What more dwarves?After what felt like two months, Athel and the traders finally departed and life on the fort returned to normal. Work on the new sleeping area progressed steadily and Mandy told Loki to make them some new beds for their new sleeping area.
“Why? What is wrong with the beds we already have?” asked Loki.
“You really have to ask that?” responded Mandy “They creak and rock and I constantly feel as if I'm going to wake up in the middle of a pile of splinters if I so much as snore too loud.”
Loki stuck her tongue out at Mandy. “Why don't you make new ones then if you don't like those?”
“Because I haven't been working wood for the last year and a half. You might not have noticed it but the stuff you make now is a bit better than when you started. The barrels no longer leak quite as much and the bins look more like proper bins than a few boards roughly held together with pegs. We are going to have new bedrooms so why not have new beds to go with them?” said Mandy
Loki sighed, “Fine, but I will need some more wood first.” she then looked significantly at the axe that Mandy carried around with her.
“I should make you cut your own wood.” Mandy grumbled.
“Oh, but you have been doing it for a year and half, you are so much better at chopping wood now, why it doesn't even take you a whole day for a tree anymore.” said Loki sticking her tongue out again.
Mandy just snorted and stomped out. Much as she would have loved to hand the axe to Loki after that, Loki did have a point. Mandy was faster at taking down trees now and if she handed the job off to Loki it would just mean that much longer before the beds were done. Grumbling to herself about dwarves who were too clever for their own good, Mandy wandered off into the woods to torture some trees.
Just as she was sizing up a large ash that she thought would be great for her new bed, Mandy heard a voice.
“Hello there!”
Mandy hoisted her axe and looked around. Through the woods she saw a dwarf heading her way. “Yes?” she called back.
The dwarf grinned and waved and headed towards Mandy.
“Now what?” Mandy thought to herself as she waited for the dwarf to come up to her.
“Hello there, you wouldn't happen to be from a fort called apex... uh... apex something... apexchains?” he asked when he got close.
“Apexwhips, let me guess Athel sent you?” asked Mandy.
“Yes! Exactly! Said you might have a place where we could work without being bothered by nobles and such.” the dwarf replied.
Mandy leaned on her axe and sighed resignedly, “Yes, that would be right. Wait a minute, did you say we?”
“Ah yes I did. There are six of us, seven if you count my donkey. Actually here come the rest of us now.” said the dwarf as he turned and waved at several other dwarves coming through the woods behind him.
Mandy stared at the new dwarves as they approached. She was now quite glad she had insisted on making more beds. Six new dwarves, apparently Athel had been busy.
“I don't suppose you could take us to the leader of this fort Miss... what is your name?” asked the dwarf.
“Mandy, and your already looking at the leader, so might as well introduce yourselves.”
“Oh how lucky that we met you first. Well then, my name is Talsam and I am the greatest blacksmith of the mountain home.” announced the dwarf.
“I thought Urist was the chief smith?” asked Mandy.
“Fell into a magma pool.” replied Talsam.
“What about Morul?”
“Cave in.”
“That guy they called Ironblood?”
“Imp got into the store room while he was drinking some rum. Wound up lighting nearly half the fort on fire as he was running around before he finally fell into a well and drowned while trying to put himself out. Besides, I'm better than any of them were anyway.” said Talsam.
“Uh ok. And the rest of you?” Mandy asked.
The other dwarves introduced themselves in the order they walked up.
“I'm Rika. I'm trained in woodworking.”
“We already have a woodworker.” said Mandy
“Er, well I have also dabbled in engraving.” said Rika.
“Excellent.” said Mandy and gestured to the next dwarf.
“My name is Derm and I make crossbows.” he said.
“Oh, those could help us deal with our slug and snail problem.” said Mandy.
“I am Lakar. I'm a craftsdwarf.” said the next dwarf.
“Not sure we really need someone else to do crafting at the moment, how do you feel about masonry?”
Lakar grinned. “I'd love to try it.”
Mandy nodded and continued onto the next dwarf. She found herself staring at his rather unusually braided beard. It started out as one thick braid but then about half way down split into two others that curved towards each other like some sort of claw.
“Lobsterbeard, Fishedwarf.” he said. “But I'd much rather work with traps.”
“Name fits you. We could use the meat from fish but... “ Mandy took a moment to ponder all the interesting things she would love to have happen to Athel. “We may be able to make use of the odd trap here and there as well.”
“Name's Argonnek. I … can clean the fish he catches.” he said pointing at Lobsterbeard.
“What about butchering other animals?” Mandy asked glancing at the Donkey foal that had wandered up behind Talsam.
Argonnek paled a little, “I suppose I could.”
“Have a problem with butchering animals?” asked Mandy.
“Er no, not animals. No problem with them.” the dwarf replied.
“Good.” said Mandy. She was a little unsettled by the way the dwarf had phrased that but she let it go by. The last thing she wanted was to start a precedent for asking about a dwarf's past.
“Well, I'll show you all to the fort and the Barracks where we are all currently sleeping while we dig out some proper bed rooms. I'm afraid we don't really have much space right now but that should change soon. You see we were sent out here without a pick and only just recently were able to trade for one so you all may be staying outside for a bit longer while we finish digging.”
There was some general muttering at this but no real objections. Not that it would have mattered if there were, no amount of grumbling was going to make the digging go faster. With the welcome speech done, Mandy turned and led the group towards the fort.
(Mandy gets surprised by yet more insane dwarves looking for a home.)
Author
Topic: Apexwhips - Convicts at large (Read 24018 times)