Rhyn and the Six Dwarves
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((Sorry for the nearly week delay. This weeks been a tough one… had a comic cover due as well as 600 sketches, but without further ado.))
Rhyn and the Six Dwarves.
The group trudged up the snowy side of the cold mountains. Telli followed closely by Rhyn, Higgy, Rugg, Bran, Bitsy, and her brother Maythor. Many covered in cloaks, well aware of the mountains bite and its twists and turns. The trouble with this particular mountain was it often had a mind of its own. Heavy snow fall covered once traversed paths, as well as countless avalanches covering slopes and trees once used for landmarks. Bran and Telli nearly a year ago chased a two headed troll to the very spot they now traveled. In its cold hands lay an artifact of unimaginable strength and importance to the Dwarven Hold.
“Dis is abouts da spots where dat ugly ting losts us ain’ts its Bran?”
“Aye.”
“Wull less gets backs Orcy’s Sceptre eh?”
Telli grunted through her faceplate as her warm breath almost clung to the edge of her helmets openings fighting to stay within its confines. Telli half wishing Dwinnie was here… after all he was with her when they first found the stone that lead them to this Sceptre.
“Are we lost yet?”
“Didn’t we just pass tha’ tree?”
The questions began to cascade onto Telli who was leading this expedition. All she had was a torn looking map to guide her. And with the constant shifting geography of these slopes, it did her little good.
”Yuh guys go dat way… Wull go dis ways… one a da ways gotta leads furder ups.”
Thrusting her stubby feet into the snow as she lunged her body up the hill Telli soon found a path further up. Cupping the opening to her mouth, even her carefree, fly by the cuff approach was momentarily quenched as she weighed the severity of shouting at this altitude.
_”Hey… Gu…”
Just then the remaining group began to appear through the snowfall and the impending avalanche was not given breath of life.
“Oi… thank goodness!”
The monks cavern lit in the distance, the only place of refuge up the side of this death trap. The groups eyes kept firmly on its warm glow, its presence nearly heating them from the inside out. Closer the group pushed, and the more focused movement became on top of the cavern lip. Dark shades of jade danced across the caverns edge as shards of coal would a fire. The group approached running distance and Telli was met by a lightening bolt to the chest hurling her behind the group into a nearby snow bank.
_”aaaaaAAAAHHH”
Rhyn shouldered into one of the trolls sending him back enough to feel the full weight of Higgy’s axe upon its chest. Bran darted in and out between the legs of another as Tipsy settled her hammer firmly across ones knee. By the time Telli was up and out of the snow bank, much of the battle was already won.
”Hey…leave’un fer me!!!”
Sighing, her eyes along with others fixed on the dwarven cave and the giant gaping hole in the side of it tunneling down into the depths of the cold rock. Approaching the cavern mouth many of the dwarves present hoped for their kin to be unscathed. Telli entered with her stone slab sword and Higgy and Bran on her flanks.
”Oiy… yer not trolls! Ha….”
The group of monks grinned with relief some in the defensive stance. A few rushed to the massive bonfire sticking their wooden pokers into the flames and darting out of the cavern to press the tips firmly into the trolls flesh.
”Whats goings ons kins? Telli muttered as she reached in her side sachel for a bag of chocolates offering one to the monks.
”Ohhhh… we don’t get these delights up here often!” leaving the bag in his possession Telli and the others listened as they warmed otherwise frostbitten areas of their body. ”You saw the tunnels just on the eastern side of the mountain didn’t you?”
”We’s did…”
”They’re old mining caverns long lost to our kin. Trolls dwell deep within… We saw a rather large one with two heads enter some time ago. Warm yourselves as long as you like.”
”Danks kin, buh we cames ups ta gets dats two header and whats he tooks of ours, so… we shoulds prolly gets purdy soons.” Telli murmured motioning to the rest. A few more ales were chugged, a ration stuffed into someone’s mouth and the group was on their way once more out in the cold.
