"Run or stand?"
"We could use the tunnels to bottleneck them. So they can't come all at once." Ariadne offered.
Venner had knocked an arrow, eyes darting from tunnel to tunnel, wary of any movement. "They know these tunnels. Could rush us from both sides. Bury us in bodies."
"Assuming they can't just bring it down on our head."
"Would limit you too, Ariadne. At least here you've got room to do what you do." Adrik's tone was distracted, mind running through dozens of possibilities like it was a game of regicide; weighing risks and each of the group's strengths and weaknesses.
Ariadne flashed him a dazzling smile, "you are so considerate, my dear."
Seconds ticked by and tension mounted as they waited for the Adrik to call the play; but they knew better than to rush him. Just as Venner knew stealth and the wilds, Menia knew medicine and religion, and Ariadne knew magic and the courts, Adrik knew tactics and strategy; having studied under some of the best in the Commonwealth.
After a few seconds he pointed to spot on the cave floor amid the pits and pedestals. "There."
With a few quick gestures he laid out positions and the party took their places. Venner, Menia and himself each at one corner of a triangle, Ariadne in the middle. The pits and stone pillars would keep the kobolds from charging all at once, limiting their approach and letting Menia, Venner, and himself deal with only a few at a time; Ariadne offering support where needed and picking off any large groups.
The first four kobolds emerged from one of the tunnels nearest Menia and let out a shrill battle cry when they saw her. Two loaded bullets into their slings, the others charged forward, blades drawn.
Menia spoke a prayer.
A translucent longsword of golden light flashed into existence in the air between the kobolds with the slings, the symbol of The Lady shinning at the cross guard. Leaving a shimmering afterimage in its wake, it cleaved cleanly through one of them, its partner letting out a frightened shriek as it stumbled back.
She met the other two head on. Blocking the first kobolds swipe with her shield, she knocked it aside, grunting as its partner's blade skidded across her breastplate. Her hammer connected with the first's chest. Frothy blood bubbled from its lips; shards of its shattered breastbone perforating its heart and lungs.
The wooden platform creaked as Adrik cut down two kobolds, and sent a third stumbling away. He ducked reflexively as bullet from a sling sailed past his head, shattering against a stone pillar.
He'd positioned himself on the side nearest a trio of tunnel entrances. Menia had her prayers and Venner his bow to deal with ranged opponents, but Adrik's crossbow was painfully slow to reload. His best bet was to give them as little chance to maneuver as possible and let Ariadne deal with any too far away.
Groups of kobolds and the occasional minotaur were emerging from the tunnels on all sides, faster than they could be put down. "Ariadne, if you wouldn't mind." He gestured to one of the tunnels.
Spellbook in one hand, Ariadne reached into the pouches on her belt with the other; droplets of water flying from her fingers and the small wax covered ball she pulled out. Breaking the wax seal with her thumbnail, she flicked the ball into the air and, muttering an incantation drew a line with her fingers across two of the tunnel entrances.
The ball exploded in a brilliant flash of light, sparks, and a garlic-like smell. A wall of fire erupted along the line she'd drawn; roaring flames almost loud enough to cover the screams of the kobolds and minotaurs in the tunnels as they tried to backpedal from the blazing heat.
"Thank you." Adrik called over his shoulder.
Half a dozen kobolds and a roaring minotaur, great axe in hand were forced to come at him almost single file between the wide stone pillar and a pit like the one he and Menia had dropped the bodies into. Sheathing his sword in the nearest kobold, Adrik took two quick steps to the side and drew the javelin from over his shoulder. Delicately carved moons and shooting stars wound their way up the slender wooden shaft.
Lining up his targets, Adrik hurled the javelin and spoke the one word he knew in the language of the sidhe.
"Strike!"
The javelin disappeared. A fork of lightning flashed through the line of kobolds. Smoking, twitching corpses dropped to the ground. Most didn't have a chance to cry out. The minotaur looked down at the javelin imbedded in its chest, the fur around it singed. A sharp metallic smell hung in the air like a storm had just passed; undercut by the scents of charred meat and burnt fur. Adrik pulled his sword out of the kobolds body and hefted his shield; tiny gnomish clockworks turning on its face. The minotaur's enraged roar shook the walls.
