Part 243: Pozzo: Update 9

UPDATE 9: STRANGE MATTER DOMASAZIR, HAMMERER

FOLLOWING OUR GLORIOUS ROUT OF THE HUMAN SIEGE WE CONTINUED APACE WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF OUR DEFENSES, FINALLY UNHINDERED AGAIN.



OUR STRANGE LITTLE MAYOR, BOBZZO, DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO ERRECT A CONTAINMENT AREA AROUND THE TRAP LEVERS HE INSTALLED IN THE BACK OF THE BATTERY. THIS WAS BOTH TO LOCK THE LEVER OPERATOR IN THE ROOM AND TO HIDE THE WEAK WEAK DWARVES FROM OUR ENEMIES SO THAT THEY DID NOT TRY TO RUN AWAY LIKE LITTLE SCARED PIGGIES EVERY TIME THEY SAW A SPAWN OR A HUMAN WITH A STICK.

BOBZZO ALSO USED THIS CHANCE TO MAKE SOME REFINEMENTS TO THE BALLISTA BATTERY LAYOUT IN AN ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THE FLAWS WE SAW AT WORK DURING THE ASSAULT OF CREMATION, AND TO CAPITALISE ON THE PATHS THAT OUR ENEMIES SEEMED TO TAKE WHEN CHARGING THE BATTERY.



HE ALSO SAW THE NEED TO EXTEND THE RANGE OF THE BALLISTA RUN ITSELF AND ORDERED AN EXTENSION PLATFORM AND RAMPS BUILT, ALMOST UP TO THE SCRATCHING POLE.

 MACHINE Y  WAS COMPLETED ALTHOUGH BOBZZO DECLARED THAT WE WOULD BE TOO BUSY TO TEST IT UNTIL THE SPAWN CAME FOR US AGAIN. HE ALSO DECIDED THAT THE SIDE ENTRANCE ADDED A LEVEL OF COMPLICATION AND POSSIBLE FAILURE THAT WAS UNNECCESSARY - ESPECIALLY GIVEN IT DID NOT LOOK AS THOUGH WE WOULD BE RECEIVING VERY MANY MORE VISITORS WITH WAGONS - AND ORDERED THE SIDE ENTRANCE PLUGGED UP.



 MACHINE X  WAS ALSO NEARLY COMPLETED, WITH ONLY ONE REMAINING FLOODGATE TO ATTACH, AND WITH THE WATER FROM THE BROOK MELTER FINALLY FLOWING ALONG THE PIPES TO THE HOLDING CHAMBERS.



ALL THE WEAK LITTLE SIEGE PIGGIES SPENT AS MUCH TIME AS THEY COULD DOWN AT THE PRACTICE RANGE ALTHOUGH IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FIND THE TIME WITH ALL THE OTHER PROJECTS PROCEEDING



I DID NOT BELIEVE THAT FIRING PRACTICE WOUOLD CURE THEM OF THEIR COWARDICE.

LATE IN THE SUMMER, ONE OF THE PIGGIES GOT SLIGHTLY TALLER.



HE WAS IMMEDIATELY CONSCRIPTED IN TO THE BALLISTA CORPS BY BOBZZO.

FOR ME, MOST OF THE MONTH OF MALACHITE WAS SPENT LOADING UP  MACHINE Y .



THAT WAS NOT ALL I DID THOUGH, AS THE SO-CALLED 'MOLEBOY' EIBA IDENTIFIED ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT, WHO WAS DULY PUNISHED.



THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING IN THE GUARDS BARRACKS.



I SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF MY TIME OBSERVING THE MAYOR, OVERTLY AND COVERTLY. THE SIEGE-PIGGY MOHAWK SATAN HAD COME TO ME WITH HIS CONCERNS REGARDING BOBZZO, INDICATING HE BELIEVED SOMETHING WAS AFOOT.
HE RECOGNISED THAT A LOWLY PIGGY SUCH AS HIMSELF WOULD NOT HAVE THE NECESSARY EXPERIENCE TO SUBSTANTIATE THE CLAIMS HE WAS MAKING REGARDING OUR MAYOR, BUT, LUCKY FOR HIM, HE WAS NOT SO LOW THAT HE FAILED TO RECOGNISE THE MARK OF THE ORDER ON MY FOREARM.

THE ORDER OF THE FLICKERING MIRRORS; THE WITCHHUNTERS ORDER.

HIS COMING TO ME ONLY REINFORCED WHAT I ALREADY BELIEVED ABOUT OUR MAYOR: HE WAS IN A THRALL, IN SOME WAY. I DID NOT KNOW HOW EXACTLY; IT COULD HAVE BEEN A SPELL, A POSSESSION, A TRANCE. BEFORE I TOOK ANY ACTION I WOULD HAVE TO OBSERVE HIM FURTHER.

AUMTUN CAME, AND WITH IT, A BURST IN THE MOLE POPULATION.



AT THE SAME TIME WE FINALLY MANGED TO FILL THE WATER CHAMBERS ON  MACHINE X 



THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING IN THE BONEHOARD.

HOWEVER, AS THE LITTLE PIGGIES COLLECTED AROUND THE GREAT MACHINE IN THE BONEHOARD, AND STARTED TO GET DRUNK, MR. PEEPERS, A LITTLE PIGLET I'M TOLD SPRUNG FROM THE LOINS OF THE LAST COUNTESS, CAME RUNNING UP FROM THE PIPE HALLS.
"Mr. Bobzzo sir! There's waterses in the halls down there!"



BOBZZO LOOKED INITALLY HORRIFIED AND THEN CLEARED UP CONSIDERABLY AS HE THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
"Well, lad, look, we're pumping through to the chambers now! There's no need to worry because we're not going to be going down there anymore. Now, come over here and have a barrel of ale."
I NOTED DOWN HIS REACTION IN THE NOTEBOOK I HAD BEGUN KEEPING.

I HAD ALSO NOTICED THAT HE SPENT AN INORDINATELY LARGE AMOUNT OF TIME CHANGING THE PRICES OF GOODS IN THE FORT.



HIS MOST STRANGE BEHAVIOUR WAS HIS CONSTANT MEETINGS, HELD IN RANDOM LOCATIONS, WITH NO ONE AT ALL IN THE FORT IN ATTENDANCE EXCEPT HIMSELF. I WATCHED HIM FROM AFAR ONCE; HE BEHAVED EXACTLY LIKE ONE WOULD AT A MEETING, ALL WAS PERFECTLY MEETING LIKE, HE WAS SPEAKING AND RETORTING AND EXHORTING. BUT HE WAS ALONE. I NOTED THIS DOWN IN THE NOTEBOOK.



IN ANOTHER INCIDENCE OF STRANGENESS, BOBZZO FURTHER MANAGED TO PREDICT THE RARE ARRIVAL OF A CARAVAN FROM INOD LIR.



HOW HE KNEW THIS EXACTLY I WAS EAGER TO FIND OUT. I NOTED THIS DOWN IN THE NOTEBOOK.

HE ALSO CONTINUED TO AVOID POZZO, THE YOUNG PEASANT THAT HAD ARRIVED WITH THE COUNTESS AND I. THIS WAS SOMETHING I WAS MOST INTERESTED IN, AND I BELIEVED THAT IT WAS KEY TO WORKING OUT EXACTLY WHAT WAS AFOOT.

BEFORE I COULD GET VERY FAR IN MY ENQUIRIES THOUGH, SOMETHING ELSE CAME UP.