PROLOGUE: PILLAR OF LIGHTNING

***The Land of the Dwarves, sometime in the past…***

The rumble of the thunder and peals of lightning tore through the skies of the land of the dwarves, in one of the rare weather disturbances of their realm in its recent history. As it was an uncommon event, everyone stopped whatever they were doing, and headed for the nearest shelter, while the first drops of rain fell to the cobblestone roads, and dirt paths that dissected every dwarf settlement.

“Don’t leave those goods behind! Get your asses up and running; take those inside the warehouses!”

“Hurry, or everything will be soaking wet soon!”

“Skywater!” cried the tower guards, and every dwarf—adult and child scrambled to keep their precious goods dry from the downpour. Fortunately, the rains came just as the last of the cargoes was secured inside the warehouses, and the villages were almost devoid of any dwarf without the special attire for the weather.

Or else, they’ll head for a bout of sickness, as the rain is their weakness, being the ‘children of the stone’.

And so, the thunderstorm arrived. Much to everyone’s dread and shock, it was one of unusual severity, as the rains obscured the dwarves’ vision to just several steps away. There was also a prevailing sense of fear, as they watched the roof of their homes soaked in the downpour, with the excess water seeping through any available gaps. Any more of those, and their structures would surely collapse.

Then, it happened. A tremendous flash of lightning broke through the dark clouds and struck one part of the dwarven realm. The unusual thing about that pillar of light was that there was no thunder that followed; rather, a powerful explosion echoed and was heard in nearly all the dwarf settlements and villages scattered across their realms. Of course, everyone was frozen from fear, but they soon realized that the lightning won’t disappear.

With their surroundings unnaturally illuminated even when against the heavy rains, the dwarves finally mustered the courage to send their bravest warriors towards where the lightning met the ground. Armed with their Warhammer and battleaxes, they rode through the rain for several miles, crossing the gaps and voids that separated each mountain peaks that marked the borders of every dwarf village existing. The thunderstorm made it even more challenging as the dirt paths became muddy and slippery, forming occasional torrents of water in some routes and causing deaths and injuries among the dwarf parties racing to reach the lightning pillar.

Soon, a dwarf party led by a dwarf warrior named Hughes reached the place. By then, his group had already lost several of their comrades to injuries, and four of them to deaths after getting drifted by the water coming down the mountain peaks and falling into the voids. Though his group was considerably larger when they first set out, now they were in danger of annihilation from the hazards they encountered on the road.

“Careful when approaching the light!” Hughes cautioned his companions. From where they stood, they could feel the heat, even as it was supposed to be cold. The mountain peak where the lightning pillar led them showed signs of violent damage; the unusual weather phenomenon had cut through and pulverized the prominent boulders that formerly marked the site.

However, what made them realize the full extent of its power was then they came upon the ridge that hid the center of the spot.

“Mar Hughes,” said one of the dwarf warriors, “I think this is no ancient ridge. The grasses looked as if it was burned, and the ground is too loose and unstable for this ridge to be formed in the ancient age.”

“So do I,” the dwarf captain nodded. “This is a crater must be created by that skylight, probably when it hit the ground over there.”

“My liege, what should we do then?”

“Do not let your hearts falter, brave warriors of stone! ‘Tis but a pillar of light, and if it will harm us, we’ll fight! If we die, then the stones willed it. We can’t possibly go against what is written in stone! Onward, my brave fellows!”

The sheer brightness of the lightning pillar made it impossible for the warriors to look at where they set foot. As they inched they way down the crater’s center, they had to turn their heads away, as their leader guided them. He wore a helmet with an eye-slit, but the powerful light still burned his sight.

But then, just as they reached a certain distance into the crater, the lightning pillar suddenly dissipated. As surprised as the dwarves were at the unexpected behavior of the weather phenomenon, they were even more shocked to see what that ‘lightning’ concealed in its center.

“Mar Hughes!” one of his warriors cried out the moment their visions settled. “My eyes must be playing a trick on me, for I see a person at where the skylight struck!”

“It’s not, I assure you,” Hughes countered, readying his battleaxe. “I’m also looking unto what your sight has witnessed! I just don’t know if that really a human, elf, or a demon.”

Without waiting for the leader’s instructions, some of the dwarves rushed to the mystery person’s side, confirming that it was a human. The clothes were missing, possibly melted away from that unusual lightning pillar. But, much to everyone’s relief, the human was unconscious. What puzzled them even further was the absence of injuries on that individual’s body, wounds typically seen on the victims of such an explosion they heard earlier.

Still, save from the clothes, the human was fine.

“My liege, what should we do to this person?”

“Well, we can’t leave that human here just like that,” Hughes told them, looking around as if expecting someone—or some group—to appear at the ridges. “And I’m sure, the other settlements have sent their warriors as well. They’ll soon come swarming at this place. Give that person clothes and let’s carry him to the other side of the mountain, before we head back to our group by another route.”