“Now, now, I’m sure you aren’t interested in the story of some old dwarf,” Gymgrei chuckled. “But if you insist.”

  Whis had sat up, leaning in close to better hear his friend’s story time, hands tucked between his thighs as he sat crosslegged, gripping the edge of the bench.

  Gymgrei cleared his voice and started into what sounded like a well-rehearsed tale, “It was the day of my promotion to Crafter’s Guild Member. I had just left my wife and daughter at home to take the exam and . . .”

  ***

  The halls under the mountain that all mountain dwarves called the motherland were well illuminated by luminescent lamps of golden crystals. Geometric streets wove through the city in a massive grid of squares.

  Gymgrei was proud to be one of the apprentices behind the lamplight project, more effective than candles, lanterns, or mage light. They helped him find home on even the darkest nights.

  He plodded down the street, crates hoisted under each arm full of metal parts and blueprints. He was an apprentice, working for the Craftsman’s Guild of Kaldafell. After years of study, he was going to take his examination for full membership. He left so quickly he didn’t tell his wife and daughter goodbye before heading out.

  The towering tenements passed by him one by one as he went straight for the largest structure in the city—the Crafter’s Guild Headquarters. The structure towered from the deepest ravine up to the stony ceiling of the cavernous city.

  Gymgrei Ottoson swung the doors open with a kick of his boot. He took a deep breath, savoring the earthy air. When he was a small boy, he had once stood on the steps, too young to enter. When he could enter for the first time, the interior was so massive it made him feel microscopic. Now he felt like his giant ancestors.

  He marched up to the front desk and proclaimed himself, “Apprentice Gymgrei Ottoson, I’m here to take the full membership exam.”

  The chiseled woman at the counter looked him up and down before leaning forward. “D’ye have your recommendation letter?”

  Gymgrei handed over a folded piece of parchment marked in a black wax seal with gold paint on its relief.

  The female dwarf at the desk looked over it and nodded, stowing it below her desk. “On ye go, apprentice, take the lift down to exam hall one and go to room three.”

  Gymgrei walked past the bollards that separated the front lobby and the lift. The glowing green pylons that kept intruders out recognized his badge and let him through without incident. He stepped onto the lift and pressed the numeric rune for the floor.

  The whole lift descended rapidly. The shaft lamplights rose up to the dark above, disappearing in the void. Gymgrei took a steadying breath, waiting to be judged below.

  Two great stone doors opened before Gymgrei, and he stepped through them, entering the grand hall. A regal red carpet ran its length, and banners flaunting the guild’s insignia lined the walls between quartz pillars. He walked down the hall and turned left to the third door, opening it and entering the room.

  The smell of heated oil made his head swim.

  The heat of forged metal had him tucking his beard for safety.

  The taste of ozone left him smacking his lips.

  The drum of tools had him singing.

  He walked out of that room a full-fledged member, his tin apprentice badge replaced with a bronze membership badge.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Now that he had full membership, he could begin funding his own research. The thought had his hand patting the worn journal in his shirt subconsciously as the dream came to life in his mind—a brand new firearm to protect Kaldafell with. He rushed home. He would need his family’s help to see this future.

  Then the ground began to crumble, and the thunder of breaking stone filled all of Kaldafell. The walls, floors, and roadways split open, and the alarms rang out, signaling an evacuation.

  Earthquakes after the sundering meant a severing was occurring. Evacuation routes and measures were set up for every point of the city.

  Gymgrei had to trust his family would follow the plan.

  He followed the plan. He left the gates of Kaldafell, surrounded by the other evacuees. It was a severing. The land had split apart, and half of the city began its drift into the Astral.

  Those who escaped began their planning for the future. Those who didn’t stayed.

  In his pocket, Gymgrei had stashed a book holding the blueprints for a set of pistols of his own design.

  He set to work immediately. The refugees needed safe housing and a workshop. As an official Craftsman’s Guild member, he began to spearhead the task, starting with organizing groups to gather the resources for homes, tools, and weapons.

  When dusk fell over the land, his fellow guild members took over the camp management, but there were mouths to feed. The children could not feed themselves.

  Gymgrei had a small group of hunters armed with rifles he had made himself between tasks. He would lead the first hunt for food.

  He led his team of six through the mountain. Snow was falling, and the mountain wind blew it into the hunters, who walked to keep the wind on their faces. Evergreen pines that grew high above the snow split the horizon in any direction, making it easy to get lost. Fortunately for the dwarves, they didn’t need to look long.

  Gymgrei held up a fist to stop their progress. His hunting party slowed to a halt, careful not to crunch the snow under their boots. Prey was just a handful of meters ahead of them. A hulking mass of white fur, massive digging paws, claws, and teeth.

  In that cold snow stood a crag bear, easily five hundred pounds of meat. The issue was killing it. If they all attacked at once, the bear would bolt for its burrow, but going in without backup was deadly.

  Gymgrei went alone ahead of the group. With a signal of his hand, he ordered the other five to move up for flanking. He tucked into a snowbank, rifle lining up with the bear’s chest.

  He held the position, slowing his breathing, bringing his finger onto the trigger, and waiting for the rest of the group to flank the bear.

  It rose sharply, looking left and right as its nostrils flared. Damn. Even downwind, the bear picked up their scent. It began to bolt, running off for its burrow.

  But instead of running away from the group, the bear came barreling in Gymgrei’s direction.

  He had no choice and squeezed the trigger. The sound split the air. The hardened steel bullet flew from the barrel of his rifle. The speeding slug left a vortex trail of snowflakes behind it.

  The round slammed into the bear’s chest. The crag bear tumbled on itself, and the momentum carried it forward.

  Gymgrei didn’t risk it and fired three more shots before diving from the bank. As Gymgrei fell through the air, he realized why the bear was coming at him.

  He was not posted atop a snowbank. He was posted on top of the overhang sheltering the bear’s burrow. He only just saw the burrow entrance now that he wasn’t directly on top of it.

  He stood up, keeping his rifle trained on the bear as he approached, drawing a knife from his belt before grabbing the frame of his gun once more. From the woodline came the rest of the group.

  Then the window appeared before him.

  You have slain an area boss

  [Mother Bear] Level 5

  You do not have a Job

  Congratulations!

  You have earned the Job [Gunslinger]

  You are Level 1.

  What a robbery. A level 5 kill, and he doesn’t get the experience for it because he didn’t have a system Job at the time.

  He lowered his rifle before slinging it behind him. Gymgrei skinned, butchered, and brought the bear back with another dwarf from the hunting crew. Five hundred pounds was a breeze for two dwarves with their inherited giant’s strength.

  He would celebrate getting his job with a tall mug of ale, a bear steak, and a night of good hard work.

  ***

  Everyone on the wagon was quiet.

  Helene had looked away when Gymgrei brought up the severing. She hugged herself, fingers gripping the sleeves of her robe. With the story ending, she dared a glance to Gymgrei, who sat there with thin lips and a steady nod.

  Edoix sat with legs crossed, regarding Gymgrei. He was pinching his chin, mouth hidden behind his knuckles.

  Whis wiggled excitably in his seat like a child, eyes wide as he leaned in for more. He had so many questions, but when he saw Edoix adjust his position, those questions vanished for one. “How about you, Edoix?”

  The light elf blinked, caught off guard by Whis’s energy. “Me?”

  Lost in Reverie: A Traveler’s Tail.

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