Plank thought back on the events of the past several minutes.
He had joined the wave of civilians rushing out to strip the Goblin corpses. As the others fell on the nearest corpses he veered off slightly toward a corpse that had been knocked into the trees. As he approached he saw a beautiful iron helmet that couldn't possibly be of Goblin creation. Picking it up he admired the red jewels spiraling around it. As he placed it under his arm and started tugging the shoes off the creatures feet he heard the alarm sound. "Goblins!"
Turning to run for the safety of the fortress with his find he saw the invaders staring at him. 3 scarred wrestlers and 4 armed with fine blades. He noticed that each of the swordgobs also sported a red spiraled helmet.
The wrestlers and 2 of the swordgobs charged a group of merchant guards nearby while the remaining swords kept their attention on Plank. Having very little knowledge of combat he did the first thing he could think of. He tossed the helmet he had collected at the nearest swordgob who brought up his shield to block the projectile and answered with a swing of his sword that bit deeply into his left leg. He heard the crack of bone breaking and stumbled to the ground.
It was at this point that he remembered the steel axe he carried as a Woodcutter. Pulling it fron the holder on his back he swung at the Goblins who just laughed and lunged away. Another swinging sword hit him in the side breaking ribs as a shield smashed into his hip with a crack.
With pain coursing through his body from so many broken bones Plank raised his axe to block the next blow but a sideways blow from a shiled sent the weapon flying out of his reach. The Goblin grinned cruelly as he raised his sword and brought it down on the Dwarf's chest. Plank screamed in pain as he felt the blade pierce his heart and lung. The Goblins prepared to finish him when a battle cry was heard.
Turning they saw an ironclad figure rushing them, flanked by 2 merchant guards with swords drawn. The figure smashed into the startled Goblins like a hammer, slicing ones legs from under it with her axe and continuing on while the guards finished the legless Goblin and its companion.
Falling to her knees beside Plank, Hawkfrost pulled off her helmet and raised Plank's head to see his face. She could see that he was still alive but gasping for breath. As blood soaked into the ground from the ragged wound on his chest Plank and Hawkfrost exchanged a few final words before his breathing stopped. A breeze blew across Hawkfrost's face as her lovers spirit joined his ancestors.
Picking up the still form she stood and started the slow trek back to the fortress. The merchant guards had killed the invaders but she was oblivious to the scattered corpses and wounded guards around her.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
It seems we've had many firsts in the last day or so. The first artifact and now the first death of a Flamebanner Dwarf. It is a sad day for Flamebanner
Author
Topic: Flamebanner: The Battle of Flamebanner! (Read 133025 times)