World Of War (Arula: Three)

Chapter 9

They left Nork the next day. Riding on their ryder wolves across the Dwarf Clan. Dagner had managed to find five dwarves who were willing to help them find their missing comrades. It took a day and half to find a village near the border. It was there they decided to stay and investigate. When Karma unpacked in her hotel room, she headed down to the bar. She sat on the squatty bar stool and called for the bartender's attention. He came around with a glass in one hand and a dirty rag in another. He was cleaning the glass as he talked to her.

"Ciamar a chidicheas mi thu?"*1 Karma shook her head at the bartender, indicating that she did not understand. "Ah, my bad." He said in a raspy voice. "What can I get for you?"

"A water would be fine." Karma said and the bartender left and came back moments later with a glass of water. "Tell me," Karma said quickly before the bartender left to do other business. "What do you know of the disappearances of your people?" The bartender looked at her through narrow eyes.

"Why do you want to know? Did your people have something to with the disappearance of my people?" The bartender spat.

"No, no! I'm here with a few of my companions to figure out what happened with them. We're here on the half of King Harloff." At the mention of the King's name, many dwarves gave Karma a dirty look. Some even listened more intently to the conversation. The bartender even looked at her surprised.

"Is that why a human is here? No human ever dares to come in our Clan." Karma nodded.

"I fear so, but I will not rest until I find out what happened to them." The bartender leaned close to Karma, his lip nearly touching the side of her head.

"You want my opinion?" He whispered. "It was those good for nothing goblins if you ask most folks here. But if you ask me, there's more than what beats the eye. Goblins don't do this sort of stuff. Sure, they like to destroy what we value, but kidnapping? That low, even for them." The bartender stood back and wiped the bar with his rag. He was silent for a while until he spoke again. "There are a pair of twins in this town. They claim their friend fell into nothing. She fell and was not seen again."

"Where can I find them?" Karma asked. She felt very strange talking to this dwarf, and she wasn't sure if his information was true or not. But information was better than no information. So, whatever lead she could get, she'll take.

"As far I as I know, they live a few blocks down the street to your... right, I believe. But you shouldn't miss them. Two boys, and as far as any dwarf knows in this town, the only twins here." With that, he left her and went about his business. Karma finished her water and jogged up the stairs to the rooms to get her friends.

----

Karma, Omar, Dagner, and Yuza went back and forth throughout the small village and could not spot the pair of the twins. Dagner even had the other five dwarves search a different section for them, but to no anvil. They were slowly losing hope. "BAH!" Dagner said kicking the air with his stubby feet. "I should've known it was too good to be true. You should've never listened to that drunk!" Karma was just as disappointed as the dwarf was, but what else was she to believe? Apparently not a bartender that is. But there was something in way that bartender told her that that made her believe him.

He was secretive about it too, that's what caught Karma attention. She could still feel his hot breath on their side of her neck when he spoke to her. Sighing, she suggested that they head back to the inn and take a breather for the day. "Finally!" Dagner said. "Now I can have some good ale to fill my big, empty tummy!" He patted his round stomach as he turned around and began to walk back to the inn.

"Don't worry about him," Omar said to Karma as they walked behind the fast-moving dwarf. "He's just as exhausted as we are. He's a very devoted dwarf and we all know that. Plus," Omar added with a smile. "He's also a grumpy drunk." Karma couldn't help but smile at that.

"We might have better luck tomorrow, Creator." Yuza said with pride. "And I won't stop looking for those twins and for the rest of those dwarves I had promise you to help find."

"That is very kind of you, Yuza," Karma said. "But we all need rest, so let's do so and think of a new plan tomorrow." It was all agreed. They entered the inn and order a round for ale for everyone at their table. The five dwarves that Dagner had sent out join them a half an hour later and soon everyone, or every dwarf, was enjoying themselves. Even Karma had a little glass of ale herself, but she limited herself, not wanted to overdo it and become drunk. Omar, like Karma, did the same. They both watched as Dagner, the five dwarves, and even Yuza drink themselves silly and began to play dwarven drinking games. They had to teach Yuza how to play most of them. Soon Karma got bored and told Omar that she was going to go for a small walk to clear her head and head upstairs to bed.

"Be careful," he warned. "There's no place for a human in a dwarf village. That even goes for me too." Karma promised she would be okay and even promised that she would inform him of her return. Omar nodded then continued to watch the drinking game. At this point, Dagner had drunk over twenty shots, the five dwarves each a little less, and Yuza almost over thirty. They're sure going to feel it tomorrow, Karma thought as she went out of the inn.

----

There were still a few dwarves out when Karma walked around the town. Most of them leaned against stores or houses drinking from bottles of ale with one another. Some, it seemed, were doing dealings and were being very suspicious. Very few stood around at open doorways talking to each other. And a handful stared at Karma as she walked passed them. Karma ignored them. She passed an alleyway and was about to turn around and head back to the inn when a pair of "pssst!" caught her attention. In the alleyway she passed a pair two identical heads poking out. It was the twin dwarf boys she was searching for. "We heard you were searching for us." The dwarf on the right said.

"Oi." Agreed his identical brother.

"That's true." Karma said. The twins looked at each other; at Karma, then around them.

"Come quickly," the one on the right said. "And hurry before anyone sees you." Without really much of a choice, Karma followed the twins into the shadowy alley.

*1 "Ciamar a chidicheas mi thu" ~ "how can I help you"