by TJ Reynolds
The flame leopard Xiao Pang blew out a gout of flame that roasted one of the ratkin, whose plate armor provided little protection against the heat. Some Mage cast a Chain Lightning spell that crackled between the troops, bouncing between them with deadly intensity.
We began to mop up the remainder of the second group, and I grinned, thinking that we had reduced their numbers by nearly one hundred. My gloating was cut short as a volley of arrows fells from the sky. It had come from the enemy.
One of them pierced my arm, the thin arrow slipping beneath my scale armor. I stared at it in fury, and saw that it was familiar: short and dagger-sharp, the arrow of a tasloi archer. Stepping back from the fray, I examined the shifting battlefield. A group of the archers had found a small hillock to fire from, and some trow were guarding them. It would be a bloody mess trying to bring them down.
Worse yet was the mass of writhing black limbs descending from the hill, a second group of trow among them.
They now had ranged support, and at least forty huge spiders and a couple dozen trow were racing toward us, only a hundred feet away. I knew what command I was likely to give next but inspected the enemy first to get as much information as possible.
Warped Trow
Level 30
HP: 15743/15743
Abilities: Blitz, Smite, Frenzy
Unfey Nightmare
Level 32
HP: 13880/13880
Abilities: Subdue, Entangle, Paralyze
Well, crap, that decided everything.
I screamed and shoved Tejón, making sure he got the message. “Fall back! Fall back!” Our front line began to move away, stepping back with careful precision. The oncoming foes would be here too soon. “Run, freaking turn and run, damn it!” I faced the ranged units behind us. “Ranged and casters, slow down those damn spiders. Buy the melee some time!”
Immediately, spells and arrows shifted to target the spiders barreling down the hill. There was a noticeable effect, but it was still going to be a close call.
And that was when crap turned south. Sarina’s peryton was finishing one last ratkin spearman, its antlers dripping with gore, when a dense volley of arrows pelted the beast. The deer creature screamed in pain and fell, writhing on the gore-churned soil. Sarina cried out and ran to her companion.
No, this was not the time.
Tejón, grab the peryton Momo. Let her companion ride on your back, and make sure they get back to safety!
The bear looked at me, fear and rage in his eyes. I will not leave you, Madi!
I winced at the hurt in his voice, but I needed him to listen. Just do it! I’m counting on you. I will be okay!
For a few seconds, I thought he was going to ignore my command. Instead, he growled in my face then ran to the peryton. Tejón was gentle when he bit the beast’s neck, dragging it away by the scruff. Sarina almost attacked him until she saw what he was doing.
“Sarina, jump on Tejón’s back!” I said. “He is going to take you two to safety. Go!” Then, turning to Oliver, who stood beside the paladin, waiting for the rest of the front line to retreat, I said, “Orc, it’s time you show your worth. You’re in charge until I get back. Make everyone retreat back to the bridge and be quick about it!”
He nodded, his eyes flicking between me and the incoming horde of enemies. I knew what he wanted to ask, but he had the discipline to keep his mouth shut and turn to do his duty.
And then I walked toward the spiders, a twisted grin on my face. My axes felt light in my hands, and I was pleased to be headed into a hopelessly glorious battle. The spiders were just a few feet away, and another volley of arrows was about to slam into me when I triggered Palisade of Flame.
The ball of fire surrounded me, burning up the arrows that touched it.
The Unfey Nightmares recoiled from its heat, but their momentum was too great. I walked forward, counting the seconds aloud as I used my axes to cut them down.
“One!” My first axe split the bulbous abdomen of the nearest spider, a shower of slime spilling across my protective dome.
“Two!” I used Whirlwind, the six strikes of my axes taking down two more spiders with ease.
“Three!” I kicked a trow in the gut, sending him to the ground, then used Sunder to split his chest open. More of the spiders barreled into me, scorching their limbs as they touched the fire sphere.
