Chương 522: BECMI Chapter 521 – Immortal and Eternal

There was a flash of silvery light, rising high to the heavens of this world, and the thrumming chants of the many dwarves gathered about the World Anvil of Harnadin rose to a crescendo as it did. Fire and metal gathered under hammer-blows of Immortal Power, space and time falling together as something was added to the structure of what had been made below. The Fifth Dimension, opening up Immortal Power for use.

The explosion was soundless, heatless, more of warning and symbolism, an announcement rather than a consequence. It washed across the watching dwarves and away for miles into the distance, never fading, only seeming to get stronger with the distance as it rolled forth across the world and proclaimed that a new Immortal strode the universe! The Forge-Father stepped back with an expression of satisfaction on his face, his beard of copper and mithral swirling with fire and ice in equal measure as he did so.

On his Anvil, a figure the deepest crimson of aldrcopper, yet his beard like black silver, rose unsteadily to his feet, and took his balance. Power gathered to him as he clenched his fists, and an Immortal Aura lit up around him, letting all know that here no longer stood a mortal dwarf, but an Immortal, a being who was a step beyond!" LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE I HAVE FORGED A NEW IMMORTAL UPON MY FORGE, HIMMELSTERN SON OF CREVESGUD.

GO NOW, AND KEEP THE WORDS OF YOUR ANCESTORS WITH YOU, AND TELL YOUR PEOPLE I WILL NEVER FORGET THEM AGAIN!" the Immortal smith declared, and Himmelstern bent one knee again to receive the command.

"Father of my ancestors, I will see that it is so!" he declared in a voice reverberating with new power. He turned and looked at that blank spire, and Prince Ukker and I standing at the ledge far up the top of it, where the flow of Faith had been blocked for so long. Inscribed upon the facing of the spire were the songs and tales of Harnadin passed down through the dwarves for three thousand years, making it very, very plain that they had never been forgotten!

"TO ETERNITY, MY BROTHER!" Himmelstern called out to Prince Ukker, reclaiming his Axe and gear with naught more than will. Prince Ukker raised his Axe in return, saluting his friend, whose form flashed in a blink of magic, Linejumping up next to us with no effort. We all turned and bowed deeply to the Forge Father, and then the dwarves lifted their axes to the countless Ancestors watching us, who raised their own axes, hammers, and picks solemnly in return.

Runes hissed and burned along the ground, filling with light as Himmelstern dumped Immortal Power into them, making sure that all three of us could return here, now that we knew where it was, and the Vault would not be stopping us as we did so. It would close, the Keys would return silently to their places, and no one but us would know. Us, and an old Immortal with a penchant for holding grudges against those who had treated him so poorly…

Immortal Power could ignore the Spell of Preservation. So could Eternal spells of Valence X or higher, and Immortals couldn't sense them quite as easily as expenditures of Immortal Power. I was with Prince Ukker as myself, Himmelstern at our side as I whisked Prince Ukker across the world to the Arch of Eternity. He was far from the first from the Other Shore to walk this road, over a score of Masters across the centuries having done so during this war spanning so many years.

He was also not the first dwarf to have done so, that having been accomplished by a returned Moorian Dwarf by name of Oshkander over three hundred years ago, and Elder Osh had been followed by three other Moorian dwarves who lived in the Fanglands and served under me. He was the first Changed Dwarf to do so on the Other Shore, however, the rest having naturally done so back home.

Ukker's comrade, Revered Cruxin, had been the very first to step into Eternity back home after falling out of faith with Clangyr, after doing battle in Darkmoor alongside the Moorian Dwarves. He had turned to the Church of Morning and the promise of a new day… and the time when Haki could reach across the River of Time and manifest true justice on the Far Shore.

He had long ago Sworn to Her here, then returned home, and Tek stood in for them, granting spells to the dwarves waiting for Justice and Destiny to come to them. Prince Ukker had come across to take up the Vows of a Paladin long ago, too, and Dame Adama had noted he'd heard that Call even without Her. The first Dwarven Paladin had no hesitation as he met the eyes of Himmelstern and I, nodded once, and strode forward confidently, his eyes ablaze with purpose.

Less worthy dwarves had stepped on the Road to Eternity here before. Neither of us had any doubts as to his qualifications to enter that Door.

"The dwarves await you in the Ringlands," I told Himmelstern.

"Emeril and Lalo await you below the Castle. Haki and Lunia await you at the steps of Heaven." He took a deep breath, although he no longer needed to breathe.

"Aye, out of the frying pan and straight into the fire. But changing one set of responsibilities for another." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"You've been good at that your whole life, you know. Just remember the guiding principles and you'll be fine," I assured him.

"Aye," he nodded somberly.

"There to provide leadership, und to deal with things the folk cannot, as opposed to the things they can. With little dips of kindness und compassion."

"Aye, to show you care, but random acts of kindness are often appreciated far more than blatant good deeds that often come to be seen as either babying or obligations. The obligations they should rarely know of, beyond their concerns." ============== Some more random acts: Novel Bind and other sites are scraping my stories (and others!) without permission again. If you're not reading (or hearing) this on Royal Road, you're helping pay a thief. Please read it in its original home, it's still free!

