Hi Ho Hell No

‘Watch the bird’ Gortek spat, ‘it’ll keep ye lad.’

Gortek was a Candleman, one of the oldest and therefore best at the job. Today he was inducting a new recruit into the fraternity of Candlemen.

‘Why?’ asked Supadri, Gortek’s new apprentice.

Gortek rolled his eyes, he could swear to the Six Smiths that the apprentices got stupider every year, ‘what do they teach you lad?’ he grunted, ‘if the bird faints, we have gas.’

‘And that’s where we come in?’ Supadri asked.

‘Aye lad’ Gortek grunted, ‘but if the bird tries to smash its brains out? We run, fast!’

Supadri wasn’t told about this part ‘What does that mean?’

Gortek grunted as prepared the bird cage ‘That means we have a company.’ Gortek held the cage out for the bird to warn them of threats; Supadri prepared his Candlestick, which was a twelve foot pole with a flint & steel on the end ‘What sort of company?’

Gortek shook his head ‘Not now lad.’

The pair moved silently through the darkness that was the mines of Bethund Werk, their Dwarven heritage giving them perfect darksight. The bird was quietly swinging on its perch when it started getting agitated ‘Look alive lad!’ Gortek cried, ‘we have contact.’

The Candlemen walked further in to the inky blackness that was the mine; but it wasn’t long before the bird in the cage began trying to pulverise itself against the cage ‘Run!’ Gortek cried out, ‘we have to seal off this level!’

Gortek spun about on his heels and ran for the entrance in to this level of the mine; sensing his mentor’s unease, given he was too clueless understand anything, Supadri gave chase ‘What is wrong?’ Supadri asked.

Gortek’s face was now bone white, as if the colour in his face had taken a holiday.

The duo sprinted for the entrance to this level; if they could make it then they could trust the reliable Dwarven Engineering to keep their visitor at bay. They neared the entrance to this level and Gortek commanded Supadri to shut the heavy iron blast door whilst he radioed to HQ ‘Shattentir, we have a Shattentir!’

Supadri’s blood froze upon hearing that name; his family had lost a lot of good miners to the Shattentir but he never knew what it was, until now.

‘Gortek this is HQ, what level are you on?’ The voice of Yulek came over the radio.

Gortek mashed the call button ‘Level 42, East Tunnel!’

Static erupted from the radio’s speaker; not a good sign Gortek thought, he turned to see Supadri frozen in place. He tried to help the youth, which in Dwarf meant he was anywhere between forty and a hundred years old, but the radio kicked in ‘Gortek, there is no eastern tunnel on level 42’ Yulek cried in fear, ‘that entire level was collapsed last week.’

The radio went dead and the dark grew darker and Gortek rushed to help his apprentice ‘Leave the door lad’ Gortek commanded as he gripped Supadri by the shoulders ‘it’s no use to us now.’

Fear gripped Gortek as he saw Supadri’s face, his eyes were whiter than fresh fallen snow. Supadri’s voice began to move in a parody of speech ‘Supadri isn’t here right now, leave a message after the beep’ a deep voice growled, ‘Beep!’

At that moment Gortek could hear the radio cut in and out ‘Gortek’ a voice said followed by static, ‘Run!’

Gortek turned to run but it was too late, the darkness enveloped him like a blanket made of ice; a cold hand gripped his heart and flooded his body with fear. Adrenaline and Cortisol coursed through his veins as he fought to free himself ‘Join us’ a voice whispered in his ear, ‘become one with the darkness and usher in a new age of never ending night.’

Gortek had no choice; he either dies here or lets the Shattentir in, Gortek chose the latter. He opened himself up to the Shattentir and could feel the malevolent power swell within him.

Yulek rushed as klaxons and sirens rang throughout the mine and the Dwarven City of Bethund Werk, he directed engineers to seal off the mines, he commanded rapid response teams to evacuate any remaining miners l, and he directed the might of the Ironkin Hearthguards to set up a defensive blockade with their greatshields. It was too little too late. Gortek erupted from the mineshaft in a cloud of swirling darkness, his eyes were glossy blackened orbs and his Candleman uniform had been replaced by ornate black armour. In his armoured hands he bore a large warhammer that crackled with black lightning. He lifted the hammer high and hit the ground; a black shockwave knocked back the Ironkin, sending them and anyone behind them flying. Gortek began to run.

Gortek erupted from the mineshaft entrance and tore his way through Bethund Werk, many Ironkin tried to stop him but he swatted them away like flies. From the great forges came the latest addition, the Orn-Zar. The Orn-Zar was a mechanical titan powered by the refined hearthstone that one of the mines produced. It raised a mechanical hand towards Gortek and unleashed a bolt of lightning in his direction. Gortek batted it aside with a cloud of darkness before sprinting towards the mechanical marvel. Gortek slid like a baseball player running for first base and battered the knee joint of the Orn-Zar, which toppled over like a jenga tower. Gortek left the machine alone and continued his journey to the great forge.

Moments later a maddened Gortek burst through the gilded doors of the Great Forge and directly before his was the Foundry of Grimnir, the largest foundry in all of dwarfdom. Gortek ran at full speed towards the foundry; many dwarves and their works tried to stop him, pelting him with hammers, tongs, and other tools. Another Orn-Zar tried to incinerate him with streams of alchemical fire but Gortek pressed on. He reached the Foundry of Grimnir and leapt for all his life was worth. As he fell in to the molten metal he spoke one last thing to Shattentir within ‘Fuck You!’