THE UNEARTHLY DARKNESS AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

By Sergio Palumbo (Ed. Michele Dutcher)
 

SOME MONSTERS SIMPLY reject the classifications that living beings attempt to give them!

This was true for the tall monster that stood before them now. It was as tall as a high hill, about a hundred and sixty feet in height, with eight dark wings of unprecedented proportions, its many articulated dark legs supporting a thick body full of gaping maws dripping a brilliant fluid.

Whatever it might be, it extended its pointed protuberances as if in interest or excitement about the small beings it had found. They were unaware the fight was coming. And then the bloodshed started!

The warrior miners had discovered, half an hour ago, the ruins of an ancient High Door, whose Rune signs suggested it was one of the fabled entrances to the long lost Underground Kingdom, the ancient Subterranean Realm of the Dwarves. No time to study it, no time to think, the monster appeared. Unexpected danger, unknown, loomed before them. It appeared to be out of the league of warriors like them!

Their ranks needed reinforcement, death toll yet to be assessed. Curses, cries, and orders echoed, but the confused struggle turned into painful screams and desperate sadness, making them understand how futile and difficult their actions were. 

As some among the bewildered Dwarven warriors were sucked into the strange body of unearthly matter, the massive creature began feeding on the body fluids and internal organs of those unlucky enough to come within range of its many powerful arms.

Ktadn, and the few others nearby, moved on, fighting as any Dwarf would under the worst conditions. They tried to attack the creature, seeking to open the lit surface below where other Dwarves were already sinking and drowning. Ktadn didn’t know if it was better that they died that way or if they were saved, without skin and hair—an unknown alchemical substance was eating their faces. No weapon, mace, sword, axe, could harm the creature. And each was a powerful Dwarven weapon, created by the deep skills of forgemen from the renowned workrooms of Kruiaz or Fhrtuan, and hardened in battle.

‘Follow me!’ Whuzzm, their massive, short bearded Sergeant, shouted at the top of his cavernous voice, calling all his troops—clothed in the furs typical of the northern Dwarven community—to try another assault. The twenty two combatants of the Infantry Special Forces went after the huge target.

‘Watch out for its tail!’ Orgwt, the Eldest Veteran of the Stone Sinkers, warned his fellow warriors who stood at his side. Because, yes, that creature also had a tail, and it was deadly to anyone.

‘What’s with you, crossbowmen? You can do much better than this!’ Ujuwz, the First Battleaxe of the Spearhead Company, openly shamed the others as he saw their firing was off.

‘Soldiers, attack now! As you see fit,’ the Sergeant addressed the remaining warrior miners, whose shadows fell on the silent rocks like dancing spirits under the light of the lamps and the torches. And they did as requested, battling wildly and unceasingly.

‘On it, Sergeant!’ Ktadn nodded, and moved on, along with the others at his back.

But no damage was inflicted, despite all the anger and desperation the Dwarves put into their blows—the creature apparently didn’t even receive a single appreciable abrasion. Orgwt, the Eldest Veteran, made his voice heard again, though his tone was partly dejected now. ‘Right wing, you’re too near! Fall back now!’

In the end, they had to stop their assault, standing in the full defensive stance typical of their army and wary about what was next as they themselves might be the newest prey of that gigantic monster. Behind the beast, they didn’t see any activity from the poor ones previously taken, who were just lifeless bodies now.

It set its unearthly sight on the small attackers who were deeply saddened by what they had experienced.
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And it moved again, overwhelming another portion of their decreasing troop, sucking them into its body as it had done before. And once the villain had completed eating those Dwarves, it retracted part of its legs before stepping quickly to another location nearby to repeat the pattern. It continued to assimilate others, to suck them into its dark openings that seemed to be waiting for what was next, waiting to taste and eat.

It was difficult to say if the monster was hungry because it loved to dispose of Dwarves like them, or if it was under a powerful compulsion to eat the small beings. Whatever, they didn’t think they could do much against it, but they were also sure they wouldn’t stop battling until they could no longer stand on their feet! Or to the last Dwarf of course…

Anyway, if they, or at least some of them, survived standing up to such a monstrosity, one thing was certain. They had seen and faced on this terrible day, the true agony that lay under the ground. No one would ever imagine they could find anything worse than this creature, here or in another place.

