The War Sparked From A Mine

Once again this is another short story describing a piece of history from my world. This was written a bit quickly so it might not be quite as good as others that I have written

The War Sparked from a Mine

This extract was taken from the book ‘Precious Metals �" A Bleak History’ written by the dwarf Bryc Graves. The Chapter is titled ‘The War Sparked from a Mine’

‘The War Sparked from a Mine

There was once a small mining camp, south of the Valley of Birdon, called Sindab. This Mine was run by a little company of dwarves whose ancestors had once found something glistening in the rocks. Now the mine was dug into daily looking for the precious metal Glistium, named after how much it glistened against the moonlight. There were two shifts of miners, one working between sunrise and sunset and the other working from when the sun went down to when it rose over the hills the next morning. The mine had been dug into the ground, below the sloppy muddy earth that lay on the surface. Glistium was a metal that was much loved by many races. The dwarves used it to make a successful trade for themselves but others grew impatient with the dwarfs’ lack of the concept of sharing.

It took a horde of Bluic goblins to finally push the dwarves out, they are called so because of their pale blue skin which had evolved to camouflage themselves against the moonlight in which they move. This made them better hunters and harder to track. I say they pushed the dwarves, they massacred them. The need and hunger for Glistium had turned them into savages. A small violent beast that could scale walls and hide in the dark. Their long knives were sharp weapons for a close combat assault, they were not known for their ranged attacks but when you fight most of the time underground and in the dark you don’t need it. Their large black eyes were adjusted for the dark, another thing that made them lethal night-time predators. The mine was known to be the biggest source of Glistium in the realm so naturally the goblins were drawn to it.

The dwarves never saw them coming. I was digging in the entrance to the mine the night they came. They flooded out of the trees like a wave. They swarmed through the camp like a plague. Leaving no bed unturned, no body untouched. It wasn’t a battle as most people described, it was a slaughter. Women, children and men had no chance to fight them back, no chance to run for their lives. I was the only survivor. I am still considered a deserter among my race. Most think I fled at the first sight of the goblins. Some think that I was in league with the goblins. But now I feel like I have the right platform to tell my story.

Glistium was starting to dry up, we couldn’t dig any further down because their structural integrity of the surface could not hold. Most of us on the night shift were mining into the sides of the tunnel rather than down further. I was marked as the guard to the entrance that night. As the moon reaches its highest point I saw something shine near my left foot and I brushed away some dirt and found a reasonably-sized lump beneath the dirt. I couldn’t believe that someone had missed it. I lifted up the pickaxe that was leaning against the entrance wall and brought it down with an almighty thud, cracking the stone itself. I was going to curse myself under my breath but my ears picked up an unusual scuffle in the trees to the south. I turned and tried to spot the disturbance but couldn’t see anything for ale nor money. The fires in the camp were still burning bright. It was quiet, the only noise was the loud snores of Brick Olgin. His tent was 30 yards to the east of the entrance. Another rustle but from the other direction, I turned my head quickly but was already too late. A goblin had launched itself at me. Knocking me off balance and down into the river that flowed through camp. The disgusting goblin and I were twirling with the heavy current. Our bodies were locked together with limbs twisted and voices shrieking. Time to end this I thought, I slipped the small knife out of the heel of my right boot and stuck in down the vermin’s throat. His jaw clamped down on my wrist but there was no way I letting up. I continued to violently jab the knife’s tip into its insides. The water was stinging my eyes so I had to shut them. When I finally breached the surface, the goblin had finally let go. I saw its body float down the river beside me. I tried to get the river bank but couldn’t. I am a dwarf after all and we are known for being great swimmers. I continued to be taken by the current until I managed to grab a branch a mile downstream and pulled myself to the water’s edge.  I couldn’t see the camp but I could see the roaring fires in the distance. I couldn’t bear and tried to think what to do.

