The Legend of the Star Forge
A gentle breeze brushed across the surface of the oasis, and countless stars shimmered upon the water.
"Are you alone?"
A man stepped forward and asked me.
The people around him naturally made way and drew back, making it clear he was the leader of their party.
I nodded and studied him carefully.
The turban on his head gleamed with a rich luster, and a red jewel was set into the cloth that wrapped his brow. The robe he wore was nothing like the clothes of ordinary townsfolk; golden stars glittered across the luxurious fabric.
He looked thoroughly wealthy.
"Yes, that's right."
"You must have come from outside the desert."
"How did you know?"
"No one from around here has skin that pale."
As he spoke, he pointed to his own face. His complexion was a light copper.
"I am called Kashin. And your name?"
The moment he gave his name, the people who had stepped back flinched. Apparently he was someone who should not casually reveal his identity to just anyone. Why, then, had he told me?
"I'm Ceris."
"Well then, Ceris. If you have no objection, why not join us—at least until you leave this oasis?"
"Hmm..."
"If you wish, we can offer wine and warm food."
"Why are you being so kind to me? We've only just met."
"Because that is how it must be, here at the oasis."
It was not a particularly appealing offer. He was being friendly for now, but who knew when that might suddenly change? I decided to keep a little distance.
"I'm fine, thank you."
"A pity..."
Kashin accepted my refusal cleanly and turned away. His cool attitude left me the one feeling oddly flustered. It seemed to be a peculiar custom of this desert.
Pru-ruk—
"Ah, I know..."
While I stood there blankly, Nightmare started walking off on his own. He headed for the shade of a large tree and settled in, so I had no choice but to prepare our campsite beneath it as well.
I built a fire and spread out a blanket. At that moment Nightmare shoved his great face toward me. The way he flicked his tongue made it plain he wanted meat.
I prepared meat and water for him and set them in a bowl. Whether from hunger or not, Nightmare wolfed down the large chunk of meat in an instant. It was sandworm flesh I had bought earlier at the butcher's.
Just then a man came trudging toward us from a distance. It was the same man who had introduced himself as Kashin.
He approached empty-handed, both palms raised toward the sky as if to show he meant no harm. Yet he could not come close. Nightmare had risen abruptly and was clearly on guard, so Kashin was forced to stop some distance away.
"Hah... what a magnificent horse."
"What business do you have?"
"No need to be so wary. I simply wished to talk."
"About what?"
"You are from outside the desert, are you not? I would like to hear tales of that place."
"Is that really all?"
"Of course."
Kashin answered my question with an easy smile and plopped down onto the sand. I glanced in the direction he had come from. The people who seemed to be his companions kept watching this spot with uneasy eyes.
"They look worried."
"Pay them no mind. They are not my people, after all."
"Hmm..."
After a brief moment of thought I nodded. I had questions of my own, so telling him my stories while asking about the blacksmith who worked with starlight seemed like a fair exchange.
Drawing on old memories, I began to recount what I had experienced—the snow-covered Karm Mountains and the battle with goblins, the meeting with a mage, and then the encounter with an ogre.
"An ogre... I should like to see what such a creature looks like."
Kashin listened with a face full of fascination. I left out any mention of being able to use magic and continued, describing how I had crossed the sea, arrived in the Karuma Empire, passed through the Hairan Highlands, and finally reached this place.
"That's everything."
Having heard me out to the end, Kashin nodded in admiration.
"The world beyond the desert is a most captivating place."
"I have something I'd like to ask as well, if that's all right."
"By all means."
I asked him about the rumors of a blacksmith who worked with starlight. At my question he gazed up at the sky with a thoughtful expression. The broad river of starlight was slowly flowing across the desert.
How much time passed like that? While I was staring blankly at the drifting stars, Kashin finally answered.
"I suspect it is the legend of the Star Forge."
"The Star Forge?"
Kashin nodded.
"It is a tale from very long ago. Now everyone has forgotten it, and it is passed down only as a legend... a story of the vanished dwarves."
Frowning as if dredging up a hazy memory, he spoke hesitantly. From his lips came the tale of dwarves who had forged a sword from starlight that fell from the heavens, of the evil dragon that coveted that sword, and of the city called Star Forge that had disappeared along with the dwarf race itself.
"Is it impossible to go to that Star Forge now?"
"Of course it is. It is only an old story. A city that does not exist."
