Busty Dwarves of the Steel Fortress
"You lot... did you have a fight or something? You two were inseparable from the start, but you've seemed awkward lately."
"Ah... no, it's not like that."
"Right. Whatever happened, when a woman's mad, you apologize first—even if you did nothing wrong. Back in my day with my wife..."
I listened to Pourn, the man sitting beside me as he launched into his stories, and glanced at Kir, who was sitting a bit farther away. Ever since that night when I ended up having a wet dream while we were sleeping together, Kir's attitude had changed a little. She still treated me warmly, but she no longer pressed her body against mine as clingily as before.
...Did she smell it?
I wondered if she'd caught the scent after my accident, feeling oddly uneasy as I sniffed my own body.
"...Hngh?!"
For some reason, as I sniffed myself, Kir flinched with a flustered look... but my nose picked up nothing unusual. Or maybe not? It felt faintly different from the semen smell from that wet dream...?
Still, that's a relief. If she'd kept clinging after that, I might've lost control right away.
But now that she wasn't, it felt oddly disappointing in its own way... No, forget it.
"Oh, there it is."
"You see it? What—?"
Lost in my complicated thoughts, I poked my head out the carriage window at Pourn's words and looked outside.
There it was.
"...Whoa."
"Hahaha! Everyone who sees that mountain range reacts the same way. You look like veterans, but right now you're total newbies!"
Pourn laughed loudly beside me, but I was too entranced by the sight to care.
A towering mountain range that seemed to scrape the clouds. And in one massive section carved out of it like a chunk had been sliced away stood a silver fortress. Walls thicker and taller than any I'd ever seen encircled it, and endless white steam billowed from within.
"That's the dwarves' city and nation. The Steel Fortress."
...
Dwarves. Short in stature and limbs compared to humans, but blessed with craftsmanship no other race could match. Born near fire, wielding hammers by age five, surpassing other races' artisans by ten. Legends say most legendary heroes' gear was forged by dwarven hands—not just weapons, but architecture, brewing, cooking, anything requiring skill.
"They're also devotees of one of the five benevolent gods, the Forge of All Things. Don't disrespect It in the city."
"Got it."
And they worship the Forge of All Things, one of the five gods who rules fire and steel, overseeing 'creation'—and receive Its special favor.
Wonder what It's like. They say It barely cares about anyone but dwarves.
I racked my brain recalling dwarf lore as I gawked at everything with the caravan folk, passing the walls. Then I watched the guards at the gate checking entrants.
Those are dwarves...
They really looked middle-school height. But their forearms and thighs were thicker than a knight's. Short, but like adults compressed into mini bodies.
"...Human. Hey, human!!"
"Y-yes?!"
Staring too hard, a dwarf suddenly approached, grumbling and holding out a hand.
"Show your ID and state your purpose."
"Yes, sir. D-rank adventurer Yuseong from the guild. Here for the C-rank promotion exam and..."
Didn't even notice him coming—short guy.
Swallowing impolite thoughts, I handed over my adventurer card and quest proof for a quick search. Glancing inside the walls while the soldier checked, I jolted.
W-whoa... is that a dwarf woman?
A woman even smaller—no, tinier than the guards—passed by the gate. Not shocking; dwarves have women too. What stunned me was...
What the hell with those tits.
I know staring at breasts is rude, but I couldn't help it. This world's nutrition left most people flat—Karen and Laila impressed me for a reason. But that...
Is it legal to have tits like that on a frame that small?
Tiny limbs, but massive jiggling breasts utterly mismatched. And her companions looked the same.
"All clear. You're good to go!"
I took back my card in a daze and entered. Joseph patted my shoulder with an understanding look.
"Soul's gone from your eyes. First time with dwarves?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Here's a fun fact. Dwarves are small, sure... but dwarf women have one more trait."
Joseph cupped his hands at chest level and shook them vulgarly.
"Tits."
"...Tits?"
