by Jez Cajiao
“Why weird?” I asked and he gestured over his shoulder into the darkness of the cave.
“There’s a bunch of different creatures in pens: a pair of salamanders, easily ten meters long and looking as dumb as rocks."
"A tiger that looks to be half dead; and at least three other things further back in the cave that I couldn’t make out. The Drow are playing some sort of table game with cards. They have whips and spears close to hand, as well as a trio of Nightwolves close by.”
“What are Nightwolves?” I asked.
“They’re a species of wolf that’s adapted to hunting in the dark places of the realm. They use a form of Worldsense to hunt, as their eyes have atrophied, good sense of smell, as well. They don’t have the pelts of their forest cousins. Instead, they have pale, thick skin with ridges of bone. I’d expect one of the Drow to be a Beastmaster class, or they’d have already been eaten, so we need to take them out fast, as they’ll buff the Nightwolves and guide their attacks.”
“What’s the layout?” I asked, and Bane sketched it quickly in the dirt of the tunnel.
“The Drow are on the far side of the room, sitting around a table that’s been pushed back against the wall, maybe fifteen meters away, directly opposite the entrance. The mounts are on the right side, with the kobolds on the left. Their cages are in a half circle, with the Nightwolves in the center. Looks like the wolves are given any kobolds that annoy the Drow, as they’re fighting over some scraps now.”
“Well, at least they’ll be distracted, then.” I said, looking over the sketch. “Okay, Miren, Stephanos, you’re going to be the first to attack. I want the Drow closest to the wolves dead. Both of you target the closest one; then once he’s down, step back and let us through. I’d bet the Beastmaster is the closest to his pets."
"Then the pair of you and Arrin are to concentrate on the wolves as soon as the rest of us are inside. Lydia, Cam, and Jian, you’re on my right; Barrett and Bane, my left. Your targets are the two Drow that will be hopefully left. I’ll take the Drow that’s full of arrows and then the wolves. Once you’ve killed your targets, help whoever you can. Everyone good with that?” I asked and received a round of nods.
“Okay then, let’s go. Quiet as possible, please, turn off the Magelights, and Bane, you lead us in.”
The lights disappeared in seconds, and there was a general shuffling of feet and muffled swearing as people adjusted to the dark, with a few mutters of ‘That’s my foot!’ and ‘I said grab my shoulder… that’s NOT my shoulder!’ that caused a few snorts of laughter, relieving the tension.
I’d seen the grab that caused the complaint; Miren had been grabbing Stephanos’s arse, and I couldn’t help but grin about it, as Stephanos, despite being a man who looked like he should be wrestling bears in his spare time, had a surprisingly girly squeak when it came to Miren teasing him. Plus, he really wasn’t sure if it was Miren or Barrett… which amused those of us that could see even more.
We crept along the tunnel, all humor vanishing as we moved closer and closer to the fight, and soon the floor leveled out from the steep decline we’d been struggling down, into a weaving and meandering tunnel that ended in a dog leg.
We could see the flicker of firelight up ahead reflecting off the walls, and I felt the rest of the team relax marginally.
Those without any form of DarkVision were really having a shitty time underground when we had to put the magelights away.
I understood it, and I’d turned my vision off at one point to see how bad it was for them, and I’d lasted about two seconds before ramming it back on. I did NOT like the dark down here, especially when all I could hear, besides the heavy breathing of my companions, was the occasional scrape of Horkesh and her drones moving over the walls and ceiling all around us.
It freaked me the fuck out.
We gathered up just around the corner from the next cave and looked at each other, making sure everyone was ready, before Miren and Stephanos drew back on their bows, and stepped up to the entrance.
Stephanos had gotten the bow from the Drow, and he’d chosen an arrow from the quiver that looked like it was meant to give someone nightmares. It was triangular, with serrated sides and jagged points on the outer tips. I just knew it was gonna hurt like fuck when it came to be being removed.
