Buvaria, underground city of dwarves

In the red rocky desert in the south of the world, there lies the large dwarven capitol of Buvaria. Flanked by tall cacti-like plants with railroad tracks sprouting forth from the numerous rocky spirals, the gateway to the city is already a sight to behold. Yet the true beauty lies beneath...

...

Seeing a stretch of barren land, Thorwall began descending the plane, eventually landing it with no issue. "A bit far from the city, but we're all in one piece," he grumbled as he exited the cockpit.

"That damn sky puma nearly killed us. I swear, they sent me off just to get me killed. Peace negotiations were never their intent," Mizata groaned.

"But we're here now, so shouldn't we try to negotiate?" Sana asked.

"Madam?" Jenna asked as she held up her phone.

"Still here, but is the city above ground?" Muki asked.

"Only the entry way," DaVinci stated.

"Better make use of those signal boosters then. I'm not gonna be in the dark for this."

"Do have some faith in us, madam."

"It's not just that. If you all get wiped or corrupted with some magic, knowing that's the case is essential for the rest of us."

"Fair concern. Shall we have Thorwall stay behind then?"

"Not your decision. I need to be present on behalf of America," Thorwall interjected.

"America's back in the old world. Unless you got means of traveling between worlds in that base of yours, all America is in this world is your tiny little base. Besides, who else will watch the plane? Won't be getting back if something ransacks it while you're all gone now."

"Then how about we bring a dwarf from the city to watch it?" DaVinci suggested.

"That'll just make me wearier!"

"How about I shield it in rock?"

"That sounds like a good idea. That way Col Thorwall can come with us," Rosa nodded.

"Apologies, madam, but majority rules are going with the plan," Jenna stated.

"Fine, but if your ride goes, you'd better hope the cars can handle the terrain."

Opening the plane's door, a problem arose as to how to get down to the ground. Thorwall was quick to suggest deploying the slides, but DaVinci solved all worries by creating a stone staircase. Once everyone was down, the cargo hold was opened and the two cars plus the military jeep were unloaded. With Thorwall taking the jeep, the others crowded into one of the cars, with Muki taking control of the final car remotely.

The drive over to Buvaria's entrance took about 5 minutes, with the drive itself being relatively smooth. Reaching the gates, DaVinci got out first and led everyone up to main gate where two bearded and armored dwarves stood with large axes in each hand.

"I'll handle the introductions," DaVinci nodded as he approached the two.

"DaVinci!? What rides... and people have you brought this time?" one of the guards asked.

"Dory, it's been 2 Vears. Everyone with me is a diplomat of sorts from various locales. The humans are all from a new city that appeared on the plains, while the elf is from Evendale."

"Evendale? They bothered sending someone?"

"She's unsure of the intent, believing the elders simply wished the journey would kill her, but since she is here, we should entertain peace talks."

"We'll leave that matter to the chief then... But the humans... I think he'll be more intrigued by them."

"Watch the cars for us then, and I do mean WATCH. No touching especially with the axes. The humans don't like it when these things get scratched."

"It made of metal? We can just pound it back if it dents."

"We'd prefer they be in pristine condition when presenting them to the chief."

"They're for him!? Come in right away!"

The gate slowly opened, but rather than being greeted by a city within, everyone was met with two sets of tracks with a minecart perched on one set of them.

"Gonna have to go in batches. These things only seat about two," one of the guards stated.

"Two Buvarian dwarves you mean. Three dwears can fill a cart, and for the humans, they're so thin they might be able to fit 4 to a cart."

"This talk of dwarf size... Are the tunnels big enough for a man like me to sit up properly without having to duck down?" Thorwall asked.

"The tunnel to the city? Big as can be so you get to see the majesty upon entering. We had many non-dwarven guests before, so our tunnels are built tall. We once had an orc, say just under 3 Keters tall, but he fit in just fine."

"3 keters?"

"About 300 cm," DaVinci stated.

"No issue then."

DaVinci then hopped in the mine cart with Rosa and Jenna joining him. The cart slowly began cranking along the tracks before blasting off at high speed, flying down at rapid speed. 

"Huh, it's like a roller coaster," Muki grumbled from the safety of the video call. 

"Blugh! I don't handle these things well," Rosa groaned. 

"Fear not, it's just the descent that's fast. Look up, we're approaching the city. 

Rosa wearily lifted her head, and was dazzled by what she saw. Illuminated by various limestones and bustling with thousands of dwarves was a large stony city. The architecture of the buildings was similar to that of Roman Empire era human architecture, but mixed with minerals and odd gravel "horns" as some would call the aesthetic. 

The cart soon reached a small platform resembling that of a train station, at which everyone got off. They then waited until the others reunited with them before following DaVinci towards the city's main entryway. Standing atop a glowing mural of limestone on the floor, DaVinci turned towards everyone and stretched out his arms. 

"Welcome all to Buvaria, capitol city of the red rock dwarves, and epicenter of dwarfkind worldwide."

"Wow, it's really beautiful," Rosa smiled. 

"Straight out of a fantasy. What type of minerals are those?" Thorwall asked. 

"We call them biodula. Their purpose is to glow, but we use arthstones for proper lighting. Now, care for a tour on our way to the chief?" 

DaVinci led the group down the main street, highlighting some of the stalls along the way. A majority of the stalls had minerals up for sale, but there were some with fungi, monster parts, and cooked meals as well. 

"The meal... Why is everything burned?" Nagako asked as she took note of the fact that most of the meals were charred. 

"Oh, dwarves here tend to have a thing for charred things," DaVinci stated. 

"What about drinks?" Sana asked.

"Juice from the kaktuz outside and water from the underground stream, unless you're in the mood for a beer-like beverage. Here the specialty is Molt malt. It's like mixing cooled lava with beer." 

"Perhaps we'll take a sample back."

"You're not going to seriously try something like that yourself?" Rosa trembled. 

"Someone will have to for science."

"Then channeling madam, I'd suggest using the prisoners as guinea pigs," Jenna nodded. 

"Your town has prisoners?" Mizata asked. 

"All from the old world." 

The group eventually reached a large staircase leading up to what looked to be a palace of sorts. Ascending the stairs, the group was met with large halls of shiny gold and platinum. A group of large muscly bearded dwarves was also present, approaching the group on sight. 

"DaVinci... I got the word from up top. So humans and elves wish to talk?" an elderly looking dwarf with a long white beard scowled. 

"That is correct."

"To the table then. Follow me."