by Aleron Kong
Richter had also placed two Constricting Web Traps. Though not the most destructive, they may have been the most horrifying. The range of these traps was also much larger than the others. Both traps shot strands out for twenty yards in all directions. At first, it just looked like an explosion of webs, and over a hundred goblins were trapped in both. Then, the white strands started moving.
They stretched and searched, wrapping themselves tighter around anyone unlucky enough to be caught inside of them. The chaos seed saw one goblin on the periphery trying to escape. Only his leg had been stuck with the white strands, but the webs pulled him back in towards the center of the trap. The last sight Richter caught of him was his face being completely wrapped in white like a mummy. An indentation where the goblin’s mouth would be yawned open, the fighter trying to scream even as he asphyxiated. Then he was drawn further back into the gooey mass of threads, buried alive.
The final trap was the most devastating. Richter remembered that he had found it closest to the assengai queen when penetrating her lair. The strands of the Acidic Web Trap were brown and each dripped thick fluid that sizzled when it touched the group. The radius was only ten feet, but the strands started dissolving what they touched immediately. The goblins caught in the trap started screaming as the acid ate through their armor, skin, and muscles. One fighter was struck by a vertical thread on his head. The strand ate through his body until he fell in two halves, each with its own arm and leg.
The goblins’ attack was destroyed. Those not caught in the traps were just looking around in confusion and panic. Not only did the ensnarement and death of more than two hundred of the advancing goblins halt the advance, the traps made sections of the field impassable. Anyone, goblin, sprite, or human that entered one of the AoE’s of the traps would find a quick death. Once more, the pealing calls of the sword adept’s horn rung out, and three hundred blue lights appeared. This time, when the shots fell on the goblins, no shield wall was erected. The shots also were much more concentrated as the sprites only had to aim at the spaces between the traps. The magically enhanced bodies of the goblins succumbed to the rain of imbued arrows, some even bursting from the intense forces being directed at them.
Heqht-jo screamed in rage. The first two salvos of the battle were over, and the goblins had been beaten soundly. The commander had allowed his forces to be ambushed not once, but twice. His vision began to tint with red and his Profession asserted itself. The Rage of a Professed Barbarian took over. He would not be embarrassed by forest rats! With a guttural cry, the Barbarian ordered an all-out assault. The mercenaries were finally called up from his reserve. Despite the losses his army had suffered, he still had a superior force, and the sprites had to be nearly out of mana. He would see the ground drenched in their blood!
The Druid, Radg-or, tried to counsel the war leader, but Heqht-jo drew his massive war axe and started running forward. Goblin horns pealed shrilly, and the horde surged forward. The final assault of the Battle of Henakot’s Valley had finally begun.
CHAPTER 38 – Day 141 – Kuborn 31, 15,386 EBG
Richter looked at the sea of enemies coming towards them in the dawn light. The enemy commander had apparently gotten tired of strategy. He just planned to overwhelm them. Though perhaps that was a strategy in and of itself. He didn’t have any tricks up his sleeve, and the sprites’ mana was mostly depleted. Hundreds of the enemy had been killed, but the goblins still outnumbered them. From what Richter could see, it was mostly scouts and a smattering of fighters that had been slain, the weakest of the goblins’ forces. Fear began to flutter in his heart.
The chaos seed was not concerned for himself, but for his people. Even if they won the day, many would die. Hisako’s magical roots couldn’t save all of them, even if she was willing to expend the precious herbs. Caulder and Terrod ordered his melee fighters to move forward, with the idea of meeting the goblins while they exited the one clear space between the spider traps, no more than fifty yards across. Bottlenecking the enemy should improve their chances. Still, Richter couldn’t help but think of the names he would have to carve into the village memorial by the end of the day, and his heart beat wildly in his chest. Then he felt a soft touch.
