NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

[Fourth Riddle Complete]

[What can you keep after giving to someone?]

[Answer: Your Word]

The system notified us of our achievement. With a high-pitch tone, the window appeared before us upon placing the documents on the empty slot.

It was the only option that made sense of the riddle. We already used the nine answers to the previous questions. And now that we solved the puzzle, we might open the passageway towards the dwarves.

Match and I exchanged gaze while skipping a beat from accomplishing our goal. We could not hold our excitement as the two of us glued our eyes at the pedestal, waiting for something to happen.

"We finally did it, Red!" Match cried, and hugged me at my fore.

I returned her gleam and answered, "Of course, we did. You're so smart, Match!"

This girl was the one who answered most of the riddles. I also helped, but I brought more disastrous events that almost took our lives. However, despite getting angry about those situations, Match told me I also played a part.

I looked at the fading window before me, reminiscing about the times we spent inside the library. Match and I experienced countless things inside that book room. And now we could finally reach the dwarven kingdom.

Like the ones we saw before, the pedestal zoomed underground with the rest of the altars. I snatched Match away from the altar, worried that something might happen from her. However, my anxiety turned out to be something even more gigantic, as the entire floor shattered below us.

"Match, hold on tight to me!" I shrieked, while wrapping my arms around the little girl.

Match returned my grip and snuggled close beside me.

As I turned around, the footsteps that we heard emerged from the entrance.

The soldiers finally entered the cavern and witnessed our descent. All of them shouted instructions with battle roars as they welcomed our figures.

I readied myself and activated my right eye. I might battle against these players while waiting for the entry to appear.

Those players aimed their barrels in our direction and pulled the trigger, but those soldiers were already too late. I still clipped the dagger in my hands despite hearing the soldier's calls. However, the violent quiver of the ground disrupted my balance, forcing me to sheathe my blade and hug Match's behind.

The player's leader issued a command to retreat from the cavern. They did not bother firing their bullets at us, since the cave was already devouring our figures.

That was the last thing I saw when Match and I fell into the abyss.

…...

The rubbles pressed down onto my body, making me exert more force than usual to move. All the smoke that came from the crash fluttered inside the uncharted room as I let out a violent cough.

Upon regaining my consciousness, I pushed the weighing boulder to the side and looked for Match. I screamed for her name while gazing everywhere for the little girl.

"I-I'm okay, Red!"

A feminine voice that I recognised answered my call. I followed the origin of the sound and hurled the entire stones away from the crushed girl. As I shoved the last rock, Match's face greeted my sight.

It was a miracle that the plummet we had did not take our lives, especially Match.

"You're okay… I thought I lost you," I cried.

"I thought you died too… I'm so happy we're still alive." Match replied.

We wrapped our hands around each other and exchanged the warmth stored inside our bodies. But the pleasant reunion got disrupted by a coughing sound that came from ahead.

As I jolted my head from behind, a figure of an old and small man stood at the pile of rocks. The light coming from his rear shone upon him, disrupting our eyesight. We could not make the man's face, but Match and I knew the bloke was a dwarf.

Despite the dwarf's appearance, I prepared my dagger from my waist. I trusted no one, not even a dwarf in front of us. Although Match and I tried looking for the dwarven kingdom, we were still risking our lives. Other NPCs wanted our lives, and a dwarf was not an exemption.

I did not know who we could trust in this world created by the game developers.

"No need to be hostile. And if I wanted to kill the two of you, you'd be dead."

The voice came from the man standing in front of us. Even though the dwarf's reflection got overridden by the sunlight, I could still paint his arms crossed against each other. That dwarf did not release any intimidating arcane, but I could only guess he suppressed mana inside of him.

He was that skilled to do that... I think.

I nudged my dagger back to its scabbard and helped Match stand on the ground. I kept my eyes glued to the figure before me while doing all this. We could never know what surprise that dwarf had stored in for us.

"Can you walk?" the man asked.

"Yes," I answered.

Match wanted to say something, but I glimpsed her eyes and gave her a nod. If there was one thing I was good at, it was creating connections with people. I killed a myriad of powerful people and soldiers.

Adding the dwarf to my collection would be an effortless feat compared to the ones I did before.

"Then you two should follow me… if you want to see the dwarven kingdom."

My eyes widened upon hearing about the environment we wanted to meet. However, the dwarf had an anxious tone upon stating the place. It could mean anything, but I still hoped for the best.

The dwarf went ahead towards the rubbles. Upon climbing the hill of dirt, a faint glow invited us over. It was the exit for this cavern, since we had been inside this place for who knows when.

"Follow me onward. The kingdom that you seek is up there," the dwarf exclaimed, and continued walking on the linear road.

Match and I had no other choice but to comply with his words, since we were clueless at where we were right now. The soldiers from where we took off could not follow this underground passage.

I could only guess that the crumbling stones were enough to obstruct the road from above.

"Who are you?" I finally took the courage with me to ask as I looked at the dwarf's back.

"Keep staring at my back, and you'll become the soldiers that got crushed from the stones," the man answered. That dwarf was not a sociable one of the people that I knew.

I kept silent after that exchange. I did not even know if I could call that exchange or a conversation. Even Match, who had been listening to our words, covered her mouth. She tried her best not to laugh at what the dwarf mentioned.

There was an exhausted sigh that came from the bloke. But that exhale did not mean that the dwarf mocked us or anything. It just meant that the dwarf had something in mind that mixed his emotions.

By the time that we stepped foot outside of the cavern, I squinted my eyes. The light that came from the sun greeted me, almost blinding my sight. I told Match to cover her eyes, afraid that the light would ruin her orbs.

As the line finally faded out, the two of us readied ourselves to meet the dwarven kingdom. Some literature mentioned the dwarves as innovative and civilized. Those little creatures had modern technologies beyond imagination.

The dwarves also produced the armour and weapons that players used. Since they lived near mining areas, these dwarves had little to eat. Hence, they trade food and nourishments for their hard work.

But some players would take advantage of that kindness, considering their greed. That reason was enough to make the dwarves hide across the mountain. The puzzle and the riddles found inside the library were the living proof of their seclusion.

I could only guess that the dwarves worked hard to earn their keep from maintaining their healthy lifestyle.

However, that did not happen before me.

Instead of the brilliant lights, ruined bulbs that gave out the colour of grey addressed us. All those collapsed buildings greeted our eyes, paired with the wrecked roads and vehicles. Dozens of bodies glued their eyes in our direction, telling us the tale of their deaths.

Some dwarves got pressed down by the cemented buildings, while others had bullets pierced in their chests. Not even the children and their mothers escaped death from the players.

"What happened here…." Match murmured, with her eyes gazing at every angle.

I wanted to ask the same as I went to the side of the dwarf. "Who did this… it's terrible!"

"Aye… By the looks of the scene, you could already deduce what happened. Strangers from the wild, you're the only hope that the dwarven race has to avenge our kind…"