Miren didn’t look happy as she slipped past me to join him, standing at the corner, and ready to step out. Her bow looked cheap as fuck in comparison, and the regular arrow looked like it’d be an annoyance rather than anything lethal.
Conversely, Stephanos looked like he couldn’t wait to fire his, and they both looked back at me one more time. I gave a sharp nod and they moved, stepping out into the open.
They paused for barely a second to aim, before the sharp ‘thwack’ of their bow strings hitting the inside of their bracers, followed a second later by a meaty smack as Miren’s arrow hit its target, and Stephanos’s swearing as his missed. We rushed forward, Stephanos getting in the way as he tried to get a second shot off to make up for his miss, while Miren stepped aside as ordered.
The confusion in the entrance as we surged forward slowed us all, and by the time we got through and into the room, all three Drow were on their feet. The Drow closest to the Nightwolves spat an order at them, and they lunged to their feet, rushing us.
It was chaos as we entered, and I barely got ahead of the group in time to bring my naginata up across my chest.
The closest Nightwolf was in the air already, but my companions were too close, and I couldn’t twist my weapon around in time. I barely managed to get it high enough to stop the damn thing from tearing my throat out, and I twisted from the hip as much as I could, tossing the wolf aside. It landed, rolled over, and howled, the air seeming to shake, as a wave of sound poured over us, and I saw a flashing symbol appear on my HUD.
Fear the Pack:
You have been afflicted with an AOE; ‘Fear the Pack’, and suffer a 10% Agility and Strength debuff for the next 10 seconds…9….8…
I barely had time to make sense of it as I was already bringing the metal-clad base of the naginata around.
I tucked it behind the third wolf’s front leg as it lunged at me and lifted as hard as I could, flipping it over and drawing a surprised yelp from the wolf as its world spun out of control.
The first wolf crouched, ready to jump at me, only to find Bane blurring out of stealth and sinking all four of his daggers into its side. He ripped upwards with the first two, and down with the other pair, in an alternating pattern that turned the wolf’s budding snarl into a wet yelp of confusion and pain. One that ended very quickly.
I stepped forward and, wincing slightly, punted the wolf before me as hard as I could in the side of its head, causing it to roll over and into the path of the Drow that were rushing forward. I had a split second to think about how stupid it was to feel like I’d just kicked a dog, instead of the damn horrible thing it was, then I moved on. The assumed Beastmaster was standing at the back of the group now, frantically yanking the table up and over to use as a shield. The other two were sprinting forward, spears lifted.
Lydia had taken her Nightwolf’s jump on her shield, using it to batter the wolf out of the air, and Jian had stabbed it twice in rapid succession, the silvery scythes dipping in and ripping back out with a surgeon’s precision. The blades slipped easily past the ribs, before tearing back out, the jagged rears of the weapons taking a much larger cost in health as they left than when they entered.
Cam stepped forward and brought his axe down hard, the thick ridged bone that covered the Nightwolf’s spine doing little to stop the massive axe’s impact. I heard the bones fracture and the sickening whistle as he levered it back out, the air rushing into the severed windpipe as the body flopped around.
Arrin blasted a trio of Magic Missiles into the table, but the thick material held, and we heard the Beastmaster screaming orders at the animals in the pens. Most roared in response, slowly shuffling forward, but at the back of the pens,
a pair of silver shod hooves smashed a thin wall into kindling.
“Fuck!” I said concisely, “What in the name of Odin’s left nut is that!?!” I pointed to the back of the cave, where a huge red and black metallic creature surged forward.
It looked like a horse, but one made of black steel, red and gold highlights marked the spinning discs and pistons that flashed and glowed as it barreled forwards.
“Shit!” Cried Barrett. “Kill him, fucking kill him now!”
I gritted my teeth and ran forward, filling my naginata with lightning magic and jumping over the still-stunned wolf as it rose to its feet. I trusted the others to deal with it as I slashed wildly out, blocking a spear aimed for my groin.
I landed, skidding, and reached out, grabbing the nearest Drow’s shoulder guard as he spasmed, my lightning having discharged down his spear and stunning him.
