Thanks
Anyway... now the battle begins.
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Blitukus leaned forward onto his controls as the armored vehicle charged toward the town at full speed. He slowed as he approached the town, loading the automatic crossbow. There were a total of four vehicles, including two goblin flying machines and two land vehicles... they weren't like Blitukus' armored vehicle, but instead one carried several goblin troops, the other carried little other than a ballista. More goblin mercenaries wielding dwarven equipment.
These dwarves are such cowards! They refuse to even fight their own wars! I've known other dwarves before... and these criminals are a disgrace to their species.
There was a loud racket, and one of the goblin flying machines buzzed overhead. There was a dull panging as several bolts struck Blitukus' armored vehicle, but the bolts ricocheted harmlessly off of the thick steel plating. Blitukus aimed and fired at the flying machine. Several bolts missed, but a few hit, sending small scraps of material flying from the thin armor on the goblin flying machine, the last hit striking the tubes behind the boiler, causing a large puff of steam to rise into the air. The machine shook and stumbled through the sky, but remained aloft and active, trailing steam behind it. Blitukus zeroed the regulator, and let the armored vehicle come to a stop. He leaned into the automatic crossbow, letting his eye peer through the bronze sight. He aimed carefully. The damaged goblin flying machine circled around, and approached Blitukus' armored vehicle directly. This was a very bad move on their part... with their damaged engine, they were powerless to evade as Blitukus took careful aim and fired above the goblins cockpit to hit the sensitive mechanisms behind it. Most bolts were batted away by the rotor or ricocheted off of the cockpit armor and iron engine, but the occasional one sunk into the pipes and mechanisms. A bolt lodged in the gear assembly driving the rotor, immediately jamming it. The goblins rotor seized, sending the goblin flying machine spinning, plummeting to earth. The goblins cheaply made drive piston exploded under the sudden pressure, and burning magma spilled out from under it. The flying machine trailed steam and black smoke as it fell. Blitukus saw the broken machine arc through the sky... it was going to make its 'landing' right on Blitukus' head! He jammed the regulator forward, and the armored vehicle jerked ahead. A large puff of flame came out of the back of the broken machine, and it crashed behind the armored vehicle, its boiler exploding on impact, the shockwave rocking Blitukus' armored vehicle a bit. The fire still hung in the sky, and fell... flaming liquid poured down all over the armored vehicle, and seeped through into the cabin. They had dropped burning oil as a last ditch attack. Blitukus pulled his legs up and zeroed the regulator. Flames sizzled beneath him as the burning oil cooled. Smoke filled the cabin. He opened the hatch and pulled himself out. There was the sound of crossbow fire and the chugging and clanking of steam vehicles in the distance, punctuated by occasional screams. Blitukus looked at the town under siege... looked into his smoking cabin... then looked at the town. He would have to wait for the oil to burn away.
F*CK! Someone needs to invent something for this kind of situation...
The second flying machine was attracted to the smoke. A bolt whizzed by Blitukus. He looked up, and saw the goblin flying machine approaching. Another bolt whizzed by. Blitukus took cover behind the cabin as the goblin flying machine passed overhead. The flying machine turned around, and opened fire once more. A bolt whizzed by, sending up sparks as it ricocheted off of the steel. Blitukus scrambled to take cover behind the cabin. Another bolt whizzed by, and pain shot through Blitukus' arm. He yelled as several drops of blood were sent flying onto the steel. He held his arm as he jumped in front of the cabin, then looked at what had happened. The flying machine flew by overhead. Blitukus' pain rapidly dulled to much less than a typical hit. He saw that his clothes and flesh were somewhat torn, but no bolt was sticking out. That was a grazing shot. He grunted, and pulled himself on top of the cabin, and looked down into the smoke once more...
... F*ck it!