Because today they had viewed the true terror the dangerous and dimly lit deeps below ground—where they had long lived, and worked—could be filled with.
 


The underground was a truly amazing place! Most Dwarves, like Ktadn, hardly noticed the caverns anymore, as the members of his species were born, lived and, in the end, also died in it. They were undisturbed by the warmth or light of the day star, unless they preferred to eke out a living working as wanderers, mercenaries or great engineers on the surface. Frequently this meant being in the service of Humans (more difficultly Elves…) in one of the many kingdoms of the Continent of Ulhar.

More than that, unlike what others might think, the underground wasn’t static, immutable or unmodifiable. The layered rocks joined together, their crevasses, the openings that changed eventually becoming caves, the unceasing process of continuous upheaval and modification of the terrain were still evolving, transforming themselves over the course of centuries—not only because of volcanic activity. These changes took longer than any lifetime men might experience for themselves, though some Dwarves lived much longer, it was known. Yes, even the long lived Elves could only witness a portion of those era long changes, if they ever dared enter the underground, and study it, or visit what lay below those mountains, in the deep caverns beneath the world!

But those same Elves also said that these mountains would be reduced to rounded hills one day. Which he and the other Dwarves couldn’t believe.

Dwarves from Dra Flahz like the curly haired one hundred and fourteen year old Ktadn, and humans, too, had been digging minerals and ores from the ground for several thousands of years, mining air filled spaces miles below the surface. He himself searched for and axe picked out most of these ores from the walls of rocks along the tunnels, in the service of a mining company of the town of Lhnah, until a decade ago. Corundums, Marcasites, Anglesites and even Cryolites were brought up from the deeps, and more rarely, he had discovered gold and copper. And he would be still doing it nowadays, if the deities Kta and Huytla had allowed him to continue. Then the war against the Duergar of the Dark Mountains had eventually erupted, and everything had changed.

He wasn’t like his older brother, who had always had an imaginative bent, and had refused to join the army and the fighting that day. He had become a Grehez, an exploring sorcerer, according to the Dwarvish dialect of old Dra Flahz. He was one of those Dwarves who had left home and started their search, alone, delving deeper and deeper into the ancient, long lost tunnels and caves their people had once inhabited. Those like him had been attracted to such tales when just a child. He was drawn by the Underground Kingdom, that Subterranean Realm all the Dwarves were said to come from. But the underground paths to that place and its riches, that was reputed in the past to have covered most of the area now under the surface, today were unknown. There were some, like his brother, who dared go down that road, so to say, and tried to retrieve more and more information, or objects, that dated back to that time.

No, his brother wasn’t a coward who had fled the war, but he had had that duty in his mind for many years and among Dwarves those like him who left everything for that difficult journey were highly valued, and well respected. However, Ktadn was unsure if he would ever see him again. Many sorcerers who followed their studies were never seen alive again, and no one knew what happened to them in the darkness of the lower surface, below the underground terrain the Dwarves worked in. There were so many insidious courses there, and a multitude of terrible things could happen to anyone who searched for these ancient truths.

Glittering mineral crystals formed the rocks, so the tunnels displayed wonderful scenery, with its many metals and valuable stones. With more than 4,500 minerals known, the wide array of ores made everything even more varied. Some among the Dwarves knew the proverb that said, ‘Stones will sing if you learn how to listen to them’, and miners like him had long understood how to do exactly that, as this really helped them while doing their job, making it easier. The wisest, and oldest, in their community that had ever delved into the furthest recesses of earth had reported that in mountainous regions, like that of Dra Flahz—or the Brown Mountains as the humans called them—the crust that formed the continents could be forty three miles deep, and it was also made of many types of rock, but its heart was full of very hard granite. However, he and no one else he knew had ever dared go so far below.

