping I went back upstairs for a while, it''s night now by the way. It will interest you to know that I have brought a guard''s fried eggs. And some bowls of milk. You have it all on the table.”


    Mim was already thinking that his relationship with the demon was reaching unsuspected and disturbing limits. Would its food be reliable? How would it really be stealing all this stuff?


    But Beleg was already getting up, already setting himself at the table and already stuffing the breakfast of one of his brethren from the fortress down his gullet.


    “I see you have no qualms,” said Mim, in a tone that was certainly scorned, but not too indignant, for his own belly was roaring with fury.


    “Come on, stop with the arguments and arguments. We''ve already agreed to go down, there''s no point in starting to distrust at every turn. And I know you''re not going to resist, we don''t even have the strength to climb the rope home.”


    Before the black-haired dwarf finished his sentence, the other was already sitting down in front of his plate of eggs and milk. The demon looked at them in delight, it had been years since he had felt that feeling when you start to gain the trust of someone who used to hate you. Now he could hardly use his magic, but psychology was still his forte.


    “And I brought you something else, a gift for agreeing to my proposal willingly” he was saying as he walked out to the entrance of the geode. “Look, a portable keg of beer! This will make your descent down the Quartz Wall much more bearable” he continued, sliding a small keg over his shoulder.


    “You''ve really convinced me with this, Gog” assured Beleg.


    “But wait... hey, hey, hey, you''re going overboard stealing things from our brothers” Beleg snapped, though without taking his eyes off the barrel.


    “Well, I''ve already told you that this is all borrowed, folks, besides it''s for the sake of saving an innocent girl. They''d understand if we explained it to them, sure. Anyway, I see you don''t want to take advantage of other people''s goods, so I''ll just let Beleg drink.”


    Mim, did a little bounce, “Okay! No need to get like that, you''re right, I''m sure they''ll understand. Go on put me a little mug, without a mug I''m not a person.”


    “That''s more like it. By the way, we leave in half an hour, as I imagine you won''t want to waste much more time before the search for your friend. I''ll be your guide, but don''t forget our deal or you won''t survive the journey, I assure you” Gog explained firmly.


    They did not doubt it.


    ----


    “By the Father of All, how can there be a labyrinth of such size under the fortress? The king must know this, if he doesn''t already” spoke Mim, rather to himself, as he followed the other two, the last in line.


    It had not taken them long to leave the geode after Gog''s words, going through a door at the back of the geode that led to a network of tunnels and which had been hidden until then by one of the demon''s obsidian furniture.


    Gog had explained a few things to them before they left, by way of introduction to the depths beneath the dwarven fortress.


    He told them that many of the caverns were natural, but many others less so, including those that the demon himself had dug with his onyx talons. Gog had many entrances to the citadel and claimed that most of them were known only to him.


    He told them to be on their guard, for he was not the only inhabitant of those depths. He also commented, in a somber tone, that he had rarely seen other apparently intelligent beings. He did not know how to describe them, as he only saw their silhouettes in the distance of some tunnels.


    This last information left the two dwarves, who had been brought up on stories of the enemy, the savage races that before the darkening of the Sun had been the archenemy of the dwarf brothers, very uneasy.


    “It was written, in the poem that brought us to this indescribable situation, that the enemies of our fortress penetrated the mountain in the last days before total isolation.” Said Beleg as they walked in the darkness.


    “And that, when they were repulsed, they were trapped in the deep caverns” he closed his somber reflection.


    “I don''t think there is anything to worry about, but keep your weapons close” said Gog. “In fact, we will soon pass a place that will surely interest you and raise your spirits.”


    Indeed, after many steps over dislodged rocks and countless forks, which made them think they would have starved to death there, lost, were it not for the demon''s guidance, they found a room larger than expected.


    It was still a distinctly natural cavern, and no light entered it except that of the dwarves'' torches and the blue light of Gog''s valuable eyes.


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    But, as the dwarf duo approached the center, following Gog, they saw through the opacity that there was indeed something there. A few more steps and putting the torches up revealed the mystery to them.


    There, was the base of the legendary Obsidian Pillar, the magnum opus of their fortress, which marked the center of the settlement rising above the central square.


    They had passed by it countless times, being not far from both the local Council and the tavern where Beleg worked. For them it was almost like teleporting back home.


    But now they were many meters below the rock they once called soil, not even the most desperate scream could pierce so much stone to the warden''s ears.


    “It is the base of the Obsidian Pillar, I am sure,” said Beleg astonished. ”No doubt its foundations were here, hidden from all.”


