by Aleron Kong
You have been exposed to the light from the Plains of Sana. All healing spells 100% more effective for positive alignment and neutral creatures while the portal remains open.
Unable to help himself, Richter cast analyzed the angel.
Name: Zacharia. Cherubiae. Level ???. Health ???. Mana ???. Stamina ???. Disposition: Neutral. Among the lowest levels of the celestial army, cherubiae are often used as scouts and messengers. Cherubiae gain seven points to distribute per level, and have 1.3x modifier to all stats from their base value. Denizens of the Plains of Sana are well versed in healing and have some regenerative properties.
The angel spoke, his voice a rich tenor, “Hark, Daughter of Light, you have my service until the portal fades. How may I serve?”
Hisako was clearly drained from such a powerful summoning, “Break the spell that binds these three. Kill the mage, and then all other bugbears and orcs that you can reach!”
“As you wish, Daughter.” The angel simply raised a hand and three gold beams shot out to Richter and the two villagers. He collapsed to the ground, almost in ecstasy at the lack of pain. He looked up a moment later to check on the two villagers that had been caught in the spell. Neither were moving. “Nooo,” he croaked. He cast Slow Heal on the Air mage, but no glow surrounded the man. It was too late. He couldn’t cast it again on the other man because of the one-minute cool down for the spell, but he knew in his heart that it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Two more of his villagers were dead.
By the time he had recovered from the pain and failed to heal the villager, the angel had reached the remaining bugbears. Four warriors had been left to oppose the seraphim, all standing in front of the mage. It didn’t matter. The crystal sword struck down at one. It raised a shield to block. The sword cut straight through the buckler however, a single blow overcoming the shield’s durability. The blade continued forward and bisected the body at angle. Before either half had fallen, the angel spun and thrust his sword through the throat of another, and yanked to the side. The head was left attached by only a few tendons. The spin had presented the wings to the two other bugbears. With a forceful extension, each wing connected with a fighter knocking them off their feet. With no other impediments, the angel turned to the Dark mage.
The mage was no fool however, and had started casting as soon as the angel moved in his direction. A pool of darkness welled up and surrounded the man like a cocoon. When the crystal sword flashed into it, the pillar of black dispersed like wisps of cloth on the wind. The angel finished the two bugbears it had struck prone, and then flew back to Hisako.
Sion and Daniella had managed to kill their opponents now that they weren’t facing so many. The angel alighted in front of Hisako, as the villagers came up behind Richter. It was only then that he remembered his charmed bugbear. Apparently it had come to stand with him after the villagers had killed the four bugbears Alma had stunned. It had also been caught in the Dark mage’s spell and had succumbed to the life drain.
“The mage fled, Daughter,” the angel said in its strong sure voice. “Would you have me pursue? The teleport he used is only short range.”
“No,” she said. “Please heal all of us, and then go help my people who are still fighting.” Blue flashes could still be seen to the south.
“As you wish.” The hooded head bent, and he puts his hands together with the sword held pointing up. A gold light began in his hands and then infused into the sword bathing a forty-foot area in light. Richter immediately felt his pain diminish and he saw his health bar improving. He recovered all of his lost health in only three seconds. He absolutely had to get a healing spell like that! A quick look around showed all of the injured villagers had been healed as well. The dead, sadly, remained down.
“I go now Daughter, but advise you to join the fight. My time here grows short.” He gestured to the gold portal which had lost half of its bright intensity. The angel then jumped into the air, and with a flap of his powerful wings, flew towards the fighting at incredible speed.
The villagers looked around in shock at the dead bodies of their friends and loved ones. Richter raised his voice, “We will mourn soon, but right now we must finish this fight. Our people are still in the longhouse and are running out of time. Our brave allies are fighting for us right now to keep still more of the invaders from getting to your families! Anyone that can fight now is the time!”
With that short speech, Richter started running towards the burning building. Hisako and the sprites were right beside him, and he could hear the villagers close behind. Running up one final rise in the land, the longhouse came into view. The entire roof was ablaze and smoke came out of the high air vents cut into the walls. The invaders were no longer trying to break in, but instead simply waited several yards back from the barred doors. They knew the fire would succeed where they had failed, and that soon the villagers inside would soon come running out. At least ten were standing in front of the building.
Seeing them waiting to slaughter his people, Richter flew into a rage.
*Alma!*
*Attack?*
*No,* he thought. *Kill!*
*Yesss!* came her happy and brutal reply.
When they were only a seven yards away, the bugbears finally caught sight of them. They noticed too late because Richter was able to get close enough to cast Grease again. He caught more than half in the AoE. As they turned to meet the attack, they fell prone. He had targeted his spell to the center of the attackers and so only one still stood standing on the left and two on the right. Alma dove from the left and targeted her psi attack at the one still upright. Rather than continue her dive past, though, she latched onto the bugbear’s head with four legs. Clinging like a tick, her tail wrapped around her prey’s neck securing her hold. The skirmisher reached up to pluck her off, but Sion shot him with an imbued arrow. The damage from the attack, coupled with whatever Alma was doing, was apparently enough to overwhelm the bugbear’s psychic defenses. The last sight Richter caught of the invader’s face was of the eyes widened in absolute terror, as blood ran freely out of his nose.
