Omega's Rebirth

"Yes...?" Neveah said uncertainly, finding the sudden change in the countenance of the dwarf strange.

"Blessed Blizzards! I am Mor’ rud, librarian and scribe of the academy. Greetings, Mi Lady." The dwarf acknowledged, lowering his head to a deep bow.

The bow was so deep that the bushy beard of the dwarf that already came down to his knees now grazed the ground and the dwarf held the bowed position for much longer than should have been normal.

It took Neveah a moment to realize the dwarf was waiting for her to speak first and it seemed he would not stand aright if she did not.

Neveah chuckled awkwardly at the formality she was faced with.

"Be at ease." Neveah assured and the dwarf righted his posture, his wide, excited eyes finding Neveah’s again.

All the outrage from a moment ago was completely forgotten.

"Books yes? What kind? No one knows these halls better than I." Mor’ rud bragged, stepping away from where he stood blocking Neveah’s path to the shelf.

Neveah decided not to think much to the dwarf’s sudden liking to her, she had not met many dwarves but the few she had met did not leave a very good impression.

And the fact that the dragon king would march on the hidden city upon his return was even more reason Neveah did not find dwarves all that likeable.

Was it not that adamantium steel of theirs that left Menarx in such a state?

"I was curious to know more about..." Neveah began, trailing off at the end since she realized she did not truly know if she could trust the claims of this dwarf.

"How do I even know you are who you claim to be...not here snooping around like I was?" Neveah asked suspiciously.

Mor’ rud’s eyes widened, he seemed completely appalled by Neveah’s accusation and his bushy beard twitched visibly as he searched for the right words to say to back his claims.

"It would not be likely that a dwarf like me would go unnoticed on these grounds if I held no known status. Dragon kind do not like dwarves." Mor’ rud reasoned.

Neveah nodded slowly, the dwarf was not wrong. Given the tense situation with the hidden city at this time, no dwarf would be daring enough to trespass on the most prestigious academy in the stronghold.

The dragons were known to be unforgiving, though the war had not begun, after what happened with Menarx, any dwarf sighted would be killed on sight.

"Mi lady is not so familiar with my kind, allow me reintroduce myself. I am Mor’ rud, librarian, scribe, yet before this time, Mor’ rud was junior steward of the royal house of the Northern dragons."

"North’s End is my home, Mi Lady and the Northern dragons are family. Lord of Ruby Scales is my benefactor and clan lord." Mor’ rud revealed.

Neveah nodded slowly, her mind eased at the mention of Menarx. Though the dwarves were enemies at this time, they were not always that and some dwarves had integrated into the Asvarian society.

"Troll golems... I was curious to know more about them. Anything and everything I am allowed truly." Neveah finally revealed.

"And this is just me wanting to satisfy my curiosity, my master does not know I am here and I would prefer it remain that way." Neveah added.

Mor’ rud smiled brightly, though Neveah could only tell it was indeed a smile with how his beard curved at the sides, other than his eyes and nose, every other part of his face was hidden by his beard.

"As Lady of Ruby Scales, yer access to these grounds have no limitation. Though I am certain many would have yer believe otherwise." Mor’ rud relayed as he gestured for Neveah to follow him deeper into the library.

Neveah complied, falling into step behind the giddy dwarf. She unconsciously took notice of the fact that Mor’rud’s dwarven accent did not always show except for in a few sentences or words.

"The grumpy old man surely would never acknowledge this." Neveah murmured beneath her breath.

A deep chuckle sounded from Mor’ rud who nodded his head in agreement, there was no one in the academy who could not tell immediately who the grumpy old man was.

Master Maloway was infamous precisely for his disagreeable personality.

"Volumes on troll golems and other such creatures of dark magic are few in number."

"Knowledge on dark magic is prohibited in the stronghold yer see and such volumes would contain too much information that could potentially encourage the practice of the art..."

"Too dangerous to be kept lying around, dragon kind are thorough and never leave room for future trouble." Mor’ rud continued as they walked down the aisle, past dozens of bookshelves.

"Hence most of these volumes must have been destroyed post uprising. There are but a few stored away after careful scrutiny, I do not know if they hold the knowledge yer seek but take yer time." Mor’rud said.

They turned a few corners and all the while, Neveah couple only marvel at the sheer size of this library.

Neveah had believed she was doing well enough keeping her awe to herself but she realized she was not when Mor’rud pointed it out.

"Yer do not know much of the stronghold. This is not even one of the greatest libraries in the stronghold. Here in keep skies, the library in dragon keep is thrice the size of this." Mor’rud chipped in.

"How come no one ever showed it to me?" Neveah murmured to herself.

"There are about 70000 volumes stored here, it is not much of a collection compared to the truly great libraries."

"Dragon dynasty has endured for centuries, one could say these centuries have been eventful. There is much to be written about."

"Even before the emergence of dragon dynasty, volumes dating back to the very first sunrise are still well preserved and protected... within these halls and other greater libraries rest the history of the supernatural realm." Mor’ rud said.