13th of Granite, year 56"This is a really bad idea. Look at the size of that fortress!"
"But it's full of shinies. Remember all the shinies on that wagon coming away from this place!"
Ariva Ana Aca had a problem all to familiar to Ettins. Her two heads rarely agreed on anything. Both heads loved shiny things, gems and jewelry, but they never agreed on how to get them. When one though it was safe to attack, the other would disagree, and then on the next opportunity they would reverse roles, and never get anything done. She had long history of aborted attacks, never actually managing to injure any opponent, though she had managed to steal items several times when her victims simply fled in terror while she argued.
Now she stood outside the curtain wall of the fortress of Brightwater. Far away in the hills she first saw pack animals laden with jewels and cleverly carved bones. Unable to agree to attack them, she had at least managed to follow their trail back to the source.
"We should try to climb over the wall!"
"That's stupid. Look at that wall, nobody can climb that. Let's try to sneak in through the gate."
Towering two-headed monsters aren't known for their ability to sneak, even when their heads aren't arguing constantly. Ariva was spotted well before reaching the front gate.
Higginbottom III, on guard duty at the front gate, had never seen such a large and misshapen surface dweller. At first he wondered if it might be an Elven trick - they had been told to be on the lookout for Elven spies or traders showing up at this time of year - but this creature was far too large and repulsive for even the Elves. He charged across the ground at it, bellowing. Daenyth, who had been just on the other side of the main gate, head the yell and ran after.
"Aah! Little metal man!" yelled one of Ariva's heads.
"Look out, he's got a thingy!" cried the other.
Ariva stumbled around, trying to evade Higginbottom's attacks. On the other side of her, Daenyth arrived. A slash of Daenyth's sword left a shallow cut on her side. She cried out, and then kicked Daenyth, a solid blow that sprawled Daenyth out cold.
"Get him! Smush that little guy's head!" called one of Ariva's heads to the other. She reached down and grabbed Daenyth's head.
"Surface-dweller scum! Don't turn your back on me!" screamed HigginBottom III. He lashed Ariva's back with his scourge, flaying her skin.
Ariva dropped Daenyth and screamed. "Run! Go West!" one of the heads cried. "No, South!" yelled the other. Ariva lumbered off to the south-west, leaving a trail of blood. Higginbottom III chased after her.
15th of Granite, year 56Ariva was still fleeing, through the trees and bushes, trying to escape. The creatures behind her refused to give up. Higginbottom III, who by now had been joined by his loyal Giant War Pangolin, pursued her, following the easy-to-track trail of broken limbs and trampled mud she left.
"They're not giving up! What do we do?" one head said, out of breath.
"Keep running!" her other head barked.
"No! I'm going to fight him."
She turned and tried to swat Higginbottom III. This only succeeded in giving the dwarf a chance to hit her with the flail again.
"Run!"
"North!"
"No, South! They're coming from the north!"
She turned and ran to the north anyway. As she passed Alath Athellogem, the Militia captain fired a few bolts at her, two of which struck her. She kept running.
16th of Granite, year 56Jacen the Soap Crusader ran through the forest. The heads of the Ettin were visible over the trees. It was coming back northward, in his direction.
Far underground, Daenyth had been moved to the hospital. He struggled against the dwarf who brought him to bed.
"I can't rest yet. That thing's still out there! Just prop me up, I can still fight it."
"The other soldiers will take care of it, Daenyth. You need to let Cain have a look at you."
17th of Granite, year 56Ariva ran, trying to escape the two dwarves that chased her. Suddenly through the trees ahead of her, another dwarf, this one with an axe and smelling strongly of soap. She veered to the west. A giant monster, with huge claws and covered in scaly plates, blocked her path. She veered back south.
"This is all your fault!" one of her heads yelled to the other.
"My fault? I wanted to climb the wall. Sneaking in was your idea!"
She ran back south. Higginbottom III pursued her every step of the way. She curved back around, trying to lose him. The ground sloped downwards to the east. She scrambled down a shallow slope, then stopped. The soap-smelling dwarf and the giant scaled monster had cut her off.
Higginbottom III saw his chance. He charged across the hill, leaped into the air, and slammed into the Ettin from behind. She staggered forwards, falling onto her hands and knees. Higginbottom's loyal war pangolin reared up and raked at her flesh with its massive claws, while Jacen hacked at her legs.
Somehow, she managed to break free of the three of them, and staggered away across the ground. Not even knowing what direction she was running, she just wanted to get away from them.
She was by this time badly hurt, though none of the wounds were by themselves fatal.
She staggered northwards. Phones, Va'al, Simon McWhale, and Domas the Wallpotdwarf were just arriving, circling in to cut off her escape.
18th of Granite, year 56Once again, Ariva found her path blocked by dwarves.
Simon McWhale took a solid swipe at her with his morningstar, bruising her further.
She turned and ran south-west, away from him. As she did, she ran past Domas the Wallpotdwarf. Domas fired a single bolt from his crossbow, which buried itself in her throat.
Blood spurting from the wound, she staggered across the ground, leaving a trail of ground heavily splattered with her blood.
A second bolt from Domas pierced her chest, penetrating a lung. Ariva staggered, fell to her knees, then collapsed on the ground.
The soldiers gathered around her, ready to attack if she stirred, but it was not required. Ariva Ana Aca was dead.
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Topic: Brightwater: Community fortress of science, oceans, and animal taming (Read 154951 times)