by Dean Henegar
“Creepy, I know. They’re under our control, but they’re just icky…now they smell even worse than usual covered in ghoul goop,” Yendys complained while holding her nose. Ty made a motion for her to shush, thinking about their current situation.
“Unfortunately, we lost Drake, Kathala, and Jacoby. The three of us can still fight…” Ty started before being interrupted.
“Nooo, there’s four of us. Don’t forget Crunchy, the super unicorn beetle.” Yendys interjected.
“Like I was saying, the four of us are all that’s left. We’ve lost our healer and our tank. Since were still in the raid battle, we’re also not regenerating health or mana. I know you’re down below half mana Yendys, but I think our best use of that mana would be to heal us all as much as you can. We can only use one potion while in raid so all of us should down a health potion now, while we have a moment,” Ty told the party as he pulled out and drank a small red vial of healing potion. The healing potions in-game were not very powerful. The best at the party’s level only healed for about 50-75 health over 20 seconds. Any amount of healing was welcome in a long fight like this one, though.
“Sure thing; my heals can only hit each person once every few hours so I can’t heal Quimby again. Hopefully he’ll remember to get higher in the tree this time. Let me try something as well,” Yendys finished as she began to cast heals on the party. Between the potions and the spell, her health went up to seventy-five percent, Ty was up to sixty-five percent, Crunchy was about seventy percent, and Quimby was just over half health. Yendys looked out over the creepy foul spore creatures. With a sigh, she began to cast nature’s mending on the most damaged wolf which was only at eight percent health. Her assumption that the healing spell would work on the summoned creatures was correct and the foul spore wolf’s health ticked up to twelve percent before the spell wore off. She quickly finished on the other foul spore creatures before she took command of all the summoned beings, Ty and Quimby both saying they needed to focus on the fight, not on commanding creatures.
“Come on stink team, let’s go save old man Raytak,” Yendys ordered and the remaining six foul spore wolves, one bear, and a giant unicorn beetle followed along behind the party as they moved to the main fight.
Chapter 30
I stared in awe at the Darkscale Hydra as it thrashed about. The giant creature had the attention of most of the ghouls, thankfully. A steady stream of the undead still flowed over the berm and charged my men, but they were spread out and easy meat for the disciplined soldiers. Crossbow and scorpion bolts would also occasionally pluck off ghouls that stood too long on top of the berm, but the soldiers had things in hand for now and I ordered them to conserve their ammunition…at least for as long as the hydra stayed in the fight. Raytak could hear the screeching voice of ghoul lord, Dunderman shouting orders from the rear of his formation. The ghouls became more organized after that, though the majority still swarmed like they had before. It appeared the ghoul lord couldn’t hold perfect command of all his forces at the same time. The ones the ghoul lord could control were doing well. Bands of ten ghouls attacked each leg of the hydra, trying to stop it from stomping on their kin. The heads of the hydra were still working like some gore processing machine. The heads would zero in on a ghoul and shoot down, plucking their unfortunate victim up in the air before shaking its head to shred the body. The hydra wasn’t trying to feed, it was railing in anger at the small beings that were hurting it.
The ghoul lord’s plan seemed to be working, as first one then another of the hydra’s legs collapsed under it. Huge swaths of flesh had been torn from the beast and consumed by the ghoul pack. Now that it was down and lower to the ground, more and more of the undead scurried up its body. Feasting as they fought, the ghouls would tear gobbets of flesh off the hydra to stuff in their mouth while they fought, the hunger that drove them never ceasing, save for those few moments of feasting. The ghouls’ coordinated effort finally tore through something vital and the organs of the hydra slid out from its shredded hide. The five heads of the hydra gave one last mournful wail as the giant beast collapsed dead.
“Sergeant Brooks, take charge of the right flank, I’ll handle the left flank. They will try to swarm us now. Refuse the flank and be prepared to seal up the formation completely, if we have to,” I ordered, and we got to work. I walked the line, encouraging the men as the swarm of ghouls poured over the defenses and attacked en masse once again. Nitor was still in the middle of our formation chanting his inspiring verse to bolster our resistance against the ghouls’ deadly paralysis ability. Thankfully his bard ability also seemed to negate the fear aura that the ghoul lord exuded. Beremund stuck to my side, holding his bone crusted club in one hand and a carved hunting horn in the other.
