"Damn it, the barrier goes completely around them."
Heavy Warrior and the rest of his party had quickly circled around the Necromancer and his minions, in order to attack, but found the Protection spell had completely surrounded them. The Necromancer chuckled at the sight before turning his attention towards the front where the other adventurers stood there with weapons ready a small smile still present on his face.
"My you adventurers are quite amusing if not annoying. You struggle against inevitability, like dust in the wind; even now you fight against the miracle of life. Surely you realize how futile your efforts are?"
"You're damn right we're going to struggle! We have no intention of simply lying down as you continue to spread your poison to the world." Spearman angrily slammed his fist against the barrier.
"Even if we fall here, others will rise up to fight you!" High Elf Archer drew back an arrow ready to fire the moment Protection failed for the Necromancer.
"Why? Why would they fight me when all I wish to do is heal this world? I started off as a healer during my adventuring days, so it is only natural for me to continue to help those in need." The Necromancer had a sinister smirk about his face as he looked at the adventurers.
"Why? Why are you allowed to use such a miracle?" Priestess was at a loss for how the Earth Mother could allow such a thing to occur.
"My child, the Earth Mother is not the only one who can allow for such miracles. Like you, I followed her teachings, but eventually changed my beliefs. I can only guess that you started out as an adventurer to help others am I correct?" Necromancer chuckled as he could see the frown on the young girl's face. "I'm right after all, I've lived far longer than many of you, but my reasons for adventuring were different. Unlike other adventurers, I was not seeking fame or even a desire to protect my colleagues, no…I wanted more."
"More? What else could a crazed monster like you be after?" Dwarf Shaman growled in anger as he tightened his grip on his hand ax.
"To find the solution to the question man has sought for countless generations…how to prevent those from dying."
There was a pause from everyone as they heard the Necromancer's bold statement, many stood there with mouth agape not sure how to respond.
"Think of it, if one is injured, Heal or Refresh can be used to repair the damage. If one if poisoned, Detox or Purify can remove the impurity, but what can you do to save someone who is no longer among the living? Surely each of you has wished that someone you have lost could be restored?"
Priestess and Fighter's minds immediately went to the two comrades they had lost on their first quest, others also thought about friends and loved one who had been taken away either due to age, illness or on various adventurers.
"That is what I seek, or rather what I sought. The God of Wisdom is kind enough to bestow such insight to me." Necromancer chuckled as a smile crossed his face. "Though I'm sure his initial intention was to see me driven mad by his wisdom, but I made it my own. I wish now, is to aid the people suffering in this world, but I can't do it as mere mortal, no…I need to become a god. As the God of Resurrection, I will push past the limits set upon us by the gods, I will change the rules of this game so that no else needs to suffer in death."
The Necromancer raised his hands high toward the sky as he gestured with the final part of his speech, his two subordinated around him bowed their heads, humbled by his message yet the adventurers stood there with shocked faces. They could not believe what they were hearing, all the horrors they had witness over these many weeks was the result of this madman wanting to find a cure for death.
"Bullshit."
The statement caught the Necromancer by surprise as he lowered his hands and turned toward the man who spoke as did the other adventurers. There was a figure in dirty leather armor, a small round shield attached to his left arm, on his left side was a medium length sword and on his right side was a short, flanged mace. The Necromancer looked toward the man curiously, the tone he heard was flat, mechanical completely devoid of any emotion yet staring at this man he could feel the hatred piercing through him.
"You are like them in many ways. You spew lies in a foolish attempt to trick those around you."
"Like who boy?" Necromancer was growing annoyed by the adventurer's comments.
"Goblins. I have seen the monsters you have created. You are not helping anyone by changing them into destructive giants." Goblin Slayer boldly walked toward the edge of the barrier as he now stood mere inches from this Necromancer. "Your lies may fool those that follow you, but none of us will fall for your tricks. We will kill you and the horde of monsters you have let loose upon this world."
Necromancer frowned as he heard this man speak to him, who did this adventurer think he was to try and claim that his discoveries were false. The other adventurers around Goblin Slayer could only smile and returned their attention toward the Necromancer, ready attack the moment the barrier fell.
"Well said Goblin Slayer." Heavy Warrior tightened his hands on his broadsword as he stood by Female Knight. "This bastard is going to pay for all the harm he has caused the innocent people around this countryside."
"Goblin Slayer?" Necromancer's initial anger at this man vanished as he heard then name as he continued to carefully study this oddly dressed armored adventurer. "Goblin Slay…oh yes, I remember now. There was an adventurer called Goblin Slayer who happened to interrupt a caravan of subjects that were to be brought to me for research. So you're the one who temporarily delayed my research by killing the Tracker's younger brother. That was most bothersome at the time."
