The events of the 26th of Granite, 1068Hikan frowned deeply, his face etched with lines of worry and suspicion. Lugnut stood before him, framed in the light from the wall torches, constantly mopping at his neck and forehead.
"And you're sure?"
"Y-yeah, sure, of course I'm sure, I'm sure," the mechanic stammered. "You're a- a well respected peace keeper in this fortress of ours, and I'd hate to incur your wrath by l-lying
or keeping information from you. Of course I saw something weird goin' on by Bertrand's Garden. I saw a bunch of movement, some hushed, you know, s-s-some hushed whispers, and like, somethin' scraping stones."
"And you didn't see what it was?"
"I'm n-not designed to deal with that," Lugnut complained. "I'm not brawny, and the only hammer I use is a t-t-tack hammer for traps. I c-came to you first."
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Hikan nodded. "Fine, good work. Get to your room and talk of this to no one."
With a flap of his trench coat, Hikan strode off, his head high. When he felt sure that he was out of sight from Lugnut he hit the barracks at a run, grabbing a steel spear from the weapons rack. Up the stairs he ran, across the courtyard. Reaching the steps he slowed to catch his breath, quietly padding down towards the gardens. The magma glow filled the pit with an eerie light, the grass and flowers and weeds all tinted oranges and yellows. As he quietly pad towards the center, he heard a soft scrap of metal-on-stone behind him.
Wheeling around, he saw a flit of movement across the pit. It was gone just as fast. In the periphery of his vision, he saw another flash, and spinning, he stared at the spot it was.
Am I going mad? Hikan thought. It was quickly pushed aside. Gritting his teeth, he took a single step forward, before his bowels turned to ice as something behind him giggled.
He turned, his spear at the ready, thrust out at chest height. It passed harmlessly through the air, and only then did he see the child in front of him.
"Grov! What the hell are you doing out here?" he asked, his heart beating fast. The child beamed and waved. A bucket was on his head, and he was wearing a set of old armor. He carried a steel short sword, which he waved. "We're playing soldier! Like Jools! You're here to play with us!"
"You can't be down here," Hikan growled. He thrust the point of his spear into the ground and knelt down, screwing his face up into an authoritative glare. "Get back inside ya' daft brat, or-" the phrasing of the sentence hit him at once. "Who is 'we'. Who else is down here."
"We are." The voices sounded from all around him. They bounced off the walls, they were muffled by the grass, they died on the wind. His skin crawled as the shadows seemed to melt around him, turning into children in front of him, to the sides, skulking through the grass behind. They all wore patch work armor and carried old weapons, training blades and maces made of simple rocks and sticks. They all came towards him, beaming in simple glee, their voices mingling together, starting and stopping at random, a cacophony of noise.
A sword-slash nicked his arm and cut his coat, and with a cry Hikan turned to see another Grov looking down at him, laughing. "It's a goblin!" he cried, "I'm Jools! I- I'm I I Jo- Jools -ools I'm Jools" sounded all around him as the children laughed and rushed towards him.
There was flash of motion, a blur, and one of the Grov's lifted into the air, giggling and laughing until he landed in the magma with a splash. He was vaporized instantly, a single oily streak of smoke marking where the child had been.
"What is going ON!" HIkan cried, watching as the lone figure punched and kicked. Children went flying through the air, laughing, giggling, and vanishing in plops and sizzles within the magma. He caught flashes of black leather, a full body suit covered in small pitch-covered studs. A black leather cowl covered the Dwarfs face, a cape swirled around him as he moved, distracting the children, blocking out where he
really was.
The last of the Grovs vanished into the warm embrace of the magma bath, and Hikan was left there on his rump, wide eyed, slack jawed. The black-glad dwarf walked towards him and held out a black leather gauntlet, pulling the Royal Guard to his feet. "Keep easy, citizen." The dwarf growled. "You're lucky I've been patrolling the grounds. Constant vigilance, Lieutenant. Stay the course."
With a flap of the cape, and a small creak of leather, the Dwarf was gone, vanished into the darkness. Hikan stared at the spot he had occupied for a long time. Slowly, shaking hands reached into his trench coat and pulled his flask out. He looked at it, shuddered, and pitched it over his shoulder into the magma. "That's it... I'm the only sane one here... what kind of punishment
is this?"
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Topic: Migrursut: What Comes After The World Ends? [Epilogue] (A Community Fort) (Read 389050 times)