In particular, it calls to light how these Thirds hardly ever come to the surface, and rely solely on propaganda. To use her phrasing, as she insists I do for this work, “Kept in the dark and fed goat shit.” This also seems to apply to anyone who is acting foolish. A fitting phrasing, if a bit crude. The Dvundae do have a soft spot in my opinions though, as I stated in my Positionality section.
-From Philosophies of Smoothskins: Chapter 2: Third Genera
Another fist slammed into Gorthal’s eye with a meaty thump. “Talk!” the younger dwarf said again with a sneer.
Del snarled, cigar blazing as she moved in front of Hux, other patrons rushing out.
Fuckin’ bastards!
She made herself wide, a wall of muscle and determination in front of her date, instinctively needing to protect the other woman. Del counted how many there were, hands resting on buckler and ax as she did.
Eight Dwarven men, all well dressed, all with braided and beaded beards.
Tydrik.
By the runes embroidered in gold thread on their jackets, they were members of several noble clans. Powerful ones. Diamond-Dust, Golden-wheat, Ice-Ax, and Ruby-Blood were all familiar, though she didn’t recognize two others.
Copper-Spear and Emerald-Eyes.
“I don't know what you are talking about.” Gorthal said, coughing as more patrons ran out. Others stayed to watch, horrified.
“We've lost several shipments, old man.” The leader was saying, wearing the Golden-Wheat runes.
Thwack!
“Admit it, thief, these are stolen! Then we can just confiscate them and be on our way.”
“I bought them! You can’t just decide you own them!” Gorthal said, blood dribbling onto his white apron.
Fury burned inside her, for her loss of status, for these new jumped up nobles, and that a friend was in pain. Delre knew that if she intervened, there would be a good chance the fools would recognize her, which could cause problems depending on how the coins landed.
But Gorthal… He wouldn’t back down. Her fists shook at her sides. And they probably could kill him and get away with it. She owed him too. Obligations she could never pay off.
“Del, what’s the plan?” Hux whispered, and she winced as a tankard smashed on the floor. To her credit, she was glaring at the Dvundae men beating on the bartender too.
She swore, cracking her neck. “Sorry Hux, something needs to be dealt with,” Del said, cramming the cigar into the side of her mouth. Del grabbed one of the fleeing drinkers and shoved him against the doorway. She glared down into his eyes, barely noticing her height advantage. “You a local?” She asked, grimly.
“Y-yeah…” He said, and she glared harder, his face flushing in shame for his cowardice.
She moved her hands like she was striking a flint. “Find them and it cancels your shame.”
He nodded, determination filling his eyes before he stumbled off, rushing deeper into the Dregs and knocking aside a pedestrian with a hasty apology.
Gorthal saw her then, his mouth and nose dripping blood. He shook his head.
Not subtly enough though.
“Who's this, your granddaughter?” One said, leering with dark beady eyes like an eel.
“Nah, too pretty to be.” Another said, his eyes crawled down Delre to her hands, crawling back up just as grossly, lingering in the usual places, “Not hitched yet though.”
That’s when she recognized one of them. Kruvlan Ice-ax.
“Urgoth, she looks familiar…” He whispered. Urgoth Golden-Wheat then… Too bad it wasn’t his eldest brother, though she would have heard about that one visiting Salkov.
Gotta end this quickly.
“Del? Plan?” Hux insisted.
“Oh, don't worry about your grandfather, little crystal,” the Copper-Spear said, moving to cup Del's cheek. “I'll make you forget all about-”
She kicked the hopped-up merchant square in the bits.
With a sound like a shrieking kettle, the Copper-Spear noble fell to his knees, holding himself. Del put her foot back down and grabbed a tankard from one of the closer tables.
Smash! Thudumbump!
He crumpled like a sack of potatoes in a bleeding heap after the mug shattered against the back of his skull.
The complete silence was broken by Hux, who snorted with mirth. “Damn, that answers that question.” She almost purred, though Del barely noticed it, it wasn’t a time to be distracted.
