Richter’s biomancers began casting healing spells immediately, while those in front kept fighting. Maces, axes, swords and spears plunged forward and rent goblin flesh. The superior weaponry and rudimentary tactics of the Mist village forces began to tell. His people fell here and there, but many that were wounded were simply pulled back and healed. Seconds later, they were back in the fight, madder than ever.
The next few minutes were a mess of blood and metal. Richter’s forces suffered losses, but the power of the Mist Village could not be denied. Between the enchanted arms and armor from the Forge of Heavens and the potions from the Dragon’s Cauldron, the forces of the village were wearing and burning through hundreds, if not thousands, of gold coins. Their superior gear immediately proved its worth, though, and the bodies of goblins began to pile up in a line in front of the allied forces.
Richter didn’t regret investing in his forces for a moment. While there might be some truth to his… “thriftiness” in general, the chaos seed had never lost sight of the fact that wealth was only a tool. His only regret was that he had not had more to give his people before the battle. Still, they were kicking ass with what they had!
Here and there, bolts of lightning shot forth from his forces, stunning the goblins so that they could be slaughtered by the village melee fighters. Beyan made himself known by firing his Wand of Dark Bolts and casting his laughing skull spell as quickly as he could. The sprites continued to fire arrows. The missiles may have lacked magic, but they were still deadly. Richter and Sion stood on the frontline, hewing goblins like so much wood. A green blade fell, and a goblin died. Another elementum weapon cleaved the rusted chain mail of a goblin fighter, and he fell screaming to the ground. Battle lust began to take over, and some of the soldiers within the Mist Village ranks began to laugh as they slaughtered their enemies.
They should not have done that. The behemoths had arrived.
Radg-or had begun casting as soon as Heqht-jo had ordered the full assault. The target of his spell was his pet jaguar, Scor. Buff after buff were placed on the black cat, fueled and augmented by the Bloodstone. At the end, its natural armor had increased by +30, its attack speed had increased by 50%, and its damage was boosted by +22. It gained a slow health regeneration, and those were only the highlights. The Druid cast a final spell that tripled its size and greatly increased its Strength stat. With a grisly smile, the caster sent his pet forward with a simple command, “Feast upon them!”
The other monstrosity came from the goblins’ mercenary allies. They finally entered the battle, slamming their weapons on their shields in a horrible din. Yoshi’s eyes narrowed as he saw the one hundred soldiers enter the field. The adept said a single word, the syllable thick with distaste, “Trolls.”
A century of well-armed and armored soldiers crested the hill behind the goblin’s position. The wore matching mail armor that was steel-green in color. The mercenaries were a mix of swordsmen, axe men, and bowmen, though their forces were heavily weighted towards melee fighters. Each was at least six and a half feet tall. What occupied the eyes of everyone on the battlefield weren’t the one hundred deadly troll soldiers. What captured the attention of the entire allied command was the bellowing twelve-foot tall creature that walked in front of them.
The monster leading the troll contingent had green-gray skin. It had well-muscled arms that hung almost to its feet. Its hands were both as large as barrel lids, and each of its eight fingers were tipped with thick black talons. The monster’s mouth hung open, and rows of large yellowed teeth lined the top and bottom of its jaws. It started in hatred at everything and everyone, including the armored troll mercenaries. As it screamed again, Richter had a sinking feeling that he knew what the monster was.
“Is that what I think it is?” Richter shouted even as he parried the mace blow of a goblin grinder.
“Fuck!” Sion answered. He stabbed his elementum blade into a fighter’s face, dropping it cold. “They have a mountain troll!”
Both enchanted jaguar and monstrous troll ran forward to bring devastation to the Companions and their people.
CHAPTER 39 – Day 141 – Kuborn 31, 15,386 EBG
Richter watched the two giant creatures sprint down the two hundred yards separating the goblin reserve from his position. The rest of the enemy army was right behind, including the goblin commander and the troll mercenaries. He realized that this would have been a great time for Hisako to summon an angel or some other high leveled creature, but the Hearth Mother had been clear. She would not use her magic until it was needed to counteract the power of the Bloodstone. Richter hadn’t argued, but there were two Devastators barreling down on his forces and someone needed to be a Defensor. With a sinking feeling, he realized “someone” was him.
The chaos seed reached into his Bag of Holding and withdrew a Potion of Gaseous Form. He held one out to Sion, “Bottoms up brosef!”
Sion slashed at another goblin, “What?”
Fucking idioms! “Drink the fucking potion! We’ve got a troll to fight!”
Richter also pulled out two more potions he had been saving for this very moment. Ever since he and Sion had come across a troll in the forest months ago, he had been haunted by the idea of fighting a beast with such horrifyingly fast regenerative capabilities. He had pestered Sion until the sprite had made him a poison. His friend complained about Richter being annoying at the time, but the chaos seed was pretty sure his Companion wouldn’t be bitching now.
You have received: Poison of Stagnant Health. Durability: 8/8. Potion Level: Solution. Strength: Fortified. Weight: 0.02 kg. Traits: Will create wounds resistant to healing for 56 minutes.
Richter liberally poured two doses over each of his swords and handed the last one to Sion who had stepped back from the front lines. The sprite poisoned his blade.
“So we go after the troll? What about the big cat?” Sion asked.
Richter pointed with his moonstone short sword, “Looks like Caulder is already taking care of that pussy. Besides, he’ll have plenty of help.” He sent some mental orders and then rejoined the front line. After swinging his blades ferociously for a few seconds, a hole opened in the goblin line. The wild troll was only fifty yards away and was barreling down on a section of his people far to the right. The chaos seed screamed a challenge, though, and the monster bellowed back. It changed the direction of its charge and bore down on him, trampling goblins in its path. Richter nodded slightly and thought, let’s do this.
The chaos seed used Analyze, hoping for some clue as to how to defeat the horror bearing down on him.
Name: Mountain Troll Disposition: Hatred
Mountain trolls are a wild predecessor of more evolved trolls. Though lacking in intellect, they more than make up for it in ferocity and regenerative capabilities. Mountain trolls can heal almost any injury, and this capability is even further enhanced by feeding on bloody flesh. They have an instinctual hatred for all creatures. Even when mating, one of the two is normally killed, or at the very least, heavily damaged.
Level: 34
Health: 1460/1460 Mana: 30/30 Stamina: 720/720.
Strength: 52