The goblins had been literally torn apart. None of the remaining pieces were larger than a soccer ball. One lugash remained at the bodies, stuffing flesh that dripped with black blood into its ragged mouth. The other two were attacking his people. Caulder had organized them into a block formation, the guards with shields in front. Richter saw one guard swing a heavy blow with a high steel mace at a lugash, but the weapon just bounced off. In a swift counterattack, the undead swiped downward with its claws. The guard fell screaming. One of his eyes was simply gone.
Caulder shouted for everyone else to close ranks. He struck the other lugash with his Quicksilver Spiked Mace of Goblin Slaying. The fluidic metal achieved a much better result than the other guard’s high steel mace, despite the enchantment not having any effect. The monster shrieked in pain. It was about to strike back at the sergeant, but Richter’s saproling arrived.
The stag rammed into the undead, leading with its wickedly sharp antlers. While the monster’s body could resist steel, the hardened magical wood of the elemental’s natural weaponry was enough to pierce its body. The level twelve saproling lifted the undead in the air while it continued to shriek. It lashed out with its clawed hands at the saproling’s head. The attack gouged deep grooves into the leaves and roots that comprised the elemental’s body. In anger, the summoned creature threw its head to the side, and the lugash flew off of its antlers. The undead crashed into the ground, and the elemental wasted no time spearing it again.
The last lugash attacking the guards was swiping at the shields of the guards and shrieking in frustration. Sion swiped at its legs, but his thorn-like rapier just bounced off. Thankfully, the sprite was able to dodge out of the way of the undead’s return strike. Caulder struck it with his mace, but though the monster was hurt, it did not seem critically so. The strike, coupled with Caulder’s position as the war party’s tank, did attract the attention of the lugash and for a few seconds it ignored everyone else. That was all Richter needed.
The chaos seed’s steps were nearly silent thanks to the Silence enchantment on his Reinforced Sprite Boots. The monster did not even notice him until Richter executed the sword form, Samara Seed Falling. The chaos seed bent low, and both of his powerful blades bit into the back of the lugash’s left leg. They did not cut all the way through the tough flesh, but they did most of the work. As it shrieked in pain, Richter straightened and moved past the undead. Almost disdainfully, he kicked out and down.
The strike was enough, and the lugash monster collapsed. Richter tossed his Elementum Short Sword of Freezing to Sion. A quick incantation primed the fallen creature’s soul to be trapped. Trusting in his Companion, Richter just said, “Finish it.” Sion and Caulder both stepped forward with grim expressions, glaring death at the undead.
Richter sent the healers and the other guards to retrieve Tovar. He walked over to his adder, still squeezing the lugash. The part of its sinuous body that the undead could reach had been savaged, but still the tamed creature squeezed as tight as it could. Richter ran forward and grabbed the monster by the wrist. He swung his sword down, once, twice, three times. The arm came free and black ichor splashed on the ground. Muffled shrieks reached Richter’s ears from inside of the adder’s coiled embrace. “Scream all you want, muthafucka. You’re done!” Richter spat.
One of his hands wove into a Life spell form, and Richter cast Weak Slow Heal on his tamed pet. Then he sent a mental command, and it began to loosen its body somewhat. Richter cast Soul Trap again and plunged his sword through the loops. The chaos seed couldn’t skewer it completely for fear of hitting his pet when the sword exited the other side. Instead, he angled his blade and stabbed up into its body over and over until a rainbow of light appeared. Richter drank another mana potion and cast Summon Weak Life Wisp. A ball of healing energy appeared and immediately began healing the snake again. He picked his head up to find the last two lugash. One had run off taking large chunks of bloody goblin with it. Unfortunately, the last one was on its feet. Everyone could see that the saproling had not fared so well.
The undead monster was shambling back towards Richter and his guards. Behind it were the remains of the saproling, looking like so much mulch. One of the deer’s antlers was still sticking out of the lugash’s side and leg. Richter was about to run and meet it, but his sprite archers finally unleashed their power. The monsters had been too close to his guards before. Now, however, the sprites could fire their imbued arrows with impunity.
Four arrows glowing blue with charged power struck the monster in its shrieking mouth. Teeth flew everywhere as one of the arrows detonated inside of its body. It was blown backward and the air was rent with a loud Boom! The lugash slammed against a tree and crumpled to the ground. They all watched for a moment, and it started to move again.
His meidon sprites began to prepare another volley, but Richter called out that they should wait. He walked close enough to cast Soul Trap for a fourth time. The lugash’s body glowed gold for a moment as the spell took hold. It appeared that purple-back light was coming from the undead’s skin for a moment, fighting against the golden glow, but the bright light ultimately was absorbed into the monster’s body.
Defiant to the end, the lugash reached an arm up towards Richter, weak and near true death. With a baring of his teeth, Richter kicked the arm out of the way and stepped closer. His blade plunged down through the monster’s back, in line with where its mouth should be. The elementum blade sank between the bands of grey muscle. A short twist later and the undead lay still. Once more, a rainbow of light spun through the air.
CHAPTER 8 – Day 140 – Kuborn 30, 15,386 EBG
“Are there any more?” Richter asked, looking around. No one responded, still reeling from the ferocious attack. “Are there any more?” he asked again, but with the bark of command.
“One escaped, my lord,” Caulder responded. He had a bruise darkening on his cheek, but was otherwise whole. “Do we pursue it?”
Richter shook his head. He wouldn’t risk his men’s lives to hunt something already dead. “How are Tovar and Chakone?” he asked. The guard whose face had been marred was moaning slightly as he held his face.
“Alive, my lord,” the sergeant replied tiredly and with resignation.