Once again there was a bit of confusion on the part of the adventurers, Goblin Slayer having killed someone, interrupting a caravan of test subjects. Many were confused but it was Lizard Priest who was shocked at first then found himself growling in anger catching his comrades and colleagues by surprise.
"That caravan of innocent creatures you coldly refer to as test subjects, that man who leading them was the one who attacked my wife and child. You would have intended to turn them into monsters or used them for your hideous experiments!"
"Those two hunters…the Monster Tamer and Animal Tracker…they worked for you." Dwarf Shaman too was now angered by the thought of those men who had attacked the two half-dragons.
"No, that means…the attack on the half-dragon mother and daughter, and then Ocrbolg and the others being taken to that slave camp you were behind it? Damn you, you've been a part of all the turmoil we've been through from the very beginning!"
Heavy Warrior and Female Knight were enraged at the thought of this man being behind the order for the Animal Tracker taking them to the salve camp, as were Priestess and Half-Demon Thief at the knowledge that he would have gladly experimented on the two half-dragons for the sake of his corrupted research.
"Half- Dragons?" Necromancer tapped his left index finger against his chin as he thought carefully. "I remember now, before I had to silence the fool, he had mentioned something about the caravan bringing me a half-dragon. In truth I was more concerned about receiving the harpies and wolves for my experiment, if I received the half-dragon it would have been a plus, but it would not have been a problem for me to do without it."
"What the hell are you saying? You mean to tell us that you weren't actively seeking that mother and daughter out?" Spearman was both angry and surprised by how nonchalant the Necromancer was about the potential capture of the half-dragons.
"Of course not, do you truly believe…wait you all do believe that." Necromancer looked at the group for a few moments before he broke out into hysterical laughter. "The depths of your ignorance is truly astounding. You really believe that all this time I was only interested in those dragons or was actively seeking revenge against this odd adventurer? Ha, how naïve of you all. I could care less about your involvement, all that concerns me is my research. You've probably seen me as some grand villain to defeat, perhaps even your nemesis, when in fact I've barely noticed your existence, and even me claiming that is being generous."
There was genuine anger and frustration from all the adventurers as they wanted to kill this man here and now yet the barrier around him prevented any such attack.
"Is that all you have to say?" Goblin Slayer's flat tone drew everyone's attention as he stood before the Necromancer with Wolf snarling at his side. "Regardless of what you say, we are going to kill you. You are nothing more than a vile goblin in human guise before me."
Necromancer frowned as he looked toward this adventurer but soon had a smirk as he chuckled.
"You are welcome to try boy. Now, as entertaining as it had been, I have more pressing matters to attend to."
"You really think we're going to let you leave. That barrier has to drop sooner or later." Spearman smirked as he scrapped his blade across the invisible dome.
"Oh I'm sure you'd be able to attack me, if I dropped this barrier. Unlike your little priestess there, I can maintain mine for a much longer time and…move with it." Necromancer turned and began to walk away with his Faceless Men and to everyone's surprise found the dome did in fact move with him. "You're welcome to follow me, but then this village would be left defenseless and the horde is quite hungry."
The adventurers contemplated following him and ending the nightmare here and now, but that would leave their friends and the villagers at the mercy of the monsters in the nearby forest.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have research to complete, and you have a role to play in that with the defense of this village. I wish you luck." Necromancer continued to walk away from the village but stopped as he turned to face the group one last time. "Should you succeed, I'll be looking forward to seeing you in the capital. Assuming you still have the desire to slay me, then come and find me, I promise to so you all such wonders when you reach the capital…if you reach capital."
With a final chuckle Necromancer departed from the village, the adventurers forced to allow him to escape as the village came first.
"He is…quite full of himself…no?" Witch had a slight frown as she reached for her pipe to calm herself.
"That bastard is definitely full of something." Half-Demon Thief angrily slammed her fist into her open palm before looking toward Goblin Slayer. "Let me go after him, with Stealth I can kill him and put an end to this nightmare."
"Not alone you won't, if Fighter and I go with you, you'd at least have a fighting chance against him and those Faceless Men." Rookie Warrior stepped forward with sword in hand followed by Fighter. "If the three of us go, that would still leave you plenty of adventurers to protect the village."
The other adventurers momentarily considered it, the other younger adventurers like Priestess and Half-Elf Light Warrior, were also ready to volunteer to aid their friends as they did not want to be left behind.
"That's not too bad a plan. A small team could sneak in there and kill him without being discovered." Heavy Warrior smiled as he thought about the plan suggested to them. "Impressive, these young ones have come a long way since starting with the guild. Reminds me of how we all took on the Rock Eater."
