"You know what, I'm not going with you," the dwarf shook his head. "My instincts have never failed me before – it's a lost cause, my friend!"
I waited for my friend to think. I was looking out the window, thinking about the cities of Terressia, when his voice came from behind me. He finally spoke again after my question and long deliberation. And walked to the now my private room and sat down across from the dwarf.
"Suit yourself," I shrugged. If the Order does sign the contract, I'll have to fulfill it as a mercenary. K'Yoevghahn's contract is up, and he's free to go wherever he wants.
The dwarf stood up and grasped his crossbow with determination. I thought he was going to point it at me again, but this time he did something different. K'Yoevghahn stroked the hilt of his crossbow once more and held out his weapon to me.
"Here you go, you saved my life, and it will replace your spear." In his usual careless manner, the dwarf pushed me in the stomach with his weapon, only this time with the handle. He did this whenever I took one gold for a new contract, threatening to shoot me for my stupidity and stubbornness.
I wanted to object, but met the dwarf's steely gaze. The dwarf shifted his steely eyebrows for effect, and when I took the weapon, he folded his strong arms across his chest as if forged in the crucible of the forges:
"Take it before I change my mind. And I will not tolerate any objections," he waved me away with square fingers and clenched his fists so that the knuckles turned white on his strong hands. History says, "Fear the dwarves who bring gifts…" and it's because they're pathologically stingy. It is very difficult for them to give gifts, and so my friend was torn between two opposites.
"I'm grateful to you, K'Yoevghan. This is an invaluable gift." He seemed to let go a little.
"If I'd known," K'Yoevghahn said in a low growl, "that you, humans, had such a mercenary mess, I never would have come to you."
"You didn't complain much the last time we gathered gold," I grinned, remembering my recent contract.
"Gold," the dwarf said, raising his index finger, "shines brightly, but here, if it's not a trick, it's just bad smelling.... foolishness! What was the point of you binding yourself to the Order again? You should have smashed a couple of dragon eggs over their heads instead of agreeing to it. You're very wrong, buddy!"
I sighed.
"I don't understand it, absolutely not!" The dwarf waved his hands away again. "Don't ask, I'll never go with you," he turned away, waiting for something to happen, and froze. He must have been expecting me to talk him into it. In that moment, I realized how much my friend trusted me. If I insisted right now, he would go, even in spite of his premonition.
"I understand you, K'Yoevghan. I'm not asking you to, it's my personal thing, you know?" I tried to give him a hint.
"Personal, you say?" He rubbed his beard from top to bottom with his right hand. That gesture meant many things to dwarves. K'Yoevghahn shifted his eyebrows and said, "I have a wife and children in the north, and that's personal, I understand, but what you find 'personal' in the Order, I don't know," I shrugged.
"Friend, I'm not asking you to come with me this time." The words sounded as if they weren't spoken by me. So different from my usual tone. The dwarf stayed still for the first time in our long journey, then shuddered as if startled out of his thoughts. He shook his head again and nodded, "All right, have it your way, old friend," he patted my shoulder. The dwarf could only do that because I was sitting up. "When you're done with your business, come visit us in the Blue Mountains. I'll be waiting for you."
