CHAPTER 8: THE DWARF SOCIETY

**Kuro**

Equality, the land of the dwarves, was a mountainous place, just like what I read in the books. Mountain peaks ‘populated’ the skyline as far as my eyes could see, and the foot of those mountains were obscured by clouds. Gale-force winds blew everywhere, and we had to hold on to the railings of the bridges connecting the peaks, even though the dwarves built those with enclosures to keep people from getting blown into the cloudy abyss.

Now, it made sense, why the dwarves use hammers and axes instead of guns whenever they fight. In this place, bullets fired would change trajectory, rendering it useless, whereas those heavy weapons would barely be blown off course as you split the head or bash the skull of your enemy.

“…”

From the border crossing, Lady Hughes brought us to the nearest settlement, a city called Temun, resting on the very peak of the next mountain we visited upon entering. We came to the place as ‘tourists’, under assumed the names of ‘Lawrence Beatty’ (me) and ‘Charlotte Deakin’ (Lily), since we thought it would be an effective ‘cover story’ to give us license in going around the land, and commit occasional ‘mistakes’ (probing visits), all the while avoiding suspicions.

After all, we can always say, “Ah! This is a restricted area? Sorry, we don’t know! We’re just looking around!”

Lady Hughes did tell us that other races were required to be accompanied by a dwarf ‘guide’—which I found reminiscent of the tourist policies in North Korea, so she acted like one. And having her around solved a lot of our potential problems even before it occurred, as many of the locals knew her. With Lady Hughes’ connection to the family of the Golden Hammer, the suspicions immediately dissipate, much to our pleasant relief.

Any case, compared to Chersea, towering buildings like those found in my old world’s megacities dominated the place, minus the suburban areas on its fringes (limited by the land areas) and the planes that flew around the topmost levels. Instead, airships plied the air routes, blown to its course by the combined skills of its pilots, engine power and the gale-force winds. The dwarf settlements were politically-subdivided into ‘peaks’ connected by the bridges I mentioned earlier, for ease of governance. What’s even more impressive were the ‘advanced’ technologies we encountered; many of which we were yet to implement in Chersea, Cherwind, Cherwoods and the Demon Republic, like the concept of a ‘horseless carriage’, a.k.a. the automobile.

The dwarven automobile was a different one from the cars, jeeps, and trucks I remembered and grew up with back in Earth. For one, its base chassis was made to fit a dwarf’s needs, instead of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ design. It was run by steam engines, albeit an efficient one…a testament to the earlier introduction of such technology in this world. However, unlike in my world, dwarves could only get their driving licenses if they were esteemed members of the Church of the Golden Hammer, or if they were truck drivers. Truck drivers were highly-respected here, because if anything, the dwarves revered and worship material wealth…similar to the cargo-cults of central south Pacific islands in Earth.

And also, motorized transports are a must in a land with lots of high areas, and powerful winds.

Of course, aside from motorized vehicles, the ‘light bulbs’ also appeared in Equality. While many of their settlements could be found on the surface of the mountain peaks, the relatively small size of the ‘buildable’ land area gave the dwarves the ‘license’ to dig into the rocks and expand their cities underground. And to illuminate their dark tunnels, they (under the guidance of the Golden Hammer) ‘invented’ the light bulbs powered by magic—the ones I saw in the Royal Inn of Cherwind. Bright advertisements also were a norm, and really, it’s quite a strange feeling for me to see a ‘television’ screen after a long while. Compared to the TVs made on Earth, these devices were just glass. Lady Hughes explained that the videos being displayed in those sets were accomplished through the use of magic, the spells of which came from the Golden Hammer himself. And, to store magic mana for these technologies, the dwarves created a battery-like device, which was charged by magically-inclined races, like humans, elves, and demons.

Wait…where did that magic come from again?

“The Golden Hammer is the source of nearly everything that you see here, including the magic,” our dwarf guide pointed out. “However, it’s only reasonable that we’re also prepared for the eventuality that the time will come when he won’t be able to provide mana anymore. So, for that, there are ‘charging houses’ in Chersea, Cherwind, and Cherwoods.”

“I didn’t know it’s been there?” I couldn’t hide my surprise when she told me that.

