"As inventors?"

"At the least, regardless of what the dwarves decide. The people of this world have attempted to war on Sauron before and failed. I have little faith in their success this time, but for factors such as we. External and thus unpredictable."

She hums. "I don't actually know much about local history, yet, and as far as any history book I've found's concerned, Sauron's pretty ancient history."

"Some few thousand years? Mortals take a short view of history."

"Lots of other things happen in that time, and ancient history isn't always relevant, though it's probably different when you have immortals running around."

"Shortly after I arrived in this world, I spoke with one who named himself a wizard, a Maiar, a delegate of the creators of this world. He spoke of the inevitability of this world's end, as though it was decreed from the start. He said that there was nothing he could or would do to prevent it."

"Eh, El and I are gonna write our names in the stars someday. Don't really care what some old guy thinks."

"And that is precisely the attitude that is lacking."

"So you want us to help overthrow Sauron, stop the end of the world, and - what, fix their attitude problem?"

"With the first two accomplished, their attitude is no longer a problem."

"Do you know what's gonna cause the end of the world?"

"I do not. But we can at least ensure it is not Sauron."

"Yeah; and research some about other threats - though me and El wanna get back to our home world most."

"Do you have a means to do that?"

"We will."

"Ah. Good. Until that time then, I would ask your aid."

"I don't like the sound of Sauron, at all - but there's trade offs, between what we can do to help you and working to our own goals. Providing stuff we already know how to make's not a big time investment for its effects, but inventing new stuff would be, and teaching or training would be. - If it looks like we can't get interworld transit quickly, we might be more willing to take students, to increase research rates in the long term."

"Of course, there's a lot we already have solutions to, or could make solutions for really quickly."

"I understand. Perhaps you would like to take some time between yourselves to talk and decide what you are comfortable with."

"Yeah. How much we can devote to any particular problem's also gonna depend on that problem a lot?"

"You have the overall shape of it from the meeting. The only aspect I did not share with the dwarves is that I will potentially be working with a faction of orcs as well. They may need help starting a fresh society."

Shrug. "I don't have anything against orcs, so, wouldn't mind helping there."

"Then I will let you two be." She gives the name of the inn where she's staying.

"Thanks."

Ellisaria takes her leave.

"Well. That was... something."