Sion and Daniella began targeting the fallen warriors with imbued shots. Three were dead before they regained their feet. Not to be outdone, Hisako fired off beams of light at two bugbears once again leaving cauterized holes in the bodies. They were dead before they struck the ground. The villagers fell upon the remaining two standing bugbears and literally tore them into pieces. The panic in his people knew no bounds. They all feared their loved ones might be dead in the building before them, and would let nothing stand in the way of opening that door. Several of his people were so blinded by rage that they had rushed forward and were caught in the Grease spell as well. Rushing forward, it was almost impossible to see the slightly darkened surface that warned of the spell.
Once all of the attackers were dead. Richter ran up to the door and shouted, “It’s Lord Richter. Come out! We have killed the attackers!”
There was no response at first, but then there was a scrabbling at the door. Richter heard a scrape, followed by a loud thump, as something heavy hit the ground. Richter pulled on one door while a dwarf villager pulled on another. The heavy wood moved easily when confronted with his strength. A cloud of black smoke came out blinding them all momentarily.
Richter was hit by a weak tackle. He was ready to attack when he heard, “Thank you, my Lord! We would all have died in a few more minutes!”
Richter blinked his eyes clear and saw he was holding a high elf woman. She looked up with bloodshot eyes set in a soot-stained face. She began to sob, clinging to him like he was the last light in a suddenly dark world. He held her awkwardly for a few seconds until another villager led her away to make room for more people escaping the still-burning building.
Someone shouted, “There are still some inside! They were too weak to move! Help them!”
Richter ran inside hacking against the smoke. He couldn’t see anything, but then Hisako cast a spell that s
hot a dozen shining globes into the rafters of the longhouse. Five bodies were on the ground. Richter ran to the closest. He didn’t waste any time checking for life, but just picked him up in a fireman’s carry and ran out of the door. He kept running until he was ten yards away, and then put the body down. He was going to go back, but he saw others had taken the other bodies out. Besides as he watched, a portion of the roof collapsed with a crackle. The structure of the building had finally succumbed to the flames.
He looked back to the body he had drug out of the flames. The smooth face of a young dwarf male looked back at him. The eyes were half open and stared sightlessly up. The dwarf hadn’t even been old enough to even start growing a beard yet. Guilt and anger surged up from deep within Richter. “Noooo!”
He cast Slow Heal, but again the spell couldn’t find purchase on the body. Richter wasn’t done though. He slammed a fist into the dwarf’s chest. He then started compressing the dwarf’s chest. “One, two, three, four,” he said under his breath in time with his exertions. After a count of thirty, he moved to breathe into the dwarf’s mouth. After tilting the dwarf’s head back, he placed his lips on the young dwarf’s and blew forcefully into his mouth. Richter blew a second breath into his lungs before he began to compress the chest again.
A small hand touched his shoulder. “He is gone Richter,” Hisako said.
He ignored her. There was a lot he couldn’t control. There were mistakes that he would make. Hell, this whole attack was his fault! He would have to live with the consequences of this night for the rest of his life. The needless deaths of his people occurred because of his carelessness, and he couldn’t change that. He would not let THIS life go, though. One, two, three, four, … He breathed into the dwarf’s mouth again.
He was starting his third round of compressions when Hisako touched him again, “We need to keep fighting. Yoshi needs out help! I am sorry for your loss, but…” Her words trailed off.
The dwarf youth coughed. Richter couldn’t believe it! It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard! Placing a hand to the dwarf’s neck, Richter could feel a faint pulse! It was weak and thread, but it was there. As he was checking it faltered. It might go out at any moment.
“Hisako! Please heal him.”
She was staring at the dwarf in shock, “But how… this is impossible…”
“Hisako! Please,” Richter pleaded. She shook her head to clear it and extended one hand. A golden glow surrounded her hand and extended to the body of the dwarf. The pulse grew strong under Richter’s hand and the breathing eased. The dwarf lapsed into an easy sleep.
Once breathing normalized, she looked at Richter, “We have much to discuss, Lord Richter.”
“Later,” he replied. “We need to help Yoshi.”
Turning to the villagers, he raised his voice, “All of you who can stand support those who cannot. Those who can fight, your job is to protect the other villagers and make your way back up to the meadow. No arguments,” he said sharply. Several of the villagers had opened their mouths to protest at being sidelined, but they closed them quickly at his tone.
