Brone Heavyaxe

"Honor is forged through one's own Difficulties"

Brone Heavyaxe leaned onto the cell bars, staring down the long dimly lit hallway. His orange jumpsuit was itchy and the heavy iron ball that was shackled to his ankle didn't hinder him, but it did slow him down. He sighed, not just because he failed the quest, but also got himself into this horrid mess, this wasn't just a regular prison... this was intense underwater prison for the most dangerous. "How did I get here?" he sighed, thinking back to when he first got assigned his quest.


„Das Lied der Gefallenen und Reinen“ Is the tome the demoness leader of Paradise Dawn desires. From what the bookman in the library stated, it is a rare tome that tells of the history of the war between the angels and demons. What sets it apart from other written accounts is that its from an unbiased source that dates back long ago. That was as much of the information that Brone Heavyaxe had received before he stopped listening and it was when he gave a deep yawn that Maren the scholar threw up his hands in annoyance and gave up on the dwarf. Regardless, Lumikki had sent Brone to retrieve the book feeling the dwarf needed to get out of the guild hall and take on an adventure and visiting a new country would be good for him.

Brone would have gotten to the city of Sachsenstadt sooner if he had flown with Noctus, but because of his fear of flying, he relied on his ravens to guide his pegasus while he kept his eyes closed, and the ravens haven't been spotted since he departed. This wasn't an issue since the dwarf felt more comfortable traveling by land and enjoying the travel in general, so he took his artic wolf Geri.

It had taken him some time moving through the streets looking for the book shop "Lindwurm Des Wissens" since he didn't know the boscan language; he would look about, peering at the stores looking for the name and rarely did he stop to ask, not because he was afraid of butchering the name, but because his pride wouldn't allow him.

It had taken him two days to find the bookstore, albeit he did get tired of wandering the streets aimlessly so he ended up asking for directions. The bookstore had an old architecture, but the dwarf noticed the structure was well fortified and taken care of, so it was already promising. He entered the shop and looked about, seeing bookshelves everywhere. The walls were entirely covered in books. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Brone went up to the front desk where a young woman possibly in late twenties stood  with a bright smile on her face.

"I'm here to pick up..." Brone then pulled out his notepad and began to struggle to read the title, "Das... lieder... lied der... Ge-fall... nen .... und Reinan" finally getting to the last word, he looked to see the clerk's face struggling to hold in a chuckle. The dwarf rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, knowing well how it may seem to see someone struggling with a new language.

"Von „Das Lied der Gefallenen und Reinen“ haben wir noch ein Exemplar übrig" She said with a smile, but the dwarf didn't under anything she had just said, but as he watched her point to the book behind her sitting on the rear counter, he managed to read the title; though he didn't understand what the title meant, he knew that was the book he was sent to pick up.

"That's it right there" He would point at the book.

"Tut mir leid, Sir, aber das ist das einzige Exemplar und es ist bereits bezahlt." The clerk was started to get a little worried, seeing that she was a timid young lady, but all the dwarf understood was that she refused to get the book for him, which made him peeved, "Wenn Sie möchten, könnte ich Sie auf eine Warteliste setzen, falls wir ein weiteres Exemplar bekommen" She said as he pointed to her clipboard, but the dwarf thought she was pointing to the cash register.

"I ain't paying for that! Its already paid for! Just give me the dang book!" He started picking up his voice, though it wouldn't be seen aggressive in Iceberg or any dwarven settlements, he was in Bosco and some locals in the ship as well as outside the shop noticed him.

The clerk was noticeably nervous, a bead of sweat formed on her brow as she took a step back, "Es tut mir leid, lassen Sie mich einen Übersetzer besorgen" she said. The dwarf would then realize she had trouble understanding him as much as he was trying to understand her, but he was already impatient and his annoyance matched it, so he walked behind the counter to grab the book.

"I'll just get it myself" he said as he looked over the book once before walking out of the store. The clerk stammered in panic as he was pointing to the dwarf. Unbeknownst to the dwarf, the book was indeed paid for, but because there was no message sent ahead of time that someone would be picking up the book, the clerk had assumed the dwarf a thief.

