I played for a bit, but I was really tired as I didn't get much sleep, and I forgot to take screenshots... so I force quit to play though that again... but not today. On the plus side, I've got some really great ideas.
I will give a brief update as promised from what I played earlier...
(Now if only I can find the wrapper I wrote their names down on... it's really not a very reliable system...)
Oh, and brace yourselves, the human artwork is my own, and obscenely basic! Don't be to hard on it...
---
Posa was restless. She had joined up with the caravan from Anthat Mubo (The Confederation of Minds) as a merchant several years ago. She had wanted to see the world, but she didn't think she had what it took to be an adventurer... Figuring that she'd see what she'd see as a merchant just as well, and considerable less risk to life and limb, she'd dedicated her life to trade.
But she was restless. Over the years she'd seen all of the major cities, and different cultures- she wanted to see something new...
"Isn't this near where those dwarves said the Mad Dwarf lives? Ursht or something?" She was talking to her friend Sacath, who happened to be resting in the wagon with her.
"Urist. It means dagger, I think..." Sacath would know more about dwarves, her husband...
"Yeah that was it. Wanna check it out?"
"Well... this isn't the safest of jungles, and they say the Mad Dwarf is pretty homicidal too... Not to mention the fact that it's not directly on our way..."
"You haven't actually said if you want to."
"..."
"We could make it a trading mission!"
"Trade with one dwarf?"
"Well, didn't they say that the little fellow was hoarding treasure?"
"I'm pretty sure that was just a rumor..."
"Naturally one dwarf alone would be struggling to provide the basic necessities, so we'd probably be welcomed, so long as we're respectful and helpful..."
"You're not listening to me at all are you?"
"It's decided- we'll take two mules and a couple of the guards, as I was listening to you and it probably would be dangerous!"
The danger only seemed to make Posa more gleeful.
---
The ninth day Urist's first plans were to improve the alcohol situation. Not a single brewable herb had been gathered all spring and summer, so Urist had no choice but to grow her own.
As with everything else she tried, Urist was tediously inept at first... She'd never farmed before in her life! She didn't really know how it worked except the basics. But failure wasn't an option... failure vindicated them. At the though Urist burned with a spiteful passion... Agriculture was nothing for her! It had to be nothing for her if she was to prove them solidly wrong!
She would produce all the alcohol she needed with her bare hands, and she'd prove them wrong!
---
Posa's mood was notably less cheery as she trudged behind the mule, hacking through the sinister jungle... Her surroundings had nothing to do with her irritation, in fact she found the jungle rather interesting, it was because the guard she was assigned for her little expedition was Xidel... and Xidel was an ass.
"Oh gods! Look behind you! There's a zombie baboon!"
"I didn't fall for that the first three times, Xidel, what makes you think I'll believe you now?"
Xidel laughed just as if she'd fallen for his trick... Was the Mad Dwarf worth putting up with this?
"This looks like it," Sacath was speaking with a decidedly businesslike manner.
There were a couple tunnels, but they were pretty sure from what they'd heard that Urist lived in the one with a door.
"So... what now? Do we just walk up and knock on the door?" Xidel said it as a joke. Posa did it just to spite him. Much to her surprise it worked, as the door opened shortly after they'd begun debating what to do next.
"Yeah, I'm a genius, you know it." Posa was mildly annoyed, but she was more interested in this tiny creature who'd emerged from the cave, squinting in the sun.
"Humans!" The Mad Dwarf seemed to be otherwise dumbfounded by her unexpected visitors.
"Hey there," Posa said, as if to a child, "Are you the dwarf Urist we've heard so much about?"
"Lies! Whatever you heard, Lies!" It immediately declared. Xidel guffawed, and Posa quickly jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, shutting him up...
Smartly Sacath took over, having more experience with dwarves. "Don't worry, we're merchants, and we heard that you might have some valuable goods... Perhaps you'd like to trade?"
"I told you... Lies..."
