--
"Six years," whispered Kivish, clutching her crossbow tightly.
"Aye, lass," Dodòk, breathing a sigh of regret. "I still miss Kib occasionally... every time I see that engraving in the King's Hall..."
Kivish knew the engraving well. It was one of the last marks Kib Rìtharùshrir Ustuthkurik Nirkún had left on Valefortress' floors before Iru Soakmoist, the terrible webspinning stegosaurid from the depths, had paralyzed him in sticky webs and killed him with a single kick to the head. The engraving showed Dodòk herself hugging two flounder, a loving reminder of the fishing trip she had taken with Kib not long before they settled in Valefortress together.
A tear trickled slowly down Dodòk's cheek. She glanced up and saw the look in Kivish's eye. After a long moment, she said, "...you know, they say... they say it's still down there." Kivish gasped. "Oh, yes. In the old magma works. There's an excavation beneath the reservoir that used to service the magma forges. We have the battery and the pump, now, to dredge magma up to the fortress level, but back when Iru attacked, the smiths had to make a long trek down to smelt the ore and forge the swords. They were still working when they heard the battle cries from below. Then everything went silent..." She paused and shuddered. "I don't want to talk about this any more."
Kivish got the rest of the story from old Goden Zimkeltun. "I heard the story from the Duchess," she said, taking a swig of strawberry wine from a hip flask. "When everything went quiet, one of the smiths looked down the staircase and saw the beasty eating the remains of someone's pet cat. It didn't take more than two and two to make four - so they threw an iron floor over the staircase and prayed to Dakas it would hold. And it did - it has, these long five years," she finished, glancing down the hallway. "Take the magma pump access staircase if you want to get down there faster," she said. "I need to get to that party with Tosid and Atír. We're celebrating eighteen years of mining history here in Sebsúrgeshud." With that, she wandered off, ignoring the look in Kivish's pretty aquamarine eyes.
Kivish cornered Tosid Desiskol later with a proposition. Tosid hesitated when she finished.
"I know you're the new militia commander, and you've been practicing your marksmanship and all, but are you sure you have the authority to...?"
"Yes," Kivish answered the old dwarf quickly.
I have to sound convincing, she thought,
or she'll never go along with it. "I spoke with the Duchess yesterday and she told me I can ask for mining designations when I want them for a military purpose."
"But there's nothing down by the old magma forges, except..." Kivish saw her beginning to understand. Tosid chewed her cheek nervously.
Kivish decided to be more honest. "Look, Tosid, I'm doing this as a favor for Dodòk. You don't have to take any responsibility if things go wrong."
"Are you sure?" Tosid asked. "Mayor Rinalkilrud blamed Kadôl, the siege operator, for not building the ballista parts, even though it was Ral who should've-"
"Do I look like some useless noble?"
Tosid was still chewing on her cheek. "Well, no, but..."
"Yes or no."
"...okay." Tosid hefted her pick and trudged toward the staircase. She called back over her shoulder before heading down by the magma pumps. "You should get Kadôl to carve you some murder holes. I'm no good at engraving, and you remember the amazing job he did on that bracelet a few years ago," she said.
Kivish nodded and went to find Kadôl.
--
This is it, she thought as she descended by the magma pump stack one level at a time.
I'm actually going to do this...Then she stopped thinking about it. She knew if she did she could never actually go through with the task. She managed to avoid the mental roadblock until she got to the last staircase before the old magma works. The huge empty room that used to hold all of Sebsúrgeshud's metal wealth stared at her with its pointless vastness, daring her to wonder if her own future was as empty. The inward-dented iron floor in the corner also held her gaze for a few moments. It looked so strong, she wondered what kind of terrific force could possibly beat it in so powerfully.
No, she thought, and stepped down the last few staircases.
The tiny room into which she stepped was cramped and stuffy. It was very close to the old magma reservoir, though just above the third cavern layer's largest lake system. She had studied the miners' maps very closely before telling Tosid where to dig. And she could see that Kadôl had done his work well: a clearly designed set of fortifications met her eager gaze. Beyond them was nothing but blackness.
Kivish was disappointed. According to the smiths, Iru had not stopped trying to get through the iron floor for several months following its rampage, and--
CLANG!!!She jumped. Her crossbow fell from her grasp and clattered noisily on the rough stone floor. The metal smashing sound had come from the iron floor above!
Shuddering, Kivish bent over to pick up her crossbow.
When she stood up again, she found herself gazing straight into the huge, lidless, aqua eye of Iru Lafooci. Its glow filled the tight space and for a moment she was mesmerized, filled with terror and awe.
Then everything blurred.
--
Dodòk cheered loudest, clapped longest, and cried hardest when Kivish, exhausted by fear and firing her crossbow, staggered up the stairs into the dining hall and shouted the news of Iru's death. So young! they said. Only seventeen, and she had already killed a Forgotten Beast! Oh, yes, tales would be told of this young grand master marksdwarf.
Tales would be told...--
OOC: I have no idea how she got spatter on her. See the next spoiler for a picture of the battlefield.