We finally had reached the hallway leading to the pits. Onkrin, myself, and Valter. Joining us shortly would be the royal guard and the remains of the military, but for the moment, we would be alone. I looked at Valter, wondering what he would do. If he decided to strike down Onkrin, I would not stop him.
“Give me your pick Valter”
I was stunned. Valter would not even have a weapon to defend himself? Has Onkrin decided to thoroughly doom this dwarf? The look on Valter’s face though was not one of rage it was… surprise?
“Onkrin, you intend to open the pits yourself? But you will die!”
Of course… Whoever has the pick will be the one to open the pits. To think that Onkrin would put himself in harms way…
Then I realized. Onkrin has always put himself in harms way. While he may work us hard, he worked twice as hard. When the goblins raided, he was the first to push us forward to repel. Twice he’d been wounded, and twice he ripped apart the goblin that dared to wound him. Whatever Onkrin asked of us, he made sure he asked more of himself.
“Aye Valter, ye didn’t think that I would let you get all the glory for the extermination of the demons now did you?” Onkrin’s eyes twinkled with his usual insanity, but this time there was a hint of finality.
Valter eyed Onkrin coldly, before finally speaking, “Why did you bring me here? Did you hope to break me by killing yourself before I had a chance to do it myself?”
“Nay. I needed to make sure that the person operating the traps wouldn’t be afraid of spearing their friend or leader. Someone who would know what it takes to get the job done.”
A glimmer of respect crossed Valter’s eyes before it faded, and he grunted in response “Fine, take my pick then. Luck be with ya, although I know it won’t”.
Onkrin laughed at this, took Valter’s pick and sauntered down the hallway. That was the last Valter and I had seen him alive.
The two of us took turns operating the traps for days, while the guards nervously watched the hallway. We heard no screams, or yells, but neither did we see the dark glow of incoming demons. Finally, after five days of constant lever pulling, we stopped… and ventured in to see Onkrin’s fate.
Journeying down the darkened alleyway, trying to keep our minds off the minute holes laying beneath our feet that housed barbed spikes and sharp spears, was a task that would turn many a dwarf away. Finally, we came across the handywork of Onkrin’s traps.
At first, it was a fine layer of ash that our feet trodded upon, a thing so subtle that none of us would notice. Valter was first, letting out a sharp gasp before readying his newly acquired pick for defense. The ash was a tell-tale sign of the demons, the only trace of their bodies when they died. We soon came across the body parts of other demons. The bodies grew thicker and thicker, until we came across Onkrin.
He was surprisingly well intact considering the pile of ash that surrounded him. His beard was half burned off, and his eyebrows were little more then singe marks. He was intact, the demons had not torn him limb from limb. The pool of blood that surrounded him showed that he had bled to death, rather than die from a wound outright. What was more, we counted 5 bodies surrounding him.
Onkrin had killed five demons before the horde had overwhelmed him.
One of the guards gave a cry of alarm, and all of us were immediately on guard. He shook his head, and grunted a short “its fine” before he crept over to Onkrin’s body and grabbed two objects off of him.
There was almost a cry of disgust for looting our dead ruler when we held our tongues. It was the two items that Onkrin had ordered created. The scepter, and the cup. Both items seemed different somehow. The scepter was coated with ash and ichor, as if Onkrin had used it as a mace and the cup itself… it was half full of ichor as well.
Valter inhaled sharply before he spoke “He… knew. He had these items created for the demons themselves. He had a purpose in mind all along… check his mouth.”
The guard went over to Onkrin, and rolled the body over. On Onkrin’s mouth, and inside it was the same ichor that was in the cup.
“He… drank their blood.”
None of us were certain who said that, or whether the voice had emanated from the pit itself. Perhaps the dark magics wrought were already beginning to manifest. Armok help me, I had to act before we were all dead at the hands of this lunatic.
“Pick up the body. We burial him with honors. It is the least we can do. Everybody out, now! We seal this pit!”
Valter was the first to respond, nodding his head silently. He bent down and picked up his nemesis without hesitation, and began to walk down the hallway. Before anyone could follow, a hoarse wail came up from the pit. Not all the demons had been dealt with.
I screamed myself hoarse then. I think we all did. I had never run so fast in my life, but as I screamed, felt the terror of my comrades beside me, and felt their footsteps tremor through my body, the moans of the demons were still louder. I’ll remember it til the end of my days.
We all made it, and closed the hallway for good. Only a few of the demons were dead, and whatever Onkrin had done to himself, it was known only to those he had killed and Armok himself.
Afterwards, I was placed in charge, for lack of better alternative. Valter sits quietly in his room, unwilling to lead. Perhaps he will get over it, and perhaps he will not. I see little that I can do before the Mountain homes send us a new ruler. I ordered Onkrin to be the first to be buried in his tombs. They are not finished, they still need to be smoothed and engraved, but they will do. I also commissioned to have an artifact built in Onkrin’s honor. I researched his background, and found that he was formerly a mechanic. Naturally, an artifact mechanism would be created. I had a fellow mechanic toil for days on the offering, and made the unfortunate mistake of allowing him any choice of materials. Of course he uses two adamantine wafers, as well as aluminum bars. Both exceedingly precious metals. Considering Onkrin’s death however, it feels appropriate.
With the creation of the artifact, our fortress wealth has nearly doubled. Amazing. During the final days of my rule, I had many dwarves make the finishing touches on Onkrin’s work. I will summarize what has been created in this year.
The hearth room lays unfinished, but the foundation is largely there. I still do not know what Onkrin wished to power, but the massive energy is free to use for any incoming Overseer.
The burial chambers are also unfinished, but only in smooth the floors. Otherwise, Onkrin’s dream of a fitting burial for the overseers has been realized.
The tower spire is higher then ever. Under Onkrin’s forced labor, the spire has grown 4 additional levels. In those levels, Onkrin mandated that a wood storage room be built. Above that, a bridge connects the level to the mountain woodlands. Carpenter’s shops are on this level for woodworking. The level above that is undesignated, although a guard tower has been started. The lowest completed level of the spire has been turned into a feast hall. In Onkrin’s words, “We are all brothers and sisters. We must therefore eat together as one!”
The castle protecting the spire is little more the foundation, if that. I would say an expanded wall. If an overseer wishes to work on that, they at least have a large wall to work with.
Finally, the demons. They have not all been cleared out, but it seems that at least half have been. The hallway of traps works, killing all but the hardiest demons. We have the ability. We just need an overseer crazy enough to finish the job.
This was an interesting, and very long year.
But... what has Onkrin done? That question keeps me awake at night sometimes.
I think it keeps us all awake at night sometimes.
He did what he promised he would do. He would forge us as one.
In our fear of him.
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Topic: The Chasm-Challenge (Read 29596 times)