Mockings of Armok: Tales of Ruby Sedilbobburkeshan

A Dwarf Fortress Story

Chapter 1:

The Vampire Queen of Splatterinns

Since the beginning of time, worlds have been created, destroyed, and reforged on the forge of creation. These were formed and fitted to the liking of Armok, the god of blood. The creation of these worlds were not of a benevolent nature, or a view of land forms as art. It is to drink from his goblet filled with the blood of the conflict these worlds spark until its age of emptiness dawns.

To ensure these conflicts, he created three main races to constantly fight over the land. They are known best as the imperialistic men of hamlets, the raging dwarves of fortresses, and the savage elves of forests. Wether it be for land, resources, or a disagreement, no matter how small, bloodshed was a guarantee in his worlds. However, in the unlikely event that there is peace in the world he also created the chaotic kobolds, and the ruthless goblins to start some trouble in those dry spells.

However, of all the worlds he had made in his cosmic workshop of surrounding galactic shelves, one little world was different than the others. Much of the world's conflict actually shifted towards one dwarf. A small, timid, dwarf of red fiery hair, who looked more suited as a nurturing mother, caused more conflict than any other being of other worlds Armok had made.

This is the story of Sarah Sedilbobburkeshan, or better known by her nickname, Ruby. The flame of kindness, the slayer of vampire queens, the fire that engulfed Ashmon Shoner, the cursed, the slaughter of nightmares, and the fallen hero of the realm. But, I am getting too far a head of myself, lets start from the beginning.

***

In the city of Ashmon Shoner, the morning's sun had just begun to dawn. Much like the dawn of an adventure, the energy of the sun beamed on the singled floored wooden huts that populated the city. The shadow's lay stretched out at the sight of the light, keeping the radiant from reaching parts of the streets to hide those not up to the task.

This was perfect to describe to the two leather clad soon to be adventurers, making their way to the center of the hamlet. One being a dwarf of red hair tied back into a pony tail resembling a lit candlelight. The other a taller human female with long blonde hair that danced in the cool morning breeze was welding the sword on her shoulder as she walked.

The human was looking around rather confused at the surrounding area they tread. They had been walking for some time after the two had met in a pub, and it seemed as if they had being walking in circles.

"Uh, Ruby?" She asked the dwarf, "you do know where you're going, right?"

Ruby pulled at the scarf that wrapped snugly around her neck as she gave her new friend an awkward laugh. "Heh, well... not quite."

"What do you mean not quite?" The human said flabbergasted, "I thought you lived around here?"

"I never needed to go to Splatterinns before," Ruby admitted as she began to look around at the similar looking buildings.

The human sighed, "did you ever get out of that shop of yours?"

Ruby looked up in a pondering thought at the puffy clouds that sauntered by them. "Hhmmmm. Not really, Lega, no. My hobby always kept me busy I guess. There wasn't much need to."

"Okay." Lega said as she rolled her eyes as you would as someone doing a job completely wrong. "We're looking for a keep right?"

Ruby nodded, "Luxurious Bunnies."

"That's the name?" She asked in bewilderment before continuing, "anyways, there's no doubt it has a few stories to it. So, we could see it from on top a hill."

The two stumbled around the street, trying to find a vantage point from the view of walls of buildings that where split up by streets and alleys. They'd probably have to go to the edge of the city to find one. The city it self was relatively flat surrounded by hillsides. So, they picked a direction, and set off for whatever hill they might come across.

The travel time was quite long to the first hill the saw. You know how it is, you pick a direction and end up taking the longest way possible to your destination, and buildings that look all the same don't help your situation. However, they eventually did make it to a tall hillside that bristles in the wind no different than fur on a bunny. A green fuzzy bunny.

Looking from the hill, the saw a tall stone building surrounded by shorter towers. It looked like a slabs protruding from the ground in a sea of brown wood huts.

Lega realized that something was nagging at her as she looked at it. It started at the bar, but it had been building in her since she started the trip with ruby.

"Well there it is..." A short pause as she thought about her question. "Um, ruby?"

"Hmm?" Ruby responded, looking down at the human from her higher ground.

"What do you plan to do when we find this creature in the keep?"

"Well..." Ruby pondered this for a sec as she looked up at the sky again. "I thought just go straight through the heart."

"Straight for the heart?"

"Yeah! That's how the heroes fight them in my books." Ruby explained as she reached into her napsack an pulled a book entitled, 101 encounters with night creatures, and put it to her chest like a fan at an autograph signing.

