Tunnel Rat Chapter 143 (Patreon)

P'tashPak'r, the Exalted General of the 10th Host. P'tashPak'r, the cripple. P'tashPak'r, the abomination and exile.

No more. She was going back, to return to glory and kill her most hated foe. It had been so many years. First the humiliating years after she had lost the duel with her enemy, and the subsequent defeat of her army. Barely alive, her spiderlings had carried her legless body from the field of battle, and cared for her wounds.

To the rest of the Spider Clans, she was an embarrassment. An example of what happened when you lost a duel and an enemy could pull off your legs one by one. No thanks were given for her loyalty during the wars. No one came to pay homage to her. She was forgotten and tucked away in a dingy little web with only the last of her progeny to aid her. Only the thought of one day finding Gilad, Warlord of the United Tribes had kept her from despair.

It had galled her that one day, as she lay helpless, that a dwarf had walked into her lair. She'd heard the noise as he had slaughtered the spiderlings that vainly tried to defend her. He'd made war in the traditional way of the dwarves, smushing foes beneath the tread of their heavy iron boots. When he saw her, he whistled long and loudly, proclaiming her to be, in his words, 'One dented little bit of defective trash heap'. She'd wanted to kill him for that, but he'd stayed out of the range of her fangs, sitting on a pile of spiderling corpses, drinking beer, and showing her pictures of 'upgrades and repairs' his shop had done for other creatures. 'Nature makes them, wars break them, and we put them all back together again with iron and steel, stronger than ever.' It was the clever slogan that convinced her to sign the contract. What was a decade of labor fighting in the armies of the Deep Dwellers to regain her legs? Nothing.

Hammer and forge had made new limbs for her. Fire and pain had taught her how to use them. Armored plating made her a walking fortress. Across battlefield after battlefield she had marched, two Dwarven gunners on her back mowing down the enemy, and her new limbs spearing the wounded as they marched onward. It had been mostly a glorious time.

The not glorious part when she was parked in a mechanics shop after each battle to have the damage repaired while her gunners went out drinking and lining up new jobs. Sometimes they had money for repairs and upgrades. Other battles didn't go well and she had to limp home with only a few legs working.

The end of her servitude had come not on a battlefield, but after a great victory. With barely any damage, she was left to guard the large chest of gold they had earned, and the backpacks of looted treasure. Her two dwarves had gone off to 'Drink and poke the Dragon'. Whatever that meant, they hadn't come back from it. There was a story about two drunken dwarves trying to steal a mechanical flyer to kidnap a Dark Elf princess. Whether that was true or not, her gunners were found dead in a pile of mechanical wreckage that had crashed into a church of Grugnark the Destroyer. The priests were thrilled with the damage and conducted the funeral. The magical hold on her mind had gone. She took the treasure, hired a goblin gear smith, and started for home. The journey was long, but Grobit had stayed with her, content to repair and service her mechanical limbs, napping up top with the treasure and supplies, or fire one of the guns at some creature when they needed fresh meat.

She had left a cripple, but returned a decorated veteran of a hundred more battles. She expected to seen welcomed with honor, and given a web near the queen and countless small mammals to eat. Instead, they shunned her, called her 'Abomination', and told she smelled of oil and sulfur. With a choice of disdain, or exile, she chose exile.

But now, now she was back! Her army was assembling and she would march upon Limburger Hollow, slay Gilad, and become again one of the Queen's trusted generals! She saw it all in her mind.

"Has the abomination showed up yet?"

"No, your majesty, still slowly walking along like some busted spiderlings toe. She has to use the caverns, not the webway, too heavy."

"Fine. When she finally gets here, send her over to Big Cavern with Spotted Shrooms. It's flat and she'll trip less. Start lining up her troops in there. Add 1 contingent of the Queen's Own, two banner bearers, and Six units of wolfen shock troops. That should look good."

"!!!! You're giving that mad-thing all of that?"

"Of course not! They'll line up with the dregs we are sending with her to Limburger Hollow, march out behind her, and then peel off at the cross-roads and rejoin the regular army. Her force is a blunt instrument she'll deliver a shock to our enemies, maybe even break into the Hollow and start killing civilians. My hope is that she draws off their military and keeps it tied up. My army will be the one achieving victory!"

"Whew. Sorry I doubted you ma'am. That...thing makes me uneasy."

"Understandable, and my condolences. I'm sending you too her as her second in command to keep things organized. Try to fade into the back of her forces as she charges, and sneak back to us. I value your services greatly."