The Shadowy Events of the 27th of GalenaIt had been slightly more than a year since the deaths of the two caravan guards had profaned this place.
Five dwarves in cloaks now stood at the base of the stairs, shrouded in darkness, the light of a few candles dancing across the faces above.
A single dwarf stood in the middle, clutching a book. The very same book that the guards had lost to the dwarves thirteen months earlier.
"Thank you for your timeliness, kindred." she said.
"Time is short, mistress." said one of the number, clearly male.
"Yes. We shall make haste, then. Please make sure the candles are all lit, and the rune they govern remains unbroken. You know where to stand."
The bookholder waited a few moments for them to confirm that all was well, and to take their places.
"I assume you have memorized the words." stated the bookholder simply.
"Yes." came the reply, all at once.
"Let us commence then."
They began their chant:
Orŭsp Rumux Slőmod,
Őtda Udu Oslőt,
Astom, Otsmo, Stongnub Smastre,
Orŭsp Rumux Slőmod,
Orŭsp, Kuga Dŭnguk!
Three times they chanted this, and the candles burned harder each time, a red glow elicited from an unknown source within the rune, growing with speed until it expanded beyond the confines of the rune.
It appeared to gather, and, like the crack of a whip, though without a sound, the bookholder was struck by it, forcing her to collapse to the floor, twitching, her eyes open, but seeing another reality entirely.
Within her world, she lay in a room of shimmering redness. The faces of the dwarven heroes seemed alive, and they began to speak as one, with a thunderous voice.
"ACOLYTE! HOW LONG HAVE YOU DALLIED?! DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT YOUR MASTER IS DEAD?! HE WAS SLAIN BY THE ENEMIES OF YOUR GOD!"
"I have been here a long while! This shall be the place from which we shall strike!"
"SO SAY YOU, MORTAL! BUT WE HAVE WATCHED... WE HAVE SEEN! THOSE YOU DWELL WITH GROW EVER STRONGER! THE DARK HOST OF THE GOBLINS HAS BEEN SHATTERED UPON THEIR TRAPS AND SKILL AT ARMS!"
"The Goblins were foolish. Their dead merely feed my armies." stated the Acolyte
"AN ARMY, SAYS YOU!? YOUR GOD FINDS AMUSEMENT IN YOUR EFFORTS, BUT IT WEARS THIN! YOUR ARMY OF CORPSES CANNOT HOPE TO WITHSTAND THE EFFORTS OF THESE DWARVEN WARRIORS!"
"It's not as simple as that..." tried the Acolyte.
"YES, MORTAL! IT IS! YOU HAVE TRIED THIS EXPLANATION BEFORE, AND WE DID LISTEN! DID WE NOT SEND THE MONSTERS? DID WE NOT SEND OUR BELOVED COLOSSUS? SEE THEM NOW? BROKEN SACKS OF FLESH? BONES ROTTING ON THE CORPSE PILES? PRISONERS IN CAGES?! WHAT EXPLANATION CAN YOU HAVE FOR THIS?"
"I'm going to bring them back." said the Acolyte.
"BACK? AS ZOMBIES?! OR AS YOUR BELOVED FLESH-GOLEMS? YOU SEEK SURPRISE FROM WITHIN?" queried the voice, for the first time interested in what the Acolyte had to say.
"I do!"
"WE SHALL CONSIDER! CONSIDER YOUR CONTINUED EXISTENCE AS OUR MARK OF APPROVAL!"
The presence made its feelings known by instilling a sense of pressure against the Acolyte so strong she felt like she would burst.
"Yes! Of course, my lord!" she gasped.
"DO NOT FAIL, ACOLYTE." said the voice.
Suddenly the world returned to normal for the Acolyte, who gasped as she returned to this state.
She staggered to her feet.
"We're still okay!" she told her fellows.
"Thank goodness for that. I just hope nothing tips the balance in the enemy's favour from here on in." said a male, relieved.
"Don't say such things!" said a female, chastising him.
"Indeed." mused the Acolyte. "It would taken something greatly unforeseen, however. I can't imagine what would be required for that..."
She looked around.
"Clean it up." she said, in regards to the rune and ritual materials. "Then return to your homes. I'm sure you'll otherwise be missed."
The Acolyte instead left the room via the stairs, finding herself standing on top of the Hammer Tower. It wasn't complete, but it was complete enough for the ritual to have taken place.
When it was complete, it would be possible for her to execute the rest of her plan, though she may just wait for the fortress to achieve a slightly more finished state. She doubted her companions would be willing to undertake hard labor such as that.
She looked out across the fields beyond the walls and sighed. The area beyond was littered with the bodies of countless goblins. It was true that their strength had been broken.
So much for the danger posed by goblins, she thought. She could remember a time when the fortress had actually been threatened, but clearly they were no longer a real concern for it or for Captain Ironblood, a dwarf who, for the last ten years, would routinely go to the goblin holding cells and poke them until they begged for no more.
She briefly wondered what the hell was wrong with the dwarf.
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Topic: Nist Akath - The Complete Story (Read 609822 times)