I yanked him forward, growling, and rammed the tip of my naginata up through his jaw and into his skull, the tip crunching as it punched through the soft palate and sank into his brain.
“Sneaky cocksucker!” I growled at him, the knowledge of his point of aim removing any lingering dislike for killing sentients I had left.
I shoved him back, then met the flashing hooves of the horse, sending me flying across the cave and into the wall.
I flailed about as the world seemed to shift. I’d hit the wall and then fell to the floor, but my chest wouldn’t move. I looked down, frantically trying to breathe, and saw the dent in the middle of my breastplate, the Cuirass of Night’s Embrace deformed and blatantly badly damaged. I’d lost my naginata at some point during my flight, and I frantically grabbed at the hinge and clasp under my right armpit, tugging as hard as I could.
It took three attempts, but eventually it came loose with a soft ‘boing’ and I felt a little air rush into my lungs. Before I could reach the other two clasps, Miren was there, her smaller, nimbler fingers slapping my hands away and freeing them.
I groaned in relief as she pulled the armor free, before wincing at the cracked ribs I felt as the armor’s support was removed.
My groan was interrupted by a wet cough, and I spat blood out onto the dusty cave floor before greedily drinking down the potion she brought to my lips. As I swallowed it, I looked over at the fight, realizing that it was rapidly going from bad to worse.
I had to get back in there.
Bane was facing off against a creature that looked like a four-legged velociraptor. I knew they had two arms and two legs normally, but this fucker was built low to the ground and moved as though greased lightning and a hatred of everything had a fucking scaly baby. Cam and Jian were trying to damage the horse-thing while Lydia kept its attention. Barrett was desperately trying to fight the remaining Drow spearman, and Arrin and Stephanos were firing at the Drow Beastmaster whenever he popped his head out of cover to direct his creatures, but they were having fuck-all luck.
I glared at the horse and used ‘Examine’…
Fenris Heavy Automaton
This ‘Fenris’ class heavy automaton battle steed was created by the Gnomish mastermind Glonkill. All Gnomish battle creations are imbued with both magical and mundane control methods, in case of theft.
HP: 1048/2000
Mana Charge: 412/1000
I wracked my brain trying to make sense of the information; clearly, it was a construct, and it was made by gnomes…cool, that’s great…but what the fuck was the control method?!
I looked back at the Beastmaster and used my ‘Examine’ again, growling to myself as I saw little that was useful. The ‘Unknown’ markers on the only really sodding useful bits just pissed me off.
Drow Beastmaster Dalael
The Drow Beastmaster Dalael was dispatched to support the expeditionary force in capturing the fallen city of Mis’rak Ak Thun and was sentenced to death by Kismeth Hatchlings for his part in the assault’s failure. Dalael escaped and was eventually discovered under a false name in the outskirts of the City of Eternal Night. Due to his expertise in Beast mastery he was given a final chance to aid an exploratory force, but was bound to a Rune of control to prevent his escape a second time…
HP: 582/600
Mana: 100/100
Stamina: 112/500
Weaknesses: Unknown
Resistances: Unknown
I shrugged out of the rest of my chest armor, and gestured Miren back to the fight, giving her a weak grin in thanks as I drank down another potion. I gasped as I felt my ribs snapping back into place, my hands already weaving around a small but rapidly building ball of flames. I might not be able to hit the fucker with a Firebolt, and I didn’t have a spell like Magic Missile, which looked like it could be guided in the air, at least to some degree, but what I did have, thanks to fueling it with naked fury in the past, was a mortar.
I’d accidentally created the spell when I was new to the realm, pouring an insane amount of literal firepower into a regular Firebolt spell, overcharging it to a massive degree.
I rolled to my feet, both hands too busy to push with, and I pulled my hands back to my right side, feeling like I was swinging a bowling ball that grew heavier by the second.
I swung it back forwards and threw, the spell faltering as it flew through the air, missing the target I’d set for it by less than an inch as far as I could see, but it still had spectacular results.
