Ulrok, the only dwarf in the group of humans but he wasn’t too sure about Drovic or Rebecca. Something seemed off about those two for a while now. Drovic’s magic and fighting was better than any other human he had seen in two hundred years he lived among them. Rebecca’s agility and inner spirit remind him of an elf. Just like any other citizen of Calvary, Ulrok heard the rumors that her grandmother was a fair-princess or an elf ranger. That here nor there, he was alone until he started forming that bond with Jeremy.

Even when Ulrok was into his barrels of Ale, he liked the boy. He watched the village of Calvary, he did the bare minimum of his duties, but he never became part of the village. An outsider living among the humans. Sure, there were other dwarves in Calvary for the mines, and they all lived together in a small community, but they were basically two neighborhoods side by side. But Ulrok always noticed Jeremy, outcast to outcast.

He was currently standing in a pool of blood. A cross from him was this floating insect like blood monster. It was lashing out with non-stop attacks of tentacles or blades made from magic enhanced blood. Nothing in his centuries of life prepared him for this moment. He was trying to act as the wall. The unmovable force. He was not going to fail again.

That was when things went from bad to worse. He hadn’t seen that rogue for a while, hopefully Drovic was up to something. He didn’t know how long this fight to go on for, then he saw the massive form of Kalven get slashed across the face. Ulrok could see the man’s skull. The flesh around his eye was ripped off, but he was fighting on.

“Nine hells.” He was distracted. He heard a splash in the blood. “Ulrok you old fool. Where are you boy!”

He looked to his left. There! In the blood was Jeremy. He could see the boy’s sword slashing at the tentacle that pulled him under. No time to think. He needed to act. Ulrok was going to save the boy. He started to move towards the boy. The Warhammer smashing each blade or tentacle whipped at him. A fury gripped the dwarf. He could feel his ancestors with him. Smash. Splash. Nothing was stopping his hammer. Another plated boot step forward. Slam. He used his shield to push forward between a large attack.

The demon’s smiled at the dwarf. It opened its mouth, almost slipping the head in half. It had multiple rows on rows of teeth. Each tooth looked like it belonged in a shark’s mouth. The demon reminded the dwarf of hunger made flesh. Then in creature spoke, almost with a child’s voice, “You can’t save the boy. Give up now. Save yourself. He is no kin to you, dwarf.”

He made it to the boy. He was centimeters away from the boy.

A hymn came to his lips.

The Earth's my caretaker and I'll not want to join him today. If he takes my life down to lie in bedrock; he leadeth me to the quiet rock by the days end.

Over, and over as he sung, his hammer connected. Rage and power filled his muscles, he was going to save the boy. Tenectle after tentacle smashed into the dwarf’s shield. A lesser man would have their arm broken in two by the force of the attacks. However, Ulrok was no man, and his shield was forged from the deep ore of his home city. He would not bend to this monster.

The night is dark, and I am far from my dwarven home. Great caretake guide my hammer, lead me. I do not wish to see the light, guide my arm. One swing is enough for me.

As the last line pasted his lips, a rush of energy passed into his body. He plowed his shield forward.

A scream passed Jeremy’s lips as he could breathe air at last. Jeremy took a moment to smile at the dwarf, as he gathered his wits. Ulrok smiled down at the boy. Reminding him of his own family. He looked up to the demon and spat.

“Kin or not, you shall not have this boy as I draw breath.”

Ulrok should have looked to the right because the monster had a plan.

How did a dwarf like Ulrok end up in the merchant hall of a back water village of Calvary? He had been trading back to the cities in the west, but he never went home. If you were to ask Ulrok where home was and if he were to give you an honest answer, he would say the hanging tree.

Ulrok was part of a noble house back in the dwarven city state in the west. They were famous for two things: fighting and drinking. In his youth, Ulrok was famous for both, and sometimes at the same time. There was one battle he was escorting a caravan to the City of Cain. They were transporting barrels and barrels of his family’s ale for some noble’s wedding. When they were raided by a band of lizardmen.

