The OutpostIt was almost unbearably boring, thought Workerdrone, looking around the camp. If only something,
anything, turned up that he could kill. Oh well. He turned back to his still. This, at least, was pretty fun, if only because he could think of so many different ways to use this to kill somebody.
Barbarossa walked round the tree to see Oldbeard, tinkering with his crossbow, helped by Bromrek. He leaned against the wall and grinned, wanting to see where the old dwarf was going with this. Oldbeard raised the crossbow, aimed it at his own personal archery target and depressed the trigger.
WHUMPH
(Those reader created journals are more helpful than you’ll ever know. Thank you. Also, fire lol)A gout of molten metal across the space and slammed into the target, leaving a glowing globe of white hot crossbow bolt. Barbarossa’s mouth dropped open. He ran across to Oldbeard and grabbed his shoulder.
“What the Hell was that?” he asked.
“What?” said Oldbeard, turning to look at him. “Don’t sneak up on me! Young whippersnappers always sneaking up on me, heart’s old y’know, can’t take everything,
wonder what’s for supper, hope it aint cabbage, can’t abide cabbage”
Barbarossa gave up. He turned to Bromrek.
“What
was that?” he asked. Bromrek looked at him and grinned.
“Just helping to make crossbows a bit more dwarvenly, captain,” he said, saluting. “Oldbeard created a mechanism to rapidly heat up and fire a metal bolt at impossible speeds. It’s range isn’t anything to write home about but by the Gods this thing can punch through armour. Problem is the string heats up a treat and we have to wait for it to cool down before firing.”
Oldbeard had recovered from his attack of senile old dwarf and nodded.
“Aye, and when I use wooden bolts they splinter. I don’t think they’d hurt much but seeing a thousand flaming shards come at you doesn’t do wonders for moral, I’ll bet,” He grinned.
Barbarossa nodded. He was beginning to like this crazy old dwarf and his young, but equally crazy, new partner.
“All right then lads, carry on. I like this idea, keep at it,” he said, then turned and wandered off to check the defences. He reached the walls and climbed them, looking out over the green of the forest and saw the scout party coming back. At speed. Walter was standing next to him, as he had better eyesight.
“They look worried, friend,” he said. “This doesn’t look like good news.”
Barbarossa nodded.
“Come on, let’s check this out.”
Both ran down the steps to meet up with Forrest, who was out of breath and white faced. This immediately worried Barbarossa. Forrest could run miles before becoming out of breath at a fairly rapid pace. What had made him run so fast that he had become unable to speak in the space of a mere four? Forrest managed to get some breath back. He looked up at Barbarossa.
“Goblins,” he wheezed. “Goblins… coming… five hundred… strong… massive attack… half a day out…”
Barbarossa blanched. He turned around and roared out, his voice carrying over the camp.
“Assembly! Come on you maggots, move move move move
move!”
The camp exploded into activity, as the dwarves moved to the assembly area, also used for sparring. As they fell in line, Kogan and Workerdrone came running up to speak with Barbarossa, both demanding to know what was going on.
(I wonder if the military has dominatrix commanders. I wonder if they enjoy things like this)“We have reports of a five hundred strong party of goblins moving in our direction,” he said bluntly.
Workerdrone pumped the air with his fist in delight whilst Kogan stared open mouthed.
“five
hundred? We knew they would be angered but that must be a sizable chunk out of their military!”
Barbarossa nodded and then turned to speak to the assembled dwarves.
“Lads, I know you have all been bored recently. They say soldiering is defined as extended periods of boredom punctuated by bouts of terror and desperation. Well, the time for boredom is over.”
This caused a stir in the crowd.
“We have reports of a hoard of goblins heading this way. Estimated size is five hundred troops.”
The men gasped.
“Obviously, the number is too high to combat. We would die. We need to abandon the camp and have only a limited time to do so. I will –”
“
What?” Interrupted Workerdrone. “We finally see some excitement around here and we’re
running from it? Are we dwarves or are we elves?”
Some of the more crazy portions of the 31st nodded in agreement.
“Captain, whilst most dwarves are a match of goblins in combat, the advantage is dulled somewhat when the enemy to ally ratio is fifteen to one. We need to move.”
