“Grab what weapons you can,” Glade barked, ensuring both his combat knife and modified star silver dagger were easily accessible. If he had any idea how to use a whip, he would have grabbed the Whip of Subjugation. It had the highest stats of all the looted weapons, but he would be far more likely to hurt himself or an ally than one of the slavers.
Out of habit, Glade reached down to ensure his sidearm was accessible. Instead of finding the comforting grip of his longtime weapon, his hand found an empty holster.
Pushing aside the almost overwhelming weight of loss, he focused on packing the meager remains of their gear. His side arm had been the last piece of advanced weaponry he from Earth, all the others having been destroyed within the first few minutes of his arrival on Veil.
A dark sense of foreboding stole over Glade as he realized that survival from here on out was going to be infinitely harder.
“Has anyone seen my staff?” Kedryn asked, looking everywhere in the immediate vicinity.
“The blacksmith, Gird I believe is his name, volunteered to carry it,” Riya said, as she grabbed one of the better short swords from the pile of loot to buckle on.
“Isn’t that the one who had an unhealthy fascination with our slime catchers?” Glade asked, securing the egg inside their pack.
“That’s the one,” she said.
“Do you think I have time to find him?” Kedryn asked with a look of concern.
“No,” Glade responded bluntly, cinching down the straps. “We should already be moving. If Gird is the one with your staff, I sincerely doubt he will leave it behind. Now, is everybody ready?”
Riya gave him a curt nod, followed shortly by a reluctant Kedryn.
Before Glade took a step, Dabbin rushed up to them, pointing to himself and then to the pack.
“I hold!” The young dwarf said proudly, pulling the pack from Glade’s grasp and sitting down with it on his lap. The bag was easily just as large as the boy, but Dabbin was already beaming at him with pride.
With a smile and a thank you, Glade left their gear with the young boy and led his group down the tunnel as fast as his legs would carry him. The only items of real value were the egg and Riya’s slime catcher. Kedryn had their supply of mana shards tied to his belt and the other slime catcher with Slick stuck to the front. Besides, he trusted the dwarves to get his belongings to safety more than his ability to keep his little ember safe while in combat.
The group quickly passed through the hall where they had confronted the shaman, finding a large group of dwarves milling about within a stone’s throw of the entrance holding a scattering of spears, crossbows, pickaxes, and other weapons.
He immediately spotted the bald head and steel gray beard of Bragden as he and two other dwarves knelt just inside the entrance to the tunnel with their crossbows.
“Report,” Glade barked as soon as he passed through the crowd of dwarves and was within ear shot of the surly dwarf.
“I’m not one o’ yer Soldiers, son.” Bragden growled, turning the corner and firing his crossbow into the darkened tunnel. A squeal of pain confirmed he had hit something.
“Acknowledged. Don’t care. Report!” Glade growled right back, coming up beside the bald dwarf.
“Bah! Slaggin human’s, thinking yer always the one’s in charge.” Bragden grumbled, swapping crossbows with one of the other dwarves, who immediately began the painful effort of reloading the shoddy weapon. “Not sure how many there be. Can only see so far. Gnoll’s have better darkvision than we dwarves do, plus me eyes aren’t what they used to be. But they be comin, that’s for sure.”
Bragden finished his statement by whipping the crossbow around the corner to fire off another shot. There was no squeal of pain this time as the bolt flew down the dark tunnel, but Glade clearly made out several cries of warning.
Taking a risk, he glanced around the corner as Bragden handed off his expended crossbow, taking in the details of the dark tunnel in an instant. To the untrained eye, there wasn’t much to see, but his years of experience, combined with his enhanced senses, gave him enough insight to understand the forces arrayed against them.
The distinctive clap of a crossbow firing forced him to jerk his head back behind cover, a bolt slamming into the tunnel wall where his head had been moments before.
“That’s what ye get fer stickin yer head where it don’t belong,” Bragden grumbled. “Did ye see anything?”
“At least 9,” Glade responded, pulling back as a dwarf handed Bragden another loaded crossbow. “Maybe 10 if we include the one you hit. Only one with a crossbow. There might be more, but that’s unlikely as there isn’t any cover in the tunnel.”
