Maledictus Terra Book 3: Vetitum Nemus Part 104
Introduction
Welcome back to Maledicturs Terra. This is a Chain Story between myself and @lex-zaiya, meaning that we each write the parts alternatively.
If you have not read Maledictus Terra Book 1: Mortis Custos yet, it starts HERE at Part 1 and ends at Part 101 HERE. At the end of the Part 101 post you will find links to all 101 Parts!
Maledictus Terra Book 2: Sanguifex started HERE with Part 1 and ends at Part 111 HERE
The previous part by @lex-zaiya can be found here
Part 104
"We should call for Adiran and Adrian." Tiberos said, visibly sweating.
"What manner of intruder is it?" Gorma demanded. She had knocked a broad-bladed arrow in her recurve bow and had it half drawn, trying to see down the hillside.
"I don't know! But there are... at least ten coming this way all in a formation." The old mage replied.
"Can you use magic to fight?"
"I can throw fire and other things."
"Well then. If you leave now to get Adiran and Adrian without seeing what manner of enemy is, I might be dead by the time you come back. We fight together or flee together mage. Apart we die one by one."
"I suppose you are right."
"Ready your magic Mage." Gorma drew her bow fully. "There!"
They peered down in the darkness, there were a dozen or so figures, large but not tall like men. They were on all fours.
"Wolves I think." Tiberos said.
"Wolves would not come at a camp with torchfire unless they were starving... or are something else." Gorma thought for a second and then released her draw and quickly coated her arrowhead with pitch and lit it with the torch.
She drew her flaming arrow in the bow and shot it downhill at the advancing figures. The shot was not meant to hit any of of them, but land ahead of them in the dirt. The arrow struck the earth where there was a small dry bush which started to burn.
The projectile shot in their direction and the burning bush did nothing to slow down the oncoming pack of hunters. Gorma could see from their gait and the way theat they stalked foward that they were like wolves or wargs... but they could not be.
"Wolves would have run from the fire by now. This is something else." Gorma said. "We may have to fall back inside to reduce their numbers. But let us see if we can thin their numbers!"
Tiberos readily took her commands. He had ever been a follower and the Chieftan's daughter had ever been a person of authority. Gorma loosed an arrow, now aiming to hit a target. Her aim was true and the arrow struck the back of one of the lupine figures. The arrow made a snapping noise and bounced off the back of the shape as it and its kin walked forward.
"What?" Gorma exclaimed.
Tiberos loosed three bolts of fire out towards the figures. The bolts lit up the area even better than the little bushfire and they could see the figures a bit better as the fireballs burst amongst them. Three of the figures were hit by one of the balls while the others either missed or were side stepped by the agile lupine figures.
What was revealed was that their attackers certainly looked like dogs or wolves. But they had no fur on their backs. They had growths of crystal or ore coming out of their skin at along their backs and part of their heads.
The fireball that had struck the three had burned two of them from beneath, doing damage to their organs. Those had collapsed without a sound of pain. The third had caught fire, but was still walking forward without any more or any less of a hurry than it had before. Some of its fur and flesh was cooking as the creature moved.
Gorma loosed another arrow at the closest target. The arrow struck the creature in the head, not where there was crystal, but where there was flesh and bone. The tip was buried in its skull. No yelp of pain or recognition. It kept coming so she loosed another boardbladed arrow at its chest. This sunk into the creature and it fell.
"I do not know what they are mage, they have no fear, no feeling. But they still need their organs and they can die."
"Good" Tiberos grunted. He was waving his arms around and seemed to be chanelling a great deal of power, or at least power that was difficult for Tiberos to control.
Earth spikes erupted from the ground underneath the front row of advancing creatures. The spikes drove through the creatures but mostly did not penetrate through their rocky backs. They were lifted off the ground and bled, snapping jaws that were filled with long sharp teeth as they wriggled and died.
The remaining creatures began gaining speed and galloped towards them. They were not very fast, but they where strong, tough and had no signs that the deaths amongst them was going to deter them.
Gorma cast her recurve bow on the ground. If there was time, she would retrieve it later. She unlimbered her axe. She probably only had time for one throw before they got there.
Tiberos used his magic to roll a nearby boulder down the hill. Most of the creatures manage to evade it but one of them was crushed by the weight and was still.
Gorma hurled her axe high. If she had not done it so many times, there was to way that it would have been effective. The axe clipped on of the monsters in the shoulder and sliced off that limb. It stumbled and fell, bleeding but was getting back up again, left behind by its pack.
Gorma raised her hand and activated the magic that was Adrian's gift and the axe materialized in her fist again. She took two streps towards the closest charging monster, intending on smashing its head from the side with her axe when she heard a scream.
Tiberos fell down, staff in hand. A weight had come crashing down on top of him. He rolled around and there were massive snapping jaws coming for his face. He thrust his staff into its mouth to stop it from reaching his body and the first bite broke off splinters from his staff.
This one must have gone around the hill and came over the top of the cave entrance. So they charged up the hill was a diversion for this one to come take him out.
Tiberos' arms strained to keep the thing bearing down on him from claiming his life with its many toothed jaws.
Over to you Lex!
Thank you for reading!
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Vetitum Nemus
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