Stormaxe was standing near the demon wall. That's what the dwarves had taken to calling the impromptu defense erected by Marblehands and Master Silvercoin a few months earlier. It was a constant reminder to the dwarves inhabiting Urthguzuntir of how close their doom really was - a disconcerting spectacle made even worse by the fact that this wall was erected right up against a major stairwell that dwarves traversed daily. How the demons had not managed to break out of such a makeshift defense, Stormaxe had no idea, but the military dwarf was certain she would see demons today. Stonechanger had carefully presented the plan of attack to all of the military dwarves and they agreed it was sound, but that didn't change the deep pit she felt in her stomach. She was a good soldier and she
had seen action before in the underground river, but that was different. The enemies she faced there were essentially animals. Today, she was about to combat demons from the UNDERWORLD ITSELF, so powerful that ancient gods imprisoned them in a chamber of Adamantine to keep them from the outside world. How could a meager dwarf like her hope to face them? Stormaxe took solace in the fact that her equipment was crafted from adamantine as well - if it was good enough for the gods, it would have to be good enough for her. Then Stormaxe remembered her place, noticing the other military dwarves standing around her looking up to her as a leader. Now was not the time or place to show his true feelings.
Edit: I am a sexist pig. Stormaxe's gender has been fixed. Bloody unmarked genders
Fortunately for Stormaxe, her uncomfortable reverie was interrupted by the immense sound of crashing stone. The attack had begun. The dwarves knocked down the demon wall and moved in.
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linky linky - Sorry about the initial high speed. You might want to slow it down for the first few seconds)
Stormaxe shot a knowing look at her similarly-equipped companion, Nightshield. With a nod of assent from her companion, Stormaxe charged at full speed down the hallway. The other dwarves followed. The hallway was very cluttered and the dwarves struggled for footing. Strewn all about was the rubble from Redstone's initial mining mingled together with the bodies of the gibbering masses that had exited the chamber thanks to the same dwarven miner. The attack party got about halfway down the corridor before they noticed something up ahead. As they approached, the figure's demonic nature became apparent.
Stormaxe faced the demon. What she saw sent shivers down her stout dwarven spine. Standing before her was an entity of incarnate vise and corruption. It was over twice her stature and vaguely humanoid, with scaly pink skin and bloodshot red eyes. Sticking out of its sides were six tentacles that hovered at the demon's sides, waiting for his command. The dwarf and the demon spent a moment sizing each other up. The demon seemed unimpressed. He recognized these creatures. He knew they were tough, but he had personally broken the will of countless dwarves in his eternal existence. He would enjoy breaking the will of this one. With his mind filled with thoughts of various tortures, the tentacle demon sent a piercing tentacle strike at Stormaxe. Stormaxe braced herself for a bone-shattering blow, but was surprised when the strike deflected and only minor bruising.
The demon stared at the dwarf in shock. That had never happened before. Undaunted, the demon continued his attack. The tentacled fiend was clearly not aware of Brozebeard's skill at the forge, nor was he aware of the strength of adamantine when forged with dwarven ingenuity. More importantly, the demon was also not aware of the three marksdwarves standing behind Stormaxe, who were at this very point aiming their weapons at him. The spear-wielding dwarf braced herself for another brutal blow, but was relieved to hear the
pew pew pew of crossbows firing adamantine bolts behind her. She looked up just in time to see the demon collapse under his own weight, with many adamantine bolts protruding from his body.
But there was no time to dwell on the victory. There were more demons to slaughter. Stormaxe and Nightshield continued down the hallway. Encouraged by the victory, the wrestling company had advanced from the back and was running alongside them. They quickly found two more demons, and they immediately suffered the same fate of their companion, struck down by forged adamantine. Down the hall, the dwarves saw even more foes. They moved to engage. Now the dwarves could see three demons - the fight was on. The corridor was so narrow that the demons had to come in single-file. The first in line, recognizing the futility of most attacks on Stormaxe and Nightshield, took out it's aggression on the nearby wrestling company that had advanced into the fray. He struck one in the lower body, mangling dwarven flesh and sending the wrestler sprawling. Two more fell, with mangled hands and feet. Just in time, the fiend found himself impaled on Stormaxe's spear. The next demon struck at Stormaxe, striking her unarmored right hand with such force that it broke. Stormaxe fell, but managed to defend herself from further injury as the last two demons were dispatched.
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linky linky)
The dwarves had finished the fight in less than 30 seconds, but it was just in time. A horde of civilian dwarves swamped the battlefield, picking up anything they could find - rocks, bones, even entire demon carcasses. All in all, six demons were dead and four dwarves were injured - one of them Stormaxe. Stormaxe had only suffered a broken hand, but looking at the horrific injuries suffered by the wrestling company, she realized that the adamantine armor crafted by Bronzebeard had probably saved her life several times over. They had cleared the hall leading to the mysterious chamber, but Stonechanger ordered the second half of the assault postponed until the some of the dwarves recuperated.
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3 LimestoneThe soldiers have cleared Redstone's hallway without a single death among them. I have ordered the attack on the demon chamber temporarily postponed. The soldiers invloved will get time off for at least the next month. They deserve it!
Edit: I am a sexist pig. Stormaxe's gender has been fixed. Bloody unmarked genders