"Fire!"
No one was sure who exactly gave the order, but both sides let loose with their projectiles. The archers and those within the fortress launched a barrage which managed to destroy some of the skeletal warriors and a few of the reanimated undead, but the Lich Queen's fortress let loose a volley of arrows themselves, sending hundreds of arrows into the air. Those who were not able to get behind cover or not wearing sufficient armor were struck by multiple arrows. Their early charge had pushed the skeletal warriors back, but now all they could do was delay the army from gaining ground, yet little by little they were being pushed back toward the fortress.
"That's the last of my spells." Priestess's final Protection shattered upon the last volley, but she had managed to protect her companions along the wall.
"We can still tend to those who are injured and prepare arrows." Apprentice Cleric replied, both happy and frustrated that she was not able to be down upon the battlefield with her friend.
"I should be down there…helping my friends." Sage lamented at having her magic abilities be completely useless in the battle while Female Swordmaster and Hero continued to battle the army of the undead.
"This is no time for feeling sorry for yourself!" High Elf Archer's response was curt, but given their current, that was to be expected. "Like our cleric said, there is still plenty for you all to do."
"Over here…I got wounded who need attention!" Half-Demon Thief grunted as she carried the injured elf over toward the others.
Behind her, both Wolf and Snow followed with injured people carried along their backs.
"She…is approaching." Witch frowned as she could see the towering figure in the black shroud coming up behind the force of reanimated undead. "The…Lich Queen…appears to be…quite angry."
The others rushed to the ledge and too saw the figure, not sauntering toward the fortress, but marching with purpose, perhaps more annoyed that the battle had been going on for as long as it had been.
"Never mind that…that skeletal dragon in moving in fast!" High Elf Archer launched another arrow to strike as many of the undead as possible. "I need more arrows!"
"Understood."
Priestess rushed toward the side to pick up the fallen arrows of the enemy, when a dagger flew forward. Half-Demon Thief rushed forward and using her own daggers knocked the blade out of the air and took up a defensive stance before the stunned Priestess.
"Damn your interference!"
They all heard the voice, but could not see who had said it or where the blade had come from. Half-Demon Thief knew her brother was the culprit, but his skill with Stealth was far greater than hers.
"Do not hurt them brother…we should be working with them against the Lich Queen!"
"I won't let you speak of her in that manner. You shall be the first to go then!"
Unbeknownst to them, even Half-Demon Thief, her brother had already maneuvered behind her and with an unseen blade was ready to cut her throat. Before he could attack though, he heard the growl of a wolf and one look to his right saw a large wolf, whose fur was white as snow. The creature tackled him to the ground, undoing his Stealth spell, to which he used his daggers to keep the wolf from biting his face.
"Brother!"
"Damn you…get away you beast!" Half-Demon Assassin quickly slashed at the wolf's face, making the beast yelp with pain and jump backwards.
Half-Demon Thief panted heavily, but smiled at having driven back the large dire wolf, but that action brought with it new dangers. He suddenly heard loud growling and when he turned toward the other side he could see the other dire wolf actually charging at him. In his panic he jumped over the side of the ledge just as the black dire wolf's jaws snapped at the location where he had been. He used his daggers to dig into the wall and keep from falling the courtyard below, with a quick swing of his legs, jumped to another pathway inside the fortress and proceeded to run.
"We have to go after him." Half-Demon Thief watched as her brother ran further from her.
"Then what are we waiting for, let's move before he does any further damage." High Elf Archer already started to run after the assassin.
"I shall…remain here…to aid…the others." Witch smiled and gave a nod of her head.
"I'll stay behind as well to help with the injured." Apprentice Cleric added.
"As will I." Sage was unsure how long the Dispel effect would last, but found that she was still unable to use her magic.
"I will too." Priestess smiled then bowed her head toward Half-Demon Thief. "Thank you for saving me."
"It was no trouble, well we'll be off then."
