Lord Nariko reared up on his hind legs and transformed into his stout dwarven form. He raised his battle hammer high into the air while chanting some druidic spell. As the massive magical weapon came crashing down on the icy surface, the loud crash echoed across the suddenly still mountainside. The rock trolls knew at once what the little bearded magic wielder had done. They turned around and attempted to make a dash down the slope. An ear splitting cracking noise ripped through the snow filled air as the sheet of ice Yuki’s troops had been standing on began to break away right in front of the sly druid.
General Yuki shrieked in utter frustration as she began to slide away down the mountainside along with her army. She shouted profanities in her native tongue and was soon out of sight as the snow’s intensity increased. Her voice was drowned out by the cries of terror from her goblin soldiers. Several chunks of ice came whirring through the air at the chuckling figure of Lord Nariko. The rock trolls had determined to have one final parting shot at the annoying bearded wizard. Nariko smiled as he raised his war hammer high above his head. He reared back and hurled the weapon at the deadly projectiles with surprising accuracy. The hammer smashed into the first ice block with shattering results. The magical weapon continued on to the other icy chunks before returning to the hands of its master.
“Brilliant…you always know what to do at any given moment” said Huslu to Nariko’s mind.
“Once you and your fellows had dispatched several of those vile green beasts I noticed that there was a clear line between the two forces. I thought it would be prudent to send those vicious pieces of filth on their way so that we could all get a breather. It was quite a trek from Renshaw to here and I did not want our fatigue to play into our enemy’s hands” explained the druid smoothly. He was panting from the recent fighting and his muscles screamed at him from overuse. He stood erect and did not show his fatigue as he watch the last vestiges of their aggressors go over the edge. Dwarves were able to fight much longer than any other race or creature. Some thought they were literally made of stone.
“As I was saying…you always know what to do. How about we get out of this blizzard and warm up a bit?” suggested the leader of the brown bears of the north. She shook her body to rid herself of the snow that was quickly building up on her. She was massive in size which made her look unbelievable huge next to Nariko.
“Let us be on our way then…I am sure King Dagnolir would like to repay our timely intervention. I get the feeling that our rest will be short lived…the people of Carrick are being attacked in the tunnels below as we speak” Nariko said with a fierce look. While he put on a confident front, he was greatly concerned with the well-coordinated assault on the mountain fortress. We did not give the goblins and trolls credit for their ability to work together in such an efficient manner.
The battle under the mountain was much more arduous than the goblins and rock trolls had anticipated. While the number of casualties down below was significantly less than what General Yuki had experienced up above, the lack of any progress was driving the trolls, in particular, to their breaking point. They still remembered the fiery deaths of their comrades at the beginning of their misfortune. The massive brutes had taken out their frustrations on their smaller counterparts when it became clear that they could not make any sustainable push against the stubborn dwarves. One of the most significant blockades was their own dead. There were so many bodies blocking the only entry way into the bowels of the fortified city that they could not make any head way. They had spent a considerable amount of time unceremoniously throwing their dead or dying into the abyss they had finally crossed weeks earlier.
“Commander Toan…what news from above?” asked Commander Jabari impatiently. He was growing weary with the lack of success and was hoping that Lord Trahern and Commander Vahe were having better luck.
“I am afraid that the news from above is not good at all. They have had a major setback due to the arrival of those furry beasts from the north” explained Toan resignedly. He too was overly tired from this whole bloodied affair that was filled with nothing but disappointment.
“Vragen dun lienzen!” swore Jabari in exasperation. He slammed his massive fist into the cave wall next to him. A large chunk of rock broke off and fell onto an unsuspecting goblin. The poor soldier was instantly crushed. None of the rock trolls took notice of the goblin’s fate. They all agreed with their comrade’s assessment.
“Too true…however, that is not even half of it. That wicked dwarf who can turn into a lienzen was with those fluffy bears. He used his war hammer to crack the ice our comrades were positioned on” explained Toan dejectedly. “Our troops slid all the way down to the bottom of the mountain. In addition to this wretched news, they are being hit by another blizzard.” His face was as animated as a troll could get which looked really painful. It was clear that they did not have many facial expressions and that it took considerable effort to change between them.
“Well, at least they will have a chance to recuperate down below” Jabari replied thoughtfully. He had never felt so dejected or tired. He yearned for something to go their way for once. He lifted his leg and brought it down on the chunk from the cave wall. The rock was ground into powder and the goblin was nothing more than a smear on the ground.
The two massive rock troll leaders stood stoically as the goblin soldiers around them muttered mutinously to each other. They could not tell what the massive brutes were doing because they were communicating with their minds. All the little soldiers could tell was that their commanders were not happy. The biggest clue was one of their fellow soldiers being crushed to death by Jabari. The goblins were at their limit because of the treatment at the hands of their supposed allies. They were being killed by both sides of this conflict.
“Looks like the big dumb brutes are not happy again” said one little goblin archer. He spat on the wall next to him in disgust. His gesture was appreciated by every goblin that was able to see what was going on.
“Not surprised…they are always mad about something” replied a goblin captain. He sneered at the motionless brutes that had been standing there for almost an hour with no indication as to what they were planning. He was voicing what everyone else was thinking. There were definitely serious issues developing between the trolls and goblins. The rock trolls did not care that the goblins were unhappy with the treatment they received at their hands. The goblins were done with the senseless killing of their own by the brutes who were supposed to be on the same side.
“I think we should start making our way back to Sheldon…this is not worth it” interjected another. The soldier was trying to build on the expressed distrust. The war effort was not benefiting them and they were beginning to wonder why they should continue the fight. They feared the fallen guardian who ultimately led their cause and it was only this fact that would likely keep them in line.
“Or maybe you weak freaks will go to the front line!” Commander Jabari said irritably to the three dissenters. He turned ominously toward the trio and glared down at them. He had been listening to their entire exchange. That was one of the advantages of the rock trolls’ lack of expression, you never knew if they were paying attention to you or not.