He hopped into the cabin, propping his legs against the wall plating to avoid the small flames below. He left the hatch open, and jammed the regulator forward. He charged the cannon, and allowed steam to build up. Smoke made it difficult to navigate and nearly impossible to aim. He realized the metal he was sitting on had become rather hot... but he focused his attention ahead despite the stinging pain. He saw the silhouette of the flying machine turn and once again approach from the front. He raised the cannon, and despite the smoke and motion, fired. Magma shot out of the muzzle of the cannon, and arced through the air. Blitukus quickly stood upon the chair to view the trajectory of the magma. It would have cleanly missed the flying machine, had the goblin pilot not panicked and pulled up sharply, causing his machine to travel streight into the path of the projectile. The magma directly hit the goblin flying machine, piercing into it and splattering throughout the cockpit and mechanisms. The flying machine became a ball of flame, tumbling through the air. About 2 seconds later, the goblins boiler exploded, causing the goblin flying machine to disintegrate in midair. Flaming bits of armor and iron parts rained down, bouncing off of the ground and bouncing off of the armor of Blitukus' armored vehicle. Blitukus laughed.
Note to self: goblins are the worst pilots in the world.
The flames died in the cabin, and the flow of air due to the hatch being open drove the smoke out. Blitukus seated himself once more, and when the smoke had cleared, closed the hatch above him. Blitukus was rapidly approaching the town, traveling at high speed over the stone road. A goblin troop, clad in leather and light iron armor, heard the approaching machine, and expecting easy targets riding on top of it, sprung from behind a tree and loosed a bolt. The bolt glanced away upon striking the armored vehicles thick plating. The goblin froze there, dropping its crossbow. It mumbled, ".. ah crap!" It turned to jump away, but a fraction of a second later, the treads of the armored vehicle rolled over the goblin, leaving behind a bloody red mush, flattened iron armor, and the mangled remains of a crossbow. Blitukus continued into the village. Many of the villagers were engaged in combat with goblins, some fighting over long distance with bow against crossbow, some fighting up close, swords, axes, and maces clashing. The goblin troop carrier carried several goblin crossbowmen, and the ballista vehicle had its ballista aimed and drawn by steam pistons. Blitukus reached up to charge the cannon, but stopped. If he killed the inhabitants of the vehicles, the vehicle could be reclaimed and put to use against its former owners. He pulled into the front of the town, and pulled the reverser back. He turned to face the troop carrier, and aimed with the automatic crossbow as it drew closer. Both of the goblin vehicles were leaving an exhaust of dark smoke behind them. Apparently they used conventional steam engines, not magma-loop-powered ones. As the troop carrier turned to lay siege upon a not-so-unsuspecting crowd of villagers, Blitukus opened fire into its side. The goblin troops were packed in such a tight group that nearly every hitting bolt struck a goblin, several of their number dropping dead as Blitukus emptied the clip firing at them. Blitukus turned the machine to lead their vehicle, shoved the reverser forward, then shoved the regulator forward. His armored machine rammed into the troop carrier, sending two goblins falling from the opposite side of the carrier and stopping said carrier from moving further. Blitukus zeroed the regulator, and reloaded the automatic crossbow, leaving the empty clip on the floor. Blitukus' armored vehicle rolled back, and the troop carrier continued on without its passengers. Blitukus opened fire, mowing down the two unlucky goblins sitting in the dirt, then aiming to fire into the other side of the troop carrier. SPANG! Something large and heavy struck Blitukus' armored vehicle in the side, denting its armor and causing it to rock sideways slightly. Blitukus ignored it, and fired into the troop carrier. As most of the goblins aboard had been killed, more bolts struck metal this time. The last remaining passenger fell to the dirt as it was struck in the head, and the driver was hit a total of 3 times. The driver gagged, spat up blood, and fell to the dirt, unconscious, leaving the troop carrier to continue unmanned, crashing into a building and stopping there. It hissed and let out steam. The troop carrier could still be salvaged as he had hoped. SPANG! Sparks were shot up into the air and some of the cabins plating was bent, visibly bulging toward Blitukus. Blitukus pulled the reverser back, and turned the machine left to view whatever was attacking him. It was the ballista vehicle, firing large iron arrows at him. Steam sprayed out of it from several points, and a multiple goblin crew loaded another large iron arrow. They quickly launched the arrow. It flew towards Blitukus, and struck the bottom of the front side, punching through the plate and damaging the bronze struts and mechanisms below. The armored vehicle creeked and tilted slightly. Blitukus tried to force the reverser forward... but it wouldn't budge. He growled loudly and readied his cannon once more. As steam and magma built up, the goblins readied another arrow. Blitukus aimed carefully, and was first to fire. The magma struck the ballista, setting the wooden parts ablaze. The !!large arrow!! was released at the same time, flying through the air, soaring over Blitukus' machine, and landing behind it. The goblins, those that survived, immediately abandoned their flaming vehicle, and ran off into the town.
