As the end of the summer neared, life in Ardentdikes had become almost routine. Dwarves went to the surface and carried things inside, while the militia stood guard. When one area was clear, they moved to another. New squads trained, while the armorers worked day and night to produce more steel armor for them.
Lor Avuzostath, the animal caretaker who had barricaded herself in a craftsdwarf shop, continued her self-imposed isolation. No amount of cloth could entice her to come out.
On the 18th of Galena, human merchants arrived from Lapagil.
Xenos needed no warning from McDuck to know that he needed to be on his guard. Extra squads were dispatched to protect the caravan and escort it in, while reserves were called up to defend the gates.
Xenos' suspicion was warranted.
As the caravan drew near the gate, goblins burst from the trees to attack it. While the merchants fled towards the safety of the fortress, the Ardentdikes militia charged out against the goblins.
A slaughter ensued. But just as the victorious dwarves were beginning to celebrate, they heard a cry from the northern edge of the fortress.
Another group of goblins (led by a human) had burst forth to attack the dwarven civilians still outside. The militia ran over as fast as they could, but it soon became clear that only one squad would make it in time:
The Artificial Galleys, a squad of rookie swordsdwarves.
While the civilians fled, the recruits stepped forward to cover their retreat.
The recruits struggled to hold back all of their enemies. One, Deduk Ruthoshbim found himself face to face with the goblins' human leader.
As they hacked at each other, it became clear that Deduk was no match for the human. She moved with speed and grace, darting in and out of reach, getting in a dozen blows for each one he managed. Were it not for his steel armor, he would already be dead or dismembered.
As they circled each other, though, Deduk noticed something in the distance. He smiled, and charged. He slammed into the human, and they both went down.
The human got her bearings first. She raised her sword, readying it for a killing blow --
-- and dropped it as pain exploded through her hand.
The Bronze Furies had come. The human and her squad were quickly cut down by the Champions of Ardentdikes.
There were no casualties. All the civilians had escaped, and the Artificial Galleys had managed to hold on until reinforcements could arrive.
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Topic: Ardentdikes - Absolute disaster - (31.25) (Succession)(Need Players!) (Read 222311 times)