Twenty Seventh day Eleventh Month Four Thousand and Six Hundred and forty-four rings of the Great White Tree.

Crefyddol Orc Friend

A large group of union soldiers ran past him as he hid in the shadows of the night. Hidden in the dark depths of the night brought back memories of his childhood. He had grown up as a poor orphan. The Succession War or the War of the two Prince's had left many orphans in the city where he had grown up.

The orphanage which he had been placed after his parent's had been killed was overcrowded with young elves who had also been left orphaned by the devastating civil war.

The priests who ran the orphanage had tried their best to look after all the young elves, they were just overwhelmed by the numbers. So as young elf Crefyddol had found himself poor and destitute on the streets of the city.

To survive he learnt to pickpockets and steal from shops. He learnt to avoid the city gaurds who enforced the law.

He had fallen in with a group who had specialised in burgling rich elves who's home resided high up in the white trees. This is why he had learnt to climb any surface. Climbing up the wall of the fortress had been no problem at all for him.

He had once climbed the great white tree that stood in centre of the city and broke into the palace. He found a treasure laying discarded and unprotected. When he sold the treasure he was able to set himself with a small store where sold books. It was a respected job and one he was proud.

Sometimes he would fence items brought in by aquitances from his previous life but for the most part he was content to just sell his books. In time he would distanced himself from his previous life.

Now that he was respected member of elven society he created the respectful pious persona. So he surprised even himself when he volunteered to join the army.

He tried to put his past behind him. Assured that he was a new person a better person. That why he had been so vocal about the superity of the elves and looked down on their allies the orcs.

Since the battle he learnt a few things the first was that he hadn't escaped the chains of the past. When he rescued the orc warchief he had felt so alive.

He had forgotten the thrill of living on knifes edge. The rush you got when succeeded in pulling off heist.

Off in the distance he could hear the sounds of fighting erupting. As union soldiers clashed with the elves and orcs who had infiltrated the fortress.

A part of him knew he should have stayed with the main group however he was inpatient to free the prisoners. So he had slipped away from the main body and was making his way silently through the fortress.

The union soldiers that had just went pass him, had came from a large well lit tunnel that looked like it went deep into the mountain.

Steathly he made his way to the entrance of tunnel. The tunnel was at least six metres high. Along its walls were torches. However most of the tunnel was still obscured by darkness.

From deep with in the mountain came a sound. It sounded like someone building something deep in the bowls of the mountain his ear could sound like the beating of a hammer on anvil.

The sounds coming from deep in the mountain had so distracted him that he did not see or hear a door on side of the tunnel open and a union soldier with a musket aimed it at his back.

He only caught sight of the soldier at the last moment as his musket was raised and human was about to fire.

The there was crunch of bone as behind the human guard appeared an orc dressed in black who used his orcish strength to break the human's neck.

It was the orc Boyuk Doyuscu he spoke softly in broken common tougue.

"Careful Orc friend you almost ended up dead, lucky Boyuk followed you."

All Crefyddol could do was nod his head.

Boyuk pointed to the door from where the human had emerged.

"We should check out this room."

The orc suggested.

Inside was a smaller tunnel that headed right angles from the main tunnel at its end was a large room that contained many flasks and glass beakers. It seemed to be an alchemist's labatory. Strapped to a large table in the middle of the room was giant green humanoid.

The troll was currently attached to a device that seemed to be draining it of it's blood. The blood would then be used to make potions to cure wounds.

Another device seemed to be draining liquid from the trolls stomach. It was from this acid that the gunpowder was created that the union used to fire their muskets.

To stop the trolls regerative powers open flames were kept on creature. The creature was clearly in pain and struggled against the chains that fastened it to the table. Roaring in pain.

"Dost Dost"

Boyuk spoke to the troll in what must be the orcish tongue. The creature calmed down

Boyuk looked at the chains that strapped the troll to the table and tried to break them with his hands.

"Let me try"

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Crefyddol volunteered. He pulled out some thin strips metal from his belt. He began working on the locks. He felt the lock open up. These human locks were rather flimsy and easy to pick.

He opened the chains holding down the trolls legs and then opened the lock on the trolls arm.

As he was working on the last lock the troll took a swipe at him.

"Hey Boyuk can you tell this troll that I am on it's side."

"Uzun qulaq dostu"

The orc said pointing at the Crefyddol.

As the troll rose to its feet freed from the chains. It swung its massive arm smashing glass and jars in a destructive frenzy.

"Muhafizacilar geri qayrtmadan Accel term etmak lazimidir"

Boyuk again spoke to the troll and it followed them out of the room. The troll barely fitted into the tunnel that lead from where it was been kept captive to the main tunnel and it was only the troll naturally hunched back that allowed it to fit the tunnel.

They made the way back to the main tunnel and began heading deeper into the mountain.

"Are you sure we will be safe with troll following behind us"

Crefyddol asked boyuk in a whisper

"With a troll one can be never sure, but the troll is weak and injuried at the moment it will follow it wants to be free."