Just as the two girls started to run after Half-Demon Assassin, they both heard the bark of the two dire wolves, turning they found both Snow and Wolf running toward them. The wolves came to a halt near the women and barked, High Elf Archer figured out what they were thinking though Half-Demon Thief was still confused.
"Thank you Wolf." High Elf Archer quickly jumped onto Wolf's back then looked back toward Half-Demon Thief. "Hurry and get on."
"Are you sure?" Half-Demon Thief looked toward Snow, unsure if it was really the best idea to jump onto the wolf's back. "She won't bite?"
"You'll be fine, now hurry, he's going to get away if we wait to long."
Half-Demon Thief leapt onto Snow's back, and just as High Elf Archer said, the wolf did not growl but looked back at her. With a bark from Wolf, the two took off after Half-Demon Assassin, while the battle raged outside the fortress.
xxxx
"Damn you!" Spearman moved his spear in a graceful manor as he decapitated the nearest skeletons while parrying others. "There's just no end to these things."
"Indeed, much more difficult to deal with than goblins, yet my blade will deliver the final blow to these monsters." Lizard Priest too slashed left and right at the creatures around him while keeping an eye on his comrades around him.
"They're…quite skilled." Rookie Warrior was then pushed back by the strike from one of the skeletal warriors but quickly caught himself before falling to the ground.
"Hang on lad." Dwarf Shaman quickly launched a rock with his sling, shattering the skeleton's head before standing back to back with the young warrior. "You alright?"
"I'm…not used to all this combat."
"Don't you worry, you're doing just fine. You and me…we'll watch each other's back in this fight." Dwarf Shaman loaded a new rock into the sling and prepared to launch once again. "What of Beardcutter…I lost sight of him in the battle?"
Lizard Priest and Spearman looked around, though the scene was anything but calm, it was then they both caught sight of worn red tassel fluttering in the wind. There was Goblin Slayer battling against the undead with a sword in his right hand and a torch in his left. Not anywhere as graceful a fighter as Spearman, Goblin Slayer could easily and affectively swap from offensive to defensive. The others smiled knowing that he was safe, but knew now was not the time to let their guards down.
From around the battlefield were the shouts and screams of those fighting and being killed. A human knight yelled as he brought his sword crashing down upon the skull of one of the undead, while not more than five meters away from him was a female elf screaming as the creatures held her down and through sheer force began tearing her arms and legs off to feed upon. Armored Skeleton himself was laughing as he cut his way through the various warriors, he looked around at the chaos fully enjoying the mortal races being slaughtered and devoured. What's more he could not help but smile as mortals would rescue their injured comrades only to find them turned into the undead and then feeding upon their former rescuers.
"The full force of our army in now upon the battlefield, even our Queen is here to fight." He then looked behind him to see the massive skeletal dragon they raised from the frozen lake stomping forward, crushing the mortals under its massive feet. "Let's see what they can do to even slow this beast down."
"Dragon!"
Goblin Slayer and the others heard the shout from behind, and looked forward to see the monstrous skeleton stomping forward. Boulders launched from the catapults within the courtyard struck the monster but seemed to have no effect. Men and women screamed as its feet crushed those beneath it while its massive jaws clamped down and tossed aside the mortals around it. Goblin Slayer grunted as the monster drew closer, but rather than run away like the others around him he slowly walked forward.
"Milord Goblin Slayer!"
"Beardcutter! You damn fool, get away from there!"
"What the hell do you plan to do Goblin Slayer? Get back to the fortress, they're going to overrun us!"
"I have a plan." Goblin Slayer calmly sheathed his sword, jammed the torch into the muddy ground and then reached into the bag behind his back to retrieve an item.
"I don't know what he has planned, but if it's one of those grenados, I doubt even that will have enough power to stop that thing." Dwarf Shaman looked on curious to see what Goblin Slayer would do.
"That gold infused in the bone has made it quite durable…surely Milord Goblin Slayer knows that this is folly!"
Though it had no eyes, the skeletal dragon turned its sights at the one human in armor that stood before him. While the others ran, this one dared to challenge him, with a roar and its jaws open wide it charged forward. Lizard Priest started to rush forward to help his friend, but then saw that Goblin Slayer held a scroll within his right hand.
