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No. 102222
>Read the inscription
Label is typed with regular runes but no idea what this language is. Maybe some service code, useful for military and miners only.
>Go up
The floor above is another living area with similar planning dug out in the middle of magnetite cluster some long time ago. Poor dwarfs live here as well. I. e. lived - because right now magnetite walls are dug out in most of the rooms. Looks like fortress REALLY needed some extra iron if in their search of ore they started to demolish living areas instead of looking for somewhere else.
>Yell "HEEEY! ANYBODY HERE?!" a few times
>Examine living rooms, maybe there is something
After yelling twice in the direction of destroyed corridors, you didn't receive any response and started searching in the ruins. Between heaps of stones and dust you've found an party invite ticket for celebration of opening of the new magma manufactory. Date - 23 of Opal. Looks like you missed the fun, and you would probably be upset if you were a party lover.
>Listen. If we hear something - go to a noise. Maybe we'll find high boot or even GAUNTLET...
You listened hard, but again didn't heard anything. But after a couple minutes of wandering around the ruins, you heard the rumble quite distinctly and felt shaking under the feet. This is cave-in. If you were an above-ground man, you could think "Oh, whatever, they happen by themselves from time to time". But because you're a dwarf, you absolutely sure that cave-ins caused by dwarves in 99% of cases and happen by themselves extremely rare. So it's signal that somebody is digging there in the deep.
>Try to remember why we are so sure that today is an expedition day. When were we announced about it?
>Recall how do we know that meeting is today
You couldn't remember him name when he introduced himself to you. That was one of nobles. He came up to you five days ago and called self as either a manager, or as peasant guild leader, and notified us of the most unpleasant news that Motherland finally remembered modest Lokot Udebdeb who wasn't grabbed into military due to some error in the fortress citizens records. It's time to fix an annoying mistake, but since most of the fish cleaners, soapmakers and other scum of your migration wave already matured to the level of professional crossbowdwarfes, you'll be pretty useless in the army. The only vacancy for you is to be one of seven founders of new fort near the west Unthinkable Mountains.
>Open the hatch and look inside. But don't enter!
>Put paper in wallet and quickly run down to hatch, and, if there is nothing scareful seen/heard, go down.
>Don't forget to secure hatch with wooden board to have less troubles with escape.
Looks like someone locked hatch from inside. Interesting, who could that be?
No, seriously - it's locked. Probably, you'll have to find ways around to get on lower floor.
>Keep climbing up
>Search for way upward to reach the surface, there is probably someone hanging around
>There is no way up on dug out level, right?
There is only a couple of footboards left on the place where stairs up used to be on the dug out level. The staircase was intentionally broken by somebody. Thoughts that you're left Mountainhome alone settle harder and harder in your head and if it wasn't for your phlegmatic temperament, you would already start panic.
>Then it's time to check what's in the east of the well
You're back on your floor and went to the east. There are other poor peasants' streets, and not all of the rooms occupied.
>Enter the room with the sleepind dwarf. If it's locked - knock to the door.
>But knock loudly. With the spoon
You have checked rooms, all of them were open and empty, except for one - there was some nasty loud snoring in there and it was locked from the inside. You banged hard on the door several times with the spoon and waited for reaction. There was a rustle of fuss on the bed and quiet bawdry inside, then somebody climbed off bed and stomped toward the door.
Pushing the lock bolt, the owner of the room came out to you. For some reason you feel that a dwarf is not very happy with that rapid awakening. He looks at you and waits for explanation.
>Tell him that manager calls him to his office.
You blurted out first thing that came into your head:
- Manager calls you to his office!
And to your surprise, he replied:
- Know without your help! - went toward the bar with a nervous pace.
>But first, lets introduce ourself and then ask the name and occupation of bluesocked - well, become acquainted properly, or he would think that's another psycho in front of him.
>Ask him if he knows what the heck is going on in the fortress.
>Also, ask him whether he is a member of the expedition.
>If he's gonna bully (because of sudden invasion in his chambers), justify it as our concern about what is happening in the fortress, in particular, its abandonment. Announce that he is the only sane dwarf that we met for all day.
You followed him.
- I am Likot Soapeater, i'm here... - you've started but companion interrupted abruptly:
- I can not reciprocate! - and glared sternly with baggy eyes.
Quite expecting this turn in conversation, you've started to explain:
- You see, there is something strange going on in the fortress since morning, everybody gone... Well, it kinda worried me... All in all, you're the first sane dwarf, whom I meet today.
Your companion ignored you.
You continued:
- Do you know what is going on now in the fortress? And whether it is related to today's departure of the expedition? And yes, can I ask, maybe you are one of seven travelers?
Dwarf paused, took a deep breath and turned in you:
- Dear Soapmaker, would you be so kind to keep quiet for a while, my head aches even without you. But no, you just needed to you make a damn elfen drum out of my door and then drown me in a stream of meaningless questions. - Then he changed his tone: - Just what do you want from me?
>Stop annoying the mason, let him wake up and assess the situation.
You decided to pause for a while, and silently accompany him to the warehouse. but as you approached you remembered that you missed one small detail:
>Is there any alcohol left in barrel? Otherwise we'll catch a hard fist with a face.
But you've drunk the last barrel! And if this boar will drink water from the well instead of wine, he'll sober up and become completely enraged. Here you have taken the most reasonable solution: get away.
>Well, screw that beardy. If he woke up in such a bad spirit + awaked by annoying dwarf, it's better to go in the opposite direction, let him blow off steam on bare-ass. Or we would have to collect our teeth from the floor.
Taking a defensive position in the depth of a residential area, you waited. The storm didn't took long to start, and soon you heard screams, bawdry and crushes of breaking furniture.
>I hope we are locked in the mason's room?
>Check out the trash in the corner near the door.
When the noise died out, you got out of your shelter and looked around. It wasn't mason's room, because he had wooden door, not stone one. In trash in the corner you've found small uncut pyrite. It's hard even to call it decorative - too rough and small but can be useful, so you picked it up.
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