Hisako walked in front of him, putting her body between him and the looming battle. The Hearth Mother had a sympathetic look on her face. “I know what troubles you. Believe in your people, and the choices they can make. We are only lost when we believe the evil of this world is beyond our ability to defeat it. Will you stand with me, Lord Richter, to preserve all that is good?”
Richter saw no bloodlust in her face, only love and resolve. Beyond her, he saw the face of his best friend looking at him with a slight smile and a promise in his eyes, that Richter would never be alone again. Then the chaos seed looked at his people, bravely standing against the goblins. He drew his elementum short sword, and said, “You never need ask.” Richter ran to fight alongside his people.
The sprites began firing again. Yoshi blew his horn, not twice this time, but three times and the sprites poured all of their remaining mana into their shots. For ten seconds, they imbued their arrows while the goblins surged ever closer, then they released. The extra damage from investing their mana caused devastation in the goblin ranks. Dozens of lives were claimed, and an earth-shaking BOOM shook the ground not fifty yards from the front lines of the coalition. The goblins did not even pause. A few seconds later, the battle was joined.
Nothing Richter had ever seen or heard before prepared him for the CRUNCH of hundreds of men and women slamming together like a hammer against an anvil. Neither the goblins nor the collected races of Richter’s forces were made of metal, however; they were only clothed in it. Blood, both black and red, flew into the air and screams rose on both sides. His forces held, though. They held!
Richter’s biomancers began casting healing spells immediately, while those in front kept fighting. Maces, axes, swords and spears plunged forward and rent goblin flesh. The superior weaponry and rudimentary tactics of the Mist village forces began to tell. His people fell here and there, but many that were wounded were simply pulled back and healed. Seconds later, they were back in the fight, madder than ever.
The next few minutes were a mess of blood and metal. Richter’s forces suffered losses, but the power of the Mist Village could not be denied. Between the enchanted arms and armor from the Forge of Heavens and the potions from the Dragon’s Cauldron, the forces of the village were wearing and burning through hundreds, if not thousands, of gold coins. Their superior gear immediately proved its worth, though, and the bodies of goblins began to pile up in a line in front of the allied forces.
Richter didn’t regret investing in his forces for a moment. While there might be some truth to his… “thriftiness” in general, the chaos seed had never lost sight of the fact that wealth was only a tool. His only regret was that he had not had more to give his people before the battle. Still, they were kicking ass with what they had!
Here and there, bolts of lightning shot forth from his forces, stunning the goblins so that they could be slaughtered by the village melee fighters. Beyan made himself known by firing his Wand of Dark Bolts and casting his laughing skull spell as quickly as he could. The sprites continued to fire arrows. The missiles may have lacked magic, but they were still deadly. Richter and Sion stood on the frontline, hewing goblins like so much wood. A green blade fell, and a goblin died. Another elementum weapon cleaved the rusted chain mail of a goblin fighter, and he fell screaming to the ground. Battle lust began to take over, and some of the soldiers within the Mist Village ranks began to laugh as they slaughtered their enemies.
They should not have done that. The behemoths had arrived.
Radg-or had begun casting as soon as Heqht-jo had ordered the full assault. The target of his spell was his pet jaguar, Scor. Buff after buff were placed on the black cat, fueled and augmented by the Bloodstone. At the end, its natural armor had increased by +30, its attack speed had increased by 50
%, and its damage was boosted by +22. It gained a slow health regeneration, and those were only the highlights. The Druid cast a final spell that tripled its size and greatly increased its Strength stat. With a grisly smile, the caster sent his pet forward with a simple command, “Feast upon them!”
The other monstrosity came from the goblins’ mercenary allies. They finally entered the battle, slamming their weapons on their shields in a horrible din. Yoshi’s eyes narrowed as he saw the one hundred soldiers enter the field. The adept said a single word, the syllable thick with distaste, “Trolls.”