"Yeah. Tits and asses. Dwarf girls are short and stubby up top and limbs, but their racks and hips put human women to shame."
Joseph described them dead seriously.
"And that's not all. Dwarf women are still dwarves—insane craftsmen. Imagine callused hands from years of work on your cock..."
Joseph went on forever about dwarf charms. Turns out he had a regular here—like bragging about his girlfriend. I half-listened, but couldn't stop picturing it.
Big tits, fat ass, skilled hands...
...No. Stop. Just had a wet dream—don't fantasize more.
Still...
To train Replication, more variety the better, right?
Perfect. Added a little side goal to my Steel Fortress stay.
...
True to form, the adventurer guild had a branch even here. I reported the quest and got my C-rank badge.
"C-rank..."
"Congrats, Yuseong!"
Kir, who'd done the same quest, grinned at her bronze badge. Memories of stuck-at-E for two years hit fresh.
"Let's party just us to celebrate C-rank!"
"Not now... tonight. Same inn anyway."
We'd arrived early—barely lunchtime—so I politely declined. Guild advice led us to the same inn, separate rooms. Obviously.
...Yeah.
I soothed Kir's slight disappointment and wandered the Steel Fortress alone.
First, find a forge.
Promotion exam was priority one, but custom armor from my variant ogre hide was next. With my budget, it'd be top-tier.
No idea on time—want to commission ASAP...
Problem: where? Forge district had busy big shops, but...
"...Expensive."
I knew dwarf prices were high, but this crushed expectations. Especially custom with my materials.
Worse, most were booked months out.
"Fine. Expected that...?"
Even ready-mades were insane. Willpower waning, I checked smaller shops. Dwarven central—could spend days here.
One decent place among these, right?
Affordable, open slots, good skill... tall order. Worst case, sell hide for ready-made.
...
Five hours later.
"Ugh."
I admitted I'd underestimated dwarves.
Fucking pricey.
Found openings, showed Twin-Headed Ogre hide—some artisans lit up. But...
"For this... yeah, about 200 gold?"
"......"
Way over budget.
All my coin's barely 100...
Rewards left ~30 gold. Quests in Palos etc. ~10. Dungeon magic stones ~10. Secret room loot split ~50. Total ~100.
Sell hide, cover some... but then no hide for armor.
Market check: all ogre hides/stones ~100 gold.
Jackpot, but...
Tempted to sell and buy cheap, but no.
Dangers ahead—want the best armor to save my ass. Money's replaceable; life isn't.
Something told me custom from this hide beat anything else.
Sigh... not done yet. More tomorrow.
Time late—heading back—when a tiny forge in an alley caught my eye.
Clang! Clang!!
Faint hammering inside, endless smoke from chimney. Normal... except...
A woman?
Through the door crack, the hammer-swinger looked female.
No women smithing elsewhere. Curiosity piqued, I entered.
...One last stop?
Smaller than others, no greeter. Just a sweat-drenched smith hammering away.
I froze, mesmerized.
Not skill or gear.
Holy shit. What the fuck is she wearing.
The female dwarf smith, sweating buckets mid-swing, was in a dangerously skimpy outfit—half-naked.
Brown hair tied back tight. Classic dwarf shortness. But violently huge tits and ass mismatched. Back bare, sweat tracing her curves.
"Hm?"
Caught staring too long? She paused to wipe sweat, and our eyes met.
"...Huh? A customer?"
"Uh... y-yeah."
Quickly averting, I prepped an apology in case I'd offended... but
"Holy shit! A customer at last...!!"
"...?"
Ignoring my gaze entirely, her serious craft face lit up like salvation arrived. She rushed over, eyes sparkling.
"C-come in! Uh, please! Tea? Shit, out of tea... Cool water then!"
Flustered, she frantically cleared space to host.
...Pathetic.
What a strangely pitiful sight.
*******
(Different illustration adopted but uploaded because it was too good to discard.)