Much had progressed in their little home as autumn drew in. The seizure of the two elven caravans had provided ample cloth with which crundle was rapidly decorating the trade goods lying around the fort. Rith had determined that doing so would effectively make both cloth and item a produce of their group and he hoped to accumulate a nice pile before the dwarven caravan arrived. This would be supplimented by the occasional bone craft produced by Fniff along with a number of stone pieces that Rex had begun to produce. He had hoped ultimately for more bone but had regretfully called the hunters inside as their bolts were exhausted and no iron could be spared with the armouring of the militia underway. Such crafts and their sale, he had decided, would be influencial factors in future migration to their fortress. He had no doubts that more convicts would be sent here in time, but he rather hoped to attract as many dwarves as possible, perhaps they’d yet get some honest adventurous types, out to settle a new home.
The first birth had been swiftly followed by a second as Nordak had given birth to a baby with crundle. To the obsidian and jade dwarf was born a jade dwarf Eshtan who added to their numbers. AngleWyrm and Optimumtact being doom and stone respectively had produced a doom dwarf in their daughter Lokum and Rith began to notice faint signs of inheritence in the castes amongst them.
Zrk2 had also finally produced his piece, yet had displayed the same apparent amnesia as DwarfyDwarf had done, recalling nothing of the events. Rumours were spreading in the fort that some demon possessed their members and Rith would not be overly surprised in such a place as this, yet the artifacts themselves were proving useful and as long as he continued to be able to supply the moody workers he forsaw no issues that might arise. The latest addition was a kaolinite grate with rings of kaolinite and spikes of magnetite. It was certainly beautiful and Rith planned to find occasion to use it as soon as possible.
He had been overseeing the works at the smithy one evening, setting up the work orders that occupied much of his day and had just left Lupusater a note ordering gauntlets forged. Most of the squad had numerous iron pieces now but these had been somehow overlooked, the squad currently wore leather mittens but no plate piece and Rith planned to rectify this.
As he turned to head to his new bedroom above the aquifer he heard scuffling noises coming down the stairwell and a scream from above. He sprinted off in that direction, thoughts of sleep disappearing as he pounded up the staircase, two flights bringing him to the surface where the fresh air brought a on a dizzy spell..
He was rarely above ground these last months and he blinked in the failing light. The air had a chill that heralded the winter to come and the scant trees that dotted the plain wore varied shades of oranges and yellows. As his eyes cleared he saw Nordak running toward him from the gap in the surface wall. He had finally gotten around to setting up a perimeter with a cage trapped entrance and it was through this entrance that Nordak ran, clutching the infant jade dwarf Eshtan. There was no sign of pursuit and Rith began to suspect yet another kobold thief, disturbed from hiding by a passing dwarf. They had encountered a number of these this year, sneaky little thieves that would often be discovered as they approached the stair head or as they descended it to the first floor and passed the dormitory door. Most of these little buggers legged it as soon as they were spotted and outpaced the chasing dwarves, one however had the misfortune to be caught inside the fort itself and MetalMilitia had managed to place herself between the thief and the exit. The sun gold war hammer she had so recently aquired from the ezrakim caravan guards had done its work and the kobold had collapsed with a destroyed brain.
There was no sign however of such a thief and Rith began to move forward toward Nordak, concern radiating from his face and his axe hoisted to shoulder height, ready to swing. The terrified dwarfette babbled something in fear and turned as she ran to point back the way she had come. As she did so however the source of her terror alighted between her and Rith with a thump and she stumbled backwards in panic.
Rith saw a nightmare visage, razor-sharp teeth studded the long jaw, claws on sinewy arms the length of a dwarf and a gigantic pair of batlike wings. He knew instantly what it was, as would most dwarves, his recognition of the beast stemmed from the engravings of his home, some of which featured the bloodthirsty creature striking down other races The nightwing was a fearsome and prominent predator of this world, a jackal-headed, large, winged humanoid that frequented evil places. It must have come up and over the wall, Rith cursed as he recalled his recent decision not to roof the courtyard, he'd been worried about rotting refuse of all things.
Such contemplation of the monstrosity before him was cut short as the thing let out a bloodcurdling howl and swung a long talonned arm at the helpless Nordak. Their animal trainer dodged aside, clutching Eshtan beneath her arm as she attempted to slip past the beast to the relative safety of the stair-head, from which now emerged the clatter of booted feet. The nightwing was not to be so easily evaded however and as Rith darted forwards, swinging his axe toward it’s back it lashed out again, one long claw snatching the infant from Nordak’s arms. There was a fine spray of blood and Rith knew they had lost a dwarf even as his axe descended toward the creature’s spine. A moment before striking home however the foul thing spun to face him, its tail whipping through the air in the process and neatly intercepting Rith’s axe, which sheared the last three inches clean off.
It rocked back its maned head and bellowed with rage and pain before slashing its wicked claws across Rith’s thigh. He heard the screech of talon on metal as the blow deflected from his solid iron greaves, yet the sheer impact staggered him and he raised his shield just in time to catch the followup blow. Rith winced as he absorbed the second impact, the creature was massively strong. It was unarmoured and thus vulnerable to incoming strikes, yet of such fury and power that surviving to strike may prove to be problematic.
Another blow whistled toward his head and he danced nimbly aside as the dwarven militia boiled from the stairwell behind him. Another moment saw seven more dwarves pile into the terror and the uncontrolably sobbing Nordak seized the opportunity to dash past the melee and into the fortress.
The beast’s moments were fast running short, Rith could see this through the smoke that heralded all of their fights, and he ducked, weaved, blocked and smote with all the fury he could manage.
Even under the constant attacks of eight militia members it was finding time to lash out with tooth and claw as the dwarves whirled about it in a rain of blows. A talon gouged JacenHan’s exposed left hand as the dwarf sank his battle axe into an unprotected thigh, another tore AngleWyrm’s leg open revealing muscle even as the dwarf’s axe severed the beast’s right leg at the knee. As it sank finally toward the ground it still snapped its jaws wildly at the dwarves, who were darting in and out to score hits. MetalMilitia finally stepped up, hoisting her looted sun gold war hammer and bringing it over her shoulder in a glittering arc. As the head fell towards the nightwing’s upturned muzzle its jaws opened in one final, terrible, scream before being cut off suddenly as the weapon shattered the skull.
The dwarves stood in a panting huddle, blood dripping from weapons and the odd unplated bodypart. On the floor between them lay the shattered remains of Eshtan, who had been ripped from his mother’s arms so swiftly it had seemed almost unreal. Rith finally straightened up and looked around as the first stars of the evening peeked through the clouds overhead.
“Damnit.” he said softly.
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Topic: Playfuloiled - A community penal colony (Read 16034 times)