A nearby guard who was patrolling the street had heard several people calling to him and guided him to the bookstore to which he heard the clerk tell him what happened. He quickly rushed down the street where he saw the dwarf and eventually caught up to him while blowing his whistle.

At first, Brone thought he was being mugged when the guard as well as reinforcements had arrived, but noticed their outfits and understood the situation, "Damn it! I'm picking up the book!" he was letting his anger get the better of him instead of focusing on speaking clearly as the guards held onto his wrist, but as the dwarf tried to pull away, the guards tightened their grip and it wasn't long before he was put into shackles. The moment that happened, the dwarf settled, though still seething. He believe he did anything wrong, but he hated the idea of breaking the laws or rules of the land, so he let himself get led away.

During booking at the local precent, the guards had discovered who Brone Heavyaxe was and realized how potentially dangerous he was, not because of any bad deeds, but of his power as a warrior, so it was determined he would be sent to Hellsea Bastille in order to assure he'll be kept contained until further notice.


Days passed before Brone arrived in the underwater prison. He managed to calm down, but felt annoyed with the situation as a whole and with himself for not handling the situation right. He was also confused about the one guard who had caught him earlier, the man who he learned is named "Heinz" decided to travel with him all the way to the underwater prison. As far as the dwarf could tell, the boscan guard was kind. Once Brone had been turned over to the knights who guarded the prison, Heinz saluted them and saluted Brone as well before walking off to head back to Bosco.

All of Brone's equipment, armor, and weapons were locked away in a large vault. He was put into an orange jumper suit and his wrists were shackled together with a heavy iron ball was shackled to his ankle, hoping to impede him if he tried to run. The cell was cold and damp, but it wasn't an issue to him, he was more worried about not being able to get the book for his niece. He sighed as he looked out the bars down the long barely lit hall.

1,298

"Keep yer heart true, and others will see it"

Brone Heavyaxe

"A toast to a life of adventure"

The cold stone floor beneath the dwarf's bare feet was cool and comforting to him in such a time where he had his freedom stripped from him, but he knew well he couldn't do anything about it at this present time; he wasn't given a timeframe of how long he'll be in for, nor was he given any information of whether or not he'll be sent to a trial. No armor, no weapons, such a feeling made him feel more naked than he has ever felt. He looked over to the bunk bed that he was fortunate enough not needing to share since he was the only one in that cell. Though it is all left to him, it looked ragged and barely kept; he sighed, knowing he'll have to sleep without having either of his axes beneath his pillow for comfort.

Brone picked up his iron ball with a grunt, surprised they were able to find a ball that was heavy enough for even him to struggle with. He then walked over and sat onto the bottom bunk, looking around the three walls and the cell bars that would be treating his new temporary home. With a sigh and just accepted it as it is, knowing it was a better decision for him to serve his sentence than to fight and try to escape, out of respect for the law of the land and out of respect for Paradise Dawn, for he didn't dare risk the reputation of his guild.

After several hours passed, Brone was laying on the bottom bunk, contemplating what kind of food they might serve in the prison, already accepting his fate. His name was suddenly called, echoing the corridor. The dwarf sat up and looked out through the bars to see a silhouette heading towards him. It took him a moment to realize the voice sounded familiar, but it wasn't until his saw the pink spiky hair that he realized it was- "Toga!" he yelled in excitement as he hopped off the bed and rushed to the bars, though forgetting about the iron ball, he felt the sharp pain in his ankle as the ball was jerked forward and slammed into two of the cell bars, bending them. "Its good te see ye, lad! Oh ye, I guess orange isn't my color" he laughed, joyful that he not only got to see a familiar face, but it being the Rune Knight that he had become so fond of. He grasped the bars and leaned into them, sighing while still holding his smile, "Ah, I got meself into a pickle, not really sure how, it happened all too fast" a chuckle followed, feeling slightly embarrassed of the situation all together, "And what about ye? Yer the new warden or something?"

