I
I followed the group as they ran towards the entrance of the prison. The Gnome reached in his pocket and unlocked an old, metal door. He opened it to reveal a sprawling, massive fortress. Wiping the blood off my weapons, I realized the Dranai wasn’t kidding.
We were met with fierce opposition. Our massacre in the prison must have caused alerted them to our presence. The Dark Iron Dwarves attacked in large groups. What they lacked in weaponry they made up for in sheer force and number. The Dwarves fought in a methodologically predictable fashion, as if they had been training for many years for a moment such as this.
We soon found ourselves in a narrow corridor, strangely silent. This was a good chance for us to rest up. I put my shield away and blankly stared out the window. To my surprise, I saw scores of Dark Iron Dwarves marching in a line. It became obvious that all the stories and legends were right. These Dwarves were planning to unleash large scale attack.
In my gaze I didn’t notice one of my comrades standing right next to me. The Night Elf spoke solemnly. “We’ve all been here before, Piket. Despite our endless fight, and despite sacrificing the lives of countless heros, we’ve never succeeded in bringing an end to this madness. We can destroy every abomination in this wretched fortress only to find greater numbers in their wake. If we are to succeed, we will need to destroy Emperor Thaurissan himself. But alas, I fear we are not strong enough.”
I turned to respond, but the Night Elf took his pet and joined the rest of the group as they geared up to continue their plight. Suddenly this all made sense. My party was nonchalant as a result of countless attacks on this fortress. Unlike me they’re well versed in this area. Maybe my presence would help them in achieving their ultimate goal.
We left the tunnel and made our way to an opening, where we were attacked by a few groups of Dwarves. As we fought them I heard something out of the ordinary. Laughing and clanging of dishes? Leaving their scolding bodies behind, we walked upstairs to find a strange bar filled with drunken Dwarves and Gnoles. My comrades walked through the now silent room calmly towards the exit at the back of the room.
We can destroy every abomination in this wretched fortress only to find greater numbers in their wake.
Without thinking, I walked straight into a table, knocking a stein of fizzing beer to the ground. In an instant the bar erupted in a drunken rage. The five of us were up against a horde of fifty or so drunken Dwarves. Despite our odds, we stood our ground. Soon the place was silent once again. Only now it wreaked of booze and blood.
Then the door flung open. A large stone golem and fire elemental took us by surprise. It mindlessly swung at us, shattering tables and chairs with its enormous arms. The mage sent his water elemental after the fire as we focused our attacks. As it picked up it’s arm for another swing, the hunter shot several arrows into it’s heart, freezing it in place. It fell to the ground with a loud crash. We then turned to the fire elemental, delivering the final blow to the already diminished inferno.
Looking off into the endless rooms ahead, I knew even greater challenges awaited.
