Deepforge

by R. J. Washburn

  One of them, apparently their leader as evidenced by his larger and more muscular frame, stepped forward. He showed his empty hands, palm forward.

  Grognor recognized this act of armistice, and returned the gesture. He latched his battle axe and stepped forward.

  Both massive armies stood ready for battle, but watched their leaders intently.

  Grognor spoke first, “I’m Grognor, leader of the Deepforge Empire.”

  The leader of the strange grey giants smiled warmly, and spoke, “Of course you are. I’m Bruno, leader of the Stone Children. We’re your friends, and are here to help.”

  Part 3: Expedition

  Chapter 11

  Grognor woke up in a soft bed with several people staring down at him.

  “Sire, are you alright?” Brendon asked.

  “Yea, but, damn. What happened?”

  “You passed out. The doctor said you lost too much blood.”

  Grognor looked down and noticed a large bandage around Brendon’s midriff. “Looks like you got a bit of a scratch too?”

  “Just a flesh wound. You, however, are lucky to be alive. You suffered several nearly fatal wounds.”

  Grognor struggled to sit up, Brendon helping him. “So, we actually won?”

  “Sort of. We lost a lot of good warriors.”

  Grognor cringed. “How many?”

  Brendon hung his head down. “Over four hundred people.”

  “Damn. How many did we take out?”

  “Well, we took out as many as thirty.”

  “That’s it? Four hundred to thirty? We lost this battle, then. Damn. So many lives…”

  “Yea, like I said, we took out as many as thirty. The Stone Children took out another two hundred or so before the Drakmids retreated.”

  “Are we still calling them ‘Drakmids’?”

  “We have no other word for them, so yea.”

  Grognor then remembered the Stone Children. “Stone Children?”

  “Yes, Sire. They come from the far northwest mountains, and say they have more friends coming, they call them the Nords.”

  “I need to talk to their leader, what was his name, Bronic, or something?”

  “Bruno. He’s just outside, I’ll get him.” He herded all the nurses and assistants out to give the Emperor some privacy, and then called Bruno in. “I’ll be right down the hall if you need me, Sire. There’s a lot of wounded I’ll be checking up on.”

  “Wait, Brendon, could you get me a list of the leaders? We’ll need to organize.”

  Brendon nodded and walked out.

  The very large humanoid walked in as Brendon called him. He towered over Brendon and stooped to fit in the low ceiling of the hospital. Grognor got a good look at him and couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Bruno was easily seven feet tall, wore only minimal clothes, was very muscular, and his skin was a stone grey. He had short brown hair with narrow streaks of grey, and a thick brushy mustache. When he spoke, his voice was loud and low, but pleasant with a strange twang.

  “You’re a giant!” Grognor said, remembering his mythology from childhood.

  “No, Sire. We aren’t giants,” Bruno said, “we’re more like humans than anything, although we could technically be classified as a subclass of giants. But, there are no giants on this world...at this time.”

  “Why is it we’re just now learning of your existence?” Grognor sat up a bit more comfortable, adjusting his I.V. tube.

  “I see they’re giving you antibiotics. Good. Those creatures don’t seem to be very clean.” Bruno smiled.

  “Yea, I figured that part out. How did you know about this, and why haven’t you made yourselves known before?”

  “Emperor Grognor, we’re very long lived, longer even than the dragons, nearly as long as the elves. We knew of you many years before the dragons decided to intervene and…how shall I say this…direct your development. We would have preferred to let you be, to let you find your own way. However, in the end it’s good they helped.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  Bruno smiled. “We haven’t made ourselves known because you simply didn’t need us. Now, you do. We have the Nords coming as well.”

  “How did you know about the battle?”

  “How do you think?” Bruno smiled.

  “The dragons. You sure do smile a lot.”

  Bruno nodded. “I suspect it was quite a hard pill to swallow for them to ask our help. The fact that they did tells us there is a very real, very deadly threat.”

