23rd Slate, 210We've gotten the export agreement taken care of. I'm sure we've extra short swords aplenty to offer home. But they seem most interested in quivers, random tools of any sort (hives, jugs and what not,) and rings. Well he can eat me. The caravan will be getting nothing but mugs next time it shows up probably.
Dauros has sent a runner up to inform me he's in position. I've sent Mekkia down to hit the switches once Rodge makes the breach.24th Slate, 210We're done at long last. And he left carrying news of Dauros' victory over Ebra. Mr Frog came in and told me that he had expertly dispatched the monster in three swift blows. But unfortunately, he is now beyond sight, Mr Frog saying he was going up a ramp to Ugeth's last known location. I can only hope he doesn't burst into flames battling the horror.25th Slate, 210Mr Frog has sent me a report of more adamantine being found. I have no idea how he found it, but he did. I've also been told Sapper was behaving strangely, shouting obscenities at all who come near her as she gathered materials. I am told she gathered some giant kea bone, freshly tanned sloth bear leather, some fortress spun cloth of fine quality, and squar cut clear garnets.
I fear for her very soul; last time garnets of any kind were concerned The Master lost his shit and had to be struck down.25th Slate, 210Dauros has been in the deep for for several days now. Mr Frog has kept worry at bay, saying that every hour more of the cavern is revealed to him by his funny little machines. He says he paid Dauros a small sum to set them up down there, and Mr Frog tells me there is an absolute bounty of towering fungi just begging to become bins. He also says his machines have lost the heat of Ugeth, which tells us that the great flame is dead. I am also told Kob fell not long after, but now another monster approaches, heralded by a great roar from the deep; it undoubtedly seeks to consume our new champion.
Sapper finished her great work, a buckler of giant kea bone called Zimishnakas Azkob Lar, Phantomenjoy, The Incenses of Meeting. Rochia brought it to me after Sapper bellowed "IT'S DONE!" and falling on her face. Literally. Rochia says she fell face first into the workbench and broke it.
It is beautiful, easily worth over 30,000 gold coin. It's front is made from bone, of course, backed with fine wool and a leather grip, bot contected with rivets of bone. Spikes of bone and gem run along its edges, an absolute marvel.27th Slate, 210Dauros has returned to us, directing us to the corpse of a beast he calls Spos. It'll make fine meals, and honestly I couldn't be more proud of him. He says he searched the entirity of the caverns he dared after slaying Spos, and found nothing more than a pair of simple crundles, which he felt need to tell me he slew for fun. We now have a massive grove to exploit, and if Dauros is to be believed, countless gems and ores as well!1st Felsite, 210Dauros said he felt uneasy when I spoke with him this morning. Mr Frog says it may have something to do with the monster that he has reason to believe stalks the caverns where we have yet to oust the intruders. This layer seems to be where Stozu should lie, but we must be wary of Zopsu if Dauros is to face this thing.
Dauros' battle below.
24th Slate, 210
It was dark. Very dark. But at least it wasn't cold. Mr Frog had given Dauros a special torch that he could attach to his should, and it certainly made his life much easier. He also gave him dozens of little metal cylinders on poles with glass in the flat end, told him to 'Set them up where you feel appropriate.' He'd do that after he dealt with what he'd been asked to deal with. Behind him a gold bridge built by Talvieno raised; no monster would be able to bash through metal she worked.
Then he heard his first foe, though he knew not what it was. It was a roar, fell and terrible, but laced with what sounded like bubbling muck.
It rounded a corner and upon sighting him, the twisted monster's neck bubbled outward and a glob of aqua colored slop flew forth from its brown frame. Dauros dodged it with no effot, the glob smashing into the wall behind him and he charged at it. It raised a massive mud-foot to crush him with the two branching legs that formed it, but Dauros, with surprising agility leapt upward and struck away the leg with the shaft of his pike, and wheeled around midflight to deliver a shield strike that tore away the back leg, sending the beast sideways away from the champion. Dauros recovered quickly as the monster thrashed about.
He charged with a mighty shout and jammed his pike into it's body as he charged, and as his shield connected, he felt it's upper half break away, which ended with Dauros crashing into the ground, covered in brown slop. Ebra was dead, but he yet had work to do. He stood up with grunt and looked around, and din't notice the strange yellow mass that left Ebra's mud and crept up his body to his pike, where upon it glowed a soft yellow, but only briefly.