"Scaly…is that what I think it?"
"I would assume so Sir Mage."
Just as the dragon was within a few feet of armored human, Goblin Slayer unraveled the scroll facing it toward the monster. Instantly a bluish light bathed the battlefield and little by little the bones of the dragon began to crack until its skeleton finally blew apart, the force of the attack continued to fly forward and easily tore through several skeletal warriors and undead as well. When the light faded, the remains of the destroyed undead were now surrounded by water. Those who had been running stopped and looked in awe at the sight of the broken dragon, Armored Skelton too was shocked at this as his jaw hung for a few moments.
"What the hell…do I smell the sea?" Spearman was completely confused as to what had transpired.
"That was a Gate Scroll…I had it linked it to the bottom of the sea."
"Beardcutter. When did you get another one of those?"
"The Blacksmith at the Guild had procured one for me, and I had the Witch set the location for me like last time."
"A Gate Scroll…you kept something like that in your bag…and used it as a weapon?"
"Yes."
"I don't know whether to be angry or relieved."
"It did stop the dragon."
"A fine job indeed Milord Goblin Slayer, and although it pains me to know we had to slay a dragon, I can at least take solace in the thought that the noble beast can finally rest in peace."
"The dragon is down! Push the offensive!" Human Commander, although unable to comprehend how this man had brought down the dragon, would not allow this opportunity to elude them.
The men, dwarves and Elves cheered as they turned and rushed back to face the army of the undead. Armored Skeleton was at a loss for the destruction of the resurrected dragon, that he did not notice the young human soldier rush forward and ram his sword through the skeleton's gut. Armored Skelton looked down, shocked this human would attempt such a foolish attack, then in his rage at the attack and the defeat of the dragon brought his battle ax down cleaving the soldier in two.
"This should have been a simple slaughter…how dare you flesh creatures force us to work this hard! How dare you defy my Queen!"
Hero and Female Swordmaster too had seen this defeat of the dragon by the odd armored human, and would not allow themselves to be shown up by a mere silver ranked adventurer. They redoubled their efforts and cut their way through the undead catching sight of the Lich Queen decimating the soldiers that attempted to attack her. With a wave of her hand eight warriors were immediately frozen solid and then with a swipe of her sword, she shattered the ice sculptures before moving forward.
"The Lich has finally shown herself!" Hero smiled at the thought of defeating this monster and putting an end to the army of the undead.
"Then let us settle the matter!" Female Swordmaster charged forward, completely forgetting how she criticized the Goblin Slayer for thinking the same thing.
The Lich Queen turned toward the side to see the lone female charging at her and tilted her head slightly. With a heroic yell, Female Swordmaster swung her sword and watched as it clashed with Lich Queen's blade. The two struck blades over and over, or rather Female Swordmaster continued to press the attack yet the Lich Queen merely blocked using one hand, never moving from her spot.
"Why? I'm putting everything I have into these attacks, but I can't push her back? Why?" Female Swordmaster grunted as they struck blades once again and pushed forward, but once again found she wasn't able to gain any ground.
"Are you finished my dear? Would it be okay for me to take the offensive?" Lich Queen struck at Female Swordmaster and with the single hit forced her to back up several steps. "You are indeed a capable warrior, but no match for me!"
It only took two more swings for her to knock the blade from Female Swordmaster's hands and knocked her to the ground. Her body covered in mud and slush as she skidded to a halt on the ground, she looked up to see the Lich Queen walked forward, her long curved sword still in hand, her own sword on the ground several feet from her.
"You get away from her you damn monster!"
Lich Queen stopped to look up and see a young woman with reddish hair leaping high in the air, spinning as she brought her sword crashing down to cut the Lich in two. Hero, used her Agility to get the height and began to spin in hopes of using the centripetal force to strengthen her attack, in one move she would destroy the Lich Queen as she had the Demon Lord, save her friend and destroy this army.
"Too bad for you, but the Hero has arrived!"
