Dwargonia, Underground Train Network
The true marvel of Dwargonian public transport was not their airships, but the vast underground train network that stitched their cities together like veins beneath solid stone.
Each train was a behemoth—its iron bulk and squared silhouette unmistakably similar to an old Earth locomotive from the 1940s. The Dwargonian version, however, is more shiny and took excess seriously. One engine pulled two hundred and fifty passenger cars, a rolling monument to mass transit efficiency and dwarven overengineering.
For every fifty cars, there were two dedicated dining cars.
Which explained why the Misfits were currently seated inside one of them, drowning enthusiastically in Dwargonian hospitality.
Gulp.
Gulp.
Gulp.
Gulp.
"Ahhh!" Ivy slammed her mug onto the table with enough force to rattle the plates.
"How can someone be that stingy?!" she slurred. "Even the Uber driver complained about him not choosing UberXL when he literally knows there's five of us!"
"That's right!" Bella chimed in, equally drunk and equally offended. "All those economy class foods suck! How come a Prime Minister doesn't have the dignity to at least choose business class?!"
Kovalski groaned, rubbing his leg. "Ugh. I think my leg still not fully recovered from those cramped seats."
"Sigh," Irving said calmly, lifting his mug. "Good thing we now have a dwarf council member joining us. Best to enjoy whatever facilities that we can get."
His eyes drifted to the table.
Stacks of dirty plates.
Empty mugs.
Half-abandoned serving trays.
Clear evidence of a dinner that had long since crossed from hospitality into abuse.
"How long do you think this dragon hunting will take, captain?" Bella asked, lazily swirling the remains of her drink.
"Dunno," Irving replied. "But supposedly should be done before the Chief of Staff delivers the baby."
"Zzzzzzz—"
Ivy's snoring cut cleanly through the conversation, her head dropping forward without warning.
Irving glanced at her. "Hmm. I forgot that she's a light-weight compared to us."
"Well, humans like her can't handle alcohol as well as us," Bella said, shrugging.
"Guess she's still human after all," Kovalski added.
Irving rose from his seat and stretched.
"Well, I guess I'm going to call it a night," Irving said. "I'm going to tell the waiter to put the bills on the council member tab."
"Okaaay," Bella and Kovalski replied in unison.
Irving walked off and spoke with the bar staff for a moment. After a short exchange, he glanced back at the table and gave them a confident thumbs-up.
Bella and Kovalski returned the gesture.
Satisfied, Irving continued walking, leaving the dining car behind.
"You know," Bella said lazily, staring at the ceiling, "it's actually pretty sweet. Presenting the world to the baby and the mother."
"That's ridiculous," Kovalski replied immediately. "That'll only make men more scared of getting married."
"Only a coward would say that," Bella shot back. "When I get married, I'm going to ask the same thing from my husband."
She clasped her hands together, eyes still fixed upward, clearly imagining it.
"Bahaha!" Kovalski laughed. "You will need to find one that's more of an idiot than you for doing either of those."
Bella turned slowly and glared at him.
Kovalski paused, then scratched his chin. "But I guess… you being naïve is just you being you. That's pretty cute."
Bella tilted her head, processing that.
Then a dwarf waiter from the bar arrived at their table and carefully placed a stack of papers down.
"Excuse me," the dwarf waiter said, "here is the bill you requested."
"Huh?" Kovalski and Bella said at the same time.
"Didn't our captain tell you to put it under council member Dwordoug Axebreaker tab?" Kovalski asked. "We're his group."
"Yes, I know," the waiter sighed. "But I already told your captain that we don't have this kind of 'tab' thing in Dwargonia. You eat, you pay right away. That's it. And he said that you all are the ones who will pay."
"What?!" Kovalski and Bella shouted.
"Grr… that sneaky captain!" Bella growled.
"Tch," Kovalski muttered. "This is what happens when we don't research the culture when we go overseas." He turned toward Ivy. "Hey, Ivy, wake up, you need to chip in to pay."
But when they looked over—
Ivy was gone.
Her seat already empty.
Apparently, being wasted did not stop her from being cheap.
"Not human at all!" Kovalski shouted.
He slowly turned back to Bella.
Bella's expression had visibly changed. Her eyes widened. Her posture stiffened.
"You… have some money on you, right?" Kovalski asked carefully.
"Uh…" Bella hesitated.
Then, somehow, slowly, Bella took a deep breath.
Her cheeks began to puff up.
"No, no… don't you dare…" Kovalski said, stepping forward slightly.
Bella's cheeks kept inflating.
"Bella… I swear if you—"
PUFFFF
In a sudden burst, Bella transformed into a pink, round bat and fled.