The place he and his fellow soldiers were at now was an area where an old, and now gone, stream of water, or river, had cut down through rocks for centuries, forming the present space. Once the first cleansing had been completed and most of the dirt removed, the walls revealed sparkling minerals, such as varied nesosilicates, several blueish kyanites, some darker and rarer aggregations of rocks and also huge light grey marlstones. Surely, it would have been no problem for any Dwarf to accurately identify—exactly—what they had unearthed at that point, as mineralogy was the main part of their knowledge about the mountains themselves. Old warriors among them said that precise evaluation of the rocks could foretell the result of a future battle before it took place, though Ktadn didn’t believe in it. Others also gave their opinion and assured that a stone found on your way let you know whether war would break out and, if that happened, who will win finally. Nonsense, of course.

It was more probable that from the gravel, the sand or the sandstone layers, you might predict the result, or the issues, of a future excavation. Yes, it was difficult to work all day long as warrior miners here while wrapped in battle armour, but there wasn’t any other way, as protection was necessary. They were involved in a war and hand to hand combat might break out at any time; so not only did they need armour, they also needed the tools to continue the excavations, and this made the weight they took on their shoulders very heavy. Yes, they were Dwarves, which meant a strong and stubborn people, but it didn’t lighten their load or ease their movements in these tunnels. Ktadn, being only about five feet tall, wore the battered breastplate his father had left to his family when he died, that also protected his forearms very well. The armour was very solid, with a raised basinet—to let his bluish eyes have a better view—from which his fair curls spurted out, the same colour as his full beard that looked untidy under his large nose. At his side, in case of a fight, he had his sword, dangling from the large leather belt, a light flat axe and a knife. He also wore the kitbag on his back, so he felt that burden when he kept digging, using his hardened chisel, or his mandrel, depending on the circumstances or the type of rocks to be cut.

Not much could be said about their enemies, the Duergar themselves, and how they lived, on the other hand. Of course, the Dwarves of Dra Flahz had already fought the Duergar many times in other lands and in different caverns, and they knew what armour they wore, and about their weapons: murky large helmets with neck protectors; and reinforced suits of armour full of many articulated joints to offer a good mobility to its wearer; with greaves (plate armour for lower leg), bearded axes and massive crossbows.

The Duergar warriors looked a little smaller than common Dwarves—though they perceived themselves as being endowed with a racial supremacy over all the other Dwarven communities in the world… even with fewer muscles. Their skin was paler, almost greyish, maybe because of the forced seclusion from the sun: they had ordered their people to stay below, since the old times, and their hair, for the few who had hair, was whitish, though the eldest usually kept their heads shaved. Their clothing, too, was almost dark, or violet, following their traditions.

But not much was known about their way of life and their sorcerous, or alchemical, weaponry, except what had been discovered during the present war, because no Dwarf had ever entered their Dark Mountains, and no spies had ever come back alive.

‘Duergar hideouts are not that different from the narrow holes where a wild beast might lair during wintertime. You can enter, but you can’t expect to get out alive,’ a pensive Ktadn reminded himself. It was a common warning in their army.

The Dwarf knew that their duty was important, and that service required great courage. In a way, Tunnel Warfare was a general name for war conducted by the Dwarves of Dra Flahz in the deep tunnels and underground caves. It commonly included the construction of underground mining or undermining structures to attack or defend, using an artificial underground facility for military purposes. The Dwarves were very good at that sort of strange warfare, as it usually involved people from many different Clans who worked and fought together in the deepest caverns that were their native home. Sometimes these battles were fought on the boundary of other communities, where they might be killed without ever seeing their opponents, as death might occur due to explosive mines or cave ins.

Tunnels were sometimes used to undermine fortifications and enter your adversary’s territory for a surprise attack, while they could also strengthen a defence by creating the possibility of counterattacks, giving warriors the ability to move troops from one part of the battleground to another while unseen and protected. Also, tunnels could be useful as shelter for combatants and noncombatants from the attack of other armies.