469 | 1,767

"With good company and good tales"

Brone Heavyaxe

"A toast to a life of adventure"

With the dark of the prison and the lack of color, Toga became pretty much a source of light and color, brightening the dwarf's mood, helping him lift a troublesome weight, though figuratively. Hearing his voice confirmed to Brone that this was no dream or hallucination and as he reached out to touch the Rune Knight's knuckle to his own, he felt the warmth of the dragon slayer, a memory to their battle together and the heat of the young man's fire washed over his mind. "I'm just as surprised te find myself here" he laughed, though also feeling slightly embarrassed to Toga's statement.

As the Rune Knight pulled up a chair, it comforted the dwarf on top of the constant smile the orange haired young man kept shining was a joyful refresher that became contagious. With the call for ale, Brone couldn't help but blurt out another laugh in joy as he went over to the other side of the cell to pull and drag the bunkbed over to the bars so that he could sit on the mattress, joining Toga and making this seem as if they were both in a tavern sitting and lounging while they waited for the bartender to bring them their drinks.

"Aye, ye got a fair point, and a fire about ye that resembles the fire of me clan's forge back home" The dwarf always knew himself to be the optimistic person usually in groups, trying to keep light of any situation, but he always recognized ever since he met Toga that the Rune Knight seemed to burn brighter like the sun, "Well, it ain't me proudest moment, and it was confusing, so bare with me, lad" he rubbed the back of his head as he recalled his memory and did his best to explained what he remembered, "Well Lumikki sent me to retrieve a book from that bookstore, its suppose to be a rare book or something, so I traveled to Bosco and finally found the place; though the trip was lacking in luster, the city is a craft of art, I'll admit. I entered the shop and asked the young lass about the book, she spoke in boscan, so I couldn't understand a word she said, then I saw the book behind her, so I pointed it out, but she didn't get it for me, I kept telling her its already paid for, but she just kept speaking in boscan; I'll admit, I got frustrated and went behind the counter and picked up the book meself before walking out. Then a minute or two later, I was surrounded by a handful of Boscan guards." Brone rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, hearing the story come out from his own mouth helped him realized how foolish and impatient he was, "I should have handled that better" he said as his tone fell, the embarrassment and sadness echoed from his words. Though he took light in many situations he faced, even against dangerous foes, he didn't take joy in causing issues for civilians.

517 | 2,284

"With good company and good tales"

Brone Heavyaxe

"A toast to a life of adventure"

Brone sighed, taking in his own story as he recalled everything, in a way he was still having trouble believing it all led to him being in this situation. Toga's lighthearted mood and joking manner was definitely a positive change, and thankfully affective; the dwarf returned with his own laughter, "No, no, its pretty much my fault, I need to get a better handle on my temper, lack of patience" he sighed, indeed he has been working on that part of him, having realized some time ago such a flaw was detrimental to him, "If such a tool exists, probably magical, more than likely I would've have trouble figuring it out" he blurted out a laugh, understanding his own lack of competency with magical artifacts.

The guard returned and set up the table. Brone gave him a nod in appreciation before he left, "That's quite fine, lad, I prefer to do this right; there's no honor in cheatin' the system or playing favorites, so I appreciate ye for treatin' me fairly" he grabbed the mug through the bars and raised it to Toga in salute before taking a swig. It felt good to have the familiar drink, a part of him felt as if he had escaped the prison.

"Lad, understand that ye have shown virtue and strength of a true warrior, and I am honored te have met ye, ye have me respect, Toga" The dwarf raised his drink to him once more before taking another swig. "And I would be honored te have wait with me, I'll return the favor te ye one day" Brone had seen Toga fight twice, the gap between both times showed the dwarf how quickly and how far the knight had come, now here in this prison, the dragon slayer shows how powerful his heart is. For that moment, the dwarf felt having a drink with Toga was worth being imprisoned, and for that moment, the cell bars between them didn't exist.

334 | 851

"With good company and good tales"

Brone Heavyaxe

"A toast to a life of adventure"

"Aye aye, yer right indeed, I'll make sure te remember the boundaries" Brone chuckled with a hint of embarrassment in his voice. Hearing Toga state the line being crossed made the dwarf think about the clerk and how she must have felt uncomfortable and scared. Ever since he entered human civilization, he had to learn to handle more delicate people with care and gently, and sometimes he would forget when he would get overly excited.

