“Together we stand!


    After a heroic rearguard action by the proud sons and daughters of the Free People’s Company. Abenstadtian forces have finally stabilised the defensive lines and ground the Imperial war machine to a halt. Thanks to our brave troops on the frontlines, the cities of Tynsford and Felmarch have risen up in rebellion, its citizenry seeing that the Imperials can be beaten. Together, we shall repel the menace! United in strength and spirit!”


    - Guten Abend!, Front Page


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    They watched as curious denizens of the caverns partook in the feast laid out for them. Though she noticed how the rodents mainly gnawed on dwarven corpses, leaving the monsters to the giant arachnids that slowly worked their way up the road from the far side. As of right now, she counted three of the monstrosities being accompanied by about two dozen smaller spiders. Although the smaller ones were not the size of a house, it frightened her all the same as they ranged anywhere from dog-sized to one approaching that of a cow. Caves suck. In spite of all this, she also felt a small sense of relief in seeing no signs of the dead returning to life, a minor victory against the backdrop of carnage.


    The two found themselves a small crossing in the form of a rickety rope bridge that spanned the ridgeline to the edge skirt of the walls. While they wondered why the area was unguarded on their end, the answer became clear enough once they stepped onto it. It was wobbling like crazy and only through sheer persistence and willpower did they manage to somewhat steadily advance. Even then, the eerie noises of ropes swaying unnerved them, the weight they exerted was now part of a carefully managed balancing act. Sophie understood then, that there was no need to guard this approach simply because it would take an intruder so much effort to get across, and that any sentry with a crossbow could simply shake the bridge or shoot them before they even got close. For them at least, this wasn''t a problem considering only the dead lay ahead.


    Sophia landed first, dropping onto the ramparts with a heavy thud as her eyes scanned the terrain. Sophie froze and waited for an all clear, watching her counterpart intently as Sophia seemed to examine every corner.


    All clear. Came Sophia’s announcement


    Relieved at finally being allowed to leave the rickety bridge, Sophie hurried across. She practically jumped off when she was close enough and landed with a less than graceful tumble. But she was more than happy to trade an extra scrape of bruise if it meant she would not be at risk of falling once more. Her past experiences had begun carving out a distaste for heights within her, particularly if it was a high place with potentially lethal consequences if she fell. She nodded appreciatively as Sophia helped her up, the two spending a moment to focus themselves at the grim task ahead.


    One advantage to visiting a fortress after a bloody siege was that none of the doors or gates were locked. Most had either been bashed, scratched, or accidentally left open. Signs of battle were all around them as the natural choke points also meant more would perish there. Not that one could tell where the battle started or began here. The walls themselves were covered in viscera. In the most contested places, brutal melees had broken out as the dwarves fought to their last. Weapons and armour were torn from their wielders in the same way that limbs and body parts were cleaved from the creatures. It had been a battle of horrific proportions and for once, Sophie felt her own bloodlust subside as the scale of the events finally weighed down on her.


    “What now?” Sophia whispered, “Are we still trying to look for survivors? Cause I don’t think anyone made it.”


    Sophie shook her head, “We’ll try but I’m not getting my hopes up. I was thinking we could hit the armoury, see if they have anything useful.”


    “Fair enough. We hear or see something though, we leave immediately.”


    “Wasn’t planning on staying.” Sophie dully acknowledged.


    Sophia snorted her reply and just pointed at the first fortress tower. The two sighed in unison and began their tepid advance, taking great care to avoid the bodies piled up around them. It was seeing the lifeless, brutalised corpses around them that made Sophie shudder with a terrifying thought. Amongst the gnawed skeletal remains of dwarves who died early and those whose bodies were coated with the dried blood of their allies, Sophie found that she thought little of the dead. She found herself more worried about the manner of their deaths and what threats remained. It was a haunting thought that she found herself stewing within as she realized that the corpses no longer phased. Have I really… gotten used to this?


    “Takes some kind of fucked to keep going after the shit we’ve…you’ve experienced.” Sophia tried to offer her reassurance.


