by Troy Osgood
He could only watch as the Half-Elf took a couple of steps forward, the spear stabbing straight ahead. Then he saw no more, his vision fading to black.
Hall didn’t think twice about the Duntin on the ground behind him. He knew the raider was dead. Had seen the critical hit notifications. Feet touching the ground, he stepped forward, using the momentum to put extra power into his first attack.
A benefit of using Leap, besides the Leaping Stab attack while in the air, was the Attack of Opportunity when he landed. It was an attack that ignored any evasion or dodge skills the target had, only factoring in the Protection from the physical armor.
The spear slammed into the chest of the Duntin before him. With the added force, Hall felt the resistance of the body give, the tip bursting out the other side. Instead of pulling the spear back, afraid it would get stuck, Hall continued forward. The Duntin fell to the ground, Hall running past, ripping the spear out. The wooden shaft seemed to bend as the tip got lodged against bone. The dense ironwood held, the bone giving first. The spear ripped out, cutting a long and deep gash in the Duntin.
Spear pointing behind him, Hall was moving away from the Duntins. Two were dead; two were still down, wounded, bodies spasming from the energy coursing through the hard muscles. Hall set his feet hard into the ground, coming to a stop. He pivoted, sliding the shaft of the spear forward and then turning it. The point swung out at full extension, forcing the charging Duntins to fall back.
Completing the arc, Hall pulled the spear back, holding it across his body. Six Duntins spread out, moving to flank him. The others started heading up the hill, running toward the fields and Skara Brae, ignoring Hall. Sending a mental signal to Pike, he ordered the dragonhawk to harass those raiders, knowing Talon would do the same. That just left Hall with the six Red Caps.
He stepped back, not letting them flank him. A quick jab to the side with the spear caused the Duntin to step back. Hall slid the spear shaft through his hands, slamming the butt end into the Duntin on the other side, who had tried to dart in. The end caught him in the throat. The Red Cap reached up, clutching at his throat.
Hall wanted to swing the spear around his body, stab at the distracted Duntin, but he couldn’t. The others were closing in. He waited, letting them get closer. His smile gave them pause.
Activating Leap, Hall jumped over their heads. He stabbed down, the tip of the spear slicing across a Duntin’s face, leaving a bloody trail. The Duntin fell back, head striking hard on a rock, as Hall landed ten feet away. He pivoted quickly, spear ready.
Hall glanced at the corner of his vision where his Health and Energy bars were displayed. Health was fine, he’d had yet to take a hit, but his Energy was low. It recharged over time, but at a very slow rate during combat.
The leaping in and out of battle, scoring hits while in the air, making quick strikes and avoiding retaliation by leaping away, that was how a Skirmisher was meant to fight. How the class had been designed. And it was working.
But Hall’s Energy pool wasn’t high enough to keep it up for long. Not against this many foes.
He faced Roc Reaver raiders, all with hammers, a couple with bucklers. The Berserker, leader of the raid, had continued on. He wanted to chase after them, keep the Duntins from hitting the fields. If he did, he’d just have these ones chasing him, trapping himself between two groups.
Hall knew he had to trust in his citizens, have faith they would be there.
He had to have faith that someone would come to help him.
That faith wavered as a line of dark smoke drifted up from the meadow.
Fire.
Chapter 4
Hall forced himself not to look at the thickening column of smoke. Forced himself not to think about what it meant. He heard no screams, no sounds of fighting.
That was a good sign.
But the fire wasn’t.
It had to be put out before all the fields burned.
He knew he had to end the fight quickly; he just wasn’t sure how.
Slowly his Energy ticked up.
The Duntins closed the gap; Hall stepped backwards. He could feel the ground change from grass to rock, the flat becoming sloped. He stumbled, his foot slipping on loose rocks. The Duntins charged, two of them rushing forward.
Hall stabbed at the one on the right, the spear deflected by the small buckler. The force still pushed the Duntin back, feet slipping. Hall tried to get the spear back but wasn’t fast enough. The Duntins were compact like a Dwarf, but they were faster.
