Yeah, this is the part where I'm not sure if the super-weapon will be called on as going too far or not. Well, I put up a description of the aftermath of what it does and nobody has complained, so I'm gunna go ahead with it.
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The goblins were shot dead, their bodies reduced to cinders by magma and flame. Blitukus let his armored vehicle slow to a stop as the magma pooled in the bottom of the valley, boiling away the goblin blood. As Blitukus waited for the magma to spread out, he pulled up to the back of the hill, and stood after opening his hatch. Ori drove to the edge of the hill, and did the same. Ori spoke, "Great defense but it's got us stuck here! I can't drive through magma, my vehicle's plated with wood!" Blitukus asked, "Is your vehicle lighter than mine?" Ori responded, "Looks like it, quite a bit." Blitukus sat back down and carefully maneuvered up the back of the hill, pulling up next to Oris vehicle. Human sharpshooters were sitting idly on the wooden plate. Blitukus stood once more, and spoke, "I have an idea, someone tie one end of a rope to my front plating, and the other end to his rear plating. Make sure you tie it on metal!" The sharpshooters looked at Ori, Ori nodded, and then the sharpshooters got up and tied a thick, heavy rope between the two vehicles. Ori asked, "Are you going to do what I think you are? I sure hope you have a big engine for this." Blitukus nodded, "It will suffice." Ori spoke, "Ok, that machine had better be as strong as it looks then." Ori sat and closed his hatch, and Blitukus did the same. Ori drove forward toward the front of the hill, facing the fortress, and Blitukus followed behind, the rope dangling between them. Ori slowly drove over the edge. The front of his machine plummeted down to line up with the steep slope, the rear of his machine raising up, revealing the bottom of his machine. Blitukus pulled back on the reverser as Oris machine slid down the slope. The rope became taut and Blitukus' machine was jerked forward. Blitukus' treads slowly turned in reverse, but his machine slowly inched forward, a small pile of soil building up in front of his treads. Blitukus carefully lowered Ori down the side of the hill. Luckily, they were out of range of the artillery and sharpshooters that had readied and were waiting for them to draw closer. Blitukus had nearly let Ori down the entire length of the slope when his treads slipped, sending his vehicle sliding forward, bits of dirt sent flying in front of it. Immediately after, the rope, frayed from rubbing against the terrain, broke. SMACK! Blitukus drove up to the edge of the hill, and turned. He opened the hatch and stood, and looked down the slope. One of the wooden planks on the front of Oris vehicle had broken, but other than that it wasn't damaged at all. Ori drove out from the slope, then opened his hatch and stood. Ori spoke, "Well that turned out better than I thought it would! Troops, grab all you can carry out of the wagon and slide down!" The troops gathered around the wagon, refilled all of their supplies and took extra when they could, and proceeded to the edge of the hill, sliding down the steep slope. Blitukus sat, closed the hatch, then turned and drove back down the front of the hill. Nobody was there to help him down the slope of the back of the hill, but luckily the magma had spread.
He drove over the thinly spread substance. His treads were plated with steel, and the bronze inner workings were held up off of the ground, so this didn't damage his machine. He made haste though, as he noticed the mechanism temperature increasing rapidly. If it were to rise above 212 degrees, the water within the generators would begin to boil. If it were to ever exceed 240 degrees, it was nearly guaranteed that the water would boil at a high enough rate to cause the generators to fail, stranding Blitukus over the magma. He made it through, his treads tracking magma a short distance from the valleys exit. The mechanism temperature read 201 degrees. Hot, but not quite too hot, luckily. The temperature reading once again fell. Blitukus pulled up next to ori, they opened their hatches and stood, the troops gathered around. Ori spoke, "Looks like they've got cannons and troops waiting for us over there. I need you to use that cannon of yours to take out the heavy weapons, I've got two machine crossbows to deal with infantry. I can't afford to send troops in with those cannons up there. We'll need to zigzag around, that way their cannons cant walk their aim to us. If we keep far to the left, then the cannons on the right won't be able to fire at us..." Blitukus sighed. More cold plotting, but it had to be done. Ori continued, "... are you ready?" Blitukus nodded, and sat back down, closing his hatch. Ori seated himself and sealed his machine as well, and they drove towards the fortress, straddling the left wall of the canyon. They were out of the field of view of the canyons on the right, but were directly in the line of fire of the cannons on the left. Blitukus readied his cannon, letting the steam charge to the highest pressure. Puffs of smoke rose from the tower as two cannons fired simultaneously, two dark iron