looking forward to it. you should do it in character.
Excerpt 4 from the Third Diary of Terrahex the Dwarf
I don’t drink alcohol like most dwarves do. I sometimes drink it watered down, but I try my best to stay sober. I’ve learned before never to be dependant on anything, no matter how sure you are of it. Having everything taken from you has that effect.
I’ve been sober for years (with the occasional lapse, but those are excused for the most part) and I’ve gotten past all the downsides that normal dwarves have when they lose touch with their favorite drink.
I was in the dining room today drinking water from the wells and eating an emu roast all the while remembering how precise Bombzero’s cutting had been when she had been alive. I missed her songs even if they were all about blood and cutting things. Her songs were something that was always there, something you could depend on in this ever changing fortress. Her butcher’s shop still lays unused outside by the old spike bridge.
I ate alone like I normally do, brushing aside mugs that had been there for months. The dining room corner I sat in was unused by most of the populous due to a mug infestation, so I was normally completely alone in my little corner of the world. I preferred it that way.
That’s why I found it unusual when Fisher and Urist Okablokum came into the dining room with full mugs of ale and sat in this disused corner of Spearbreakers, having to brush mugs and chalices from the table and chairs just so they could sit and set their own mugs down. They talked in hushed tones, but, being right next to them, I could hear them perfectly fine.
“Can you help me?” Urist asked hopefully, squeezing his stone mug in his hand. I didn’t really want to eavesdrop but I listened in for anything Splint may find useful.
“This friend of yours must be very important to you if you came to me for help.” Fischer took a swig from her mug. “But surely you must know that we’ve asked her before where the body lay.”
“What was the answer?”
Fischer shrugged. “She wouldn’t tell us. She admitted to the crime of pushing her off a cliff, and the body was that of an elf. We saw no reason to press the matter. Her kind does not belong buried alongside ours.”
Talvi, I knew, was what they were talking about. Urist was trying to find the body of his friend and he didn’t particularly like the way Fischer talked about her. He didn’t say anything about it though. Instead he said, “I wish to retrieve it myself if need be. I’ll even bury it outside the fortress.”
“And let the necromancers get at it?” Fischer raised her eyebrows. “Look, I respect what you’re doing, but you need to stop this. She’s gone. Finding her body won’t help things.” She took another long swig then wiped her mouth, slapping an empty mug on the table.
“I need to find her.” Urist insisted. “I need to prove to myself that she’s dead. If I don’t, there will always be that little bit of doubt at the back of my mind.”
Fischer sighed loudly, staring at the bottom of her mug. “I once had a friend that I’d do anything for. Stova was her name. We’d known each other way back before we were even soldiers. She was the brave one and I was the timid one if you could believe that. She was always going on these adventures and wound getting in trouble, expecting me to be there to bail her out. I loved her dearly. I was there when she met Splint actually. He was so dashing in uniform. We fought together in the vampire wars and when they were over we didn’t quite know what to do with ourselves. Splint and Stova were smitten with each other by then and Splint suggested carving out a home with some friends we met in the war.” She paused in her story for a moment to grab Urist’s untouched mug and down its contents.
“That hits the spot…” She belched. “Where was I? Oh. We did good for awhile, named the place Spearbreakers. When the spawn showed up, Stova and I and the rest of our ragtag band of brothers and sisters went out to face them. We were unprepared for their ferocity.” Fischer cringed. “Stova was bit, and she turned later. I had to face my best friend’s twisted, mutated body in mortal combat. It was me versus her.” Fischer didn’t talk for a long while as if she were lost in her memories, leaving the story unfinished. I knew how it ended though. When she spoke again it was much quieter than before. “Don’t think that I don’t know what you’re going through.”
“I need to know.” Urist said quietly. “It’ll torment me forever if I don’t.”
“Well then,” Fischer said, getting up. “We can’t have that, can we? Let’s go make a visit to our lovely friend Talvi.” Fischer turned around and began walking without waiting for Urist.
I sat there for a few minutes until it dawned on me what they might do to Talvi to get their answers. Talvi had been adamant during the trial not to tell anyone where exactly the cliff had been that she pushed Vanya over. I tried to think of something else, to change the subject that my mind was thinking about, but despite not seeing her since that first visit, I still felt responsible for protecting her.
I left my food where it was and ran as fast as I could, people barely noticed me as I rushed by, my bloodstained cloak billowing behind me. I barely reached the prison in time to find Fischer and Urist confronting Talvi insider her cell.
“There are only a few cliffs near Spearbreakers!” Urist yelled. “We just want to know which one!” Talvi was huddled in the corner, her cavies running all about the prison in panic.
“I don’t need to tell you anything!” Talvi covered her ears with her hands. “Y’all can just go jump off a cliff.”
“We would,” Urist replied angrily, “But we don’t know where to find one.”
“LALALALA!” Talvi shouted. “I’m not listening! LALALALA!”
“Enough!” Fischer shouted, taking hold of Talvi’s tattered prison shirt and hoisting her against the wall. “You’re going to tell us where you stashed that body or you’re not going to be pretty much longer.” Talvi’s eyes went wide and then narrowed again.
“Y’all’er just a buncha potatoes!” Talvi replied defiantly. That was not the answer Fischer was looking for.
I knew I had to do something. Fischer could probably just flick Talvi and send her to the hospital, and I wasn’t entirely sure they’d treat criminals. “Stop!” I yelled out before I could talk myself down. Fischer and Urist’s heads jerked my way, searching the prison for someone they couldn’t see. I stepped out of my bubble of protective sneakiness.
Fischer and Urist flinched in unison. If they were a pair of goblins outside under the rolling red clouds I would’ve relished their reaction. Instead I was fighting to keep my half-eaten emu roast down.