“How in the seven hells did ye see that?” Bragden said, turning the corner and firing, the bolt clattering harmlessly against the tunnel walls.
“Light reflecting off their eyes or pieces of metal were a dead giveaway,” Glade said, taking in the scattered dwarves. “Also, if they had any more ranged weapons, they would have shot them at me. It also looked like they were gathering themselves to charge the entrance by force. Can you tell me why there are more Gnolls than there should be? I thought a Rake only had 25 Gnolls in it.”
“Aye, that it does. But the Alpha leaves every few days to rotate his people out with the ones on their boat. Can’t tell ye for sure why he came back with more this time, but if ye say there be 10 out there, he likely brought some o’ the crew with him.”
“Why not collapse the tunnel on them?” Kedryn asked with a shrug. “It would give us more time on our end and either kill the Gnolls or at least keep them from getting to us.”
“Told ye they’d want to drop the tunnels,” one dwarf nudged another behind them. “Ye owe me two pints when we get out o’ here.”
The other grunted in annoyance.
“Why is that a bad idea?” Kedryn asked.
“Beggin yer lordships pardon,” the annoyed dwarf said with barely restrained patience. “But deliberately collapsin tunnels be one o’ the hardest, and most dangerous, things ye can do. Not only would we be trappin ourselves in a small pocket with limited air supply, but the entire tunnel system would be compromised. There be no guarantee we could dig ourselves out without bringin the whole slagging ceiling down on top o’ us.”
“Oh,” Kedryn said with a look of abashment. “That… makes sense. I didn’t know.”
“Now ye do, yer lordship,” the dwarf said, raising an eyebrow in surprise at Kedryn’s ready acceptance of his answer.
“Good suggestion, Corporal,” Glade cut in, not wanting to admit he had been thinking they could do that exact same action. He then turned his attention to the rag tag group in front of him. They had 19 with spears, 9 with crossbows, and another 7 with other types of weapons. The quality of their equipment wasn’t ideal and every dwarf looked like they had one step in the grave already. But they had numbers on their side. If he could get them to work together, they just might be able to push the slavers back.
“Listen up everyone! Here’s what we’re going to do. Three of you with crossbows, go help Bragden keep up the pressure on those Gnolls. We don’t want them to charge before we’re ready. The rest of you, we’re going to make a modified pike and shot formation.”
Everyone, including Kedryn and Riya, gave him a blank look.
“Harg, Grendin, and Jasper, get yer scrawny backsides up here and help me with the Gnolls. The rest o’ ye, do what the human says,” barked Bragden.
Glade gave the surly dwarf a nod of thanks as three of the crossbowmen separated themselves from the crowd and raced to the entrance to help.
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Turning his full attention to the group in front of him, Glade gave out more specific instructions.
“Hand me a spear,” he said, taking one from the dwarf closest to him. He set himself near the center of the entrance, completely out of sight of the Gnolls. “Those with spears, we’re going to make a staggered, double row of steel just inside the entrance to this cavern. Should be 6 dwarves with me in the front row and 9 in the back. All spears are to face out with butts secure against the ground like so.”
He quickly demonstrated by bracing the butt of his spear on the ground, holding it in place with the inside of his back foot. The spear point was leveled at roughly a 40 degree angle facing away from him.
“Our job is to make a kill box. Those with crossbows, climb up on the piles of rubble behind us and make sure you have clear lines of sight. Your job will be to loose your weapons when the Gnolls are stopped by the spears. Take your orders from Bragden, who will fall back once we’re set up.”
“Those with spears, our job is to keep the Gnolls in one place while those with crossbows take them down. Those in the second row, when I yell thrust, stab the spears forward at the stopped Gnoll’s with everything you’ve got then back away. The remaining spearmen, you’re our reserve. If a gap opens up, you’re to fill it.”
Glade then turned to the remaining dwarves with pickaxes and short swords.
“If any get past our line, your job is to kill them as quickly as possible.”
“Where do you want us?” Kedryn asked, standing next to Riya.