    “Very fancy words, dear Beleg the dwarf, but perhaps you err in saying they were - hidden - from all. Come closer to the base of the obelisk and you will see something that will catch your eye.”


    Beleg did as the demon asked, now dreading the revelation that awaited him. Mim, not wanting to be left behind, also approached with his torch.


    As soon as they approached, something very interesting became apparent: there was a text written in runic and made with prefect markings over the smooth obsidian relief.


    The one closest to the pillar, Beleg, raised his eyes to the point where the writing began and set out to read it aloud, taking advantage of the beautiful tune emitted by his vocal cords.


    “Here is engraved the oldest testimony of our people, where we record forever who we are and have been.”


    “This testimony will remain forever, for it was commanded to be made by our first king under the mountain, Gol, and his soul will always haunt it, protecting it.”


    “Long was our journey. We fled the surface hunted by the cousins like animals. We were few and fewer still we were. Then we found the caves and descended, went to the place from where our ancestors emerged, seeking refuge.”


    “Here the Father decided that we would be saved for we found the enemies, but these became brothers. They had green skin, big ears and sharp teeth. They hunted them, as they did us. They hid, as we did, They suffered, as we did.”


    “Gol, first king under the obsidian mountain, was chosen to lead both peoples. Gol commanded to build the city under the mountain around this pillar and to leave in its center the testimony of our people.”


    “Enemies will no longer be called that, but brothers. The new brothers will live with us. The new brothers will marry with us. The new brothers shall breed with us.


    “Such is the decree of Gol and the Father.”


    The end spoke Beleg in his own words, as he slowly moved away from the pillar, “How?”


    “Friend, come here and tell me that you see the same as I do, for one need not read runic to give meaning to this” spoke Mim, who now and for some time had taken to studying the face of the obelisk immediately to the right of that which the other dwarf read.


    “By the Father of All...” said Beleg dumbfounded as what was on that side was revealed before his eyes.


    Before him were a series of drawings, also carved on the obsidian of the obelisk, in which were very obvious depictions of acts that would nowadays be considered ungodly.


    There were clear depictions of families formed between dwarves and greenskins, the enemies of his people. There were some depicted inside dwarven looking homes and others in which adult figures were joined with those of children with features mixed between dwarves and....


    “No, it can''t be, this is impossible. The enemy is the enemy, period, it''s impossible, I''m not saying there can''t be peace, I''m not saying they can''t even coexist in the same space, but this...”


    Gog appeared behind them both and wrapped his claws around their shoulders. “Accept it, it is the truth, it is your history and you are not the only ones who know it. There are connections between this cavern and the council whose orders you follow to the letter. They know the truth, but they would never tell it.”


    “And the council members know even something juicier, something they would never reveal to their beloved people: within the veins of many of your fellow citizens runs a little blood of those greenskins of old. Yes, accept it, lest you be consumed by the truth.”


    Beleg still scrutinized the drawings, searching for some deeper truth that would help him put the puzzle together, that would help him understand it. Mim just knelt down and sat on the ground around the obelisk. Gog, he couldn''t see his face, but he knew he was defeated.


    These were the moments when, when it could still do his corrupting work, it would sink the teeth of perversion into his victim. Then they would become the slaves of greed and theirs. But that was in the past.


    He let the dwarf pull himself together.


    “So, if we ever mentioned any of this in the fortress... we''d end up in the pillory.” Spoke Beleg, who seemed to be handling it better, perhaps now with more interest than distress.


    “On the gallows I think” corrected Gog, the demon.


    “Forgive me if this has left you disturbed, I just wanted to show you a part of your history that I know has been censored from you for a long, long time, since before I lost my sweet ears and perfect nose” continued Gog, asserting his immortality.


    “Demon...” spoke Mim, rising again. “Are there more testimonies hidden beneath these caverns? Are there more secrets we have forgotten?”


    “Nothing like this beautiful obelisk. But there is an even greater secret, hidden deep within. Perhaps we will stumble upon it on our way. I''m sure you find it as interesting as this one. Please, let us proceed.”


    Beleg wanted to memorize the words his king had once had engraved, to remember those primitive drawings on the hardest obsidian. Mim just wanted to forget what had happened, while cursing in his thoughts the demon, for showing them such a forbidden secret. If he could, he would break those horrible drawings with a hammer.


    But he knew that obsidian is hard.


    ---


    Again they started off and continued down through rock passages. Many times they stopped, when their guide apparently struck up a conversation with a quartz growth or a coal seam. They could not hear them, but Gog assured them that by now all the minerals here were known to him.


    They went around many turns, down many feet, but marched on without trouble.


    Until, at a fork like any other, they saw a hooded figure at the end of a dark tunnel.