B.F.HUUPS
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14. And so it begins
🕑 Added 2023-10-08 00:40:00 +0000 UTCThe sun hung low, teetering on the horizon as an army of adventurers marched toward the Scarlet Stone - a craggy, red rock towering several meters from the ground; beneath it, was the scar, an opening a dozen meters across and twice as tall, burying into the earth.
Banners and bones scattered the mouth of the opening, with dozens of redcap tribes already gathered above ground - whilst dozens more marched out from beneath the surface. It appeared that an entire army was marching out from the Scarworld to join forces with the redcaps of the barrens.
Standing above the rocky, subterranean entrance was a giant cyclops, who stood at least five meters tall. Beside him, was a broad, sinewy minotaur about a meter or so shorter, waving the army on.
“The armies of men march towards us, Haitariki, are you ready to spill blood?” The minotaur snarled, running his tongue across his lips.
“Baha, Tavika, you play funny games. You know Haitariki was born to spill blood. If not for those who conspire below us, I would have already cut my path through these weaklings.” Boasted the cyclops as he pounded on his tattooed chest.
“And, your plan for them? They would not help us build this army without the possibility for their own gain.”
"They look down on us, fools," Haitariki grunted. "But with the orb, I shall reach the next stage and make myself a bonecaster. With my strength, once I gain access to magic I will fear no one."
Tavika nodded and snorted. "And if I gain the class orb?"
The cyclops turned his companion. "You would need to out-perform me for that, my little friend. I suggest it would be wiser to swear your allegiance to me before I gain such power."
"We'll see," Tavika sneered under his breath. But the cyclops was too distracted watching the army march from the underground and the countless silhouettes of adventurers across the horizon to notice.
"This moment shall be recorded in great tomes both above the surface and below it!" Haitariki roared.
***
Scattered skirmishes had already broken out as groups of adventurers clashed with sporadic gatherings of redcaps that camped around the perimeter of the scar.
Not trained or ready for battle, Dotty and Curly were left hitched to a lone boulder. It wasn’t a great solution, considering how dangerous the barrens were, but there wasn’t really any other option.
Gradually battles grew stronger, but for the most part, the redcaps put up little resistance against the various groups of adventurers, either being wiped out in small groups or feeling back toward the scar.
Spells of various colors and elemental makeup flew across the horizon as various adventuring parties drove forward. Despite this, it was evident everyone was holding back. No one wanted to exhaust their mana reserves before the battle proper started. That being said, every kill added to their respective contribution points, and as such, every encounter offered an opportunity to get ahead.
Not to be outdone, and with greed sparkling in his eyes, Fane had taken to the lead, cutting down redcaps with extreme precision and speed, with Dordan only a step behind.
Goblins relied on superior numbers when fighting just about everything beyond children and poorly armed peasants, and so their thin outer ranks provided little challenge.
Earon however, was still barely above most peasants. Even a farmer could raise a combat skill to level 10, the foundling cap. That didn't mean he hid from battle, this was a good experience for him after all, but he had to remember his limits and did his best to only engage lone redcaps, preferably distracted ones.
“We’re not going to earn participation rewards fighting like this,” Fane snarled as groups all around outpaced them.
“No amount of points is worth dying over.” Iliana retorted, loosening an arrow into the neck of a charging redcap.
Driving his spear forward and through the chest of a screaming redcap, Earon stopped to catch his breath and thanked their slower momentum. If they were moving at the pace Fane wanted, he would likely be relegated to trying to stay alive again.
Three, and that makes four. Earon smiled as the goblin fell to the ground gargling blood.
His strategy wasn't the most glorious, hanging a couple of feet back from the group's front line and taking advantage of his spear's length to stab forward and catch off-guard goblins, but it was effective.
Fane didn't have too long to sulk though, as the redcap lines increased in density with every dozen or so meters they advanced, and within minutes their march forward had slowed to a crawl as the goblins formed a line of crude timber shields - painted in the colors of the various tribes.
Crude arrows tipped by sharpened stones as often as they were iron began to fly out from the goblin ranks, alongside various other missiles including rocks and rotten eggs.
A two-and-fro began between the opposing forces, with faster fighters like Fane darting forward to quickly cut down a goblin before retreating back.
Earon, on the other hand, had found himself almost glued behind his shield as projectiles pelted him. However, even just holding up his spear and doing little else aided in strengthening the line.
"Damn it!" Fane hissed as an arrow skidded past his arm, drawing blood. The goblin line had held up and without a shield, he and Dordan had been left exposed.
Lifting up a dying redcap who had a shield tied to his back, Dordan improvised and used the poor monster as his own personal shield, continuing to swing his massive hammer-axe singlehandedly.
"Fall back, Fane," Iliana yelled as she fired another arrow into the line of goblins.
Growling in frustration, Fane jumped back behind their temporary allies as several arrows and miscellaneous projectiles landed at his feet. This was not the kind of battle he excelled in.
Between the heavy armor, shields, and blasts of magical light from the heavens, the group led by Kadrin soon opened holes in the goblin ranks. And it seemed like the story was very similar across the battlefield.
