117 An Unfortunate Truth

Having spent several thousand years underground, Professor Kal could boast that he was not claustrophobic in the least. But even he was beginning to feel a little bit cramped as he continued down the dwarf sized corridor, his head periodically bumping against the low hanging ceiling. His methodical footsteps echoed in the inky blackness, occasional bored sighs giving them some much needed company.

Eventually, Professor Kal came across a heavy stone door barring his path. Putting his palms against it, he pushed hard, only to be met with stiff resistance. Bracing himself against the hard floor, he began to push with much of his strength. Sounds of metal on metal filled the corridor, the stone door shook slightly as his faux muscles bulged in effort. A shrill tearing sound assaulted his ears as the locking mechanism finally gave way, causing the heavy stone door to burst open and leaving a large crack running from top to bottom.

As the dust settled around him, Professor Kal quickly scanned the room before him. It was a small room, a room fit for a dwarf. A crackling fireplace was burning cheerily on the opposite side, bathing the room in a soft, warm glow. Different arms and armor decorated the room, showcasing the different styles of warfare over the years. Two chairs sat comfortably in front of the fireplace, one empty, the other occupied.

"Why are you running?" Professor Kal asked as he brushed the dust and debris from the door off of his robes.

Bolting up from his chair, the dwarf pulled a sword off of a nearby display, quickly brandishing it in defense. The speed at which the dwarf moved was surprising considering his stocky build, in just a blink of an eye the dwarf was standing directly in front of the Professor, bringing the sword down with all of his strength.

The blow was easy enough to avoid, a simple sidestep was all it took; but if it had been anyone else standing there, they would have been cut cleanly in two. The sword, having missed its intended target, whistled through the air, and bit deep into the stone floor below. Wrenching it out of its stone sheath, the dwarf quickly brought the steel to bear once more, aiming at the Professor with a wide arc from the side.

A wall of frigid ice manifested into existence, blocking the blade's path, and showering the room in sprays of ice from the impact. Moving around the wall he had just conjured, Professor Kal flanked the dwarf, bringing his fist down onto the back of his head.

Seemingly having eyes in the back of his head, the dwarf deftly dropped to the floor, avoiding the blow while simultaneously striking out with his fist. His target was the weak point found in every male specimen, the groin. As the dwarf's fist met the neither-regions of the man pursuing him, he expected to see the man topple over in agonizing pain but was completely caught off-guard as he was hardly phased by the cowardly attack.

Reaching down while trying to control his seething anger, Professor Kal grabbed the dwarf by his beard and lifted him up and off the ground. Yelping in pain while his limbs flailed around desperately, the dwarf quickly admitted defeat. After tying up the uncooperative dwarf in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, Professor Kal sat down in the opposite one.

"Who are you!? What do you want?" The dwarf asked, his words dripping with venom.

"Look," Professor Kal started while lacing his fingers together. "I just need a few tools made, if you can't do that then just sell me the materials I need. I really don't see why you're making this so difficult."

"Well, I told you we were closed."

"So, you tried to kill me?"

The dwarf shrugged his shoulders, causing the hemp robe binding him to the chair to creak in protest, "You turned out alright didn't ya? It's your own fault anyways I say."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation, Professor Kal let out a tired sigh, "That's all besides the point. Just give me what I want, and I'll be gone. I'll pay you fair market price, so there's really no reason to refuse me."

"You break into my home, chase me down and tie me up in my own chair! Then you sit there and make demands? You must really have a pair on ya, or maybe not, sure couldn't tell when I hit ya! Ha!" The dwarf finished his defiant statement with a deep chuckle, the rope and chair jerking with his laughter.

"And what are ya going to do if I don't? Kill me? Then you won't get nothin'!"

Professor Kal gave the defiant dwarf a smirk, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke, "I'll shave off your beard."

"You wouldn't dare!" The dwarf shouted out, the first signs of fear creeping onto his face.

"You leave me with no other choice." Professor Kal said holding his hands up in mock defeat and standing from the chair.

The Professor began to take his time pulling different blades from the walls, holding them up to the firelight and inspecting them. All the while, the dwarf continued to struggle to break free, shouting belligerent curses into Professor Kal's back. Having settled on a dagger with a particularly dull edge, Professor Kal slowly made his way over to the terrified dwarf.

"You won't get away with this, you monster!" The dwarf shouted out as Professor Kal grabbed a handful of his beard.

He brought the cold edge of the dagger up to the dwarf's face, pressing it slightly into his flesh. He paused as the dwarf began to tremble slightly, thinking that he was about to crack. Cold sweat ran down the dwarf's face and his breaths were shallow and ragged.

"Last chance." Professor Kal said threateningly.

An inaudible mumble came out of the dwarf's trembling lips.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I said I can't." The dwarf admitted with a defeated tone.

"What do you mean, 'you can't'?"

"Exactly that. I can't give you what you want. My wife keeps all the precious materials on her, she's the enchantress, not me."

Professor Kal let his hands drop to his side while he processed what the dwarf had just said. The dagger he held in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, the noise was deafening in the silent room. The Professor walked over to the empty chair and sat down, letting out a loud sigh, he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"This was entirely a waste of time." He said, "why didn't you just say that to begin with?"

"Well, I told you we were closed, that's why, she's not here."

"ARGH!" Professor Kal let out a frustrated moan, "My Gods! You are incorrigible. Just tell me where she is so I can move on with my life."

"She's someplace you'll never find her!" The dwarf yelled out, finding his courage once again, "and I don't care what you do to me, I'll never tell ya!"