by Shawn Muller
“Bob. The ogre has returned with some grim news. It seems we are being pushed into a final battle before we can make it to Dwarfinaan. There is a large band of goblins behind us mustering for an attack, and it seems they may have a shaman amongst them this time. But we don’t know what is ahead of us. From here on are many side passages that head off to old disused mines. We may be heading into an ambush,” Ward warned with a kind of finality in his voice.
Sensing the moral of the group dropping dramatically at the news, I tried to rally us a bit.
“Well then, we will have to show those little green shits what the Ghosts are all about,” this caught everybody’s attention.
“Here’s the plan. We rest here for as long as possible, mending armour, sharpening swords and eating a good meal seeing as it may be our last,” I said with a grin.
“When we move out I want full battle armour for everybody. Ivan, Bruce, break out the armour, Deez, Titanius, issue out the crossbows. Fremod, I know your neck must be killing you by now. You have walked almost the whole way with your head and shoulders bent, but I need you and the orcs to pass out the remaining spears. Pebbles, Granular, get the dwarves together and sharpen those axes. Mia, Thackeray, make me some nasty spells. Ward, I need your sons to help Pebbles, just listen to his instructions. And I need the ogre to scout far in front as possible to give us enough warning before we walk into something nasty,” a chorus of yeses and nods of the heads followed my orders.
A steely determination gripped us then. We were not going down without a fight. Two days and we would be safe. So far the tight confines of the caves worked to our favour. At the widest we faced only three goblins at a time. Our superior training and weapons saved our necks time and time again, and Hioki really deserved a raise if, no, when we survived.
“Bob, a word with you please,” asked a concerned Ward.
“I am not supposed to tell you, on the pain of death, but it seems I’m going to die anyway, but, I may have a wee small weapon which we could use. I can’t use our magic here, as revealing that in front of non-dwarves will most certainly result in my death, but this I can get away with,” he said leading me to a crate which his sons were gently laying on the cave floor.
“In here,” Ward carried on speaking, grunting as he pried loose the boards, “is a new invention from one of the outer caves which I was to show the Dwarf Council. But I think that we could use it more now,” he stepped back as he opened the lid, and I stepped forward to look.
“Crikey mate, would you look at that,” Bruce said as he looked over my shoulder. “I think I have fallen in love,” the big Aussie bent down and gingerly lifted the weapon.
“We call it the ‘Firebreath’,” Ward said taking a further step back as Bruce swung the barrel around, making whooshing noises.
“Bruce, cut it out, you making us nervous,” I chided him.
“Awe, spoilsport,” was all he said back as he put the weapon down.
“It shoots burning naphtha at a range of about twenty metres the makers said, but it is slightly unstable,” Ward explained.
“Don’t worry. We have something similar back home. And our flamethrowers aren’t that stable either,” Max said.
“So, can I keep it? Pleasepleasepleaseplease!” Begged Bruce.
“Alright, alright. You can keep it. But it’s only for emergencies,” I told a very happy Bruce.
It took us awhile, but eventually we were ready and we began to move out once more, leaving the security of the rest area and walking almost blindly down the black tunnels with only an unseen ogre supposedly scouting ahead with a dwarf a little in front of us as well.
Fremod led the orcs as our rearguard, with Granular and Shard as back up and an extra set of eyes in the dark. Thackeray was with them to lend any magic which may have been needed.
Max and I walked point, with Ivan and Titanius guarding our backs and Mia hovering right behind us with a loaded spell. The rest of the men were spread out amongst the horses and mules to lead them, and to act as a mobile reserve force. Ward kept close to us, every now and then pausing as if listening for something. At one stage he paused for a few minutes, causing all of us to stop with him looking in confusion as to what he was doing.
“I can’t hear anything,” was all that he mumbled.
A shriek was all the warning which we got. A few goblins rushed Fremod and the orcs but were easily repulsed by the long spears which were thrust at them. Not long after that a small group tried the same with us, but Max and I drove them off just as quickly. The sense of foreboding grew as we stopped each time to defend against these small attacks. Our torches would not last us until we reached Dwarfinaan, and it seemed that the goblins knew this too.
“I can sense the bastard now,” Thackeray sent word to us about the shaman trailing us.
We stopped for a brief break as I went to talk to Fremod about this threat. A rumble sounded, followed what seemed like a rock fall. Dust filtered through the tunnels causing the group to cough. A bright flash shot out of the dark tunnel aimed us, blinding us briefly as a wild yell echoed through the tunnels. The fight was on. The shaman had revealed himself by unleashing a blast of energy at Fremod.
Thackeray countered by blocking the spell and unleashed his energy at the shaman. Spiders dropped off the high roof virtually right on top of us, forcing us to fight with our knives.
The energy blasts shook us all off our feet as Thackeray won the duel, spreading the shaman back down the tunnel, taking a sizable chunk out of the goblins that had followed him. Minutes later we had crushed the last of the spiders beneath our armoured boots, with Thackeray throwing small fireballs down the tunnel to keep the remaining goblins at bay.