"Yeah, yeah." Adrik flicked the blood from his blade. "Let's go."
The ground between Venner and the tunnels was littered with corpses. Black hafted quarrels protruding from each of the kobolds dead or dying forms. Compared to the sidhe beasts and firstborn-blooded giants he'd hunted in the Duskwood, kobolds were easy targets. Small but predicable; each loosed arrow bringing another down.
He could hold his side for as long as he had arrows.
But his quiver was quickly emptying.
A bullet, loosed from a sling with bone shattering force stopped dead inches from Ariadne's ear; the light blue ripples of her wards briefly radiating out from the point of impact. She glanced at kobold who'd hurled it with irritation and flicked her wrist. A mote of light streaked towards the unfortunate creature and immolated it where it stood.
To one side, six kobolds were readying to charge Adrik, hoping to overwhelm him with their numbers. Ariadne shook her head. Spellbook open in one hand, she extended the other towards them and her fingers moved, as if plucking some invisible harp strings. Half a dozen motes of arcane energy burst into existence around her, shooting towards the kobolds. Leaving glittering trails in their wake, the missiles danced and twirled around each other like birds in flight; weaving over and around the stone pedestals to each strike one of the kobolds, scattering their broken forms.
The flood of kobolds had surged out of the tunnels and broke against the adventurers. Scores cut down by teamwork and experience.
Then a horrible sound echoed around the cavern. The surviving kobolds and minotaurs froze and even the adventures paused, searching for the source. Of the campaigners, only Ariadne recognized it for what it was. The language of the Outer Reaches, from the furthest edges beyond the veil.
"V̘͋e͖ͤ̽̚r͔͂̑͐̅ͭm̑͛͛ͭ͌ͦ̎ĩ͐̓ṅ̝̞̒ͩ!"
Menia glanced about. "Oh, that's not a good sound."
"T̻̝̤̦͎̿́͛̉h̞͎̿̾͛̊i̐̉ͮ̇̅͐ͮḙ̹̞v͎̰͍̖̥͋̄ͅͅî̝̝͎̭̻ͅn̳͚ͪ̇̉͐ͦͦͦg̤ͭ̔ ́ͫ̓ͪ̆̋͑p̟͓̍ͨ̑̍e͇̬̹͕̭̗̥ͮ͒s͔̮̜̭͉͛͛ț̮͇̞̓̃ͦ͋̏s̎̒ͬ̈͆.̞̏ͣ̂ ̋̍T̓͌ͤ̇hͮ͐̏ͨe͙ͧͥ̅ͯ̿y̦͖̭̭̲͍̎̎̈́ ̱̟̦͍̌͆͐̊ͣt͙̦̰̩̫̰̩ͤͣ̃͐h̹̩͉̳̎̌̉̐̄̽̈́o̥͖̫͓̭̭͂̓ͅu͉͓̥̳͂̒͆͂ͩ̅ͧġ͓̯̠͕̇h̫̻͊̈ͦͭͤͫt͙̪̲͍͋ͤͪ͆̚ ̳̯̫̯̿t̰̖̼h̘̞̞̻̝e͐̽ͩͭy͇͕͕̏ͮ̌ ̐̎ͥ͗̈́c͉͎͎̤̫̍̉̉o̝͈ͬ͋u̥͈͎̖̿ͫͣͬͅl͔̫̙ͦd̈͛ͣ̏ ͕͉̲̔̈̐ͧ̎s̩̐ͭl̰̫͙͉͈̭̒ͥͧ̀̍̌ͅiͦp͕ ̯͕͙̮̲̺̞̏̈p̠̰̝͙̞̜̺͊ă̞̭̖̦̙̥̓̎̀̐s̱̦̺͐́ͩ͒t̖̹ ̱͈͙̯̺̲͇ͪͬ͂ͫͫ͂ͮm̄y̿̅ͥ͛̀ ̳̜͍̯͓̖ͤ́͌ͧ̔̋ͦs͎͚͇̘̗̺̹ͫī̲̮̯̅̿̂̾ͦg̞ͫͧ͋̆̅h̝̟͇̦̥̣̪ͯ̇ͨ̾t̮̝͓͕̤͑͐ͪ̄̽!"
