English is not my primary language (tertiary actually), but here I go. Enjoy.
The winds were howling around the frozen landscape, bitter coldness enveloping mountain and dwarf alike.
Inmidst of snowy trees, surrounded by towering mountains, stood Rigoth, son of Zasitsebur, woodworker and carpenter since 5 generations.
Sneezing, he rearranged his cloak, pulling it deeper across his face.
"This is the coldest damn winter I've ever experienced", he thought. His battle axe, the legendary battle axe 'Bloodquench', was forged six hundred years ago by his great-great-great-grandfather. It was passed on ever since, chopping down tree and foe alike.
With a sigh, Rigoth pulled it out of a tree trunk, its blade glimmering with resin. He gripped it tightly. He raised his axe above his head and struck it down with a fizzling sound. The tree was hit with an almost supernatural force. With a loud bang, the axe cut half through the oak. The oak was shaking, almost cracking. With another strike, the oak was falling with a mighty crack, the earth trembled as it hit the ground. Unimpressed, Rigoth went to further break up the tree, as suddenly, he heard a sound behind him. Startled, he swirled around.
Running towards him was Urist, his beloved wife. Immediately, the dwarf felt as if the weather got warmer.
"My love, what are ye doing 'ere?", he shouted, but Urist was not responding. As she came nearer, Rigoth remarked the worried expression on her face, suddenly gripping the axe even tighter. Exhausted and coughing, Urist hastily said: "Come in, <cough>, Rigoth, quick! The goblins are arriving, they will soon shut the gates!" Rigoth's eyes widened, surprised by the sudden warning. Then, he grabbed his wife by the arm and said: "Let's hurry then, we have no time to lose!"
As fast as their stumpy legs carried them, they ran towards the gate. Halfway there, they heard an enormous bang, sounding like wood striking against stone... their fears were soon confirmed.
The gates were shut. And, worst of all, they already heard the twisted screams of bloodlusty goblins, nearing the gate. Desperate, Urist kicked and punched against the door, shouting "Open the door! Please! Open, Armok damn it!". Rigoth however only took his axe, strenghtening his grip on it. In the very same moment, the goblin siege came in view, immediately spotting the pair. With laughter, they drew their swords, hungry looks rested on the dwarves.
With a hand sign, the goblin leader commanded the goblins to stop, which then had a disappointed look on their faces. Slowly, with a triumphing pose, the leader goblin neared. He was clad in pitch black iron plate, blood red eyes piercing through the helmet's visor.
The goblin stood before the pair, he looked amused at the axe in Rigoth's hand. He raised his shield, drew his sword, stabbed towards Rigoth's torso... but Rigoth was faster. With superdwarven speed, he dodged the stab, swirled the axe around him and struck the goblin, cutting through the shield and hitting the head, which flew off in a bloody arc. Just upon the moment the axe tasted blood, it shimmered with a bloody glance, bathing Rigoth in a bloody aura, his eyes having an even deadlier red than the goblin.
Enraged, he stormed the goblin lines. With a single strike, he cut three leather-clad goblins right through the torso, his next strike swirled in a deadly circle around him, slashing another five goblins. In a wild berserker rage, his axe fell goblins as it fell trees. Suddenly, a goblin managed to stab him, passing right through his hip. He felt no pain, instead, with a terrible scream, Rigoth rammed the axe's shaft into the goblins head with mighty force, obliterating every bone its path. Meanwhile, another goblin slashed at him, leaving a deep cut diagonally over his back. Rigoth made another circular strike to gain air, killing many, but there were too much goblins. Although he felt no pain, he had suffered severe blood loss, which clouded his mind. The goblins remarked that and attacked him with increasing ferocity. Rigoth desperately struck around him, however, his strength dwindled. He was cut and stabbed at everywhere, and was about to go down, when suddenly the gate opened.
20 marksdwarves, clad in glimmering steel, cast their metal bolts into the vile force, immediately killing over a dozen. The goblins soon remarked the new threat, but were too decimated to do anything. Thus, they fled, running into all directions - but the bolts got them all. Just as the last goblin was struck down, Rigoth could no longer stand, his legs buckled. Crying and screaming, Urist ran towards him, the snow around him soaked in a terrible red.
Rigoth was covered with wounds all over.
"Oh, Rigoth, my love, please, don't leave me!", Urist cried. Rigoth barely held his eyelids open. He layed his hands on Urist's, and spole "Do not cry, my love. I have to depart on my final voyage. We... shall meet again."
With these words, he closed his eyes, never to be opened again. Later, he was bedded into a steel coffin, dropped into the magma river and drifted away, never to be seen again.
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Topic: The story of Rigoth, the axedwarf. (Read 910 times)