Grunting in pain, Hall twisted, avoiding most of the hammer blow. His side hurt where the heavy head of the weapon had grazed past. It was painful, the muscle throbbing. A solid hit would have been bad.
Hall ducked, a hammer sailing inches over his head, the pressure from the swing making his hair wave. He swung the spear low, slamming the thick wood into the knees of the Duntin before him. The Red Cap stumbled, falling to the ground. Hall stepped back, evading the other Duntin’s attack. Barely. The hammer swung inches from Hall’s chest. He had to remember he wasn’t wearing armor of any kind.
He rolled backwards, holding his spear across his chest. Hall came up facing the two Duntins, others to the side. He shifted the spear, bringing it around his body, pointing it out in front of him. The two groups of Duntins charged. Hall leapt into the air.
The arc took him to the side, around the larger group of Duntins. Saving his Energy, he didn’t activate Leaping Stab, instead landing behind them. His spear slammed into the back of one, just to the side of the spine below the shoulders. There was an audible cracking of bone. The Duntin jerked, staggering forward with the blow and then stumbling backwards as Hall pulled the spear out. Hall slammed the weapon forward again, catching the same Duntin in the lower back. He pulled it out, stepping forward and kicking. The Duntin fell forward, slamming into one of his shipmates. He got it up to the side in time to catch a falling hammer.
The shaft of the hammer slammed into the ironwood spear shaft. Hall could feel the vibrations of the impact through the wood. He tightened his grip, pushing down and away. He had leverage on the stronger Duntin. Growling, the Duntin tried to stop his arms from bending backwards.
Slowly the hammer pushed the spear upwards.
Hall kicked out, wincing as his foot hit the hard knee of the Duntin. There was a crack, the Duntin stumbling, taking the pressure off the spear. Hall turned it, quickly stabbing the weapon down. The tip slammed through the Duntin’s armor and into his chest. He growled, reaching for the weapon, but his hands fell limp. Hall had to step on the Duntin to pull the spear out.
He twisted, hearing the charge, but was too slow.
The hammer caught him in the shoulder. Luckily not the full weight of the weapon, the head just grazing. Still enough to knock him off balance. Hall stumbled, twisting in the opposite direction he had wanted to. He fell into the stumble, becoming a roll, trying to put distance between himself and the Duntin. His spear fell to the ground.
Hall popped out of the roll, drawing his short sword. The edge seemed to take on a light blue glow. He faced the Duntin who had struck him, knowing there were others now moving around to the sides and behind. He flexed his shoulder. It was stiff and sore, luckily not his sword arm.
He shifted his feet, turning his body slightly so he wasn’t face on to the Duntin, putting his left side out. He glanced quickly around, seeing other Duntins closing in on the sides.
Time to do something unexpected.
Hall charged, but not the one who had struck him, but one of the ones closing in on the side. He jumped up as he ran, kicking out at the surprised Duntin. Booted feet struck the smaller humanoid, sending the Duntin hard to the ground. Hall slashed down with his sword, the magical ability activating. Ice spread out from the wound, coating the leather. The Duntin shivered, teeth starting to chatter. Hall stepped off the prone humanoid quickly, putting more space between him and the others. The one on the ground wouldn’t be getting up soon. The sword’s Ice Shock abili
ty plus the additional damage granted by his Obsidian Pendant of Icy Chill had added to the damage of the attack.
He was glad that, unlike his armor, he hadn’t taken off the magical rings and necklace.
Turning, Hall saw that he had run past all the Duntins. They were cursing at him in their language. It sounded similar to Dwarvish but with some differences. Dwarven language already sounded harsh and rough, like it was carved from the stone the Dwarves mined. The Duntins’ was even harsher, but more sharp than rough. He didn’t understand a word of it but could get the gist of what they were saying.
He quickly searched the ground for his spear, finding it on the ground between the fallen Duntin and the one who had hit him. There was just enough space.
