BTtNR - Book 3 - Chapter 040

The final hour felt like it crawled by.

Einar stood at the edge of the defensive circle, his eyes never leaving the tunnel entrances. The goblins hadn't returned, but he could feel them out there. Watching and waiting.

Behind him, the steady rhythm of picks continued. Each strike brought them closer to the goal and closer to escaping this cursed mine.

Thorve moved among the wounded, her experienced hands checking bandages and administering what aid she could. The older healer's face was drawn with exhaustion, but her movements remained steady. Years of practice had taught her how to work through the fatigue she was enduring by being almost out of wyrd.

"How are they?" Einar asked as she passed near him.

"They'll live," Thorve replied, wiping sweat from her shaved head. "Though a few will need proper rest once we're back on the surface. Kojala and I have done what we can down here."

Einar nodded. Five dead total. Fifteen were wounded to varying degrees. The cost had been high, but they had managed to hold on.

Osvif approached, his red hair matted with sweat and dust. "The carts are almost full. Yulgas says another twenty minutes at most."

"Good. Start preparing for the retreat. I want everyone ready to move the moment the last piece of ore is loaded."

"You think they'll try one more time?" his friend asked.

"I would," Einar replied. "They know we're leaving. This is their last chance to stop us."

Osvif studied the tunnel entrances with his green eyes, then nodded slowly. "I'll spread the word."

As his friend moved away, Einar felt the familiar pull of his rune system. The notification from the war boss kill still lingered at the edge of his consciousness. His Primal Body rune had leveled, reaching its maximum potential. The power thrummed through him, a reminder that growth came through struggle.

Worth the pain. Always worth the pain.

Skardi appeared beside him, the massive Viking somehow managing to move quietly despite his size. "The men are getting anxious. We've been down here too long."

"We leave soon," Einar assured him. "How's your section holding up?"

"Tired but ready. Hallad took a nasty cut to his shoulder, but he refuses to leave the line. Says he's not letting goblins make him look weak."

Einar couldn't help but smile. The round, muscular warrior had proven himself repeatedly today. "Tell him I said he's earned his rest, but if he wants to stay in formation, I won't stop him."

"Will do." Skardi hesitated, then added, "You know, when we were coming down here, I thought this would be easy. Fight some goblins, grab some ore, and head home. I didn't expect it to be this hard."

"Nothing worth having comes easy," Einar replied. "The dwarves needed warriors who could adapt to fight in ways they couldn't. Unlike them, we’re not afraid of death. The pain of it hurts, and the risks we take for growth aren’t ones they can match. Today, we proved we're those warriors."

The large Viking nodded and returned to his position.

Einar moved around the circle, checking on each section. Vidar's warriors looked exhausted but determined. The pack leader from Kopanes had fought well, his brown eyes alert despite the fatigue. Kubadar, one of his men, had a bandage wrapped around his head but still gripped his spear with steady hands.

Jepi's section was in similar condition. The broad-shouldered pack leader with red hair had taken several minor wounds but ignored them all. Beside him, Eskil leaned against his spear, his red hair crusted with goblin blood. Gylfi was sharpening his blade in preparation for whatever came next.

These warriors had earned their place in this warband.

A sound echoed from the main tunnel. Everyone tensed, weapons rising.

But it was only Bartia, returning from a scouting mission Einar had sent her on an hour ago. The dwarf looked grim.

"They're massing a force," she reported. "In the chamber we passed through earlier. I counted at least sixty, maybe more. They're waiting for something."

"Waiting for us to leave," Einar said. "They'll hit us during the retreat."

"That's my guess," Bartia agreed. "The tunnel is narrow. If they catch us strung out..."

She didn't need to finish. Everyone understood the danger.

Thorodd joined them, his massive frame casting a shadow in the dim light. "So what's the plan? We can't fight our way through sixty goblins while pushing loaded mine carts."

Einar's mind raced through options. They could abandon the carts and fight their way out, but that would mean the entire mission would be for nothing. They could try to hold this chamber longer, but eventually exhaustion would claim them all. Or they could take the fight to the goblins before the retreat began.

"Bartia," Einar said. "That chamber where they're gathering. How many entrances?"

"Three," the dwarf replied. "Same as this one. Two smaller tunnels and the main passage."

"And the ceiling?"

"High enough. Maybe fifteen feet. Why?"

An idea was forming, dangerous and risky, but it might work.

"Because we're going to collapse it on them."

Everyone stared at him.

"You want to bring the ceiling down?" Thorodd asked slowly. "In a mine? While we're still inside?"

"Not the whole ceiling," Einar explained. "Just enough to block the main passage and trap them in that chamber. Yulgas, is it possible?"

The dwarf had been listening from where he worked. He set down his pick and approached, studying Einar with his blue eyes.

"It's possible," Yulgas said carefully. "There are support pillars in that chamber. If we damage enough of them, the ceiling will come down. But it's dangerous. If it collapses wrong, it could seal us in too."

"Could you control it?" Einar pressed. "Make sure only that section falls?"

Yulgas was quiet for a long moment. "Maybe. I'd need Stefi's help. And we'd have to be quick about it."

"How long?"

"To set it up? Ten minutes. To get clear after we trigger it? Less than one."

Einar looked at his warriors. They were exhausted, wounded, and at the edge of their endurance. But he saw determination in their eyes. They trusted him to lead them out of this.