“Four!” Several of the spiders lashed out in hopes of penetrating my magical armor, but their limbs were reduced to ash for trying. I leapt toward them, releasing Rampage, then following up with a series of wild attacks. I brought down several more of the creatures in a handful of seconds.
The utter lack of needing to defend myself had turned me into a force of nature. Some of the trow began to retreat a few feet, and the Unfey Nightmares had stopped their pursuit of our forces. I just had to hold out a little longer and the retreat would be successful.
“Ten!” Without a cooldown time, I relied on Whirlwind, triggering the ability four times in a row. My axes were blurs of carnage, the speed at which they struck the spiders making them explode around me. Each of my attacks sapped my stamina and I watched it plunge dangerously.
Fifteen, I said to myself, stopping for a second to look around. A good portion of the spiders were dead and the trow had backed away. I stole a glance behind me, saw my troops a few hundred feet away already. The thought of standing here and slaying until my bubble fell and the enemy overwhelmed me was romantic and incredibly glorious, but also stupid.
Sending a final Quake Stomp into the closest enemies, making several of them fall to the ground, I turned my pretty brown butt around and ran down the hill.
The several Dexterity and Stamina buffs I had, combined with the still-active Rampage, made me run faster than a deer. I was an axe-wielding train as I barreled down the hill.
Twenty seconds came and went, then twenty-five, then finally thirty. My Palisade of Flame guttered out, and I felt naked. Spider kin and trow scrambled behind, and a few stray arrows landed around me, one even pinging off my pauldron, but I had a good lead.
Rampage had already reduced my HP to half, though, so I deactivated it. My speed immediately dropped off, and though I was still faster than normal, I was no longer quicker than my enemies.
The chase was terrifying. Knowing that you can resurrect in a handful of hours does little to alleviate the fear of being eaten alive by massive spiders. I ran as hard as I could, but the sounds of pursuit were getting louder. Looking behind me, I saw trow and spiders roiling just fifty feet away. My own troops were safe ahead, but Bridgerun was at least another half mile away.
I groaned to myself, preparing to turn around and fight again, refusing to go down running, when a red streak caught my eye. Xiao Pang darted out of some bushes at the side of the road, his rider Akira nowhere in sight.
Not needing any encouragement, I pulled myself atop the huge cat, gripped onto its fiery mane, and held on for dear life.
We streaked away from the enemies, then turned toward the city of Bridgerun, howls of pursuit following us as we went.
By the time we had made it back to the first bridge, our band of players had formed up again and were awaiting orders. I slid off of Xiao Pang’s back and gave a look of gratitude to Akira.
I gasped and tried to call on the healers to make sure everyone was topped off when a frigid blast of magic rippled through me.
A Cleric nearby gave me a wink. “You’re the only one still hurt. We’re good now, boss.”
I laughed, words still hard to find through my wheezing. My Stamina had been nearly depleted when Xiao Pang picked me up.
Oliver saw my difficulty and cried out, “Casters and ranged, get up in those towers to either side. The rest of us form up to fight out in front of the gates rather than get pinned inside. We still need to get to Taelman’s Pond before nightfall, so we can’t afford a siege.”
One of the city guards came up to me and gave me the best news I’d heard all day. “We have twenty arch
ers above, and another twenty are on their way. Should be here in five or ten minutes. Our best soldiers can fight beside you as well, though there are only twelve of us. Another squad should arrive with the archers.”
I thanked the man and took a minute to catch my breath, setting down my axes and bending over to stretch my back. A din of pursuing enemies droned in the back of my mind. This battle would not wait a second longer, but at least it would finish on our terms.
Oliver nudged me with the handle of his halberd, saying, “Any sweet and epic pump-up speech?”
I laughed, standing back up again and looking around at my comrades. They looked tired but alive with the thrill of impending battle. This is what the players had signed up for, and even the NPC guards, whose lives were on the line, looked bolstered by our company, ready to lay in.