Hall activated Leap, launching himself into the air. High, coming down only a short distance away. There were no targets for Leaping Stab, but that was as planned. He landed, crouching low, reaching down with his free hand and grabbing the spear. He stabbed with the short sword, keeping the surprised Duntin at bay. Activating Leap again, Hall jumped low over the backpedaling Duntin. Holding the spear in one hand, left handed, Hall stabbed down with Leaping Stab. Not the cleanest strike, the tip hit the Duntin in the shoulder, further driving the smaller humanoid off balance.
Landing behind the Duntin, Hall stabbed the short sword out, up high, catching the Duntin in the back of the neck. The blade pierced skin, frost spreading out from the wound. The Duntin’s body jerked, the dying humanoid falling forward.
Hall sheathed his sword, grabbing the spear in both hands.
The others hadn’t been idle. They had charged, closing the gap between them and Hall.
They were smart, or getting smarter. Each Duntin spaced out a few feet as they stalked toward Hall, essentially preventing him from jumping in between them. He could leap to the end of the line but would just have to keep doing that while using up his Energy.
He couldn’t see another option; he had to end this fight quickly. The smoke was still billowing out from the fields. He braced himself, ready to Leap.
The sound of booted feet stopped him. Heavy footsteps rapidly hit the ground. Turning, Hall saw a blur of color descending the hill. It slammed into one of the middle Duntins, sending the much smaller and unprepared Red Cap rolling across the meadow. Coming to a stop, Hall saw Jackoby, wooden hammer and shield in hand. The large Firbolg, almost twice the height and weight of the Duntin, swung the hammer to the side, catching an attack on his shield.
The head of Jackoby’s hammer was close to the size of the Duntin’s buckler. The Red Cap had no chance of blocking. Metal bent; the magical ironwood hammer pushed past the small shield and slammed into the Duntin’s chest.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Hall rushed forward a couple of steps, stabbing out with the spear. He caught the Duntin in the shoulder just as the humanoid turned. The force of the attack spun the Duntin around. Hall pulled the spear out, stabbing the smaller Duntin in the gut. Ripping the spear up, Hall shifted his grip, bending low, stabbing the spear up into the chin of the Duntin. The sharp tip pierced bone, cutting into the Duntin’s brain.
The creature died, falling forward. Hall sidestepped, pulling the spear out as he did, twisting the body, snapping the neck.
“You have no armor,” Jackoby growled, batting away a Duntin hammer with his shield, breaking the much smaller humanoid’s arm with his hammer.
Hall smiled. At least Jackoby wasn’t complaining about Hall being foolhardy. It was something the Firbolg would have done a short couple of months ago. Jackoby was still intent on honoring the life debt he felt owed to Hall, no matter how many times Hall told him not to. But lately Jackoby had been toning it down some, in Hall’s opinion. Something he was thankful for.
Using the spear to push a couple of Duntins back, Hall moved so he was back-to-back with the larger Firbolg, leaving space between them so they could move. There were only a handful of the raiders left.
“What’s the situation up in the meadow?” Hall asked, swinging the spear to push a hammer back.
He slid the shaft through his hands, grabbing it tight and pushing it forward. The movements were quick and sure, catching the Duntin by surprise. Sharpened ironwood pierced the leather vest, the special ability activating and leaving a good-sized splinter in the wound. The Duntin growled in pain as the wound continued to bleed. Hall rotated the spear, slamming the butt end into the Duntin’s throat.
Clawing at it, gasping for breath, the red-capped raider fell back.
“The Red Caps started a fire as soon as they hit the meadow. It’s spreading fast, but Dinah and the others are starting to get it under control,” Jackoby growled, more words at once than Hall had ever heard. He paused, hammer slamming into the chest of a Duntin. “Brient and the others intercepted the raiders.”
Hall breathed a sigh of relief. The fire was bad, but at least the fighting citizens of Skara Brae were confronting the raiders. They’d be outnumbered, but with the higher-leveled Brandif and Garrick anchoring them, the fight should be controllable. He still wanted to finish these few off quickly and assist in fighting the fires.