  “Well, I think I can speak for everyone when I say thank you. You saved us all. If you hadn’t shown up when you did, we would have been wiped out.”

  Bruno seemed a bit ashamed and bowed his head. “Sire, we should have come much sooner, and would have had it not been for my reluctance. I finally gave in to my people’s demands, and so we came. If I had given in earlier…” he drifted off.

  “What’s done is done. The fact is, you did come, and saved us. Now, who are these Nords you spoke of?”

  “They’re humans who live near us in the northwestern mountains. They’re actually very much like you, in that they are stout, muscular and very tough. Their leader reminds me of you, in fact, in a lot of ways.”

  “How many come?”

  “They’ll be sending three thousand.”

  “That’s a lot of logistics to deal with. Food, shelter, etc. Which reminds me. Did you see the dragons on the way here?”

  “The dragons? No, Sire. But, we didn’t take the River Valley road.”

  “You didn’t? But…that’s the only path west.”

  “Actually, no. Beyond the northern mountains in the frozen wastes is another path, one we use on a regular basis. Of course, we usually run into a white dragon or two along the way, which is a good thing.”

  “How is running into dragons a good thing?” Grognor asked, a bit perplexed by the statement.

  “Well, we have to eat!” Bruno smiled.

  “Of course! How silly of me!” Grognor laughed. “So tell me, do you know the details of our impending war? Did the dragons tell you?”

  “Well, yes, but…”

  “What? What is it?”

  “We know a bit more than what the platinum dragon told us.”

  “Platinum?...oh, you mean their divine King Bahamlo?”

  “Yes. You see, he thinks this is a power play from his sister, the evil Lotanna. What he doesn’t know is, she has nothing to do with any of this. There’s another creature pushing them, a creature we’re not sure of. It seems to be pushing them not just against the River Valley and Deepforge folk, but you and the citadel in particular. We don’t know why, but there’s something about Deepforge they want.”

  “Ok, so them coming here for their first attack was what?”

  “There must be a spy in our midst, Sire. Someone who told them you and your finest warriors were here. Either way, I think probably the best thing to do now is abandon Lake Valley, and head back toward the Deepforge citadel. There we’ll meet up with whomever the dragons have recruited and the dragons themselves. I suspect the Drakmids’ next target is Deepforge itself.”

  “Well, seems we have more help in the way of leadership than I expected, and have recently discovered the humans are expert dragon slayers. I would ask of you a very important task, my new friend. We have a lot of innocents. Would you be willing to assign a detachment to help protect them?”

  “Of course, Sire.”

  “Excellent. Then, as soon as I get the ok to leave, we’ll get started.”

  “Very good, Sire. Then, I’ll leave you to rest.”

  “Wait, before you go, I’m a bit confused about something.”

  “Yes, Sire?”

  “How do you know so much…I mean, I know you all are long lived, but the details you told me seem impossible to know?”

  “There’s a big story there, and one that I’ll have to tell you some time. But, the short story is, I’m from the future. I came from a time after t
he prophesy has already come to pass. Certain things, things about Lotanna and Bahamlo don’t make sense now. This points to another malevolent presence, one I’m unfamiliar with.”

  “The future? The prophesy? So, it’s real?”

  “Yes, Sire. It’s real. The prophesy of the Dragon King is real. I don’t know any of what happens now, so I have no particulars.”

  “But you being here, wouldn’t that produce…oh, what’s that called? I learned that in Temporal Mechanics class when I was a kid…”

  “A paradox.”

  “Right! Wouldn’t you being here from the future produce a paradox?”

  “No, as a matter of fact, I guess I’m supposed to be here. You see, my wife has had extensive experience with this sort of thing, and…well…I’m supposed to be here... I don’t really know much more than that, I’m afraid.” Bruno seemed a bit confused.

  “I’ll take your word for it. So, we have to find this spy, huh?”

