Dumatam hated guard duty, almost as much as Elves, but not quiet that much.
He was leaning on the ledge of his assigned guard tower that flanked the huge stone doors of Sealvision, so called because of the seals that could be regularly seen by the waterside in summer, there meat was valuable but the fat was worth more as an adult seal could have as much as three buckets full when properly processed by a skilled butcher. But, alas, the bitter chill of winter had set in and they had gone to seek warmer waters.
“Ha-ha! Did you see that Duma! Right in the head that one” cried Thod
“Aye, a good shot that” replied Duma, commenting on his fellow guards shot, managing to get a furry marmot in the head.
“A good 200 paces at least”.
“Ha, did you see that one Ilral?” shouted Thod.
“Don’t get cocky lad, still got a long time left yet.” came the reply from the other tower. Duma noticed that Shem, Ilrals buddy guard taking a swig from a hip flask.
‘Lucky bugger’ though Dumatam, there been a sever shortage of alcohol this year, the crops had almost all died and the fortress was relying heavily on imported food and drink. Luckily, Sealvision was a semi important mining colony, it used to be a silver mine but the silver veins dried up. Fortunately there was a huge abundance of iron and copper in the mountain, so it had been down graded, many nobles seeking other fortresses.
‘And good riddance to the poncy lot’
Thod loused a bolt at a rabbit that had poked its head out of its hole, but the bolt sailed over its head and it leapt back in its hole.
“Fug!” exclaimed Thod
“How long have we got left?”
Dumatam looked at the sun; it had passed the half way point in the sky but it still hung high.
“Hmm, I’d say 6 hours” He sighed deeply, it was just another one of those long evenings. He gad no idea why they would put a non marksdwarf on a tower, he was a hammerdwarf and was no good up here if a fight broke out.
“Good good… what’s the score so far?” asked Thod
“Well, you’ve got 6 hairy marmots, 2 deer’s and a rabbit, not sure about Ilral as I don’t have two sets of eyes”
“I’m doing worst than usual” though Thod, oblivious to the boredom that laced his partners voice,
“What I need is something…” Thod trailed off as his eyes widened and he hastily reloaded his crossbow.
Dumatam frowned and turned to face Thod,
“What’s wrong?” Thod never trailed off, he always had something to sa-
Thod brought up his crossbow and fired without realising that Duma had moved into his line of fire. Duma saw his intentions and lunged to the side as the bolt fired down at the water line.
“Damn it Thod! You almost shot me you fugging idiot! Have you got a slab of rock for a brain or what?!?”
“Duma move!” Thod cried as he tried to shoulder Duma out of the way whist reloading, oblivious to the fact he’d almost shot his partner.
He’d just pulled the string back when he saw Ilral bring his crossbow up and take aim at were Thod had shoot. Duma followed his aim and saw that a crocodile had crawled out of the water. Thods bolt was lodged in the back of its armoured back, bleeding profusely. Ilral fired hoping to deliver the killing shot.
The bolt sped towards the croc and… stopped. The bolt was held aloft by invisible hands about a meter away from the crocs head. It decided it was a good time to scram and went back into the water.
“What the fuc-“
The bolt flipped round and with such speed that Duma only realised after it happened, the bolt slammed into Ilrals head and popped it like into a fine mist, covering the tower with blood and mangled dwarf brain. Ilrals limp and now headless body tipped over the edge and fell the edge. The corpse hit the ground with a wet thump, the force of the impact separating a few of his limbs form his torso.
Thod looked out to the forest and shouted.
“DUCK!”
Duma pressed himself against the battlements next to Thod as arrows bounced off the stone around them but Shem in classical dwarf fashion said.
“Where?” and leaned over to get a better look, taking several arrows and joining hid buddy on the ground, a dwarven pin cushion.
“Holy carp that was close!” Thod swapped the bone bolts he was using and drew an iron one.
“Who the hell is it?” shouted Duma as the arrows continued to rain down on there position. He drew his two handed hammer from his back, it cleared his mind to feel the reassuring grip of his weapon.
Thod glanced over his cover and loosed a bolt. He reloaded and looked at Duma as another wave of arrows flew over there heads.
“Well?” pressed Duma.
“Elves, but, something’s different.”
“What?”
“Look for yourself” replied Thod, gesturing to the battlements.
Duma peered over and then ducked back down, looking at Thod in bewilderment.
“Holy carp!”
“Aye, indeed” Thod fired another shot.
“Some one needs to raise the alarm” Duma frowned.
“You go, I’ll take out some of these tree hugging pansies then I’ll follow.”