"It's not a bad plan, but the problem is if they fail we'll lose all three, not to mention there is no guarantee that those three are the only ones to worry about." Spearman looked back to see the Necromancer and his minions finally disappear back into the woods.
"I don't know, it might be worth the risk, end this whole thing here and now." Female Knight looked at the three young adventurers and smiled at how eager they were to be of assistance. "I know the demon girl is an experienced assassin and it could end this nightmare the villagers are being forced to live through. I'm torn, I'm know they'll fight well, but I'd still feel terrible if they were lost. Maybe the silvers should go."
"No. We should finish preparing for the coming attack." Goblin Slayer looked to the tree line then back toward the sky as the dark clouds continued to roll in followed by the loud thunderclap.
"Goblin Slayer wait, we can do this. Just because we're a bit younger than you all doesn't mean we can't be of help." Rookie Warrior was stern in his reply as he was eager to prove himself. "Spearman and the others have stood up for us before, so now it's our turn to be of use."
"I don't doubt your abilities. If you were to be lost, even if it was securing victory, there are those that will mourn you. You should not make them cry."
Rookie Warrior and Fighter were at first confused by his comment then they looked over toward Apprentice Cleric and could see the concerned look on her face, there was a frown that crossed their face, they were so eager to help they had completely forgotten about their comrade. Half-Demon Thief could see this same expression on Priestess face as well as the others and with a sigh nodded her head, but soon felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.
"Like the goblin he is, he will run, but he cannot hide from us. We will get our chance to slay him." Goblin Slayer removed his hand as he saw her smile and nod but did not move from the spot. "Snow and Wolf have come to enjoy your company and would be upset if you did not return. I too enjoy your company."
Half-Demon Thief gasped as she heard this and smiled once again as she could feel her face heating up from his comment. High Elf Archer and Priestess were indeed happy that he had convinced her to stay with them, but were also a bit annoyed, even if he did not intend for it to sound flirtatious.
"We must hurry and finish preparing for the coming attack."
xxxx
"It's getting harder to fly against these winds Boss!"
With the fall of night, the storm clouds rolled in with the scent of rain, yet the small village only experienced the howling of the winds and the occasional flash of lightning followed by the thunderclap. Hero and her party, along with Boss Centaur and his men, prepared themselves for the probable attack that would be coming. Hero had seen the movement in the woods, whatever she had seen was not only massive but there were several of them.
"Won't do us any good if you end up getting blown away during the fight. You two hunker down in the buildings with the villagers, watch for any of those damn creatures trying to get in. We'll do what we can out here."
The two harpy sisters nodded their heads and begrudgingly landed, they had wished to be of more service to Boss Centaur but with the strong winds, it was difficult enough trying to stay in place. Hero and her comrades watched as the two harpies ran into the nearby building before returning their attention towards the tree line. Boss Centaur slowly walked up beside Hero, she turned toward her right to see him standing beside her and had a small smile on her face.
"I'm glad you stayed on to help these people."
"You saw something in the forest earlier, I saw it too." Boss Centaur smirked as he looked back toward the trees. "Even if we wanted to take off, no guarantee we'd be able to make it through. All we can do it fight to the last man."
"We have no intention of dying here. We've fought through several of these monsters before, and thankfully we're not alone in this fight." Hero continued to smile as she looked toward Boss Centaur.
"Like I said, we're not adventurers and certainly not heroes, we're just looking out for ourselves." Boss Centaur frowned as he looked around to see his men spread out amongst the other villagers who could still fight and smiled. "Many may not see them as much, but I've fought side by side with them from the very beginning. You know those two harpy sisters tried to kill and rob me when we first met, when I beat them they threatened to kill me if given the chance."
"And yet you still care for them and because of that, they now treat you with respect." Sword Saint smirked as remembered the look on the harpies faces when they were told to withdraw.
"Of course, this band looks out for its own."
"Then we shall do all in our power to make sure you don't lose any more of your people." Sage smiled with a gentle nod as she stood by her comrades.
xxxx
"Is the town secure?"
The King met with his guards near the guild, his attention constantly moving from his men to the destroyed buildings nearby and the stormy sky above. He, the Sword Maiden and their caravan had arrived in the town at the beginning of the attack, with their aid and that of the adventurers, they managed to keep the casualties to a minimum in the town. More than fifty townspeople had transformed and attacked, before everything had been taken care of, 40 people had been killed, a mixture of townspeople and adventurers and another 70 had been injured out of a town with nearly a thousand people.
"Yes my Lord, we've just finished moving about the perimeter and have not seen any further signs activity from the monsters. The Sword Maiden has already purified the area so the water is safe for consumption once again."
"Excellent, be sure you and your men stay vigilant, the townspeople reported no signs of the Faceless men being seen among those who were affected."