  “Actually, I would think knowing we have one is more important than weeding him or her out. We can make that work for us.”

  “You’re a wise one, Bruno.”

  “Not so sure about that, but, anyway. Get some rest, I’ll go and assign the detachment you asked for.”

  “Thank you, it’s much appreciated. You know of course, you’ve sparked my curiosity about how you got here in the first place.”

  Bruno smiled and walked out.

  Grognor rested for a few hours, and slept some. But then couldn’t take the relaxation anymore, when there was a war to plan. He saw a note left by Brendon, a list of the leaders. He glanced at the names and walked out to begin the arduous task.

  Lake Valley was a horrible sight. Aside from the destruction left by the EM pulse, bodies of fallen warriors lay covered in rows, waiting for their turn for a funeral.

  “Ridiculous,” Grognor said to himself, “planning funerals at a time like this.”

  “You object, Sire?” an unfamiliar female voice asked.

  Grognor looked to his side and saw an… attractive human warrior with bandages around her torso. She was thin but muscular, and no facial hair.

  She walked up and put out her hand. “Victoria, from East Lakeshore.”

  Grognor was not easily impressed, but this was a powerful looking warrior, one of the leaders who had apparently been involved in the recent battle. He recognized the armor, but had never seen her face. This was the same woman he had seen just before the games. He put out his hand to return the greeting. “Victoria, it’s good to meet you. You were in the battle?”

  “Yes, of course. I led the East Lakeshore division. We were the only one not to lose anyone. We held our own and took down many Drakmids, Sire.”

  “Then, you are the only division truly victorious. We simply didn’t have enough against them until the Stone Children showed up.”

  “Thank goodness they did. You didn’t answer my question, Emperor. You don’t approve of funerals?”

  “No, it’s not that. In times of war, it’s impractical to stage a funeral for each individual. Especially since we could have an attack again at any time.”

  “Sire…with all due respect…humans need this. We need to grieve, even in times of war. It’s not weakness. It allows us to feel the loss fully, and to focus our fury when the time comes. When you and I…I mean when we fought against your people during the Battle of the Valley, our losses gave us the strength to continue on.”

  “You lost that battle, young lady. How did mourning help you?”

  She smiled and directed her gaze down for a moment. “We did lose, but we weren’t eliminated. We now have peace, which we would never have had if we had won that battle. I lost my husband…by your hand. You crushed his skull at the Naw-nee clearing engagement. It toughened me, and I vowed vengeance. I wanted nothing more than to tear your heart from your chest. When Brendon went rogue, I nearly joined him.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I honestly don’t know. But, I would have killed you, count on that.”

  Grognor inspected her feminine but powerful form, and somehow he knew: she would have.

  “Lady Victoria, you have my sympathies for what happened. It was war, as much as the dragons denied it at the time. I’m sure your husband and I would have been good friends if it hadn’t have been for the conflict.”

  “Actually, it’s ‘General’ Victoria. Who knows what might have been… But, my point is, mourning for my husband made me stronger. Now, former enemies will fight side by side to defeat the Drakmids. Together, Sire. Together we will be stronger than we ever were as adversaries.”

  Grognor suddenly got a strong feeling, a combination of respect, fear, and sympathy for the woman. He couldn’t deny it. She was a fellow warrior…a human female. “General Victoria, together we will crush their worthless forms, and protect the Empire.”

  She looked at him and smiled again, this time with genuine respect, through her constant need for vengeance. “Indeed we will, Sire, indeed we will.”

  Grognor and Victoria spoke for hours about war, the triumphs and losses, and other things that enemies would never get a chance to talk about to each other as allies. Before the day was done, the two had become friends. Forged in the horror of death and war, their losses added up to a bond stronger than any normal citizen could fathom. A bond of warriors.

  The day dragged on, and Grognor finally made his way to the games arena. Brendon, Victoria, Bruno, and several of the leaders joined him as everyone assembled to hear what he had to say.