It was said that humans also used mining against a walled city of their enemies, to take a fortress, a castle, or some other strongly fortified military sites. The Dwarves could tunnel upon request, too, as mercenaries, at the service of the Realms of men against other countries and other humans. But they were more accustomed to such systems of warfare while fighting against each other, Dwarven Clan against Dwarven Clan, and they had done for centuries, with few brief periods of peace. The history of the Dwarves told a story of almost unending wars, and of sad tragedies suffered.

But this war had shown since its first days that it was very different from any other. At first, what had to be understood was that the Duergar army had moved far from their Dark Mountains were situated. It was unknown how this might have occurred, as four thousand miles of underground stretched from those mountainous ranges to where they were fighting, and digging, now. Some of the leaders thought the Duergar might have found unknown paths, or long lost tunnels in that fabled Subterranean Realm where the Dwarves were said to have once lived. Perhaps they had found a shortcut, so to speak. And this had let them cover all that great distance which would have required centuries, nevertheless considering the unbelievable number of rocks to be removed. Though, this was still controversial.

Whatever the truth, the Duergar had approached the lands of Dra Flahz in only a few years, and they had to protect their native home at all costs! This approach of fierce opponents was unprecedented, and troubling… At present, Ktadn and his fellows were working below the Central Plateau, a region of mountains partly under the control of the humans of the Empire of Ulhar, which was only a thousand miles away from the Brown Mountains. And that was the fiercest point of that long period of bloodthirsty Tunnel Warfare, as many had already passed away due to alchemical terrain bombs, the deadly landslides and other fatal occurrences that were happening here. Many of the casualties had been Ktadn’s acquaintances, Dwarves he had known since he was a child, much to his regret.

As the softened noises of the digging continued, and the work went on, the Dwarf sighed. He really wanted to have some more beer now, because today’s ration was almost gone… He had drunk most of it during the previous break. At times, while working unceasingly along such dark tunnels, he thought of the beers he could find back home, or in a rest house in town. On a few occasions, he had also tasted the beers the humans made, in one of their pubs on the surface, in a village not far from the boundary of the Empire of Ulhar. But these beers didn’t look like the Dwarven ones, there was no comparison. It was just like the old proverb that warned a Dwarf to never have a drinking contest with humans, as when they drink, they soon collapse; and the next day they don’t even remember losing anyway! How true that saying was.

The Master of the Tunnel, who was the Main Engineer charged with checking how the work was proceeding, paid much attention to that peculiar area. They knew that their enemies might be close, though they didn’t see them yet. And the dangers from Tunnel Warfare also meant that, for example, while a group of Dwarves like theirs was excavating in preparation for the next attack, the ones who defended themselves on the opposite boundary dug counter mines to assault warrior miners or destroy mines threatening their own fortifications.

A worrisome thought…

This was a frightening way of making war. Commonly, tunnels were narrow areas which restricted the use of fire. Troops in a tunnel usually had only a few places where a fire might start, or where they could have a good view at any given time. It even looked like a closed in night combat environment, which worried the Dwarves little, as they had night vision that had evolved over the course of many generations. Without that, they could never have lived, or walked underground in these caverns.

Mining had seen an important resurgence as a military tactic during the last century, when army engineers of varied Dwarven communities had attempted to enter the others’ territories by tunnelling and laying large quantities of explosives beneath the defensive posts of their adversaries. On that front, nowadays, the deepest zones of the highest peaks of the Central Plateau range were an area of fierce mountain warfare and mining operations. To protect soldiers from fire and the difficult environment, both armies had constructed well-built tunnels which offered better cover and allowed better support. In addition to building underground shelters and covered supply routes for their troops, both sides had also studied new ways to get through and take their enemies unawares.

As for now, their group of engineers and miners, wanted to continue tunnel warfare so they could place large quantities of alchemical terrain bombs beneath The Deep Cave. When those detonated, the explosion would destroy the walls. The infantry would move against the remaining enemies, hoping to make the best out of the confused ranks surprised after the destruction caused by the underground bombs. This was the plan. But such plans were being followed, in a way, from both sides. For humans it could take as long as a year to dig a tunnel and place a few landmines. But Dwarves were much better miners, and better warriors as well, so they proved to be quicker, and more capable! As well as digging their own tunnels, the warriors had to listen for the possible opposite tunnellers. On occasion, miners accidentally dug into the opposing side's tunnel and an underground battle broke out. When a tunnel of the adversaries was found, it was destroyed by placing an explosive charge inside. If you had time before the others saw you and killed you!