"Cheers, lad" The dwarf knocked his mug against Toga's being taking another swig. He began to feel warmer, losing the sense of the cold of the prison. With how dreary the cell and the hall seem, Toga seemed to be a lantern or torch lighting the darkness, "Been well, nothing has been new, though the guild has been holding up well despite the embracing cold of the Oddr mountains" he laughed; such intense terrain kept enemies at bay, but also kept the dwarf strong, forcing him to endure the intense temperature, "And what of ye? Anything new in life?" he would lean forward, hoping to hear of any adventures the dragon slayer might have, such stories would fuel the fire within him, especially now that he found himself moving from a state of boredom to a state of imprisonment, both feeling contricted.

220 | 2,838

"With good company and good tales"

Brone Heavyaxe

"A toast to a life of adventure"

Brone smirked, giving Toga a confident smile, "The cold don't bother me much, lad; aye, the Oddr mountains are indeed the coldest of the cold, te even send shivers up me own spine, but ever since I was a wee lad, me uncle had taken me on treks through the snowy mountain tops, so such treks don't trouble me none" the dwarf scratched an itch on his nose, he had thought about his first few times traveling with his uncle, how he had complained about the snow and the freezing wind, he remembered he thought he caught frostbite once, such days were far behind him, but they would always be memorable to him, "Can't lie, the Oddr mountains are treacherous, but it keeps the foes at bay, and our hearts strong" he then flexed an arm, his bicep nearly tearing through the orange sleeve.

The tone would slowly shift as Toga spoke, his voice made a change which the dwarf had caught. Brone listened, so focused on what the knight was saying. His eyes widen upon hearing of the demon and Toga's fall. Even after Toga shifted his tone back to lighten the mood, the dwarf was silent for a bit. He didn't realize that his mug was near his lips. For a moment Brone didn't know what to say, it was the first time he heard such a tone from the dragon slayer's mouth, so such an adventure that many would revel in had taken a toll on the young man.

Brone would finally bring his mug down onto his knee, "Ye keep changing, Sir Toga, it ain't gonna be pleasant all the time" he wanted to mention the demon and how they are never an easy foe, how when he had fought such beings, his heart would begin to freeze, fear seeping in like poison, these beings being otherworldly were no laughing matter, he wanted to ask about his death, wondering how he felt at the time, wondering what happened; for a split second, the dwarf imagined seeing Toga on the floor, his eyes open and lifeless, but he dared not bring that tone back to the young man, "Many things that are forged in fire would be strenuous, ye get yerself burned at times, ye may warp the metal, but so long as ye keep at it, ye'll make good work... just know that every now and then, ye got te quench the metal in water to cool it off" he brought his mug up and tapped it against Toga's, "As far as I can see, ye look good so far" he inspected the knight as if he was inspecting a finished sword that came right out of the forge.

"No apprentice, don't know if I'll ever get one" he had smiled as he answered Toga's question, but his smile would fade as he looked off, thinking back, "Though I thought I was te get one..." he would fall silent for a moment, but brought the drink to his lips to have an excuse to end his sentence.

519 | 3,357

"With good company and good tales"

Brone Heavyaxe

"A toast to a life of adventure"

Brone brought the mug back down slowly as he heard from Toga's mouth of the change. A demi-god, as if it was simply just another milestone. No... as the dwarf looked upon the knight's face, heard his voice, he sensed the unease, this was a big change for him and he was trying to figure out how to navigate this. Brone continued to listen, letting the young man speak and let out his thoughts, he had learned in his years that sometimes in order for one to understand a situation they are dealing with is to verbally voice it.

"Strigr? No, can't say I have met her" He finally spoke, though kept the tone relatively soft, well as soft as a dwarf can make it, in order to meet Toga at his level and give him the space between them that he made need, but not keeping too much distance, so that he still had a friend in his company, "I would like te meet her when I can" he gave the knight a smile, trying to help elevate the mood.