    Sophie snickered before shooting her counterpart a supportive look, “If you are me, then saying ‘we’ is fine. My memories are yours. Though I suppose right now, we’re making separate ones.”


    Sophia nodded before her attention was drawn far away, her eyes remained unfocused until she snapped back to reality. “Right. Remind me to explain my theory when we’re somewhere… more agreeable.”


    “Theory?” Sophie cocked her head.


    “On why we separated. Despite you only recently having touched the void.”


    “Ah! Of course.”


    "Only when this is over."


    With an agreement made, the two gingerly moved past the maze of bodies on the walls, quietly stepping into the fortress tower. They shuffled past dwarven warriors, shields still raised as they fell, their necks and limbs filled with innumerable bite marks and chucks ripped out of them. Axes and swords remained embedded within the creatures they had slain, their owners too focused on survival to retrieve their weaponry.


    There was an eerie silence that draped itself over the halls of the tower. A serenity that held itself high amongst all the dead that had visited the place. Hundreds died wtihin these walls, hundreds more outside, and even more who had perished in the fortress proper. The scent of copper and iron hung heavy around them, tainted by the sulphuric bitterness of the shadow creatures. Furniture lay cracked and splintered, flimsy barricades hastily erected and just as quickly shattered. The fortress was a mess from top to bottom, but it was quiet.


    The armoury for the fort tower was easy enough to find, for a dozen or more defenders had made their final stand here. The corridor outside was filled with monster corpses, the inside with the remains of the dwarves and monsters entangled in a fleshy pile. Most of the arms had been stripped from their shelves but the two managed to scavenge two small shields. The craftsmanship was exceptional, and even after the scrapes and dents they seemed more than serviceable, if only that the straps were a little too loose for their non-muscular not dwarven arms. Finding little else that was usable due to most weapons being fairly unwieldy for non dwarves, they debated exploring the rest of the tower but thought better of it. Instead, they set their sights on finding the mess hall and gathering what rations they could.


    Making their way down the tower, they found a large dormitory area that had a stairway leading  further downwards. Under the assumption that food would likely be in the most accessible location for the tower’s inhabitants, they began their second descent. A ramshackle defensive barricade, erected with tables and chairs surrounded a u-shaped canteen station. More furniture was splintered or shoved aside and it seems that the fortress tower’s civilian residents had made their futile stand here, their bodies strewn about the station alongside the few monsters they did bring down.


    Gently prying away the corpses, the two rummaged around until they found a few wrapped meals. Opening one, they found to their relief that it was made of dried meats and fruits, food that could at least last a brief journey. Upon seeing the food however, Sophie’s stomach growled and she was left with the empty feeling that she hadn’t really eaten or drank anything substantial for at least a day or two. With hunger descending, she looked up pitifully at Sophia who seemed to feel some similar pangs.


    No time like the present. We might not get another opportunity. Sophia shrugged.


    With her tacit approval, Sophie unceremoniously ripped open one of the food packages and began greedily devouring the contents within. Intense salted meats and the hint of dried fruits barely entered her flavour palette as she practically inhaled two packages of rations within a minute or two. Sophia followed suit though at a far more reasonable pace, taking normal bites of her rations and swallowing before moving onto ther next bite. Praying that a keg at the canteen hadn’t been tainted, the two opened the tap to find whatever dwarven mead or liquid pouring out was still relatively normal. Without hesitation, they drank whatever they could and guzzled down a tankard''s worth of liquid each before returning to their meal.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Sophie almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all, how time and experiences have pushed her into such a macabre position. With only her counterpart of shadow clone, whatever Sophia might be as company. They were busy having their fill of food and drink from the stocks of a desecrated fortress, still surrounded by dozens upon dozens of corpses, a few even within arms reach. Back in Carrador she would be horrified by the herself of right now. Stars above.


    Temporarily satiated, the two grabbed two rations each, now on the hunt for bags. For this at least, they didn’t have to go far. A few of the civilians had knapsacks strapped across their waists. Bowing their heads and offering a small prayer of apology, the two extricated two such bags and stuffed them with the rations.