projectiles flying through the air. Blitukus slowed and Ori accelerated to a higher speed. The projectiles landed harmlessly between the two, the iron, heated to glowing heat, rupturing on impact, sending magma flying about, a steam-fueled explosion driving the magma. In fact... it looked remarkably similar to a much smaller version of his own magma bomb! At least one goblin had escaped when he had attacked with his flying machine... and that goblin must've remembered enough to describe Blitukus' technology to the dwarves. Blitukus growled faintly, and stopped completely, turning and aiming the cannon. Blitukus fired... but even at full power, his projectile fell short of the cannons, doing little to no damage on the fortress wall. The doors of the fortress began to open. Blitukus looked up at the cannons. He saw several dwarves wearing goggles standing at the edge of the fortress wall, watching him. In the middle of the dwarves stood a particular dwarf, clothed in visibly pricey blood-red clothes. This dwarfs goggles were made of dark iron, the lenses made of ruby. He was obviously their leader, and Blitukus sensed he emanated an aura of evil several multiples that of those around him. Blitukus growled at the dwarves and readied his cannon again. The dwarves walked back behind the walls. Soon after, a stream of black smoke begun to eminate from behind the walls. The fortress cannons fired again, this time falling behind both vehicles as they accelerated. Automatic crossbows, nested behind fortifications opened fire on Oris vehicle. Ori turned and returned fire, Blitukus stopping and aiming high. Blitukus fired, and the projectile arced high into the air, slowing down by a large amount as it neared the top of its path. The projectile then fell downward, landing on the ledge in front of the cannon. It was a technical miss, magma dripping down from the fortifications, but the magma also flowed towards the cannon from the ledge. As magma slowly crept under the cannon, the goblins manning it were forced to abandon it.
Another pillar of black smoke began to rise alongside the first from behind the walls. Blitukus turned, and drove at a diagonal. The doors had opened, and were resting on the ground now... drawbridges without a moat? Blitukus was driving towards the doors, Ori strafing the fortified defenses. Four goblins, each pair holding a large, cylindrical weapon, steam generators worn as backpacks, emerged. Blitukus fired into the halls, obliterating two of the goblins, and setting off some traps in the corridor. The other two goblins took aim at Blitukus' vehicle, and fired. With a puff of steam, a small shell was launched, exploding on impact with Blitukus' armor. Magma splashed onto the front of Blitukus' vehicle, the exploding projectile driving open one end of one of the armor plates. Blitukus quickly turned them into pincushions with his automatic crossbow. Then, he began readying his cannon once more. There were only two units of goblin heavy infantry behind the gate... why only two? It's as if the dwarves were looking for an excuse to open the gate for some reason. Blitukus turned and followed Ori, stopping to fire at the sharpshooting tower resting high above. The magma from his cannon struck the bottom of the tower, splashing up, bits of magma injuring goblins in an adjacent tower. A third pillar of black smoke rose from behind the walls, alongside of the other two. Blitukus readied his cannon again. The three pillars of smoke seemed to be moving toward the top of the front wall. Blitukus and Ori turned, moving away from the fortress along the right wall of the valley. Blitukus and Ori turned to make another attack on the fortress, accelerating away as the right two cannons fired at them, their shots falling behind Blitukus and Ori. A fourth pillar of black smoke rose, and the source of the smoke neared the wall. The source of the smoke seemed to radiate a sort of energetic aura. A small arc of energy, barely noticeable at a distance, shot over the wall and curved back, striking the front of the wall. A sense of deep dread descended upon Blitukus. Smokestacks appeared over the wall, then, the entire machine, moving very slowly, inched up to the edge of the wall, stopping there. Blitukus slowly drew in a breath, and found himself holding it. The machine was 50 feet on a side, and nearly 12 feet tall... larger than a merchants shop. The machine was visibly barely mobile, and had an odd, delicate construction. Large devices, each comparable in size to Blitukus' entire vehicle, had what looked like immense coils of silver wire with a rotating assembly of magnetite in the middle, divided into 3 sections, suspended within the body of the machine. The machine had 4 boilers driving 12 large steam engines that rotated 6 of these devices at a high rate. The rest of the machine seemed to consist of heavy dark iron, coated in another material. Attached to the machine was several shafts, a dense coil of wire around each shaft, each shaft capped with a silver sphere. A blue glow began to build below the machine, and arcs of blue energy occasionally shot out from the silver spheres, the coating on the iron preventing the arcs from striking the machines plating.