“Picking on a graybeard? All you fuckin’ shrooms are cowards!” She shouted, glaring. Purposely keeping the door spread wide. Let the city hear!
They all bristled, first at being called shrooms, and even more at being called cowards.
She didn’t stop there.
“And not just a graybeard! A vet of the Crimson Axes! A tradesman with a set of platinum scales! A pious man!” She pointed at the banner behind the bar, the scales up on a shelf, his helmet, inverted for coins to be donated to the Grotto.
The other Dvundae rumbled, already talking about challenge, several who had been running staying to make sure all could witness it, and others from the street pushing in, despite the danger.
Fuck it.
She grabbed a pitcher, sniffed it to make sure it was water, then doused her head with it, washing away the soot so that her platinum blond hair gleamed in the aetherlight.
“I recognize her!” It was Kruvlan.
Del smiled like they were chatting over pretzels, “Hey Kruv. How’re your sisters? Still sweet as new beer?” She stepped forward as she said it. She would have preferred more poetic insults, but sometimes, crude just felt right.
The brunette bearded man stepped back, drawing his hatchet with an oath and a glare, and his eyes bulged. “That’s the one! Delre! The exile from the Steelfists!” Kruvlan snarled, taking a step forward.
Urgoth sneered. “What, so you couldn’t keep my sister-in-law so now you are dredging the bottom of the barrel?” He turned that sneer to Hux, who stormed in.
Del held up a hand, stopping her. “You’re one to talk, seeing as you only ever drink out of the gutter. Or your brothers bung.” The crowd roared, and Urgoth turned purple.
She cracked her knuckles, and she could see all of them shift nervously. They knew who and what she had been. And even then she could see that Urgoth’s pride was getting the better of him.
She wanted to buy time, keep them talking. There had to be some of the Sparks left in the area.
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Hux pushed Delre’s arm aside, stepping around Del and grabbing a stool, smashing it into the side of one of the Diamond-Dusts, not slowing, and grinning like it was a holiday.
Del blinked, the whole bar going still, trying to decide if that was allowed given the situation.
“Tydrik…” Del chuckled, “you get more attractive all the time!”
The dam burst and all hells broke loose!
She ducked under a thrown tankard and bellowed out a warcry as Kruvlan charged her. The crowd roaring to life.
Don’t got armor, gotta remember that!
She grabbed her buckler and knocked the hatchet to one side, sparks flying.
“I’ll kill you, whore!” He snarled in Dvundae.
“If that’s what I am, what is your mother?” She shot back, stamping on his foot and slamming her head into his nose. “Did I mention you don’t look anything like your father? Way more like your uncle.” Del grinned, and just like she hoped he swung wildly in his rage, letting her jump back and kick him hard in the thigh to start wearing him down.
The crowd roared to life, cheering her on.
Hux dodged back from a swing from Urgoth, lifting her arm to keep a thrown tankard from smashing into her face, hissing in pain as it bounced off to shatter on the floor.
Gorthal fell to the floor as the two holding him joined the fray.
Crash!
Del staggered as a chair slammed into her back.
The crowd booed!
She spun, fingers of her empty hand spread, catching the culprit by the throat and slamming his forehead against a table, splintering it and sending him to the floor.
“Del!” Hux shouted, lip split, tossing the stool, choking another one as she smashed his toes with the heel of her boot.
“Thanks!” Del caught it and swung it one-handed. The sleeve of her shirt split as muscles built by hours of forge work and honed to battle bulged. And the improvised weapon banged into the Emerald-Eyes and the two Ruby-Bloods, knocking all three to the floor with a crash.
Thunk!
PAIN.
Del yelled as Kruvlan’s hatchet sunk into her side, blood staining her shirt. Gods it hurt.
“Bastard!” She snarled, rage giving her strength as she grabbed his wrist. He punched her with his own buckler and she staggered back, his hatchet pulling free. Blood spattering.
She bounced against the bar.
“Here, Del!” Gorthar tossed her a bottle and she pulled the cork out with her teeth.
