Thought I'd relay my latest Fortress event in short story form
--
Ngokang Ostrasmamxu languished in his cell miserably. It had been nearly a full year since he had taken part in the Goblin siege on the Dwarven fortress of "Cloisteredjudges".
The attack had been an unmitigated disaster, ending before it had even begun. At least, he thought, the Dwarves had treated them fairly upon their surrender. Food and board, protection from violence...the Fortress prison was almost safer than the Goblin citadel he had left from!
Suddenly the cell door opened, and he raised his head. A burly Dwarf stood before him.
"It's your lucky day, Goblin! Come with me."
Ngokang's shackles gave him little choice but to obey. The Dwarf led him down a long, fine hallway he hadn't noticed during his incarceration - the Dwarves had clearly been busy building. Eventually, they stopped at a branched entrance. The neighbouring room had a sloped pit in the centre of the floor.
The Dwarf laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You're to be released, you know. Sent free from the great halls of Cloisteredjudges!"
Ngokang's heart leapt! Never in his life had he felt so ecstatic.
"Released..." The Dwarf continued, his eyes narrowing into slits "...unto the mediating influence of The Great Judge. You are to be The First. May she have mercy on you." With that, the Dwarf hurled young Ngokang into the room, sending him flying down the chute.
Grimacing, his eyes cracked open. Around him was a tall, long hallway. The walls were splendidly smooth to the touch, the work of expert craftsmen. But the darkness that shrouded him was almost impenetrable.
Ngokang called out. "Am I to be spared?" His nasal Goblin tones echoed in the cavernous surroundings. There was no reply. Eventually he began to walk. The halls continued on and on and on. They looped on themselves, and at one point he felt the thick nausea of despair creep into him as he realised he had arrived back at his entrance point.
"Hello?!"
This time, there
was an answer. It came in the form of a thud. Then another. Another. He turned, and through the dim light barely made out two black orbs. They were eyes so dark, the very light around them seemed to grow dimmer. A face emerged now - a wide nose, nostrils flared. He heard a greedy, hungry snorting.
Hair, vein-laden muscles that bulged. A thick, earthy scent.
"N-N-NO!" He stammered, further words dying in his throat. The ghastly Minotaur reared up, towering above him, as it's grip closed on his right arm. He felt the bones snap as the creature lifted him above it's head, hurling him across the room.
Through the agony, he staggered to his feet. The beast was readying itself for a mighty charge, hooves scratching the rock floor in frenzied fashion. Ngokang ran faster than ever before, his heart pounding in his chest, terror tugging at his every nerve.
But it was hopeless. For a split second he felt the razor sharp horn as it dug into the small of his back, but then the pain washed away. He didn't feel the impact of the cold, hard floor, or even notice as the gargantuan beast raised it's massive fist for the final blow.
In his mind at that moment, he understood. The creature was impartial, unbiased. It would as soon devour a Dwarf as a Goblin, a criminal as an innocent.
A single tear of emotion gathered on his cheek as he thought of the careless warlord who had sent him there. Perhaps one day he too would face The Great Judge - and the thought formed on his face his last ever smile.
--
(Yeah, just built my first labyrinth. A pet Minotaur! I love it
)
)