Some months ago, as Ktadn remembered, some had arrived on a site in which two enemy landmines had been left, but no explosion had occurred. This was because the Duergar warriors had moved before the battle, and four more were outside the area of the offensive. Another unused mine had been found by another group beneath an old fortress that had been manned two centuries before. That fortress was a ruin, but no attempt had been made to remove it given the danger. Those bombs, in fact, could have created a hole up to four hundred and thirty feet wide. And the casualties might have been very significant.

‘Killing in hand to hand combat is not our first option. Remember that,’ their Sergeant had told them repeatedly. ‘We’re warrior miners, and there are other ways to get the better of our enemies. Follow the instructions, and our tactics, along with the underground workings devised, we will defeat our enemies!’

Few words were spoken under those circumstances—according to previous orders—as powerful noises might be heard from the enemies which could indicate where their company of Dwarves were, or what they were working on. Noises overheard could also indicate how far away they were from the tunnels of the trickish Duergar warriors.

In that scene full of warrior miners at work, the clanging of their tools made their progress heard. But they had to be wary: there were those among the Dwarves who were also listening to such noises and considering their variations. In fact, there might be other sounds, different tones, signals sent through the rocks by the exploring troops. Their still unseen adversaries were perfectly capable of making similar noises to deceive them in that area. So, while Ktadn and his fellows were thinking of working safely, a considerable group of assailants might cutting through their tunnels to take them by surprise. Or they could even be sending fake data to mislead their own workers and make them fall down a precipice hidden behind a wall of rocks, or under the tunnels themselves, possibly.

The job continued for another two hours, and only their Dwarven stubbornness kept them busy though their exhaustion wasn’t going to stop afflicting their muscles. Then something happened. Not something they could have ever imagined. Something they really didn’t expect!

An explosion broke out in the near distance, and smoke and dust filled the area while the darkness closed fast around them all. The Dwarves had to protect their noses and cover their mouths. Only by chance that noisy detonation hadn’t killed most of their soldiers. Their enemies had made mistakes or hadn’t detected where the Dwarven warrior miners really were.

The Master of the Tunnel who was behind them and oversaw the work sent coded signals by tapping his tools against the rocks to indicate the procedure to be followed, though there wasn’t much time. They had to react quickly. As for Ktadn himself, though he didn’t believe it would work, that didn’t stop him from seizing at the rocks. In his heart, he regretted never making his own ‘Stone of Memories’. It was a common practice among the Dwarves, even if in reality such a tradition was followed only after beginning important tasks at a certain age. He wanted to leave something behind once he was gone, if his death happened while he was still young. Also the Dwarven people of the Mountains of the Sky created such stones early. However, there was not a clearly defined moment during the life of an individual to attend to that duty. A Dwarf did it as soon as he felt ready, or sensed the urge to express something important, to leave a memory of himself.

The footsteps were growing in intensity, making it certain adversaries were approaching, which was why their Master of the Tunnel had signalled that they had to collect debris and rocks to make a defensive wall, something they could use during the oncoming fight. The Dwarves didn’t know how many Duergar warriors they would be facing, but they had to fight their best, battle for their lives… And the people of Dra Flahz were well known for their strength, and wiriness!

Once part of the defence was completed, he shook both hands slightly, but the mud stuck. Then he saw some movements in the near distance, blade in hand.

And here they came. The cries of the attacking Duergar combatants were shouted to terrify their ranks. The blood curdling yells were the first words spoken in that place all day, and they understood that it was real assailants and not just deceptive noises that might be misinterpreted. Sometimes, noises were made on purpose to send fake reports through the rocks of the underground, but this was not the case.

Ktadn struck the first attacker again and again, thrusting his sword through an opening under the shoulders of the other’s armour. Then, he tugged his blade, partly to free it of the blood, and partly to ensure his mud covered hands could move it more effectively. He waited for the next combatant to appear.

