Chapter VI: Armageddon Part I (The Rupture)
On the first day of Opal, a select group of soldiers was ordered to patrol the tunnels deep beneath the fortress. Amongst the group was Rhaken, Lorius Zane, and Magni, and each was unsure as to why Corley sent him into the depths. Suddenly, a young miner -- hardly experienced, by the way he held his pick -- walked marched by the group and further along into the tunnels. Immediately, a loud, grating sound was heard, and the drawbridge behind them sealed them in.
As the miner went along his way, Rhaken could not help but wonder to himself what the young dwarf was doing this deep in the earth. There were certainly no caverns to explore here; the magma sea was far below any sort of subterranean world. As for ores, there weren't any that had to be this deep. Unless -- of course -- the miner was looking for...
adamantine!Suddenly, a defeaning bang was heard; so loud it was that every ear within five miles went deaf. The entire fortress trembled with a terrible quake, sections of the caverns collapsed, and areas of the fortress crumbled. The sky turned a sickly black, even though it was the middle of the day. Such unspeakable disasters were occurring because the young dwarf just penetrated a great seal between two worlds, rupturing the barrier between the living and the
damned. The miner, shaken and stunned, got to his feet and gazed at the aperture he had dug.
What was the most horrifying sight in his life became outdone, however, by the horrifying noises he heard from the deep. Some screamed in agony, and some laughed so awfully that the very sound of it could drive one insane; it was the laughter of those who wished eternal torture upon all those who lived.
As the miner ran out of the dig-site, screaming in utter terror, he could catch a glimpse of the indescribeable creatures emerging from their prison.
They swarmed around the skies of their plane, laughing in sheer delight as they planned of all that they would subject the mortal creatures to. Their voices were of such volume and echo that even the dwarves in the guard-towers could hear exactly what was going through their minds.
The miner ran right past the guards, and the great iron bridge lowered to allow him to escape safely. Three of the most ambitious demons climbed out of their prison and faced soldiers. The small group readied themselves to fight to the death, but Rhaken motioned for them all to leave; he would hold them off alone to let the others escape. As he ran off, Lorius caught a glimpse of Rhaken blocking a fireball with his shield as the iron bridge sealed him in with the demons.
Rhaken fought valiantly that day. Even as he was set on fire several times over, he continued to fight. With his mighty steel mace, he managed to slay one of the three demons, and wounded another one. Eventually, even he had to fall, and he was consumed in the fires of Hell.
As he let out his final cry, Lorius ceased his escape. His comrades had already fled to the "safety" of the upper levels; he alone remained in the deep. He turned to see the bridge lowering once again, and he knew exactly what to do. It was his duty to fight the beasts that had slain his master. If necessary alone; if necessary to the death.
Despite his bravery, the pupil was not as skilled as his master. Ever so quickly, he too was consumed in the fires of Hell.
. . .
Meanwhile, in the shooting range of the dead baron, there stood a terrible spectre. It was horribly disfigured, and looked as if it was an amalgamation of two ghosts -- one male and one female. It smiled sinisterly; Emdief was not quite out of the game yet.
Just as with my last finale, I'm open to suggestions and sample portions of text. So, how will the fortress react to what has just happened?
Author
Topic: The Insidious Sons of Steelhold -- Revival Succession Fortress (Read 282133 times)