galvarelli/kral-calls-mountberg.txt

The dwarf caves were cramped, and smelled old, as though the air had grown stale from years of disuse.
There were plenty of rooms, enough for each guard to have space for themselves.
Which was good, because Kral doubted two yaks would fit in each room.
Kral felt like if he stood up his straight his horns would scrape against the ceiling, forcing him into a constant crouch.
Furnished with little more than a too-small bed and a bare slab of rock that Kral supposed counted as a dwarf table, the rooms felt like a prison.
The electric light overhead was a pleasing warm colour, but was far too dim to see by.

Kab, the little dwarf that had led them to their rooms had said they'd be summoned again for dinner.
Which knowing these people would likely be more rocks.

Kral shook his head.
Kab had been perfectly civil.
And the other one that had insisted on guarding them was just doing what Kral would have done if the situation was reversed.
The dwarf had definitely insulted the yaks, but Kral had in fairness insulted him in turn.
No, the real reason for his annoyance was with the President.

Vaughan wouldn't have lied about wanting to stop the New Meadowlark.
But Kral had always thought Vaughan was one of the more progressive members of the government.
Was that just a ruse, hiding Vaughan's loyalty to the Hierarchy?
Or was Calvin the real loyalist?

Kral shook his head again, and stood up.
Unless he went to Vaughan with force, demanding he explain himself, he wouldn't find out whether it was just corrupt politics or a deeper evil.
Either way, he wouldn't get an answer sitting around.
At least a walk through the cave would get him out of the tiny room.

The corridor that linked the yaks' rooms led back to the entrance hall somehow, in a way Kral felt he was unlikely to be able to replicate.
He went the other way, the direction that seemed deeper in the caves.
There weren't any dwarves around as guards, which Kral found odd.
If he'd been in charge, he'd want someone near his armed guests.

The hallway ended at a round stone door, featureless.
Kral pushed it, and it swung inwards effortlessly, no hint of resistance.
It led through to another long hallway of chambers at each side.
The rooms with open doors looked similar to his own, small with a bed and table.
Kral sniffed the air, and smelled something sweet.
Coming from a closed room further ahead, with a tart note to it?
Kral knocked, and it opened.

―Hermann?

Kral was confused. Hermann had gotten one of the first rooms of the group.

―Ho Kral, what's up?
	I figured you'd want to rest a bit, maybe get groomed.

―I'd decided to go for a little walk. Why did you move rooms?

―Not sure what you mean, Kral, I've been here since the dwarf dropped us off.

―Stay here, I need to try something.
	Keep an eye out of your room.

Kral started running down the hallway, continuing the direction he'd been going.
Passing through he saw other yaks' rooms as he passed, and what was definitely his room, with his pack on the bed.
He sped up, until he reached another door, exactly like the one he'd opened a few minutes ago.
As before, it swung open easily, and he sprinted through.
And as before, he found himself at Hermann's room.

―Ah Kral, back again?
	Did you just go in a circle?

Kral's voice couldn't quite keep up with what he was thinking.

―No, I just went―
	Well yes, I suppose it ended up being a circle, but just straight lines.
	I think we're trapped here.
	This hallway, just the other end leads back to itself.

―Are you okay, Kral?
	Take a little nap or something, that might help.
	I'm sure we're not trapped, just maybe the dwarf architecture is a bit off to us.

Kral shook his head.

―Maybe, I'll go take that rest then.

Kral left, and left Hermann's room.
However, instead of turning left, toward his room, he turned right, towards the door he'd come out of.
The round door still swung easily on its hinges, the other way this time.
And once again, as he walked through he found himself in the same hallway, on the other side.


―It's a nice trick right? a voice behind him said.

Kral turned and dropped into a low defensive crouch.

―Woah there, sailor. Not here to hurt you.

The voice was coming from a dwarf who was standing in the doorway.
It had a different quality from the other dwarves they'd met so far.
More musical somehow, as if each word was being spoken by a high and low voice simultaneously.
He had a longer beard than Kab, black hair plaited into two thick braids.
His hair was also far longer than the others, in a single braid that hung at his waist.
Although as Kral looked at the dwarf's waist and hips,

―You're a woman! Kral said.

The dwarf gave Kral a strange look.

―Yes? I'm aware.

―I didn't know that women dwarves still had beards.
	I've seen pictures of Ottawans and they don't do that.

―Well, the dwarrowfolk aren't the same as the jan Kanata.
	Er, the Ottowans, whatever you call them.

She emphasised the word "dwarrowfolk" in a way that made Kral feel a sudden sense of guilt.

―Sorry, no offensive meant.
	It's just, in Galvarelli we don't get many of the, uh, dwarrowfolk, so, just not used to...

Kral let his voice trail off.
She rolled her eyes at him.

―Sorry, he stammered. Anyway, you were saying something?
	How did you show up behind me?

She sighed.

―I was just saying, you figured out that little trick.
	The hallway that's connected to itself.
	Pretty cool, right?

Kral nodded slowly.
She stepped forward and let the door close.
Then, she turned around and touched her finger to the door.
For a moment, she held her pose, and it seemed nothing had happened.
Then, prompted by nothing Kral could see, she pushed the door open and stepped through.

Somehow, what should have been the hallway was back in Kral's room.

―C'mon in, she said. I won't bite.

Kral stepped through.

―Is this dwarf magic?
	I mean, dwarrow magic?

―Of a sort, yes.
	Anyway, I'm here to ask if you would be willing to stop going back and forth through the door.
	I did a bit of a sloppy job throwing it together, and I don't want to risk any damage to space.
	If you want out, just hang tight and we'll get Chief to take you on a tour or something.
	Or just let your leaders know.
	There's an attendant hanging out with them who can take you wherever you'd like.

―Sorry, I didn't mean to cause any trouble for you, I was just exploring.

―No problem, honestly I just didn't want Kab finding out how sloppy I was setting the guest area up.
	Was napping, and I was still pretty tired.
	Not a good state to create a loop in.
	So if you don't mind, don't tell Kab or Chief about that, please?

She gave Kral a hopeful smile here.
When he nodded back, she seemed to relax.

―Sweet, thanks.
	What was your name, by the way?
	I'm Omig.

Kral snapped to attention.
―Sergeant Kralvin of the Galvarelli Presidential Guard.

―Good to meet you, Kral.
	Anyway, I'm off.
	Let me know if you need anything else.

Kral felt an odd pulling sensation.
The Meadowlark seemed to be willing him onwards, pointing out an opportunity.

―Actually, if you don't mind, I did have one question.
	I was trying to talk more with the guard at the entrance, but he didn't seem to speak the Open Tongue much.

―Yeah, that's Jod. Not big on languages.

―So, we're here because of issues with the Hierarchy.
	We wanted to ask Mountberg for help.
	Do you know what your leader would say about that?

―Well, Mountberg haven't been very responsive lately.
	Probably something Chief should be here to talk about.
	But to be honest, Chief would be asking me to send them a message anyway.
	Want me to just go ahead and send them a quick request for an audience?

―Yes, if you'd like.
	And if it wouldn't get you in trouble.
	I figure hopefully Chief wouldn't mind you saving him the trouble.

Omig nodded.

―I like you, Sergeant Kralvin of the Galvarelli Presidential Guard.
	If you weren't twenty feet tall...
	And remember, try not to go to the door at the end of the hall too much.

Omig left through the door in Kral's room.
Kral waited a moment, and poked his head out the door.
It was the same corridor that he would have originally expected.