Chapter #21 - Skirmishes of Ragnarok
(Special Blood God thanks to Peterix for fixing the siege bug!!!)
The year 288 has befallen us.
MadMonkey24 couldnt help himself anymore. He was tired of the endless siege that these elves, kobolds, and goblins had laid around the fortress for decades. He marched into the prisoner stockpile, grabbed a goblin, and dragged him to the front of the fortress. He pulled the half-starved goblin out of the cage, and held it up so that the besiegers could see their brethren. Then MadMonkey threw the bastard back down on the cage traps, laughing wildly as he did so. Nickel bars sprung up all around the goblin. They were curved at the top, and met in the middle, forming a nickel cage. He was trapped (again). MadMonkey finished off the disgrace by flipping off the watching besiegers, then urinating on the poor caged goblin.
This offense brings us news we have not heard in many decades. It brings us news we are not prepared for.
The Khamerites were sitting ducks in the courtyard. Airag quickly ordered the gates shut. Thanks to the slow movement of goblins in armor, and the abundance of idlers in the courtyard, the bridges were raised before the goblins managed to march through them. Unfortunately, several Khamerites were outside the walls, gathering plants, wood, and other random junk. The eastern gate was still open, and they would have to scramble to get inside.
Along the south wall, Captain Coder and his marksdwarves fired down upon an approaching squad of goblins.
Goblin and beak dog were mowed down under a hail of bolts. Corcha continued to fire as her squadmates were forced to rush back to the barracks to get more ammo.
"If only the Stonecutters had placed bolt stockpiles in the towers once they had finished building them! Why oh why didnt they place bolt stockpiles?" Corcha was heard to lament.
Elsewhere on the walls, Kaberton was receiving return fire from some goblin bowmen. Amazingly, an arrow was sent up four z-levels, through some fortifications, and into Kaberton's upper body. He had been a miner, a Stonecutter, drafted for being a pagan, and now....now he was but a corpse. He bled to death there on that wall, a sacrifice to glory of the Blood God.
It was at this inopportune moment that the Humans showed up...
Mogror Harbett and the Empress Urist had gathered at the top of the battlements to watch the battle. When they saw the human caravan they laughed out loud together. "What a bunch of idiots!" shouted Urist.
"Ha! Yes, your majesty! Look! They cant get in the gates. Well of course you cant get in the gates! Theres a siege on you bloody fools!" Mogror laughed heartily. "It will be interesting to see if they can make it to the open east gate."
"After breeding a couple more generations of cannon fodder, the goblins have finally found the bollocks to attack our home, and THIS is when the humans decide to attempt a run on the blockade?" Urist just couldnt believe.
They watched as the caravan made its way around the south side of the fortress, running directly into a squad of goblins. Urist and Mogror laughed as the Humans tried to dodge the fireballs and turn and run the other way. Protected by the marksdwarves above, they managed to survive this encounter and continue on towards the east gate.
Over by the eastern gate, a squad of goblins was approaching. The Khamerites were attempting to run back behind the safety of the fortress walls, when all of a sudden, some kobold bowmen sprung an ambush!
Never before had any of the dwarves of Blockedlance seen a koblod ambush. Sure there had been thieves....and over the decades surely countless kobold thieves had managed to scurry away with the junk strewn all around the outer edges of the fortress. By now, Blockedlance was legendary among these kobolds as a den of wealth ripe for the taking. The poor sods stood no chance in reality....but managed to be a nuisance nonetheless.
Xanthius 2.0 received a kobold arrow straight to the lower spine. Not the kind of situation a Khamerite noble ever expected to find himself in, I bet.
A Human caravan guard named Birod chases one of the little buggers around the outer swamplands. It lasts quite a while, and eventually the kobold was killed. I couldnt help but hear circus music as I watched Birod running in circles after this guy.
As the caravan and Khamerites manage to flee into the fortress, another ambush of kobolds is sprung. Jazz is on guard......but is busy catching some Z's.
The humans finish them off however, and Jazz wakes up in time to deal with a squad of Elves on horseback that show up and the end of the long invading rabble.
Goblins, Kobolds, and Elves....they had been besieging us or decades. Now their first wave has been wiped out. They had hoped to starve us into submission....but now....now look at them. Bloody burnt corpses on the ground. Good riddance.
Even the combined might of three races cannot defeat us!