From the shadows

[EverMan]

Alrighty people, through a serious of very annoying events, I no longer have access to my laptop. So I am instead using the home computer, which does not have spell check, or any type of Microsoft word. So, I've decided to write my story on here, where others can enjoy it...maybe.

Chapter one: The depths.
(Part one)
His eyes fluttered open. It was dark. It was always dark. Of course, being a dwarf, this meant little for his actual ability to see. He glanced around the room, taking it all in.
It was small, all made of stone, once a place of worship. There stood a short altar in the center of the room, and a door across the room, opposite where he sat. He crawled slowly over to another form, laying still. He tried to wake him, but somewhere deep inside him, Klim knew he was already dead.
"Only three of us left." Spoke a raspy voice from his right. There was another dwarf, leaning against the altar. She had suffered a horrible wound twelve years ago, to her throat, which had caused her voice to become no louder then a whisper, and sound like some dieing animal.
Klim nodded. "The lantern must have gone out." The other simply nodded. "What now?" He asked. At this she thought hard for a moment, scratching at her scale mail armor.
"We do exactly what our enemies are trying to prevent. Simple in the idea, but difficult in reality." She unslung the war hammer from her back. "We fight. We kill. We survive."

"Lieutenant, how fares the march?" Spoke a deep voice from behind him. The lieutenant, a tall man with long brown hair, spun around.
"Oh. Uh, just fine, sir. We've had no real resistance as of late."
"Good." Replied his commander. Both men were fully armored, wearing thick full plate. The commander had his helmet on, which covered all of his head, save for two thin eye slots. Both had capes, though the commanders was longer and red, while the lieutenant's was green. "We should have these mountains conquered within the week. Then we can move on, as our emperor commands." He said, gazing at the massive gates which once were closed to them. It had only taken three days to tear them open.
"Very good sir."
"Hm. Any word on their queen yet?" The other mans reply was a simply shake of the head. "Ah well. We'll get the little bitch yet." He muttered, chuckling slightly.
The Queen of the Shield Dwarves had caused an immeasurable amount of trouble for the advancing steel armies. She was the first to oppose them, and wouldn't be the last.
With a slight puff of black smoke, a woman suddenly appeared beside the lieutenant. She wore gray robes, with short orange hair, and deep purple eyes. She was a moon elf, with light blue skin. He yelped slightly at her appearance, though the commander didn't flinch at all.
"A little jumpy today, are we, Rion?" She asked, her voice smooth, cool and calm. He shook his head quickly.
"Not at all, just that magic is.....still new to me." Was his response, while he thought: Gods I hate it.
"Good, then this should be easy." She raised her right hand, speaking a few short words. Just as he lifted his arms to shield himself, a beam of green energy shot from her fingers. As it touched his skin, his eyes went wide, and he gasped loudly. After a few moments of shaking, he fell to the ground, cold and dead. The two others stared at the dead body in silence. Finally, it was the mage who spoke first.
"You have too many spies in your camp for our emperors liking."
"I know, I know. But do not worry yourself, I shall have them purged by this weeks ends." She then cocked her head.
"How so?" This caused him to smile, as he turned away.
"Why, with you, of course."

