Forbidden Land

by Mane-Shaker

22 The Sixth Diary - Steel Dagger

Journal of Steel Dagger, Deserter Sixth Overseer

I've started this diary around winter. I don't know which day It was and what It is today, since I have a small problem in keeping track of the days. All I know right now It's spring and the year is 1006.

There was no way I was gonna die in combat against brutes called griffins. All they know is pillage, kill, and repeat.
My parents died in the first days when It started, more than 15 years ago. I have no wife, no kids, no brothers or sisters... all my life has been in the military since I was drafted, with the King in despair for troops. Since griffins can fly and sometimes our crossbow dwarfs can't get a clear shot on them, making them kill some of us by the walls.

So I've ran away. I'm starting a new life somewhere else. Most of us in the Crystal Mountainhomes only know our city and nothing else, and there's a huge world to explore and enjoy.
During my travels to the south and going away as far away from the Mountainhomes as possible, I found the mangles body of a dwarf pony surrounded by some huge animal footprints. Seems whatever It was, they followed him because the footprints walked the same way they came.

I emptied out his pockets and I found a letter from the King himself with instructions, to a position of overseer to the fortress called StoneHammer, the last hope of our race and civilization that has been topic of conversation in our place for some years.

Figuring out this place StoneHammer never saw the guy's face, and they don't know me, I guessed I could start a new life there.
So I followed the indications on a map this dead guy had scraped and It led me to some short of escape tunnel...

---

I found the place, and I find myself in some sort of office. I gained some bravery and stepped out of the room, to find a small group of dwarves asking me right away what to do about the "situation". I... played dumb and asked them what was going on.

So this place is under siege with a combined force of griffins and some huge dangerous animals called "elephants".
From all the places I could have gone, the griffins had to find this place also! When I though I ran away from the war, It's like the war itself followed me here. I told them I was gonna think about It, and entered the office in a hurry.

I tried to re-dig the escape tunnel under the desk, but It just collapsed, leaving me no escape. And then, the dwarf ponies stormed in the office! I tried to hide the tunnel, but they pulled me and carried me to the front gates, demanding orders. I guess I'm in for the duration...

I told them to dig fortifications, so our crossbow ponies could shoot them. But for my surprise, they told the griffins had bows. I still told them to do It anyway, saying It would all work out.

---

This early morning I was trying to dig the escape tunnel again, when a bunch of guys ran in. I tried to hide the tunnel again, but they were cheering for some reason, just like the rest of the place. Turns out the griffins leaved! Maybe they got bored.

This was a good opportunity to dig the rest of the fortifications by the gates, so we could shoot the elephants. With a combined force of crossbows and balistas, we managed to kill some of them, forcing the pack to run away. I declare today an official holiday, whatever day this is...

Now that everything is safe, I played dumb again and asked them how things work here, and how much this job pays.
They all looked confused at me and answered they don't use any money. Everypony here just works together. I told them to mint coins, and hopefully the next immigrant group comes with a bookkeeper.

Our soldiers by the entrance spotted a caravan from Canterlot. I hope they don't mind the corpses of elephants and pony dwarfs by the entrance.

A crafts dwarf made an amazing bracelet. I commissioned It to myself since this job doesn't have a payment at all, but when I got to the workshop, he was babbling about cities burning, the awake of the ancient demons before time.
The bracelet shows a dog killing a mandrill. An elephant running away while a dwarf laughs... and a cheese? I don't know where the cheese comes from or to what is related to, but oh well...

As for the traders, I traded some stone crafts for berries and cloth. Funny enough, all the goods were on the trade depot already since nopony could bring them back inside.

I visited the cage trap tunnel, and had an idea. Since all the traps couldn't be reloaded in time, I told them to dig a tunnel from the fortress to this tunnel with fortifications blocking them, and installed two balistas so the siege operators could shoot through them. If any elephants or griffins get there, we can shoot them dead with only one shot.

I'm taking steps and measures to make sure the elephants or any other threat doesn't menace this fortress. The others thing I'm paranoid, but they are wrong. The elephants will return just like the griffins.

---

Seems my prays were answered. An immigrant wave arrived with a bookkeeper!
Everypony started to bring their coins, and of course, some of them can't afford rooms to sleep in, but hopefully the free rooms from their previous dead occupants are enough. I couldn't get ready for this due to the siege.

Our brewers came to me with alarming news. We are running our of drinks, and there's no plants or mushrooms left to brew.
Turns out I forgot to tell the farmers to start growing the plantations. This overseer stuff is hard...

Disaster. Our soldiers reported a herd of elephants coming from the trap tunnel direction.
And due to poor time management and everything going around me and us, only two traps were reloaded. Time to test my previous balista plans.

Two elephants caught of course, but the rest got through. When I asked where the siege operators were, they were all eating, drinking and sleeping!

