Silvertower took me to the treasure chamber, where I found his corpse.

Even though this city was founded after his death, he moved through the corridors with confident steps as if he personally had designed the palace.

"So, what are we doing now." I grabbed a golden coin from the ground. "I heard about the saying money is the strongest weapon, but I don't think that weapon and the weapon we are searching for are not the same thing."

Silvertower sighed. "Just wait for a second. I am trying to remember something." He began touching the walls. "Hah!" He stepped back, grabbed his giant maul, and destroyed the wall with a single swing, revealing a hidden passage.

I got defeated by my curiosity and asked. "Any explanation on how you found this secret passage." 

"For many humans, gold and jewelry might be the biggest treasures, and don't get me wrong, they are also valuable for our kin, but a real treasure for a dwarven blacksmith is its masterpieces."

"So, you thought that if no one entered here before me, your crafts also should be presented in the room, but since they are nowhere to be seen, you assumed a secret room."

Silvertower laughed. "Oh, you got close, but this is an old tradition. Even in death, we want to keep our most precious safe, so people we trust hide them near our bodies when we die." He entered the secret room, and I followed him from behind.

We entered a large chamber lit by magical candelabra that emitted a blue light.

Weapons, armor, and various artifacts were over stone pedestals covered in glowing runic writing.

Silvertower pushed me towards the pedestals with a proud look on his face. "Go and pick whatever you want. These are nothing to brag for, but I think they will serve well enough."

"Then I will start with this." I moved towards a prosthetic arm and grabbed it. It was vastly different than the one I lost during the fight against the executioner.

My old arm was made of iron, this one of dark blue metal with some decorative platinum plating.

Another difference. The old arm was rough and heavy, while this one was light and flexible. The forearm was hollow with a hexagon-shaped socket in it.

"An excellent choice!" Silvertower's voice was cheerful. "It is forged from an alloy of mithril and blood of a Steelturtle. It could enhance your magic, and if you fed it with mana crystals or something similar, it could amplify it even further."

I placed the arm in its place, and it quickly adjusted itself to my body.

I opened and closed it several times and moved it to test it.

"Mastery of the craft shows itself. This one feels even better than my actual arm."

Silvertower put a blueish crystal inside the socket. "Give it a go."

I focused on the new arm, felt the mana flow through my body, and created a flame spear, one brighter and livelier than all before.

I looked at Silvertower. "I can feel its power being times more than before, yet the mana it took from me was so little."

"It is, but be conservative with how much you use this function. As I said, it requires an outside power source, and we don't have much left in the stockpiles."

I fired the spear toward an empty space. 

The spear roared as it left my hands with incredible speed and a massive trail of blazing fire behind, and when it exploded, the explosion was five times larger than before.

"Silvertower, my friend, I don't know how to describe this. This thing is incredible."

"Then what will you say about this one." He handed me a sword.

A greatsword a couple of inches taller than the claymore I used back in the forest. Its blade is simple, but it is finely made handle and handguard show it is no ordinary sword.

I swung the sword in the air. "Good balance. Its handle is comfortable and not slippery."

"And it is razor-sharp, but the alloy and enchantment over it make it never dull, and to break it. Well, you need a hundred giants to stomp over it non-stop for weeks."

Suddenly, the ground began shaking, and a thunderous scream echoed through the castle. It felt as if the world split into two.

Silvertower who was laughing suddenly changed expressions. 

His laughter was swapped with fear.

"We must go now." Silvertower threw a set of armor and a sheet for my sword toward me. He sounded anxious. "Be fast and wear it, and don't worry about the size since those can adjust their size and shape depending on the wearer."

I hastily wore the armor and followed Silvertower out.

We entered the abandoned tunnels of dwarven mines. I don't know where we are going, but that earthquake was enough for me to stop questioning Silvertower.

"When do you think we will find Kobold King," I asked.

Silvertower sighed. "I don't know. I don't even know where he is. I am only hoping that he will show himself to us."