-
Dauros stood before the fell beast Rose had told a story of. A great humanoid beast, carrying a wicked looking curving sword of the same make as itself. "Hey!" Dauros called, as if addressing a friend or acquaintance. "Let's have a look at ya big guy." Ugeth turned and it was clear he was not of this natural world: His eyes glowed bright with fire, as did his mouth when he spoke in some twisted speech Dauros could not understand
"You dare challenge me dwarf? I thought you ilk were not built of courage."
Ugeth turned and with a stomp bursted into a swirling aura of flame; the black monster was not to be seen, but now in its place stood the towering beast of flame Rose spoke of.
"Well, definitely got me on height and weight." Dauros said in response, not knowing what Ugeth said.
A sudden ball of flame flew at Dauros from a swing of the monster's blade. Before, he was toying with the dwarves, now he intended to kill one.
Dauros ducked behind his shield as the flame blasted against it, scorching the blue and orange paint from his shield. He used this chance to attack, rushing forward; he could feel the heat against his exposed lips and could swear he felt his beard begin to burn. And still, he charged on.
Ugeth brought his blade down, the ground cracking and moss catching flame. Dauros swung his pike downwards and severed the beast's enormous arm and all at once, it was reduced to a pile of ashed, sword and all.
Ugeth's face grew wide with terror, not that his form permitted it to be visible to a normal creature, and he threw a punch at Dauros, slamming him into the wall where he fell to his back. Dauros felt two more hammerfists on his shield before he managed to awkwardly swing his pike, the very tip catching the abomination's knee and bringing it crashing sideways into the towercap it had used as an impromptu throne, which came down from his immense bulk slamming into it. Dauros struggled to his feet and in a moment of weakness, Ugeth pushed his body up on his good arm and looked to see a dwarf charging at him, pike lowered, and roaring "For Spearbreakers!"
It would be the last thing Ugeth would see before becoming not but simple ashes. Dauros once more noticed not a glow that moved to him, and his pike glow red, due tot he dying flames of the battle.
-
He slid back to the entry; two monsters from before even the ancient fall of Syrupleaf lay dead. He cast a look upon the giant magma tube before him, and could faintly see a great black.... thing, swimming around over the various impure metals and other such sloshy molten gunk. He remembered he'd been asked to throw a special tube Mr Frog had given him in, and he did so, reaching into his lightly singed bag and throwing the aforementioned device in. He didn't know nor care why he was asked to do it. It was an easy ten silver regardless.
Behind him he heard a gurgling noise, and when he turned to see it, he saw his next foe: Kob, the water glob.
Kob had already fired some foul goo at him, and Dauros brought his ever faithful shield up, where the now-solidified extract shattered against it. "Gonna have to do better than that." He said loudly, and charged forward. the beast surged forth at him, crashing against the cavern floor as Dauros dodged it and swiped his pike at it, tearing away some stubby thing off of it's backside. It swung itself at him again, and again he dodged its strike, and wheeled his pike upward like a sword and spile the beast's facsimile of a head in half, where the monster's entire form fell apart and collapsed into not but simple water laced with a strange whitish toxin that was likely its spittle.
"Too easy." He said with not much care, the glow of magma masking the very soft blue glow that had briefly emitted from his pike.
[That mess is all that remains of Ebra and Kob. Dauros is standing on the bodies' icons.
[this was how it actually went.]
26th Slate, 210
Dauros had resolved to wait the beast Stozu out. But instead he was greeted when he woke by a fell roar from above and was knocked on his back by some gigantic sloth.
He rolled aside as it tried to crush him and stood tall, or as tall as a dwarf could stand. "Come on down and fight sloth! I promise I'll make it painless!"
The beast landed before him and let loose a second angry roar, only for Dauros to attack with two quick thrusts, the first only cutting fat but the second digging deep, snapping rib and tearing lung. It didn't take kindly to this and with a shout in goblin of "SPOS SMASH!" batted Dauros away into a thicket of blood thorns. He got to his feet quickly and attacked, putting his pike through Sops' front left leg when it struck at him again. Sure, he went through a blood thorn in the process, but the limb was functionally useless now and it clearly didn't want to put any weight on it when he got up.
He rushed forwards again, dodging it's clumsy swing and sliding behind it between it's towering legs, the back left of which his pikepoint tore into as he stood up and whipped around. Spos fell sideways with a loud thud, and it began to utter surprisingly pathetic cries, which were replaced with gurgles as Dauros managed to climb on it and began stabbing wildly, ruining its other lung and ripping it's hide open, tearing wing and snapping bone the whole while. The monster's flailing and trying to move with two disabled limbs began making less and less futile efforts to resist.
Finally, in resignation it died, Dauros' tool punching through hide, flesh, bone, and brain, and the pike carried a brief amber glow with it as it left the weapon. unnoticed against the sloth's fur.