The trio marched onward, their boots muffled with thick cloths. They had found torches earlier, but not a one of the dared to light any. It would be as a beacon to the beings in the mountain, which would be lose now, including soldiers of the steel army.
"Do you think we're the lats ones?" Whispered one.
"Aurestus, you idiot. One army and a few creatures is not enough to exterminate us mountain Dwarves." Spoke the female.
"Oh. Really? Because I saw an awful lot of soldiers at the gates."
"Alexandria's beard. Since when were you at the gates?"
"Before....this." He said, gesturing at the vast nothingness. The huge cavern was at the center of their great city, Kar-Eizel. Any other time, their would be gatherings, parties, parades, and merchants, all along the seven league deep cave. The roof was over a few hundred feet high, which allowed for spectacular fire work and magic displays. But now, there was nothing but darkness, and quiet.
"I wonder if the Queen got away." Klim wondered aloud.
"I bet she did." Commented Aurestus.
"Not if we're the last ones left alive." Sneered the third dwarf.
"Desdia, why are you always so.....bitter?"
"Oooo, smarty got himself a-"
"Both of you! Quiet!" Klim ordered.
Silence.
"I here it." Whispered Desdia, almost inaudible.
"Me to." Aurestus answered, glancing around frantically.
The noise was far off, and nothing more then a slight ticking. Repetitive, once ever five seconds or so.
"What could it be?" Mouthed Klim. Aurestus shook his head, while Desdia muttered:
"Sounds almost like footsteps." At that, the three went silent once again.
The ticking stopped, and the all held their breath. All of a sudden, all went dark, as if they had suddenly become blind. Klim heard the sound of footsteps in front of him. He rolled forward, drawing the thick, two handed scimitar from his side.
He connected with a pair of slender legs mid roll, sending his enemy crashing to the ground. When he stood, he realized he could see. He spun around, raising his weapon high. A Dark Elf, the one h e had hit, charged out from the mass of shadows, a thin blade in each hand. As Klim swung his own, the Elf raised both of his in a block. But Klim was much stronger, and had acted fasted, causing his sword to break through, hacking into the soft flesh between the neck and shoulder, cutting clean through the collar bone. Blood sprayed in a shallow arc, as he collapsed to the ground, fatally wounded and bleeding profusely.
He glanced around then, to see three other Elves, one with Aurestus standing over top, removing his knives from various wounds, and the other two had been smashed to death by Desdia's hammer.
"Stupid Silvers." She muttered. Aurestus simply grimaced as he wiped blood from his blades.
"They must be desperate, that was a waste of their time, magic, and lives." Klim nodded his agreement. Many Dark Elves had the innate ability to create an area of supernatural darkness, small spheres of dark red flame, and outline someone with something called faerie fire. This was something that would cover someone in a dark purple, glittery substance, making it much easier to track or find them. Technically she was wrong, as the darkness wasn't magic, but an ability, though Klim would let it slide.

The scout pushed his feet against the horse again, in a desperate attempt to make it move faster, though it was running as fast as it could.
Oh gods, they're right behind me! She thought, veering to the right, narrowly avoiding colliding with a tree. As the woman came over top the ridge, she glanced behind her. There was a vaguely humanoid figure chasing her, hovering over the ground, seemingly made from the shadows themselves.
"Shit!" She swore, pushing with her feet once again. Her and the creature continued their chase for another two minutes, before it caught up. It's right hand lashed out, grazing the womans back. She gasped, arching her back, as a horribly painful feeling of cold washed over her. As the creature pulled it's hand back to strike again, she flung herself from the horse.
She hit the ground hard, though she did manage to pull her arms and legs up, curling into a ball. When she had finally stopped rolling, she stood, and began to ran as fast as her bruised legs would carry her.
I'm almost there, so close, so close. She could see the lights of the camp, could almost feel the warmth of the fires. That was, until the creature pulled itself in front of her. She groaned loudly, pulling the light blue knife from her hip. No, not again, PLEASE not again!
"Hey! Who's out there!" Came a cry from her left. The shadow being looked in that direction, and then seemed to vanish, not after giving the woman a final warning glance of course.
"N-nothing. Just, out for a walk." She replied, as the man came towards her.
"Ulal? Oh, thought it was a Leinix. Come on, let's head back." She nodded weakly, and as she walk aways she stared back at the mountain range, where she could have sworn a pair of eyes watched her every move.