”Juss arounds da corner dey saids?”
”Yeah.”
Entering the eastern cavern the smell was ripe, even for Telli’s bearing. Sure enough it was an old mining cavern… the tracks leading deeper in rusted long ago from lack of use. Keen on ore and keeping the group safe Maythor took up the lead through the twisting system of openings. Whatever didn’t fall to Maythor, Higgy, or Rhyn… Telli quickly flanked with her stone slab of a sword swinging it swiftly against a trolls back. Mind you, these weren’t your typical trolls seen near Jiyyd often, these ones were more fierce and temperamental. Finally the cave system opened up exposing a mass hiding behind a large rock while a troll in etched armor stood between us and its form.
”HrrrrrrggghhhhhhHHHHH….
FWIP FWIP FWIP THUNK
Telli’s throwing axe landed square into the trolls chest splitting his armor.
”Go get hims RUGG!”
Rugg along with a few others rushed flanking the beast. The troll gripped Someone’s shoulder pad tearing it from its joints as iron bolts went sparkling through the air illuminated by the soft ambient light. Telli in usual form stomped on its foot as hard as she could sending a high pitched howl throughout the cavern by the beast. Mild avalanche tremors felt the lot began to dip and dart circling this beast with confusion until a few mighty blows were sunk into its back.
_”What….do you want? The hulking beast hidden behind the rock emerged. One set of eyes fixed on the dead troll at our feet, while the second set of eyes from another attached head stared at our weapons drawn.
”Yuh havedededs our SCEPTRE… dats OURS…..belongs ta DWARVES….nots YUHS!”
The two headed mass waved a hand sending a wall of stone blades to shoot out of the floor between us.
_”Who comes to seek it?”
_”MAYTHOR TROFF!!! May shouted as he hoped through an opening in the stone blades rushing to rest his axe into the meat of the creatures calf. Telli stood there with outstretched hands calling Chauntea grace into this battle as Higgy and Bran darted through. One of the blades caught Higgy’s back and she cursed leaping to sink her axe blade into the trolls thigh. Bran rushed to join her kin in the battle hoping to repay the creatures last attempts on her life. With a swipe she was sent rolling across the floor and quickly scrambled to regain footings weaving in and out of rock stalagmites as the two headed beast swung for her. Rhyn rushed between Bran and the troll tripping it up as Rugg and Tipsy hoped on its back dropping their weapons into its soft tissue. Last to the fight Telli delivered one of the finishing blows to the creaures as it fell atop her and her thrusted out blade.
”Oi…”
*tink tink tink * tink A glimmer of something caught Rugg’s eyes as the group helped turn the troll over for Telli’s release.
”Whats yuh got?” Maythor explained patting Rugg on the back nearly causing him to juggle the rod.
”I don’t know…”
”Lets Telli see I betcha its da rod…” Turning it over a few times she squealed with delight as she realized their long drawn out attempts were now coming to a conclusion. ”We foundedededededs its!….YAY!”
“Looks powerful…what else does the critter got.” May snorted turning a nearby basket over shaking it.
tink tink tink tink A gem bounced across the stone floor resting next to May’s boot. ”Hrrmmm…” Lifting it up and turning it about May peered deep within the rocks surface shaking it a little as he uttered. ”Ders a kin in a cage in dis rock.”
”Dats a kings tears May, deys purdy powerfuls, and deys showededededs tings abouts da kings dey belongedededs to." Telli grinned impishly as she watched him play with it. ”Rubs its likedededs dis May… I betcha its likedededs da’un Telli foundededs.”
Rubbing the flat tear shaped gem, Maythor began to glow a shade of blue.
”Whatchas feels likes…..stronga?….Toughers?”
”May feels smarta.” He grinned nodding certain as he tucked away the rock for another day.
Research was going to be needed to discover what the dwarf within the cage within the rock meant, but one thing was certain. Koirin would be thrilled that Orcbane’s Sceptre was finally recovered after all these years…_____
