Thordan Spiderhewer - Jan. 7th

   There's nothing more disturbing than the deafening sound of nothing. Even more so than the total darkness that enveloped Thordan Spiderhewer when the last bit of his head lamp's candle flickered out. The burly dwarf had been so engrossed in the chase after the rock spider attacked his digging crew, that he had not noticed the light getting dimmer until it was too late. All he could think about was his friends that were bitten, or spun up in silk and being dragged away into the depths beyond the giant cavern that was home to the stone forest of Rasthal Thokul.
   It was the kind of silence that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and drowned out the ringing in his ears from the blood pumping so fast to his head from exertion. He couldn't even hear his own breathing, or his heart beating like a marching drum in his chest.
   Thordan tightened his grip on the mining pick and his great double bladed axe to make sure they were still there. Despite his natural instinct to remember every tunnel he'd ever dug, natural caverns and winding tunnels on top of them was enough to cause any self respecting dwarf to get turned around. Especially with a burnt out head lamp.
   Even though he couldn't hear the rock spider's movements, he knew it was there, circling him in the darkness. This did not shake his resolve near as much as the embarrassing thought of not finding his way back to the hold where his wife, three sons and two daughters waited for his return.
   He was the fifth descendant of Thorgal Spiderhewer, and as the namesake entails, was part of a family legacy of spider hunting and the rigorous training that came with it. He had spent years honing his senses for such an occasion when he may have to fight blind.
   Thordan chewed on his lower lip as he listened intently for any indication of the spider's inevitable approach.
   "Ahk, come on then ye foul bug," he spat through his beard, "It'll be you or me left standing, not both, and I'll be a gear fiddlin' gnome before I let one of your kind bring me down!"



This was a tough prompt to attempt a non-outerspace approach with, and although I like the character and the setting that I came up with, it's not one of my strongest outings. Here's to stretching the writing muscles!
Today's prompt is: A guard protagonist.
Cheers,
Rob