"Understood my lord. Oh, the Sword Maiden is approaching."
The King turned to see the Sword Maiden slowly approaching followed by two of her attendants.
"My followers had also finished tending to any of the injured and the guild manager informed me the rest of the adventurers will join us in keeping vigil over this town." The Sword Maiden then turned her attention toward the night sky and frowned. "Even if I am unable to see as clearly as before, I can feel the ominous tension in the air. Perhaps this may be a warning from the gods above."
While the King, Sword Maiden and the rest were busy protecting the town, far away in a clearing were the two Faceless Men standing near a large bonfire.
"Is it not time? Should we not send the signal?" One of the Faceless Men anxiously examined the sky and the bonfire.
"Not yet brother. Master will send the initial signal, and the rest of us who have survived the initial experimentation will light the beacons. Soon, very soon the Capital shall know the wonders of the Miracle of Life."
xxxx
"Okay, the barn is secured, nothing is getting in here…at least not without trying to break in." Guild Girl sighed as she looked toward the nearby spade laying against the wall. "I'm no fighter, that's for sure, but even I should be capable of defending myself."
"Don't worry, you were there to help me when I was scared of that slaver and I'll make sure to protect you and Snow." Half-Dragon Daughter, though nervous as she heard the howling of the wind, was confident in her fire breath.
"I appreciate it, I'm the big sister and yet you'll be protecting me. Seems a bit silly for me." Guild Girl smiled as she took the young girl's hand in hers and squeezed gently.
"Is she alright? Is the delivery not taking too long?" Half-Dragon Mother frowned as she could see Snow still panting quickly as she lay on her side. "My own delivery did not take as long, then again, I only had to deal with one egg."
Guild Girl and Half-Dragon Daughter also turned to check on Snow, she lay on her side with Cow Girl kneeling beside her, gently stroking her head. Beside Snow, were two small pups of black and white fur nursing from her, she continued to panty quickly while delivering the next pup. The girls suddenly looked upward toward the ceiling as the boards creaked from the wind pushing on the barn and while this was going on the other animals in the barn were nervously stomping and snorting with the sound of the wind.
"She's stressed, this is not the ideal location or situation where she would normally have her littler." Cow Girl smiled as she looked toward the two small pups while she continued to pet Snow. "Don't you worry Snow, we're going to be here to keep you safe. Not to mention you have Wolf out there, he won't let any happen to you."
Goblin Slayer and the others were spread out around the village, their traps had been set, various tools had been placed around in readiness for the monsters. Deep within the forest the various monsters growled and grunted as they patiently waited for their master to give them their orders. Necromancer stood near massive bonfire with Cerberus on his right and the two Faceless Men on his left.
"It is time. The preliminary testing has proven successful and I now have the ultimate formula within my possession." The Necromancer chuckled as he reached into his cloak and withdrew a small pouch, within it was an unknown green powder. "Once this has been added, we shall see how many of the others have been successful in their delivery of the elixir."
"Then, the Capital shall reap the rewards Master?"
"Yes, but the Highway Man has been given specific instructions, he must see at least five signal beacons before delivering the elixir to all of the capital at once. It will do us no good if the others also failed in their delivery, if that is the case we shall bide our time until the next chance presents itself." Necromancer frowned as he looked toward the pouch hoping that all would go smoothly.
"Our brothers will not fail you master, we are ready to give our lives to see you succeed. Very soon the world shall come to know the joy of the elixir."
"I shall trust that the others have the faith you both possess. Let the signal be given!"
Necromancer smirked before throwing the pouch into the bonfire, the powder was quickly engulfed by the flames and a geyser of green fire rocketed upward towards the heavens. Goblin Slayer and the others could see the green pillar of light far off in the distance, though none of them had directly seen it, they knew the Necromancer was directly responsible.
"What the hell is he doing?" Spearman could feel the cold sweat running down his brow as he looked toward the green light.
Elsewhere, Hero and the others saw a strange green light off in the distance shooting upward. Before they could even question what was causing the strange light a second green pillar could be seen, one much closer to the village they were protecting, then a third green pillar could be seen from even further away. The King and the Sword Maiden were deeply concerned, from the town they could see the three green pillars of light followed by a fourth near their location.
"My lord, these strange lights…" The Sword Maiden looked toward the sky; her vision allowed her to see four odd shadows extending toward the sky. "…this does not bode well."
"No, something terrible is about to happen." The King looked toward the sky as well, frowning as he observed the four green lights.
"My lord! Behind us!"
The King and Sword Maiden quickly turned, expecting to see a horde of the nightmare creatures charging toward them, but found a fifth beam of light reaching toward the sky. Within moments, they could observe two more pillars bringing the total to seven.