Fremod and Babar quickly reformed the mini-phalanx, with Kimba and Mycotaur right behind them with their equally long spears. The remaining goblins beat a hasty withdrawal, leaving us in utter silence once more.
Waiting a few more minutes, I deemed it safe to move back to the front of the column where Max was waiting nervously for me to return. I nodded to him and we once again began our slow march to safety.
The next attack was from head on. A boulder came rolling from around a corner, crashing from one side of the tunnel to the next. A bolt of energy shot out from Mia’s fingertips, smashing the rock into fine bits. Directly behind that hurtling rock was a group of goblin spider riders. Max and I held them off with our spears, jabbing the sharp points into exposed bodies causing the dead to pile up and hinder those behind them from attacking us.
The dead were unceremoniously dragged back by their comrades, allowing fresh attackers to close in on us. A steady flight of crossbow bolts flew over and between us from Ivan, Bruce and Titanius, causing more mayhem amongst the attackers.
The odd streak of what looking like lightning or electricity flew from Mia’s outstretched hands as she killed the front ranks quicker than we could. Before we knew it, the attackers broke off and disappeared ahead of us, no doubt waiting to ambush us again.
“Why didn’t that ogre warned us about this attack?” I asked Ward, fuming that we were almost caught out in that attack.
“I do not know Bob, I have not heard from it for a while,” was all he said with a sad shake of the head.
We continued our journey, forced to take it even slower as it seems that the ogre was missing in action. Shrieks and howls continued to follow us. Ahead of us in the dark tunnels, drums sounded then went quiet. Sudden cries echoed around the tunnels before dying. The goblins were up to something.
A shadow blurred as it raced past me, heading straight for Ward. I cried out an alarm, but before anything was done, Ward stuck out his hands to calm us.
“It’s alright! It’s only the ogre!”
We put our swords back into our sheaths and breathed a deep sigh of relief. Soft whimpers and chirps could be heard before Ward spoke.
“The ogre has decided it is time to reveal itself to you. He, which I didn’t know, has some grave news,” Ward said out allowe
d.
The shadow which was at Ward’s feet seemed to dissolve, leaving behind a cloaked bundle curdled into a ball. This figure slowly stood up, unfurling as if a flower beginning to bloom. It rose and rose and rose, standing as tall as Fremod, yet as thin as a rake, before suddenly letting the cloak fall away completely to reveal, a small child-like being.
Standing the height of a five-year-old, the naked ogre was tiny. It had an emaciated look, all skin and bones with a large bloated stomach. Its head was overly large for its body looking almost like Fremod, high prominent cheekbones, thick bush eyebrows sunken eyes and a wide mouth with thin lips. It had long, thin tangled hair, which changed colour all the time, shifting between red, brown, and black.
It looked around at us, studying us for a moment before bowing its head. It seemed to shimmer, pulse, its body suddenly growing bigger and fuller. Within moments it was as large as an adult, its head still the same size, but more proportioned now. It was also fully decked out in combat armour like ours.
The only thing that made it stand out besides its hair changing colour continuously was the pale, almost translucent skin it had. Its veins and arteries could be easily seen through its skin. We all stood there amazed at what had materialised before us. Fremod let out a cry of fear when the ogre first appeared. But Babar managed to calm him. I would have to question him later about that.
“Well now, that’s not something you would see every day, a damn shapeshifter,” Max said with a shake of his head
The ogre turned his head and regarded Max and replied in near perfect English.
“You are quite correct Sir Max. We, the ogres of the Death Bogs are what you would refer to as shapeshifters.”
“Right and you chose to reveal yourself now?” I asked.
“Yes, Sir Bob. I have been ranging far ahead of your column and have spotted a major ambush lying in wait for us. Within the next kilometre, the tunnel opens up into a broad avenue, wide enough for four wagons to ride side by side. Within this avenue are a dozen side tunnels which branch off at irregular intervals. It is here where the ambush will be sprung. They plan on waiting for you to be midway in the avenue before attacking and surrounding you, where their superior numbers will crush you.”
“Interesting, any way around this?” I asked the ogre who had not given its name yet.
“I am afraid not. The goblins have collapsed all the other alternate routes.”
“Damn, I thought so.”
A fearful growl sounded from Fremod as he tried to grab his sword and stab the ogre. Luckily Babar and the orcs were nearby and they managed to subdue him further.
“Alright, Fremod. What is the matter here? It’s bad enough we are stuck here under the mountains without you having a nervous meltdown,” I told him.
“Kill it! Kill it before it kills us all!” He bellowed.
Looking back and forth between the troll and the ogre, I was as perplex as were the rest of the team.
“Perhaps I could explain,” the ogre offered, looking at the whimpering troll with deep sorrow and compassion.