Half-lizard and half-man, they stood as tall as a man covered in green, red, or blue scales. They had wicked claws. They could shred the best leather armor and with their fast tails that could easily tripped a man or break bone. They were a strong foe to fight. Ulrok loved it.

He was fighting, tower shield in one hand and beloved hammer in another, when a lizardman’s axe broke open one of the barrels of Ale above Ulrok’s head. He just kept fighting as the ale poured over him like a waterfall. He drank, sang, and smashed in one lizardman’s head after another.

He as a hero, and each dwarf on that caravan would share the story of the drunken dwarf who killed 20, no 50 lizardman with a drinking song on his lips. But things changed for Ulrok one day. He was in a small tavern one night, the village lost to time, but he reminded the first moment he saw those beautiful gold and green eyes. He fell in love at that moment.

Lilo was her name, and she felt the same love and passion for her dwarven warrior. Lilo had long auburn hair that trailed down to her bum. She had a slender build and was relatively short with beautiful white skin. Overall, she was unremarkable, but she stole Ulrok's breath. A smile that showed a kindness in her heart could rival the gods.

In the middle of the night, they both fled their duties. Their families. They travelled far, and thought they left their past behind them. The found a sleepy village at the edge of Elvan forest, the Moving Woods. The trees there were large than most human nobles’ castles. No one asked to many questions because Ulrok took over the job of local smith.

They lived in peace for five years. Ulrok and Lilo married in secret because it was forbidden in their clans to marry outside their race. Ulrok knew that if his father found out about his romance he would be banished from the clan. Lilo would have it worse. She told him of a tale about a horse thief, he was tortured in the middle of the village square, and then dragged to death behind the horse he stole. They lived in secret, pretending that they were just friends in public but in private they lived the dream of a happy family.

In their sixth year in hiding things became complicated and fearful because Lilo became pregnant. Never had this happened to their knowledge. The union of dwarf and humans never produced children. They felt like the gods had blessed them with this gift. As she began to show more and more, she hid in the house. They planned to go on the run again. Lilo had the idea of searching for the druids in the Moving Woods and asking for their help.

The elven druids were known in the area for supporting the natural balance in the world. They would give them sanctuary. The plan was made.

Ulrok reached out with a middleman from the village counsel. The go between arranged a meeting with the elves at midnight at the old hanging tree right at the edge of the Moving Woods for Ulrok and his wife. They packed up all their important belongs onto their horse once night fell, they went off to meet their hopeful sanctuary.

They arrived an hour before midnight. The two moons were out, and the hanging tree was illuminated in a beautiful soft white light.

Ulrok remembers how nervous his wife was in that hour leading up to their meeting with the druids. She kept asking him, over and over, “What if they don’t take us?”

He would try to steady her, “As long as we are together, there is nothing we can’t do. I love you, more than anything. You stole my breath away at first sight.” He would then give her a deep kiss. At one point they briefly held each other under the tree, and just kissed each other deeply. Time seemed to freeze in that moment for Ulrok. She truly was his everything and she even blessed him with a child.

“The gods truly blessed us. I can’t believe I am going to be a father.”

Lilo, wrapped in his strong arms, looked up at him, “You will be a kind father. Our live will be full of joy.”

Snap.

Ulrok turned his head around and jumped to his feet. His right hand already gripping his hammer. He started to growl at the sound. Outstepped, not the go between from the counsel, but his father. From behind him, he hears Lilo scream, “Father!”

For a brief second, he thought, “How does she know what my father looks like?” That is when he heard a human’s voice behind him.

“Daughter, how you have dishonored yourself and our family name? Did you not think, we would be looking for you?” He couldn’t take his eyes off his own father.

“Here boy,” His father tossed a round bag towards him. He could see in the moon light that the canvas bag was stained red with blood. “I believe you were waiting for that man. You would be happy to know, he sold you out. He told us where you were going to be. I did you a service and cut the throat of the traitor. Honor is everything, don’t you agree?”