[EverMan]

Chapter Two: Discoveries

The commander scanned his soldiers, how they arranged themselves row by row, walking in perfect unison. How wonderful. He had mentally burned into their skulls how important this kind of discipline was, and how it would be the thing to win their battles. While his soldiers may not have understood the exact reasoning, they dared not question it. If it were anyone else, then maybe, but not this man, the fanatic that he was.
"Sir." Came a soft voice from behind him. He turned slightly, nodding his acknowledgement. "Anymore?" He asked.
"Yes. Just one. It seems there aren't as many as I thought." Said the mage, as she came to stand beside them. They stood on a ridge in the mountain, watching three battalions march south, to reach the other side of the mountain, to the west. "You know, these Dwarves weren't as much of a problem as I thought they were." The commander simply nodded. After a few seconds of silence, she asked:
"Why aren't you speaking?"
"Why are you doing this for me?" He asked.
"This isn't for you. It's for this whole dam army. And I do it, because I like to." Was her answer. The commander believed her, as there were many who joined the armies simply to kill. "Oh, there's something else." She said, taking a few steps closer. He glanced from her to his personal guard, who stood about twenty feet away.
"What?"
"Well...there have been some....disturbances." She said quietly.
"Such as?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not to sure. Just....be careful." At that she turned around, and walked away.

The only sound in the house was that of trickling water. It came more specifically from the main room, where the owners and company would rest on lavish furniture, drink teas and coffee's, talking about things like the weather and recent happenings. It was an odd device, one extremely expensive and difficult to make. It was something called a water clock, which was much more accurate then an hour glass, and was run, obviously, by water. It sat on a wooden desk, stained dark brown, in front of the window, just underneath. Two couches made of fine red cloth were positioned in a V, so that they faced each other slightly, with a fine glass table in between them.
A woman sat on one of the couches, staring intently at the clock. She wore a green dress, one that was tight and long, reaching her ankles. It looked as if it was velvet, but was in fact made of furs that came from a wild Rixul, a twenty foot hairy worm, with lots of teeth. The fur was dyed green, and woven together, creating a wonderfully soft feeling on ones skin.
The door swung open slowly, as a man in a waistcoat stepped in, nodding ever so slightly at her.
"Madam, the carriage is ready." He said, as he dipped his bald head and exited. She seemed to not notice at all, before she finally stood after a few moments.
She made her way outside, her finely made snake skin boots clicking on the stone steps and walkway. The man opened the door for her, then went to sit beside the driver. She could hear the man order his horses forward, down the wide open streets. On the street which she lived, the one they currently traveled down, very few people would be walking about. But as they made their way to the temple, more and more would be about, which would slow down their progress. To her though, it mattered not. She left her mansion because she must, not because she wanted to.
As they finally reached their destination, which was crowded with people, she let herself out, and began to make her way through the people. The man in the coat rushed to her side.
"M'lady, please, allow me." He said, and made a path for her. She rolled her eyes and sighed, though he saw none of it.
As they reached the doors, she could see the carnage within. Guards stood about the main entrance, searching and scanning the area. It was closed off to the commoners, by a line of armed soldiers, all wearing the same blue armor, complete with shields and swords. They parted for her, which cause a slight murmur among the crowd.
"Where is he?" She asked, stepping past the man, into the temple. It was temple to Markin, god of good health and prosperity.
"I really do not think this is a place for women right now." Commented a soldier, relatively new. She gave him a sharp glance, but otherwise ignored him.
"He's down the hall." Was the captains answer, as he gestured in the general direction. She gave a quick nod, and strode off. The hallway, as the rest of the temple, was made from black and white marble, perfectly cut.
"So. Another fight?" She asked, leaning upon the doorway. The man she was talking to sat on a bench, one were people waiting to see the priests usually sat. His head was in his hands, hiding his face. He wore expensive blue clothing, a dress shirt with frills and black pants, smooth, clean.
"I heard the guard make a comment." He answered, his voice deep, raspy, as he scratched his mane of wavy brown hair. He means the one about this scene not being one for women. Gods, I hate this city.
"Yea. I managed to let it....slide." She answered, her voice cool, calm and stern. He nodded, and raised his head, revealing a tanned face with large blue eyes. His matched hers, though when she was angry hers could become the darkest of greys. Her hair was blonde and her skin pale, which was usual for islanders. Of course, Tri-City, which was where she lived, was 200 leagues away from the sea.
"Someone came her. Dressed all in black. He asked about a woman, who apparently wielded swords of crystal.....and something to do with a prophesy." The woman was deathly pale now, her eyes wide and fixed on him.
"What else?" She rasped. He looked suspiciously up at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Thats about it. One thing lead to another, and the priests ended up dead." She took this all in over about a minute, thinking hard. Then, finally:
"All of them?"
"No, just the three talking to him."
"Oh. Well, lets go home then, shall we?" She said, walking out towards the exit through the larger room, stepping gingerly over the mangled bodies and blood.

