Steven Burke - The Dark Tide

The mountain fortress echoed with the sounds of death as the battle for Mount Carrick raged on. Weeks had passed since the dwarves surprised their uninvited neighbors with a series of well-placed and timed artifices. The damage inflicted on the goblins and rock trolls was much more significant than merely a large number of casualties…the psychological damage was devastating. After some time Kana’s warriors regained their composure…until the arrival of the legendary brown bears that is. Huslu came roaring into view over the peak above Dagnolir’s castle with a sea of brown behind him early one morning. This avalanche of fur heartened the battered dwarves and caused the rock trolls to briefly halt their crushing barrage at the sight of this strange phenomenon. The impressive warrior druid Nariko was among the charging bears as they descended upon the trembling forces of goblins and bewildered trolls.

The snow had stopped days ago which left the mountainside slick with ice because of the heavy foot traffic in conjunction with the freezing rain that took the place of the unnatural blizzard. General Yuki’s goblin troops had only made it close enough to shoot long range arrows at the bearded cave dwellers. The slippery terrain had made it impossible to get any closer. The combined army was beginning to run low on supplies and ammunition because the supply line that led back to the place that Yuki had intended to make camp was too treacherous…even for the rock trolls. At the base of the mountain was a pile of goods that the goblin home guard had transported over the past few weeks. They had attempted to reach their general, but they too were driven back by nature.

The bears crashed into the temporarily stunned forces of Kana with extreme force. The goblins that were unfortunate enough to be at the front were torn to pieces like wet paper. Their black blood ran down the mountainside like a spring thaw before its time. The freezing rain began to turn into snow once more as the merciless assault continued. The rock trolls began hand to hand combat with the unexpected furry warriors from the north. This was a crucial point in the siege for both sides…if the bear army was successful in driving Yuki’s forces back to the base of the mountain; the new blizzard would likely keep them at bay for several days. This would provide the dwarves with a much needed breather during which they could regroup and rebuild. However, if the goblins and rock trolls were successful in slaughtering the advancing army, then they would have the tide turned in their favor once again. They would be able to re-establish their supply route which would help them be better prepared for the latest weather development.

Lord Nariko reared up on his hind legs and transformed into his stout dwarven form. He raised his battle hammer high into the air while chanting some druidic spell. As the massive magical weapon came crashing down on the icy surface, the loud crash echoed across the suddenly still mountainside. The rock trolls knew at once what the little bearded magic wielder had done. They turned around and attempted to make a dash down the slope. An ear splitting cracking noise ripped through the snow filled air as the sheet of ice Yuki’s troops had been standing on began to break away right in front of the sly druid.

General Yuki shrieked in utter frustration as she began to slide away down the mountainside along with her army. She shouted profanities in her native tongue and was soon out of sight as the snow’s intensity increased. Her voice was drowned out by the cries of terror from her goblin soldiers. Several chunks of ice came whirring through the air at the chuckling figure of Lord Nariko. The rock trolls had determined to have one final parting shot at the annoying bearded wizard. Nariko smiled as he raised his war hammer high above his head. He reared back and hurled the weapon at the deadly projectiles with surprising accuracy. The hammer smashed into the first ice block with shattering results. The magical weapon continued on to the other icy chunks before returning to the hands of its master.

“Brilliant…you always know what to do at any given moment” said Huslu to Nariko’s mind.

“Once you and your fellows had dispatched several of those vile green beasts I noticed that there was a clear line between the two forces. I thought it would be prudent to send those vicious pieces of filth on their way so that we could all get a breather. It was quite a trek from Renshaw to here and I did not want our fatigue to play into our enemy’s hands” explained the druid smoothly. He was panting from the recent fighting and his muscles screamed at him from overuse. He stood erect and did not show his fatigue as he watch the last vestiges of their aggressors go over the edge. Dwarves were able to fight much longer than any other race or creature. Some thought they were literally made of stone.

“As I was saying…you always know what to do. How about we get out of this blizzard and warm up a bit?” suggested the leader of the brown bears of the north. She shook her body to rid herself of the snow that was quickly building up on her. She was massive in size which made her look unbelievable huge next to Nariko.

“Let us be on our way then…I am sure King Dagnolir would like to repay our timely intervention. I get the feeling that our rest will be short lived…the people of Carrick are being attacked in the tunnels below as we speak” Nariko said with a fierce look. While he put on a confident front, he was greatly concerned with the well-coordinated assault on the mountain fortress. We did not give the goblins and trolls credit for their ability to work together in such an efficient manner.

The battle under the mountain was much more arduous than the goblins and rock trolls had anticipated. While the number of casualties down below was significantly less than what General Yuki had experienced up above, the lack of any progress was driving the trolls, in particular, to their breaking point. They still remembered the fiery deaths of their comrades at the beginning of their misfortune. The massive brutes had taken out their frustrations on their smaller counterparts when it became clear that they could not make any sustainable push against the stubborn dwarves. One of the most significant blockades was their own dead. There were so many bodies blocking the only entry way into the bowels of the fortified city that they could not make any head way. They had spent a considerable amount of time unceremoniously throwing their dead or dying into the abyss they had finally crossed weeks earlier.

“Commander Toan…what news from above?” asked Commander Jabari impatiently. He was growing weary with the lack of success and was hoping that Lord Trahern and Commander Vahe were having better luck.

“I am afraid that the news from above is not good at all. They have had a major setback due to the arrival of those furry beasts from the north” explained Toan resignedly. He too was overly tired from this whole bloodied affair that was filled with nothing but disappointment.

“Vragen dun lienzen!” swore Jabari in exasperation. He slammed his massive fist into the cave wall next to him. A large chunk of rock broke off and fell onto an unsuspecting goblin. The poor soldier was instantly crushed. None of the rock trolls took notice of the goblin’s fate. They all agreed with their comrade’s assessment.

“Too true…however, that is not even half of it. That wicked dwarf who can turn into a lienzen was with those fluffy bears. He used his war hammer to crack the ice our comrades were positioned on” explained Toan dejectedly. “Our troops slid all the way down to the bottom of the mountain. In addition to this wretched news, they are being hit by another blizzard.” His face was as animated as a troll could get which looked really painful. It was clear that they did not have many facial expressions and that it took considerable effort to change between them.