Ulrok could feel the rage boiling under the surface of his father’s words. Lilo father wasn’t any better from what Ulrok could put together.

“If you think, only the two of you can stop us, you are wrong. Lilo is my wife. We are going away together. Just go back home father. Count me as dead. We will not soil the family name.”

His father spat on the ground, “That is where you are wrong my boy. A man is only as good as his word and honor. I am bringing you back. I will destroy what you are now. You will pay for shaming the clan.” Lilo arms tighten on Ulroks. He shifts her towards the horse. They only have once chance, she needed to flee as he held them off.

Ulrok looked behind him, the human was edging closer, no weapons drawn yet. He thought to himself, good I have time. With his one free arm, after years of smith work, and from battle they were none stronger, he places his wife onto the horse. He yells, “Run!” Slapping the back end of the horse.

Turning from his father he charged the man. A spear came from the edge of the woods and slammed into Ulroks right shoulder. About ten men and ten dwarves’ leave the gloom of the tree line. Two of the dwarves take out the legs of the horse. Lilo crashes into the ground. Ulrok could hear bones breaking and he was sure it wasn’t just the horses.

“You monsters!” Ulrok rages. He whipped his hammer back, and one of the dwarfs that killed the horse, joined it. Ulrok reached to his back and pulled out a hatch and whipped it at the other man that was walking towards his wife. The blade slammed into the man’s head and fell backwards to the ground dead.

That was when all his attackers swarmed Ulrok. Clubs. Spears. Fists. Everything came at him. Slam. Smash. He was on the ground. He felt his legs break when a club smashed into them. He lost track of time, it could have been five minutes or less, but his legs and arms were broken. His face crushed. He only has one good eye left.

He saw his father walk up to him with rope in his hands.

Blood dripping form his mouth as he spoke, “Kill me father, but protect my wife.”

“Awe, you do have some honor I will give you that. Protecting your family. That is what I am doing.” The dwarven clan leader, wrapped the rope around Ulrok’s neck. “I want you to watch, what your actions have brought. She was better off if you had just left her be.”

Ulrok watched. He watched as the humans had their way with his wife. Her own father watched. His expressed never changed from one of rage. He only spoke one thing once the violence was ended.

“Hang her from the tree and set it ablaze.” They did as they were told.

Once she was hanging from the tree, Ulrok’s father had his men time him up, and they dragged him off. The last thing he saw was his wife in the tree. Trying to breath. She was still alive. She was a fighter but then he saw the flames start to climb the tree.

Ulrok never new of these events after he was dragged away, but the little brownie saw it all.

The brownie zipped to the druid. One of the magic trees were on fire. It needed to get help. It flew to the druids as fast as they could. Luckily for the little brownie, two were already headed to the hanging tree.

“I know that you read in the stream that we needed to be to the hanging tree before midnight, but I had to delver the unicorn safely back to its herd,” the tall male elf stated. He was dressed in nothing but leaves.

“Yes, but our elders told us a once in a lifetime creature needed us there before midnight,” the female elf was covered in different strips of bark.

The brownie zipped to the two druids and said in a soft but panicked voice, “Hanging tree, fire!”

The male and female druids looked at each other and nodded, and they summoned up their mana and stepped into the closest tree. They used forest walk over and over, the reached the tree as fast as they could.

In the middle of the small meadow, was the burning sacred tree. They began to put out the flames when they noticed the human woman hanging.

“I got her,” the female elf spoke with authority, “you focus on the rest of the tree.”

“Forget the women, this tree must be what the elders sent us here for.”

“Foolish man, can’t you feel the magic in this woman’s body. She is with child. It is our sworn duty to protect the innocent and the natural magic of this world.”

“We aren’t in class right now, don’t lecture me.” He casted another water spell. The flames were nothing but smoke now. The female druid already had Lilo on the ground and started to check for signs of life.

“If we move quickly, we can save the baby.”