The dwarven leader stood near, but not too near, the machine. Blitukus growled, and stopped, turning to face what was likely the super-weapon. The blue glow continued to build beneath the super-weapon. Blitukus aimed at the dwarven leader. The dwarven leader looked at Blitukus' armored vehicle. Blitukus fired, the projectile on a path that would take it right to where the dwarven leader was standing. The dwarven leader saw the projectile... and didn't move. As the projectile approached, a large arc of energy shot out from multiple silver spheres, striking the lump of magma with a loud crackling sound. The blue glow beneath the weapon dimmed noticeably as the magma projectile was dispersed by the raw energy, bits of magma raining down, none of it striking the dwarven leader. The blue glow began to intensify again. Blitukus found himself at a loss of what to do for a moment. He looked at the machine, eyes widened.
What the hell is that?... Is that magic or technology? I'd have to assume the latter... they have mastered the art of manipulating energy. I will use their knowledge to finally contact my mother... if I somehow manage to get out of this... in less than 10,000 pieces.
Blitukus let out a deep breath. Bolts were ineffective against most machines, and it could blow nearly any projectile right out of the sky with arcs of energy. Blitukus jammed the regulator forward to evade shells from the cannons. The shells exploded behind him, and the explosion made him jump slightly. He saw the super-weapons main weapon rise from behind the large cabin. The cannon had a truss that raised it, several small steam pistons mounted on it that aimed it, and dedicated tubing and wires that ran up the truss, connecting with it. The cannon itself was something Blitukus had never seen before... the barrel was made up of several layers of crystal glass, the rear encased in iron, but within the rear was a large gem, suspended, strips of magnetite running down the barrel, the magnetite surrounded by coils of wire. The entire cannon was also encircled by bands of magnetite, once again holding dense coils of wire, the largest coil being just at the tip of the barrel. It was obviously not meant to fire a physical projectile. The dwarven leader looked at Oris vehicle, and held his hand up in the air. The super-weapon aimed at Ori, the blue glow beneath it diminishing, energy shooting up the neck of its cannon, collecting within the barrel, causing the crystal glass to glow white in the center of the barrel. Blitukus turned to face Ori, and approached Oris vehicle at top speed. The dwarven leader stood atop the wall, not moving at all. The white glow within the super-weapons barrel intensified, the coils on the barrel occasionally letting out a small arc of energy, a blue arc that forked like the branches of a tree as it progressed through the air. The super-weapon was focusing its true firepower now... focusing it upon Blitukus' friend. Blitukus kept approaching at top speed. Blitukus yelled, "Ori! Move to the wall! Take cover NOW! ORI!!!" He was left unheard. The dwarven leader brought his hand down, and pointed at Oris vehicle. Sparks shot out from the super-weapons cannon as a ray of white energy erupted from its barrel, traveling exactly to where the dwarven leader had pointed. The ray of pure energy struck Oris vehicle. The wood plating immediately burst into flames, then a second later, the entire vehicle exploded as the boiler was melted through, sending fragments of flaming wood, charred mechanisms, and partially melted metal flying about. The ray of energy ceased, leaving nothing but a scorched, molten mark where Oris vehicle once stood, mangled and charred parts scattered about. Blitukus spoke under his breath, a tear running down his cheek, "Ori..."
Farewell comrade. You had served alongside my mother. You had served alongside me. It was an honor being your ally...
Blitukus gritted his teeth together, a deep sadness welling up within him. War had spoils... but at what cost? He looked up at the wall. The dwarven leader, still pointing at what was now a charred hole in the ground, slowly turned to look at Blitukus. Blitukus saw the red gleam of the dwarven leaders ruby-lensed goggles. He felt anger erupting within him, as if out of sheer fury he could return a ray of energy back in the direction of the super-weapon. Tears running down his face, he yelled, "YOU WILL PAY DEARLY EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" Blitukus growled deeply and muttered obscenities under his breath. He found himself breathing rapidly through is teeth, almost hyperventilating. He forced himself to calm. If he wanted any chance to do anything against this foe, he needed at the very least his full reasoning ability. The super-weapon aimed back at the valley, where the troops were standing, steam shooting out of the red hot crystal glass barrel as the barrel cooled itself, the wires leading up to it sagging due to heat. He wouldn't allow for more of his friends to be annihilated in such a way. He jerked the reverser back, and the regulator back as well, causing his vehicle to spin right. He then jammed the reverser and regulator forward again, taking a straight path back to the troops at maximum speed, several shells from cannon fire exploding behind him and to his left. Despite the 6 enormous powerplants, the super-weapon had drained itself by firing. The blue glow had dissipated, but was starting to slowly reappear. Blitukus stopped as he reached the valley. The troops were beginning to panic, and were ready to flee. They knew that they stood no chance against the super-weapon. Blitukus yelled, "EVERYONE behind the hills!" The magma had cooled, and the path was open. The troops scrambled behind the hills, and Blitukus drove through the valley, taking cover behind the hills as well. A ray of energy struck the hills, scorching a line into the terrain.