    Defensively equipped, somewhat sustained and relatively certain that they were clear of survivors. The two made their way back up the fortress tower, hoping to get a vantage point and survey the next leg of their journey. Arriving back on the armoury floor, Sophie wondered just how quickly the fighting inside had gone down. She knew that the horde’s advance took hours to breach the fortifications, the sound of explosions meaning that the defences on the walls still functioned. She froze at the thought, rushing out of the doorway much to Sophia’s surprise. Sophie scanned the battlements and ignored all the corpses, her eyes searching between the gaps between each parapet. All the defensives are missing, all the siege weapons are missing.


    Hearing this thought sparked Sophia’s interest as well, and soon her counterpart joined her on the walls. Together, they came to the grim conclusion that the horde had taken them as siege weapons, likely intending to breach more dwarven fortifications in the near future. The gut wrenching feeling only strengthened their resolve to find a way to warn the dwarves before it was too late.


    Screeches and growls echoed from back down the highway and the two immediately dived for cover. Pushing away a few fallen defenders, they poked their heads out from behind the battlements. They both saw one of the giant spiders rearing up defensively, but curiously the creature was not attacking. Travelling down the road at speed and riding past all the snacking wildlife, the duo spotted a column of what appeared to be dwarven riders sitting atop rams or boars. The two tracked them as they came to a halt beneath the shadow of the gate, around fifty riders in total who hurriedly began forming a half circle around the gate, their shields facing down the highway with weapons pointed outwards. A few dismounted and began looking at the gate, their curses and grumbles still indiscernible but the sound of complaining reached the duo nonetheless, the dissatisfaction conveyed.


    “Oi!” A gruff voice shouted from below, the thunderous sound seemingly carrying all throughout this part of the cavern, “Border Ranger Okil Firestone reporting with training company Rockbreaker. If anyone’s still alive, please open the gates!”


    His voice reached the duo loud and clear, but it seemed to also have the unintended side effect of being loud enough to annoy the feasting monsters. Clearly disturbed by the loud noises, the arachnids began screeching at the dwarves, their massive size making a few of the defenders take steps backwards. Seeing the agitated monsters, Sophie traded a glance with Sophia and the two nodded, they needed to do something. Looking around, they found the squat looking building sticking above the gate and shuffled over towards it while keeping out of sight, uncertain of how the dwarves would respond to their presence.


    “Please! My lads and lassies are trained for a scuffle but not against this much! There’s a keg-full of beasties out here and we ain’t too keen on tackling them! If anyone’s there, please get the gate open!” Ranger Okil yelled once more.


    This seemed to be the limit for the creatures and with a ferocious shriek, the arachnids launched their attack against the mobile meals. Sophie peaked over the battlements to briefly see a flurry of crossbow bolts strike down the first few smaller spiders before Sophia pushed her head down and kept them moving forward.


    Entering the gatehouse, beyond the more dead they found. They also saw two dwarves that had jammed their bodies into the gate winches, their axes also embedded in an attempt to keep the gate shut from possible invaders. Reluctantly, the two pried the bodies off, ignoring the sudden squelching noise that happened when one of the dwarves had their hand simply fall off. The two then removed the axes and proceeded to quickly raise the chains that held the portcullis in place. Metallic creaks and groans started slowly but into a simple yet quick rhythm as the gates were opened. Inside, the two held it open for a minute, hoping that the dwarves spent this time getting through. After counting about two minutes having passed, the duo nodded and let the winch go, the chains quickly reversing and slamming the gate back down. Hearing the thud, the two breathed a sigh of relief.


    While they took a moment to recover, the boisterous shouting from outside reminded them that they were not alone. Stepping back out, they suddenly found themselves the center of attention for fifty odd dwarves who all ceased speaking at once to stare at them. Sophie could practically feel the moment they all realized that she and Sophia were not exactly dwarves, the few gasps and sighs escaping the gathered crowd as a few uncertainly raised their crossbows halfway.


    “Well now, ain’t that a damned surprise and a half?” The familiar voice of the ranger called up.


