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[Megaman_zx]

I tried something a bit different this time. I chose to focus the story on someone other than Zothoabo, let me know if you like it, and I may try it out some more. The hero of this story is Zothoabo's son, and potential One-Punch kid, Duslud.

Duslud stood before the large wooden statue. “Prepare to die, Giant! Before you stands Duslud, Master Swordsman of the Riverguard. ENGUARDE!!!” The seven year old child Duslud attacked the wooden statue with his toy sword, spouting clangs crashes to accentuate the drama of his swordplay. After running around the statue for a few minutes Duslud saw his opening. “Time to finish this.” He said to the statue and began climbing up towards the head.

“DUSLUD!” Yelled his father Zothoabo from across the room, “What in the name of Ino are you doing? Get down from there.”

“But da, I’m going to be a hero.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed if you keep this up.”

“But we killed a cyclops.”

“You got lucky.”

“I’ve seen what happens to people who get attacked by monsters like that cyclops, it’s not pretty.” Zothoabo sighed, and walked over to his son, picking him up and putting him on his shoulders. “I’m happy to see you playing, but you aren’t immortal. We could be attacked by goblins, elves, or even dwarves at any time, and I don’t want you, your mother, or your sisters caught outside during the next attack. It may sound boring, but I lived through - ” His reminiscing was cut off by Duslud’s toy sword hitting his head.

“Faster dada, faster!” Zothoabo smiled and began jogging down the hallway with his son. At least he can still have fun, and smile he thought to himself. Is wanting to be a hero really that bad.

They rode around the fortress for a bit, and just as Duslud was getting bored, the alarm sounded. “Goblins at the Southern gate, citizens return to your burrows, militia, deploy to your assigned positions.”

Zothoabo quickly carried Duslud to his room, “stay here, I have to go outside for a bit. Make sure your mother, brother and sisters are safe.” Zothoabo hugged his son, picked up his bow, and quiver of arrows, and headed for the eagle’s nest.”

Duslud sat patiently for 15 seconds before deciding to watch the fight. After all, how was he going to be the best swordsman in the riverguard without leveling up his observer skill?

He heard his sisters returning to the family room, and decided to sneak out the main entrance of the hospital. After making his quick escape he checked his wooden toy sword to make sure it was combat ready…. Could use a good sharpening, but for now it will have to do.

He scurried past the other citizens of Mong Kima, using his small size to juke and dodge between legs till he was outside. The air smelled a bit different outside. It smelled, dirtier, almost like the dirt of a farm before harvest time, but different, somehow more primal than that.

He got to wall and hoisted himself up to look over the edge. He briefly glimpsed the battle outside before dropping back onto the ground. He knew what the smell was. Blood covered the ground as a few exhausted humans chased the last of the bloodied goblins from the fortress. There were bodies everywhere, blood soaked the ground, and he began to realize the sounds of battle in the air. The clanging of metal, the shouts of victory and defeat, and the moaning requests of dying soldiers.

Duslud covered his ears and ran back into the fortress. It took him a while to get back as he lost himself in the maze of hallways a couple times and had to double back on his route. When he reached the hospital he saw his father Zothoabo working on an injured soldier. Blood was trickling onto the floor and a bone in the soldier’s leg was exposed.



Duslud quietly shuffled to his room, embarrassed by his own cowardice, but also his disregard for his father’s advice. When he got back to the bedroom, his mother, hustra greeted him with worry, “Duslud, where were you? Are you hurt?”
 
“No,” he mumbled, “I got lost.” He walked to his bed and lay down. As he rolled over, he was poked by his wooden toy sword which he had forgotten to stow in the family coffer. He took it off, and threw it across the room. Maybe he wasn’t cut out to be a hero after all. 

[Cathar]

This is so absolutely adorable, as always, and it'll make a very good transition to what's going to follow - a prime opportunity for heroes to rise and fall.

***

Music

It is now winter 136 and the townbell is ringing again. I remember last year, when I said that their forces were superior to all previous sieges combined. Maybe I jinxed it and should have held my tongue - because they are coming again, and this time again, they sent forces superior to all previous sieges combined.

Jamila has been scouting ahead - she reported almost three hundred souls. Almost three time the population of Watershield, including newborns. Half of them were beakdogs, swamp creatures that goblins use as warrides ; regiments of crossbowmen, and a big squad of troll infantry.

When she came back, we prepared as quickly as we could. We prayed for our souls at the temple, and we assembled in the checkpoint we built last year. This battle could very well be our last. Some of us proposed to seal off the fortress and to turtle in, but such idea was discarded quickly -if we failed to stop them, such an terrifying force would have a clear path to attack the capitale city of Hazelslide.

We put our armors on and sharpened our blades - should we perish or should we prevail, we would not take a single step back.

Quickly, the civilian population was sealed inside the keep, and as it pained me to do so, I had no choice but to take the archer squad with us. Outnumbered like this, this was our only option, and as much as it pains me to use lightly armored soldiers, we had no choice.


Lord Ryukan invited Astesh, the dwarven scholar we hired as a teacher for our own researchers, to witness the conflict from the throne room. The reason is - someone he might have known is marching in front of the enemy army.



Osnun Menacedinched, General of Osme Stosbûb, definitely look like a dwarf from Kod Såkzul. Kod Såkzul has been our de facto ally in the west, fighting a losing battle against the elves of Pinalene - seing one of them among our enemies was a very distasteful surprize.