Finally, one single siege operator and for surprise, the balistas and incredibly inaccurate even at short range. But luck protects the audacious ones! One of the balistas killed one of the elephants by the tunnel, and his body got hurled a good six meters even out of the trap tunnel.

But disaster came back when a dwarf walked outside to get killed by the elephants, and the others seeing an opportunity for free clothes and items, ran outside trying to grab his values. I remembered what the previous ruler said in the end of the diary, I locked the front doors.

WHAT THE HELL?! The door is stuck! I can't get it closed!
Somepony jammed It! That bastard! That traitor! THAT... mouse..?

Showing a great coordination and opportunity, a rat went inside the mechanisms, got killed between the cogs and now they are all stuck!
Meanwhile, the siege operators saw the crowd going outside for the riches of the dead ones, they followed them in all haste. I assigned the other siege operators to the balistas, depleting our siege ammo. Now there's only two elephants remaining, and our crossbow soldiers are out of ammunition.

There's only one chance.
I activated the whole military and send them in a charge against the elephants. They let out a mighty scream of war and ran.
Nopony can blame their bravery. Only their results...

---

I consulted the diagrams of the fortress and I think I found a way to close It shut.
PULL THAT DAMN LEVER!

With the survivors all together back in the fort, I begin to organize things for the best. Without wood, I can't make any siege ammo for the balistas, and the magma forges only produce a small amount of iron bolts. I told to the many ones I could to arm themselves with crossbows and hope they happen to find any spare bolts without going outside. But no! They instead go eat, drink and sleep!

Meanwhile, the elephants bored without a stream of pony dwarfs to kill, they are slowing torturing a dog to death that got stuck outside.

---

I lost to track of time per usual, but after some months without writing in this thing, the dwarves managed to forge some extra bolts and shoot the elephants outside, which they died of blood loss. VICTORY IS OURS!

I ordered the doors to be open, and the population comes out in joy of their first breaths of pure air in months.

---

New month, I think...
And I get news a new pack of elephants is coming.

A single untrained crossbow soldier stands by the river ready to defend the place. I doubt he'll be enough.
And why is there no new door in the entrance? I inspect and I found out why.
The huge number of tamed animals, population and pets, plus the thin hallways caused an incredible traffic jam. I ordered the miners and masons to expand the corridors and then smooth them, while most of the tamed animals are going back to the cages.

Luck helps us again. The elephant herd skipped us entirely. With the corridors being widen and more passable, they installed the doors sealing the threats from the outside.

In the final days of summer (I think), a mason creates a shocking controversial work of art, expressing his frustration and guilt.
A marble amulet with THREE images of elephants killing dwarves.
He came to me and said: "Here, I've made an amulet of all the history I know. Look, it's an elephant slaughtering dwarves by the hundreds. You can really see the bones and gristle! If you check the back, there's a lovely image of a rat jamming the fortress doors open. Also, more elephants killing dwarves."
I have him on prison for defeatism.

In autumn, the caravan arrived, and runs right into a group of elephants!
It's guards engage in combat for a moment, actually killing two, and one of them ran towards the fortress following the merchants with various injuries, followed then by the others.

The elephants just had there and wait. The know the merchants have to go through the bridge to leave.
And an elephant never forgets, said one of the animal trainers.

And during the confusion, a blacksmith came to me saying a fire imp came out of the magma river, but got killed by a stone-fall trap.

After some days, the elephants got bored without any killing going on and leaved.
Great timing, because the merchants were about to leave too.

And after they leave, an immigrant wave showed up from the Crystal Mountainhomes!
They replaced our population that got killed in the previous combats, making them 74 now. I drafted most of them to our army, mostly for crossbow duty, and others armed with swords and heavy armor.

Mandrills appeared and ran to the trade depot. I told the army to get there, but they were all sleeping!
They got there but late. The mandrills ran away but after some checking they stole a platinum ring of high value...
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Wait! Another group of mandrills is on the other side of the river, and they can't find a way across. Tome for revenge!

A single soldier gets in the scene and starts firing his crossbow. In the end, three mandrills killed.

I came back inside and a foal shows me a work of art he made.
A flint toy boat, with an image... of a elephant killing a dwarf.
That kid needs some counseling...

---

The cold strong wind marks winter. And for an anti-climax, It is really calm and without any confronts from the outside.
The new military trains hard in the barracks and the crossbow dwarfs in the archery range. Only a few months to train these peasants into a heavy and disciplined army.
A few elephants just wandered around really far away, all looking at the fortress in a wish for pony dwarf blood.

---

The flowers and trees outside with new leaves mark spring.
I decided to retire from this position and become the captain of our new army.

Memories of the elephant war haunt my sleep, and only with a spear next to my bed I can find peace.