Sudden, horrible realization crashed over Ariadne as all the inconsistencies snapped into place; The statues, kobolds and minotaur's working together, the strange smooth tunnels, and now the language from the outer reaches.
Blood ran cold in her veins. "Oh no," she whispered.
"I̥͆͑ͤ͗ ͣ̆̀s͕̜̩̰̦̪̳͗ͬ̍͛̽̚̚ě̥̹̭̭͍̋̒̏ͅe̝ ̙͔̥̲̺͔̈ͭͨͦ̄a̰̙̠͕̔̆͑ͬl͈ͬ̏̈́ḻ̰̤̲ͣ̂̇̃̆̅ͦ!"
It emerged from one of the holes in the ceiling, floating at the edges of the torchlight. Five feet across, firelight danced over purple-blue pebbled skin and an unblinking eye; jagged violet iris set above the large grinning mouth that dominated its bulbous body. Tendrils, thick as a person's wrist stuck out from its form, each topped with other, smaller eyes that tracked over the adventurers.
"We need to run!" Ariadne yelled, stumbling back. Even given a chance to prepare, she wasn't sure they could defeat one of these abominations on its own; let alone while beset by a hoard of kobolds and minotaur.
Its main eye swiveled towards her. Her wards, her arcane protection, the very connection to magic she'd worked for years to build all but disappeared; supressed by its gaze. She drew the rarely used dagger from her belt, trying to keep her hands from shaking.
Menia glanced over her shoulder, surprised at the naked fear in Ariadne's voice.
But they trusted each other and knew better than to argue.
"Fall back!" Adrik pulled his javelin from the minotaur's chest. It had fallen to its knees, staring at the ropey entrails spilling from the cut in its stomach; frantically trying to stuff them back in as its vitality bled away.
High above, one of the eyes flashed and Adrik stopped. He lowered his sword, confused. He tried to remember why he was fighting. Something deep inside told him the creature up above meant them no harm. This was just a misunderstanding. It was their ally.
A kobold lunged at him, darting around the dying minotaur to take advantage of his distraction. Battle conditioned reflexes took hold even with his thoughts muddled and he twisted away. The dagger drawing a thin line of blood across his throat instead of opening it wide.
Pain brought clarity. It refocused his mind and broke the abomination's charm. Adrik slammed his shield into the creature's chest, sending it stumbling away as he began to fall back towards his companions.
"Meni, we're coming to you. Make a hole!"
Letting the warhammer dangle from the strap around her wrist, Menia extended her hands; thumbs together, fingers spread. With a pang of regret, she spoke a prayer. Roaring flame sprang from her palms and washed over the kobolds between her and the tunnels, drowning out their piercing shrieks. The flames faded, heat haze radiated from the stones. The air filled with the smell of cooked meat and rendered fat. "Clear!"
A ray from one of the eyes struck her in the chest.
Like a hammer blow, the air was knocked from her lungs. She stumbled and fell to one knee. Her weapon and shield clattered to the ground. Her chest ached, her limbs leaden, and every breath was an effort, and her head throbbed with pain. Exhaustion overtook her, like a piece of her vitality had been ripped away.
Venner put his last arrow through a kobold throat.
Heartbeats passed before another reluctantly poked its head around the tunnels entrance. When it saw his empty quiver, it let out a triumphant cry; quickly picked up by its brethren and charged him with a short spear.
High above, another eye flashed and a beam struck Venner from behind.
Fear rose up in his chest.
The shadows darkened. There were so many of them and they just kept coming! Firelight danced on the kobolds reptilian faces, throwing them into sharp, horrifying relief. He could see scraps of flesh caught between jagged, razor sharp teeth. Beady eyes wide with naked hunger. The point of its crude spear still wickedly sharp. A necklace of fingers, some with the nail still attached hung around its neck, bouncing against its chest as it rushed him.
With an effort of will, he quashed the unnatural terror and stood his ground; refusing to allow it to take hold.
Dodging the thrust spear, he grabbed the hilt of his short sword with his left hand and the scabbard with his right as he stepped up to the creature, just inside its reach. He half drew the blade. The pommel slamming up into the kobold's jaw, snapping its head back. It toppled in a spray of blood and broken teeth.
He stepped back, glancing over his shoulder. He twisted a split second before a yellow beam shot from one of the aberration's eyes and streaked through the space he would have been as he began falling back.