Well, that is not great.

"Stop!" Silvertower blocked me from moving with his hand. "Did you hear that as well?"

"No, I didn't." I drew my new sword from its sheet.

"Here it comes, duck!"

I managed to duck just in time as a very long worm-like creature jumped out from one of the walls, passed right above my head, and landed on the ground.

"Steelscales." Silvertower pulled his giant maul from his back and directed it toward the creature. "Here are our challenges. That earthquake wouldn't wake those demons if we had only been here before. I should have acted faster."

"Don't blame yourself, my giant friend, and give me information. I still don't know who is that Kobold King, why he is sending monsters towards us, and are there any more of these things hidden around here?"

"There could be. Keep your blade ready to strike. I will give you the information you want after we kill these beasts.

And just as he said, another Steelscale jumped from a wall on my right.

I thrust my weapon toward the creature and skewered it in mid-air. "Got one."

Ground shook once more but by someone else. "And I killed one too." With one mighty strike of his weapon, Silvertower turned Steelscale into a paste and made a small hole in the ground.

"Then let's keep moving." I sheeted my sword.

"I agree." Silvertower placed his weapon in its place as well.

After a short walk, we arrived at a large circular area with ancient stone furniture. I suppose dwarven miners once used here as a spot to rest.

But we weren't alone inside there. In the middle stood a short humanoid figure covered in ragged clothes with a rat-like tail showing behind.

"So, the renowned champion of the goddess has come." The thing began moving towards me.

"All-Hearing Ear, King Of The Underground." Silvertower kneeled before the creature.

"And what a surprise, WallMaker is here as well. Though your time has passed long ago, I suppose an old enemy called you in for their aid, but he." The creature threw the clothing covering its face away. His face looks like a mix of a mole and a rat with some human-like features.

"I suppose you are Kobold King, am I right?"

He began touching my armor, but I didn't move. I will let everything flow for now.

"War wore your body, but your soul bears the burden. What is that, my child? Tell me. Tell me the thing that is eating your mind from inside." This guy is scary, but his voice is gentle and caring.

"It is the unknown. My knowledge is so limited about this world where I shouldn't be. I don't even know what I should do next."

Kobold got excited. He was shaking his tail. "Yes, yes, tell me."

"I want to escape from the claws of fate. I want revenge, but for them, I don't want to be Lich King or champion of a goddess. I want to be free from outside influence, but I don't know how."

Kobold played with his beard. "How sad. But don't you miss something crucial?"

I sighed. "And war, despite wanting a bloody revenge, I am scared of being consumed by it."

"Hmm, is this the lie you tell yourself?"

I didn't answer.

"We all have some truth we hid for ourselves. I won't dig deep. Now, my child, I wish I could do something, but you must know you are bound to a fate you cannot escape."

"And what is that fate."

Kobold King clapped his hand, and a long wooden staff appeared out of thin air. "I cannot tell that until you prove your worth."

He hit the floor with his staff, and the ground swallowed him completely, but his voice still echoed in the tunnels.

"Bring me her heart, then we talk."

And the moment his voice faded, the ground shook stronger than before.

Silvertower patted my shoulder. "Prepare your weapon, and stay vigilant. Their mother is coming."

The floor shattered into two and formed a crack large enough for a bus to fall in. A giant centipede-like creature climbed out from there.

She had shining metallic scales like other Steelscales, but the semi-transparent egg sack on its back showed her position.

I was able to see the movement of Steelscale larvae inside her body.

"Is this the queen?" I asked with disgust.

"It is." Silvertower prepared his weapon. "And it seems like she is close to giving birth."

"You have any plans?"

He pointed to Steelscale queen's egg sack. "Don't bother attacking there. It is much more durable than it seems and has a super sticky substance inside. Even if you can penetrate the outer layer, you will still lose your sword."

I nodded. "Then our target is the main body."

"Yes, it is."