The battle continued for long minutes, with the two sides trapped between the rocks of the cavern walls. They battled among the debris of the improvised wall the dwarfs had built, the dust still in the air, and the bodies of the soldiers of the other army moved with great difficulty, struggling to survive the day. Wounds opened wide under the armour of many, blood splashed the ground or was thrown onto the rocks, along with body parts, and orders that resembled angry growls more than words filled the area.

The Dwarf saw one of his fellow warriors taking one of his secondary small axes from his belt, as he faced two Duergar opponents once he appeared to have already dropped his sword. Another Dwarf did the same, seizing a smaller blade to stop someone else. The two sides were engaged in a wild hand to hand struggle within the cramped space, alternating lunges and shoves ensuing.

After a while, a very tired Ktadn struck a large Duergar in mid chest, hurling him backwards. But the blade didn’t penetrate too deeply, so the other recovered and retorted. But the Dwarf was much faster than his opponent.

Ktadn shoved the corpse out of the way in time for the whirling bearded axe of the next assailant to reach him. His sword met the other’s weapon, and all could hear the song of steel on steel. With every step he took, the other took one as well, soon surrounding him on three sides thanks to his opponent’s comrades that came out of the darkness to help his opponent. Ktadn felt a coldness piercing through his forearm, blood welling from his wound, and thought he might be easily overwhelmed. He feared he was fatally wounded, but other Dwarves—his friends Netuwek and Wekt—came to help him and together they killed the three enemies.

Battle was always a bloody thing, and the narrow passages made it even more exhausting. After a few minutes, the Dwarf felt his arms beginning to tire, his muscles silently moaning. Much to his surprise, about half an hour later, the Sergeant of their company announced that they had won! He didn’t even know how this had occurred, as he had lost sight of what was happening, as his eyes were focused on his feet. But the order was clear: cease fighting and regroup!

The warrior miners treated their wounds and looked over their armour and weapons, and relief was felt among the ranks. During such underground battles many might fall and be lost in the deeps, never to be retrieved again. On this occasion, they had survived, despite the unexpectedness of that attack, and they could work, and sleep, another day… until next time.

As the Dwarves were taking a breather, and Ktadn leant against a massive boulder, another voice was heard in the tunnel: it was that of Ujuwz, the First Battleaxe of the Spearhead Company. He had been sent ahead to study the results of the previous detonation, and to secure the area. But he seemed to have found something new, some remains under the rocks that had been unearthed by that explosion.

A small group of experienced warrior miners including Ktadn was soon formed went to look at what had been discovered. But all were left speechless as they saw, under the light of their lamps, what had been discovered.

Already a couple of Dwarven Master Builders were surveying the site, taking measurements and writing them in their daybook to have detailed reports for later of what their army had stumbled into.

Ktadn stared at the stonework, deeply surprised. Those tall walls, the metalworking, the words in archaic Rune signs! This looked like a High Door, one of the fabled entrances to the legendary Underground Kingdom, the lost Subterranean Realm of the Dwarves supposedly built by skilled artisans in days long gone. Could it really be one of those?

Though the place was so large that their torches couldn’t illuminate all of it, the High Door seemed to have been caught in metamorphic rocks, which made it a very strange, inexplainable thing. Whenever existing outcroppings or minerals underground were subjected to extreme temperatures, their composition, texture, and internal structures might be modified to be transformed into denser, more compact rocks. But conditions like those were only found deep within the Earth. So, it was just as if the High Door had been moved, or damaged, and this had altered the site where it once stood. All of this made it even harder to comprehend. What forces, what events might have caused it?

There had long been reports of exploring sorcerers like his brother about such places. However, the reports were partial, and reached a conclusion, as it seemed that everyone who had reached these ancient features was never seen again. All known was that they had disappeared once they got inside. And now, here it was, one of those fabled entrances… which made it more troubling than the fighting they had faced.

But their surprise didn’t last long. Other occurrences were still to happen that terrible day. The air cooled and the ones before the door grew tense.