Unlike the Witch Hunters, most groups not only had effective spell casters but were at higher levels and carried better equipment - and it was of little surprise that they would cut through mere goblins, even if they had formed a somewhat effective defensive line.
Shouting wildly, the goblins realized their tactical and prowess disadvantage, rotating their front line with fresh troops. But it wasn't enough and soon they were on the back foot.
“Keep the pressure up, their ranks are close to falling!” Bellow a commanding voice from somewhere amongst the adventurer forces.
“No, please!” Came a man’s cry, followed shortly by another, and then another.
Weakness creaked at a point in the adventurer line somewhere to their left. And Earon looked over from behind his shield as cries continued to echo out. His mouth dropped as he saw a man from within the ranks hurling through the air.
"What the..." Earon mouthed.
A moment later, the line of shields that had been pushed against the goblin line shattered, and a huge greatsword cut through several adventurers in a single swing.
Marching through the carnage came a man dressed in black furs laughing as he aimlessly swung his oversized weapon.
An armored warrior from the nearby ranks charged at him, sword and shield in hand, but the furred man only required a few lazy blows to crumble and cut apart the man.
With the ranks broken, the force of adventurers split, allowing the redcaps to attack from multiple directions, and soon an entire flank of the adventurers was backstepping against the pressure.
That was Kalgarag, was he working with the monsters? Earon's eyes widened.
The towering man continued through his line of chaos straight into the goblin horde and began slicing them down with indifference.
A spark of silvery light followed a second later, and beside the giant man, the moon monk appeared, his barely perceptible strikes cutting down a dozen nearby redcaps in a moment.
They hadn’t been cutting down adventurers because they served the monsters, they just wanted to reduce the competition. Earon realized as he watched on in horror.
The pair had already disappeared beyond the goblin line, and Earon realized he had been holding his breath.
An arrow smashed against his shield, reminding him of the battle at hand. Hopefully, that maniac would be too distracted with winning the world event to bother with them.
At that moment, the line pushed and swayed, and goblins ended up underfoot as their ranks tumbled forward, and were crushed under a stampede of adventurer boots. But again they reformed and and tightened their wall of shields.
Again the lines swelled and clashed as bodies pushed against one another. Shields and bodies pushed at Earon's back as adventurers were forced into increasingly narrow lanes as they followed the backstepping goblin army into the caved walls that led into the scar.
The entire battle had turned into a scrum with few being able to swing their weapons effectively. Spells and more effective ranged weapons made the difference though, and the tightened ranks only resulted in an increasing rate of goblin slaughter.
Barely able to contribute, Earon scanned the rocky ledges above the scar's opening. His heart dropped as he saw hundreds of redcaps were gathered above.
It was a trap.
Distracted, Earon was pushed backward as the line bobbed again and a pocket was created behind him as nearby adventurers thinned out in search of new angles of attack.
Landing on his ass, he looked up to see a green, toothless goblin grin as pushed through the opening, readying to bring down its rusty clever on him, but an instant later, an arrow pierced through its left eye. It stood confused for a second and Earon thrust forward with his spear, guttering the monster.
Looking back, he spotted Iliana urgently waving him away from the front line.
Scratching at the ground, Earon crawled forward, making some distance between himself and the enclosing redcap line, but before they had a chance to close in on him, a massive sword effortlessly cut them down.
Earon scuttled to the side, staring up in horror as Kalgarag made his way through the battlefield, but it seemed the giant man hadn’t taken interest in him. And then he spotted them, it was Kadrin and Todak fighting at the head of their flank, cutting through goblins with precision and magic.
They never got a chance to defend themselves. Kalgarag appeared and cut through the off-guard adventurers like they were nothing. Shrugging as he continued into the carnage.
He didn't care about a weakling like Earon. Kalgarag was thinning the competition, cutting down those who might actually challenge him before they had the chance to do so.
The sight was sickening, especially since Kalgarag would most likely take the top spot regardless, considering his strength. But that didn't seem to be enough of a guarantee for the giant warrior.
Bouncing between enemies, the moon monk joined Kalgarag once again as they moved further into the fray of combat, leaving behind the shattered ranks of adventures to stabilize their lines.
Iliana appeared beside Earon and offered her hand. "No time to stargaze."
Earon nodded. She was right, and he forced his hands to stop shaking and gripped his spear under his arm.
“You know, you're going to get killed out here if you keep that up.” Iliana scolded before loosening another arrow.
"Sorry."
"Don't be sorry, be better."
It didn’t seem to matter how many they cut down, carried by an unusual fervor, endless rows of vicious goblins charged one after another, only to be cut down in the hundreds. But even with whatever was compelling them, the lopsided casualties started to play on the monster’s nerves, and soon entire flanks of redcaps were in retreat.
At the mouth of the Scarlet Stone, skull captains emerged - boar-like beastmen that were said to lead armies of monsters in the dark caverns below. Waving their crude axes, they cut into the lines of fleeing redcaps, slaughtering the terrified goblins with indifference, and soon their horrific display of terror had turned back the redcap horde; rallying the army once more.