The Lich raised her sword, but this only made the Hero smile, this foolish monster would try to defend itself of course, but that would not make a bit of difference, and her blade struck…but could not break the Lich Queen's sword. Hero's face was one of shock and disbelief and she gripped her blade with both hands and pushed forward, but found her holy sword was not working as she had expected. Her friend still laying in the mud too was shocked by this, then watched as Hero swung her sword in a mad frenzy to break the Lich Queen's blade but only saw sparks fly. Completely exhausted by her failed attack, Hero could only pant as she took a couple steps back looking at her sword as if it were the cause of her failure, but soon looked up to see the Lich Queen chuckling before laughing in a sinister manner.
"How unfortunate! So this is what the Hero is capable of…pathetic!" Lich Queen struck Hero with the back of her free hand knocked her to the ground to join her friend.
Lich Queen continued to laugh, but soon stopped when she noticed the Hero sword lying on the ground. She reached down to touch the blade, but the moment she even grazed it a burning sensation surged through her hand. She recoiled her hand, cursing the holy weapons passive ability to keep demonic hands from touching it, but took solace in the thought that if it was out of the hands of the Hero, it would not be a problem for her. She turned her attention to both girls, chuckling at the sight of them cowering before her, so afraid were they that they had wet themselves in fear of this creature that towered over them.
"How…that sword is the very one that slew the Demon Lord." Hero wanted to back away further but found her body would not respond.
"The Demon Lord you say? This shows how little power that title holds." Lich Queen's sword vanished as she stood before the girls shaking her head. "There have been so many beings who have claimed to be The Demon Lord…all that is needed is some demon to think they have a bit more strength or power than other demons and they suddenly proclaim themselves as the resurrected or reincarnated Demon Lord. It really is quiet sad."
"But…aren't you trying to revive the Demon Lord yourself?" Female Swordmaster was shocked to hear what the Lich was saying, they figured she was an Acolyte of Chaos as the others they had dealt with.
"Why would I revive someone weaker than myself?" Lich Queen looked down at these women with disgust at their suggestion. "I have been around for centuries, since the age of the gods to see the rise and fall of various demon lords. There is only one being I would have served, but alas his time has come and gone."
"One true lord?" Hero was not sure but speculated there was the lingering tone of a lost lover in the Lich's voice.
"He made the mistake of infusing his entire soul within one horcrux." The Lich Queen was silent as she thought about the former Dark Lord. "Of all the things to put your soul in…a single piece of jewelry. He was either over confident or naïve when that decision was made, but now none of that matters."
"Then…if you're not here to resurrect the Demon Lord, then what is your goal?" Hero was curious to know what the monster was after.
"Peace."
"Peace?" Both girls were confused as to her response.
"Yes, peace. Look around you…the mortal races can't go one lifetime without starting a war. From Elves to dwarves to humans to demi-humans…even the lesser races like goblins who steal and murder to satisfy their selfish desires, all do nothing but cause trouble for others. That is where I shall come in, with my horde I will wipe out all mortals! Once this world has become a dead world, when everyone is but a servant to my will, then the world shall know true peace."
"You're insane." Hero grew more afraid of this monster and her twisted idea of peace for everyone.
"Perhaps, but you won't be around long enough to question me any further. Your skills have earned you a place within my army, but as you are right now…you're no good to me alive!"
Lich Queen lunged toward the girls, beneath her shroud two red lights representing her eyes flashed as she neared the still cowering girls. Both girls screamed clinging to one another tightly, but soon saw the Lich Queen had stopped. The Lich Queen mere feet from them looked around the battlefield, what she was looking for was lost to these scared young women.
"What…what is this I'm sensing…this rage, but…it focused like a sword." Lich Queen continued to look around the chaotic battlefield until she found the source of this odd sensation.
There off in the distance was an oddly dressed armored figure, stained red from the blood of the undead. This figure eyes were ablaze as it swung its sword to decapitate the monsters from her horde and then used the torch both as a club to smash their skulls and then to set their clothing on fire. As she watched the figure, it did not appear to be breathing hard from the constant movement, in fact it did not appear to be breathing at all.
