Morning arrived slowly beneath the underground kingdom. Even without sunlight, the dwarven city carried its own strange version of dawn. The forge fires burned brighter across the cavern while the sound of hammers striking metal echoed endlessly through the settlement like a living heartbeat. Heat rolled through the air in waves as workers moved through the streets carrying glowing steel, chains, weapons, and strange mechanical parts with practiced precision.
By the time Kaiden, Aeliora, and I entered Gerald's forge alongside Gwen, the entire place already looked alive with activity. The forge itself was even hotter than yesterday. Golden sparks erupted from nearby workstations while massive gears turned slowly overhead. The scent of molten metal mixed with smoke and coal filled the air thickly enough to almost taste.
And standing directly in the center of it all was Gerald.