The sound of hundreds of metallic feet crashing down on stone filled the air. Row upon row of soldiers fully clothed with cold, loud, clanking metal descended farther and farther into the mountain. Three Dwarves, each one's heart racing and their breaths more like gasps, stood behind stalagmites, not moving. They marched past, a many of them glancing uneasily at the surrounding stalagmites and rocks, memories of horror stories rising in their minds. Of course, the imperial mages had used magic to scout for large numbers of people, but that wouldn't detect the three Dwarves.
"What do we do?!" Whispered Desdia. Klim shrugged, while Aurestus didn't hear her, or didn't dare answer.
Just as she was about to speak again, they all heard the sound of leather on stone. The sound was faint, but non the less caused all three of them to freeze once more. It came from their lefts, closest to Aurestus and farthest from Klim. Aurestus reached into his outer shirt, producing a small knife in each hand. Desdia raised her hands, closing them around the handle of her hammer, while Klim's hand went to his own weapon.
Please, Oryn, let them walk past us. Let them not notice.

Ulal walked slowly and carefull down the path, scanning the stalagmites as she did, short sword in hand. Ugh, please let nothing find me, or let me find nothing. I've had enough of these mountains, and all of these dark and scary creatures. She thought, edging around another spike of stone.
That's odd, one made of a slightly red rock? She made her way to a particularly large one, made from a deep red. How odd.

The three Dwarves had tracked the leather feet to behind a red boulder, not more then twenty feet from where they hid. Desdia eased the hammer from her back, as Klim drew his scimitar. This can't happen. It's not fair, we've made it this far, damit! He thought angrily, raising his weapon a bit more.

"These caves are so.....big." Commented Whry. The commander didn't move, while the captain nodded. The three rode horses, with the mage on the left and commander on the right. This made the captain particularly uncomfortable, as most knew that the commander and mage had gotten much to close. Not in the sexual sense, of course.
"It intrigues me as to how the Dwarves were able to carve this stone." The commander said.
"Actually, they didn't carve this, this is natural." She answered. The captain, a large man, shifted in his saddle.
"Tell me, are you fond of the open sky?" He asked, turning slightly to the man.
"Er, no sir."
"Good, because that" He said, gesturing to the cave opening. "Is the last of it you'll be seeing in a while." And under his metal mask, he smiled at the mans discomfort. Whry at least nice enough to save him.
"If you'll excuse us, I'd like to speak with the commander in private." The burley man mumbled something, and rode off.
"So, how many in total have been dispatched so far?" He asked, moving his horse beside hers.
"Six. And there are more. Do you have some form of body guard?" He shook his head.
"None of them are brave enough to face me, are they?"
"Yes, I'd think so. Go get yourself one."
"I highly doubt any of them would be able to best me."
"Now just hold on. Surrounded by your soldiers, or in a one on one duel, then no, they wouldn't. But these are spies and assassins, they strike from the dark, while you sleep, when your back is turned. They wont even bother with swords in a duel." She said. Wait. Does he even use a sword? Maybe an ax? I've heard stories of him being undefeated, but what does he use? His slight chuckle didn't make her feel any better.
"Fine then, a body guard I will get. Anyone you'd suggest?"
"I hadn't thought about anyone in particular. Don't bother with someone who just looks intimidating, I doubt that'd deter them. Find someone skilled, preferably an assassin of your own."
"Possibly one of the emperors?" He said, and they both thought for a moment.
Dam do they scare me. She thought, shuddering. He smiled and nodded.
"My thoughts exactly. Alright, don't worry, I'll find one. You'd best get back to....work."