"This thing…is it an undead…but not one of mine. I must know." Lich Queen started off toward the armored figure completely forgetting about the Hero and her companion.
Goblin Slayer stood there with arms outstretched as a way to gauge how far each opponent was from him. Around him were multiple bodies of the reanimated undead, yet for some reason the other creatures would not come any closer. Goblin Slayer then noticed that both the skeletal warrior and the undead started to back further away, and suddenly felt a chilling presence behind him. He turned with weapons ready to attack but soon realized that the creature behind him was not another undead, but something else. He looked up to see a massive figure in black, save a gold crown atop its head, looking down at him curiously.
"How strange." The Lich Queen looked over this being before her reaching out with her fingers as if to discern if this thing was actually there. "You're not an undead…a piece of cursed armor then, no…I sense you are still alive, yet you don't seem quite human. Are you a demon?"
"No…I am Goblin Slayer." The armored man responded as he now examined this tall figure before him. "Are you a goblin?"
"A goblin? Me?" The tall figure looked back at Goblin Slayer and chuckled to herself. "I am a Lich."
"I see…so I was mistaken." Goblin Slayer calmly put his sword back in its sheath but kept his grip on the torch tight.
"It would seem that we both were. You amuse me, I've taken a liking to you and will make you mine." Lich Queen replied as she examined the armored man.
"I am not property to be bought or sold."
"True...but I've been watching you for some time. You withstood my spell, found a way to defeat my dragon and even drew my attention away from my prey with your menacing presence. We're I mortal, I too might be intimidated by you, and it is because of that…that spirit, that I will make you one of my generals."
"I have no interest in joining your army, my only goal is to slaughter the goblins."
"The goblins? Is it this form that is keeping you from joining me willingly…if it will aid in you serving me, I can find one more alluring to you humans." Lich Queen gave a wave of her hand and a red mist smoke enveloped her body.
Goblin Slayer stood ready and watched as the plume of smoke grew smaller and when it finally vanished, a rather voluptuous woman stood before him in a black gown. Her long cascading hair blowing in the wind, to anyone looking at her, they might mistake this form for a beautiful human, but her eyes were solid black save the bright red pupils that looked over him.
"Now then…my dear Goblin Slayer, surely this form is more appealing to you than my last. I will assume whatever form you wish…you need only serve me." The beautiful Lich Queen smiled as she gently placed her hand upon his chest and looked up at the helmet filled with darkness. "If you serve me, I will aid is slaughtering all the goblins for you."
"You will help me slaughter the goblins?" Goblin Slayer carefully reached into his bag with his free hand.
"But only if you will serve me. Become a general of the undead like the Armored Skeleton."
"I think not." Goblin Slayer leapt backwards and as he did threw a vial of strange liquid at the Lich Queen, which easily shattered and its contents splashed all over her. "You may kill the goblins, but in doing so would revive them as a far worse force than they are now. I will not allow you to do such a thing to harm others."
"Fool! I give you this chance to join me and you refuse! You little distraction won't do you any…what…what is this liquid you covered me with?"
"Gasoline." Goblin Slayer tossed his torch forward and the moment it touched her gown, the Lich Queen was engulfed in flames.
The Lich Queen screamed as her body burned forcing her to back away from the Goblin Slayer, this human form was always far more susceptible to harm than her true form, but thankfully she was not forced to remain in such a state. Goblin Slayer once again drew out his sword, just as the burning figure suddenly exploded in a plume of black smoke. The smoke began to rise and finally solidified back to the tall figure that once stood before Goblin Slayer. The figure stood with its back to Goblin Slayer, light trails of smoke traveling off its body from the fire earlier.
"I must admit…that was an unexpected move…but I am no simple undead." The Lich Queen turned to face Goblin Slayer, the shroud covering its face gone from the fire, and now all could see her skeletal face and the bright red lights for eyes within her skull. "I will make you mine…especially for what you have done to me."