"Even if one searched the entire desert?"
"Hahaha!"
Kashin burst into a great laugh at my question, then continued.
"There were those who thought the same, but every last one of them failed."
"Hmm..."
"Well... do not look so disappointed. It is merely a legend, is it not?"
I gave a light laugh at his answer and looked up at the sky.
"Even so, I'd like to try finding it."
"Well... if that is what you wish, I will not stop you..."
With those words Kashin rose to his feet. Fine sand sifted softly from the place where he had sat. I watched him return to his own campsite, then lay down on my blanket.
A cool breeze gently stroked my golden hair.
"What should I do..."
Pru-ruk—
At my quiet murmur Nightmare came over as if to ask what was wrong. His bright red eyes looked down at me.
"My heart's started racing."
My chest pounded. I rested a hand over my small breast and closed my eyes. Behind the thudding of my heart came a faint whirring sound.
Kashin had said it was a forgotten legend. A city that did not exist. Yet through the story he told me I had learned a great deal—that beings called dwarves had once lived in this world. The sword forged from starlight, the evil dragon, and the dwarven city of Star Forge had kindled a fire in my chest.
Having come face to face with the Thunder Bird myself, I could not dismiss the tale as mere legend.
Where had they gone? Perhaps they had hidden themselves among those very stars.
I stretched a hand toward the sky. Of course I could not reach them, yet the starlight flowing like a river seemed almost close enough to grasp.
Around dawn, just as the sun began to rise, Kashin's party finished preparing to leave the oasis with remarkable speed. He tossed a small pouch to me while I was still half-asleep.
"Yesterday's stories were entertaining. Show that in Burning Road and no one will dare look down on you."
I rubbed my eyes and picked up the leather pouch that had fallen to the ground. Seeing that I had it, Kashin mounted his horse and rode out of the oasis.
Watching their figures grow distant, I checked the contents of the pouch. Inside was a brooch carved in the shape of an eagle from blue gemstone.
"Wow..."
The moment sunlight reflected from the oasis surface touched the brooch, the eagle scattered a green radiance. Apparently the light changed according to the angle of the sun's reflection. It looked extremely expensive—yet he had simply tossed such a jewel to me. Kashin's status must have been extraordinarily high.
Pru-ruk—!
I packed my things and immediately climbed onto Nightmare's back. Having snored soundly through the night, he seemed fully restored and was full of energy.
"Let's go!"
I rode Nightmare out of the oasis. Setting off with high spirits, he kicked up the broad platinum sands and raced like the wind. But that lasted only a short while. As the sun's power grew stronger and the temperature around us rose sharply, Nightmare went limp.
Travel through the desert was a succession of unpleasant experiences—occasional sand-laden winds, the light assault of tumbling tumbleweeds, and nameless monsters that charged us at every opportunity. The one mercy was that the sandstorms one always associates with deserts never came.
On the fifth day after leaving the oasis, Nightmare and I discovered a great city. Built along a wide, mighty river, it was clearly the largest settlement in this desert.
We had arrived at Burning Road.
Pru-ruk—!
Excited at the sight of cool shade, Nightmare charged toward the city at tremendous speed.
Thud- thud- thud-!
"W-wait! Stop!"
"Halt!"
Just as Nightmare reached the city gate, the guards standing watch drew spears and swords and leveled them at him. They had apparently mistaken his massive bulk for a monster. I pulled hard on the reins and calmed his excitement.
"Shh... easy now."
Hiiing—!
Nightmare stamped his forelegs restlessly, making no effort to hide his displeasure. The blades and spears pointed at him clearly bothered him. I gave the guards an awkward smile and spoke.
"C-could you put those swords away, please?"
"We cannot!"
The guards, faces tight with tension, refused to lower their weapons. Instead they pressed even more threateningly against Nightmare and me. Frowning as I wondered how to resolve the situation, I suddenly remembered the small brooch Kashin had given me. He had said that if I showed it, no one in Burning Road would dare look down on me.
I took the tiny brooch from the leather pouch and pinned it to my chest. In the glittering sunlight the brooch on my breast flashed blue and green.
"Th-that is...!"
"Our apologies!"
The brooch's effect was truly remarkable. The guards who had been leveling swords and spears bowed their heads deeply and stepped back. What on earth was this thing, that it made them so deferential? I tugged Nightmare's reins and tilted my head in puzzlement.