"Look, kid, we're in the middle of two Nerubian armies both looking to kill us all. Before we get to the killin' part, we have ta get to the reinforcin' part. In other words: take these, and seal up those damn tunnels!"
"Ye-," I attempted to answer, but was promptly interrupted by him reaching into a crate set up right behind him. In the process of a few seconds, he swung back around.
A pile of goblin-manufactured grenades were deposited into my arms. I stumbled underneath their weight before stuffing most into my back and grabbing two, one in each hand. Before I could thank him or otherwise adjust to my new burden, Captain Rupert slapped me on the back and screamed, "Go, go, go, you fucking idiot!" I unsheathed my sword with one hand and dashed into the fray. Before I got more than a few feet out of the relative safety of the shrine, I ran straight into an oversized, spider-looking thing. It swung its pincers down at my head.
There were some advantages to being a Forsaken. I slid underneath the Nerubian, swinging my blade upwards simultaneously, and cut its underside open. Guts and blood spilled out of the huge injury as I made it out the other side of the beast. It tottered, stumbled, and fell flat, its eyes and legs twitching as it tried to crawl away, its limbs wiggling wildly. I swung the pommel down at its skull. Bits of grayish brain and bone covered my hand as I smashed the thing's head in. Victory lasted for less than a few seconds. I marched forwards, covered in blood, and came face to face with a Nerubian that tunneled up nearly underneath me. Only the slight disturbance of soil announced its arrival. As its ugly mug emerged from the earth, I spun my sword downwards, shoved the grenade into my pack, and pulled out another sword. Both weapons penetrated the thing's half-shown head, and I withdrew them just as quickly. I had to keep on going. But, as I walked away, I made sure to step on the 'face' of the Nerubian. That was the best the beasts deserved.
Two Nerubians later, I spied the huge Nerubian tunnels ahead. A cold, wet feeling wriggled up what was left of my spine. I recognized the feeling very, very well. It was bloodlust. I let out a wild cry and charged forwards, letting that precious feeling of being alive, truly alive again, course through my body. The first Nerubian I met managed to scratch me, but it disappeared underneath a vicious hailstorm of blows. Two smaller Nerubians charged from the front. It was a bad move. I let my arms relax, and they thought me defeated. Were these beasts dumb? At the very last second, I brought my swords around in two vicious blows. As they both reared back in surprise, I stepped into the shadows with a helpful dose of flash powder and stabbed one in the back, and the other collapsed underneath the weight of a blow to the head. I swung onto the spider that was still alive and cut its head off with a single stroke. The head bounced to a halt at the feet of another fighter, who gave me a grin as he himself sent his sword deep into his enemy's chest. I retrieved both of my swords from the corpses.
A nearby Nerubian tried to scuttle away from my blades as I nearly severed one of its legs. A huge grin crossed my face and I reached for my boot, withdrawing my throwing knife.
"Try to run," I called after it, "Please. I dare you."
The Nerubian didn't even stop. I drew the knife back and threw. The throw was, quite literally, perfect. It embedded itself deep in the spider's head, Only the hilt and pommel stuck out. I walked forward slowly and left the throwing knife in its corpse. I had more. Besides, the rose and thorn design on the hilt would let the Scourge know exactly who had killed this little guy. I drew a grenade from my pack and pulled the pin. Without waiting to see if it would explode or any of that idiotic rubbish, I threw the grenade into the tunnel. It bounced a few times before, with an earshattering explosion, brought the entire ceiling of the tunnel down on any Nerubians within. I fancied I could hear their dying cries. The tiniest scuffle, the barest whisper behind me, was the only warning of the next ambush. I spun around and plunged my sword into the general spot where I guessed the kidney would be. The beast froze, twisting in agony.
"Does that feel a bit numbing, you stupid thing?" I said. "It should. Too bad you won't be around much longer to feel anything.. After all, never try to beat Rosaline Galbarote at her own game…" My elbow swung around and easily cracked the undead's thin skull. I pulled my dagger out as the thing twitched several times and collapsed, several of its fragile legs breaking as they fell at strange, twisted angles. The second grenade flew into another nearby tunnel, and then the third. I clutched my fourth grenade so tightly that my knuckle actually cracked. Before I could throw, even think of throwing, a huge, at least eighteen foot tall Nerubian burst from the ground right in front of me. I nearly dropped my grenade in surprise and horror.
"A spiderlord!" I heard someone shriek behind me. I blanched, turning whiter than ever. A spiderlord was an extremely powerful spider-beetleish-thing. I backed away very slowly. It stood there, motionless, surveying the other Nerubians and fighters surrounding it. In the utter silence, I very quietly pulled the pin on the grenade and gently rolled it towards the Nerubian. It was too small for the thing to even notice the incoming package of death. It turned to a nearby compatriot and spoke to it in their clicking language.
Five. Four. Three. Time to get the hell away! I told myself. That was what I did. I shoved my way into the crowd of Nerubians and quickly stepped next to an ally.
There was a bang. And then there was an even more complete silence. I sliced the Nerubian's head off that was standing right in front of me and pushed its corpse over. My jaw made a rather unsavory cracking sound as it dropped open. Where the spiderlord had once been there was now a pile of ash and several distended, bleeding legs. Reaching down gently, I found the one intact thing. The little circular pin had not been destroyed by the explosion. I blew some of the ash off, and, in a split second decision, slipped it onto my finger like one would a ring.
It will be the first, rather quirky trophy, of many.