“Sure, why not,” I said as I walked to stand a few feet in front of the melee fighters. “I’ll keep it simple. A bunch of shite farmers are headed this way, and we are going to kill them all. If someone next to you gets hurt, pull them back. Reinforcements are coming, but not as quick as that lot.” I pointed to the crowd of enemies, which had slowed to an orderly advance and were even now crossing the first bridge. “We killed close to a hundred of the bastards, but there are more ratkin, a ton of trow, and freaking spiders. The Unfey Nightmares have a paralysis attack, so be careful. Focus on supporting our front line, and when I say so, drop the heavy damage spells. And if any of you see a commanding unit, drop them faster than a blind date who asks to meet your mother.”
Laughter spread through the ranks of players, and I felt some of the tension ease. No shouts of glory or immortal conquest, but at least I’d helped them relax a bit.
A final platoon of the ratkin had arrived at last, which, by the looks of it, had pulled up the rear of the enemy formation. I could barely make out their commander speaking with a huge trow, giving orders no doubt. My guess at their attack plan was confirmed as a line of trow began marching across the bridge. They had taken shields from the ratkin, and though their progress was slow and intentional, I realized they would be all but impossible to bring down with ranged attacks.
The enemy had a front line that was ten trow across and five or six ranks deep. Behind that, the bulbous forms of the spiders marched, the ratkin last of all.
A subtle vibration ran through the bridge as the heavy fighters marched. I felt a surge of adrenaline spike, my vision becoming acute. I focused on breathing slow and steady.
Some of the fighters in our front line were moving about, anxious to start the fight. I shouted, “Hold the line! We just have to slow these bastards down!”
As the trow came into range, a few loose volleys of arrows began to rain down. Many of the projectiles bounced off of the heavy shields, but I watched one arrow strike a trow in its neck. Even that direct shot fell away, only a tiny spot of blood emerging.
More arrows rose and fell, so I shouted the obvious. “Hold your fire! Save the arrows for squishier targets. Casters, see what magic can do!”
A few magical bolts flew out at the trow from the towers above. These had a greater effect than the arrows. One spell, a large mass of black energy, splashed over the top of a shield and caused one of the attackers to fall to the ground, screaming as his face and chest were eaten away. But most of the others either caused minor wounds or else were blocked entirely.
I called again, “Keep it up, but reserve your mana for support or AOE when we need it!”
At twenty paces, a distant voice screamed from across the bridge, “Charge!”
Only two other trow fell before our forces met. They had quickly been replaced, so it was a wall of ungodly strength and steel that crashed into us. Keeping the trow close together and holding off the charge until the last minute had been a smart move. When the enemy hit, there was enough unified force to knock us back several feet, a few of the guards getting wounded or falling right away.
“Push!” I shouted, then used a Quake Stomp, forcing a couple of the trow before me to their knees to reduce the pressure of their assault. Oliver’s Paladin friend dropped a few energy hammers, leaving the targeted trow with a Dazed status. That gave me some hope, as even their great strength was reduced with the debuff. “Debuff spells on the frontline!”
As soon as I finished shouting, several skills were released at the same time. Xiao Pang roared and a fiery sandstorm whirled into existence, seeming to confuse and enrage the trow. A few of them turned and attacked their fellows. Immediately after, a caster from above finished an ecstatic chant that I could hear even over the roar of the press of battle. A huge meteor fell in the enemies’ midst, and though little damage was done, at least a dozen of them fell to the ground, only to be stepped on by their allies.
More of the debuff spells were loosed, some causing Daze or Blindness. The result was nearly as catastrophic as the AOE stacking had been back at our ambush.
I screamed, a surge of bloodlust filling me with purpose, “Front line, push forward!”
My Stamina had not fully recovered after my mad dash away from my heroic stand, but I had some room to play. Trusting our magical support, I used Rampage again, feeling my HP bleed into increased strength and speed. Then I used Whirlwind three times in quick succession. Those that were around me acted in like fashion, Tejón using his Mauling Frenzy, and a couple other warriors amping up their attacks. The result was carnage.
Oliver had figured out the same thing and hollered, “Armor-piercing attacks!”