“Well, of course,” Lady Hughes explained. “It’s been ‘hidden’ from your scrutiny. Humans, elves and demons ‘charge’ those batteries without knowing. For example, in Stadtsberg, we setup ‘magic siphons’ in the entertainment areas, since humans and elves love to frequent those places. Not only they do get to enjoy themselves, we also fill our batteries with power, free of charge.”

I was going to ask where I could find those ‘magic siphons’, but Lady Hughes already answered that question for me. Nevertheless, I found that deceptive and potentially dangerous. After all, if a magic-user’s mana was exhausted, that could lead to a life-threatening situation.

“No worries about it, goody boy,” Lady Hughes chuckled. “You fuss about almost everything! I bet you’d spare your enemy if they show even just a bit of regret.”

“I’m not a bloodthirsty man. And it’s better to have more followers who love you, than having a high kill count.”

“Tch. Boring.”

“I always appreciate the simplicity and harmony in life,” I countered. “Well, having more followers also mean more people to use as ‘meat shields’ when the necessity comes.”

Lady Hughes fell awfully silent. She just stared at me with her mouth wide open when she heard me say that. I guess that surprised her? I’m also capable of being pragmatic, see? But, so as not to let the awkward atmosphere settle between us, I broke the ice with a question for her, “What?”

“I…I’m confused at how you think.”

“Part of my complications as a living, thinking human being.

“Whatever,” Lady Hughes shrugged. “Just to make it clear, the magic siphons draw magic from its host in small amounts. Of course, we have to take care of those whom we benefit from, so you can say it’s ‘sustainable’. As a dwarf, I assure you; those spells won’t kill a mortal.”

“Very reassuring,” I was being sarcastic, though.

“Come on, now,” the dwarf continued. “Ever heard of mutualism? You benefit from us; we benefit from you. Sounds like a deal, yes?”

“But also, with that arrangement you siphon our money as well as our magic,” I pointed out. “That sure is an equal exchange.”

“We are dwarves. We love money. We love stuff. Deal with it.”

Any case, the dwarves mastered the light bulbs and television technology to the point that they could now create different brightly-lit advertisements for their businesses, akin to those buildings and streets found in the Akihabara district in Tokyo, or in Las Vegas. Honestly, the only thing that lacked were the ‘street maids’ and the cosplayers taking photos of themselves on the busy roads, or those people in suits or baggy clothes flaunting their wealth to anyone who cared. Basically, anything anime- or casino-related…

“…”

Oh wait! Is that a copy of Lady Hinwe’s manga on that store’s windows?

“What, you’re also interested in that sexual book?” Lady Hughes asked, slapping my back, perhaps after noticing me looking at the bookstore on the other side of the street. “Haha…I guess boys will always be boys.”

“Well, I know the person who wrote that,” I countered, slightly annoyed at her teasing.

“Of course,” she replied. “You’re the Lord Kuro of Maverny, for fuck’s sake. The ‘most eligible human bachelor’ in Chersea, and the Lady Hinwe’s lover. Don’t think I’m not aware of the latest news in the human lands, doofus!”

“I-I’m just surprised to find that here.”

“The Lady Hinwe’s got a lot of admirers, even in the land of the dwarves,” Lady Hughes confirmed.

“I’m also surprised you still go to Chersea, considering those places are technologically ‘backwards’ compared to Equality.”

“We can’t help it, see?” she paused for a bit, her voice suddenly mellowed. “For us, Chersea and the other realms are like ‘sanctuaries’. You may admire our ‘progress’ and technologies, but really, the beauty you see is just a façade. Everything is so fast-paced nowadays, and no one’s allowed to make a mistake, or take a breather. Every dwarf’s mantra, ‘time is money’, is destroying our lives through overwork, and going to Chersea is our only ‘rest’. Take that from us, and we’ll surely go insane.”

I fell silent when Lady Hughes said that. I mean, though we may had met in not-so-amicable circumstances, her words resonated within me. Until the start of the Industrial Revolution sometime in the late 18th Century Earth, I believed life was much simpler. Sure, there were aspects that needed improvements, especially in the areas of health and education, but living in that time…it was much kinder and common sense guided the leaders.

“You’re being creepy,” the dwarf lady interrupted my thoughts.

“Why?”

“You’re awfully silent.”

“You’re aware that I came from another world, yes?”

“Uncle told me, true,” she replied. “And the fact that you’re not surprised at our ‘technologies’ prove it.”

“Well, I come from a world with similar—no, even better—technologies you guys have here. I mean, my race also invented those, but developed newer and better technologies.”