"And if they are protecting their heart?"

Ruby's confident expression took a nose dive. "Uhhhh."

Lega just shook her head with a small smile, "gods, you really are new to this."

"I-I still know my way around a blade in the thick of combat!" Ruby stammered as she pouted at the teases of her new companion.

Lega shrugged. "Hey, it's just telling when you got a skilled person like myself to tag along when your plan is just swing and pray her teeth don't sink past that scarf of yours."

"H-hey!" Ruby held the scarf as a child would her prized blanket. "Don't even joke about that!"

"Look I still got your back if things go south. Then we'll see if you still feel like going on this adventure of glory and heroism."

Ruby looked up at her friend walking off towards the keep. She moved her gaze from her scarf to her hand made sword. She'd prove herself to Lega if it was the last thing she did. Which it might be, she thought for a second. She shook her head to kick the thought out and chased after her companion.

Neither of them knew it, but Ruby would prove herself. Lega will come to respect her, and then fear her before the end of their partnership.

-

Getting into the Splatterinns' Keep was surprisingly easy. For the imposing height and isolating walls, the guards were rather willing to let two armed mercenaries into the abode of their rulers. They boredly looked up and down at our heroes and then let them through the walls into the garden. Flower beds and rose bushes filled the lawns with diversity of color that the grounds desperately need from becoming too depressing.

"I always thought security in these places were stricter than this", Ruby noted as she looked around.

"Oh they are," Lega assured her dwarven friend as she pointed to a crossbowman on one of the towers. "Some kingdoms give out loans for merchants and adventurers looking for profit so they let them in. The visitors know it's not wise to do anything funny."

Ruby looked to the guard to the soldier Lega was pointing to. He was in full body armor that encased him in what looked to be iron. The man looked back at her and pointed from his eye to her with a snarl.

Ruby gulped, trying to swallow her fear from ending up on the keep's grounds. They were already as unwelcoming as the walls, they didn't need a reason to go full hostile. She wasn't an outlaw, but she never experience such suspecting guards. She only knew the ones by her shop that always seemed like outstanding gentlemen. Except when they're drunk, that's when the broom comes out.

The doors from the garden into the keep opens into a throne room spanning several feet. A red carpet flowed down the center to the room. Pillars in symmetrical rows covered both sides with shimmering torches leading to the throne of dwarven craft work grade stone.

Ruby's eyes shot out and sparkled with unconstrained wonderment at the sight of the hall. Being a common merchant, she had only heard of these places of such high luxury by passing adventurer gossip, and in her books.

Small crowds of guards and nobles were sprinkled about the hall like food seasoning. Some were eyeing the two with expectant glares as if they were a person that didn't get invited to a high class party, but came anyways. Others ignored them, and went about their business of politics, and he-said-she-said of other noble family drama.

One woman nicely dressed in a long blue dress with details similar to vines curling around sauntered over to the new adventurers with a smile. "Hello! Hello! To who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"Well, I-" Ruby began to respond before finding herself on her knees staring at the feet of the finely dressed noble with great force holding her down. "EEP!?"

Lega quickly took a bow, and was in the middle of forcing Ruby to do the same as if their lives depended on it. She whispered quickly into Ruby's ear, "Do you not know of manners from those books of fantasy?! Are you not aware this is your queen?!"

"O-oh..." Ruby barley squeaked out, M-Majesty... I-I'm terribly sorry I didn't recognize you. Y-you look stunning!"

"Calm down subjects," The queen raised her hand in a signal to stop. "I appreciate the formalities, but I just wish for your names."

"Lega Compestirs, Imperial Swordwoman." She said still kneeling at the ground without much change in her position.

"Sarah Sedilbobburkeshan, Dwarven Black smith," Ruby told her queen. "But uh... you can call me Ruby."

"A Blacksmith?' The queen asked looking up and down at the redheaded dwarf, "You look more ready for battle than metalworking."

"I guess I do. " Ruby stood up to explain this with her knees still quaking a bit, "w-well I've always heard these tales of high adventure from those that visited my shop, and I thought I could give it a try..."

"Hmm, well best of luck to you, Ruby." The queen bowed her head. "But, I suppose you come here for a greater purpose than your declaration of climbing up the social ladder?"

"Yes M'Lady," Ruby told her before collecting her thoughts. "M'lady... There is a creature of the night in these walls."

The guards in the room shot up when the words "creature of the night" was spoken. They all looked at Ruby as if she used improper table manners at a royal banquette. An air of cold silence filled the room.

