Here you can find all the texts that won on the Fan Fiction Contest for the best story about battling Iron Twins.

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Story 1 

Author - Drigallski

The loss of immortality

The fortress seemed bigger than usual. The scent of burning metal, grinding gears mixed with the cold sweat running down his spine. The young Paragon had encountered and mastered this adventure hundreds of times, with never ceasing bravery. But this one – he felt – this encounter somehow felt different than all of his other endeavours.  

When the giant machination of rattling scraps towered in front of him once more, there was something different than usual. Fear. The Iron Twins seemed different than usual, but he could not quite figure it out. So he got to work.

Slowly grinding down the monster’s defenses, one power draining stab at a time, while he suffered giant wounds and torment by the giant blades and burning irons. But this was nothing out of the ordinary, as the young Paragon knew he could endure, now matter how much the attacks hurt. And so he kept going, for hours and hours, staying alive, hitting, staying alive, hitting… all while the pain and suffering by the ironbrand was almost unbearable, but always not quite.

After hours of battle, the boss changed its attacking pattern, as it usually does. The paragon prepared for barrages of the monster’s hidden technique “Doomsday Machine”, which he was sure he could endure, as he normally could. And he did. The fear began to disappear as he thought the fight would go down like all the others now. The warming feeling of routine spread through his body. And even though he was still enduring the torture of the giant robot, he could not help but let out a short confident laugh.

And then it happened. During the most harmless attack, while enduring the assault of voltaic pendulums, a sharp pain ran through his body. The Paragon was shocked and quickly lost his stance.  

How could this be? Just recently he could endure every single attack, and now he would fall to the weakest one. As he fell on his knees, in his last moments, he looked up to the deadly machine. And there it was. He was able to make out a small adjustment on top of the twins’ head, alongside a well-known symbol. The symbol of a well-known evil sorcerer.

“How could he have been so careless? Just to look for some red gems that allegedly strengthen the soul? Why do I have to die just in pursuit of power? How did I not notice the changes made to the robot?”

And so, the paragon met his demise. Because Unkillable was no more. 

Story 2

Author - Zararok

The white marble stones cracked and everything ached, it was a long time since Kael had felt as much pain as he did in this moment. Still, he should have gone down just then, and with that, the memories started to flow back in. How he and the others had entered the previously forbidden place known as the Iron Fortress. He had always hated working with champions from the other factions, after all no one could match the brilliance of the Dark Elves. 

Opening his eyes, he was met by the gleaming armor of his savior, and he had to smile at the irony of his previous thought. Goffred stood tall before him having shielded him from the devastating blow of the hulking monster that had faced them when they entered. On top of it all it had to be a dwarf that saved his life today, maybe he had to start appreciate the others a bit more. 

As a matter of fact, even the High Elves had joined them, Lonatharil applied his shielding magic to clear the party’s other big hitter, Fayne, from harm while she applied all her brutal attacks against the Iron hulk guarding the fortress. In that moment the drive to win, pride and vengeance of his race swelled inside of him. He stood up, as marble dust flew into the air from his armor, he would be damned if he was going to be shown up by a rat!

Aniri felt the sweat coat her forehead, the Iron Twin was a worthy opponent, it was about all she could do to keep her companions standing as the various weapons kept on bombarding them. “How was Kael, had Goffred managed to save him?” At that moment she glanced as the silvery-haired elf appeared in her periphery vision, he looked angry. Her only thought was, "Good" they would need it. 

Keal felt the dark magic swell in his veins, he loved the feeling of it pulsing, the power. He longed to release it all, but he knew that if he wanted to end this he had to wait for the perfect moment. Soon Fanye’s strike opened a small hole in the giant monster’s defense. He roared out the most powerful spell he knew, all the rage, the hurt, the pride and, the power he held released. 

Everything turned black but Goffred stayed calm, he had faced the man-elf before but this time they were on the same side as Kael’s deep voice filled the tower, “DISINTEGRATE!”.

Fayne felt the ground shake as the pieces of the now dead iron man just lay there. She looked at the others but did not give them much thought and instead started to look for the prize of their kill. After all they had to come back again tomorrow to do it all over again… 

Story 3

Author - Recyclops5795

In The Shadow Of The Twins

A tower looms in the distance. Barely visible through the sunset painted fog. Tales of a mechanical monster have spread throughout the land of Teleria and Arbiter has requested aid to destroy whatever terrible abomination rests within. The dwarves answer the call.

