Hodak Brightenjaw was a black haired, short, and surprisingly tanned dwarv, with a gruff voice and a rather weak chin that was not yet hidden by the short stubble that graced his cheeks. He crossed his arms and worked one heel back and forth as he settled into a defiant stance.

  “I’m not sharing the grit between my toes with that self-important grease-trap,” he said. His counterpart, Taxik Hammerting, let out an offended little scoff before looking over to me and Bomilik and gesturing at the other dwarf with the universal sign for ‘See? There’s the problem’.

  Somehow, I had ended up in charge of the new map-making effort. The row leaders were too busy nailing down the specifics of a watch rotation and discussing who would greet the elders when the trial was finished. I thought that was kind of crazy, because we were going to drown long before then unless we acted swiftly. At least it kept the argumentative leaders occupied and left the rest of us free to actually do the work, which felt familiar and oddly comforting.

  “Look, you two,” I said, clapping a hand on each of their shoulders as I stood between them. “You don’t have to hold hands and swear oaths of friendship. But we need to lay out a map and check to see if there are any shorter routes to connect the water chambers. You wanna pass this trial, don't you?”

  Hodak narrowed his eyes and grunted, causing Taxik to scoff again and look away. I decided to try a different angle.

  “Okay, fine. Maybe we can do this from memory. All we need to know is where your two lowest and closest chambers are. We need to dig a tunnel through and connect them if it's easier than clearing the gorge, and we need to do it now.”

  Both of the dwarves looked over at me, and Bomilik let out an exasperated noise before taking a turn at trying to get the two to work together, taking a tact that I hadn’t even considered.

  “Bah, I’ll bet ya twenty glitter that any map’s they’d make wouldn’t line up anyway. Not everyone has the skill to memorize their entire territory, nor the control to chew up a useful map from it.” He frowned and turned to me. “We might as well just send runners now to test with sounding rods and hammers, it’ll be faster.”

  “Nonsense! I could form a model of the lowest chambers in minutes,” Taxi said. Hodak, somehow narrowed his eyes even more but remained silent as the more talkative dwarv continued. “You’re not the only one who has already been accepted by a master and passed the first tests! I am an architect, and have built hundreds of models.”

  Bomilik waved over at Lokralda, who nodded and produced a few large chunks of limestone from her inventory. Taxik gave Hodak one last glare before moving over and kneeling to begin breaking up the larger chunks with his hands. He muttered a running commentary on his process and expertise to Lokralda as he started. She nodded along between the indignant dwarv’s grumbling, occasionally casting worried glances in our direction.

  Hodak lowered his gruff voice and spat something to the side that sizzled and smoked as it ate into the stone floor. “I see what you do, Galidurn. You boast and pose like one of the talkers and pointers. I… see your point though.”

  Without further comment, he stomped over and kicked one of the chunks of limestone a few feet away from Taxik and began on his own part of the model. Bomilik and I exchanged a glance before following him and watching as the two dwarves glared at each other from either side of their silent craft.

  Hodak etched a circle in the floor and labeled it as the tar pit, then each of the dwarves began building by wetting the soft limestone with solvent from their mouths and molding it into the rough shape of the connecting tunnels. Once the lowest layer was stuck to the floor and drying, they quickly chewed and squeezed more of the chunks of stone into the rough shape of the chambers and pushed them into the softened foundation. As they stuck on more rocks, pasting them together and smoothing rough edges with licked fingers and lines of smoking saliva, a statue grew up from the floor that resembled a portion of a cast ant hive like I'd seen in videos online before.

  True to his word, Taxik built his model quickly. His tunnel and first chamber was finished before Hodak had even started sticking stones together and was still busy carefully selecting and laying them out in lines and groups. After only a minute, Taxik had branched two tunnels off of his first chamber, building up the height of his model in a branching network by embedding sportrell twigs as supports to hold up the solvent softened limestone until they could dry.

  Hodak quickly put together his base layer once he had finished organizing while discreetly watching Taxik’s progress. The architect worked methodically, building the model up one horizontal layer at a time in branching paths all held aloft by twiggy little supports, while Hodak took a more minimal and direct approach. A few passing workers lingered along the edge of the chamber, setting down their burdens and stretching or pretending to fiddle with their crude torn-robe clothing so they could watch the two map-makers.

  Both of the dwarves finished nearly at the same time, although Hodak’s model was about a third of the size of the other's. Taxik had created his in a flurry of motion, recreating the layout of his row’s territory completely up to the third level. While Hodak had been more targeted, only modeling the branch of tunnels that ran along the border between the two territories.

  When the two chambers I was waiting for them to create on the model were finally placed, both dwarves looked up and traded another glare across the freshly molded map. Max was still muted but absolutely lost it in his little streamer cam in the corner of my vision, jumping up and down in his chair and slamming his hands into the armrests as more messages scrolled up with commentary from my bored friends back in the real world. A GIF with two cartoon dogs eating spaghetti appeared for a few seconds before fading away, but I didn’t recognize what it was from so I ignored it.