A century of well-armed and armored soldiers crested the hill behind the goblin’s position. The wore matching mail armor that was steel-green in color. The mercenaries were a mix of swordsmen, axe men, and bowmen, though their forces were heavily weighted towards melee fighters. Each was at least six and a half feet tall. What occupied the eyes of everyone on the battlefield weren’t the one hundred deadly troll soldiers. What captured the attention of the entire allied command was the bellowing twelve-foot tall creature that walked in front of them.
The monster leading the troll contingent had green-gray skin. It had well-muscled arms that hung almost to its feet. Its hands were both as large as barrel lids, and each of its eight fingers were tipped with thick black talons. The monster’s mouth hung open, and rows of large yellowed teeth lined the top and bottom of its jaws. It started in hatred at everything and everyone, including the armored troll mercenaries. As it screamed again, Richter had a sinking feeling that he knew what the monster was.
“Is that what I think it is?” Richter shouted even as he parried the mace blow of a goblin grinder.
“Fuck!” Sion answered. He stabbed his elementum blade into a fighter’s face, dropping it cold. “They have a mountain troll!”
Both enchanted jaguar and monstrous troll ran forward to bring devastation to the Companions and their people.
CHAPTER 39 – Day 141 – Kuborn 31, 15,386 EBG
Richter watched the two giant creatures sprint down the two hundred yards separating the goblin reserve from his position. The rest of the enemy army was right behind, including the goblin commander and the troll mercenaries. He realized that this would have been a great time for Hisako to summon an angel or some other high leveled creature, but the Hearth Mother had been clear. She would not use her magic until it was needed to counteract the power of the Bloodstone. Richter hadn’t argued, but there were two Devastators barreling down on his forces and someone needed to be a Defensor. With a sinking feeling, he realized “someone” was him.
The chaos seed reached into his Bag of Holding and withdrew a Potion of Gaseous Form. He held one out to Sion, “Bottoms up brosef!”
Sion slashed at another goblin, “What?”
Fucking idioms! “Drink the fucking potion! We’ve got a troll to fight!”
Richter also pulled out two more potions he had been saving for this very moment. Ever since he and Sion had come across a troll in the forest months ago, he had been haunted by the idea of fighting a beast with such horrifyingly fast regenerative capabilities. He had pestered Sion until the sprite had made him a poison. His friend complained about Richter being annoying at the time, but the chaos seed was pretty sure his Companion wouldn’t be bitching now.
You have received: Poison of Stagnant Health. Durability: 8/8. Potion Level: Solution. Strength: Fortified. Weight: 0.02 kg. Traits: Will create wounds resistant to healing for 56 minutes.
Richter liberally poured two doses over each of his swords and handed the last one to Sion who had stepped back from the front lines. The sprite poisoned his blade.
“So we go after the troll? What about the big cat?” Sion asked.
Richter pointed with his moonstone short sword, “Looks like Caulder is already taking care of that pussy. Besides, he’ll have plenty of help.” He sent some mental orders and then rejoined the front line. After swinging his blades ferociously for a few seconds, a hole opened in the goblin line. The wild troll was only fifty yards away and was barreling down on a section of his people far to the right. The chaos seed screamed a challenge, though, and the monster bellowed back. It changed the direction of its charge and bore down on him, trampling goblins in its path. Richter nodded slightly and thought, let’s do this.
The chaos seed used Analyze, hoping for some clue as to how to defeat the horror bearing down on him.
Name: Mountain Troll Disposition: Hatred
Mountain trolls are a wild predecessor of more evolved trolls. Though lacking in intellect, they more than make up for it in ferocity and regenerative capabilities. Mountain trolls can heal almost any injury, and this capability is even further enhanced by feeding on bloody flesh. They have an instinctual hatred for all creatures. Even when mating, one of the two is normally killed, or at the very least, heavily damaged.
Level: 34
Health: 1460/1460Mana: 30/30Stamina: 720/720.