Toga's question of the apprentice did cause the dwarf to sigh; Brone didn't want to think about her, but a wiseman knows that such memories had to be dealt with eventually, "Her name... Therlin" he hesitated, struggling for a moment to decide whether to use the word "is" or "was", the latter hurting all the more, "She was a good lass who showed promise; we met in in the void caverns, she was in search of some Holy Chalice or something; we had some time te know each other, and we practically promised to see adventure together... we got separated at some point and hadn't heard from her since" He took a swig from his drink, swashed the ale in his mouth before swallowing, giving him the courage to finish, "Ended up getting word recently that she died protecting the chalice... she was... young... even for a dwarf" he downed the rest of his drink before slamming the empty mug onto the table too loud, but instead of wallowing in his sadness, he looked to Toga with a warm smile. The feelings he held were real, though hurt, he accepted them.

"Death is a big change, whether ye come back or not" he now spoke to Toga, focused on the knight and his concerns, "God, demon, dragon... ye still Toga, are ye not, lad?" The smile that seemed to have died a moment ago came back with a grin, "Ye sound like 'em, ye smell like 'em; ye just need te adjust yer knew armor; look at me" he opened his arms wide to allow Toga look upon him, "Me kind don't normally look like this, ashen gray skin, taller than I'm suppose to be" his skin was indeed an odd trait, but when it comes to his size, most wouldn't have noticed that he had grown half a foot, since he was still even shorter than Lumikki who was short for a human woman, "I touched a piece of the anvil that Dhurain, me people's maker, had used for his own forge, and then... I became this... I could feel the earth, I can hear the hum of fire, I can take shadows with my bare hands and hammer them into chains, or grab the breath of a dragon and forge it into a ring" he laughed, joy radiating from him as he nearly fell back onto the bed, "Don't get me wrong, it took me some time te get use to being a dhain... uh... ascended" he used the word Toga had used in order to give him an idea of what a dhain dwarf may be, "Even though I don't know a lick of what ye be, or what a demi-god is... I know ye got what it takes te smelt it te ye shape and build, ladd".

666 | 4,023

"With good company and good tales"

Brone Heavyaxe

"A toast to a life of adventure"

Brone nodded, taking Toga's condolences with a smile. He understood loss, as expected of an adventurer, a warrior, but with no less care and consideration than any civilian. The two of them sat, sharing in their tales and somber words as they drank, all the while a set of bars placed between them, though the dwarf had forgotten of their existence at some point, feeling as if he and Toga were elsewhere simply having a conversation that was long overdue.

The dwarf reached through the bars for the bottle and poured himself another mug full before taking it bringing it to his lips, "Aye, ye got a poet's voice there, lad" he chuckled after taking a swig, Toga's words reaching his heart with their meaning; for a moment it had taken him back to a memory of when he still had a tanned complexion and brown hair, standing before the entrance of a human city, ready to take his first steps into adventure, he wondered if he would make any friends, and now even sitting in a damp cell, he became close to a Rune Knight.

"That fire of yers, I felt it and I'd say it burns hotter than a forge above a magma chamber, ye gotten stronger" Brone nodded, thinking about their encounter at the Void dungeon during the raid against Darkfang; when they destroyed the dark tower, Brone was accidently engulfed in Toga's flames, and though fire barely arms him, the dragonslayer's flame licked at him with intense heat that made him question if it was something akin to dragon fire.

266 | 4,289

"With good company and good tales"

Brone Heavyaxe

"A toast to a life of adventure"

Another cup was refilled and Brone smiled widely. He listened to the knight's doubt; though the red haired young man was showing no malice, and in his words hinted he was keeping the tone light, he was still questioning himself. The dwarf took another swig before putting his mug onto the table. He looked up to Toga and wiped the bit of ale from his lips, "Ye puttin' in a lot of work, lad, and its alright te measure up te someone, but just because ye don't reach someone, doesn't mean ye ain't surpass a whole damn town, or a city, or a nation!" Brone smirked as he peered into Toga's eyes; he scratched his beard, giving him a nod; he was sure the knight had immense power. The last time they fought, Brone gauged his skill as a warrior and knew then that the dragon slayer could handle most of the criminals littering the street, but after feeling the burn of his infernal fire during the raid against the kobold king, he saw that the knight had scaled his expectations quickly in such a small amount of time. The dwarf was sure that Toga would give him a run for his money during their next fight.