  Hodak grunted as he placed the last stone representing the Brightenjaw chamber we would have to connect, and then the two mapmakers and Bomilik all exchanged looks before turning to me.

  “Huh, it seems Kaninak is correct,” Taxik said.

  “Mhmm,” Hodak rumbled.

  “It will still take time to carve and shear a tunnel through, perhaps it would be quicker though, it looks to be maybe five head, rather than twenty.” Bomilik scratched at the quarter inch of stubble on his chin as he examined the model. The two other dwarves stood and made similar gestures as they considered the new information, and the small crowd of anxious watchers that were pretending to look busy near the wall of the cavern edged closer.

  “It has to be easier to go through twenty feet than nearly a hundred though, right?” I said, trying to draw the thoughts of the three to the surface.

  “Maybe so, what is the composition for both chambers?” Bomilik asked.

  Taxik answered first. “Gneiss, with steeply angled bands.” Hodak grunted and nodded his agreement.

  I looked over at Bomilik, who nodded as well. “Easier to melt through than slow cooled granite, but more limestone or chalk would have been ideal. It’ll cut it close to make it through in under an hour.” He waved over to the crowd of dawdling dwarves watching us. “You there! Come here, we will put you to work.”

  A couple of the dwarves gave wide eyed looks before scurrying back to their respective territories, but a half dozen of them approached and looked down at the model map at our feet.

  “Split up and start cutting from either side of these two chambers here…” Bo launched into a quick explanation of the plan to connect the tunnels, mostly reiterating what we had already discussed until he got to the end and the three map-makers began to discuss the best method to bore the tunnel. I mostly stood on the sidelines, listening for mistakes and backing up Bomilik’s clams with serious nods and crossed arms.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  A few moments later, the small group of dwarves nodded and were nearly ready to separate to start on the actual work. Hodak sighed and shook his head. “There is no chance we can carve out a passage in time. We might remove three blocks from each side in an hour, no matter the acid. We need a thermal lance, but we have no iron.”

  “We have some iron, and a pressure tank. We don’t have a way to fill it though,” Bomilik answered, frowning at the model.

  “We can fill the oxygen tank! We created a small generator that is hooked up to our steam vent.” Taxik said, a bit of excitement creeping into his voice.

  The crowd of watchers murmured amongst themselves, before Bomilik shook his head. “I doubt it will fill quickly enough to supply a thermal lance, we’d need a hundred bar of pressure for it to function properly.”

  “Then… it is hopeless?” Taxik answered, his excited tone turned to dejection.

  Hodak grunted and nodded, and Bomilik grimaced as he looked over the gathered crowd. “It is not hopeless, we must still try. Start with the acid, and perhaps the metal-workers can attempt to build the lance, if we-”

  “Seriously?” I blurted out, and everyone's eyes turned to me. The answer seemed so obvious. I’d held my tongue while they argued because I felt a little out of place amongst the tunneling experts with their training and certifications. I’d expected them to eventually realize what the solution was here, all the pieces were on the table but not one of them had managed to put them together.

  Still, the best option went overlooked just as it had been outright banned at Rosso’s quarry. I’d often fantasized about it while I was busy with a drill and sledgehammer up on the mountainside, laboring day after day with modern alien versions of ten thousand year old tools. It had been Rosso’s choice to limit us to the gentler mining techniques of our ancestors, but down here it was too important to cast aside one of the defining tools of the industrial revolution for the sake of luxury or creed.

  “Why don’t we just blast it? We have black powder. We’d just need to drill holes and let ‘em rip.” I said, spreading my hands to either side in an exasperated gesture.

  Bomiliks eyes went wide, Taxik scowled at me, and Hodak began laughing. The crowd of watchers muttered amongst themselves in scandalized tones. I focused on Bomilik. “We have the powder left over, right? It doesn't take much.”

  Hodak laughed harder, his face turning red. Taxik watched the other dwarv, his face slowly turning from scandalized anger to concern. He rubbed his forehead and looked down at the model, speaking in a hushed and disbelieving tone. “Blast it with explosives… ”

  “Will it not bring the whole mountain down around us?” Bomilik asked with heavy skepticism in his tone. I must have looked at him like he was an idiot, because he reddened as well and frowned. “We do not… blast apart the bones of the mountain, Nick.”

  Hodak was leaning forward, his hands on his knees as he fought off his fit of laughter. “He’s right! Haha. It’s wrong, but it’s right, hahaha.”

  Taxik looked over at Hodak and slid a step further away from him. The gruff dwarv got ahold of himself and straightened, a huge grin still plastered over his face. “The humans have crude, barbarous methods, but it would work. Do you know the proper technique? I would gladly learn of this offence.”

  “I’ll not have it, it is sacrilege to even consider!” Taxik shot back.

  “All tool’s have their time and place…” Bomilik said, his tone low and voice thoughtful. “I do not think we should discuss this further, but act. I will retrieve the supplies, Nick, show them how it is done.”

  The large dwarv turned and walked away towards the entrance to our territory. Lokralda, who had remained silent during the discussion, looked between us both for a moment.