“Corporal, you’re to sow chaos and burn the dogs from a distance. Focus on the ones in the rear if you can. Riya, brighten things up a bit. Blind them if possible. Heal the others when you can. Any questions?”
Kedryn and Riya shook their heads. The dwarves simply stared at him in silence before Bragden cried out.
“Ye heard him, ye rocks fer brains! Now MOVE! And someone give me another crossbow!”
It took all of a minute to get everyone in position, the dwarves moving with an efficiency that Glade couldn’t help but admire. Granted, there weren’t that many of them, but he was still impressed.
Six of the larger dwarves set up next to Glade, three to each side. The others quickly filled in behind them.
After walking the line and making a few adjustments, Glade returned to his spot in the center.
Three notifications appeared, which he barely glanced at before swiping them away.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Spears and Polearms! The tools of infantry and guards. -1% stamina burn when using spears or polearms. +1% accuracy and damage dealt.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Tactician! This rare skill enables you to assess dangers and direct an appropriate response within your area of influence. At the Amateur rank your area of influence covers 5 feet per level. +2% to attack, defense, and unit cohesion within your area of influence. +1% to XP gains per skill level to the entire party when employing this skill.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Leadership! Either through inspiration, manipulation, or blunt force trauma, you have successfully rallied others to your cause. For better or worse, your presence will now be seen as a rallying point. Beware! Leaders walk a fine line, balancing the realities of the many with the needs of the few. How will you make your mark in the annals of history? +1% to Charisma per level.
Note: You have been granted 1 x synergistic skill of your choosing to pair with Leadership.
While the skills and their bonuses were welcomed, Glade put the notifications aside to review in detail later. He was certain Kedryn was going to hound him about that last skill, leadership, and its synergistic skill choice.
“We’re set!” he called to Bragden. “Fall back to the rear!”
“Good!” the bald dwarf yelled back, his group already running back through the line. “We shot one more o’ the dogs, but they be done waitin around!”
As if they heard the dwarf’s comment, a cry went up from the Gnolls as they charged, the sound of their howls and heavy boots echoing down the tunnel.
“Steady,” Glade called, bracing the butt of his spear against the inside of his foot, the others following his example.
A heartbeat later, the first Gnoll rounded the corner, a short sword raised high above its head. Four of the five set crossbowmen pulled their triggers, the projectiles slamming into the Gnoll’s chest one right after the other, throwing the creature back as it cried out in pain.
“Ye slaggin morons!” Bragden yelled as he got into position. “Only one bolt per dog, ye flea infested excuses for bearded Gnomes! Now get yer backsides into gear and reload!”
Even though the crossbowmen had shot early, limiting the effective fire they could bring to bear, Glade couldn’t keep a small smile from growing. Bragden’s cursing and pointed criticism made him feel right at home.
As Bragden cursed out his men, four more Gnolls rounded the corner, two armed with short swords, the others with wooden cudgels raised above their heads.
“BRACE!” Glade yelled at the same time Riya cast a brilliant flash of light, blinding the charging slavers as they recklessly ran into their formation. The timing of the spell was perfect, distracting the lead Gnoll enough to stumble over their dying comrade, propelling him towards the wall of spears.
The other three spread out, dodging their fellow slaver on the ground while covering their sensitive eyes from the harsh light. Almost as one, they hit the line, one of which slammed into Glade’s spear, the sharp metal imbedding itself in the creature’s leg.
Glade held on, bracing the spear and himself as the massive Gnoll, easily 7 feet tall and a couple hundred pounds of nauseating stench and fur, pushed him back, dangerously bowing his shoddy weapon.
“THRUST!” Glade roared loud enough to be heard over the howls of pain as he held onto the course wood of his spear, the back line immediately stepping forward at his command.
The dwarves fell on the surprised Gnolls in a fervor, shouting their fury as they stabbed their weapons into the group of screaming slavers again and again.
Glade grit his teeth as he held his part of the line, admiring the dwarves stalwart courage in the face of their captors. They weren’t anything close to a spartan advance, but they got the job done.
Two more Gnolls turned the corner quickly behind the others, one of which held a loaded crossbow.
