The events of the 20th Hematite, of 1067Part 2The first goblin to poke his head up the staircase became a pincushion. Zako and Likot unloaded the second they saw the tips of his green ears, and by the time the goblin fell, his throat shot out, his right eye sprouting a bolt, his left arm and left leg full of bolts, they were both screaming at the tops of their lungs. Sgt. Pepper had been rounded up by Rice, and he had rumbled that Merkil had been roused to come assist, along with Eita and her squad. Already Sgt. Pepper and Kib were charging towards the felled goblin, preparing to take out much frusteration upon his prostrate form.
More goblins poured up the steps, and the Dwarves crashed into them, sparks and sweat and blood exploding around from the chaos. The furnace operator gave a cry of, "That's the one that busted open the door!" but it went unheard. His presence was made known when he seperated Kib's left hand from her wrist.
For a Goblin with a limp, he moved fast. As Kib screamed and backed away, the goblin swung his arm lazily, his wickedly curved sword seperating her head from her shoulders. It arced away gracefully, pink misting the air until it hit the floor, rolling to a stop by the zoo.
Everything stopped. Slowly Sacktwinkled, the leader of the squad, looked at the goblin calmly wiping the blood off his blade with a checkered kerchief. Sgt. Pepper wrenched his axe from a now-blinded goblins chest, blood spraying from it's mouth when it tried to breath.
The Dwarven morale broke. The squads turned to run.
Likot screamed from the sidelines, and Zako - with newly arrived Sparrow and Rolland, filled the air with steel. The bolts whirred past the Goblin in the jean cloth, and after cleaning his sword, he calmly planted the heel of his boot through the skull of the baby Kib had been carrying with her. The goblins soon swarmed again, blocking the scene from sight.
Merkil rallied the troops himself, charging up the stairs. The sight of him - his gleaming armor, his masterful warhammer, the mask of rage he wore, inspired awe in the routed troops almost as much as watching Sombith Kiron punch through a goblin's chest did. What looked like lungs exploded from the other side, and the gobbo dropped to the ground, trying to breath.
The battle raged for most of the morning, but eventually the Dwarves prevailed. Many had been perforated with bolts, and it seemed as if Zako had a new signature - puncturing out right eyes. Jools looked happy for one who had lost a wife and child, and was now left to raise five himself, but the pet theory was he was suffering from Battle Lust, and no one was keen to be around him when it passed.
It wasn't noticed until much later that night that there was one goblin missing from the bunch. And it wasn't until a day later that Dockworker Coastalbust found herself with a broken nose at the hands of a rage-filled Rinsesilver.
***
Miles away, Snodub Langom took a seat on a boulder. He set the briefcase down beside him, and quietly unlatched the clasps. Opening it up, he peered at the thin sheets of gold inside, minted with images from Stramgil. He gave a curt nod and closed the case, latching it once more.
Soon, his attention was turned towards the bolt stuck in his thigh. A small knife was pulled free from one snake skin boot, and he used this to cut jean cloth from around the bolt, then the flesh from around the shaft. A small set of jewelers tongs were used to grip the shaft tightly. Holding it steady, Snodub worked the tip of the knife deep into the wound, a few beads of sweat dotting on his forehead. With a grunt, he used the handle for leverage and popped the bolt free.
He bandaged his leg with strips of cloth, and tucked the bolt safely inside his coat pocket. Soon he was on the move again, his metal tank in one hand, the briefcase in the other - his limp much more pronounced.