Posa cut back in, "So you don't have anything to trade? We have some Swamp Whisky," she pointed to the barrel her mule carried, "We thought perhaps you'd need some help surviving out here... We know how much dwarves depend on booze, and I thought it might be really difficult for you to... make... here.." She trailed off as the dwarf flashed the most peculiar expression- it was like intense rage, fear, and loathing all at once... But only for a split-second before adopting a strangely calm expression... Posa was, to say the least, a bit concerned. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Oh no... Swamp Whisky... mm... sounds good! I... I... uh, rock... crafts... I made some for you... Er, no... not you... merchants... to trade... as I need to trade for Swamp Whisky... "booze"... It's hard to make... yes... You need the plants... and when they run out... to grow... so much work... I could never do that of course!" The dwarf said the last sentence with clenched teeth and fists, but quickly regained calm. "Through here... I... that is to say... I have a place set up for you... merchants... to trade."
Posa and Sacath exchanged glances. Something was clearly up.
"I'll tell you what," Sacath proposed, "Posa here wanted quite badly to meet you, so how about I go down there while Posa and Xidel stay out here to... talk with you. Is there any reason that wouldn't be okay?"
The dwarf shook its head after a pause, and Sacath went with her mule and guard down the tunnel Urist indicated, while Posa watched Urist to make sure nothing funny happened.
"He's not nearly as insane as they made him out to be," Xidel said while Urist stood right in front of him.
"He?!" The dwarf bristled.
"Yes you little fellow! I'm saying you don't seem mad!" Xidel raised his voice to talk to Urist.
"For goodness sake," Posa tried to undo Xidel's diplomatic blunder, "He's a dwarf, not deaf. He can hear just as well as you or I."
"HE!?" Urist declared again.
"'He' is also as female as you or I," Sacath's voice came from the tunnel.
"What!?" Posa was surprised too, but it was Xidel that had exclaimed in disbelief. He then started laughing, "It's not just the Mad Dwarf but the Bearded La- OW!" Posa had kicked him in the shin. Hard. Urist was bright red.
"I'm going to-! I'm... I'm going to... get the rocks... crafts, I mean..."
Urist stalked off into the cavern.
"Way to go, Posa."
That was it! Knee-to-the-crotch time!
"It seems there's actually a trading facility down here," Sacath's echoing voice interrupted from the cave... it doesn't look like there are any traps, it should be safe."
"Aah-ee!" Posa gave Xidel what he deserved before she stalked off into the cave. Xidel did his best to follow, attempting to remind Posa that she'd left the mule behind, but his voice wasn't quite right.
Then the wall came down. They all died instantly.
---
Urist had never met a human before today, but she already counted them among the most loathsome creatures in existence.
That one... That one... she was one of them- she had put Urist down, denied her abilities... and she had never met Urist before! Clearly, humans were all, by instinct, them. Such loathsome creatures, looking down from their height, with their elf-like bare chins... Clearly, humans were by nature like them. Before today Urist had planned on ignoring any humans who came snooping around, but now... Now, she would not suffer a single human to leave this place alive!
Urist sat brooding for hours until her cat came over... It was still cheerful... it became clear why when it deposited a dead cave spider at Urist's feet... That's right... She didn't need to brood. They were dead. She'd killed them, just like they deserved...
Now, what was the situation in the wake of those arrogant meddlers? They weren't dealt with as cleanly as the dwarf merchant had been... It seems the human near the trade depot had begun unloading her goods, and a bag of flower and some tasty looking cow meat were sitting there... At the entrance, the merchants had forgotten their mule, which had promptly managed to shed its burden somehow and wander off into the jungle...
The undead elephants would probably kill it.
And its burden that was left behind?
...
A couple of trinkets, an animal of some sort in a cage and... a barrel of Swamp Whiskey.
Damn it! That's what Urist had been doing! That's exactly the accomplishment that those arrogant humans had tried to take away from her! And they were still trying after death, by leaving this barrel to cheapen her achievements! Well she wouldn't stand for it. She purposefully marched inside, locked the door, and vowed never to open it again. She grumbled as she continued to search inside for plants, and tended her little garden, but the day was almost over. She was tired, so she slept.
The Ninth Night.
---
Well that was a bit longer than I meant it to be... No harm though, right?
Looking up the names in the objects files for fun (and because it looked like I'd written Posn on the notewrapper, when I didn't think that was it...) Posa means radiance, Sacath means leader, Xidel means point, and Ulet means wisp. I though Ulet was particularly accurate, as he was Sacath's swordsman who didn't ever get mentioned by name in the story (not planned).
[ March 02, 2007: Message edited by: Eiba ]
Author
Topic: One Dwarf Against the World (Read 245642 times)