“Is it…any better?”

This time, I was surprised at Lady Hughes’ reaction. It was in contrast to what I expected, which should be that she’d be excited and curious to know what those high-tech devices were. But yes, I noticed she had reservations about these things. Nevertheless, I wanted to be honest, so I told her, “No, it’ll get worse.” See, the dwarves were just a couple of steps away from the ideological and cultural ‘wars’ that permeated my world before I disappeared. And I had all the reasons to suspect they were committing the same mistakes; the fast-paced society dependent on technologies, and a cruel culture disguising itself as something ‘beneficial’.

All that’s left is the invention of internet and social media.

Make no mistake; I believed internet was good. It was beneficial to share information with like-minded people, and use those to improve the conditions of the societies we’re in. However, the internet gave rise to ‘social media’, which in turn, gave voices to the mis-educated and misinformed. Their poisonous voice, empowered by these platforms, started as weak—almost considered as nuisance, but left unchecked, it grew overtime. After all, a repeated lie could become the ‘universal truth’. Now, combine that with the masses’ love for ‘freedom’ yet disdain for ‘responsibility’, as well as ‘leaders’ who had their own agendas to maintain an iron grip at power, and you’d be surprised at how gullible everyone was.

And was social media evil? Like the internet, I didn’t believe it’s inherently bad. It’s just that, the moderations sucked. And there were only few laws that regulate it, as lawmakers were often afraid to show ‘balls’ against the whims of their electorate…unless it’s in an authoritarian country. With the ‘freedom’ afforded by the internet, people were attracted by the impunity behind the anonymity enabled by social medias.

“…”

Haa…I’m thinking too much again.

In any case, the dwarf lady was silent, and I realized she was looking at me. It’s as if she wanted to say something, yet for some reason, she had to content herself with, “I’d like to talk to you later, specifically more about this matter.”

“Why not now?” I asked, since I was in the mood for some ‘philosophical’ and ‘political’ discussion.

Lady Hughes declined, saying, “Before we get lost in the sea of ideas and debates, we need to find the Nerfes princess first. I’m surprised you didn’t notice that we already lost her.”

At that moment, it hit me. Lily was not with us, and I was pretty sure she was just following us earlier. However, unlike me—who was familiar with the technologies I saw here—she was utterly overwhelmed with everything. So, knowing that she could probably be out of herself, we traced our steps to search for the Iron Princess. Well, it’s not like I was worried she couldn’t defend herself when the need for it arose; what I was afraid of was she might end getting involved in some dangerous gang in this place.

After all, Lady Hughes had warned us about the settlement of Temun. The city nearest the border crossing, it reeked of criminal groups vying for control of the underworld in this part of Equality.

----------

Eventually, we found Lily in one of the parks we passed by earlier. She was sitting by its chief attraction, which was a fountain with gilded statues of dwarf heroes (as Lady Hughes explained). I was relieved we were able to find her quick, but then, was dismayed when I saw a group of dwarves approached and surround her. From her expression alone, I could tell that Lily wasn’t having a ‘friendly’ conversation with them.

“Li—Charlotte!!” I called out to her, almost letting her real identity slipped my tongue. I heard Lady Hughes shout my assumed name as well, though my priority was my future wife. Lily’s face lit up when she saw me walking towards her, and she pushed away from the dwarves; they were certainly annoyed.

“Sorry,” she told them. “I told you I’m waiting for my husband, and here he is. I can’t be your model.”

However, instead of backing off, one of the dwarves—I surmised he was the leader—confronted me. First, he looked from my head to feet, and said, “I can pay you for your companion. We want her as model for our show.”

“I’m sorry,” my hand immediately went for my concealed weapon, just in case things went south. “Even if you pay me your entire wealth, I won’t give you my wife. Please look for someone else.”

“Look, human, we’re not asking for your permission,” the dwarf insisted. “Consider the money our compensation for your weakness; take it or leave it, we’ll get your wife.”

“I’d like to see you try,” I replied. By this time, I saw Lily reached for her dagger, but I stopped her. Since I was the one who left her, I thought it would be proper for me to defend her; to let her see my ‘cool’ side. I’m her husband, anyway.

“Albrecht, stop that!”

