Diggy Diggy Hole Chapter 35 (Patreon)

I spent a very good week with my brethren of Karak Kadrin without too much happening beyond keeping myself busy as I learned how to craft dawi gunsmithing.

Although I had amazing talent with forging cold weapons... My talent with making really small mechanisms was still fucking amazing. But it wasn't as intuitive as making a demon-slaying enchanted hammer was far easier for me than making a breech-loading thunder rifle.

'Hmm, with my enhanced strength. Woudn't just carrying a literal naval canon be the best choice for me? I enchant the navel cannon with infinity and punch. And I bet I shoot Archaon from the Empire back to the Chaos wastes with a single shot!'

Because sure. The Everchosen, with his dozen of cheats and bullshit, could be immune to magic and be protected by unbreakable infernal armor.

But even he would flinch at being shot by a naval cannon, of course. 

And that logic was fully supported by this universe as in 40k the walking murder boner Angron got killed by firing lines of tanks on more than one occasion.

The steam train I was riding back home rumbled along as I carefully used a wood chisel to carve a picture of my father holding a large jug of ale up into the air on a block of wood I was considering using to make a gun stock.

And due to the entirely straight path from Karak Kadrin and my own hold. The trains moved even faster then expected. So the ride between our holds was only three hours at full speed instead of the five or six we thought it was going to be.

Once I got home, however, I saw several of the non-clan-tied brethren of mine who came from Karak Kadrin speaking in front of the ate statue,s which made me raise an eyebrow at how animated they seemed.

"Is there a problem with the ale?" I asked firmly as I looked up at the statue dispenser, which depicted the old clan leader whom I fought with against the Skaven when the clan fell.

The older dwarf seeing me. Gave a bearded grin as he said. "Aye young Hall Master. We're arguing about which of ye Ale's tastes the best and gives the best effects."

Seeing as I was entirely too young to be rightfully called king of my own Hold, but also no dwarf would insult the host and builder of their home while within it. They, including the Slayer King, had decided to just call me the Hall Master to keep things simple.

"Kharn you tell us which is your favorite ale then. I say the strength ale is the best with its strong spicy bite to it!" The previously speaking dwarf said firmly.

Another then piped up to say with a growl of defiance. "Ye daft mining fool. All ye thinking is swinging your pickaxe in the mines and killing with more strength. The vitality ale gives ye unending stamina, allowing you to do so much more and with a clearer mind to boot!"

Then my face twitched as another said with a grin. "Ha! You fools! The slow-falling ale with its airy foam is the best! Imagine the faces of some green skin when ye jump off a cliff, and they don't even realize you are there until ye fall into them, swinging yer axe at their heads as ye come down haha!"

I... Quickly pulled out of the conversation as being a brewmaster of my kind, I knew that declaring one ale infinitely better than another was utter heresy that could not be tolerated.

Still, I shook my head, and with a hum, I went around the hold to check things out and what do you know. My hold and work spaces I barely bothered to secure weren't fucked with by my visiting brethren.

Did the smiths and runesmiths check out the assembly line for the dwarven automatons of Skyrim? Hell yes, they did, but unlike the stupid humans who would dunk their heads below a tap that would pour molten metal to see if they could see the molten metal coming out of the tube.

They kept a respectful distance, and any materials they used, they replaced with similar quality and a bit more in quantity as a gift.

So, seeing a half dozen full-bearded runesmith apprentices working on a Thunder God Cannon, I went over to help them work on the medieval rail gun that used a tornado of lining to swirl around and launch a pyramid-shaped spike of metal at high speeds.

But after talking with them for a good while and learning about thunder runes while I shared my own knowledge of 'Force' runes. A younger dwarf rushed in panting. "Hall Master! Grand Cathay is here! The Ogre's sent a message that a messenger is here to deliver an important message to ye!"

I exhaled heavily before I nodded and said. "Give me a minute, brother. I need to put on my war gear to meet with the treacherous dragon kin."

After getting on my new enchanted Netherite Armor. I walked out with a massive war hammer made out of Netherite, Astral Steel, and Gromril that gave me an extra stack of magic resistance.

Because I very much ascribed to the Primarch Vulcan's method of making hammers. Make the hammers so good at something else that people forget to remember that the hammers themselves are the ultimate blunt object to the face.

I came out of the hold with three dozen slayers surrounding me and as I came out. I saw Shaggit who looked fine thankfully if anything, he was looking fatter then before with the steady food his clan had.

But he gave me a grinning smile filled with misshapen teeth as he said. "Aye, little un. Them dragon kin gave my boys this to get to ya hands."

And from his massive oversized mits came a large ornate scroll which belonged in an art exhibit with the deer parchment laced with gold embroider along with the cap sides of the scroll being high quality jade sockets.

"Let me check if it is cursed Hall Master." One of the slayers said stepping forth to take the scroll from Shaggit who looked at the angry small dwarf with some annoyance before he huffed and said with a careless grin.

"Aight I passed the message. Imma head back to ma tents and get back to fuckin haha!" 

I wasn't paying much attention to Shaggit as after the scroll was checked I took it myself and began reading it.

And beyond a lot of flowery bullshit that I knew wasn't the direct words of Miao Ying. It all boiled down to Miao Ying asking to make amends for the previous contract breach. And that our previous arrangement to continue with her, personally promising on her own honor to keep the flow of materials and such coming if I came back to Grand Cathay.

But most importantly, it said at the end as clear words from Miao Ying herself. [I will personally escort you back to Grand Cathay on the following sunrise when you get this message.]

"You will... Escort me? I am not some fucking child you can hold the hand of and take home!" I hissed with my hands slamming the scroll closed with a scowl.