“A Dwarven Tail: The Journey Begins”

Five years…Five years the goblin empire has terrorized my brothers. We have attmpted to fight against them, but they have to great of numbers. Thousands of dwarves and dwarven cities have been burned to the ground and each town gets closer and closer to the capitol city, Consilian. I moved my wife to this city in the hopes to be safe and to remain out of the goblin’s reach, but each time I look over the walls of the city all I see is the towns burning in the distance. Even now as I look there is the smell of smoke and the screams of battle in the air. Even though the king say “You are all safe in Consilia, no one can breach these walls,” I still slep with my ax close to my side.
My thoughts still pondered this as I began my walk home.
“Hello dear,” Friga said. “If you’re hungry I could make something.”
“No I’m a little tired, rough day in the mine. I think I’m going straight to bed.” As I walk past her and start heading for the stair I hear her call,
“Um al-all right I’ll be up later..”
I walk up staires and lay down in the bed. This is the third night in a row I havn’t be able to eat and it has nothing to do with the mine, I’m a dwarf mining is second nature to me, it’s just the thought of goblin’s attacks moving closer and closer to Consilia. Of course I can’t let Friga see I’m concerned, she thinks place is the best in the world, but she’s fooled by the kings crap…it’s just something he says to keep everyone from going into a panick, but everyone knows the truth even the king is aware that the goblins will strike anyday, but only time will tell when. I roll over in my bed then fall asleep.
My sleep is interrupted by the sound of the alarm bell.
“An attack!?” I said.
There is a loud banging on the door, I grab my ax and run down to the the door and open it. It was Ferlen, a dear friend from the mine. He looked awful, his clothes ripped, dirt and ash covered his body, and blood was running down the side of his head.
“Ferlen what happened to you!?” I said.
“A goblin raid!,” He said. “They are attcking the village right outside of Consilion.”
“How many are there?” I asked.
“Thousands,” he said breathing heavily.
“What how could this happen? How could they get an army this close to Consilia without anyone noticing…” I thought to myself.
“Come there is no time to ponder this grab some armor and let’s go!” Ferlen said as he turned and started running.
I put my helmet and grabbed the family shield off the wall. I turn and start running after Ferlen then I see Freda standing by the stairs a look of confusion and worry on her face. I walk over to her and put my hands on her shoulders and say
“Friga I need you to stay here. Put out all the lights, find a place to hide, and stay there till I get back. Understand?”
She stares at me for a few seconds then manages to say, “Ye…Yes…”
“Good,” I said “now go hide I won’t be gone long, I promise.” I turn and run out the door.
As I near the village I see Ferlen and several other dwarves blocking the gate that leads from the village to Consilion. As I aproach them I hear a longs thud and the door shakes, I stare at it and it happens again.
I mumbled to myself, “ They’re breaking through…..”
“Ceardach! Get over here! We need more support!” Ferlen yelled.
I woke from my daze and started running to ward the gate then we all hear a guard at the top of the wall yell, “GET DOOOWN!!” Right as I turned to look at the gate again there is an explosion and the gate breaks open. I get smashed into the ground and watch helpless bairly being able to stay awake as my friends fight the goblins and trolls that broke through the door.I tried standing, but my body felt like it was made of lead, but I wasn’t about to just sit and watch as my people get slaughtered. So I crawled to my ax, grabbed it and used it to push myself up. I lifted my ax above my head then charged into the fight. I swung my ax left and right cutting down every foe in my way, at this point in the battle I was running on nothing but rage. I couldn’t let them through I had to stop everyone that came through the gate.
The battle has been going for what seems like hours, the goblins have yet to stop coming, the city is being burned to the ground, me and farlen are the only dwarves at the gate that survived. I don’t know if it is a sighn from above or if it’s just dumb luck, but what ever it is we can’t religh on it forever we had to get out of there or we would die just like the others.
“Farlen,” I said as I cut down another goblin.
“Yes brother, what is it?” Farlen said.
As I block a goblins blade I said “We won’t make it out of this if we keep fighting we have to run”
“I was thinking the same thing brother. What do you suppose we do?” Farlen said.