Blitukus found that although his reverser was jammed, he could still use the regulator and the engine still worked. He turned the machine to face into the town. The goblins, realizing they were now defenseless against the armored vehicle, chased as many humans as possible into an alley. They were regrouping. Blitukus readied the cannon once more, allowing the steam to build up to maximum power, aiming into the crowd of half-fleeing-half-attacking goblins. The goblins bottlenecked in the alley as they chased the villagers. Blitukus aimed the cannon low into the crowd. Several goblins started yelling and the group began to scatter. Blitukus fired, sending the magma lump flying through the air, full speed, splattering as it directly hit several goblins, the splattered bits, traveling at high speed, setting the surrounding goblins on fire. Blitukus began laughing, but his laughter quickly faded. He saw a goblin... a victim of his own fury... still standing after being engulfed in molten rock. Half of the goblins face was missing, revealing the skull beneath, the other half was char black, the eye and ear missing. The goblin was missing an arm, the bone exposed in the other arm. Much of the goblins innards were exposed and hanging out, the skin and muscle having been melted away from its body. Flames and smoke slowly rose from its already char black body. The disfigured entity, no longer in any resemblance to a goblin, stumbled forward two steps, its blackened internal organs hanging out, its charred brain exposed. It then fell to its knees, then slowly fell face first into the dirt, flame engulfing what once was a body, its heart turning into a shriveled cinder, its brain melting away. Blitukus felt deeply disgusted by the sight of this, and felt a gag reflex. Something was truly demonic about what had just occurred. He shut his eyes tightly, took in a deep breath, then sighed it out.
This IS a new kind of war... where "conscription notification" is a euphemism for "ticket to hell, third class".
He felt sadness rising within him, a form of sharp regret. He sighed again, but this feeling was cut short with the shouts, screams, and the sounds of bolts ricocheting and weapons clashing. He would keep fighting... if nothing else than to make sure this war was the last of its kind. He grunted as he heard his hatch being opened. He looked up and stood. The hatch opened and a goblin crossbowman hopped down into the cabin, finding itself unable to aim in such a cramped environment. It swung at Blitukus with its crossbow, but Blitukus cought it and wrestled with the goblin for possession of the crossbow. He clung to the weapon and kicked the goblin in the gut until the goblin was forced to release the crossbow. The goblin fell over, and looked rather sick. Blitukus fired the goblins crossbow into the goblins head at point blank range, killing it right away. Blitukus took up the goblins crossbow, and ratcheted it back, loading one of the dead goblins iron bolts into it. He heard another goblin troop climbing up onto his vehicle. Crossbow in hand, he pulled himself up... just to see the goblin swinging its crossbow down. It clubbed Blitukus in the side of the head with its crossbow, knocking him to the side. The goblin then bashed him in the head, a dull "crack" being heard. Blitukus let himself fall back into the cabin, and found himself semi-conscious... but still wielding a crossbow. As the goblin hopped down into the cabin, Blitukus loosed his bolt, the bolt striking the nearby goblin in the neck. The goblin yelled, fired into the metal plating, then crouched down, rapidly bleeding to death. When the goblin had bled out, it slumped over, face in a pool of its own blood. Blitukus felt his nose bleeding, and the side of his skull was causing him a lot of pain. He had been hit hard, but he was still at least half-conscious.