Fire filled her as she took as big of a gulp as she could manage. Spreading to her fingers and toes.
Battle brew! Gorthar’s best.
Tydrik. She had needed this.
She roared and charged, pain forgotten, eyes hard as polished granite staring down Kruv as she did. She could see his resolve waver.
“Don’t you fucking run you fuckin shroom!”
She grinned as she saw his jaw firm, planting his feet and trading his hatchet for a chair. The crowd roared.
She swung her stool, and he had to grab the chair with both hands to block it before countering with his own swing. She staggered back, side painful, reminding her she was alive as the swing missed by inches.
She heard something whirling through the air.
“Delre!” It was Hux.
She ducked and Kruvlan had to lift the chair up to catch Urgoth’s whirling hatchet. Del didn’t slow, charging forward and smashing the chair to bits, breaking the stool as well.
Her buckler hand grabbed Kruvlan by the scruff as her fist slammed into his face over and over until he shouted “I yield!” though a bloody nose. Del threw him, toppling several tables as the patrons spat at him, turning slowly to face Urgoth. Letting Kruvlan crawl away in his shame.
Hux was over in the corner with the other Diamond-Dust, a fresh cut along her temple as she kneed his chin again and again, snarling.
She’s got it. She had to drag her eyes away, her passions tangling together.
Del looked back to Urgoth. He looked nervous, reaching for something to fight with, but the patrons pulled all the likely candidates out of his reach.
Could fight him as is, kill the bastard. But then his brother would show up. And she didn’t want to chance Anna coming to Salkov. She didn’t know what she would do if that happened.
She pushed her memories away, it wasn’t the time. Need a drink…
“You and me, right here.” She challenged. “No weapons, no shields.” She would take him apart. She tossed her hatchet and buckler to the ground.
The doors burst open, and several dozen of the Sparks charged in, grim eyed.
“That or fight all of these for beating up a good friend of theirs.”
“What terms?”
“I win, you never come back, and you never make false claims in this city again. You shrooms think you got the right to everything? Just because you knucked under to some bean-pole with spells?” She was shouting at the end, several of the Sparks cheering her words, as was the crowd, who were still grumbling at Urgoth throwing his ax at her back.
“You and your friends leave, and never return. None of you ever try to hassle any of us, and you damn well don’t mention my name, or you will be labeled an oathbreaker and a coward.”
Urgoth looked at Delre’s wound then back into her eyes. She put her hand to her side, playing it up a bit, though it wasn’t hard. It really did hurt. Lukas is going to skin me for this. They were running out of medicine as it was.
“Fine. But if I win, I get to kill you and the old man and take this shithole for my own holdings.”
Del looked to Gorthar. He nodded.
“Done.”
As soon as she spoke Urgoth charged, swinging a bunched fist into Del’s cheek, knocking her to the floor. He immediately pinned her.
She swore as blows rained down from the man, his knuckles hard as ball bearings. She caught one and roared as she punched him right in the gut making him double over and stagger back. Panting she stood, staggering up, having to press a hand against the ground before she could manage it.
Gods, overestimated myself. She could see she had left a smear of blood on the floor, her shirt was soaked with it. Gotta end this quick!
Urgoth charged in, and she ducked under his first, checking him with her shoulder and went for the uppercut.
Urgoth sidestepped, then grabbed her shoulders.
Shit!
She screamed as his knee pounded right into her wound, blood spattering onto the floor as she shoved him away, staggering as she backpedaled. The rage came back and she turned, arms up, blocking the next punch and swinging, but he ducked under it!
Crack!
His own uppercut that almost chipped her teeth.
He’s been trained to duel!
She smiled, grunting in pain as she turned to take a hit in the stomach so he didn’t hit her wound again. She had been trained to win at all costs.
Her knuckles cracked as she twisted back.
THWACK!
Finally getting the little princeling with a beauty of a left cross. Her foot slammed down, hobnails biting into the wood as her boot swung hard into his thigh. Both of them snarling in pain, her because of the wound, him because his entire leg had just gone numb with the pain.
