Around the campfire, Bowen and the others saw a bright flash from the woods, followed closely by the sound of an explosion and a deathly scream. Toebiter leapt to his feet, growling in the direction of the sound. Chelgar drew her axe from beside her and Billiam slung the Aegis of Ages from his back and started toward the thick forest.
The party could hear the sounds of battle: grunts, yells, the clashing of steel, and the occasional otherworldly explosion accompanied with a bright flash. They finally approached the scene of the battle, one figure, wreathed in a halo of golden light and wielding a glowing blue spear fighting off a small party of orcs. Two dead greenskins lay nearby, one with a gaping hole in its chest and the other rent in two cleanly, the edges of its armor glowing red hot as though fresh from the forge.
The golden warrior saw the approaching dwarfs but was focused on keeping his greenskin attackers at bay.
“By Fulgria’s Fire! That must be a servant of some Shining One,” King Billiam shouted in his malnourished delirium, “Chaaaarge!” The dwarfs and Toebiter ran into the clearing each squaring off against a separate foe. Billiam charged straight into one orc, shield first, surprising it and knocking it onto its backfoot. Swinging his hammer, he clipped the orc’s knee, knocking it prone as it let out a bestial howl. Chelgar, swinging her axe wildly, caught her blade against the beast’s waist, cleaving it in two, blood spattering onto her freshly polished mail.
Bowen swung his two-handed hammer in a sweeping arc, crushing the ribcage of one of the orcs. Now the orcs were outnumbered and began to run. Deftly, the golden warrior brandished a strange looking weapon, pointed it at the two fleeing greenskins, and at once, two blasts of ethereal flame burst forth, striking down the two foes.
The dwarfs stood jaws agape at the glowing, golden warrior before them. Dwarfs are technological leaders in the world of Pannithor, but never had they seen a weapon such as this. The hunter’s rifle seemed like wizardry or some supernatural force of the Shining Ones.
Blaine, panting from the exertion of fighting so many foes, sheathed his spear after it retracted to the size of a large dagger. Placing his still smoking rifle over his shoulder, he turned to the dwarfs.
“Thank you, mighty warriors. Your furious assault surely saved my life,” the hunter spoke.
King Billiam furrowed his brow and looked around at his fellow dwarfs. He could not understand what the golden warrior had said.
“Surely this is an avatar of the goddess, Fulgria, herself! This must be an Elohi!” The King shouted at last. “She has sent this savior to us to lead us to our new home!” Kneeling before Blaine, Billiam rested both palms on the grip of his hammer as he bowed his head. The other dwarfs, seeing their king bow obsequiously, hastened to do the same.
“Oh boy,” thought Blaine, tapping his index finger on the communicator on the side of his head, “my translator must be malfunctioning. Had to have been damaged during the fight.”
King Billiam, exhausted from this latest exertion, wavered slightly until slumping over onto his shield. Queen Chelgar rushed to his side, dropping her bloodied axe behind her and placing her hand on the king’s forehead.
“He’s exhausted,” she announced.
“He refused my rations, milady,” Bowen offered. “I tried to convince him to eat, but he wouldn’t take food.”
Billiam flitted in and out of consciousness until Blaine kneeled before him. Understanding what was happening, Blaine reached in the belt pouch that held the kafe beans. He brought the bright red berries forth, and offered it to the dwarf’s parched and starving mouth. Still delirious, Billiam wholeheartedly believed he was receiving a gift from a god.
The king chewed through the sweet fruit of the berry, and crunched down hard on the seed within. As the food found its way into the dwarf’s belly, there was a noticeable change in his constitution. His eyes lit up like they hadn’t done in weeks. He stood immediately, again bowing his head before the golden warrior. Billiam, though shaking from this newfound energy, profusely thanked the warrior.
Blaine, now with no supply of kafe, had to replenish his supply. Fortunately, the valley from which he had found the original batch was close by.
“Come this way,” he beckoned, before remembering that the dwarfs couldn’t understand Galactic Standard.
Seemingly magically invigorated, Billiam took up his hammer and followed the warrior.
“The avatar beckons us!” the King shouted, “Follow me!”
The rest of the king’s retinue followed. Equal parts bewilderment and wonder filled their minds. What was this magical food that was given to their king? How was he able to carry on with such fervor?
The hunter led the party through the dense wood at the foothills of the Dragon’s Teeth. Periodically, Blaine stopped to check the GPS tracking device on his wrist. The dwarfs watched with wonder, jaws dropped at his glowing bracelet.
Finally, after a few miles’ walk, Blaine led the dwarfs to the top of an outcropping that looked over a fertile valley. The walls of the cliffs were covered in verdant shrubs overflowing with the same berries that Billiam had eaten. A beautiful fjord flowed between the mountain peaks, sparkling in the moonlight that peeked through the mountaintops. Off in the distance, a natural cave entrance was carved from the face of one of the tallest peaks.
Blaine picked another handful of the red berries from a nearby plant, replacing those from his pouch. He gestured toward the dwarfs, showing them the plants.
Still shocked from the fertile valley’s awesome view, the dwarfs stood jaws agape. They thanked the hunter profusely, they made strange gestures across their bodies, seemingly offering prayer to the hunter. Blaine smiled under his mask before activating his cloaking device and disappearing into the night.
“I couldn’t help myself!” Blaine thought to himself as he ran away from the party, invisible. “Wait until I tell Freja about this!”
Still jumpy from the magical berry he had been given by the golden warrior, Billiam started at seeing this deity vanish before his eyes. As he looked toward the rest of his party, it seemed they were just as shocked. After a moment, the king spoke:
“Welcome to New Gal’Durak.”
***
The old dwarf smiled to himself, again wiping another deluge of sweat from his age-wizened face. Bowen often wondered if that golden warrior he had met so many moons ago was indeed an Elohi, a servant of the Shining One, Fulgria, or—
Bowen was snapped from his reminiscence by the blaring of a horn. One long bellow from the great horn atop New Gal’Durak Peak. The horn bellow of war.
All around him, the dwarfs ceased their labors, neatly filing down rows of kafe plants back toward the citadel in the mountain. The horn sounded again. This time even louder, if one could imagine such a thing. The sound rippled off the glass-smooth water of the fjord until soon the only sound Bowen could hear was the rumbling of marching feet. The arrhythmic thumping of a foe headed their way. Bowen replaced his hat upon his head, a nostalgic, proud smile giving way to a furrowed brow and a disgruntled frown under his white mustache as he began running towards the keep.