Duma legged it to the door way leading into the mountain home. Thod stood to fire again but an Elf had been waiting for him. An arrow passed through his throat, making him stagger backwards. He fell on his back through the arch way, he tried to call after Duma but his blood chocked gurgle was inaudible. He threw up, much of it coming through the ragged hole in his throat and choked to death, his brain deprived of oxygen.
Duma reached the middle point of the gate were a copper bell was suspended. Duma grabbed the cord with both hands and rang the bell with all his might.
Dwarfs stopped what they were doing and looked up at the bell, Duma shouted.
“Attack! Where’re under siege!”
Dwarfs dropped what they were carrying and ran to designated posts, military dwarfs taking up positions around and on top of the gate, siege engineers were running up stairs to catapults and bastilles concealed in the rock face.
Duma ran as fast as his legs would go, pushing against a crowd of military dwarfs going to the gate. He finally made it to the main hall and burst in. The hall was of polished basalt, chairs and tables took up most of the room, the mayor, his guards and a few other nobles were gathered around the head table and were in the middle of a heated discussion when Duma entered. Duma ran up to the table and bowed to his superiors.
“What reason do you have to ring the bell?!? You have caused no end of trouble that I will no doubt have to clean up” shouted Lolor, the fort manager.
“Well? What do you have to say for yourself dwarf!”
Duma did not like the way he had spat that last word out, he clenched his fists and was about to reply when the mayor, Minkot Zonmesir Golden Eye, held up his hand to Duma. He bit down on his rage and stood to attention.
“Manager Lolor, I think you will find that shouting at military dwarfs is Ablel Ablelinash Iron Beard the captain of the guard and captain of the fortresses job. I will also remind you that ‘clearing up’ was in the job description and was explained to you before you agreed to the post of fortress manager. Further more I don’t want you talking to any dwarf like that, it is uncivilised.”
Lolor looked at the floor, not wanting to meet Minkot’s gaze.
“Do I make my self clear?”
“Yes sir” mumbled Lolor.
“Right” sighed Minkot
“Please captain” Minkot gestured to Duma
Ablel nodded and Turned to Duma
“Dumatam, what did you see? Did you see who was attacking?”
Duma took a deep breath, he wasn’t sure how they were going to take this.
“Elves sir, but not the ones we know”
“Oh?” said Minkot, raising an eyebrow.
“How so?”
Duma waited then described what he had seen.
“They were Elves no doubt about it, but they were not like the fair white elves we’ve dealt with, there skin is dark and there eyes glow red.”
Most of the nobles looked at confused or scornful, they probably thought that he was crazy. But Minkot and Ablel looked at each other, in a way that says something bad was going on that only they knew.
“How many?” asked the captain, his voice gave.
I counted about 70 in the open; I spied many more in the trees, something close to 300 hundred.
The crowd of nobles now were all agreed that Duma was some kind of maniac.
“Sir, You don’t believe this do you?” shouted Goden, the hoardmaster
“He’s crazy” shouted another
Minkot sat there with his eyes closed, his fingers laced together and covering his mouth, he opened his eyes and asked.
“Are you sure? There’s no mistake in your mind at all at what you saw?”
“No sir”
Minkot sighed, and put a hand over his head.
“Then it has begun” there was a tone of defeat in his voice.
“Captain, evacuate the nobles and civilians. Bring a group of 10 of your most trusted men back here in 10 minutes then join your men at the gate, see to there moral.”
Ablel signalled to his men and they took the nobles away, they protested but they followed orders, Minkot was a trusted and respected dwarf and his word was law. Duma went to leave but the captain called for him to stay.
“I need you to gather these men for me, tell them to gather there gear, they will have to travel light and tell them to come here.”
He was told a list of names and places to find them, then realising something.
“Sir, you only told me 9 names sir”
“Aye son, you’re the other one”
Ablel patted him on the shoulder and walked out the door.
Duma had followed the directions and passed on the message, he went to the barracks to collect his things and the armoury to collect his plate mail. When he had arrived at the main hall, he found most of the men were already there, standing out side the hall. When the last few had arrived the guards opened the door.
As they filed in, the mayor was standing with his back to the crowd, inspecting an engraving. When the door closed, he turned and inspected the dwarfs before him.
He was wearing steel plat mail which had thin lines of silver that curved over and around various gems. An artefact Axe ‘The Harmonious Skull Splitter’ was slung across his back.
“Ladies and gentleman, I’m afraid what might be the beginning of the end has begun”
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Topic: Dwarf Fortress Episode V: The Elves Strike Back ~ BACK FROM THE UNKNOWN~ (Read 9406 times)