“Before the arrival of the younger, smaller races, there were only trolls and ogres living in these lands. The trolls were fairly peaceful, mainly hunter-gatherers, while ogres were only hunters. We, unfortunately, enjoyed hunting more as a sport than as a means of survival and the trolls became fair game to hunt. We, also require fresh blood for sustenance. Raw meat or blood itself is enough to feed us. Somehow, we wavered off eating our livestock and began feeding off trolls. Creeping in under the cover of darkness and devouring whole villages in blood frenzies.”
“Kinda like vampires,” Deez broke in.
“I do not know what you are referring to, but I take it that this, vampire, is a creature of blood? Yes, I suppose like a vampire. Our lust for blood spread so far that we began to devour ourselves. And we almost caused our own extinction. A few of the more, restraint ogres fled to the Death Bogs and reverted back to eating only livestock. And as a means of not leading ourselves into temptation, we refused to make contact with any of the other race until a few hundred years ago when we made contact with the dwarves.”
“So why make contact with us then? Why now?’
“We have walked among your kind for generations, hunting the renegade ogres who still prefer the taste of fresh bodies and blood instead of livestock. We have seen the signs, that something grave is about to approach this land which will affect us all, no matter how much we try to hide. So we have decided to help while we can.”
“Great, so help by eating the goblins then,” Max said sarcastically.
The ogre smiled a thin, sad smile at that before replying.
“I do not eat any meat or blood. I only eat vegetables and fruits.”
“Great. A damn vegetarian monster vampire,” Deez said with a chuckle.
“Yes. A fitting name I think. You may call me Vegetarian as you will not be able to pronounce my real name,” the ogre said tapping his chin in thought.
“Try us,” I challenged him.
A series of clicks and wheezes followed from the ogre which made Fremod whimper even more.
“Right, pleased to meet you Veggie, you know us all by now. Now what the hell we gonna do about Fremod. He is acting like a little baby there.”
“I do believe that he has an inbred fear of us. Perhaps my real shape will prove to you why?” Veggie offered.
“Not now. Let’s get out of this mess first,” I said to the visible relief of the troll.
A quick meeting was held in the dwindling torch light as a hasty plan was formulated. Once it was agreed upon, we moved out for probably our last battle before we reached the safety of Dwarfinaan.
“Ward now is the time for you and your dwarves to lend a hand with your magic, even if it’s only to close those side tunnels for us. I promise we will close our eyes so we can’t see what you are doing,” I asked of the dwarf.
“You leave me in a tough predicament Bob, I for one do not want to die within these tunnels, but I also do not want to die by the council’s hand either. But, I will take that chance and do what I can.”
“So will I,” Shard agreed to my surprise, which grew more when Pebbles added his voice.
“Thank you, very much for your sacrifice. You will not be forgotten,” I thanked them deeply.
“Bruce. It’s time to break out the flamethrower. You lead the way and we’ll cover you. Max, Deez let the horses run ahead of us. They will only hinder us at that ambush. If we’re lucky, they will spring the trap and we can fight on a fair footing, or at least some will make it to Dwarfinaan and alert them to our peril.”
My orders were carried out, and soon the horses were sent thundering blindly down the tunnels. We only carried the necessities now, food, water, spare weapons and torches. We followed the horses at a much slower pace. The odd hoof beat echoing back to us every now and then.
A faint roar was heard much later on, but the distance and direction could not be determined. Veggie ranged out in front of us, reporting back often on how far until the ambush site. Our nervous began to grow in anticipation, sweat beginning to form, making our grip on our weapons slippery.
“Not much farther now,” Veggie whispered back to us. “Perhaps another hundred meters until a sharp bend to the right which then opens up into the avenue.”
I nodded to it, turning to Bruce and with a gesture he lit the pilot flame with a maniacal smile. The rest of us cocked our crossbows and followed him at a discreet distance, not wanting to be caught in any flames which may have blown back towards us. Gingerly, we carried on, with Veggie still leading the way closely followed by the crazy Aussie.
Noises could be heard behind us as the trailing goblins edged closer to us. Thackeray hung back, readying a nasty spell for them while we stopped at the bend, reading ourselves for the last confrontation.
“Here we go boys. Stick close for the barbie now,” Bruce said before he started chuckling manically.
He stepped around the corne
r, Max and Titanius following right behind him, the rest of us close by. The avenue was as wide as the ogre had said. Four wagons could easily pass side by side. The floor was paved with octagonal flagstones, giving it a flat surface. The walls were lit once again with the glowing crystals, bathing the entire avenue in a soft, comfortable light. The side avenues were all ominously dark, thick cobwebs hanging off the entrances obscuring what lay behind them. Surprisingly the avenue was relatively free from dust, showing that it was well used.
We formed up into a battle square, Bruce now standing by himself about twenty meters in front of us, and Thackeray still in the tunnel with his deadly surprise for our followers, with Mia and the injured dwarves in the middle of the square where we could offer some sort of protection, for now. A short gesture from me started us moving down the center of the avenue, our crossbows held against our shoulders ready for the attack. Bruce swung the nozzle of the flamethrower from side to side, the pilot flame trailing madly behind it as he giggled continuously.