The seven pillars of light could be seen by people from all around the countryside; Uncle stood on the porch looking up at the lights a worried look on his face, Rookie Warrior and his party could see the lights from the port town, while others in the capital could see this as well. The citizens, knights and adventurers were all confused by the sight, but from those who stayed in the shadows on the rooftops looked toward the sky and smiled beneath their plague masks. Many of the Faceless Men rushed back toward the lab beneath the city to eagerly tell the Highway Man of what they had seen.
"Master Highway Man…the pillars of light can be seen!"
In the bowels on the Capital, the monstrous Highway Man was busy tearing apart the body of his latest female victim when he turned to face the Faceless Men.
"How many?" Highway Man sneered with a sinister chuckle as he looked toward the Faceless Men. "The Necromancer said to only begin if at least five of the lights were visible. He dispatched ten groups, so let us see how many were successful in their dispersal."
"Seven."
"Seven huh? Then we know what must be done." Highway Man tossed aside the remains of the woman and gave his full attention toward the Faceless Men. "Release the elixir within all the waters! Turn loose all beasts! Let the streets run red with the blood of those who do not accept the Master's gift!"
The Faceless Men nodded and cheered as they rushed away toward their respected locations to release the elixir within the five districts. The caged monsters were now set loose to escape the sewers and emerge onto the street above. The Highway Man continued to snicker as he too would take charge of his specific district until the Necromancer returned to fully claim the capital for himself before moving to the next kingdom.
xxxx
"It is done! Turn the horde loose on the village!" The Necromancer found himself with a wide smile as he saw the seven pillars of light reaching toward the sky. "I shall make for the Capital and document the reactions of its people to the gift I have shared with them."
"Safe travels Master."
"Cerberus!"
The massive three-headed beast heard the call of its master and moved so that Necromancer could jump onto the creature's back. With a quick shout from the Necromancer, the monster's heads each released an individual roar before charging through the night in the direction of the Capital. The Faceless Men turned towards one another and nodded their heads before breaking the vials in the beaks of their masks and ingesting the vial elixir.
"At this speed, I shall return to the capital within a week, but there are still many towns to check before you all reach me. What will you adventurers do?" Necromancer chuckled as he thought of all he would see then remembered that odd man, the Goblin Slayer and sneered. "It was quite enlightening to meet him, a boring figure but one who does not have time for things that do not concern him. Let us see if he can survive this night."
xxxx
The green lights had finally died down and with the wind still blowing strong, many of the torches had blown out and the darkness around them seemed to swallow up everything. Goblin Slayer and the others had themselves spread out, High Elf Archer and Half-Demon Thief were on separate roofs, with their agility they could easily leap over the gaps between buildings to move and aid their comrades and the villagers wherever need be. Those who were severely injured, the elderly and children were kept in the largest building with Priestess, Druid Girl, Apprentice Cleric and Scout Boy looking over them. The buildings closest to the edge of the village had been abandoned and the remaining villagers split themselves up in the various buildings the adventurers were near. Over the howling of the wind, they all heard it, the various growls and shrieks of monsters in the distance. Heavy Warrior and Female Knight were nearby looking toward the woods, her werewolf senses allowed her to see farther and hear specific noises much easier and what she had seen and heard sent a temporary shiver down her spine.
"They're coming. I see them charging through the woods."
A sudden lightning flash briefly illuminated the area and in that moment, everyone could see the various creatures rushing forward now at the edge of the forest. Everyone tensed up for the coming battle, the groaning of a tree as it was falling over could be heard followed by the heavy thud, another flash of lightning and all could see three of the goblin brutes pushing the smaller trees aside.
"Hold fast friends! Wait for them to get in range of our attacks!" Lizard Priest nearby Fighter and Rookie Warrior tightly gripped his blade in preparation of the battle.
"Orcbolg! They're approaching the outer perimeter!" High Elf Archer tightly drew back her bow in readiness, her hair and blowing behind due to the wind.
"Wait for them to hit the traps, then attack." Goblin Slayer stood near one of the houses with a bow and arrow in hand. "Come forth Lich Queen."
A bolt of red light erupted near him and the human Lich Queen took shape from the red plume of smoke.
"How may I be of service Beloved?"
"How long can you maintain your physical form to attack?"
"As the true lich I can sustain it for a few minutes, long enough to help you slay several of these beasts."
"Then as soon as the first monster has been taken by our traps, attack as many as you can before your time limit."
"Of course Beloved…by the way, why are you not using your sword or mace?"
"I shall take out as many as I can from a far before they get to close." Goblin Slayer sparred a quick glance back toward the large barn to see Wolf in his armor, standing nearby guarding it while growling as he heard the approaching monsters. "Had I been selfish, I would have had you protect them, but it is vital we keep the number of monsters to a minimum once they reach the village."