Urgoth staggered, and she circled, popping him twice with a pair of quick right jabs. He reeled, fighting to gain footing, his left leg not responding correctly. The crowd was screaming with the frenzy of the fight! Hux was being held back by some of the sparks, cheering her on!
Delre hooked his foot, and the noble smashed into another table face first, the candle toppling and burning his ear. He screamed and swatted at it, cursing.
She reached down and grabbed the back of his jacket, gritting her teeth as she picked him back up shoved him towards the bar.
Bang!
Urgoth gasped as his spine hit the edge of it, barely having any time to glare at her before her fist smashed into his face. He started to slump.
Oh no you don’t!
She grabbed his collar, not wanting it to end yet, but he had already gone limp, mouth agape, all eight of his main front teeth missing. She let him go, and he slumped back to the floor.
One of the Sparks walked over, picking up a spittoon, splashing him in the face with the vile liquid inside it to wake him up. Coughing and retching he struggled to get his bearings even as other members of Del’s old crew grabbed him and his friends and threw them bodily out of their bar.
“Thanks, kid.” Gorthar said, holding out the bottle again.
Delre took it, gulping more down.
Hux stepped over and tore open the cut in Del’s shirt, looking at the wound. “Gods Del… You’re way more fun than I could have hoped.” She grinned.
A bit bruised.
It looked good on her.
Del grabbed Hux’s shirt and yanked her into a swift, fierce kiss, laughing as her heart pounded from the fight, Battle Brew coursing through her body. Wonderfully, spectacularly alive.
Del grinned. “So are you.”
“Mmmm… The crowd cheering was a nice touch.” Hux said, pressing against Del, though the moment was cut short as the Dvundae warrior winced.
“Here.” It was one of the Sparks, Rithar, he had been exiled around the same time Del had. He held out a potion for Delre.
She gulped that down, pouring some of it right on the wound as well, sighing as it stitched up on its own.
“I owe you Del.” Gorthal said.
“We all do.” Rithar said. “If you need a hand with anything… I know you want to be with them Delmarvas, but hells, we owe you.”
“Well, funny thing that…” Del said, with a grin.
Later, having negotiated their help, mostly trying to talk them down so she didn’t feel like she was in their debt, Del was walking Hux back home. The Sparks had agreed to collect the forge bricks, and to help build up the hideout in the next few days.
“Sorry about that again.” Del said, holding the bag of tovrik cigars in her one hand. She had bought out Gorthal, the only way she could get him enough gold to pay for the damages the fight had caused.
“Del, I told you, that was a lot of fun.” Hux said, standing outside her door. “Did… you have fun?” She gave Del a slow smile.
Del made a show of thinking about it. “Yeah, all things considered, I did.” A notion lingered in the back of her mind though.
“Good. Don’t be a stranger then.” Hux leaned down and gave the dwarf a kiss, just a quick one.
Delre stared up at Hux. Their eyes locked.
“Fuckit…” Del grumbled.
“Wha-”
Del grabbed Hux by the scruff of her neck and pulled her down into a much longer, passionate kiss, drinking the other woman in, still riding the adrenaline from earlier. Tongues mingled like folding steel, and Hux’s fingers clung to Del’s shoulders in a way that only stoked her more.
She pulled back with a soft popping sound and stared hard into those ember eyes of the taller woman. “Let me in…” She whispered.
Hux grinned evilly and pulled Del into her home, the door slamming and locking behind her.
Del couldn’t wait, pressing the Hovenni into another kiss, easily lifting her off her feet as the door rattled. Her lips trailed to Hux’s throat, reveling in the soft gasp from the other woman, the smell of her, the feel of her earlobe in her mouth.
So… long… She had ached for this for over a decade.
Somehow Hux got back on her feet and dragged Delre through the cramped space to a bed just big enough for both of them. She shoved Del onto it, her lips pressing hard against the dwarf’s once more.
They both took advantage of the lack of neighbors on the floor below until the early hours of the morning.