    Looking down, the duo found a dwarf covered with a brown cowl and cape staring back up at them. Not only that, as Sophie slowly noticed that all these dwarves wore brown cowls and capes, though more than half only had their capes with no hoods or cowls. Their mounts also safely made it across and Sophie almost found herself engrossed by the sight of the rams and boars if not for Sophia looking at her to speak. Why me? You could too.


    You’re the one slowly losing her mind, it’ll be a good refresher.


    Sophia scowled at her counterpart but turned to offer a half bow to the dwarf. “My apologies, we tried to open the gate as quickly as we could.”


    “Now, don’t be thinking me rude for asking, but who exactly in the hells are you two? Last I recall, no knif- elves were assigned to the garrison. Hells, I think I’d remember if any elves were anywhere nearby. At least ye don’t look like those of the darke.” Ranger Okil snorted.


    A few of the other dwarves mumbled their agreement, though the two could see that the crowd was still fairly wary of them.


    “We came here by chance. Found this place under siege and waited it out.” Sophie announced, prompting a wave of discontent from the crowd.


    “Easy, easy.” Okil turned to his cohort before looking back up, squinting at the two, “Would explain why two surface born are talking to me instead of the dark ones. Though I see you’re not entirely free from sin.”


    Sophie felt herself apprehensively touch her shield and knapsack, the sensations of guilt worming their way within her. They think we''re looters. Sophia on the other-hand, seemed completely unfazed and just looked for Sophie to continue. Mildly peeved at being left to dry, Sophie gave her counterpart a slightly aggressive nudge before speaking once more.


    “We came in from the cliffs.” She pointed towards the cavern walls, “We needed supplies before heading for Kaz-kar… uh, Kar Druzara? Is that the name?”


    Hearing that, the dwarves broke out into more hushed whispers, spending a longer moment to examine the two elves in their midst. Okil turned towards a few of his cowled comrades and together, they dispersed to calm the crowd, the crossbows lowering as a silent ceasefire was declared.


    “Well then, strange travellers of the Druz. Forgive us for our caution, but as you can see here. This is…” He gestured at the death that surrounded all of them, “A bit of a shock. So if ye don’t mind, why don’t ya walk down here slowly, and unarmed, preferably. Considering you helped us out, I’ll take that as a modest sign of good faith, at least.”


    The two carefully made their way towards a nearby stairway, keeping their hands exposed to the dwarves as they approached. For their part, the dwarves only now seemed to be fully taking in the devastation that had befallen the fortress, more than a few letting out choked noises of anguish. Okil and what Sophie assumed to be his commanders kept their eyes firmly trained on the two of them, their hands never far from their axes or crossbows. Trained, and dangerous.


    She swore she could hear the entire dwarven contingent suck in a breath when they finally reached normal speaking distances. The dwarves were almost as amazed as they were cautious of the two strange elves that had simply appeared before them. The two sides stared at each other, a strange quietness settling between the groups besides the shrieking of spiders outside the walls and the burps of the mounts. Eventually, Okil sighed and the dwarven commanders relaxed, their troops doing so in turn.


    “Well then.” He looked them up and down, “I suppose there’s no trickery here yet, seeing as we’re all standing. Or any archers you have remain hidden in the shadows. So if you two don’t mind, how the hells did two surface elves end up all the way down here? And what the fuck happened here? We heard the rumblings and came as fast as we could but this...” He looked around incredulously, "This is too much."


    Sophie caught Sophia arching an eyebrow at her and simply rolled her eyes in turn. But with a gentle nod acquiescing to the dwarf’s request, she took in a small breath and began recounting the duo’s tale.


    “We were originally following a small squad here on assignment with the Inquisition, the black hats if you know them.”


    “Aye, we know of them.”


    “Well, we were going to meet with one in Kar Druzara.” Sophie continued.


    “A black hat in Druzara?”


    “That sounds like a load of toss.”


    “Humans? Down here? Now elves?”


    A few of the dwarves whispered.


    “Enough.” Okil silenced his troop with a glare before nodding at Sophie, “Please, continue.”


    “Right, well we came down the uhh, smuggler’s way from the human city of Festheim...”