"You are far from selfish Beloved, always thinks of others. There is a kind soul in there, even if you deny it." The Lich Queen smiled before her eyes flashed red and her body dissolved into a plume of black smoke before reshaping into the massive Lich. "However, now is not the time for idle conversation. It is time to spill some blood!"
Just before the horde of monsters broke through the flimsy fencing, multiple shrieks could be heard from high above. High Elf Archer and Half-Demon Thief looked up to see more than a dozen of the bat-like harpy women shrieking like banshees before diving down toward them despite the wind.
"Demon Harpies incoming!"
High Elf Archer let loose an arrow, but the wind pushed it aside and rather than pierce the harpy's chest, tore through one of her wings. The creature shrieked as his plummeted to the ground, the moment it hit several of the villagers rushed over with their spears and began to stab the beast, delivering the final blow that is until one of them was suddenly clutched in the talons of another harpy. He screamed as he was carried away into the air, the harpy's talons cutting into his flesh as they flew higher and higher. Then two more harpies moved in and grabbed the man's legs, as the three pulled to get to their meal, they easily tore his body apart. Outside the village, werewolf-like creatures and what could be described as gargoyles broke through the fence, those who stepped into the wrong area, plummeted into a small pit lined with sharpened spears, but their comrades did not care as their hunger for flesh pushed them forward.
"Here they come! Everyone stand ready!" Spearman held his weapon in both hands anxiously waiting for the first monster to approach.
"I refuse to lose a single friend today! For the Guild!" Heavy Warrior not one to wait rushed forward to meet the closest spider-like monster.
"Not without me you're not! Let's see you bastards stand up to a future paladin!" Female Knight rushed beside her lover to engage to monster forces.
xxxx
"Watch out for their agility!"
Hero and the others saw the monster spiders leaping onto the closest buildings, tearing into the roof in an attempt to grab at the villagers hiding within. There were five massive spiders, and more than a dozen spiders that appeared to be roughly the size of humans attacking the village. Though they would never come to realize it, these had been the human adventurers who were infected by the contaminated well water and the goblins they had captured and rather than devour, would lay their eggs to continue reproducing the horrid arachne.
The small spiders leapt around as the heroes and mercenaries continued to battle against their agile foes, those villagers who were unlucky enough to be caught were covered in webs before the spiders pounced on them to devour their flesh. After nearly an hour of constant fighting three of the giant spiders and now only had to deal with the last of the smaller creatures.
"BOSS!"
Boss Centaur watched as one of the massive arachne took hold of one of the padfoots and was dragging him away. His brother was ready to rush and help but Boss Centaur quickly galloped by holding his arm out to keep him from going any further.
"I'll get your brother, keep fighting!"
Though he hesitated, the second padfoot nodded and returned to battle, aiding one of the humans who had been pinned by a smaller arachne. Hero also charged after Boss Centaur to aid him in recovering his fallen comrade while her own friends continued to aid the other mercenaries. The padfoot nervously struggled as the arachne pulled him closer and closer towards its drooling maw. Boss Centaur charged forward and slammed himself into the monster, knocking it to the ground, then swung his sword to cut the sticky webs.
"Boss?"
"No time!"
Boss Centaur quickly turned and rushed toward the padfoot and taking hold of him with one hand, effortlessly picked him up and threw him away from the recovering arachne. He landed with a thud and groan as Hero reached him and aided in removing the final webs that covered him. They looked back to see Boss Centaur bellow as he charged back and rammed his sword into the monster spider's body, its blood splattering against him as it screamed in agony, he continued to hack at the monster, until something smaller jumped onto his back. He cried out as the spider's blade-like appendages dug into his side as the small spider bit down on his right shoulder.
"You damn, filthy little…"
As he prepared to attack, three more of the smaller spiders tackled him, knocking him to the ground where he unfortunately dropped his sword. There the monsters continued to stab and bite his flesh all the while he growled in frustration as he used his fists to beat them and his hooves to push them away.
"Boss!"
The cry from the padfoot drew the attention of the others who could see the small spiders attacking the mighty centaur, each ready to rush over and help him but a mighty voice called out to them.
"No! Finish the big one! Protect this village…like we were hired to do!"
The others stopped as their boss continued to fight, thought they could hear the sickening sounds of flesh being torn and their legs continuously stabbing. Hero growled in frustration, but knew he was right, she picked up the still shocked padfoot and pulled him close.
"We need to finish the large one! Listen to your boss and fight for him now!"