She continued forward, edging around the rock. What's that sound? She thought, listening closely. Is that....breathing?
And she stepped around the rock, standing face to face with the three dwarves. No one moved.
"I wont tell." She blurted out. All of them seemed taken back. One of them said something to the other two, which caused them to nod.
"I'm not lying. Really. I don't even want to be here. I don't want this trouble." And to prove her point, she slid her sword away.
One grunted, while another sheathed his sword.
"Thank you." He said, in rough common. The female seemed startled by him, but followed him off non the less. She sighed deeply. Go on, I hope you keep yourselves hidden from these bastards for as long as you can.

[EverMan]

Chapter Three: Understanding.
(Part one)
"Ulal!" Yelled the soldier. The scout rushed forward, snatching the piece of parchment from him. He looked a bit offended, but continued on calling out names. She made her way back to her tent, which was now underground with the rest of them, and sat down on a pillow. She lit a small lantern, and unrolled the parchment.
"Kether?" Came a voice from the entrance of the tent. Ulal jumped back, her hand to her chest.
"By Alexandria's beard, you scared the shit outa me!" She yelled. The man chuckled, and crawled inside.
"That's just what I do." He said, and meant it. Bale, for that was his name, was an assassin. A royal one, of the emperor himself. He wore black leather boots, armor, gloves, and cloak. His scarf, also black, was almost always wrapped around his head, covering most of his face. Along with his hood, the only visible parts would be his eyes. But for he, the scarf lay around his neck, and his hood back.
"You didn't answer me."
"Oh. Well, uh, yes, of course it's him." She said. As she blushed, he flashed his perfect white teeth in a smile.
"You're just like a kid."
"Shut up!" She said, and tossed a pillow at him. After a few moments of the pillow being thrown back and forth, they had calmed down.
"What does he have to say this time?" He asked her. She glanced back down at the note.
"Well, he managed to summon himself a Leinix last week." She said, almost glowing with pride.
"Really? How?!"
"Well, he doesn't have very much power, magically that is. But, he makes up for it with intelligence, and guile."
"Ah. So, it was a battle of the wits when it arrived then, was it?" She nodded. He stood then, and smiled down at her.
"Well, I must be leaving now. Business to attend to." As he walked from her tent, his unnatural grin, and spark in his eye gave her a slight shiver. Creepy guy.

[EverMan]

(part two)
The castle was crowded. While it was designed to house many, it wasn't designed to have the equivalent of ALL the occupants in one room, which was over 300 people. Izlandi stood in the midst of it, her arm looped around her husbands, Sorousa. They chatted with another couple, over things trivial and unimportant. Or at least, that was what Izlandi thought of it.
"When will the meeting begin?" She asked, interrupting the flow of the conversation. The man opposite her frowned.
"What does it matter? Your husband was just telling us of some man who murdered three priests."
"How dreadful!" His wife exclaimed. It was all Izlandi could do, to not laugh whenever she looked upon her poofy, and ridiculous, dress.
"Yes, quite." Mused Sorousa. "If you will excuse us, we must greet our friends, who I do believe have just entered." And with a slight nod, they slipped off.
"Thank you." She muttered to him.
"I could practically FEEL your boredom." Just as the two reached the entrance/exit, a large bell was rung.
"The meeting is starting." He commented.
"Don't take too long." She ordered. He flashed her a smile, and detached himself.

