Diggy Diggy Hole Chapter 36 (Patreon)

It was all to clear to me that Miao Ying had zero fucking idea there was an army of angry red-haired half-naked suicidal dwarves living in my hold that were just... Wishing she 'would'.

Still, it took a half day to send a runner through the nether to the Slayer King and likewise for him and his Slayers to come in force, as I was going to swallow that insult of her telling me to just 'come home.' Like a misbehaving child.

Although in an emergency having it take a day for an army to travel to a battle would be terrible. But if we could hold a siege for a day? Many a Dawi hold could hold for years if not decades, as greenskins and rats sieged them.

It was only the fact that Clan Skyre had those fucking mechanical giant drills that my clan fell due to the giant tunnels allowing them to pump in Rat Ogres and elite Skaven units alongside the usual unending tide of rats that my clan fell so quickly.

"I am going to let ye speak for yourself, I can help it. This is ye hold now. This is your home, which will become your new clan. I... I am here to make sure that Drak doesn't get any especially dim ideas." Ungrim Ironfist said firmly.

I nodded in understanding. 

Then I said likewise in a firm tone. "I am more worried about an Ogre seeing their horses and getting hungry for a new kind of meat. Then you overstepped King of the Slayers."

I respected Ungrim for sure. In the weeks we had worked together and he brought his people into my hold. He HAD not overstepped at all, nor did his people insult my hospitality.

Beyond asking for me to allow them to make a couple of tunnels to then make new homes for the younger smiths and other dawi. Who wanted to settle here in a new clan to earn their own path.

But how could I be insulted by my kin who wanted to actually settle in my hold? Could I ever be insulted by my brethren who wanted to take my own last name of Barruk to join my clan fully?

No, no I could not.

To his point of him allowing me to take the lead in speaking to Miao Ying, I added. "I will try to settle the Grudge without violence if possible. Her insult and the breaking of the contract was done by her lessers, not by her own hand which makes it in indirect insult."

I then added. "Plus... The Great Wall is a meat grinder for greenskins, the rats, and the foulest of things from the far north. Killing Miao Ying would create many issues, even if we did solve the grudge with blood."

Ungrim nodded and said. "Aye, her kin in the Cathain dragons are like the Empire of Man. A constant target of the forces of evil. So making chaos within it does not do for the realm of good and civilized." 

With that, an army of Slayers, and dwarves covered in thick armor... And armed with large-scale Thunderers's stomped out of the hold.

And seeing us march out. Another smaller. But 'larger' army of Ogre's follows behind us curiously, though very much armed and clad in the armor I had been putting out in small numbers for the Ogres.

The march didn't take long to reach the appointed area and as we crested over a large hill a loud thudding noise rang out as Miao Ying didn't come alone.

A sizable cavalry army of Longma, the dragon-blooded horses and their riders. Clad in scale armor and carrying ultra-large spears perfectly suited for killing Ogres filled their ranks.

I snorted at the sight of so many cavalrymen with the dragon-blooded horses having stomped on oone f their front feet in almost perfect timing to send a thudding noise to our hearts.

With a sharp whistle, I prodded Azulbak's sides with my heels lightly, and the war goat snorted and leapt forward as I yelled out. "Stay here on the hill! If it goes bad, use the hill's height advantage for the Thunderer's and to make their horses less effective!"

Longma's with their dragon blood were for sure better than all other horses in Warhammer fantasy, besides perhaps the High Elves' own horses, or the Grail Knight's winged steads.

But even they wouldn't do well rushing uphill into the face of a couple hundred oversized blunderbuss's.

I rode forward with Ungrim and a small group of his slayer's following and from the side of Grand Cathay, Miao Ying herself flew out as a large serpentine silver dragon that crackled with lightning along with a small squad of elite riders following from below.

We met in the no man's land between our two armies, and as she came down to land. She swiftly transformed into her human form with her stormy, lightning-filled eye's looking between Ungrim Ironfist and me.

"The Slayer King... You are very far from your home." She said calmly.

To which Ungrim likewise said in a calm manner. "Aye ye be right about that. Had to cross half the world for this meeting, but when a young little Clan Lord forms a grudge due to the stupid greed of another. The Slayers will always answer the call for a good grudgin to be avenged if needed."

She merely looked past us and at the army behind me before looked down at me and saying bluntly. "Are we to go to war then, Kharn of Clan Barruk? Is that grudge for a broken contract going to lead to nothing but spilt blood?"

As she said, however. I saw her hands close into a fist as she realized I was in any way under her control. She couldn't just... 'Call' me home like a stray dog.

I snorted, and then I took a breath and said firmly. "The contract said I was to be paid in five carts of ore a day to make your constructs. For ten days, I labored with subpar materials and even made up for the terrible materials with my own stock for your projects. You owe me those full materials and fifty percent more for the grievance."

I COULD demand outlandish sums in recompense. But I wasn't a greedy Umgi human who was a shortsighted fool. I had a grudge with Miao Ying for sure. But I wasn't going to let others call myself, and my clan a bunch of greedy fools.

Miao Ying merely raised an eyebrow and demanded. "And what of my men that were eaten when they attempted to make contact with you?"

And I responded equally bluntly with the air going still. "They tried to take a steady supply of food from a horde of Ogres. They should have known that was going to happen."

The pause became heavier as she looked ready to press on that point before Ungrim rightfully pointed out. "Heh, Kharn here is the clan lord of his Hold. How would your men respond if some bum fuck Ogre demanded ye come with them into the Mountains of Morne?"

And Miao Ying had no response to that point actually, as it was clear that Ungrim was throwing his lot behind me to keep things equal. So Miao Ying coudn't bowl over me.