Chapter 5: A Simple Conversation
“Loners may be freaks, but loners are also the best soldiers.” Dwarven General Dastot Southhammer
It had been several week, with burial taking far longer than they'd like. Zulban continued to molest Dauros (Making sleeping difficult, throwing mugs at him and leaving a bucket full of barbarian blood on his door in one instance,) and Fischer, when not helping with burial, had been pouring over the books she found in the little room, and fiddling with Mr Frog's left over equipment, hell-bent on learning how it worked. She didn't exactly take kindly to the strange water spigot that blasted her in the face with cold water when she was figuring out what the knobs below it did, which Zulban found horribly funny, though even he didn't know that would happen. “SHUT UP ZULBAN YOU ARENT HELPING!” Fischer blurted out, wiping water from her face. “Who said I was trying to help? I just thought it was funny!” Zulban said, picking up his laugh again. “You're lucky being a ghost doesn't work both ways on the interaction, or I'd bite out your throat just to make you stop talking.” Fischer bashed the spigot off after she shut off the water to vent her frustrations. “You're too serious minded dear colonel. You should take a break from all this, talk to your fellow survivors! After al, you don't exactly have the support structure to remain a loner anymore. Perhaps now you should settle down, start a family?” Zulban actually sounded genuine in his words, which was a shock to Fischer. “Why the hell would I do that, and why do you even care?” She replied sternly, wringing the water out of her cloak.”Because every world needs heroes. The heroes of old are long gone my dear, and they all left no-one behind to carry their spear after them. I guess you could say I'd hate to see your heroism die with you.” Fischer just grunted dismissivly.
“You can't say you haven't thought about it.” Zulban said. “My friends are all dead Zulban, you know that. Hell you probably killed one of them. I've no dwarf to start a family with who I trust enough.” “Unless your closest friends were a sheep and a duckling I highly doubt it.” the ghostly dwarf said sarcastically. “Why not Dauros? I'd say any sponges you two pop out would be the very spawn of Armok himself. Oh I know, how about that tough little craftsman? You know, the on who likes kobolds. Keeps hoarding shiny things in his room.” Fischer rolled her eyes, not that he could see with her back to him.“Corai. By the gods you damned idiot I would think you'd know who the survivors are.” “Oh bite me little miss hardass, I've never met the fool before I died.” Zulban said, sticking his tongue out for emphasis. ”Go bother Dauros, Zulban, I'm busy.” Fischer said, waving her hand dismissivly.
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“Ok, so then I press this and pull the lever, which should-” Fischer jumped after she pulled the lever next to the strange ad-hoc portal in the back of the lab began to power on, and a thin tear began to form in the air between the struts, only for it to fizzle out. Fischer looked over the controll panel, which read '
COORDINATE JAMMER ACTIVE: DEACTIVATE JAMMER IMEDIATLY.' in dwarven runes. “Jammer? What in the name of the gods is a jammer?” She said aloud going back to the books, assuming it was a weapon of some kind and looking through the book she found on one of the mercenaries that had been killed attacking the fortress. After searching she found what appeared to be a chapter on maintaining such a device. “Huh...” Hey Fischer, come on. It's time for... Dinner? What are you doing?” Hedgeman said, shocked to see what everyone perceived as the mama bear of the fortress simply reading. “Trying to figure out this damnable machinery. Thought I made progress but some stupid gadget or another is keeping this thing from working properly.” Fischer said, setting the book on Mr Frog's otherwise unused desk. “Well, come on, It's time for dinner and it wouldn't be a proper meal without you there to keep Draignean and Zulban in line.”
Fischer nodded, grabbed her pike and left the room. She'd have to find this thing if she wanted any sort of understanding of what that portal really did, but that could wait.
Yeah, expect alot of filler since there's nothing to really do except bury corpses and clean up scattered remains. I'm tmpted to have Burner and Hedgeman dig out one massive corpse stockpile, uproot all our coffins, and sort out the dead from there.
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Topic: Spearbreakers Alternate Reality Story Fort: The Broken Spear (Read 7474 times)