The dwarf who confronted me was shocked when he saw Lady Hughes appear and took our side. “These are esteemed guests, you idiots!” she rebuked his group. “Keep that up, and I’ll make sure your guild won’t see the light of the surface, ever again!”

“M-Milady!” the dwarf named Albrecht quickly kowtowed before the Prince Uhrian’s niece. Then, once they saw their leader bend his knee, his thugs immediately followed suit.

Nevertheless…

“!!!”

Lady Hughes kicked the kowtowing dwarf and dragged him to stand up, much to my and Lily’s confusion. She caught by the collar of his clothes, and said, “Listen, Albrecht, if you ever see us again, avoid doing that. You’re trying to attract the church to my guild? One more, and I’ll send the church enforcers up your ass, got that?”

Bewildered, we just watched Lady Hughes bully the poor Albrecht to submit. There were many questions in my mind at that very moment; however, I deemed it prudent if we just wait for the right time, maybe later…

----------

To be honest, I always thought of going to another world would give me what they call ‘culture shock’.

“…”

I mean, it’s the most logical reaction from a human, no—a mortal—perspective. Or maybe, I was just influenced by the novels I read before, since I was always fascinated with people who ended in a place that was significantly different from where they grew up. However, when getting ‘isekaied’ happened to me, I was surprised I was ‘cool’ about the entire ordeal.

I can still remember when I saw Maddie’s pretty face staring back at me when she first summoned me. All that I thought of was, ‘This girl is so beautiful’.

Well, perhaps there were things that did surprised me. For example, the ‘manner-less’ table etiquette and ‘bully’ diplomacy of the Chersean nobilities, or the ‘normal’ promiscuity of the demon clans, the ‘radical’ (and often deadly) loyalty of the beastmen tribes, and the ‘silent’ perversion inside every elvish mind. Nevertheless, I couldn’t remember being out of myself for long, even as I encountered those traits of those people in this world. Those were just minor matters, and I learned to accept and understand those over some time.

And Equality? Yes, I was aware I was in a different world all the time, and yet…for some reason, this place was a pleasant surprise for me. As in ‘extremely pleasant’, for if there’s anything that was different in this place and in mine, it’s the population itself rather than the customs or the culture. Earth was filled with humans, while Equality was the home of the dwarves. But, for the culture, and customs, it’s like I returned to my world.

Only a bit earlier into my life, as if I’m in my childhood again.

The trucks and other ‘horseless’ vehicles, though aesthetically different, remained the same in its core concepts. The idea of entertainment districts and what could be found in those, similar to the ones in Earth, like arcades, mechanical ‘betting machines’, and ‘adult’ stuff in the red-light districts. I was also excited to learn that each dwarven city maintained a ‘broadcast station’, closely tied to the guilds that run the particular settlement. Arcane-looking antennas topped the dwarf ‘skyscrapers’, and—as signals couldn’t be transmitted through a ‘satellite’—it was passed through cables that ran along the underground avenues. At the apex of every media an average dwarf consumed in this world was the broadcast station under the members and officials of the Church of the Golden Hammer.

“…”

However, more than the ‘Earth-style’ technologies that proliferated dwarven society, their culture was also considered ‘modern’, or what others would say, ‘progressive’. And when I said ‘progressive’, I meant the ‘progress’ defined by the liberal elements of my world’s society during the early 21st century.

“Why are you letting yourself be led by that human male, human lady?” a dwarf shouted at Lily when they saw us walking together. “You can walk yourself, right? Why would you let him pull you by your hand?”

Lily, on the other hand, was unnerved by that person’s attitude. For a Chersean human like her, the ‘hierarchy’ of genders was undefined. While there were occasional slivers of gender-based discrimination, particularly in the ‘dress codes’ commonly found in a Chersean royal court, in many aspects, the human society of this world was leagues better than my own. Here, females and males had equal rights to the inheritance, as proven by their marriage arrangements. If anything, there’s a disparity in how powerful someone’s spouse was over him or her. Cherseans had no problems having men and women of power, men and women in the military, and even men and women influencing their history.

“H-He’s my husband—” I could tell that Lily’s equally confused and annoyed, as she would never want to hear my name being disrespected, much more when I was being accused of something I was not even aware of doing.

“Don’t answer. You’ll only waste your time explaining yourself to her,” Lady Hughes was quick to interrupt her, going as far as to physically shield her from our heckler. The stranger kept shouting that I was forcing Lily to come with me, even when I held her hand so as not to lose her again like earlier.

