The Greatest Sin

"Now things are going to get serious!" thought Renee.

The giants felt slightly threatened when they were located, but the presence of only one human confused them. The seven guarding the pickaxe user (who was struggling to keep it raised) quickly positioned themselves to defend him, believing the girl to be a trap and that the real attack from any external **** would come from the sides. Unfortunately for them, this plan did not match reality; three of them were struck with inhuman **** before they could even think. Renee jumped on the giant carrying the pickaxe and forcefully snatched it from his hands, raising it without difficulty. The giants looked at each other confused; this was not just a human.

"Wait... did we win?" said Renee. "We won! We got the pickaxe back!"

But Moradin did not answer; lightning formed around Renee's hand, which kept all the giants away and fearful. All except one. "Well, well, well... I understand what's happening here," said the man who had been holding the pickaxe just seconds before.

"If it isn't the great dwarf god Moradin. King over Nidavelir, and his new vessel."

Moradin didn't answer, nor did Renee. Renee feared Moradin's silence, but Moradin feared the portal he hadn't closed, still projected before him like a screen showing the waters of the last flood.

"Cunning... You probably managed to evade the false clues we left behind. We thought we had outwitted you. But it's hard to believe that such a sharp god has forgotten the ancient powers of the giants. We didn't need the pickaxe for long, nor even the storm you guarded; we only needed a fraction of your power stored within it to generate a spark."

Renee was confused, bravely raising one hand and grabbing the man by the collar.

"What have you done, you maniac?"

The giant in his humanoid form laughed.

"Oh, the little girl is annoyed." He said mockingly before Renee smashed him against the wall.

"Ah... she reminds me of you when you were younger, Moradin. She reminds me of the anger you felt towards humanity. I remember the look in your eyes when you learned of the first **** caused by your technology, when you learned of the first **** and the first harassment, I remember your despair when you saw the fire you gave to humans become a wildfire. Am I wrong?"

Moradin still didn't answer, but Renee could feel it. As if she herself had witnessed humanity's many crimes. Deep down, Moradin regretted it. He remembered a legend about himself. Prometheus, the titan who gave men fire, technology, wisdom. Punished by Zeus, having his liver devoured daily only to heal again. This was Prometheus's true pain, Moradin's pain; it wasn't a bird devouring his flesh, it was humanity itself that had wounded him.

The giant slowly rose, the redhead now looking at him with a look he knew well; at that moment there were two of them, Renee and Moradin.

"You gave humans something beautiful, Moradin. Don't blame yourself for it. Wasn't it you who gave the dwarves these gifts? How do the dwarves live now? What is the dwarven people you created like? A lawful and good people. Honorable, strong, and resilient. Their weapons and tools forged in darkness illuminated the lands. The problem wasn't your gifts, the problem is humanity. This disgusting bunch. A scum of murderers, harassers, and rapists. Look how they act! They claim to love justice, love, and selflessness while feeding their own egos. In the name of their few righteous ones whom they themselves killed, they commit terrible acts and condemn many more to ****. This is not life, even you have to agree. You gave them fire, fire consumes everything in its path. Clean water... separates the pure from the impure, and that's what we'll do now."

Renee was trying to understand what was happening, she wanted to act but... something was holding her back. Moradin himself felt shaken. Not because of Orel's words, but because those could very well have been the words of the dwarven god himself. He had gifted the people with knowledge and technology; he had been betrayed in his intentions. He had been disappointed. He had saved humanity once, and for what? Wasn't Renee's story a still very mild portrayal of what humanity was capable of? Exploiting, humiliating, harassing, abusing, trampling on, and still feeling justified in doing so? Hadn't the technology, the fruit of the arts that Moradin planted in the minds and hearts of humanity, been used to do what was evil in the eyes of the very chief of the forgers? And what about the rest of humanity? Moradin taught men animal husbandry and agriculture, giving them the ability to feed everyone, as he taught the dwarves. But if a poor or rich dwarf sees another hungry, he is capable of taking food from his own mouth to feed his brother. If a poor human sees another starving, he will think twice before helping. If he is rich, he will think, "It's his fault for not working hard enough." If he is very rich, he will think, "It's good that this one is starving, so I can remain at the top of all humanity with these people serving me."

"You were not evil, Moradin, you were benevolent. And this is your greatest sin. You were benevolent to these devils," said Orel. "And now it is time to redeem yourself."

A great roar was heard in the distance. Renee had never heard it before, but it seemed extremely familiar. She knew now what the giants had awakened. People crowded at the door of the broken room to see what the commotion was about. A man raised his voice, asking what those men had done to that "little redhead girl." A drop of water hit the hotel room window. A single word escaped Renee's lips:

"Pokertnaru."