The events of the 8th of Slate, 1067
"Oh, Lenod save me, they're everywhere," moaned Mosus Sacktwinkled, her face and armor covered in sticky black blood and chunks of meat.
Hammerer Rackreleased growled and gave her a hard cuff upside the head and said, "Just keep swinging you sissy! Don't let them get through the damn gates!"
The hammerer squad had been attacking the horde of dread camels for a half hour. Even Kib, with all her grit and brawn, was swinging her hammer a little bit slower, a little bit more clumsily. Occasionally there would be a hollow laugh from on the walls, and a single bolt would fly from the tower, catching a camel in the head to bring it clattering to the ground, it's evil magic bond broken.
"Damned undead," Rackreleased complained, "She's toying with us."
"There's an end, sir!" Sacktwinkled cried, nearly overcome with emotion. Kib let loose a fell roar and charged, smashing one hard enough it collided with a second, both of them exploding into dust. The remaining half dozen, were quickly dispatched, and Rackreleased grinned, soaking in the cheers that came from inside the fortress. If only Sulari would actually fight he thought morosely, [/i]she's become broken since Snake... that's the last thing this fortress needed.[/i]
It was only as his squadmates limped towards the gates, and the praise behind them, that Rackreleased noticed he was missing one.
"Where's Jools," he asked, his voice low.
"Jools?" Kib Blinked, scratching her back with the edge of her warhammer. "He's right - wait? Where is he? Hunny?"
"Oh!" Keldor said amiably from the sidelines, "I saw some of those evil beasts down by the magma vent. I pointed them out, and he charged on down after them."
"Oh good lord, no!"
Rackreleased and Kib, as tired as they were, sprinted past Sacktwinkled hitting the stairs at full speed. Kib was breathing hard as she dropped floor after floor, the wind knocked out of her as she hit hard on both feet at the bottom. Scanning the area hurriedly, she saw a Dwarf standing by the wall. Surrounded by the corpses of three camels.
"Did- ...did you do THIS?" Kib stammered.
"Oh!" Jools turned, looking confused, but he smiled wide. He pointed at one of the camels with his sword. "They were down here, and I didn't want you all to be bothered, I know you were busy. So, uh, I came down here and killed them, I think."
"You killed three by yourself... my gosh, my little man is growing up so fast!"
"I feel so... so strong," Jools said, looking down at his hands, and his sword. "Like I... could punch through a fuckin' wall! I never knew it would be like this!"
"Uhh, yeah. Okay, come on dear," Kib said soothingly, "After battle, we go to the mess and drink a lot as a reward."
"This is power!"
"Yes dear, now come along and be quiet. You're arm candy, remember?"