Though shaken, the padfoot nodded his head and with weapon in hand, rushed back to join the others in finishing the last large spider, Hero looked back to see that boss centaur had stopped moving as the spiders continued to feed, she however was not a member of his band, and rushed forward to slay the smaller spiders attacking his body. With her sword, and her own agility she easily chopped through the smaller spiders, and those that had avoided her blade were easily destroyed by her firebolts. A sudden horrid scream could be heard and she looked to see the last giant arachne fall as the mercenaries rushed toward the body and vented their rage as they stabbed the body over and over. The villagers cheered as the final monster fell, those who had been with the harpy sisters exited the building and were surprised by the carnage around them.
"Its…its done." Hero wiped the blood that stained her right cheek, though smeared would be the more appropriate word before looking back to the fallen Boss Centaur with a solemn expression on her face. "Your men fought bravely. The two harpies kept the villagers safe. They have done exactly as you have asked."
"Th…they better."
Hero's eyes were wide as she looked down to see Boss Centaur coughing before a weak smile crossed his face.
"By the gods, you're alive!"
"Of…of course. It…it will take…a lot more than that…to kill me."
Hero's reaction brought a surprised look from everyone as Sword Saint, Sage and the mercenaries rushed to check on the condition of Boss Centaur. His body had been horribly mangled as he had lost quite a bit of blood, but he was alive, with the battle won, now they could focus on treating his wounds.
"Damn stubborn horse's ass, hang on Boss, we're not letting you die here." One of the harpy sisters ran back toward the nearest building to look for any cloths that could be used for makeshift bandages.
xxxx
The gargoyle screamed as the glass vial shattered against its face, the acidic contents eating through the stone and melting his face as chunk after chuck of flesh continued to fall off. Half-Demon Thief had been tackled by a small red imp after having thrown her acid vial at the gargoyle, using her hidden blade gauntlets she pierced through its throat before tossing the body aside.
"You okay?" High Elf Archer let loose another arrow at the few remaining bat-like monsters that still flew overhead.
"Fine thanks! I sure as hell am not about to fall here!"
The monsters continued their assault against the village, this battle had been much more strenuous than the assault by the goblins almost two years ago, as the various adventurers continued their attack against the mutated monsters. The smaller more agile monsters had broken into some of the houses adding to the deaths, but Priestess and the others had continued to keep the monsters from completely breaking into the main building. Heavy Warrior and Lizard Priest had rushed over to aid them as one of the abominations nearly broke through, they used a heavy door to keep it at bay.
"It is quite strong indeed! Are you alright young Priestess?" Lizard Priest grunted as he turned toward his comrade.
"We are." Priestess held out her staff and began her chant. "O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, by the power of the land, grant safety to we who are weak…Protection!"
Heavy Warrior and Lizard Priest saw the glow surround the door to keep the abomination from tearing through any further when a suddenly thought crossed Heavy Warrior's mind.
"Hey, you up for using this door as a weapon?" Heavy Warrior smirked as he looked toward Lizard Priest.
"But of course, we should not waste such a valuable weapon presented to us."
Both adventurers seemed to roar as they pushed back on their side against the Abomination, though slow at first, the two continued to push as the monster found itself stumbling back. They finally managed to push it up against the side of a building, but they only had it pinned for the moment. While Lizard Priest began his chant for Partial Dragon while Heavy Warrior quickly downed a strength potion and with heir combined might continued to push as they heard the crunch of the monster's bones, until all three heads were crushed under their combined might.
"Come on you winged bastards, here's a nice plump dwarf right here for you!" Dwarf Shaman drew up the clay fragments as four more of the harpies swooped in to attack. "Got you, you devils! Stone Blast!"
xxxx
"They're breaking through!" Guild Girl grew nervous as the wood began to creak and crack as something clawed its way through the barn.
The werewolf snarled as its head moved into the hole it had created only to be engulfed in flames. Half-Dragon Mother rushed forward and quickly spewed for a stream of fire driving the monster back, and the moment it was out, Guild Girl rushed forward and with a bucket and ladle in hand quickly doused the flames. She and Cow Girl would immediately put out the flames from inside the barn once the monster were driven away, it would do them no good if they suffocated within the barn or were burned alive while trying to fight. The two half-dragons would watch for signs of the monsters coming and race towards the nearest hole to breathe their fire.
"Not sure how much more we can endure, but we're going to keep Snow and her littler safe." Cow Girl quickly wiped the sweat from her brow as she looked toward Snow, who was now cuddled around her three pups. "Don't you worry Snow, we're going to make sure that he gets to see his children. You just rest there and…"
There was the sound of creaking and cracking once again, but directly behind where Snow lay, another werewolf snarled as it tore at the wood to get inside. It was to close for the half-dragons to use their flames without harming Snow in the process. Snow thought tired lifted her head and growled as she looked toward the snarling face, and just as Cow Girl reached for the nearby shovel to attack the werewolf shrieked before being violently dragged backwards.