I estimated the ghouls had started with 350+ attackers. Our continuous ranged fire and the soldiers killing the few that leaked past the hydra had whittled their numbers down to 250. The impressive hydra had killed at least fifty on its own. That still left around 200 hungry, and now angry, ghouls hurtling themselves at our line. The line crashed with the collision of the ghouls and the sound of so many claws scratching at the shields my soldiers held was unnerving.
“Scouts and engineers, fall in as our reserve. Medics, pull back to the second rank. Watch for the injured and paralyzed,” I ordered, wanting to protect the specialized soldiers as much as possible. The scouts drew swords and readied their shields, slinging their crossbows across their backs. I could see they were down to their last few bolts by now, the ammunition nearly exhausted. I made note to see about carrying reloads. The truth of the matter was, we badly needed a supply train as our numbers grew. I hated to be slowed down and to have our cross-country ability diminished, but hauling around siege equipment and being in the field for an extended time had shown the need. I ordered the engineers to leave the siege engines behind, they couldn’t use them in our formation and I doubted the ghouls would bother with the scorpions.
“Right flank, refuse!” Brooks ordered and I followed suit with the left. The last squads on the ends of our lines swung inward like a hinge, creating a larger front that the enemy had to attack. The men performed well, defending themselves with their large shields and thrusting to the ghoul on their right. The ghouls were single minded, only focusing on what was in front of them, ignoring the men to the sides. We made them pay in black blood for their ignorance. Some of the ghouls attempted to leap over the ranks of soldiers. The second rank would raise their shields and deflect them into the waiting swords of the scouts when they did. We also began to take losses; the ghouls attacks were just too relentless to expect limited casualties. With each ghoul slashing both claws, some blows would get through. Several of the creatures also used the technique that Dunderman had used on me at the farm, clawing with their feet. Men would go down occasionally with paralysis, the medics would then pull them back to the rear, apply a bandage and keep them safe while they recovered. The second rank would fill in as men in the first rank dropped, the second line becoming thinner and thinner as our losses mounted.
“Tavers, you and the other engineers grab shields and swords from the dead. Unfortunately, there should be plenty for you to choose from,” I ordered, sending the three remaining engineers to better equip themselves for melee. Their daggers and lack of shields made sense when operating siege equipment, now I would likely have to use the advanced soldiers as fodder in the line of battle. Ghoul lord Dunderman hissed more orders and several small groups of ghouls began to run around our flank, looking to exploit the small opening in the rear of our formation. Having no choice, I pulled most the remaining second rank and formed a scratch line, closing our formation into a big triangle. The men moved into position like a well-oiled machine; our high standards of training were now paying benefits.
“Scouts and engineers, you’re the reserve, plug any holes that open. Attention on the line, if the man next to you falls, close the gap and shrink the formation. Do not leave an opening for these beasts,” I ord
ered. The seven scouts and three engineers moved about in the rear, looking for trouble. When a man fell, they would assist until the soldiers next to the fallen could close the gap, all the while pulling paralyzed soldiers into the middle. There was a steady stream of paralyzed soldiers recovering from the short-term condition and returning to fight on the line.
Sergeant Brooks pulled back a few of the medics from the fight and had them apply bandages to those they could, increasing our staying power. Losses continued to mount, yet as our formation shrunk ever smaller, the ghouls also were being cut down. I couldn’t get a good estimate of our foes, the frantic fighting blocked my view, but we were down to around forty-five combat effectives. I drew my own sword, ready to do my part until the end.
“Soldiers of the First Legion, it is an honor to fight by your side this day! The undead are said to know no fear, but I think after this fight, the creatures of darkness that hear our name will quake in terror. We end their foul mockery of life today. Fight hard, fight for the man next to you, fight for the First!” I shouted, stepping up into the line as a soldier in front of me fell dead.
