Tarrakk Blackhand:
Hi gang!
Here’s a short story for you entitled “The Slave Trade”. This is my first story for CD’s and anything Warhammer related. I think you’ll all know the main character. 
I wanted some other CD names, but couldn’t access WoH #2’s Kool word generator. (My home computer isn’t capible of downloading the large PDF.)
The story is 1300 words and I hope you enjoy every minute of it! If you like it, I’ll make a second chapter of @ the same length and so on.
So without further ado, here’s my story. Please leave all comments to the end! :hat off
The Slave Trade
Under a vale of moonlight, a single slave wagon passed through the shadows along the old Spice Route. Manned by a group of seventeen Chaos Dwarf traders and warriors, this horse drawn menagerie lumbered onwards towards its final destination, The Ogre Kingdoms.
If successful, the cargo would be used as a bribe to pay the Ogres to act as mercenaries in a long awaited battle against the Chaos Dwarfs and their distant cousins, The Dwarfs. If unsuccessful, it could mean the final mission for these traders and the beginning of the end of the Chaos Dwarf Empire.
Tarrakk Blackhand watched the road ahead as he sat perched beside the driver in the passenger compartment of the large cart. His warriors, skilled masters of the Blunderbuss, were resting in the sleeping quarters behind them. It had been a busy day and Tarrakk had agreed to take the first watch, as he knew that his troops needed their sleep.
Hours before, this same group had successfully ambushed a camp of unsuspecting Night Goblins, killing the stronger of their number and rounding up the survivors. Unfortunately, although the Dwarfs fought a hard battle, their original number of twenty-five had been reduced to a mere fifteen. This was due to an unforeseen occurrence. There was no way of knowing that inside the largest Night Goblin tent there was a sleeping Cave Troll that the little wretches kept as a pet.
It sickened Tarrakk to think of the Night Goblin�?Ts battle tactics. Squabbling and cursing every order, only to flee when the battle got strong. Didn�?Tt they believe in defending their own camp? Was bickering and backstabbing all these weak boned cowards understood?
They did kill a large number of Chaos Dwarfs in the battle, but once they saw their camp burning in flames, and their Cave Troll getting ripped to shreds under a cloud of black powder smoke by the Chaos Dwarf Blunderbuss Team, the little creeps ran for the hills. They were no better than the Hobgoblins that the Chaos Dwarfs sometimes employed in their armies. Useful in most conditions, but equally as useless in a full out assault.
As Tarrakk reflected on the battle, the night sky erupted with the flash of lightning. An Easterly wind began blowing across the wagon, causing the horses to whinny and slow down. The driver urged them forward with a cry and a crack of his whip, however both he and Tarrakk knew the horses moved cautiously.
Black storm clouds soon blocked the little amount of moonlight that showed them the road. Suddenly, a large clap of thunder filled the quiet night sky and along with it, a hard rain. The water was falling faster and faster as the wind smashed the tiny droplets against the cart, the twisted and knarled trees along the road, and the rocky mountain faces.
The wheels slowly sliced into thick mud as the rain beat down upon the wagon. Through the bars at the rear of the cart, the sad and worried faces of seven captured Night Goblins peered out in despair at the vastness of The Mountains of Mourn as their rolling prison moved onwards. The rain had thoroughly soaked their clothes and the little pests were shivering and whining from their cold and dampened state.
Suddenly, the horses lurched to the left, hitting an unseen rock that had washed up through the mud in the rainstorm, just enough to trap the back wheel of the cart.
�?oCurses!�?� Tarrakk proclaimed as he and the driver quickly ran into the sleeping quarters to get their rain gear.
�?oEverybody up! The wagon�?Ts stuck in the mud! Blast it all! We�?Tre going to be behind schedule!�?� Tarrakk continued his barrage of profanity and foul speech as he hurried to dress in his tar covered leather rain slicker.
Tarrakk moved through the awakening unit. His men were grumbling at the abrupt inconvenience of being awoken by their General combined with the thrusting of the wagon in such a violent fashion. �?oCome on you rats! Get a move on! The faster we get this tub out of the mud, the faster we can get these wretched Goblins to the Ogres and finish this horrible mission!�?�
Under a quick blast of lightning, the Dwarfs pilled out of the wagon. The mud splashed on their boots as the rain ran off their jackets. Quickly, they assembled themselves into a line as Tarrakk discussed the situation of the wagon with the driver.
�?oThis Sucks! It looks bad boss. The wheel�?Ts up to the axel in mud. I just hope the spindle�?Ts not broken!�?� Said the worried driver.
�?oHmmm…how long to you think it will take to get her out?�?� Asked Tarrakk.
�?oIf we get some of the troops to push the cart from the rear and right hand side, I think we can get the wheel out of the hole and around the rock. I�?Tll get the horses ready to pull from the front and await your command.�?�. With that, the driver walked to the front of the wagon.
Tarrakk arranged his men as the driver instructed and on the count of three, the team began to free the cart from its muddy prison. The night goblins decided that now would be a good opportunity to try and assault the Chaos Dwarfs, as their cage was part of the wagon�?Ts rear and all the warriors were within grasp.
Before the Night Goblins could get into hand�?Ts reach of the warriors, a flash of lightning illuminated the landscape hitting a tree not more than 40 feet away, splitting it in half and causing it to burst into flames. Sounds of hard hitting rain filled the air, drowning out the terrified moans and cries of the Night Goblins who scurried back into the safety of the cage and began to huddle themselves into a corner near the front of the wagon to avoid the worst of the storm.
�?oShut up you cowardly scum!�?� Cried a frustrated and muddy Tarrakk as he pulled a whip out from underneath the cage.
�?oThis should get you some backbone, you little wimps!�?� He yelled as he cracked the whip five times across the green skin�?Ts backs. With a grin on his face, he proclaimed �?oYou want something to really cry about, you vermin?�?�. The Goblins responded with a few moans. �?oI�?Tll give you something to cry about!�?� Tarrakk continued to give them another fifteen lashes before he grew tired and stopped. He then returned the whip to it�?Ts resting place away from the Goblin�?Ts reach and returned to help his men as they finally freed the wagon out of it�?Ts confines.
Tarrakk, soaked to the bone, instructed his men to momentarily return to their quarters to dry off and rest up. He then told the driver to wait for him as he scouted the road ahead, looking to see if they were headed for any other disturbances that may trap the cart.
Tarrakk moved cautiously down the road, keeping his eyes open for fallen branches, large mud holes, and unearthed rocks. The further he traveled, the more he realized that the road was not as wide as it was where the wagon got stuck. The rain was coming down harder and he feared that he would loose his footing and possibly fall off the cliffs that were beside the narrowing road. He decided to turn back when he came to a slick wooden bridge.
Suddenly, a shiver ran down his spine and his hair stood on end. He could smell the smell of death as it permeated the air behind him. Clutching his Blunderbuss, he quickly spun around to see, in a flash of lightning, the snarling and bloody face of a rain drenched Ogre!
The Chaos Dwarfs had found their intended mercenaries!
Next time, I’ll do something better…or I could go back and remove it.