The walls closest to the High Door fell below. The Dwarves saw a giant arm seemingly materializing from nowhere. What was it? And where did the arm come from? It didn’t even seem possible!

Soon that monster stood in all its height. It looked at them like a man staring at small insects. About a hundred and sixty feet tall, it was endowed with eight dark wings of massive proportions. A multitude of articulated dark legs supported a thick torso full of gaping maws dripping a brilliant fluid. The head, the incredibly large head, displayed a mouth of uncertain and fearful features and several eyes filled with evil and despair, that filled everyone who looked at them with fear.

The underground had always been full of dangers, creatures that lived in the soil or beneath the rocks might be poisonous or might attack, but he had never seen anything like this with his own eyes, nor had his friends who were with him now! And this was what had left them speechless.

The creature didn’t waste time, and the Dwarven warrior miners next to Ktadn saw strange protuberances extending out of its strange body, which greatly alarmed them. Sergeant Whuzzm reached them then and he, too, had to think twice before commanding his soldiers.

Then he yelled the battle cry of Dra Flahz across the dim lighted deeps of the underground caverns.

‘Whatever end you are going to meet here today, always remember to be a Dwarf, and fight as fiercely as you know how to do. Now, with me!’

The rest was a sequence of bloody deaths that the Dwarven warriors faced with utmost courage, but without much effect.

 

Even if they had won that battle against the Duergar, and their morale was high, they doubted they could have stopped that gigantic monster. This appeared obvious as their first attempts had very little effect.

Ktadn was tired, wounded and incapable of coming to terms with that threat of unbelievable proportions. Such a monster, maybe, could have ended the legendary Underground Kingdom, that many knew as the old Subterranean Realm of the Dwarves. It might have driven the folk who lived there out of those fabled places. What if there were others like it, who knew where, and what if they were appeared?

Tales told of gigantic creatures from other dimensions, supposedly, which brought death and disasters deep inside the tunnels and under Dra Flahz. No known power, or weapon, might stop them. Could this be one of the monsters of the tales? Ktadn had never believed in such reports—how could they be real? But what stood before them had to be a fact. And they was its next prey.

Some said they were the result of a world mingling with the underground, others said they were a curse that would end their civilization. Whatever… this was madness!

But there was little time to think of such things because bloody death was coming for most of his fellows. Something else happened then, and it, too, left the Dwarves shocked.

The creature glowed, its many eyes filled with a strange, unearthly pallor. A hole opened under their feet, as if by sorcery. The monster became more vivid, illuminating the darkness while the terrain disappeared, as if portions of the cavern had been removed from reality. The hole was large and without end. They fell, and something new and unknown opened before their eyes.

It was as if they had entered an unearthly portal, something they didn’t know could be opened, and they didn’t know how to close. This portal was in the power of that creature, and it could have it sealed again. That sorcery was not of this world, and that monster seemed to have the key to those gates, and it only responded to its orders…

The Dwarf and his fellow warriors found themselves falling and falling, down into a huge and unearthly cavern, much larger than the sea, for those who had ever seen it. They were certain that death was near… The strange world that surrounded them, whatever it might be, was a gigantic thing of unknown proportions. And he and the other Dwarven warriors were of negligible size.

As the strangely moving, living foulness increased, and approached, they knew that, even if some among them survived touching it, the few surviving Dwarves would never make it out alive, would never return to their mountains or the Kingdom of Dra Flahz.

This unknown world would be their grave, and no one would ever find their remains. Their wonderment now grew fiercer through despair. Nobody would ever know what they had found, the danger they had faced, and how valorously they had fought against it. Maybe their arms, or their armour, and their rusted tools would be retrieved one day, caught among the sheet-like structures of old metamorphic rocks, somewhere, like that High Door they had seen before: as if it had been brought there by sorcery, and resurfaced with no recollection of what had happened. And no explanation of why.

Because of all the dreary darkness they had encountered in their Dwarves’ life, the unrighteousness they were to meet down there was the darkest… And this was the end of their journeys underground.