“For the First!” the men shouted after me. A horn sounded behind me and there was a reply in the distance. I wanted to see what the horns were about, but I couldn’t take my attention off the ghoul in front of me. I thrust forward, skewering the ghoul on my right, just as it opened the throat of the soldier it faced. Undead moved into the gap next to me before the other soldiers could step together closing the breach in our line. With the war cry of his people on his lips, Beremund stepped into the gap, swinging his huge club with the cleave ability. Four ghouls were knocked back, giving me the time to reform the line. I moved back into the rear of our formation (now an ever-shrinking circle) to see that all the reserve was committed and even Nitor had taken a place in the line, fighting as hard as he could with a thin rapier in one hand and a small wooden buckler in the other.
The ghoul lord had climbed on top of the hydra and was glaring down directly at me. A noise to the rear distracted him. Since he was down slope from me, I was able to see the welcome sight of the Drebix villagers charging into battle. A ragged, undisciplined mob of forty warriors were about 100 yards out and closing with the line. Behind the warriors, a swarm of the villagers followed, carrying shovels, axes, pitchforks, and in one case a rolling pin as weapons. Dunderman hissed in fury before a grin slowly appeared on his face.
“Did you think this swarm was the sum total of my power?” Dunderman asked, gesturing toward the ghouls swarming around my men. Behold the power of a ghoul lord! We hold sway over all undead! Arise, my beautiful plaything! Arise!” Dunderman cackled in glee as waves of black necromantic energy flowed from his arms and into the corpse of the hydra. There was nothing I could do but watch as the corpse twitched several times before hauling itself up on its shredded legs. Four of the heads looked to their new master and hissed in approval of their new undead status. The four hydra heads grabbed onto the one that didn’t reanimate and pulled, tearing the appendage from the body and tossing it aside. Dunderman looked drained from the effort as he dug the claws of his feet and hands into the flesh of his creation, riding on its back and taking control of it like a fetid puppet master. The AI populated my vision with the newly created creature’s description.
Ghoul Lord’s Puppet, Hydra, Level 5 elite: Any recently dead creature can become the puppet of a ghoul lord, provided the corpse hasn’t been consecrated by the priest of any good or neutral deity. A puppet must be controlled directly by the ghoul lord, requiring the ghoul lord stay within fifty feet of its puppet. The more powerful the puppet, the closer the ghoul lord must be. Corpses of the huge size and above must have direct physical contact with their master to operate. Ghoul Lord Puppets retain many of the abilities they had in life and can often develop new abilities, depending on their creature type and the power of the ghoul lord controlling them. These creatures are temporary beings and will fall into a rapid decomposition after a period of twenty-four hours.
The hydra looked about, Dunderman now seeing through its eyes, as it considered my dwindling force. Looking back toward the charging villagers, it made a decision. Heaving its bulk off the berm it was straddling, the hydra began to slowly amble toward the forerunner clan members that were charging it. Several of the spikes we had placed as defenses were trampled on by the abomination, but its health bar didn’t even move from the damage taken. This thing must have an insanely high health pool. I was out of options; my forces were being buried under a wave of ghouls and now the ghoul lord’s creation would destroy the Pathfinder clan as they sallied out to help us. The warriors slowed their pace, expecting to counterattack against a band of ghouls, not some undead behemoth.
A grizzled old tribesman strode confidently to the front of his people, raising his spear above his head as he turned his back to the approaching monster. I couldn’t make out his words, but whatever he said apparently bolstered the courage of his people and a look of determination settled upon the Drebix tribesmen. The few carrying the tribe’s signature short throwing spears hurled them at extreme range, none missing the huge target stomping toward them. The creature’s health bar finally showed some decline after that attack. I had been worried for a moment that it was impervious to piercing damage. My attention was drawn back to my own fight as the ghouls brought down two soldiers next to each other, opening a breach that allowed the creatures to swarm through.