Terrod had walked up while he was speaking. His blackened face made it clear he had been trapped in the building. “You heard Lord Richter. Let’s get moving!” The man’s voice was scratchy from smoke inhalation, but it still radiated authority. How much of that was due to the Comradery ability, and how much was due to his learned gravitas, Richter didn’t know, and he didn’t care. He nodded his appreciation to Terrod, who simply nodded back. His Companion turned away, and picking up an unconscious villager, began walking towards the meadow north of the village. Not wasting any more time, he just turned to Sion and said, “Ready?”
The sprite nodded and they ran to the flashes of blue light, Hisako and Daniella not far behind.
CHAPTER 8
Hisako cried out in outrage and pain. Six of her people lay on the ground. Their bodies were bloodied and ruined. More than one was decapitated. Eleven bugbears bodies joined them in unnatural positions. None were moving. The remaining ten sprites were split between firing out of the village to keep the reinforcements out of the village or attacking the knot of bugbears still inside walls. They were outnumbered even if their attention had not been divided. At least fifteen bugbears remained inside the earthwork walls. The only reason the sprites had not been overwhelmed was the presence of the angel. Zacharia was battering with its crystal sword against an unseen barrier.
The Dark mage was straining to keep the defense in place. He was down on one knee with both hands raised above his head. The drain of maintaining the shield was telling upon obvious. Next to the Dark mage was another figure. She wore tight-fitting robes that in the light of Hisako’s Blessed Light spell, looked more dark grey than black. There was no submission in her face however, unlike her comrade.
The grey-robed sorceress had dark grey skin and fine features. Jet black hair hung loose and straight down her back. She held a staff of braided black wood. The end was pointed at the angel. Her face would have been considered beautiful if not for the cruel snarl fixed upon it. She was five and a half feet tall and her ears were upturned like an elf’s. Even at a distance, her form fitting clothes showed off an athletic and pleasing build.
All of this registered to Richter in a moment, but what caught his attention was Yoshi’s battle with a bugbear several inches taller than the other bugbears Richter had fought. Aside from being bigger, he wore a mix of chain and leather armor, not just the leather of the rest of the attackers. He wielded a large sword. The blade swelled out closer to the tip resembling an axe blade. In the other hand, he held a heater shield. Analyze showed:
Name: Lif’alt. Bugbear Raider Level 24. Health 410. Mana 130. Stamina 430. Disposition: Enmity. Bugbears are the result of sorcerous experimentation blending cave bears with goblins. The race is naturally strong and hardy. They are adept at hiding. Warlike to a fault, it takes a strong leader to control them. Well known to incorporate other races into their war parties. Bugbears obtain the title of ‘Raider’ by undergoing special training. Every raider has +3 to Strength and Constitution. They also have advanced weapons training. Bugbears get one point to distribute per level, and each level gives +1 to Strength, +1 to Constitution, +1 to Dexterity, +1 to Endurance. Profession: Warrior.
The steady banging of the angel against the two mages shields provided a slow tempo. The movement of the two Fighters though was faster by far. Everyone around them fought in what looked like slow motion. Yoshi had two blades out, held in either hand. Each was three feet long and double-edged. The blades were one inch wide uniformly until they tapered to a point. They glowed the pale blue of a glacier. As Richter stared, the two exchanged furious blows.
The raider swung his sword down in an overhand chop. Rather than trying to block, Yoshi smacked his sword against the flat of the falling blade while jumping slightly to the side. The heavy weapon served as a relatively unmoveable surface, allowing Yoshi to push himself out of the way. Getting back on the ground, he spun in a circle both swords lashing towards his opponent’s legs, using the form Samara Seed Falls. The bugbear didn’t even try to dodge, and instead just took the strikes on his iron greaves. Yoshi’s swords left blue white splotches of ice against the iron but did little else. In response, the raider thrust out with his shield trying to bash the sprite. Yoshi had not stayed still however, and used the momentum of his spin to continue behind the invader. That was the idea anyway.
Seeing his shield bash fail, Lif’alt lowered his center of gravity and pivoted on his front foot, keeping the shield between himself and Yoshi. He activated Thrust, and his heavy blade shot forward several times faster than it would have by strength of arm alone. Richter’s breath caught in his throat. At such a short range there should be no way that Yoshi could dodge. Richter was wrong again.
Yoshi bent backwards at the waist almost to ninety degrees, putting one leg behind him for balance. At the same time he crossed his swords in front of hi
m, catching Lif’alt’s weapon in the crook of the two blue blades. The other side of the angle they formed was only an inch from Yoshi’s chest. The tip of the sword drew a drop of blood from the end of the adept’s nose. Drawing his blades across his body in a reverse scissoring motion, he pushed the sword up and away. He straightened and he spun both of his swords back into a guard position.
The two circled one another before resuming their deadly dance. The raider led with his shield, with the sword laid atop sticking towards Yoshi. Taking half steps forward, he closed the distance and jabbed over the top of the shield. Yoshi struck the sword away and swung the sword in left hand over the shield. The bugbear had already retracted his blade though, and was able to deflect the half sprite’s strike. The two started to circle again, putting some space between them.