He saw the hammer coming in quick, his distraction giving the Duntin an opening. On instinct, Hall lifted his arm, catching the heavy hammer. He heard bones snap, biting back the scream of pain. Twisting, he drove the tip of the spear into the Duntin, getting a lucky shot into the Red Cap’s throat. Eyes widened in surprise, pain and hate, the dying Red Cap tried to swing the hammer again, but it fell from lifeless fingers, hitting the ground at Hall’s feet.
He stepped back, pulling the spear out, holding it with one arm, the other hanging useless at his side. He started to drop the spear but stopped, looking around. There were no more Duntins. Bodies lay everywhere, spread out in a wide area. None moved, no groaning of those still alive.
Notifications flashed across his vision. Hall dismissed the combat ones, concentrating on the skill and experience gains. He was glad he had thought to make the raiders faction enemies.
SLAIN: Roc Reaver Raider
+25 Experience (Faction Enemy Bonus +25)
SLAIN: Roc Reaver Raider
+25 Experience (Faction Enemy Bonus +25)
SLAIN: Roc Reaver Raider
+25 Experience (Faction Enemy Bonus +25)
SLAIN: Roc Reaver Raider
+25 Experience (Faction Enemy Bonus +25)
SLAIN: Roc Reaver Raider
+25 Experience (Faction Enemy Bonus +25)
SLAIN: Roc Reaver Raider
+25 Experience (Faction Enemy Bonus +25)
SLAIN: Roc Reaver Raider
+25 Experience (Faction Enemy Bonus +25)
Skill Gain!
Light Armor Rank Two +.2
Skill Gain!
Polearms Rank Two +1.5
Skill Gain!
Small Blades Rank Two +.3
Skill Gain!
Thrown Rank Two +.1
The Polearms gain had pushed him over twenty-five, which gave him an additional 100 experience as well as a stat point increase. Looking over his Character Sheet, Hall chose Willpower. The fight had shown him that he could use more Energy. Getting past twenty-five hadn’t gained him another rank in Polearms, but it had gained him the first skill ability, Double Thrust.
Hall wanted to smile. The fight had been good for his character, but there was still a danger to his home.
He opened his connection to Pike, wanting to get an aerial view of the meadow.
Pike was circling above, waiting for his own Energy to recharge for another lightning strike. Hall could feel the blood dripping from Pike’s talons. One of his wings was moving slightly slower, giving the dragonhawk a bit of a wobble. Pike was tired.
The battle was spread out, small groups of raiders and defenders. Hall could see the clash of steel on steel, the flash of a couple of spells. The fire roared in the back corner of the fields. He saw Firbolgs cutting down good crops ten feet from the flames, trying to make a kind of firebreak. Others were runn
ing with buckets of water, taking them from the small stream that ran alongside the rough stone wall, disappearing into the ground in a small pond. They dumped the water along the hastily made break.
A small form stood between the runners and a Duntin. The Red Cap, hammer in hand, advanced on the small furry humanoid creature.
Smol, the Leshy guardian of Greenheight Vale, had joined the fight.
“Come on,” Hall said, trying to run up the hill. He winced as his broken arm banged against his side.
Jackoby stared at the arm. Hall just glared.
The Firbolg shrugged, taking off at a run while Hall followed.
Chapter 5
Hall leaned against his spear, holding his other arm as still as he could. He watched the fire, which was still burning. It was lower, ash and dark smoke rising into the sky. The firebreak had worked, somewhat, slowing the spread so they could get it under control.
The Druids were there now, using their abilities along with those of the Leshy to keep it contained, letting it burn itself out. Sharra, the Shaman, was doing most of the work. Now that she wasn’t fighting Duntins, she could devote her elemental energies to battling the blaze. She held the wooden staff, the cage containing Tulla the trapped fairy hanging from the end. The little fairy glowed a dull purple, the energy swirling around Sharra’s outstretched arm, which glowed blue as she summoned elemental water. The purple strengthened Sharra’s spells, steam rising where water met fire.
Hall could feel the heat of the flames from where he stood, twenty feet away. Out of the way of the still-going bucket brigade.
He felt useless. This was his land, and he couldn’t do anything to help fight the fire. It was all he could do to remain standing. The pain in his arm was intense.