Fischer dropped Talvi to the floor and she wisely retreated into the opposite corner from them. “Identify yourself, dwarf!” Fischer growled. She wore no armor and had no weapon. I had my automatic crossbow and my knife, but I knew that even if Urist wasn’t armed with a spear, I’d have no chance if it came to a fight.
I swallowed several times, trying to control that big, floppy thing in my mouth called a tongue. “T… Terrah-h-hex.” I managed, trying to ignore my roiling stomach and short breath and light headedness.
“Never heard of you.” Fischer spit, voice laced with suspiciously, moving forward toward the door. I tried not to move, but that only made me feel worse.
“Neither have I,” Urist added, “and I have been here for a long while.”
“I… have lived here,” I almost threw up with exertion, “… for a long… time.”
“I’m torn between throwing him in jail,” Fischer said to Urist, “and taking him to the hospital.
“Take me to Splint.” I retched. “He’ll… Tell you about… me.”
Fischer eyed me. “Very well.” She grabbed my arm, turning to Urist. “This will have to wait until a later date.”
“I understand.” He nodded curtly, shutting Talvi’s cell door as he walked out. That was when my stomach gave out.
The contents of my innards now spilled across the floor in front of Talvi’s cell, I was yanked by Fischer into the halls. I felt sorry that Talvi would have to smell that until someone got around to cleaning my vomit up. Knowing Spearbreakers, it would take awhile.
Fischer didn’t talk to me as we made our way up to Splint’s office, but she yelled at many soldiers for slacking or even for doing a good job. She seemed unable to bring her voice’s volume below a shout when talking to her men. I was almost afraid she’d take a detour to the barracks just so she could yell some more, but I needn’t have worried. Without ever losing her rock-solid grip on my arm, we arrived at Splint’s office without a hitch.
We burst into his office without knocking. The Noble Hammers almost snapped at us before they realized who Fischer was. Fischer pushed me in and I went tumbling to the ground. My crossbow clattered across the floor as it came loose and with it went a magazine of bolts. It broke open, spilling the sharp, iron-tipped bolts across the ground.
“I found this one in the prison!” Fischer authoritative voice rang through the office. I looked up to see everyone in the room except Fischer looking at me. I was fine with Rose and Splint, but Thumper and Crusher made me nearly lose whatever was left in my stomach. “I have reason to believe he’s a spy cavorting with prisoners.”
Splint looked at me with a frown on his face. “Thumper, Crusher, please wait outside while we talk. Make sure no one comes in.” They didn’t protest, doing what he asked quietly, and I felt better when the door closed behind them. Rose looked at me apologetically, moving to pick up my crossbow. I began gathering bolts.
Splint sighed. “Fischer, this is no spy, though that profession would eerily suit him. This is Terrahex. He’s the scout I told you about.”
“The scout?”
“Yes. He has provided valuable information on the outside of the fortress. Because of him, we’ve known about many ambushes beforehand. He’s undoubtedly saved many of your men’s lives.”
“How come I’ve never seen him?” Fischer asked, agitated.
“He is quite good at hiding. Few in the fortress even know of his existence. He is, however, certainly a member of the fortress and an upstanding citizen as well. He has qualified for the civil defense medal multiple times.”
Fischer turned to me angrily then. “What were you doing in the prison?”
I calmly snapped the bolt magazine shut and took my crossbow back from Rose. “Talvi.” I replied simply to vainly keep from being sick around her. I hoped I could handle Fischer talking to me as long as she didn’t press to hard.
“Talvi’s his friend.” Rose explained for me. I tested the mechanisms of my crossbow to make sure they worked then snapped the magazine back onto the crossbow.
“What’s with that odd weapon?” Fischer snarled. “Those ballpoint mercenaries came with odd weapons as well.”
“It’s an automatic crossbow.” Rose answered for me. “He made it himself.”
“I didn’t ask you!” Fischer yelled, nearing her breaking point. I guessed she wasn’t wrong often and didn’t take the experience well.
“Fischer!” Splint shouted. “I will not stand for you intimidating either my body guard or Terrahex. This fortress owes much to him.”
Fischer, speechlessly fuming, turned around and started toward the door. I was content to let her leave, but then I remembered why she was mad with me to begin with.
“Wait!” I called out to her nervously. She stopped, but didn’t turn around. “I can try to convince Talvi to help you. I’ve been her friend for years. I know her better than anybody.”
Fischer didn’t react for a moment. “Meet me at the prison in three days at noon. Show up or I’ll get the information out of her myself.” She slammed the door shut behind her.
Rose let out a breath she had been holding. “She’s nice.” She said sarcastically, hugging me to stop me from trembling. I was glad for the touch, even if I was a bit embarrassed.
“She took Stova’s death hard.” Splint said to no one in particular. “She puts the entire fortress’s wellbeing on her shoulders and with the constantly shifting ideals of the leadership, it gets heavier every year. Someday she may be crushed.”
“Well that’s no excuse for the way she treats people.” Rose frowned, looking at me. “You did good, Terrahex.”
I couldn’t stop my hand from shaking. I was sure she could see it, yet she still told me I did a good job. I certainly didn’t feel like I did a good job. I still felt on the verge of throwing up. “Thanks, but I don’t think I can do that again alone. Could you please come with me when I go to meet her?”
Rose cringed. “Could I?” She asked Splint. He nodded. To me she said; “I guess I’ll be there. I won’t let that meanie Fischer bully you around.”
I wasn’t so sure anybody could stop Fischer from doing whatever she wanted. I just hoped that three days would be long enough for Fischer to cool off.
So begins a new story arc...