I marched towards the nearest town which was another two miles in the wrong direction. I was frustrated and wanted to help my friends but I couldn’t take them on my own. I didn’t know how big the horde was. It took me an hour to reach the town of Lirth. A grubby patch which filled itself with much less than honourable men. But I knew of the Mayor and decided it was my best bet for help. The conversation didn’t last long, the dishonourable man rejected me and said I was lying and threw me in his dungeon for lying to an official and that is where I spent the next three weeks. Screaming to be let out, screaming for help for my friends. I didn’t care if they kept me locked up, I just wanted them to help my friends but it never came.

I was released on a bright morning and the sun stung my eyes. With haste I returned to my camp but it didn’t take me long to realise what had happened. There were bodies scattered everywhere. Just left there like pieces of meat. Every tent brought to the ground, every stove on the floor. They were everywhere…….

Sorry, anyway I knew the goblins were down in the mine and I wanted my revenge but I let my brain take over instead of my heart and decided I could wait for my revenge.

 I travelled north to the dwarf capital of Tackuhu, it was a two month long trip on foot. I had no money for a ride and no friends to help me. I eventually made my way to the gates. I am not going to lie to you, I felt like death. I had been living like a scavenger for the entire trip and it had not been easy. I took a few days to recover before joining the dwarven army. It was a small group of soldiers but we could hold our own. The training was tough, rigorous games and battle simulations. We took out the horde of goblins at the rocks of Malumate.

Word had travelled from the south about a new city of Bluic goblins which seemed to be sprouting out of the ground faster than could ever be imagined. I knew this was my time. The time I would get my revenge. The orders went exactly as I had expected. Seek out this city and burn it to the ground. I did not need to be told twice. I was going to kill every last of them, no thing left alive just like they did.

So two years after I floated down a river on a dark night I was finally making my journey back to Sindab. Unsurprisingly this time the journey was not unbearable. We rode on the back of small horses called Redigies, purposely bred for the accompaniment of dwarves. It only took us two weeks before we passed through the valley of Birdon, past the towns of Hordes Hole and Lirth.

We were moments away from my old home and I could feel my blood begin to pump faster and my heart begin to press against my ribcage. I didn’t want to miss my chance. I was standing next to five hundred of the bravest dwarves I knew. I felt sure we could reclaim our land. But….

I was stunned as we came over the hill to look upon the mine. The camp was no longer there, instead there lied a giant crater. It looked like the ground had just given way beneath the surface and had come crashing down around them.

I didn’t have time to contemplate my memories. The goblins were prepared. A horn rang out from inside the muster of buildings that now inhabited the crater. My rage was building up as I saw what could only be described as an army of goblins came crawling out of every hole in the ground that I could see. There was no hesitation, they came storming towards us.

We hardly had time to organise ourselves. We decided that a charge was the best idea, we had the higher ground and the advantage with the downhill slope. We kicked out Redigies into action and they answered.

We soared down the hill like eagles, mud left in a trail behind us. I drew my axe from my belt and crashed through the first advance of goblins. I swung my axe at the first opportunity and managed to take one’s head clean off. It rolled along the ground like a ball.

We split up, taking one flank each. I was thrown from my horse and landing with a crack and a thud. I pulled my helmet off and threw it at the nearest goblin. It snarled at me and leapt. I smiled, this time I was ready. I moved to my left and held out my axe. It landed with a slash on the sharp blade. I kicked it off and it fell to the ground slowly as though its death was delayed. I looked at the battle around me. Goblins were falling left right at centre. It was during the day so they could not use their advantages of sight or camouflage. I could see their armour and swords shining in the light. I couldn’t believe it, they had managed to harness more Glistium in two years than we did in two hundred. But it could not help them now.

With this battle, the Bluic goblins were pushed into extinction. This was the last group known to us. We took delight in our clear victory. They could not match us.

It is incredible to think that this war, which had lasted for two years, has sparked from a night-time attack on a small mining camp. All I can say…. Is I hope they stay extinct.