"Oh, I've heard of her" The Queen carefully admitted. "How much more do you know?"

"She's a vampire, killed sixty two," Ruby put a hand to her chin as she remembered what the old man had told her in list form. "Oh! And her name is Ite... something."

The Queen slowly began to laugh at the two. It started no less than a tiny hushed titter and roared into something manic. It could only be described as a laugh of someone that would be considered gone or lost from the realm of our perspective.

Ruby finally got hit with the atmosphere of the room as the cold air did, and it shivered down her short stubby. The laugh was the only sound in the room that could be heard. Something was wrong. She looked over at the guards with their hands near their weapons as if to draw them. Something was VERY wrong with this scene.

Finally the Queen gave a calm sigh. "Funny, that's my name."

Ruby started to bring hands to her face in a defensive pose to begin to beg to the noble ruler. "M-m lady I didn't-."

"It's also funny" She continued as her eye flashed from a sky light blue to blood red. "Because I am that vampire, accuser."

"WHAT!?" Lega jolted up in shock.

"C-come again?" Ruby asked trembling a bit as if she missed an important part of the conversation, and was caught for not paying attention.

She didn't miss a word.

Wind picked up as the Queen started to transform into one of the creatures the Slaves of Armok fear. A vampire. Her teeth extended and sharpened like white spears being mounted. Her nails began to shape into raven talons. Her hair danced in the wind as it went from a blonde to coal black.

"I am Ite Conjurerroaring!" Her voiced boomed in the hall. Will you succeed where others have failed or suffer the same fate that has befallen so many?'

Ruby stood there in daze as this information seeped into her, currently troubleshooting, brain. Around her, guards readied their weapons as they began to get into defensive positions, and nobles started to flee likes scurrying ants in terror of their Queen. Lega was beside her, drawing her own weapon.

Though all Ruby could do at the moment was just ask in the chaos around her, "Excuse me? W-what?"

One of the guard converging on Ite started shouting at the others in a tone similar to an alert code of some kind. "We have a Thirty-one! A Thirty-one! The bat is out! I repeat the bat is- GURRLLK!"

The vocal cord of the now dead guard was cut of by the fangs of Ite, giving the guard his last hicky before he died. With a few spastic movements the guard went limp. The vampire dropped him to the floor with only dime sized drops of blood leading to the bite mark from the floor.

The Guards, and even Lega looked away in disgust. Ite casually turned to them, and wiped the blood from her lips, licking what she could. Her smile was that of satisfaction. She waited a long time for that.

The guards began to charge at the vampire, waving their swords around and yelling in the glory of this or that. They were trying to surround the beast as best they could as they lunged attacks at them. A sword slash here, a pike stab there. Ite retaliated and clawed back at them, ripping at some of their faces, limbs or what ever else the claws latched onto. It was like a cat tearing at a rat.

Lega raised her own sword up. "Come on Ruby, just like in the stories right?... Ruby?"

Ruby was still their in her trance of confusion and fear as she stared at the body now. She had learned much from the adventurers, such as how to fight, and the monsters they slayed. Nothing really prepared her for a vampire jumping a guy, and sucking him dry. What the hell am I doing? Her thoughts circled at that question. She hasn't even fought a rat never mind a vampire! Was she insane for doing this in the first place?

Meanwhile, Lega was shaking ruby a bit like a present in a box hoping her consciousness would fall back to reality. No response came from her, just that blank trembling fearful stare.

A scream of an other guard was heard as he was thrown in the direction of Lega and Ruby. She quickly dodged rolled out of the way of the guard that hit the ground behind her, and she faced Ite. She went into a battle stance similar to that of a military trained unit, and held her sword in two hands. The guard was now knocked to the floor unconscious as he slid into the wall.

"Come!" Ite told them as she fended off another guard. "Face me! Or be like your friend, and just let herself be drained."

Lega held her stance as she called to Ruby, "RUBY! Come on, I need you Dwarf!"

Ite dashed toward Lega as if she was the embodiment of smoke moving through the air. Lega quickly slashed at the blur with her sword, and a loud CLING sound was made as it clashed with the harpy claws. The struggle began as each pushed at each other with their weapons.

"Huh?!" Ruby shook her head and looked towards the battle.

Lega was holding ground, but the strength of the vampire was making that ground move less, and less away from her center of gravity. Before she could try anything more, Ite headbutted her sending her back. Lega's body stumbled backward toward a wall, barley supporting herself on it with her back slumping on the stone.