"We do it," Einar decided. "Yulgas, Stefi, Bartia, you three come with me. We'll set the trap. Thorodd, you're in command here. The moment you hear the collapse, start moving. Get these carts to the platform and don't stop for anything."

"And if more goblins come while you're gone?" his second in command asked.

"Then you hold until we get back," Einar replied simply.

Thorodd nodded, accepting the burden.

Einar selected five more warriors to accompany him. Osvif, naturally, for his quick mind. Skardi, because his size and strength might be needed. Geir, whose confidence and skill with all weapons made him invaluable. Bodalf, whose spear work was among the best. And Hogni, whose skill with a bow might prove helpful.

"Move quietly," Einar instructed. "We're not there to fight. We set the trap and get out."

They left the defensive circle and entered the tunnel leading back toward the goblin chamber. The darkness seemed deeper now, more oppressive. Every shadow held potential danger.

Stefi led the way, her crystal providing minimal light. They moved in single file, weapons ready, each step carefully placed to avoid making noise.

After ten minutes of tense movement, they reached the edge of the chamber. Stefi motioned for them to stop, then crept forward to scout.

She returned moments later, her expression troubled. "Seventy at least. Maybe more. They're organized, too. Arranged in groups, weapons ready. They're definitely waiting for us."

"Show me the pillars," Yulgas whispered.

They moved to where they could see into the chamber without being spotted. Einar counted six stone pillars supporting the ceiling, each one carved from the mountain itself. The goblins had gathered in the center, leaving the edges relatively clear.

"Those two," Yulgas said, pointing to pillars on opposite sides of the chamber. "And that one near the back. If we damage those three simultaneously, the ceiling will come down in the center."

"Will it be enough to block the passage?" Einar asked.

"More than enough. It'll seal that chamber completely."

"Then let's do it."

They split into three groups. Yulgas and Stefi took the left pillar. Bartia took the right. Einar, Osvif, and Skardi approached the rear pillar. The others stayed back, ready to cover their retreat.

Moving along the chamber's edge, staying in the shadows, they reached their targets. Einar studied the pillar before him. It was thick, maybe four feet across, covered in ancient dwarf runes.

I hope Yulgas knows what he's doing.

He glanced across the chamber. Yulgas had his pick ready at the base of his pillar. Bartia waited by hers. They were all in position.

Yulgas raised his hand. Three fingers. Two. One.

They struck as one.

The sound of metal on stone echoed through the chamber. The goblins screeched in alarm, their yellow eyes turning toward the noise.

"Again!" Yulgas shouted, abandoning stealth.

They struck again, and again. The pillars began to crack, deep fissures spreading from where the picks bit into stone.

The goblins charged toward them, weapons raised.

"Keep hitting it!" Einar roared, channeling wyrd into his strikes.

The pillar before him shattered. Across the chamber, the other two gave way at nearly the same moment.

The ceiling groaned.

"Run!" Yulgas screamed.

They ran as they had been ordered.

Behind them, the sound of splitting stone filled the air. The ceiling came down with a roar that drowned out even the goblin screeches. Dust exploded outward, a cloud of choking debris that engulfed them as they sprinted for the tunnel.

Einar grabbed Osvif's arm and pulled him forward as a chunk of ceiling crashed down where his friend had been standing. Skardi's massive form appeared through the dust, carrying both Geir and Bodalf.

They burst into the tunnel as the chamber behind them collapsed completely. The sound was deafening, a thunder that seemed to shake the entire mountain.

Then silence.

Einar turned, coughing from the dust. The entrance to the chamber was completely sealed, tons of rock blocking any passage. No goblin would be following them through that.

"Everyone alive?" he gasped.

"Somehow," Osvif replied, his face white with dust.

Yulgas was laughing, a slightly mad sound. "That was either the bravest or stupidest thing I've ever done!"

"Probably both," Stefi agreed, but she was grinning too.

"Come on," Einar said. "We need to get back before Thorodd thinks we're dead."

They made their way through the tunnel, moving as quickly as exhaustion allowed. When they reached the ore chamber, Thorodd was already organizing the retreat. The mine carts were loaded, the wounded were being prepared for transport, and the defensive positions were being dismantled.

"Good timing," Thorodd said when he saw them. "Another minute and I was coming to find you."

"Let's just get out of here," Einar replied.

The journey back to the platform was tense but uneventful. The goblins didn't return. Perhaps they had learned their lesson. Perhaps they were simply gathering their strength for another attack. Einar didn't care. They had what they came for.

When they finally reached the platform where the mine carts waited to carry them back up, Einar allowed himself a moment of relief. They had done it. Against impossible odds, in the belly of the mountain, they had completed the first task.

As they loaded the ore carts for the ascent, Yulgas approached Einar.

"The Stone Father will hear of this," the dwarf said. "What you and your warriors accomplished today. Many dwarves have died in these tunnels. You lost five and still completed the mission."

"Five is still too many," Einar replied quietly.

"Perhaps. But they died as warriors. We both know that you will bring them back. That's more than my kind could ever hope for. When the time comes, let me know. I would like to watch the ceremony if you allow me. Your warriors deserve all the honor due to them."

The blonde dwarf extended his hand. Einar clasped it, feeling the strength in that grip.

"One task down," Yulgas said. "Two more to go."

"One step at a time," Einar replied.

As the carts began their ascent, carrying the exhausted Vikings and hard-won ore back toward the surface, Einar closed his eyes and allowed himself to rest.

They had survived. They had succeeded. And soon, they would see the sun again.

That was enough for now.