“I’m thinking,” I said. I looked around quickly trying to see a way for us to escape. “Aha!,” I said as I pointed to a building with a roof low enough for us to climb to,”There.”
Farlen looked over at the build. “All right let’s go for it!”
We charged to the building, dodging and blocking attacks. When we got close enough to the building Farlen gave me a boost and I climbed up onto the roof.
“Your turn Farlen,” I said as I reached my hand down to pull him up.
He turned and looked up at me “I’m sorry brother, but you’ll have to go alone.”
“what are you talking about Farlen!?,” I said, “just grab my hand!”
“brother,” Farlen said as he turned to away from me, “if I go with you there will be nothing to keep the goblins from catching us. I’ll hold them off for as long as I can and as for you, go get Freda and run!”
I looked at him and said, “but, Farlen…if I go you’ll…”
He turned around quickly and said, “GO!.”
I saw the look in his eye and I could tell he knew what would happen and he has already accepted it. I knodded then turned and started running, as I reached the other side of the roof and jumped of I heard the screams of pain from my dearest friend. I stopped for a moment, but I knew I couldn’t stop, if I did then Farlen’s sacrifice would have been for nothing.
I turned in the direction of where I last saw my friend and said to aloud, “I will avenge you brother, I wont let them get away with what they’ve done…” I then turned and started running home to get Freda.
“They’ve already been through here…” I thought as I looked at the destroyed buildings around me. “Grrr I hope I’m not to late…” I thought to myself, then I started to run faster. “it’s just around this corner…” I thought to myself. I rounded the corner then stopped my eyes opened wide as I looked at the house. “Wha…what happened…” the door to the house was kicked in, the windows were smashed, and there was no sighn of life in the house. “Friga…,” I whispered to myself then I sprinted into the house.
When I entered the house it was obvious that it was raided. Furniture was tipped over and smashed, the curtains were ripped off the wall, and everything was destroyed. “Frega,” I waited for a reply, but there was nothing. “Frega!” still nothing.
My heart stated racing as I went through the house calling her name, I check the entire bottom of the house the only part left was our room up stairs. I walked to the stairs and looked up them. “Please Frega…please be here...,” I whispered to myself. I slowly walked up each creeky step till I reached the door to our room. I reached for the door knob then stopped. I stared at the door knob for a few seconds, then I finally opened the door. I looked around the room and saw nothing but a destroyed room. I walked into the room looking for just some sighn of Frega’s presence, just something to tell me she’s here, but there wasn’t any.
“Why did I leave her!? Now she’s gone and it’s all my fault…” I thought to myself. I walked over to the window and looked out over the city, at first all I thought about was my faliure. My failure to protect my city, my brothers, even my wife, but I was quickly stirred out of thought when I looked at the gate to the city. At first I couldn’t believe it, it was almost to real to believe,but this was no mistake. By the gates of the city I saw the goblin king and around him were goblins rounding up prisoners into cages. I started looking at the various cages hope slowly growing, then I saw it. Frega was in one of the cages. She was still alive. I turned from the window and started running for the stair case then I stopped.
“What could I accomplish by myself? If I try to save her now all I might succeed in doing is getting her killed…” I thought to myself. I then turned and walked back to the window and all I did was stand there and watch them take her away.
I spent two days making a plan tosave Frega. I knew where they were going and I knew where prisoners were kept. The only thing I didn’t know is how I would get into the goblin caves. It took me awhile to think of how one dwarf could manage to pen the gates and have the guards leave their post without me being seen,but after several hours of thinking I came up with the perfect plan. I would gather as many scare crows from the fields as I could. I would then strap torches to their hands and then set the scare crows on horses. I would then wait till night, then lead horses near the entrence of the goblin caves and send them running past. The sight of men with torches riding on horse back would surely cause the goblins to leave their post to go fight the “threat”, I would then slip in save Friga, then get out before we got caught. So by night fall I was waiting alittle ways away from the entrence with twenty horses. I watched the sun as it slowly set then when the sun was completely gone I let the horses go.
