But as sheriff, he'll never make your fortress rich by crafting a zillion exceptional metalcrafts!
Here's the next part of the tale:
From the journal of Alath Esheten, Mayor
22nd Timber - Wow, being a mayor is a really busy job! I've had to handle military operations, deal with a strange mason who took over a shop to create an amazing throne, AND oversee mining. Fortunately, I've had help. Libash has given me a lot of pointers about how to handle the stress of nobility. And a couple weeks ago, Mosus started acting really nicely towards me. I don't know why, but suddenly he's helping me with paperwork, relaying messages, and giving me advice on running the fortress. It's so useful! I talked with him a few days ago, and together we decided that the safety of the fortress is the most important priority. I'm responsible for 79 dwarves now, and that's a big responsibility. Mosus suggested clearing out the chasm, and even said I should be the one to propose it, so that it looked like my idea! It's great! I talked with As today about it. I called him into my office, and told him he'd be taking his axe and beating up the iron man.
"I don't know, Alath," he said. "I haven't had much practice in using this thing."
"Oh, don't worry," I said. "You're great with a shield. And you're one of the best wrestlers in the military! I remember when we were sparring, how someone would try to hit you and you just wouldn't be there any more. That iron man won't be able to touch you, and you'll eventually land a killing blow."
"But Alath... I just don't know if this is such a great idea."
"As, this is a huge opportunity for you!" I was surprised at As's reluctance. This was his job, for Armok's sake! "You just need to take out that iron man so the marksdwarves can come in and shoot down everything else! You'll be a hero! I envy you really, if it wasn't for my bad back I'd be out there getting the glory."
"Does it have to be me?" he asked.
"Urist H. Armok! I'm giving you a great chance and you don't want it!?!? YES, As, it has to be you, the axedwarf squad is the best equipped for this job. You know it, so stop complaining about it. SHEESH!"
"Sorry, Alath." He quietly turned around and left my office.
I was surprised by his reluctance, but I knew I was right. Once As was a fortress hero maybe he'd thank me.
1st Moonstone - Today was the day. I went to the very top of lookout hill and peered down, able to just see over the lip of the chasm to where the iron man stood on a ledge. It was a little eerie, how it stood there completely still and silent, no real mind controlling it. You could easily mistake it for a statue, but we knew better. Usrir was next to me, also watching.
I knew Udib, As, and Catten were just on the other side of one of those walls. Ingish, the leader of the axedwarf squad, was asleep, so I had temporarily promoted As to commander. Hey, it's not my fault if Ingish was sleeping when it was time to earn the glory!
I saw a crack form in the wall, almost halfway around the circular chasm from the iron man. The crack widened bit by bit, until a copper pick burst through, and I saw Udib on the other side, bringing down the wall. He quickly ran back into the tunnel he had dug, and I saw As come out, wielding his axe.
As worked his way along the chasm's side towards the iron man.
The iron man, showing no emotion in its unchanging face, began lurching along the side of the chasm towards As.
They met, and As clumsily swung his axe. I saw what he meant when he said he didn't have much practice. It was a weak blow, bouncing off the solid iron of the creature's left arm. The iron man lifted its arm, and let forth a forceful punch.
But As wasn't there any more.
With his lightning-quick reflexes, As had instinctively jumped away from the iron man to avoid the blow, but had forgotten he was on the edge of the chasm! Leaping in the wrong direction, he had lost his balance, and I watched in horror as he went plummeting over the side of the cliff.
"As! AS!!!" I cried. I couldn't wait for a report. Usrir running behind me, I ran down into the fortress, heading for the tunnel to the chasm...
To be continued...
Author
Topic: The Tale of a Sensible Dwarf (Read 10834 times)