Ite bared her teeth as grabbed the fallen human with one hand. "I expected a bit more from a Swordswoman."

Ruby rush towards the vampire with her sword now in hand. Maybe it was the sight of death, or maybe it was the adrenaline pumping in her as a flight or flight response, but she's not going to let her companion die. Ruby slashed at her left forearm with the short sword. Ite screamed in pain as the sword embedded itself past the bone that forced her to loosen her grip on the human. Blood leaked out from the wound with the odd squirt from the pump.

"AHHH! How dare you little cobbler!" Ite yelled as she tried to remove the sword. "You're going to be begging for death when I'm done."

Ruby quickly withdrew the blade from the wound, making the blood pump out even more violently like a disturbed magma lake. She backed away in a defensive stance as the vampire began to flail her arms around attempting to claw at Ruby. She slashed back at the hands with her sword trying to keep them away with each swinging hook of a claw.

Lega was just getting her bearings after being dropped from her near demise. She took a deep breath as she watched Ruby and Ite fight to sword and claw. Ite was actually getting bloodied from the odd slash hitting things other than the claws.

WITING! SHING! PING! Went the sword as deflected claws of Ite. All were quick session motions like a speed of a cheetah. Ruby just keeping up enough to keep them from making a slash from being fatal. With each swing, the blood of the vampire sprayed out like a broken pipe torn at the side. If it wasn't hitting the ground in 5 feet intervals it was getting on Ruby. On her armor, on her face, even on her lovely scarf.

"Enough!" The vampire commanded as she lifted her hand to a powerful windup strike.

Ruby closed her eyes tight, and slashed wildly in the dark. Something was hit, something nearly as hard as the forearm to cut through, and as many bones as it did too. She continued to tear through it until it was nothing, but air. This was all well the vampire was screaming in pain.

Ruby opened her eyes again to find that Ite was now hobbling on one leg. She had removed the entire right shin off with a clean cut. Once again, the blood kept pumping on to the ground. Ruby was less than stellar to see that.

"Shit!" Ite anger bellowed as she tried to stay stable on her one good leg. "I'll get you for that you dwarven rock digger."

Ruby's stomach was begging her to leave the room at the sight of all the blood, "Actually, can we stop? I-I... Bleh... Need a minute."

"I will feed on your blood!"

"How?" Lega remarked as the idea of a struggling vampire crossed her mind in amusement, "you're just going to bleed it out again."

"Oh? Watch me!"

The vampire hopped on her only good leg to jump at Ruby. Trying to prove her point, she tried to latch her teeth on to the dwarf's neck or anything of ruby's for that matter. Instead, she latched on to the wooden floor like a wood pecker as Ruby side stepped away. The blood was now all down the front of Ruby from the fallen vampire, and on her scarf. And the floor. And bit of the wall too.

Ite flailed around on the ground, struggling to get up. One of the last remaining guards ran over with his pike. He preceded to stab at the vampire with the end of his weapon, several times. The vampire queen eventually stopped moving.

"Oh my goodness gracious me..." Ruby whispered, looking away from the end result of the battle as her face turned green.

Lega Looked over at ruby, "What kid? Never seen this much blood before?"

"I thought the warriors were exaggerating!" She whined.

The guard wiped off what blood he could from his face. The blood was sort of all over him from the battle.

He muttered to himself, "whew... I never thought we'd get rid of that blood sucking witch."

"Wait, wait?" Lega spun to the guard. "You knew she was a vampire!?"

The guard shrugged. "Yeah. I mean if I had a copper for every time I heard bloody murder in these halls..."

"And you didn't start a coup despite knowing that?!"

The guard grunted at that comment and pointed to the guard that was calling the alert in the first place. The body was faintly getting paler as the bloody battle raged, and was still somehow the cleanest thing in the room minus its bite wound with the droplets of blood. It was just lying there like a decomposing dried tomato with all it's juice sucked out. The rotting smell of miasma had already started to expand from its reach.

"Fair enough." Lega said embarrassed.

A loud "HUURRRRAH!" could be heard from out side. Lega and the guard looked out the open doors to see ruby hunched over a flowerbed. A flowerbed, that now looked more like a swampy marsh than a nicely trimmed garden. On the second time the sound was heard, it was confirmed she was indeed throwing up on the garden.

"Oh dear." Lega told herself out loud as she ran to her friend to see if she could calm her down.

The guard sighed, "I'll get the mop and bucket."