The legendary Mountain King leads his squad into the fortress. The tower is dark, so Acrizia sparks her sword to give light as they move to activate the strange lift machine. Geomancer and Keeyra are the last to step onto the platform as it ascends. Heavy chains clang and twist around gears as they rise. Steam explodes from pistons churning the platform upward. Suddenly the lift stops as large doors open wide and a towering metal colossus steps forth from the blackness. Its bronze-colored body decorated with detailed design is soon a blur as the twins begin to spin as they start to ascend again. The dwarves spread out ready to face the attack. Of all the horrors they have faced in Teliaria they have never seen anything like this.

 Mountain King signals a dash towards the golem. They bash and slash, but the steel is much too hard for their weapons. The twins rotate unleashing blades and flames upon the tiny warriors. Geomancer summons his own hellfire from within. Instantly the twins are engulfed in flame and char. Keeyra leaps forward but is met with a barrage of rockets. Her shield taking the brunt of the force as she is knocked to the ground. Acrizia notices the steel is beginning to soften as Geo’s burn rages on. She strikes the golem hard, and slices open the tree trunk sized leg revealing gears churning inside, powering the massive machine. As the twins stumble and the dwarves regroup, they see a red glow from within one of the heads. The twins spin up furiously as dust from the still rising lift begins to vibrate and levitate from the metal floor. Suddenly a beam of light shoots out from the head and sweeps across the room. The dwarves duck the beam, but in the chaos of that moment, Mountain King wasn’t so lucky. The laser sliced through his body with ease. Fueled with rage and disbelief, the remaining dwarves attack the golem with all their might. Geo unleashes a burn like never before as he sends a shock wave of magic across the room. The others continue to destroy the twins’ legs. Gears and pistons begin to explode from within and the twins’ stumble. Again, the strange glow powers up from the head and just then Acrizia leaps up with her flaming sword and slices off the glowing head. Keeyra catches it and directs the beam towards the second head. The beam shoots out with such force it blows through the golems head and the iron wall behind it. The golem falls to the ground as it continues to smolder as the lift grinds to a halt.

 The Dwarves have won but at a major cost. As they leave the tower they hear from deep within the bowels, a sound of sparks fusing metal together as a red glow emerges from those desecrated halls. 

Story 4

Author - MSTarot

Fodbor the Bard

Using his ax as a walking stick, Fodbor took a panting breath. Taking out a rag, he wiped the sweat from his bald head and set his pack next to a bolder. Easing his tired bones into place, the old bard looked to the east, then up at the tower looming overhead. The red crystals at the top were still dark.

“Soon, laddie. Soon.”

Laying his ax to the side, the bard pulled his pipe from his pocket. With a shake of his head, he blew smoke rings at the party he saw approaching the Iron Twin's Fortress.

“Fools. Damnable fools.” High above, the Sun touched the ruby crystals and the morning air was broken by the sound of metal grinding on metal. Chewing the pipe stem between his strong teeth, he grinned. “Here we go.”

The iron gates parted and the fools charged the tower with a battle cry. Laughing, Fodbor knew what they were seeing. A great spiral of metal steps climbing towards the top.

“Not enough gold in the world to make me climb that bastard tower.” Taking a puff, he set his pipe aside and picked up his lute. Playing a soft tune, the old bard passed the time while the champions inside climbed. Fodbor was halfway through his second song when a battle cry and a screech of rusty metal came from high above.

Bangs. Explosions. Flashes of lightning, and terrible screams. A sound like an exploding steam engine ripped through the air.

Then silence.

The bard winced.“Oh, that one had to hurt.”

Setting down his lute, he waited. It wasn't a long wait. Body after body, tossed out of the tower, impacted the ground with sickening thumps. Shaking his head at the foolishness of greed, he grabbed his pack and headed down to gather the gold coins, shards, gems, and items that littered the ground.

“Work smarter not harder, me old man said. Don't seek danger when there's no need.” With a grin, the old bard worked quickly. He knew others were headed this way to try their luck. He did pause and look down at one dead face by his feet. “Ah, Kael old boy! Poor, laddie. You're an old man like me. You should've known better! A twin-headed metal monster, spitting flames and great burning rays of light? Only a fool would go against that.”

Shrugging, Fodbor left the dead elf for the crows and made his way back to his comfortable rock. Setting down his pack, he took a moment to relight his pipe before the next group appeared. Shading his eyes, he chuckled seeing the newest fool gleaming like a golden torch in the sunlight.

