Content Warning: Graphic depictions of violence and poetry.
Captain Edzul Tangathdodók caught himself unconsciously lifting a gauntleted hand towards his mouth and forced it back down by his side. He'd been a soldier for almost a year now, and yet some part of his brain kept expecting to be able to chew on his nails through his steel gauntlets. He picked his shield up off the cavern floor, brushed a little fungus off of it, and then turned to face his squad.
He cleared his throat and tried to find the right words. He knew he wasn't great with words, but he had to say something to prepare the squad. "This will be the first real test of The Daggers of Slipping. Our squad has helped clean up troglodytes and giant cave rats, but today we're up against something much worse."
The members of his squad were still quietly muttering to each other and only half listening to him. He had to get their attention. "It's a Forgotten Beast."
That shut them up.
"According to reports, it is attacking serpent-people that, or at least it was. That sounds like good news, but once it's done with them, well, you know." He had their undivided attention. "It's supposed to look like a big buffalo. But with, uh. With feathers."
At least one dwarf snorted at that. Or maybe that was the war rhino.
"Good news is, it doesn't seem to have wings, so we don't have to worry about it flying over our wildlife defense fenc- uh, defense walls. If it comes in, it'll probably be by breaking down one of the gates or climbing over our walls."
This didn't seem to comfort anyone.
"But I am confident that we will pull through. I am proud to serve with all of you. We've only been together for a year, but even in that short time, you've made me proud. Very proud."
Atîs, a dark-skinned swordsdwarf jabbed her elbow into the thigh of the soldier standing next to her, with a surprisingly loud "CLANK!" The human woman glanced down at her squadmate, and Atîs "whispered" loudly enough for everyone to hear. "I think he might be proud of us."
Everyone except the Captain chuckled. It wasn't much of a joke, but Atîs seemed to have a knack for making jokes at the most inappropriate times. Edzul could have reprimanded her, but he figured this was a good time to break the tension, before the big fight would come. He knew how to deal with Atîs.
"Recruit Atîs!", Edzul boomed. The swordsdwarf saluted sharply. Maybe too sharply. Was she making fun of him? He continued with only a brief pause. "Where is Recruit Ushat?"
Atîs tried to smile, but he could tell that she was nervous. "Sir, I'm not sure. Maybe in the tavern reciting one of his boring poems?"
The captain smiled in spite of himself. He actually liked Ushat's poetry. "Aren't you his apprentice?"
"Sir, yes sir. I hope to learn a lot from him about poetic forms, but if I have to hear another morality tale about the great god Limul, I might start spewing ngathsesh."
Edzul sighed. "I meant don't you know where your master is?"
At this, Atîs looked genuinely worried. "I honestly have no idea where he ended up."
The human swordsdwarf (or would that be "swordshuman"?) raised her hand. It was a peculiarly human gesture, but Edzul had gotten used to it. "Yes, Luthi?"
Luthi spoke softly, but her voice somehow managed to fill the cavern. "I saw him in the barracks, putting on his armor with the rest of us. But I didn't see where he ended up."
Edzul always felt a bit uneasy treating Luthi as a subordinate. Not only did she tower over him, but she was a priestess. How the "Holy Price" of the Creed of Trades ended up on his squad is a question he had been unable to find an answer for.
"Thank y—" An ear-splitting shriek tore through the cavern, seeming to come from everywhere at the same time.
The squad erupted in panic. No one seemed to know what to do. Captain Edzul pulled his sword out of its scabbard and bellowed "CIRCLE UP! Back to back! Swords and shields at the ready! Eyes open! First one to spot the menace gets a mug of that fancy new mead!"
To their credit, the swordsdwarves (and two swordshumans) snapped into action as soon as they knew what to do. He continued his bellowing, basically just repeating the lessons in observation he'd learned only a month ago. "Watch the doors! Watch the crevices! Watch the shadows! Look left, right, down, and—"
"Up there!" Avuz shouted, as if on queue.