  “Citizens of Lake Valley, the Lakeshore villages. I’m not here to give you an inspirational speech. You saw what happened. We had our asses handed to us by the Drakmids. If it weren’t for the Stone Children, we wouldn’t have survived. We are eternally grateful to them.”

  The crowd applauded when he said this, but he calmed them with a gesture. Queen Kathryn and Taylen watched, still mourning those lost.

  Grognor continued, “The Stone Children will be leaving a detachment to help protect you, but everyone else…all army divisions will be traveling west, first thing in the morning. The Drakmids are after me and the citadel itself. So, they’ll follow us. They have no interest in Lake Valley. This will be called the Tenth Deepforge Army, as it is the newest configuration. The divisions are as follows: General Victoria, you will take your people; Brendon, you will be General of your division; Hentlehoff of Underhill, you will be General of your division. Lucas, you will lead the rest of them. Now, that takes care of the human and halfling divisions. The rest of us, the minority of dwarves and everyone else will be under myself directly until we meet up with the others. Then we’ll continue on. Pearl, you are to return to your people and recruit as many as possible. Bōddy, you and yours will scout on ahead, and recruit as many of your people when you get to your villages…wherever they are. Everyone get some rest, and keep alert. We leave at first light.”

  The crowd began yelling questions and objections, but Grognor ignored them. His word was final. His exhaustion was almost too much for him, so he went to the dwarven encampment and lay down to rest.

  Before his eyes closed, one of the warriors woke him up.

  “Sire, there’s a cavalry division coming in.”

  “Thank you. I’m coming.” Grognor got up and walked to where the division could be seen arriving.

  There were roughly two hundred humans, mounted on heavy warhorses. They were lightly armored, dressed in light leather clothing, and all had long bows and swords.

  “The Ranger division, good,” Grognor said. He walked up to the leader, who was adorned with various animal parts and a headdress of feathers. “It’s good you have come. We’re preparing to start the expedition west in the morning.”

  “Emperor. I am Eugene, Chieftain of the Naw-nee people. We came as soon as we heard. We’ve also found a few of your warhorses. They seem to have been spooked. We were able to calm them down with Tambar’s help.” He patted his own horse, who seemed to be much more intelligent th
an a horse, as evidenced by its mannerisms. “What in the world are we up against?”

  “They’re a malevolent people wearing armor and weapons of a kind we’ve never seen before. I’m sure the engineers and forgers will be deciphering it soon. They intend to take me and Deepforge itself down, Chieftain. There’s something they’re after, and nobody seems to know what it is. What’s certain is, there’s a lot of them. We’ll need to rally every warrior we’ve got.”

  Deccon appeared as himself at just that moment, with Teelena on his back. She slid off, and Deccon resumed his human form. Teelena was bleeding from a wound to her head and torso, and had obviously been badly burned on one side. She had been in battle.

  “Grognor! Deepforge citadel is under attack!” Teelena said, nearly falling into his arms.

  “It’s true, Sire. Nearly this entire time we’ve been gone we’ve been fighting. What…what happened here?” Deccon asked, seeing the bodies stacked up and the wounded warriors walking around.

  “We too have been in battle. My gods! Teelena! Let’s get you to the hospital at once!” Grognor held and began taking her as he looked up at Deccon. “I knew something was wrong. Somehow, I knew. The Stone Children are here, we would have been wiped out otherwise. Do you have any idea what these people are after?”

  “No, Sire, none,” Deccon said, still looking around at the dead and the soldiers coming in from the west. “Looks like many of the smaller villages have come. The rest are trying to defend the citadel.”

  “Where’s Bahamlo? What does he have to say about this?” Grognor asked.

  “We don’t know, he said something about Lotanna, and that something wasn’t right. Then, he just left…right in the middle of the battle.” Deccon looked shocked and…worried for the first time.