  “I… I have the black powder,” She said in a voice so small that Hodak and I were likely the only two to hear her.

  I nodded, casting one last glance at Bomilik’s slumped shoulders as he walked away from us. The rest of the dwarves looked at me with a mix of desperation and apprehension. I wasn't sure why Bomilik had walked away or what he was gathering, but it seemed like it was up to me to carry this across the finish line.

  “So, who’s in? The first step is to bore holes in the stone at least an inch wide from both sides,” I asked.

  There was a moment of hesitation as the dwarves all exchanged nervous looks, and Kikkelin stepped out from behind one of the other slightly taller dwarves I recognized as the guy I’d stiff-armed out of my way during my first mad-dash foray into the tar-pit near the start of the trial.

  “I will do it,” she said.

  There was more mumbling amongst the others, before more of them stepped forward and agreed. Two of them seemed to struggle with the choice and showed their choice by wordlessly walking away to find other work. I wondered which houses they were from, as we were all wearing the same similarly torn up rags and strapping with more skin showing than I’d normally be comfortable with. It was impossible for me to tell who belonged to which group now that we had all mixed together and began working side by side.

  The tar-dipped dwarv I’d stiff-armed earlier stuck around, and introduced himself. “I am Borek of Rocksturdy. I will do this work.” He reached a hand up to me, clearly offering a handshake. “I will grip your fingers and seize this opportunity.”

  I grasped his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Good to meet you, Borek. No hard feelings?”

  He shook his head, and I released the shake before it became even more awkward. “I bear no grudge,” he replied. His words stilted and brief, giving me the impression that he might have never spoken to a human before by how much his translator was struggling.

  I cast a look over the group I was left with, both Lokralda and Kikkelin, Hodak the map-maker, Borek, and three more dwarves who had yet to introduce themselves.

  “Alright, we need to split up and come at this from both angles to meet in the middle. Lokra, can you divide the blast powder and fuses? How many of you have ever worked with explosives before?” I stood up tall and used my best attempt at a command voice as I questioned the group.

  Lokralda nodded and stepped to the side, then started pulling more of the melon-esque stone grenades from her inventory and lining them up on the ground amongst the outlined bare-footprints painted in tar across the smooth floor.

  The other dwarves all looked at each other for a moment again, but no one spoke up about any experience with gunpowder right away. One of the dwarves who had yet to speak rose a hesitant hand. “I bought some’a yer human firecrackers from the S-mart once. Very amusing, but me father didn’t agree.”

  Kikkelin looked over at the dwarv and rolled her eyes. “Very good, Dunkan, your Standard is pretty good. Nick’s one of us though, work on your accent on your own time.”

  The dwarves' initial grin soured into a frown. “C’mon, I haven't had a chance to try it out on a human yet!”

  “Not now,” I cut them off. “If you've lit a fuse before then I guess that has to be enough. You, Kikk, Borek and…” I raised a finger and pointed it between the two remaining dwarves I’d yet to learn the names of, “you. Take half of the grenades and have Taxik take you to the right place. The rest of you, we are going to take care of the Brighenjaw side. I’m betting that will be the hard part.”

  I looked at Hodak, who was still standing near the model map. He narrowed his eyes again once he noticed I was looking at him, and I realized his gruff exterior was likely a front he was putting up. “Mhm, the second level is filling. Will have to swim through the dark to the open air.”

  Lokra’s eyes went wide and her face went pale as she did the math in her head. I frowned and shook my head. “Lokra, I want you to go fill Kazek and Bomilik in on this. I’m not sure why he left…” I looked in the direction Bo had walked off in.

  Kikkelin gave me a somewhat pouty look, but did not voice whatever she disagreed with about my plan. I nodded a thanks to her, before finishing my orders and getting everyone moving in the direction of the Brighenjaw’s territory. In a matter of seconds, we had scooped up the grenades, Lokra had scurried off to inform the leaders, and our group parted to pursue each side of our mission.

  Max was now wearing a snorkel and a diver’s mask and having a lively chat in the corner of my vision, but I was too anxious to pay them any mind as we walked towards the dark tunnel entrance. Once we got close enough, I could actually hear the water. The soft slapping of waves and ripples echoed off the hard stone walls reminded me that I had not even been a teenager the last time I’d went swimming.

  “This is gonna suck…” I whispered to myself. Hodak gave me a sidelong look and nodded his agreement, even though I hadn’t meant to say it loud enough for anyone to hear.

  “Still has to be done.” I added after realizing I shouldn’t be badmouthing our job as the leader of the team. Hodak gave me another more skeptical look and nodded again.

  “I mean, someone’s gotta do it, and it’s not going to be the jackwag— the row leaders still arguing over scheduling.”

  Hodaks frown deepened, and he let out another short, “Mhmm.”

  I decided to stop mining the surprise vein of awkward I had uncovered and faced the tunnel door. There was nothing to it but to do it. Now we just had to get it done and I could go back to worrying about all the other crap I had to worry about.