Adrik's sword cut through a kobold's knee and it toppled to the wooden platform as he started to back towards his companions.
A purple beam grazed his thigh and he stumbled, barely keeping his feet. His leg was numb. Adrik looked down and watched the colour bleed from his armor and the leather underneath, becoming granite gray. Spreading up his leg. Rooting him in place.
Adrik strained his stiffening muscles, swinging his blade down through a kobold's shoulder and chest before turning to look back towards his companions.
Out of the corner of his eye, Venner caught the movement and watched the armor covering Adrik's stomach turn to stone. It was spreading up his chest. His neck. Across his face.
Meeting Venner's eyes, his body numb and cold the only thing Adrik could do was cry out. "Run!"
Before Venner could take more than a step, a minotaur roared from behind the statue that had been Adrik Silverstone and shouldered it aside. Venner watched his friend's petrified form topple sideways into a basilisk pit.
Even over the battle he heard stone shatter when it hit the ground.
Menia pushed herself back to her feet, legs shaking. Gripping the symbol of The Lady around her neck for comfort, she saw how the battlefield had changed. Venner was only a few feet from her, expression pained. Their defensive line broken, kobolds and minotaur surged out of the tunnels towards them like the tide; closing on Ariadne's heels as she sprinted towards her and Venner. The shinning blade Menia had summoned winked out as the creature's eye tracked over them, grinning with sadistic glee.
"Go!" Ariadne urged, waving them on.
Adrenalin born of fear eclipsed the fatigue in Menia's bones. She snatched up her hammer and shield and started towards the tunnel to clear the path for her friends.
Venner pulled his knife from his belt and whipped it under Ariadne's arm. A kobold that had been gaining on her toppled, its fellows trampling heedlessly over it.
Ariadne was only twenty feet from him when a bullet from a sling took her in the neck. She wore no armor. Without her spells, without her wards, she had no protection.
Her body jerked; head snapping to one side and she crumpled, like a puppet with its strings cut.
The light in her eyes vanished.
And for the second time in almost as many seconds, Venner watched a friend die.
The flood of kobolds swallowed her body and Venner felt something break in his chest as he made the hard choice. He turned and ran down the tunnel after Menia.
Snarled cries followed close on Venner's heels as he sprinted down the tunnel. Long legs ate up the distance quickly and he gained on her.
Venner heard a snarled curse behind him. A burst of heat exploded against the tunnel wall and he stumbled, barely keeping his feet as two more streaked past. Another exploded against the cavern wall, but the second took Menia in the back and sent her sprawling to the ground. She didn't get up.
"Meni!" He slid to a halt next to her. A section of her armor was melted clean through. The leather jerkin charred to ash and the skin underneath burned and blistered raw and red. But she was breathing, if unconscious. She whimpered when he rolled her onto her back.
Down the hall a minotaur let out a triumphant roar the kobolds quickly picked up. Venner couldn't hold them himself.
He reached for the necklace that hung next to the symbol of The Lady around Menia's neck and ripped it free. The gold chain snapped easily and he hurled it towards the oncoming tide of teeth and blades as hard as he could.
Eight faintly luminous red beads on a delicate gold chain soared through the air. Two kobolds at the head of the charge reached for it greedily.
Venner threw his body over Menia's as one kobold shoved the other aside and caught it.
All eight beads on the Necklace of Fireballs detonated.
And the whole warren trembled.
This is actually the first real mass combat I ever tried writing and honestly, I'm not entirely happy with how it turned out. With an omnicient POV I'm having trouble deciding how much detail to include and who to focus on, whereas with a limited first person POV it's a lot more straightforward; you only have what that charater sees and experiences.
I am still getting the hang of formatting (and realizing how I keep starting a new line every other sentance), which seemed especially tricky with the POV jumping around so much in this chapter, so enter the Horizontal Lines. I hope they helped break up the sections in a way that didn't disrupt the flow. I thought I'd try something a little different with the very-similar-to-but-still-legally-distinct-from-a-Beholder's speech as well to try and capture how truly alien it is but I'm ambivalent on whether the legibility issue helps or takes away from it.
There are still a few more chapters to come that I'm hoping to finish editing and put up over the next few days (the weekend at the latest)
-AGM