“We found another Captain.”
A stocky dwarf with pitch black hair, his beard was woven into a single braid that went to his midsection. He turned to the runner who had come up the tunnel. “Jus like tho others?” He asked with a concerned tone.
“Aye, the ore blacker than the dark itself, and…”
The dwarf shifted nervously, grinding his heal into the stone.
“Well, spit it out…”
“And… there was somethin else, it… attacked.”
“Our boys fought it back, tho… they retreatin Captain, they say the tunnel is lost.”
“Lost, how can that be? After all the work they did clearing it o’orcs and goblins. Vaalane take us to the void! So what attacked me boys?”
“It’s hard describin, it was long and jus as dark o’the ore. But it moved, like a tentacle o’somethin.”
The captain stood silent for a moment, contemplating the dire news he’d received.
“What’er yer orders Captain?”
“Alert the garrison, we’er takin back that tunnel.”
Three days later…
A dwarf stood with his shield ready. He peeked above the edge and peered down the tunnel. Dwarves stood to his right and left, their shields do close they formed a steel wall. That wall was the only barrier between what was down the tunnel and the lower complex of their home. The darkness in front of them warped, and like black lighting, out shot dark tentacles. They seemed to come from know where to the dwarf line. The tentacles laid into the front line sweeping across the steel wall of shields. They scored deep gouges in the shields leaving a dark mark anywhere they touched.
With a cry dwarves on the line went down, many having been struck in the head and face. They were left with a dark purple wound that seemed to consume their flesh. Dwarven axes swung and chopped at the dark tentacles. Some blows severed them entirely, they dropped to the tunnel floor and dissipated into a an inky mist.
A rushing wind came from the tunnel and over the dwarven line. With that rushing wind came even more dark tentacles that drove into the dwarves. With agonizing screams more dwarves fell.
“There is no holding the tunnel Captain. We canno stand against this. We’ve lost three hammers an we’re about to lose an entire shield. We must collapse the tunnel and seal it!”
“Sealing it won’t do a durned thing! It squeezes through the walls and e’ery crack in them.”
“I be know’in it Captain, but what else is to be done? We have no other choice.”
“We have been collapsin tunnels an retreatin for nearly a fivday. It has done nothin.”
“We be awaitin yur orders.”
“Alert the Fistbreakers, get the juicer and alert the boys to light the forges.”
“The forges Capitan? They be cold now, vacant, it will take a day to get them hot enough to do anything.”
“Then tell the Firstbreakers that they need to buy us a day. The juicer should help them out.”
“The juicer is experimental, untested, we don’e’en know if it will work!”
“Oh it’ll work, and ye send those Fistbreakers after it to clean up. That should buy us a day ‘o two.”
“So we no be collaps’in the tunnel?”
“Not yet, not yet.”
One day later….
“The juicer worked, brilliant Capitan!”
“An the boys er holdin?”
“For now, tho I don think they can hold much longer. How much longer ya need anyway?”
“The forges are up an burnin hot?”
“Aye, an been workin o’ertime, meltin down jus bout e’erything we can throw in’em.”
“Good, how much longer do they need?”
“Well, prolly another day.”
“Alright, get the boys ready to support the Fistbreakers. We gotta hold fer one more day, oh and get the team ready to drop the tunnel, there won’be much time.”
One more day later…
“We be ready Captain. Those Fistbreakers are some tough boys.”
“Pull them back, let’s not lose anymor’en we have to. Are the traps all in position?”
“Ready and awaitin ye order, I sure hope this works… for all our sakes.”
“It will work, don’t ye doubt.”
With hasty steps twenty-five dwarves, clad in gleaming mithril armor covered with spikes, retreated down the tunnel. As the last one crossed a designated point in the tunnel, hidden doors in the ceiling opened pouring out hot molten metal. The tentacles lashed out from the darkness of the tunnel, seeking any living creature they could grab. The molten metal reached the tentacles and they squirmed and retreated. They lashed again from the darkness, but the molten metal did not slow. The tentacles squirmed and thrashed as if in pain and quickly retreated. They did not return again.
With a nod from the Captain, a burly dwarf pulled a large lever. With a loud resounding crash, the tunnel collapsed. Molten metal continued to pour over the collapsed rocks, slowly it filled in the cracks. Before the dwarven company the collapsed rocks of the tunnel glistened in the flickering torchlight.
Their final tunnel to the mines lay sealed before them.