“Eat fire!” Kedryn screamed, throwing a roiling ball of flame at the newcomers. The crossbowman’s eyes widened in surprise, pulling its partner in front of him in time to take the full brunt of Kid’s spell. The living shield screamed in pain as the flame splashed across its chest, burning brighter and hotter in a flash.
Glade silently thanked Kedryn for disrupting the second charge and giving them precious moments to reset their formation. Hopefully, Bragden saw the Gnoll with the crossbow in time to eliminate the threat of the ranged weapon.
“RESET!” Glade yelled, twisting his spear and pushing the Gnoll still embedded on its tip forward to rejoin the line. The slaver howled but gave up the ground willingly.
Of the four Gnolls that had charged into them, one was already down, staring blankly at a broken spear haft sticking out of its chest. Another scrambled back from the line with two shallow stab wounds in its gut, his short sword laying on the cavern floor all but forgotten.
The other two were stuck on the ends of spears, one of them being Glade’s. Both howled in pain and frustration as the dwarves, ignoring Glade’s command, kept thrusting their spears forward, breaking up the line, which in turn made it near impossible for their crossbowmen to target the slavers with any sort of accuracy.
Before he could reissue the command, the Gnoll in front of him threw its club at the dwarf to Glade’s right, smashing him full in the face with a loud crunch. With surprising agility, the slaver grabbed the other dwarf’s spear and pulled, bringing the dwarf into striking distance of its claws.
Seeing he was about to lose control in the center of the line, Glade simultaneously shoved and twisted his spear, driving the weapon further into the huge slaver’s thigh. The Gnoll roared in pain, faltering enough to miss the dwarf on Glade’s left.
“I SAID RESET!” Glade roared, his arms already shaking from the strain of keeping the Gnoll in place. A flash of blue along the ceiling distracted him momentarily, the movement there and gone before he refocused on the fight in front of him.
This time, everyone followed his command as those in the second line fell back to their positions, giving their crossbowmen clear lines of sight.
“LOOSE” Bragden yelled as soon as the line was formed, the loud snap of crossbows heralding the wave of bolts before the projectiles ripped through the Gnoll slavers.
Yelps of pain and the coppery tang of blood filled the air as Glade pulled his spear back, the Gnoll in front of him collapsing to the ground with two crossbow bolts sticking out of its chest.
Cheers broke through the cries of pain as the dwarves watched those attacking falter, then collapse, too overwhelmed to continue the fight.
Relief washed over Glade. They’d done it!
“Guess Henry V knew what he was doing,” he whispered to himself with a smile.
Taking stock, he found that only three dwarves had been wounded, each of which were being treated by Riya. The only Gnoll still alive was the large Gnoll with the crossbow, its living shield having long since expired. Fortunately for them, the slaver had turned and fled after getting hit with a couple of crossbow bolts to its chest and shoulder.
“Was that the Alpha?” Glade asked a particularly grimy dwarf next to him as he watched the Gnoll fade away into the darkness, leaving its significantly nicer crossbow behind.
“Naw,” the dwarf answered. “That be the Beta. Surprised we haven’t seen the big one, though.”
Glade nodded, turning to Bragden as the bald dwarf sidled up next to him.
“That was one helluva fight,” the dwarf said with a smile that showed his overly large teeth. “Where did ye learn spear formations?”
“The academy,” Glade said with a shrug, not seeing any reason to elaborate further. Bragden’s eyes widened ever so slightly, but Glade ignored the reaction. “If the Alpha wasn’t part of that group, then it means we likely just had a run in with the scouting party. Normally, I would recommend we fall back to another ambush point, but I don’t want to give them this open area with plenty of cover. Thoughts?”
“Aye, that makes sense. Though, we should strip the bodies of anything useful like. I got me eye on the Beta’s crossbow…”
A rumbling growl, loud enough to drown out the dwarves’ cheering, vibrated from the darkened tunnel the Beta had run down minutes before.
Bragden’s face paled as everyone stood still, their previous excitement of having triumphed over their masters all but forgotten.
“That be the Alpha, and he doesn’t sound happy.”