☼Dwarves☼ - Year 4, Summer.The beginning of summer was mundane. I spent some time organizing a new floor of workshops for a kitchen and tailory and making the entry courtyard a bit more regular. Regular snoozeville work to be sure, but necessary to improve our station here. This is the workshop floor under construction. It should be roomy:
A harmless visitorThen we got a warning from the scouts:

It couldn't even make it through the doors in the caverns. I spent a bit more time organizing some other improvements, like a greatforge for Zotir and a monastery for a new priesthood. And that's when things started getting more exciting...
A harmful visitorThe scouts had a new warning:

"Secure the courtyard", I yelled. "Raise the bridge, keep the dragon out!" I was running to the platform along the wall, urging everyone inside. And then Zotir came running out.
"Crossbowdwarfs to the courtyard! Axedwarfs to the courtyard! We will meet this beast and show it our metal!" Zotir yelled.
"Zotir please", I begged him. "Don't do this. We can't fight a dragon!"
"I'm mayor here!" He replied.
I fled back to the doors of the courtyard as the military came streaming out. Their bronze armor gleamed in the sunlight as they fingered their weapons. They looked expectantly towards the gate, hungry for glory. Zotir cheered them.
"Zotir, wait. That's a dragon. We can't fight it. We can't fight it and win!"
Some of the miners, just evacuating the courtyard gave me the one finger salute as they came hustling inside. "Coward", one of them muttered.
"We can fight, and we will!" Zotir screamed.
And then it walked into view. It's scaly form shimmered with heat distortions. It roared, a deep bellow so loud that my ears rung and the masonry around me trembled. Zotir took a step backwards.
"Get ready", the lead crossbowdwarf yelled.
The dragon charged across the bridge and the crossbowdwarfs unleashed their bolts. One struck true in the dragons thigh. A moment later it was across the bridge: the bolt did nothing to slow it. The crossbowdwarfs started reloading, but before they could finish the dragon covered them in dragonfire. Their screams echoed in the courtyard.
The axe dwarfs, moving in to take advantage of the dragons distraction, tried their axes against the dragon's toughed hide. One of them succeeded in drawing blood with his axe, but was quickly crushed by a swiping blow by the dragon. The axedwarfs tried to gain successful blows on the dragon, but it was just too quick. It breathed fire across the entire courtyard, in all directions. The bridge melted, as did the the trading depot and various other structures in the courtyard. I lost sight of the axedwarfs almost immediately.
I pulled Zotir back inside and dropped the bar across the entrance doors. The heat was overpowering even from the other side of the door. Zotir was gibbering something his sword lords. Curious faces peaked out from behind columns and from around corners.
"Get into cover," I yelled at them. "It's coming!"
I dragged Zotir back to the hallway intersection. A moment later, the doors behind me splintered open. The dragon splintered in, determinedly squeezing itself into the squat hallway. I prepared myself to meet my maker. But instead of breathing fire upon me, it instead turned and darted up into the caverns above the fort.
I just stood there for a moment, mouth agape. Then I turned to one of the miners who gave me the one-finger salute earlier. "Don't just stand there", I told him, "collapse the ramp!"
Zotir struggled out of my grip and ran back into the forges. "MY SWORD LORDS NEED GREAVES!" he yelled.