Edzul turned and looked up. He saw nothing but the sheer back wall of the cavern. So he looked up further. And further. At about a height of a dozen dwarves, at the top of what he now realized was a cliff, he saw... Well it wasn't a Forgotten Beast. Was that—?
"It's Ushat!" Atîs shouted.
And she was right. That long, bright orange hair was unmistakable.
How the hell did he get up there? And what was he doing? The poet had his sword and shield out and looked like he was fighting someth—
That terrible screech echoed off the walls again and Ushat dove out of sight just as an enormous mass of muddy brown feathers came into sight over the cliff edge. Edzul looked around frantically for a way up the sheer cliff face. Where were those damn crossbowdwarves‽
The Captain heard Ushat shouting in pain and a shower of pebbles fell to the ground. He looked up to see Ushat getting to his feet right at the cliff's edge. The feathered monstrosity slowly came into view, towering over the trembling poet. Almost all of the swordsdwarves were shouting at him, but even standing right next to them, Edzul couldn't make out a word.
The Beast's feathers undulated rhythmically, and then it suddenly lunged forwards. The dwarf barely avoided getting impaled on the things massive horns. Edzul flinched as he watched. They didn't have enough training for this yet. Ushat's shield was too high, and he was jabbing his sword wildly in the terrible creature's general direction. The giant buffalo-thing seemingly just shifted its feet and Ushat screamed in pain. A rock came sailing off the edge in an arc, landing at the base of the cliff.
No, not a rock. A boot. A boot with a foot still in it.
Edzul was certain that the rest of Ushat was going to follow soon after. What were they doing here? They were poets and priestesses, brewers and administrators. Maybe someday they would be soldiers, but right now? Even if he could find a way up there, he wasn't sure he'd know what to do.
He heard but did not see the sound of horn against steel. Ushat shouted from out of sight and the monster dodged sideways, sending a hail of small rocks tumbling down towards the now silent dwarves. Suddenly Ushat came back into view, swinging once with his sword, and then plowing, shield-first, into the Beast's foreleg.
And they both went over the edge.
The squad scattered as they saw the enormous reddish-brown thing tumble towards them, shrieking in anger, and perhaps fear. The shriek ended with horrifying, wet SPHLUMP, blood and gore spraying across the floor of the cave. Edzul forced himself to look. He didn't want to have to see his friend's body, but he had to make sure the Beast was well and truly dead.
But other than the one foot, Ushat's body was nowhere to be found. Perhaps it was somehow under—?
"He's alive!" Avuz shouted. "Up there!"
Sure enough, Ushat was still up there, clinging to his shield, which was wedged into a crack in the otherwise sheer olivine wall, only a half-dwarf's height below the clifftop.
"Hold on!" Edzul shouted. He turned to the two humans on his squad. "Luthi! Therset! Put those long legs to good use and go get help! Run!" To the rest of his squad, he spoke more quietly, but with urgency. "Find a way up there. Now."
The squad scattered to do as they were told, and into the quiet left by their departure, he heard Ushat's voice. It was the voice he used when reciting his poetry, when he the tavern was getting noisy and he wanted everyone's attention.
"O Limul, can it all end so quickly?" Ushat grunted and swung his free arm up to get a grip on the green stone.
He hissed fiercely, "Fear, begone."
He forced the toe of his one remaining steel boot into the wall and continued his oration. "No, I fear not these gruesome wounds."
Slowly, he began to pull himself towards the cliff's edge. "Faith demands it." The swordspoet's voice rang out, angry and defiant:
"
Begone Fear!"
At last, he lay, bleeding and panting on the clifftop. But his poem was not done. His voice was still audible throughout the cavern, but he spoke gently, sounding almost surprised. "Praise be, Limul. My fear ends so quickly!"
No one ever figured out how he got up there in the first place. The miners had to dig a new channel just so that the medical dwarves could get to him. He has since learned to wield his shield in the same arm as his crutch, but he's considering retiring from the military life, to spend more time on his poetry, and maybe pick up a craft or two.
Edit: Poetic forms must be observed.
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