I wached as the horses charged forward I heard the goblins blow a horn to give the signal of a incoming attack. As soon as the gate opened and the goblins came charging out, I ran around the battlefield to avoid being causghtthen when I was close enough to the gate I hopped off my horse and sneaked into the caves.
I slowly creapt through the caves, it was dead silent besides the occasional screech of a goblin. As I continued on the screches of goblins grew louder
“I’m Getting close…” I thought to myself.
I continued on for several more minutes, and with each minute that passed the screams just grew louder and louder, until I rounded one last corner and I saw a large group of goblins circle aroun two goblins fighting over something. I watched them for a moment think of how such barbaick creatures have managed to dominate the dwarven empire for so long. I was quickly brought out of this state of thinking by the sight of a door on the other side of the room.
“That has to be where they are keeping Frega…” I thought to myself. I looked over at the goblins one last time to make sure I wasn’t spotted then I sneaked around them to where the door was, then I entered.
It was a dark room the walls had nothing on them, but a few torches and some shackles. I searched the entire room looking for Frega, but I found nothing. The thought that I couldn’t protect my best friend or my wife was to much for me to bare. I sunk to my knees and looked up to the cieling.
“How could I let this happen? How could I let Frega and Farlen down? NO!” I punched the ground out of frustration. Then that’s when I saw it. A trail of foot prints that led to the door.
“Goblin?” I thought to myself, “no they aren’t goblin, they are too small…and they are shoe prints…FREGA! She made it out that’s the only explanation!” I smiled to the thought that she managed to escape, then I smiled at the fact that with her not in the caves…I could bring the caves crashing down. “But how would I go about doing that?” I said to myself as I pondered it,”Ha! I know how…” I said as I smiled deviously at the memory of the goblins stealing gun powder during the battle at Consilia. “If I find their little stash of stolen goods, then I should be to make the powder explode. No…if I do that then I go down with them…Wait! I got it!,” I said as I reached around and pulled a flask out from a small bag I had strapt onto my belt, “I make a trail with this going from the powder to the exit, I light it, and I take out the entire goblin army with one shot!” I smiled at the plan. “No time to waist…”
I searched the caves for a few minutes till I found their little treasure stash and just as I thought, amoungst the goods were several barrels of gun powder. I smiled and walked over to them. “when these go off the force and sound should make these caves colaps,” I said as I opened the flask and started pooring it onto the barrles.
I then started backing up through the caves to the exit. I several meters away from the exit when the flask ran dry. I then pulled out my ax and looked at the trail I made.
“This is it, now all I need is a spark,” I said as I looked at the wall next to me.
I then pulled my ax back and swung. The ax hit the wall and sparkes flew, time itself seemed to slow down as I watched the sparks gently fall onto the trail I made and as soon as the hit a small burst of fire started to run down the trail, so I took off running. The exit was now only six meters away, four meters, two, one… I burst through the exit and right as I did I heard the screech of the goblin guards that have returned to their post. Seconds later arrows were flying at me from every direction, but I couldn’t stop, if I did then I would be to close to the explosion to survive. I was nearing the gate to the that led out of their fortress, but as I was closing the gap between me and the gate,but then it happened… I was hit. An arrow hit me in the back of my upper thigh, the sudden shock followed by the pain caused me to fall to the ground. Goblins quickly surrounded me and were pointing their swords and spears at me, but that didn’t bother me as much as what would soon happen. And just as that thought crossed my mind there was a massive explosion. Fire shot from the entrance to the cave and the large hill the caves were under began to slide down towards me. My whole world slode down to almost a complete stop as I watched the mounds of dirt and rock hit me, then everything went black…
“where am I…….am I dead……? I can’t be dead………I can’t die not yet.,” I thought. I started to try to force my way upward. “I have to get out……I have to find Frega….I…to…save HER!!,” I forced my hand upward one last time and I felt it break out of the dirt. I then clawed and pulled myself till I was free, then I rolled over onto my back and just stared into the sky.
A few minutes pasted before I stood up and started my search for Frega. As I walked away from the ruins of the goblin fortress and the sun began to rise, but even though the sun has set on the war with the goblins, the sun has just risen on my quest to find Frega.