Astesh told us about her. Apparently her parents had been abducted and used as slave laborers. Her father managed to escape, and later on joined a group of performers, coming back to civilization after a lifetime of enslavement... But her daughter was another story altogether. She grew up a slave, far from the mountainhome of her kind, becoming a loyal goon of this creature they call "master Lomoth".

According to Astesh, death only can save her. We are currently waiting for the sign to sally out. May Ino and Edri watch over us.

[mate888]

Welp, this ought to be fun.

[Cathar]

Just a quick heads up, it's going to be a BIG battle and I want to cover a number of happenings, so it's going to take time. To keep update pace, I'll divide it into the four main events of this fight. It's in the works o/

[Asin]

(What did I miss?)

[Sir Knight]

(If this continues, I totally wanna know.  I love reading comics.  And it's dwarfy!  . . . Humany?)

[Imic]

I've been meaning to necro this, but my Irish politeness has forbidden me from prodding someone I respect.
Still, I hope this isn't dead.

[TheImmortalRyukan]

Meh, I really did enjoy this, hope it comes back

[TheImmortalRyukan]

Also, if we survived this battle, what the heck was Ryukan wearing? Was that a monkey on his shirt?

Also, am I single? If this is a generational fort, I would like to have some children to establish a noble blood line thank you.

Also, your art is my favorite on the forums, its truly amazing

[JCdestr0yer]

I hope we are just going to have an amazing comic strip and that's why we have to wait so long.

[Giant]

NOOOO worst possible cliffhanger. You can't do this to us!

[Cathar]

I'm terribly sorry for that cliffhanger, and for letting you guys down for a prolonged period of time. Work is eating my time, had some more projects to work on, and that battle is quite long to draw. But this is going to continue, like quite soon. I have already stuff to show, like 50% of the battle, and I'll be uploading everything this week end. Again, very sorry.

Also yes, Ryukan is wearing a monkey on his shirt. Don't ask... that's what our artisans decided to sew ! For the bloodline, I also wish to give him a legacy, and I tried to make him hangout with single ladies, but... He's not really flirtitious enough. I might need to help him a bit.

[Imic]

I'm terribly sorry for that cliffhanger, and for letting you guys down for a prolonged period of time. Work is eating my time, had some more projects to work on, and that battle is quite long to draw. But this is going to continue, like quite soon. I have already stuff to show, like 50% of the battle, and I'll be uploading everything this week end. Again, very sorry.

Also yes, Ryukan is wearing a monkey on his shirt. Don't ask... that's what our artisans decided to sew ! For the bloodline, I also wish to give him a legacy, and I tried to make him hangout with single ladies, but... He's not really flirtitious enough. I might need to help him a bit.

It's okay, I know the feeling.

[Cathar]

Again, sorry for the big waiting time. Got my stuff sorted out (kinda),let's continue our story.

***

It is hard for me to write this story. The siege that will later be known as the Dented Attack took the lives of many of those we loved and cared for. But as painful as it is to remember this night of november, I feel I need to do it to honor the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for the Nation of Pearls.

Music

When the army of Oslun came to Watershield, we had already began to improve our defense system. The brook was made deeper to serve as a poor man's moat, and a chokehold was built to control the enemy movement. The plan was to concentrate the fighting into the smallest area possible, so our fewer but superior fighters can negate the numerical advantage of the goblins of Dungeonpleat. The fight would have to take place on the bridge ; after an opening volley from the archers, my shieldbangers engage first. Wounded and tired soldiers would be evacuated and replaced by Imic's knights as the fight goes on.

This way, we could stand a modicum of chance, outnumbered ten on one.

But when I did the usual headcount before the fight, one of my soldiers was missing. It was Inspunz Elderpath. I assumed she fled and went into hiding with the civilians... I was soon to learn it was the exact opposite. She went to meet the enemy alone, engaging the three hundred soldiers of Oslun.



She killed their general with a single strike, and went on unleashing primal fury on every troll and goblin her axe could find.

Inspunz was already known for her bravery the day she went on fighting and slaying that weretortoise alone. Surrounded from all sides and walking on a sea of corpses, she finally died, not without having delayed and disorganized the invaders.



Without clear leadership, the goblins fell into chaos, and broke down in roughly three groups. While the main army proceeded to attack on the bridge, two groups of cavalry tried to walk around to find ways of surrounding us. We decided to keep on with the plan ; the main battle had to be fought on the bridge.


One volley of arrows was enough to avenge the death of Inspunz. My shieldbangers moved on the bridge and the fight started.

Osti, first son of Haspen, and Lum, only daughter of Uquur, gave their lives on the bridge but the enemy casualties kept piling on. Morale was still high and we were fighting with desperate energy.

Hours of fighting to keep the enemy bogged down and the first group of goblin flanking cavalry arrived from the rear and rushed to the archers.
Iguk and Domi, children of Mim Eshahiner, broke ranks and engaged them. Their father wasn't far and moved to assist them.

He however was too late.



A handful of soldiers came to his help, and they made short work of the flanking cavalry. We already had a lot of losses, and the main enemy force was still in fighting condition, but slowly, the battle started to turn in our favor.

[Imic]

Beutiful work. Might want to keep an eye on the goblin cavalry, though.