“Ultimate Death Knight, huh? Oh, this should be good.” Taking his monocle, he squinted. “And do that be Harrier? And Scrapper!” He choked laughing. “That's no raiding party, that's a boy band!”

Waggling his white beard, the old bard picked up his battered lute and began to compose a tale of their “heroic” battle. It would play well at the Inn. Pulling out a bottle of ale, he even raised a toast to them when the screaming and crying began.

It ended all too soon.

Sighing, Fodbor started back down the hill even as the bodies rained down. 

Story 5

Author - Jediel

The Raid of the Iron Fortress

Five champions stood at the gargantuan gate of the fortress. Athel had gathered them to bring down the juggernaut within. Roshcard would be their protector, Prince Kymar would support their higher skills, Valkyrie would ensure a steady attack no matter what the Iron Twins threw at them, and Scyl would be their healer and, if needed, their revivor. She hoped it was enough. Many champions had fallen to the mechanized fury that guarded the coveted soul coins.

She asked her team if they were ready. They nodded, so Athel took a deep breath, and kicked the gate open. Inside was a series of pulleys and chains creating a heinous din. A furnace burned within the fortress' bowels, powering the magical metal beast. It stood quite still in the eerie furnace glow.

Roshcard raised his hammer. A nimbus surrounded them all. Valkyrie enchanted them. Athel could feel the eagerness in her lance. She raised it and divine blades descended from the domed ceiling. Suddenly the iron behemoth sprang to life. Rockets burst from between the torsos and all of their enchanted weapons counter-attacked. Still, it seemed to have little effect. Scyl fired a burst of energy hoping to stun it. It responded with a burst of its own. White hot fire raked the team from right to left. Athel could smell burnt hair. Her armor absorbed the heat and she started to drip with sweat. Roshcard ran forward and backhanded his mighty hammer into its thigh. It did not even leave a dent. Kymar raised his hands and they all felt vivified. Athel brought another cascade of celestial swords. They pinged off the metal shoulders like hail. The second twin spun into view and its scythe-like hands flew out and would have cut Scyl down but for Roshcard's protective spell. The champions tried to continue their pattern of attack but their timing was off. The Iron Twins pounced mercilessly. Roshcard's nimbus had evaporated and before Kymar could quicken the recast of the spell, the fire burst once more. Both Roschcard and Valkyrie fell to the incendiary attack. Scyl lifted Roshcard up, breathing new life into him. It did not last long. The Iron Twins fired another salvo and Roshcard was crushed within his armor. Kymar unleashed a toxic wave of power but the Iron Twins easily shrugged it off. Athel struck down with a hopeless triple attack and again the fire raked across them. Scyl disintegrated. Kymar melted. Athel stood alone.

"I did not come here to lose again!" She screamed. The Iron Twins were oblivious to her fury. They span once more. The two fists fired off an electric strike that made Athel's bones glow. Her teeth shattered from how tightly they clenched during the malefic attack. She refused to crumple. She called down one last flurry of divine blades and retreated from the chamber of death. The mighty gate closed in front of her and she swore she could hear gears grinding like malicious laughter.

"I will have the last laugh," she cried. "I will not rest until you are dust!" 

Story 6

Author - Tigerbl00dx

“What happened to him?” Scyl demanded as she saw the pieces of a man drug through town.

“That idiot? You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” the purple-eyed demon replied in his ethereal tone.

“Watch your tongue demon! He was a Paragon of Justice!” she spat back at Helicath, the vitriol literally spraying from her mouth.

“I have no care for your so-called righteous indignation, but I can assure you that the man did not die a noble death. He died a fool” Helicath smugly responded.

Kurzad laughed like the madman that he was, spilling his beer everywhere as he chanted “He died a fool! He died a fool!” The geomancer wiped the beer off his robes but nothing could wipe the wicked smirk from his face as he stared Scyl in the eye and mouthed the word “Fool.”

Just as the barbarian was about to rend their heads from their shoulders, a staff appeared between them. “Please forgive my kinsmen and that thing, of their transgressions” a heavily clad female dwarf spoke as she motioned towards the demon.

The barbarian’s rage was nearly impossible to quell but after sizing up this woman, she somehow felt calmer. The regal dwarf smiled warmly as she expressed her thanks to the barbarian for her decorum. A barbarian’s etiquette being praised; exactly who was this woman?