The tunnel lead to a large store room. Racks of weapons stood in rows along one wall of room. There were barrows of gunpowder and even box's full of muskets.

Carefully stacked in one corner were rows of chest plate armour and even a couple of Cannon's. This appeared to be an armoury for the union army.

On the opposite side of the room a large door lead deeper into the mountain. The loud sounds echoeing from beyond. They continued down the tunnel.

Eventually this tunnel came to a large cavern which reverberated with noise. At one side of the cavern there were some dwarves working metal smelters and anvils.

Crefyddols keen elven eyesight could see that dwarves were chained to their workstations and we're been forced to make weapons for the union war effort.

Woking on the other side of cavern digging deeper into the mountain were hundreds of prisoner's or slaves, elves and orcs even some humans.

Crefyddol spotted a stone giant and orgres that were chained to device that looked like it was crushing the ore.

Another pair of giants were chained to pullies which moved a elevator to lower prisoners into a pit that lead to more tunnels under the cavern. The dimwitted giants seemed to be arguing with each other.

Crefyddol could hear a human yelling orders

"Come on you lazy beasts get moving"

Then heard the crap of a whip as it landed on the back of one of the giants.

Slowly they made their way down a path that wound its way down into the cavern. Crefyddol still did not know what he would do once he made the cavern floor. He had expected the prisoners to be caged in rooms within the fortress not been used as labor to mine metals and make weapons for the war.

There were guards all over the cavern but they seemed focused on making sure the prisoners continued their jobs that they did not see the intruders.

A large room had been excuvated out of the wall at the bottom of the cavern it had bars across its entrance. Inside the room collapsed on the floor passed out from exersion lay hundreds of prisoners.

Four guards stood at sentry. They spied the elf and the orc and raised their muskets. Crefyddol threw a throwing knife and found his mark killing one of the humans.

The humans opened fire and Crefyddol expected to die. However instead of hitting the elf or the orc their musket balls smashed into the raging troll that had placed itself inbetween the combatants and was charging down on the humans.

The musket balls did very little damage to the troll as it's regenerative powers healed the wounds. The troll shrape claws ripped apart two of the gaurds whilst the troll bite off the head off the third guard.

The troll began feasting on the dead soldiers. Crefyddol grabbed his knife from the human that he killed and tried to keep his distance from the feeding troll.

Boyuk opened the door to the cage and started to wake the sleeping prisoners.

Some guards had been alerted to the intruders by the musket fire and were making their towards them.

Crefyddol picked up a musket started to load it as the guards came into view. Musket fire erupted from the humans. They had decided to fire on the troll which they saw as the bigger threat then a lone elf.

He fired his musket and killed a guard.

The troll had dropped the carcass that it was devouring and was charging the guard's. However this time the guards prepared themselves and thrust out torches with open flames to keep the troll at bay.

As he was reloading his musket, Boyuk let out a yell as he lead the prisoners he had just freed in a wild charge against the guards.

The guards fell back towards the forges. The guards may have held that position. If they had not been attacked from there rear.

Crefyddol watched as a sword was thrusted through a guard by one of the chained dwarves, who had freed himself and now used the blade he had been forging to kill one of his captors.

A huge figure rose up amongst the humans. It was a fire giant. It grabbed two union soldiers and crushed them in its bare hands. The fire metre tall giant bellowed a challenge to the union soldiers.

More freed prisoners descended into the guards ripping them to pieces with make shift weapons or even their bare hands.

Soon the sound of fighting had died down as all the guards had been killed. Crefyddol had found some keys and had began to unlock the chains that had that chained the prisoners together.

A dwarf was also breaking chains using his blacksmith hammer to smash the chains that were attached to the fire giant.

Malnourished elves stood side by side with humans, orcs dwarves a few haflings. Crefyddol was uncertain whether he should free some of the creatures that were kept captive on this mine. Especially the orges and giants.

However the fire giant directed the dwarves to free its distant relations. Now that they were all free the prisoner's looked to Crefyddol for leadership and direction. He cleared his throat.

"Right now a confederate army is fighting the union to break you free."

He began

"Will you follow me and fight for your freedom?"

A dwarf who was covered in the blood of a union soldier spoke up.

"For ten years, day and night I have forced to work at that forge. Forced to work until I collaspe of exertion. I plan on getting my revenge. Revenge on the union revenge on the dwarves that betrayed my clan. Lead the way and me and my clan will follow you"

There was cheer from the freed slaves. They began arming themselves. With weapons from the dead guards or newly forged swords created by the enslaved dwarves.

He lead them back up the tunnel back to the store room where all the weapons and armour were kept. Some of the prisoners armed themselves with these weapons.

Finally he led them back into the courtyard of the fortress where his confederate comrades were fighting a deadly battle with union soldiers.

The elves and orcs were clearly struggling against the union. Especially the regiment of dwarves who had set up a battle line supported by some wheeled cannon's.

"Charge"

He screamed and the prisoners surged forward.

A few of the union soldiers turned to face the new threat and fired a volley of musket balls. It would make no difference as they were torn to pieces by the now free prisoners.