"You are welcome to try."
xxxx
"Brother stop this now."
Half-Demon Assassin continued to run from the girls atop the dire wolves, making sure to kill a couple of the archers along the way to aid his Queen. High Elf Archer let loose arrow after arrow, but he always managed to dodge by the narrowest of margins. Just as he prepared to kill another elf, Half-Demon Thief launch one of her daggers at her brother, determined to keep him from taking another life, at the same time High Elf Archer launched another arrow. Half-Demon Assassin growled angrily as he knocked his sister's dagger to the side, but then caught sight of the arrow. Unable to dodge as he had before, the elf's arrow struck his left leg forcing him to hit the ground yelling in pain. Down below, the Lich Queen heard the cry of her assassin and knew she needed to act quickly before things grew troublesome for her.
"No!"
In a flash of red light, she once again transformed herself into a cloud of black smoke and effortlessly flew towards the sounds of her downed subordinate. Half-Demon Assassin pulled the arrow from his leg and saw the dire wolves drawing closer, before he could crawl away, a plume of black smoke appeared before him taking the form of the Lich Queen. The dire wolves stopped as they looked up at the imposing figure, instinctively they growled to protect those on their back, but for the two girls and those around them there was an overwhelming sense of fear. The Lich Queen looked down at the wolves then set her eyes upon Half-Demon Thief, for the young thief it was as if she were looking into the eyes of Death himself.
"I will deal with you another time…you wretched traitor." She then turned to look upon her injured assassin. "You damn fool…do you realize how much trouble you would have cost me had I not been here?"
"My apologies my queen."
She got hold of the injured half-demon and effortlessly picked him off the ground. Once again there was a flash of red light and both form changed to smoke and flew from atop the fortress to the battlefield below, once back on the battlefield both rematerialized. She had Half-Demon Assassin mount her demonic steed before getting on herself.
"My queen?" Armored Skelton called out at the sight of the Lich Queen on her horse, the broken body of dwarf soldier in his hands.
"Fall back…we are in no rush to take this fortress." Her demonic horse turned and started back toward the forest.
"All forces…return to the castle." Armored Skelton growled as he and the others were forced to retreat.
The skeletal warriors and the horde of the undead turned themselves, completely forgetting about their opponents as they got back into formation and marched behind their commanders. The rest of the warriors watched this both with surprise and relief as the army finally pulled back. One look around the battlefield showed the bodies of the dead from both sides, and the actual size of the survivors that had made it through the long night. As the last of the undead disappeared into the woods, the first rays of the sun finally began to break through the clouds bringing with it a new day.
"So…we won right?" Rookie Warrior asked completely exhausted from the hours of fighting.
"Won…hardly." Spearman sighed as he sat down upon a large stone using his spear to help keep his body upright. "This was an act of mercy…if the battle had continued we would have eventually been overwhelmed."
"It is as the Armored Skeleton said…they are ones who can fight without feeling fatigue. Even with Milord Goblin Slayer's precautions, we were only delaying the inevitable."
"Which means the next time they come…we won't be able to stop them. Not the best outlook there Scaly."
"Then we need to prepare for tonight."
The four turned to see Goblin Slayer marching forward, even after all he had done still not showing signs of being tired, or rather forcing himself to continue to stand. Off in the distance, both Hero and Female Swordmaster picked themselves out of the mud and snow and retrieved their weapons before making their way back to the fortress with the other soldiers, they turned to see the odd silver-ranked adventurer speaking with his companions.
"You really think they'll be back tonight Goblin Slayer." Spearman asked as he struggled to stand back up.
"We are tired, outnumbered and low on supplies. Now would be the perfect time to strike."
"Is that what goblins would do Beardcutter?"
"Yes."
"Do you by chance have more of those explosives Milord Goblin Slayer?"
"Only one more…it won't be enough for the army. I have a plan though."
"A plan to do what Mr. Goblin Slayer?"
"Reduce their numbers and make the fighting more equal to our terms, however we will need to start now even if we are tired."