The spellform was broken when it impacted the rim of the table the Beastmaster was hiding behind, and as it was on the outward side of the table, most of the explosion went in that direction, hammering into the back legs of the automaton and sending it staggering as flames washed around it.
The majority of the shrapnel and fire damage was confined to the metal horse, but enough hit the Drow Spearman that it staggered him, letting Barrett dodge a blow that would have killed him. The horse staggered back to face Lydia, and one enormous silvery hoof slammed down on the Drow spearman’s leg, turning it to paste filled with shards of bone.
The spearman screamed in pain, and Jian spun past him, his dual scythes flashing out and slicing through his neck, cutting off the cry with a wet gurgle.
I’d been shoved back by the impact, but I was back up in seconds, and charging forward. I didn’t know where the naginata was, but I knew where the last fucking Drow was, and I just prayed that killing him would stop the automaton’s rampage.
The impact of the mortar spell had slammed the table backwards, smashing it first, upright, and second, into shards that had fired all over.
Most of the incredibly hard wood had been caught by the back of the spearman and the horse, but enough had gone in all directions that it’d caused a lot of minor injuries.
One not so minor injury it caused, due to the size of the splinter in question, was to the Drow Beastmaster, who was screaming as he pulled an inch-long fragment of wood out of his right eye. He was braced on one arm, half seated, half laying under the now upright table, frantically patting at his pouches when I arrived.
He looked up just in time to see my boot swipe his bracing arm out from under him and I slid in, grabbing him by the shoulders and yanking him forward. I rolled, twisting him over me and using our joint momentum to bring myself on top of him.
“Surprise, motherfucker!” I shouted at him, before nutting him as hard as I could, then releasing him with my right hand, pulling back and making a fist, which I smashed down into his nose as hard as I could.
I felt the delicate cartilage break, and I did it again, and again. Using my left hand for leverage, I punched him as hard as I could, seeing and hearing the impact of the back of his head on the stone floor under him.
He lashed out frantically, stabbing me with the only weapon he had, the inch-long splinter, and as sharp as it was, combined with the strength of the Drow, meant it sank into my flesh.
The fucker had managed to get it into my left shoulder, right in the dip between the muscles, and it’d gone deep enough to send that hand spasming.
He grabbed at my left hand with his righ
t and pulled me forward, twisting and sending us both rolling as we fought, though I finally maneuvered myself back on top as the fight continued.
The next few seconds passed in a frenzy of punches, attempted eye gouges, and knees that flew everywhere…until I felt his hand tug at my belt.
Through some combination of our movements he’d found my ‘Dagger of Ripping’ and yanked it free, slicing a line across my unarmored chest that stung like a bitch.
I grabbed his right wrist and he grabbed my left, and for a handful of seconds, we both strained against each other, before his greater strength overcame his crappy position for leverage, and he started to bend my arms back.
“Now you die!” He hissed at me, his bloody ruin of a face glaring up at me, and I forced out a grin.
“Not today…. mother…fucker!” I growled, as the blur I’d seen resolved into Bane, sliding to a stop close to us, a pair of daggers stabbing out and sinking into the Beastmaster’s chest, angled downwards on either side to puncture both lungs, even as they shredded muscles and flesh.
I had a split second of connection, as I saw the Drow’s eyes widen in shock before the pain registered, and I used it, one final nut smashing his skull back against the floor, before I released him, and rolled over.
I gasped in pain as everything seemed to hit me at once, and I kicked the dying Drow’s leg off mine as it flailed about, I laid back on the floor and let out a weak groan as Bane started searching the Beastmaster quickly.
“Didn’t…know…who he was… fucking with…” I groaned out, and looked over at the rest of the party, frantically trying to defend themselves from the horse.
I groaned and reached out weakly, my right palm flat against the floor, and I forced myself to roll over; the fucking thing was still going. I made it to my feet and staggered, grabbing the table’s remains for support, and started to build a lightning spell as Lydia was smashed from her feet as the damn thing reared up and lashed out with both front feet.