A rainbow of different magical energies flew into the roused ranks, followed by an invigorated charge of armored adventurers clashing into the dazed army, in the hope of turning them back before they could regroup.
But they had pushed the goblin army to just outside of the scar's mouth now, and within range of those who stood above it.
A rain of arrows and now spells followed, slamming into adventurers, causing a dizzying effect as they tore people apart.
These were the first serious casualties the adventurers had suffered, and the effect was immediate, slowing the advance to a halt.
Bounding down from their perched overlook, Haitariki and Tavika then crashed into the army beginning their own wild assault.
The onesided slaughter shifted direction, and with the advantage of height, not even the casters amongst the adventurers could sway the battle back in their direction.
To his right, Earon was alarmed as he heard Dordan roar, throwing the dead goblin into the line in front of him and charging in after, creating a path of destruction as he tore through it, swinging his hammer-axe around like a whirlwind.
Dordan's explosion of energy faltered the line, and the nearby adventurers took advantage to push against their enemy.
Fane tried to follow, cutting down two goblins that came to intercept, but their ranks closed up too quickly and he was forced to take a step back as a new barrage hailed down.
"Idiot, get back here!" Fane shouted to Dordan's back as it disappeared into the throng of battle.
“Dordan!” Earon screamed, charging into a recap with his spear extended.
An arrow flew by and seconds later Iliana appeared at Earon's side. “Fool!” She hissed, her eyes locked on where Dordan had crashed through the line.
Fane shook his head as he fell back behind the line. "Get back in position," he commanded, staring down Iliana and Earon with a scowl.
"Come on,” Iliana shouted, grabbing Earon's shoulder and pulling him back as a couple of unfamiliar adventurers filled in, engaging the redcaps with shields high.
*****
Crushing two redcaps as he charged through the ranks, Dordan recklessly made his way through the army, joining up with several other adventurers who made up an advanced party and were already engaged in combat with Haitariki.
Coming at them from the rear, Dordan screamed, his face turning beet red as he drove toward Haitariki.
Already engaged in combat, the cyclops missed Dordan's hurried charge. Swinging with all his might and rage, Dordan closed in and slashed an inch-deep wound across Haitariki's leathery calf.
“RAAGH! Who dares!” The giant cyclops roared, wildly swinging his mighty club as he twisted in pain, his errant strikes catching and crushing two adventurers as if they were bugs.
Amidst arrows, spells, and the screams of battle the shadow of a black-furred figure appeared, cutting a skull captain in half as Kalgarag entered the fray.
Across from him, Haitariki bellowed, “You look fun!” Seemingly forgetting about Dordan's attack already.
Charging forward, the giant cyclops crushed several unfortunate adventurers and goblins alike, swinging his spiked club in wild arcs.
Kalgarag's huge sword rose to meet the threat and the two clashed in a storm of power that would crush most without even needing to land an attack.
Haitariki, who towered over Kalgarag didn't let up though. His strikes continued with equal ferocity as if swinging such powerful blows meant nothing to him.
Pushed back with every blocked strike, Kalgarag's movements slowed and it was obvious the overwhelming power of Haitariki was quickly draining him.
Those unfortunate enough to get caught in the path of the vicious battle were cut or crushed like ants, and the two barely seemed to notice as they created carnage around them.
Digging his feet down, Kalgarag grunted and threw his strength behind some kind of special attack, lunging out towards Haitariki and opening wounds across his arms and legs as his attack seemed to turn the very air itself into sharp edges that could cut flesh and armor alike.
Covered in his own blood, but undeterred, Haitariki kicked back as the attack ended, sending the legendary warrior flying through the crowd as his foot collided with Kalgarag's chest.
*****
Alongside strangers and Fane, Earon helped to push the line, determined to catch up to Dordan.
The chaos ahead had created a clearing in the battle, one not even the goblins or skull captains were keen to interrupt, and it weakened their front line, allowing the force of adventurers to push forward.
"Hang in there big guy," Earon mouthed as he clashed against the weakening force of goblins, skewering one in the process.
But his attention was stolen when a spiraling column of black clouds swirled over the battlefield, connected to a point above the scar’s entrance.
This wasn't just another spell about to be hurled toward the battlefield. This was something serious.
“Earon, eyes on the enemy!” Fane whistled, dodging through a pair of redcaps and cutting them apart in the process.
Dots of glowing red light littered the ledge above the cave. Earon knew that was where the spells had been coming from, but nonetheless, he was surprised at how many there were, as his vision grew stronger with each step.
Earon already knew what he had to do. He wasn't a fighter, not a martial one. He had been brought along for one reason, and as much as he wanted to help save Dordan, he knew this wasn't where he excelled.
"Where the heck is he going?" Fane shouted as Earon fell back into the ranks and peeled through the army to climb up a shallow edge of the nearby rocky cliff face.
Iliana’s eyes flashed yellow as she watched Earon's ascent for a moment before returning to the battle. “To do his job.”