I changed my tactic to a more methodical style of fighting, remaining defensive, avoiding strikes from the huge battle axes and hammers that the trow held. Then, when I saw an opening, I used Sunder and split one of the trow’s heads in two.
The fight was going well so far, but the trow, even despite the many debuffs, were powerful foes. Another of the Bridgerun guardsmen fell to my right. The trow who’d gotten within reach lifted the man by his neck and crushed him.
One of the tank players was cut nearly in two by a massive sword-wielding trow, and poor Xiao Pang took a hammer to his face. The flame leopard gored the trow, but several other blows landed, crushing the cat. I heard Akira scream above and, even though I’d told him to wait, saw the same blizzard ability that he’d used on me in the arena form in the trow before us.
The storm of falling ice cut down their numbers quickly, leaving all in the center of the formation dead. A half-dozen or so recovered from the edges of the spell and charged our center again.
The reprieve in battle was short-lived as a wave of huge, black forms bounded forward, pouncing on our front line. The Unfey spiders were officially in the battle.
I used Dodge as one of the great spiders stabbed at me with a pronged leg, then screamed for all I was worth, “AOE spells now! Casters and ranged, all out!” Oliver was not so lucky, and he caught one of the spear-like appendages in his throat. His following scream was bloody, and though he was dying, he still activated his halberd and threw an energetic form of the weapon through the spider, dropping it dead.
Several more cries of pain issued from our forces. Thankfully, a few more AOE spells came to our aid. The one that helped the most was Muddy Bog. The same deep mud formed before us, pulling the spiders into its grasp and causing them to slow and stumble. Tejón used Gravel Storm again, and a few new spells landed, making the bridge a site of total destruction.
Still, there were more of the spiders than I’d realized, and they pressed their attack ruthlessly. Our fighters continued to fall, and the frontlines began to weaken. Tejón roared in frustration and charged out into the mass of piling bodies. I yelled at him to pull back, but the rage in his eyes was apparent. I watched as he used Lava Burst, the glowing ball of magma forming around him and expanding, all attacks thrown at him being scorched away.
Then it burst, splashing the spiders with molten earth. They howled in pain and fell back from the bear. He pressed his attack, using Mauling Frenzy a second time and cutting down several of the spiders with
his huge claws. Their barbed legs had trouble penetrating his armor, but many still managed to cut into him. I saw him absorb several attacks, draining his HP.
I used Companion Mend just in time, and the bear managed to escape their midst. He retreated to the ground behind our front line, paralyzed by their poison.
Some beefy caster launched a sphere of power into the remaining spiders, killing many more of them and frightening the rest. What was left of the Unfey Nightmares retreated, their awkward forms skittering away. Perhaps whatever discipline they possessed had finally been broken.
The ratkin were a different story, though. Fifty fresh soldiers crashed into us, and the battle became desperate. Players and guards alike began dying in quick succession.
Then a horn rang through the air, and the gates opened behind us. A familiar voice called out, “To the front! Relieve the front!” A dozen city guards rushed forward, pushing between us and shoving the ratkin back with their shields. More telling was the addition of twenty more archers, who dropped the ratkin soldiers in a ruthless series of volleys.
In another few minutes of pitched battle, the last of the ratkin fell dead. The Battle of the Bridges had finally ended, and though our losses were many, the day was officially ours.
A shout of victory rose from our allied forces, but it was lacking conviction. Too many had been lost. Yet if the force we’d just faced had broken into the city itself, it would have been horrific. Instead of dozens dead, it would have been hundreds.
Miles shouted orders and the wounded were triaged, the dead carried away to be counted and dealt with. I saw Akira push a huge, dead spider off of Xiao Pang, and openly sob on the body of his beloved companion. An apothecary could surely be found to revive him, but outside of the magic of the arena’s wards, Xiao Pang’s very soul would forever be changed.
I was about to lead Tejón away from the fight to find a place to collapse for a couple hours when a lone figure caught my eye.
