Well, after much procrastination and many villages slaughtered in the background, I have finished part four of this epic. This is the longest part so far.
Rigoth led Lor back through the foreman’s office and into the hall once more. The pair made their way to the central staircase and went up several levels before dismounting the stairs and into a passage. This passage smelled strongly of bats and stale feces and had the word AVIARY written on the floor. As they walked, screeches and howls could be heard coming from the large metal doors that lined the passageway. A dwarf leading a got passed them and nodded to Rigoth who returned the nod. The dwarf slipped through one of the doors and there was a loud screech followed by a terrified bleat and then silence.
Rigoth let out a chuckle. “Feeding time fer the bastards.”
“Who?” asked Lor.
“Shh, I don’t want to spoil it.”
The dwarves walked side by side until they reached the end of the passage. At the end, there was a massive door encrusted with gold and engraved with pictures of dwarves riding massive flying beasts into battle. Lor examined the engravings closely as the torchlight flickered off the door. Rigoth went to one of the side doors and knocked. The door was made of solid platinum and the words AIR BOSS were engraved in it. There was the squeek of a chair on rock and a shuffling of papers. The door opened and an imposing military dwarf stood in the doorway.
“Rigoth? That you?”
“Aye, and me nephew’s son as well.”
“Come on in. I think I have that bottle around here somewhere.” said the dwarf.
The pair stepped through the door and into the room. It wasn’t a particularly large or a very clean room but it had an air of importance and authority. The room was dimly lit with a few scones mounted around the room, half of them lit. The ceiling was high enough for three dwarves standing on eachother’s shoulders to walk around comfortably, assuming they could pull off such a feat. About halfway up the wall, a ledge formed that began just above the door frame. The ledge was filled with boxes and bins that held various scrolls and trinkets. A ladder was propped up in the back of the room to acess the ledge. There were various medals and pieces of parchment bearing the royal seal on the walls. In the center of the room was a desk cluttered with books and charts with a lit candle resting on it’s corner. In the back corner of the room, the dwarf was rummaging around in a cabinet that smelled of the unmistakable scent of dwarven booze. The dwarf selected a bottle of dwarven rum and grabbed three clear glass goblets from a shelf as he made his way over to the desk.
“So Uvash,” Rigoth said as he and Lor took a seat. “I was wondering if the boy n’ I could have a look at the aviary.”
“Of course,” said Uvash as he poured rum into the goblets. “Anything for a friend.”
The goblets were passed around and the trio drank like dwarves, very, very fast. As they sat, Uvash explained to Lor that he was commander of the second division of the Air Guard. The air guard was a branch of the military that controlled the skies around the empire. The Air Guard was relatively new and since Lor came from another empire, he had no idea it existed. Uvash told Lor that he had met Rigoth when they were both young. Rigoth immigrated to Kadolkirar and had enlisted in the guard. The two of them were good friends but after a year and a half, Rigoth left the guard to become an independent merchant. Uvash had stayed with the guard and eventually earned the rank of captain. After many years in service, Uvash was selected to be a commander in the still developing Air Guard.
The trio of dwarves all stepped out of the office and walked over to the massive door.
Uvash casually stepped up to it and began to rap on it repeatedly. A small sliding door opened in the metal. “Yeah? What in Armok do you….. Commander! Excuse me. Please, come in.” said a raspy voice from out of the opening.
There was the sound of grating metal and the turning of mechanisms as the doors slowly opened inwards. The dwarves stepped through into yet another huge open cavern, this one however had one side open to the south. Sunlight was pouring through. Along the walls were large nooks carved into the rock and there were ladders and platforms leading to them. Dwarves were scurrying up the ladders carrying bundles and various weapons. As the dwarves were standing there, massive eagles were flying about the room. They would swoop and dip from ceiling to floor, occasionally flying out into the open air. Lor looked on in amazement as one flew low over the group and let out a loud, piercing screech.
“Ha! They’re active today!” exclaimed Uvash. “Come back later when the bats are out. That’s a sight to see.”
Lor learned that the Air Guard employs Giant Eagles and Giant Bats as mounts. Giant Eagles are used for taking out rival air force which consists of goblins on bats. The bats, which are more numerous, are used for eliminating ground troops and riders. Giant Cave swallows, which are smaller, are sometimes used by kobolds as scouts, but they don’t threaten the Air Guard. Uvash explained that elves cannot control the mounts because they are creatures of the mountains and caves, not the forest. During their discussion, a leather clad dwarf ran up to the group and addressed the Uvash.
“Sir, a goblin war party has been sighted approaching from the west. The Sky Boss says to ready your men for battle.”
“Right, thank you. I’m sorry our meeting has been cut short but we must be getting ready.” Uvash said to Lor and Rigoth. “Feel free to observe the battle, from a safe distance of course.”
Uvash sped off in the direction of the opening as a massive, gold colored eagle swooped down near him. The eagle flew out and circled around coming dangerously close to the cliff. The eagle dipped below the opening and Uvash gave a quick wave and jumped. Lor and Rigoth sped over to the edge as Uvash and the eagle gained altitude. Uvash circled around the opening as two squads of riders flew out to join him. They took up formation around Uvash and as they flew off Lor heard him scream “To battle you sons of granite!”
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Topic: Zafalduthnur (Airguard) (Read 7106 times)