Blitukus grunted and sat up, proceeding to place the ammo and food up higher as the blood of the dead goblin pooled all around the cabin. He slowly pulled himself to his feet, another goblin climbing up onto his vehicle. He had been swarmed, and was now defenseless against his attackers. He felt a sense of dread. This was not the end he had picked for himself. The goblin pointed its crossbow through the hatch, aiming at Blitukus. Several bolts whizzed overhead. The goblin yelled loudly as multiple bolts sank into it, causing it to drop its crossbow and roll off of Blitukus' vehicle. Blitukus had recovered most of his consciousness, and stood up fully, pulling himself up to the hatch, and looking out. There was a steam vehicle approaching, but not of dwarven or goblin design. It was armored in wood, and sported two crude automatic crossbows, fed by belt rather than clip. It bore the flag of this human civilization. Despite a rather massive headache, Blitukus managed to smile. The humans had adopted his technology. A human army stormed in behind the human vehicle, a squad of marksmen advancing in front of a squad of 6 heavy infantry, which wielded and operated belt-fed automatic crossbows in groups of 3 per weapon, for a total of 2 weapons. Each one of these crossbows was larger, slower and less powerful than Blitukus' original version, as the mechanisms weren't created with such masterful skill and also they required conventional boilers to be wheeled along to supply them with steam as humans hadn't been able to get steel, but they still did the job, and did it at an astonishing rate. The human troops advanced, quickly mowing down the remains of the goblin troops. He, and what was left of the town, had been saved. He slowly exited the cabin, and lowered himself from the top of the tank, still feeling intense pain from his head. He stood there, and the human vehicle slowed to a stop before him. The hatch of the human vehicle opened, and a visibly highly ranked human climbed out. Likely a general, the human wore light iron goggles with crystal glass lenses, had a prominent mustache, and was wearing thick clothing, his clothes adorned with awards from a prolonged service. The general looked at Blitukus in disbelief, and raised his goggles to his forehead. Then, the general stepped down, and approached Blitukus. The general spoke, "It's really you? Blitukus Siegedriven?" Blitukus, standing in front of his armored vehicle, wearing his bronze goggles with green glass lenses, nodded. Blitukus still felt the pain of whatever injuries his head had been subjected to. He couldn't pinpoint the sources of the pain. The general approached, and held out his hand, speaking, "I'm Ori Axebane. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Siegedriven." Blitukus smiled and shook hands with him, although one could tell Ori was looking at the damaged right side of Blitukus' head. He remembered what his mother said of him... late in his mothers campaign against evils around the world, in the year 1057 to early 1059, a young officer Axebane fought bravely under her northern allies command... and now here he was, 23 years later, general of the northern civilizations army. Ori continued, "We all thought you had died 3 years ago... I never thought I would get a chance to meet you!" Blitukus replied, "I nearly was killed. I escaped to..." Blitukus felt the pain in his head preventing him from speaking further. His jaw had been damaged it seemed. Blitukus touched the right side of his head, and pain shot through it as he touched it. Maybe he had been hit harder than he originally thought. Ori replied, "... yeah, I will await your return from the regions border then?" Blitukus replied, "No, I... I am ok, we must repair and mobilize as... as soon as possible." Ori asked, "You say you're ok?... er, well I don't think you would've said that if you had looked in a mirror." Blitukus responded, "We must continue." Ori looked at Blitukus, and held back laughter. Ori commented, "You remind me of your mother." Blitukus smiled, deeply honored by that. Ori continued, "I'll take care of repairs, go and get healed. You won't be missing out on much." Blitukus felt the right side of his head again. Some of the bone was slightly disfigured, and his slightly deformed eye socket was putting pressure on his right eye. He had been hit harder than he had originally thought. Such are the effects of metal hitting flesh. Now, his face was slightly numb. Blitukus nodded, replying, "Ok, but please be swift, comrade." Ori nodded back. As Blitukus walked away, he looked back and saw the humans salvaging the goblin troop carrier. Ori yelled, "Mechanics! Over here ASAP, and bring the big toolkit, not the little one!" A few seconds later, Ori announced, "Our new ally has turned out to be Blitukus Siegedriven!" A few seconds of near silence passed. Then, Ori could be heard again, "No, I'm not kidding!" The human troops talked among themselves for a few moments, then cheered excitedly. A force had been united against the criminal dwarves. Maybe, if luck was still a loyal ally, there really was a real chance to take down the super-weapon after all.
[ November 09, 2007: Message edited by: AlanL ]
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Topic: A Kobold's Quest II (Read 76126 times)