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Aldric saw the shadows rushing towards him and his Wulf Brothers. Hulking creatures clad in make shift armor and animal skins. He rushed forward with his axe held high to meet their charge headlong. The first beast-thing tried to swing a massive sword but it missed Aldric by mere inches. Aldric’s axe found its mark though as it came crashing down on the beasts iron helm. The beast-thing staggered back a bit dazed before reaching its hand up and pulling away the dented helm. The snarling green skinned beast gazed at Aldric with fierce yellow eyes and let out another roar. Aldric struck again, swinging his axe in a side swipe catching the beast in the ribs.
This time the axe tore through the beast’s mail armor and planted itself deep in the beast’s side. Blood gushed from the wound as the beast staggered back with such force that it ripped the axe handle from Aldric’s hands. Aldric quickly reacted by drawing a dagger from his belt and plunging it deep into the beast’s neck. Blood sprayed out from the beast’s wound covering Aldric in crimson. There was no time to celebrate felling the beast, as another one was on him quickly. He picked up his vanquished enemy’s sword and attacked the new foe. The weapon was clumsy but heavy so the effects were devastating when he struck home with it. He killed the second beast but soon a third one was on him. This one was armed with a giant spiked club but Aldric easily evaded the slow ponderous attacks and after striking out a dozen times he killed that beast as well.
Aldric had heard of these green skinned beasts before. His people had called them Drugan’s and they were not killed easily. Each one that Aldric had slain had taken multiple mortal wounds before going down. All around the campsite Aldric’s Wulf Brothers were finding themselves in dire straits. The Drugans were just too hardy and tough, for every one that was slain two of Aldric’s Wulf Clansmen were killed. Even in the darkness of night he could tell that the enemy outnumbered their paltry hundred or so warriors, so they could not sustain such loses.
Aldric heard a plea for help beside him as a young Wulf Brother was knocked over by a large Drugan warrior. He rushed over and slammed his sword into the Drugan’s spine with brutal efficiency. The green skinned warrior furiously roared out as it reared up and turned towards Aldric while swinging out with its cleaver sword. Aldric tried to dodge out of the way but could not move fast enough. The cleaver’s tip skimmed across his belly opening a large gash. Aldric staggered back and instinctively grabbed his stomach while dropping his sword. The Drugan moved in for another swing but a spear tip suddenly stabbed out from its stomach. The young Wulf Brother had risen back to his feet and had speared the beast from behind.
Aldric breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the young Wulf Brother. His wound hurt greatly but had not pierced anything vital. He grabbed the sword lying beside him and rose back to his feet. A wave of horror swept over him as he saw a mighty drugan enter his field of vision. The young Wulf Brother’s attention had been on Aldric so he did not even notice the hulking beast behind him. The foul creature hoisted the young man over its head and then brought him crashing down over top its knee. The young man’s spine was snapped in two and he died instantly.
The sword dropped from Aldric’s hand as stood there transfixed on the young man’s lifeless face. Drugans started to surround Aldric as he stood there. All around his clan brothers screamed out in horror as they were overwhelmed and butchered. Aldric thought not of that, instead for first time that he could remember he thought back to the windswept arctic plains of his homeland. In a perverse way he missed those rugged lands as his life was now going to come to an end. The snarling Drugans circled closer, their lower jaws protruding out with tusks on both sides. The horrifying cries of his Wulf Brother’s were now silenced as the last of them were extinguished, only the snorts and hisses of drugans filled the night sky.
Aldric saw a bright flash of light and figured that the death blow must have been delivered. For a few brief moments he assumed that he was now on his path to whatever the afterlife might have in store for him. The second and third bolts of light snapped him back to his senses. One by one drugans were being felled by these bolts of energy. Aldric was spurred back to action, grabbing a nearby sword and throwing himself at the closest beast he could find.
Neycara stood by the edge of the woods casting out bolts of light from her finger tips. Since her love Balimor had been slain she fought with an aggression she did not have before. Bummels stood beside her unleashing bolts from his crossbow striking the drugan’s with pin point accurancy. Jearjn and Jenkins had already struck out amongst the drugans felling them left and right with strikes from their axes. The Dwarf warriors were experts at slaying fel beasts and their fierce attacks made quick work of their foes.
In contrast to their brutal blows, the elven warrior Aladahar used his finesse and accuracy to deal one mortal wound after another. His twin blades flashing like brilliant sparks of light through the night sky. Aldric was too busy slaying drugans to notice those who had come to his aid, he was still certain he would be slain and wanted to take as many beasts as he could with him.
Bummels dropped his crossbow and drew his sword and charged into the fight. There were only a score of drugan left and he wanted to claim one or two up close for personal satisfaction. Neys ceased her magic attacks and spied the hulking drugan that had earlier broken the young man’s spine. It was huge, even for a drugan, and had to be some sort of warlord or chief. A small smile crept across Neys face as she sized up the beast. She drew her scimitar and then like a bolt of light flung herself into combat with the chief. Despite its fearsome size and strength it was no match for her as she lashed out with super human speed. In the blink of an eye the massive beast was lying on the ground with a hundred lacerations all over its body.
The battle was now over, the campsite littered with human and drugan corpses. There were piles of bodies everywhere, each with massive wounds and looks of sheer horror frozen upon their faces. Aldric was too mesmerized by Neys to grieve for his fallen brothers. Her features were obscured by her cloak as she stood overtop the body of the fallen drugan chief, but in the breeze of the night her raven hair flowed out and she took on a god-like appearance. Aldric stood wide eyed and then dropped to his knees before her. In the past Bummels would of laughed at such an act but he had seen far too much now to make light of the situation. All of the companions had been changed, even the haughty Alahadar had lost much of cynicism.
Some of them started to wonder if perhaps Aldric was right, maybe she was a God.
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