Not having any reason to hold back, I activated my honor guard ability. Two sergeants appeared, and I directed them to the hole in our lines. The three of us worked in perfect sync, stabbing at open opponents and blocking any attacks we could with our shields. We cut down the three ghouls that had penetrated the line and the honor guard plugged the hole, their stronger stats and presence solidifying this part of our line. I took a moment and began to pull a few soldiers from the line when there was chance, getting two to replace the honor guard when they were unsummoned and two extras to respond as a quick reaction force to any other breaches.
I could only count forty-one soldiers remaining in the fight along. Beremund was fighting with the strength of any five regular warriors. Nitor was down and paralyzed, but safely inside the circle of soldiers. I had noticed a pattern in this fight. The men that remained with me were holding the ghouls back, our losses becoming much less frequent as the battle raged on. The soldiers remaining were the cream of the crop. Those with less skill or really bad luck had been among the first to die. These soldiers had passed the test, becoming more powerful as they fought together. The men instinctually knew what the soldier next to them was doing, the legion becoming an efficient killing machine. The AI seemed to agree with my assessment and a prompt appeared in front of me.
The 1st Legion of Hayden’s Knoll has been upgraded to a veteran formation: +1 to attack, +1 to defense, +50 to health, +2 to morale for all soldiers and auxiliaries assigned to the legion.
Forged through the heat of battle, these few that have survived become something more than a standard unit. They have become veterans. The 1st legion is now designated as a veteran formation. Soldiers in a veteran formation have increased morale, attack, defense, and health. Your garrison now attracts experienced soldiers who wish to fight for an acclaimed legion, ensuring replacements are up to the same high standard as the rest of your formation. Gain renown and strive for great deeds to increase your legion’s ranking.
Moving my attention back to the hydra, I could see the fight was not going well for the Forerunner clan. The hydra had trampled through the line of tribesmen, its bulk allowing it to break any defensive formation the Drebix tried. A dozen of the warriors lay dead, some crushed under the feet of the beast, while others had been snatched up and bitten in half by the four remaining heads of the hydra. As one of the heads reared back to attack the old tribesman who had rallied the force earlier, something flew into the side of the hydra distracting it.
I couldn’t believe my eyes as first one, then five more of the fo
ul spore wolves we had fought long ago slammed into the side of the hydra. The wolves opened their jaws wider than should have been possible. From the open maw of the wolves, vines shot forth, imbedding into the hydra’s body. The wolves convulsed, the hydra hissing in anger as its dead flesh began to dissolve from the acidic sap of the foul spore creatures. A large foul spore bear also joined the fight, rising on its hind legs before shooting vines from not only its mouth, but also from its front claws into the middle of one of the hydra’s necks. The bear’s increased sap flow quickly dissolving not only the flesh, but also the bone of the neck. Soon the targeted neck separated from the body, landing on the ground with a wet thump.
The hydra wasn’t idle as these new foes attacked it and Dunderman commanded the three unafflicted heads to target the bear. Each hydra head snapped down, tearing chunks from the large, corrupted bear. The damage was too much for the bear and it collapsed into a pile of stinking vines, sap, and torn hide. The hydra then stomped one of its feet down, crushing a wolf. The damage from the wolves and the loss of a head brought the creature down to sixty percent health, the percentage dropping with each convulsion of the wolves. As the hydra’s heads readied for another attack an arrow embedded in one, closely followed by a green ball of nature energy. The targeted head hissed at the pain more newcomers had inflicted on it.
Closing the distance to the hydra, I saw what remained of my party. Yendys used the last of her mana pool to summon a final dog while Ty and Crunchy charged, trying to close to melee range. Quimby took aim at the hydra and loosed arrows as fast as he could, trying to find weak points in the undead creature’s anatomy. The hydra heads snapped forward, killing off three of the foul spore wolves. The remaining two wolves were undeterred, continuing their relentless assault. The belly of the hydra then split open as the acidic sap melted through. Decaying organs, that were no longer necessary to the undead creature’s function, splashed into a pool of filth beneath the beast. I could see that its rib cage was also partially dissolved, reducing its structural integrity. The wolves readjusted their vines, now each targeting the same leg.