This... this is like something from another world entirely!... It's... it's just a nightmare... except I'm awake... dear Armok...
An opportunity was presenting itself. Blitukus opened the hatch, and stood. The super-weapon apparently spent an extraordinary amount of energy when it fired, as even with those enormous powerplants, it still was a bit of time between shots. Enough time for Blitukus to lead the troops into the fortress... hopefully. Blitukus yelled, "We shall NOT flee! Follow closely behind me, use my vehicle as a shield. We will storm their fortress and WE SHALL TAKE IT!" The troops were shaken by what they had seen, but, despite their fears, they obeyed their new leader, lining up behind Blitukus' armored vehicle. Blitukus turned around, and drove off towards the open gates. 3 cannons still remained, and an automatic crossbow fortification still remained. The automatic crossbow fortification fired as Blitukus drew near, the armored vehicle standing between the flying bolts and the human troops. Blitukus returned fire with his own automatic crossbow, but the cannons fired, one of the shells landing very close to the armored vehicles left side. The left tread lifted off the ground slightly, and slammed back to the ground, the magma shrapnel injuring several human troops. The super-weapon once again was nearly ready to fire. Blitukus was unsure if he would be able to make it in time or not. The super-weapon fired as Blitukus was about to enter the tunnel. The ray of energy struck into the crowd of troops following Blitukus, and swept among them, turning many of them into blackened, charred, partially melted corpses, their weapons charred and twisted by the energy. Both of the heavy infantry units were lost, and many of the crossbowmen were no more. Blitukus yelled as he traveled into the tunnel. His machine triggered row after row of traps, but he plowed through the traps, ruining them. The troops that remained stepped over the flattened traps. The traps ended, and Blitukus continued. Cages fell from the ceiling and bounced off of Blitukus' armor, the troops behind him navigating around the fallen cages. The rows of cages ended. Blitukus felt the armored vehicle suddenly jerk to a stop as something cought a hold of it. Steam shot out into the halls, and massive pistons pulled chains downward. Chains rose around the armored vehicle, and hauled it upward into the air. Blitukus shoved the reverser and regulator back and forth trying to drive the chains apart to no avail. He was stuck... worse... he had been captured. This is why they opened the gates with minimal defenses behind it... they wanted to capture Blitukus. Blitukus opened the hatch, and stood, looking down at the troops standing below. He yelled, "Advance without me!" It was their only choice, as retreating was no longer an option. The troops moved on into the tunnel. Blitukus spoke under his breath, "Good luck... I would give you my luck if I could."
Blitukus saw retractable walls and bridges extend around him, sealing him and his vehicle inside of a closed room. There was a hissing sound. Blitukus stood, unsure of what was occurring. He found himself coughing, and tried to hold his breath, but found he couldn't hold it indefinitely. The smell of chemicals filled the air. Blitukus found himself losing consciousness. He sat in order to avoid falling down onto the metal bridge below, and fell unconscious. The events occurring afterwards seemed nothing but a murky blur. Seemingly shortly after, Blitukus found himself waking up again. He still felt dizzy and detached from his senses. He vaguely heard someone say, "It's about time the mut woke up!" Blitukus asked, "How... how long was..." The same person spoke again, "A good two goddamn hours!" Two hours... the assault had failed. Blitukus opened his eyes, and found himself still dizzy, his head pointed downward, but his senses were returning to him. His vision began to clear. He found himself sitting, leaning against the wall of a cage. He looked up, and saw the dwarven leader, still wearing the black and red goggles, looking into the cage. The dwarf spoke, "Congratulations on leading your friends to their deaths! 'Siegedriven lineage'... bah!" Blitukus remembered how this dwarf had ordered Oris death... and then looked right at Blitukus, pointing at the scorched remains. Blitukus spoke, "You killed my mother and left me to suffer the tragedy, you killed my comrades, you killed my allies in cold blood, and now, this... why do you torture me?" The dwarf replied, "Torture? I was trying to kill you and you wouldn't die! You and your pesky mother kept getting in the way of our plans!" Blitukus asked, "Then why haven't you killed me already?" The dwarf replied, "You've done us a favor and brought yourself all the way out to us. Now I got an offer for you that you WON'T refuse." Blitukus sighed. The death of his mother, the death of his comrades, this corrupt and cold war were eating away at his soul, and he felt every bit of the pain. And now, this dwarf, the one who caused it all, was trying to offer him a deal that he 'won't refuse'? One cannot predict the actions of chaotic beings so easily.
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Well, I hope the weapon wasn't going too far, but if I get a large negative response, as I said, this'll be the only time where I'd go back and edit.
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Topic: A Kobold's Quest II (Read 76130 times)