“I’m Demytha. If you wish to know he died, I can oblige. I will refrain from calling him foolish but his actions do not demand respect.”

Scyl slowly shifted out of her battle stance, but not before her eyes darted past the smug demon and the unapologetic dwarves.

“Let’s talk elsewhere,” Demytha suggested as she led the woman slightly away from the filth.

“Our party sought out to destroy the vile mechanization that dwells in Iron Twins Fortress. As we approached the brothers’ hall, we hear the sounds of battle. However, when we entered the main hall we were shocked to discover a lone man battling the brothers. I shouted to him our desire to assist him,but he simply refused our help. He boasted that he didn’t need us. The man laughed as he attacked the brothers with his poison-etched glaive. The monstrous machine whirled a dirge of death in response as sword and mace descended from one brother and chains and blades hit from the other. The man simply let the brothers swing, boasting the whole time. This battle went on for what seemed like hours. The brothers rampaged with no end and his boastful laughter kept pace. Green sludge dripped from the countless scratches dealt to the brothers. Just as the battle seemed to ending, the machine’s pitch heightened and its servos whined. At the finale of the battle, this so-called ‘paragon’ was chopped to countless bits as his laughter turned to agony. His last words were “But I’m unkillable!” as the final swing from the second twin killed him.”

Scyl’s temperament got the better of her as she let slip, “No one is unkillable! What a fool…..”

She realized what she said. She hung her head in shame as her eyes met with those arrogant, seemingly knowing, purple eyes.  

Story 7

Author - Balltazer

 “I guess the Miscreated and Dreng weren’t enough….he had to go on creating more abominations, didn’t he? I mean the nerve on the old man…..”

“Calm down and tell me what happened”

“Well, where do I start…the Big Man calls me over. Says, “Konstantin, guess what I need”. I says, “Oh, I don’t know, mate…ye name is Soulless, recon you need a soul then, don’t you?” Turns out he heard there’s a place where the lost souls are trapped in stones – a tower on the other end of the bloody map. Before you know, we’re hoofing through Spider infested swamps to get him a soul.

3 days on foot, now we gotta climb all the way up 15 levels, and I’m ready to let Soulless stay that way. I mean the man lived for centuries without a soul, and now, he has to have one? You don’t see Faceless asking for a face, do you? Besides, what are we supposed to call him if he gets it…can’t be a Soulless with a soul, can ya?

So up we go. Open the door, it’s some kind of lab with a heap of scrap metal smack dab in the middle of it and a soulstone just sitting in the pile. Figure we grab the stone and get out. Right as I’m about to get it, the bloody pile of rubbish stands up, two muppets bigger than Narma’s neverminds, gives me the look, slaps me across the lab. By the time I came to, we are full battle mode. I’m talking missiles flying, fire everywhere, chains whipping all over, the damn thing’s got a death wish in every orifice, it’s a battlebot bonanza out there.  

We can’t keep up, every time we buff to catch a break, the twins smack us with something. “This won’t cut it,” I say, “We need to slow them down!!”   

Stag Knight picks up his halberds, sends them missiles out….BAM, takes out the legs….don’t know how he sees out of those tiny holes in his helmet, but he nails those ankles right in the gears. Now we’re talking. We buff up…and I mean we go nuts. Veils, heals, juiced to the gills. I says “Stag, keep at them ankles.”  

We keep fighting, but it’s not getting any easier. Every time they go on, they hit harder….it’s getting serious, I’m about ready to pack my bags and get out. The heals are barely keeping up with the damage, we’re hanging on for dear life…in walks Geo. This little lump of a man took 3 hours to climb 15 floors…says his legs are too short, the cheeky bugger.  

“Hey, Geo…about time, mate…we’re out of ideas here, glad you decided to join the party….got anything to contribute?” This dwarf looks me in the eyes like I’m a monkey working a wrench, and goes, “Seems like a lot of combustible materials inside, have you tried setting it on fire?”

Sparks up his torch, lights the big jamoke up. They catch fire like Akoth’s knickers after Taco Bell. They load up, ready to end us, missiles galore, and out of nowhere…the whole things blows up into bits, scrap metal everywhere…all for a lousy little soul.”

“Sounds like a win…so why are you upset?” 

“Because that was Harrier’s soul. Now I gotta find that Head & Shoulders poster boy….and the boss is still soulless.”