You get the foreword and afterword, author comments, and answers to people with questions! I have not given permission for this story to be copied by a bot and posted ANYWHERE ELSE. ============="The end goal bin never needing to intervene in the mortal world at all, save to provide leadership und letting them know we have not forgotten them." He eyed the Arch in front of us.

"Takes great trust, faith, und responsibility on both sides, aye?" I could only nod in agreement.

"That is truth, and why Immortals and gods alike have priests. Mortals forget, need to be reminded, need to see and experience in order to follow. You'll start seeing and experiencing it soon enough, if you haven't seen it yet. Given the years you put in as a Master, you've probably witnessed it, but not really felt it like you will."

"Aye, I bin aware of flows of Faith und belief I had no clue on before. I… cannot take them for my own, but I can return them…"

"It is dangerous to be a power that represents only one species. It sets a very Neutral preference to one's outlook. The Gallivants may have chosen human Avatars, but I think you know they don't think of themselves like that, they think of themselves as gods. It was merely convenient at the time."

"Aye, I understand. Opening your heart to those unlike you. Even goblins!" He cracked a smile as he gave me a glance.

"To be fair, that's Thor and Sif. I don't have them in the Ringlands." To be precise, it was hobgoblins, the ideas stolen by Immortals from the Doomrose Dungeon and replicated out in the world greedily… unaware that the goblins in the Dungeon were quite a bit different from those on the Far Shore. A trap they were unaware of as they replicated the Dungeon's greenbloods eagerly! The goblins of the Dungeon didn't have the Beast-man origins now only found in the Hollow World, but Fey origins!

Which meant that the entire 'minions of Evil raiding and pillaging' lifestyle was actually completely at odds with their actual backgrounds! Penalties for a lack of originality, and making plagiarism dangerous... Orcs, now, I hadn't been able to do anything about. All the orcs I knew of personally were basically brutes with extremely violent tendencies, created that way and enjoying being that way.

Unlike on the Far Shore, they didn't share genetics with goblins and ogres and the like from the Beast-men, even if they were interfertile. The orcs were thoroughly conscripted and enslaved by the Carnifex, who it turned out considered orc-flesh bland and unpalatable, just like goblins. Thus, all surviving orcs were nothing but hordes of bodies thrown into combat by the Carnifex, and were exterminated by us wherever they were found.

Some of the hobgoblins had been smart enough to try and surrender, escaping from the mass carnage the Carnifex basically forced them into. Sif and Thor had given them a chance, a land, and the training and understanding of where their roots actually came from.

"Great Chief Ragfoot bin a Master now, leads his people well," Himmelstern admitted grudgingly.

"A land of their own, knowledge to lift them from barbarians and savages to soldiers and thinkers, discipline, a sense of honor, and finally understanding right from wrong as opposed to survival and unthinking obedience. They've been given a choice, a better day to fight for, and they made the one that set them on the road to greatness," I nodded. The hobgoblins had taken to civilizing grudgingly and hesitantly, but it had been nearly ten generations since back then.

The current generation needed only look at the state and status of the goblins and their kin under the Carnifex to know they wanted no part of going back to the way things were. They'd proven their value in combat, their determination to remain free enough to choose their own courses, and their worth to the Empire.

Their disdain for the goblin hordes enslaved by the Carnifex was likely higher than any other Imperial forces, especially given how hard their cousins resisted following the way of the Empire's hobgoblin clans. The first nifloid Immortal being a hobgoblin Dynast for Time and not part of Entropy would be a massive blow to Nifl's plans once again.

"The arena you are moving into isn't as busy, but when it is, it can get very, very busy indeed. And you are a young gladiator, moving into the realm of ancient masters. You've a whole lot to learn again. Thankfully, you've got some good teachers, and great opportunities." His knuckles cracked on the Axe that had accompanied him for nigh a thousand years now.

"The Carnifex will pay, und any that helped them bin pay as well…" I nodded slowly.

"The gods are working on their parts, letting us work on ours.""'tis a pity I cannot jump back across the Shore und give that backstabbing Wushar a good thrashing," he mumbled under his breath.

"Oh, there's always a chance at that, once we reach Confluence. Remember, New Elysium will evenly span both realms then. Right now, all the gods can do is grant prayers and inspire over there. But at some point you'll be able to walk the borders of Heaven up and come down on the Far Shore again, if you are so inclined." Himmelstern looked up at the sky.

"Aye, und not long bin have passed, bin it?" he asked thoughtfully.

"At the rate things are going? Ten minutes since last we went through."

"Does it bother ye, spending so much time here, instead of on the Far Shore, Lady Edge?" the dwarf asked carefully.

"No. My opponents on the Far Shore have had thousands more years to grow than I have. I am merely making up ground and setting a stage where I can contest them. My main regret is that Sama and Briggs couldn't be here to do the same. There's nothing like a Forsaken to the skull to show some power-wielding twat that they aren't all that anymore." I smiled coolly.

"And when we go back, the gods will be able to make that trip without an issue. I think that is worth a lot, don't you?" He mirrored my cool smile.

"If the actions of the Immortals here bin any indication? Aye. All worth it…" Even if it had meant this whole world being razed by the Carnifex. Because it was going to save the same thing from happening on our side over there…