"And there's nothing wrong with pushing around barrels, so long as ye doing honest work... don't sell yerself short, lad, ye scaled high in the mountainside, but just because ye haven't gotten to a specific cliffside yet, don't mean yer should go all the way te the bottom" Brone would reach forward and tap his own mug against Togas before he took another swig. He then thought about what Toga then said with a somber tone, then sift through his own thoughts on the subject, "Aye, lad... there's only so much room" Brone's voice finally dropped to its own somber tone as he thought about the altercation back at the raid, "But I tell ye now te keep caution, lad, fighting for a spot may be honorable, but don't pay too high a price that ain't worth it" the memory came back to him; his armor was cracked and his hair was loose, blood and sweat dripped from his brow as he stood before a man he once called 'friend', but the visage no longer reflected who he once knew, but a demon stood in his place.

"I hold a title awarded te me, don't know how, but I have it" Brone then pulled the orange collar to his suit to the side so it revealed on the base of his neck a tattoo of a double-headed axe, indicating his title of 'God of War of Axes', "It appeared at some point when I was deemed worthy; I felt stronger, more aware, but it was a title that can only be passed to one at a time, and unfortunately... some people deemed me not worthy of it" he was staring at the table as he spoke, thinking back to seeing that demon staring him down, baring his weapons. Then he looked up at Toga, pulling himself back to the present, "Some people would sacrifice money, some would sacrifice their oaths, and some would sacrifice their souls for power... I've seen someone I knew give into the darkness lad, for the sake of power... for that limited spot" Brone clenched his fist tightly, the memory brought back his feelings, the hurt and anger he felt surged within him then, but only remnants remain. He sighed, unclenching his fist. "There's different reasons people want a spot at the top, keep in mind lad that I don't give a damn about my spot" Brone pointed to the tattoo at his neck, "But I hold onto it so that I can protect the people I love... and so I keep it out of the hands of the people who would risk the people they love". He then grabbed his mug and downed the rest of his drink.

669 | 4,958

"With good company and good tales"

Brone Heavyaxe

"A toast to a life of adventure"

"Aye" The dwarf said in a heavy whisper as he watched the determination in Toga's eyes. He nodded his head, grateful to the young Rune Knight for upholding virtue alongside valor, and because of this, Brone now had his hope for the future strengthened; this is why he held such high hopes for the Rune Knights, it was all because of the day he first met a young Rune Knight fighter who held such goodness in his eyes, burning with passion to do right, "I don't recall the last time I seen a fire that blazes so brightly as yers does, lad, keep tempering that flame, and many others will find warmth with it". He would smile widely, how interesting that the infernal dragon slayer can produce not only literal powerful flames, but figurative ones as well.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening echoed throughout the hall, followed by footsteps. Brone would lean over, slightly tipsy from the comfortable drinking, to see an older dwarf dressed in robes approach them. "Brone Heavyaxe of Paradise Dawn? I be Grundalrik Oathhammer, yer Stonevoice."

Brone laughed with excitement as he stood up, albeit with a stumble, "A stonevoice? Ah, tis a good evenin' indeed; such are dwarven lawyers ye can say, lad" he explained to Toga.

"Be not over joyful, lad, the dwarven rep in Bosco ain't happy about ye act there" The older dwarf looked annoyed and grumpy as he adjusted his glasses and read through a scroll in his hand; Brone rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, slightly embarrassed, "Don't fret, I spoke with ye guild master and got this sorted out, we'll go to a magistrate and settle this affair, tis a simple misunderstanding; seems yer guild master forgot to send word that a dwarf would be picking up a book for her that she already paid for" Grundalrik looked up from his scroll to the ashen gray dwarf who held his hands together in front of him, a sign of respect before an elder, "I'll be waiting for ye at the front gate, the warden gave permission for ye te get yer things so long as ye are escorted by a knight to the magistrate" the elder walked off just as he finished explaining, not giving any time to waist.

"Ah! Ye hear that lad!? We gettin' this handled quickly, hope ye don't mind being me escort" the joyful younger dwarf said happily, feeling that this day has not been a waist but a chance for him to learn and share with a powerful warrior, and establishing a good friendship.

438 | 5,396

"With good company and good tales"