Nanomancer creative writing competition entry: Troll Tears

This is my entry for @benjojo's writing competition. It is a short story set in a fantasy world of his creation. https://steemit.com/nanomancer/@benjojo/nanomancer-creative-writing-competition-300-steem-total-reward

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A mighty crack of thunder reverberated through the mountain. Dust and stone rained down from the roof of the cave onto the freshly awoken trolls. Ditid cried for his mother as Zulkaz sat up, wondering what manner of weather could possibly disturb a troll's slumber.

"Calm, child. Mama, come." Gilta took her son into her monstrous arms, consoling him with guttural grunts and growls.

Zulkaz lifted his enormous frame and grabbed his trusty club.

"Zulkaz see." He lumbered to the mouth of the cave, kicking aside fallen rocks, and peered out into the darkness. No rain. Curious. Little people of mountain bang bang blast? Maybe.

"Dada?"

"Ditid stay. Da look see."

Zulkaz disappeard into the blackness of the night. The mountain path would be treacherous for any other being, but the trolls of Gethyra had an affinity with the rocks and the stone. Through receptors in their huge feet, they could feel the energy field in the earth beneath them. Zulkaz heard distant screaming from up high on Mount Rakash. Little people fight?

Someone come! Before the sound of gravel crunching, Zulkaz felt the disturbance in the energy field of many little feet scurrying toward him from around the curve of the mountain path. The troll hefted his club, ready for attack.

"Move troll! Get away!"

The first dwarf rushed past him, quickly followed by at least another two dozen. Dwarves look strange. Scared? An elder dwarf blundered down the path, wheezing and coughing, covered head to toe in a gray dust. His eyes streamed with tears, and he almost stumbled into the troll.

"Zulkaz! Begone, quickly."

He knew this dwarf.

"Hengrod. What wrong? Boom blast bad?"

"Nay, something much worse," he panted. "A terrible thing just, just--appeared. We felt a rip in the field, and something truly awful walked through into the mountain. Many dead. Just--poof! We have to go. Now!"

Hengrod staggered away, each step he took shook the dust from his body, leaving gray footprints in his wake.

Before he could decide which direction to take, another party of dwarves rounded the corner. Floating down the pass behind them came the terrible thing; six troll hands tall, a strange helm with large glass beads on its head, long cape flowing behind. It stretched out its thin arms, clawed hands extended toward the dwarves. A swarm of what Zulkaz presumed were insects shot forth and slammed into the back of the party. Zulkaz stood open mouthed as he watched little people vanish into clouds of dust.

"Da?"

"Ditid! No! Go!"

Too late. The dwarves were lost in a haze of dust and the thing turned its attention to the trolls. Zulkaz pulled his son behind him, shielding him from this monster.

"My, what ugly beasts." It hissed. "Stupid too, by your look. Sturdy though. You may be of use. You have the power of speech?"

"Troll talk good. Strong troll."

Zulkaz concentrated and reached his being into the energy field. He chose a sizable rock from the side of the mountain and sent it flying toward the strange thing. Alerted by the sound of the mighty crack, the thing leaped out of the way just in time.

"Ditid, no follow da!" His mother came lurching up the mountain toward them.

"Gilta, no!"

Once more the nanomancer reached out his clawed hand and unleashed the swarm. Zulkaz pulled Ditid aside and watched helplessly as the nano robots headed straight to his beloved wife.

"No!"

More rock than flesh, it took the swarm longer to destroy the troll and Ditid watched his mother slowly succumb to the attack, flailing her limbs in a futile attempt to swat away her tiny attackers. Those arms that had so lovingly reassured him earlier were slowly dissolved into dust. Before he could witness her utter destruction, his father grabbed him, wrapped himself around and rolled down the mountainside.

Zulkaz eyes leak. Troll not cry before.

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