His door opened with a loud WOOSH. He spoke one short word, and a sphere of light appeared in the middle of the room. There was a loud hiss, as something fell to the ground with a loud crash. He raced inside, following the sound, his robes swishing behind him. The orb of light followed.
This room was larger, smelling of incense, with scribbles all over the floor. At the far end, opposite the wizard, was the Leinix. It was essentially a cat, six feet long, and four feet off the ground. It's long fur was orange and black, with very long, black whiskers protruding from it's snout. It's three tails wagged back and forth behind it, slowly.
"Stand DOWN." He ordered sternly. The giant cat answered with a deep growl. The wizard flicked his wrist, and the orb flew forth. The cat opened it's mouth wide, letting loose a fierce roar. The waves of sound were actually visible, as the tore apart the orb. Shit.
He dove to the ground, as something large sailed over his head. He quickly spun, creating a larger orb, this one made of fire. The cat was but ten feet away, it's ears flattened against it's head, it's massive eyes fixed on him.
"DON'T you start with me." He warned. The cat dove for him again. He threw the ball up, the fire catching it in the chest. With a hiss of pain, the fire, and cat, collided with him. Claws raked his right shoulder, before he managed to push himself away. He gathered to himself more flames, just as the cat opened it's mouth once more. With a squeak, the wizard dodged to the side, as sonic waves ripped past him, hammering into the stone wall. He launched his own attack, a wave of fire, which threw the cat into the air. As it landed, he stood, speaking the words of magic. The scribbles on the floor began to glow, all different colors, outlining a circle. With the cat in the middle.
"BE GONE!" He shouted at last, as waves of multi-colored magic collided in the middle of the circle, striking the cat, although it caused no pain. When the colors disappeared, so did the cat.

[EverMan]

(Part three)
"Ow, watch it!"
"Well, if you'd stop MOVING, this wouldn't HAPPEN, now would it?"
The wizard grumbled to himself, closing his eyes in pain. The woman sitting beside him was dressed in plain white robes, with a needle and medical thread in her hands. She held the wizards arm, and was stitching his shoulder.
"You look tired." She commented.
"Yea. The poison does that."
She almost jumped out of her chair, then remembered the sharp metal object she held so close to the mans arm.
"Poison?!"
"Oh, don't worry, it wont kill me. The Leinix is an otherworldly predator, and, has otherworldly poison, which is why you didn't detect it."
"Oh."
"Yea. All it will do is make me a bit groggy, but most of thats worn off already anyways."
"Well, good, 'cause I'm not letting you walk around at this time of night, drunk like some old sailor." She said, patting his back. "There, all stitched up. Now, get out ah here!" She yelled, a smile spread across her face. He smiled back, and headed for the door. The infirmary was small, and it took him almost no time. He wrapped his large gray cloak around himself, and left.
The night air was cool, and the wizard could see it on his breath. The moon shone brightly, reflecting light off of every window and puddle he passed, almost as if it were day. It made the streets even spookier, creating shifting shadows at every corner and intersection, as bats and small birds fluttered over top the houses. The streets, save for one or two, were empty, and the wizard past few people.
He reached the gates to the academy in no time. They were over fifteen feet high, and made of magically enhanced steel. The tops were barbed spikes, which rose high into the night sky, giving the place an ominous look. But in reality, to those who knew it at least, the academy wasn't scary at all. It was a place for aspiring wizards of all sorts, to hone their skills, and learn more about the complicated arts of magic.
The man spoke a few short words, and the gates slid open, just long enough for him to enter. The academy lay before him, twelve stories high, a massive building for sure. Though, it had to be, to house the hundreds that came from every corner of the world.

