A quick check showed that the charges on his weapons were almost depleted. Richter stepped back from the front lines to survey the battle and used some soul stones to recharge. The troll mercenaries outclassed his own soldiers in levels and training. The village healers, enchanted weapons, and potions made up a good bit of the difference, though.
The mountain troll had already ripped apart a few dozen of the mercs, and the meidon sprites had joined the battle. Richter had made it a point that each of them were equipped with enchanted weapons. While his villager guards might have been overwhelmed, the sprites were giving as good as they got. Injuries were piling up on both sides, but the meidon sprites were bolstered by the healing magic of the biomages.
Yoshi and Heqht-jo continued to trade blows. The Barbarian bled in multiple spots, but a red haze surrounded him, and he seemed completely unaware of any injury. Meanwhile, he swung his giant axe as if it was as light as a feather. Again and again, Yoshi missed death by a hairsbreadth. The press of the battle separated the two of them, but the Barbarian shouted threats at the adept the whole time.
The magical battle also continued to rage. Two of the sprites’ mages were on the ground, and one had smoke rising from his charred form. Four of the goblins casters were dead in contrast, and the last was suffering under an onslaught of magic and arrows. None of the weaker magi were as important as the Druid, however. With a shout of arcane syllables, he finished his latest spell, Horrid Blight of Tantalus.
A grey streamer of mist shot from the Druid’s hands. It split and split and split again. Within seconds, hundreds of tendrils of grey mist were shooting across the battlefield and entering the mouths of almost everyone in the allied forces. It didn’t matter how they moved or if their mouths were closed, the magic took hold.
The soldiers quailed and five lost their lives in the first second, distracted by the soft tissues of their throats desiccating in an instant. To Sion, it brought back horrible memories of having to relive his childhood friend’s death over and over. To Richter, it felt as if he had never drunk a cup of water before in his life. Prompts appeared and were minimized in Richter’s vision.
You are Blighted!
You are Dehydrated! Any lost health cannot be restored.
You are Severely Dehydrated! Ten health lost per second!
Richter’s vision began to blur. He kept fighting, but he could feel his exertions worsening his dehydration. The chaos seed’s joints ached, and his insides felt like they had been replaced with sand. Only the beasts and the undead seemed unaffected. Alma, the shale adder, the knight and the puma continued their deadly struggle. To Richter’s left and right, his soldiers struggled to battle on as their very life was stolen by the Druid’s fell magic. He kept fighting, but in his heart, he knew that hope was gone. It had been banished by the might of the Bloodstone.
Then Hisako raised her arm. A light appeared over them all, reminding enemies and allies alike that a Master of Light, Earth, and Life was present. Her magical sphere had protected her from the worst of the blight, but now she dropped it and stood tall. The Hearth Mother downed a Fortify Mana potion. She had kept it in reserve for many years, but knew that now was the time. Her mana pool increased by another nine hundred and seventy-two points. The spell she was casting would require all she had and more.
She continued to keep her arm pointed at the golden light in the sky, and it grew as she fed mana into the spell. No words of Power spilled from her lips, and she made no motions for this casting. This spell was unique to her Place of Power, and it had been won by sacrifice and battle. She had never cast it beyond the bounds of her domain, but for her people, she would do anything.
Hisako unleashed her thousands of points of mana and took more besides. Her support mage collapsed senseless, his mana completely drained. Her other magi stumbled closer, their health falling quickly, but each placed a hand on her. She took their magic and fed it to her spell. The mote of light had become a golden mass that shimmered in the dawn light. One moment it was a sphere made of golden satin and the next, the walls of the globe flexed and became concave, then convex. The Hearth Mother herself almost began to swoon. Deep inside herself, she began to despair. Her spell required so much more mana this far from a Life ley line! Then the iron will that defined her mercilessly crushed her traitorous doubts. She did not stop. The other magi all dropped within seconds as she continued to funnel every mote of mana in her body. Then, it happened. She finished the spell.
The Hearth Mother cast Portal to Narina. The roar of a lion echoed out over the battlefield, and every debuff, curse and negative effect was removed from all present, enemy and ally alike. Everyone with a positive alignment immediately gained four hundred health, even if their Constitution was less than forty. Finally, any who had died in the past minute was brought back to life! Dozens of human, elves, gnomes, sprites and dwarves sucked in air that they never thought they would taste again. Eyes opened, wounds closed, and hands clasped hilts once more.
Richter’s mind was once again flooded with information.
All debuffs and negative effects removed!
You are no longer Blighted!
You are no longer Severely Dehydrated! You are no longer Dehydrated!
You have received +400 Health!
Know This! The sudden turn of events has significantly increased the Fighting Spirit of your forces! FS increased by +1000! FS Rank increased from Violent (+20% Damage) to Ruthless (+30% Damage).
Richter became aware of these facts simultaneously and, once again, learned that words were not idle in The Land. A ferocity built in his breast and a scream of rage welled up in his throat. All along the allied line, his battle cry was echoed, and the fighting began again!
The chaos seed blocked a blow aimed at a revived elf still trying to get up. His short sword stopped the strike cold, and with an incoherent bellow he hacked at the troll. His elementum short sword cleaved clean through the mercenary’s arm, chainmail and all. He then stabbed up with the form Crane’s Neck. His moonstone blade entered the troll’s neck. With a savage twist, he decapitated the troll, a wound it would never regenerate. Green blood geysered from the neck, drenching him in even more filth than he was covered in before. Richter didn’t notice, except to be slightly surprised at the faint cinnamon taste of the troll blood on his lips. The chaos seed searched for his next victim.