Strength: 52
Agility: 26
Dexterity: 29
Constitution: 146
Endurance: 72
Intelligence: 3
Wisdom: 2
Charisma: 2
Luck: 8
Well, that helped fuckall, he thought with irritation. Good to know that it’s an unstoppable killing machine that only gets stronger when it eats us! Still, if it was to be done, best to be done quickly! He ran at the wild troll, raising one sword. The chaos seed had pushed beyond the goblin line, but the battle had degraded to a brawl, and clear lines were hard to find. Sion was right behind him.
Richter’s left short sword was raised high, but at the last minute, he ducked low, aiming to chop through the troll’s leg. Richter executed a nearly flawless Reaping Wheat. His moonstone blade bit into the troll’s leg followed by his Sonic Elementum Short Sword. Both cut deep but failed to sever the tree trunk-thick limb.
It screamed, more in rage than anger. Richter reversed his blades to finish the amputation. Before he could attack again, though, one of the troll’s oversized hands struck him hard in the chest. Its black claws scored against his chest plate, but thanks to his new gaseous form, Richter avoided being impaled. The troll’s hand hit as hard as a warhammer, and the chaos seed went spinning through the air. He landed behind fifteen feet away and knocked down two of his own healers.
“Shitttt,” he moaned. That had gone horribly! Richter got back to his feet, though and ran back into the fray.
Meanwhile, the panther had dealt elegantly with the shield wall facing it. The damn thing had jumped over it! In the space of seconds, it had killed two aeromancers and one biomage with sweeps of its terrible claws. The villagers rallied, but the shield wall was broken. Richter’s guards fought back against it, but even their enchanted blades did little damage against its magically strengthened fur and skin. Caulder led the counterassault, his body hazy from having imbibed a Potion of Gaseous Form, but even his heavy mace had little effect.
The goblins were not wasting the opportunity. They attacked with renewed vigor, wearing the defenders down. Caught between the deadly panther and the bloodthirsty goblins, Richter’s people began to die.
The troll was wreaking devastation as well. Its insanely high strength and absolute disregard for damage had let it cut deep into the villagers’ ranks. So deep in fact that the shield wall had been able to reform and the allied forces were able to form a cohesive defense against the goblins and their troll allies.
Guards back from the front line continued to face the mountain troll with shields, but each swing of its preternaturally long arms knocked men back and sometimes caused major damage. Sion and Terrod were occupying its attention now, both of their bodies hazy, as Richter leaped back into the fray. The agile sprite was moving as quickly as possible, stabbing the troll here and there. The wounds inflicted with his poisoned short sword took longer to heal than other injuries, but the troll’s flesh was still closing. The poison had also worn off, and now Sion was doing little more than annoying it. Meanwhile, the go
blins and troll mercenaries were bearing down on village soldiers as well. If not for the withering fire of the sprites, the guards would most likely have been in full rout.
Sion’s luck finally ran out, and he took a hard swipe on the side. Just like Richter, the sprite went spinning end over end and landed in a heap. The troll turned its attention to another one of the meidon sprites. It struck savagely, and the sprite went down with a cry. Red blood dripped from the ends of its claws. It reached down and pulled the sprite’s arm free, shoving the limb in its mouth, armor and all. As it chewed, its wounds started closing faster than before. The meidon sprite lay on the ground, shock having already set in. Another swipe of the troll’s claws ended his life and, miles away, a pixie screamed and went feral.
Richter got closer to the troll and saw that the wound he had inflicted on its leg was still open, but it was barely bleeding and was half as large as it should have been. The troll had turned its full attention on the captain. Terrod was completely on the defensive. His high steel kite shield was held up in front of him, but the troll’s fifty-two points of Strength were like boulders falling from the sky. Other guards were stabbing and striking the troll, but it didn’t even notice, fully intent on killing Richter’s Companion.
The chaos seed was about to dive back into battle when something caught his eye. It was a detail he hadn’t noticed before, but as the troll reared up to scream in rage, Richter saw a glint on the creature’s neck. His identification Talent activated and suddenly he possessed in-depth information about the enchanted item.