As the head maid of the Human Saint was raised in a royal household, she was taught to give respects to everyone—high-born or low-born. As such, she was unsure whether to follow the dwarf lady’s advice.

However…

Not content in making us uncomfortable, the dwarf heckler went ahead of us and blocked our path. She was aiming to piss me off. “Are you such a weak human male that you need to walk beside that female, pulling her hands? Is that how weak your fragile masculinity is?”

“Back off, bitch!” Lady Hughes blurted out, slightly pushing the offender away. “These humans are with me; please mind your business.”

But the latter was persistent. “This is Equality! I’m fighting for every female of every race out there that is oppressed by the fragile masculinity of males! And you’re what? A lowly slave of that mute idiot?”

By her ‘mute idiot’, I knew she was referring to me. Well, I was not easily angered…not even when someone’s insulting me to my face. In my mind, I was always thinking of going the ‘diplomatic route’, since I never wanted trouble. However, I was worried about my companions: Lady Hughes got a short fuse, and Lily’s a royalty. Of course, she won’t tolerate disrespect to nobles and royals like her. So, I had to intervene.

“Excuse me,” I began with a gentle voice. “Is there any issue with our presence?”

“I’m having issues with you,” the dwarf pointed out, sticking her finger to my face. “As long as I’m around, I won’t allow your kind to trample our feminine rights!”

‘Fragile masculinity’. ‘Feminine rights’. Those words sound awfully familiar to me. This dwarf may not have that brightly-colored hair stereotypical of those people from my world, but they have the same toxicity and insufferable attitude. Is this what Eris told me long before that dwarves of Equality can’t be reasoned with?

Anyway, I’d still want to remain calm. Even back on Earth, I was also an advocate of equal rights for sexes, but I won’t go far as to annoy random people just to put forward my advocacies. It’s a waste of time, really. Not only the potential of getting hurt was high, it also ensured that the target of your ‘protests’ and ‘screaming’ would turn even more belligerent than convert him/her to your cause.

And in a war of ideas and philosophies, the more friends you have, the better for your fight.

“And pray, Madame,” I couldn’t keep my sarcastic voice from spilling out my mouth. “What exact ‘feminine rights’ did I violate?”

The dwarf’s eyes widened in shock, “Did you just assume my gender?”

“Do we even have to ask you that?” Lady Hughes entered the conversation. By her tone, she was extremely pissed by now. “You look like a female dwarf to me, so I’ll call you accordingly. Bitch, there are more pressing matters to solve in this rotten society than think about your sexual orientation.”

Ah, this talk is going nowhere. Wishing to end the talk, I asked, “Is there any law in this we violated?”

“That’s the problem with your masculinity!” she bellowed.

“You haven’t answered my question!”

“Aaaah!!!”

I couldn’t believe this was happening; it’s as if we were in a satirical play. “Why are you screaming? You’re not even answering me!”

“You’re part of the problem!” Agitated, she was gnashing her teeth and stomping her feet. By this time, I was more afraid of what Lily would do than of the heckler, as I could see the Iron Princess reaching for her weapon at the corner of my eyes.

“I can’t understand why I’m being a problem for asking questions,” my frustrations at dealing with the heckler was getting on my nerves. I was clenching my fists, and tapping my foot; one more provocation, and I might lose it.

“Kur—I mean, Lawrence!” Lady Hughes grabbed my hand. “This bitch’s brain has been fried. Let’s move on and leave her.”

The dwarf continued screaming and following us, even as our dwarf guide pulled our group through a throng. The heckler was annoyingly persistent, and I would be lying to myself if I said I didn’t think of punching her face just to shut her up. But, yeah…I needed to be patient. Violence was not good if we plan to go around unnoticed. The other dwarves were also indifferent; while they would look at the source of the noise, once they saw what it was all about they would return to their businesses and carry on with their lives.

Nevertheless, Lady Hughes had enough…

“!!!”

In one quick movement, the dwarf lady let go of our hands, went behind us, and smacked the heckler on her face. And, to let out her steam, she followed it with a kick to the shin, and knee to the jaw, effectively putting the living lights out of the poor ‘rights fighter’. Lady Hughes left her where she fell, and the other dwarves, while fascinated at the drama that unfolded, took their prized photos and videos, then went on as usual.

Yep, this feels like home…awfully.