"Oi! Ulal!" Cried a voice from behind her. She tore her eyes from the walls of the mountain. They were shrouded in shadow, and she swore she saw them watching her.
"Uh, yea?"
"Come play with us." Her eye brows furrowed, and she pulled her horse to the side, letting a large group of soldiers pass her. She then slipped into the column, beside a carriage.
"Play? With what, dice?" She asked, giving the man a questioning look. He was maybe five feet tall, balding, and had a face that looked like a dog's.
"No no no no, no dice." He said sternly, staring at the rest of the group. One of the women laughed, smiling wide.
"Hey, I thought it was fun." She said.
"Cause you cheated!" Spoke the man in the back. He wore black robes, and had a nicely kept black beard and hair.
"Lies!"
"It's not dice!" Yelled the balding man.
"Then what is it Tuck?" What a plain name, for such an interesting man.
"Cards." He said, a partially toothless grin spreading across his face. He held up a deck of maybe 80 cards.
"Are they.....made of wood?" The robed man asked.
"Of course they are!" Spoke the woman.
"I think Lorex wanted to know WHY their made of wood." Spoke another woman. Whereas the first one wore comfortable, easy to move in clothing, the second wore heavy plate and chain mail.
"See? FAIRD has some sense in her." He muttered.
"Hah! Sense? Do we not remember the troll?" She said, barely able to contain her laughter. Faird sighed loudly, not making eye contact anymore. Tuck giggled, and even Lorex smiled.
"Aww, why did you have to bring that up?" Asked Ulal sympathetically.
"It's fine, I was going to check on getting some food anyway." She said, and hopped from the carriage, heading for another. Lorex leaned forward and slapped the woman on the back of the head.
"You ass." He said.
"Just, shut up. Let's play some damned cards."

[EverMan]

"This armor iches!" Complained Aurestus.
"Oh, shut UP!" Hissed Desdia. The first dwarf whimpered, but fell silent. The three of them marched alongside each other, beside a large caravan. The Steel Army was making it's way farther and farther into the mountain every day, though not many people knew why.
"Think anyone noticed we don't belong yet?" Desdia asked sarcastically. No one payed her any attention. "I'm sure we fit right in. Wouldn't you think they'd monitor their soldiers? What kind of sad army is this."
Aurestus snorted in laughter. "Heh, yea."
Just then, the very ground beneath them shook. Dust came floating down ever so slowly from the walls around them, and the high up roof. The three Dwarves fell to the ground, as did the soldiers around them. Klim opened his mouth to speak, but found that no sound came forth. That's when the first piece struck.
A massive chunk of rock, as large as two caravans came crashing down. Klim could hear the screams of the soldiers struck, and it took him a second to realize they could her him once again.
"Move!" He yelled. The three of them, despite the trembling earth, made their way away from the wall, which lay only fifty feet away.
Another chunk came down, crushing a carriage.
"What's happening?" Asked Aurestus. As if to answer his question, thousands of Dwarves emerged. They came from the darkness, from the ground, even from the wall itself. They wore full battle armor, armed with axes, spears, swords, bows, and all sorts of dangerous weaponry.
"Oh." He breathed. Another section of rock came down, striking a large group of soldiers. Our mages. Klim realized. The Steel Army tried it's best to mount a defense, but the Dwarves had the advantage. They were not only surprised, but under attack from giant falling rocks as well.
"Uhm, we have a problem." Desdia pointed out, gesturing to the charging Dwarves. "We're in the Steel Army standard uniform." She observed.
"Shit."

The commander rode beside Whry, his cape draped over the back of the horse he rode on.
"We stopping yet?" She asked.
"No. We will in maybe an hour."
"But I wanna stop NOW." She whined.
Just as he was about to respond, the ground shook.
"What the fu-"
Just then the first rock fell, crushing a battalion of soldiers right in front of him.
"We're under attack! Prepare yourselves!" He bellowed, practically launching himself from his horse. Whry was on the ground as well, though she didn't get there through her own free will. Her horse was still bucking, and running around frantically. Though his soldiers tried, they couldn't properly organize some form of defense. God dammed Dwarves!

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