"What…what attacked him?" Half-Dragon Daughter was shocked that it suddenly disappeared.
The women inside suddenly heard the sounds of growling and snarling as something outside was attacking the werewolf. One look at Snow though told them all they needed to know, as her tail was slightly wagging at the sound outside.
"A very protective father." Cow Girl smiled as she knelt down to pet Snow.
Wolf had rushed in and taken hold of the werewolf by its legs and violently drug it away from the barn. The moment it was on the ground, he pounced on the body and sank his teeth into the monster's neck viciously biting and tearing at the throat of the monster until he was sure it was dead. He raised his head and howled in victory as he would not allow anyone to harm his mate, he would not make the same mistake again.
Goblin Slayer a thrown a pepper bomb at the face of one of the Goblin Brutes and as it flailed about trying to attack him, he rushed in with mace and sword, first striking it across the jaw with mace then ramming his blade into the beast's right eye. With sword stuck in the skull, he then used his mace to continuously beat the monster's head until it finally toppled over dead.
"That makes 14." Goblin Slayer placed his foot atop the monster's head and tore his blade free before turning his attention back to the battlefield.
Spearman and Witch had finished the other Goblin Brute, while High Elf Archer and Half-Demon Thief used their arrows and poisoned tipped daggers to finish the last of the harpy women that still soared above them. The rest were tending to anyone who had been injured, but the battle was over, though it had gone on for nearly three hours, the adventurers were victorious, even the strong winds had died down though they could still hear and see thunder and lightning in the night sky. Goblin Slayer, Spearman and Heavy Warrior made one final sweep of the village looking for any survive monsters, the others had regrouped near the village center to talk.
"It's finally over. Not since the battle in the north have I had such a difficult time." High Elf Archer sighed as she slumped to the ground to rest.
"That was when you all had gone to fight the undead right?" Female Knight also sighed in relief as she leaned against a nearby wall to rest her body.
"Indeed, though we were fighting in the thousands, most were mindless undead as opposed to battle-hardened skeletons." Lizard Priest helped himself to a ladle of water before looking toward Priestess. "A fine job you all did keeping the injured safe and aiding us in battling that flesh golem."
"Oh it was nothing really, I just didn't want to lose any one." Priestess had a visible blush as she felt embarrassed to be praised so much.
The others all laughed when they found Goblin Slayer and the others having returned.
"All the monsters have been dealt with."
There was a visible smile on everyone's face, but many of them suddenly remembered that there were others still locked in the barn. Wolf was ahead of everyone as he whined at the barn down, scratching at it with his paw for someone to open the door. The barn door slowly opened up as Half-Dragon Mother cautiously looked out only to smile and see Wolf nearby followed by the others.
"We are victorious my love." Lizard Priest smiled as he bowed his head towards her. "How are you all doing?"
"Papa!"
Half-Dragon Daughter rushed out of the barn to embrace her father much to the enjoyment of all around them.
"I believe her actions are a sufficient answer. We are all alright…and we have new additions." Half-Dragon Mother continued to smile as she returned her attention towards Wolf. "Perhaps you should go and see for yourself."
Wolf did not understand the words, but eagerly entered the barn to check on his mate. Though many wanted to go in and see the pups, it was decided that Goblin Slayer should go in as too many would only stress out the direwolf. Goblin Slayer with his usual bold stride walked into the barn and found Cow Girl and Guild Girl off to the side smiling as they saw Wolf slowly approach Snow.
"Are you both alright?"
"We are, thank you and so is she."
Wolf cautiously moved towards Snow side, both wolves whining as they pressed their noses towards each other. Wolf's tail wagging as he could see his mate was fine and heard the small cried from her side and could see three small figures nursing from her. While the first two pups had a mixture of black and white fur, the final pup had white fur like Snow. Wolf cautiously sniffed at the new pups, Snow watching him very carefully, but everyone found him wagging his tail at the sight of the young one around her.
"Congratulations there papa. Though I think we should let her rest a bit." Guild Girl smiled as she reached over to pat the black dire wolf's side. "In fact, I believe you should all rest."
"Indeed, it's been a long fight but one that had a happy resolution." Dwarf Shaman chuckled as he stroked his beard while starring at Wolf. "First Scaly gets a family, now Wolf…all we need now is for a certain someone to follow suite."
There were many who thought he was implying Heavy Warrior and Female Knight or Spearman and Witch, but for five certain women their own faces were flushed as they looked toward a certain adventurer. The battles had been both long and hard, but our groups had emerged victorious, yet there was still the unsettling thought of the green lights they had seen. The direct reason for them was unknown, but they knew it was not a good sign. The battle for the villages was over, but their war with the Necromancer was far from concluded.