“I have a better plan,” said Workerdrone. “I have been distilling barrels of naphtha over the past few weeks. I have enough to blow the surrounding area sky high. We need to –”
“
Naphtha?” asked a shocked Kogan. “You’ve been distilling
naphtha? Do you have any idea how violate that stuff is? What the Hell were you thinking?”
(WD’s been busy. Crazy bastard)“I was thinking that more things needed to go boom around here,” replied Workerdrone. “We need to send a message. This is how.”
“
No.” said Barbarossa bluntly. “But that could help. I have a plan. In the meantime, all of you need to gather up the necessary supplies and lash them to the carts and pack mules.”
The mountainhomesGeneral Cog was standing before the King in his new throne room, a dark place with guards lining every and only one exit. It was common knowledge that the King was utterly paranoid, verging on insane. He looked up at Cog, eyes wild. He had been reading Gaust’s letter.
(And you thought speaking with your boss was hard)“They come,” he whispered, in case he was overheard by spies. “They come.”
“Who comes, my liege?” asked Cog.
“Quiet you fool!” the king hissed. “The goblins have launched an all out assault on the kingdom. Their numbers are far, far more than previously estimated. There must have been a traitor. How could they know to attack now? Was it you?
WAS. IT. YOU?” he screamed at Cog. “They come and my kingdom is defenceless and all around me is shadow, from which assassins wait, with blades and bows, to steal my powers, to take it from me! I can trust no one! What must I do?”
Cogs legs had almost buckled. An all out attack? Why did he not know about this? Had this paranoid wreck of a king withheld information from the leader of his own Gods damned
army? He restrained himself.
“My lord, we must get word out to the outposts, have them fall back to defend key fortress along the outer border. We can blunt this attack, maybe even break it and certainly weaken them before they reach the inner provinces, whereupon the elves and humans will be sure to assist. This need not be a disaster my lord.”
This had been the wrong thing to say, however logical. The King glared at him, madness in his eyes. His voice was cold and even, a sure sign of the insanity infused into his mind.
“I thought you may say that. You traitor. You would remove dwarves from my city? Send them to mediocre provinces on the outer edges? Leave me undefended? Do you wish me dead?
DO YOU?” he screamed, spittle spraying from his mouth. He began to mutter to himself. “
They all want me dead. I’ll show them. My bloodline will survive at any cost, any at all. No more will they whisper, plotting my demise, no more.” He raised his voice. “General, you will recall all troops to the mountainhome. They will make their glorious stand here, defending me. Do this now.”
“What?” said Cog, his mouth hanging open.
“You heard me general.
Now.”
“We will leave everything undefended! Everything! Humans and elves will die and when they learn that we won’t send help –”
“
HOW DARE YOU REFUSE ME!” roared the king, leaping from his throne and grasping Cog by his shirt. The guards around him lowered their weapons. “
HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME! I AM KING! I RULE! MY POWER IS INFINITE!”
Cog’s eyes hardened.
“
No.” he hissed. “
No. I’ll not stand idly by whilst you kill your kinsmen. Why could you not have died when you were supposed to, you arrogant fool? Then maybe we could have ended this war! But no. You insisted on surviving. That ends today. The dwarven kingdom is mine. I shall have you beheaded by nightfall, you pompous buffoon. Your guards are more loyal to me than they ever will be to you. I shall take control and lead dwarf kind into a golden a –”
He was interrupted by a bolt of steel. It entered his chest, ripping through his left lung and knocking him backwards. The king, as a testimony to his paranoia, had a spring-loaded bolt hidden in his right sleeve. Cog fell back with a groan of pain. As he looked at the ceiling, the life fading from his eyes, he cursed the world that had seen fit to deny him
everything.
The king was in shock. He sat down heavily. It was to be the last thing he ever did. One of his own guards took off his head and the others gathered around both corpses.
“No…” whispered one.
“What can we do?” whispered another.
“Nothing,” said the first. “Nothing at all…”
(the guards are too shocked to move. Also, they’re all on Cogs side. Hell, he pays their salaries. Well, not anymore ha ha) The plot thickens, like particularly thick soup. Also, subtle DM of the Rings reference. See if you can spot it.
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Topic: To venture north, into Hell: Othtar Noloc, world at war (Read 106425 times)