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[Quicunque]

The lone child, Alath, wimpered softly, clutching her blanket while she stared at the locked door of her decent bedroom. Through the finely-crafted gabbro door, she could still hear the gurgling moans of the maceman zombie shambling down the smooth-stoned hall. Alath was already at the point of madness on account of all the horrors she had witnessed. Though the Overseer had locked her door to keep her safe, she was now very thirsty, too thirsty. How much longer would it be before she succumbed to dehydration or madness?

How had it come to this? Kadoldetes had been a thriving fortress in its third year. Migrants had swelled its ranks to over 100 hardy dwarves. The only entrance to the fort was guarded by a bank of six ballistae behind a fortified wall, not to mention the well-trained sqaudron of marksdwarves. The young but vibrant steel industry had well-armed the squadron of axedwarves, and though they were raw, they were ready. How was it that the only survivor of the massacre was now cowering, helpless, in her exceptional chestnut bed? ...

[Quicunque]

The undead army had arrived over two seasons ago. The Overseer quickly sounded the alert and moved all the civilians into the protected burrow behind the drawbridge gate of the fortress. Once all were safely inside, the proper levers were pulled to close the gate and then open the gate to the killing field in front of the ballistae. But things did not go as planned; it was inevitable.

The zombies, over sixty of them, just stood there, far off at the edge of sight across the rushing stream. For six months they stood, motionless, keeping their silent vigil. They were dead; they could wait like that forever. As Kadoldetes' wood supply was running low, the Overseer (the fool!) lowered the basalt drawbridge gate. Still, the zombies did not move. Lulled into a false sense of security, the Overseer (the fool!) canceled the civilian alert so that the woodcutter and a party of idle dwarves could carry in the needed wood. That was the face-palm moment; it was inevitable. ...

[Imic]

It was inevitable.

[Quicunque]

"Hurry! They're starting to move," Dakost the Woodcutter urged the haulers. The civilians dutifully carried their logs toward the stockpile, but not quickly enough. The zombies, by now, were close behind, too close. The order was given to shut the gate. As Stakud, the young cheesemaker, approached the lever, she caught sight of the advancing wall of living death. The Overseer (the fool!) quickly and vividly realized his second big mistake: never put the lever in sight of the gate. Terrified beyond imagination, Stakud fled the scene without obeying the order to close the gate. The fort was breached; it was inevitable. ...

[Quicunque]

"Fire at will!" barked the militia commander. But the hallway to the ballistae battery was in sight of the killing field. This was the third, fatal strike against the Overseer (the fool!). The civilians, unused to the horrors of battle, ran away from their posts instead of toward. All six ballistae, cocked and loaded with steel tipped arrows, remained motionless like museum pieces. The marksdwarves bravely did their duty and made pin-cushions of the undead before they ran out of ammo. Obedient to the last, they beat the zombies with their crossbows until they collapsed from exhaustion. The undead never tire. The inexperienced axedwarves did what they could against the shambling horror. They quickly learned a valuable lesson about the effectiveness of axes against the undead when there are still necros about; it was a lesson they would hold until they died, which was that very day. The zombies prevailed; it was inevitable. ...

[scourge728]

PTW

[Quicunque]

After the undead had eliminated all the adults, their insatiable appetite for death turned toward the children. The babies were easy to catch, so soft and and tender! The older children, however, had taken shelter in their rooms, and the Overseer had mercifully locked their doors so that the monsters could not find them. Mercifully? One by one, the children succumbed to thirst while the zombies wandered the halls of the fortress. Now Alath alone was left; it was inevitable. ...

[Quicunque]

As the zombies spread throughout the fortress, their numbers around the sleeping quarters thinned. The Overseer watched Alath's blue down-arrow blink incessantly. The path between her bedroom and the beer hall was empty! The zombies were busy elsewhere. The Overseer (the fool!) unlocked Alath's gabbro door. But Alath did not move. Clutching her blanket upon her soft bed, she had fallen asleep from exhaustion and fear. By the time she awoke and ventured into the hallway toward the beer, the walking dead had returned. She spotted them, even as they spotted her with their lifeless, rotting eyes. She fled down one hall, then down another. She knew these halls well; she had often played on these smooth floors with her copper toy battleaxe, before the dead came. ...

[Quicunque]

She quickly turned the last corner before the beer hall. She could see the fine oaken barrels, the magnificent stone mugs, the rows of gem-encrusted tables and thrones! She did not even notice all the dwarf-blood and body parts strewn about the hall. She was focussed, like the thirsty, alcoholic child she was, on the beer. Thus, she ran right into the coven of undead, silently standing guard. They hungrily devoured the little girl, whose meat was a little dry, but tasty, nonetheless. The Overseer (the fool!) wept at his own ineptitude, so swiftly punished by this ruthless coding. Kadoldetes' strength was broken. It was inevitable.

Thus endeth Kadoldetes. Thanks for reading, so that Alath shall not be forgotten.

[scourge728]

woah

[pikachu17]

The Overseer(the fool!) had some !FUN!, I see.