"He's the one who's going to pay!" Bat-Bella chirped while fleeing in panic.
"GAH! YOU'RE NOT CUTE AT ALL!" Kovalski shouted after her.
The waiter, meanwhile, looked completely unimpressed by the scene unfolding in front of him.
"That'll be twelve gold and four silver, please," the dwarf said flatly, shoving the receipt toward Kovalski. "Dwargonian coins. Not any other coins or currency."
"W-well…" Kovalski stammered, sweat starting to form.
---
Meanwhile, in the private car where Solo, Dwordoug, and Hilda were staying, the three of them were also enjoying their dinner.
"But building this long stretch of tunnels is truly a wonder," Solo said while cutting into his steak. "I can't imagine how much would it cost."
"Well," Hilda said, sipping her drink, "unlike you demons, we're not too infatuated with short-term efficiency and saving budget. It's costly in the beginning, but the benefit is real. It has lasted for two centuries, and many more centuries to come."
Solo nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the wisdom of a long-life-span master builder race.
"By the way," Solo continued, "I thought there would be five members on the grand council. But why did I only see four back there?"
"Ah," Dwordoug said, "after the last incident, council member Calgirra has stepped down from the grand council."
"You told her to step down?" Solo asked carefully.
"No," Dwordoug replied. "She resigned by herself. Even though she was brainwashed, she felt responsible for all the orders that came from her mouth. Now she's busy organizing an election within her own clan and sub-clan to find her replacement."
"Now everything is always about those costly elections," Hilda sighed. "Democracy is expensive."
"Well, with all the dwarfs always being stubborn," Dwordoug said, "this is way less messy than arguing all the time."
"Good thing that your grand council system is actually pretty much kind of like a democracy on its own," Solo said.
"Minister Levi also said the same thing," Dwordoug replied. "But now every other sub-clan also has a seat in the newly founded parliament. It's kind of a hassle that every decision the grand council makes has to pass that parliament, but I guess it will satisfy more dwarfs than before."
"True," Hilda added. "I still remember how staggering the number of Goldenclaws sympathizers hidden in Dwargonia was when your country gave us Baldrik Goldenclaws and his ledgers."
"Not gave. Sold!" Dwordoug corrected sharply, glaring at Solo. "For getting Dwargonian minerals with cheap prices. Grrr…"
"Hahaha!" Solo said defensively. "Like you said, it's only costly at the beginning, but the benefit is real."
"Just you wait when we rule the food business in Murica," Dwordoug growled.
"Sure, sure," Solo replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin after finishing his meal. "It's a fair competition. And I like these Dwargonian grills also, so I won't complain."
"Somehow, the world now has become all about competition after you demons showed up," Hilda muttered. "I thought democracy was supposed to end fights and bring peace."
"Well, Mrs. Axebreaker," Solo said with a smile, "peace is the end product. Democracy is always about keeping everyone fighting, since it's everyone's true nature. But in a more… concealed manner."
---
Silverhold City
The next day, Solo's train finally arrived at the Silverhold underground station.
The station itself was a marvel of dwarven planning. Instead of straight platforms, the trains parked along several massive curved lanes, bending gently to accommodate the train's ridiculously long body.
From above, the entire thing looked less like a station and more like a metal snake coiled beneath the mountain.
"I will deduct all of this from your salaries!" Solo scolded angrily as he exited the train, waving the misfits' food bills in the air.
"Yes, sir…"
The misfits trailing behind him all sighed at once, their shoulders drooping in perfect synchronization. The regret was visible. Palpable. Completely useless.
Dwordoug and Hilda led the way toward the parking lot, where two Silverfist clan cars were already waiting, accompanied by their aides. The arrangement was immediate and efficient.
Solo, Hilda, and Dwordoug entered the front car.
The misfits were directed to the one behind.
As the convoy rolled forward and exited the highway tunnel, the city of Silverhold revealed itself.
Unlike Hearthguard Cairn, Silverhold was a true industrial city. Chimneys dominated the cityscape, far outnumbering residential or office buildings. Smoke rose in thick columns, blending with the low ceiling of the underground cavern.
Trucks rumbled through the streets. Blimps drifted overhead, weaving between scaffolding and cranes.
And most striking of all—
Dwarfs were allowed to drive steam armors on the road.
Construction armors skidded along the stone streets, hauling beams, pipes, and slabs of stone in their mechanical hands. Some paused at intersections. Others did not.
The result was chaos, but very organized chaos.
"Welcome to Silverhold," Hilda said. "Home of the Silverfist clan. The birthplace of Dwargonian machines."
---
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