Anisha reimerged from the black soot that covered the ground. Her magic circle dicindigrating and purple flicks of flame died out around her. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself. Her hands shook on their own, unable to stop moving. Her shoulders slumped and her whole body felt heavier than stone.
Did it work? She thought to herself, glancing around the room she didn't see the man. She failed. And now she will die.
The monsters could still be heard outside their door, their haunting screechings becoming white noise as Anisha truly began to give up. She tried, she did everything she could, but her magical inabilities weren't enough.
A last remaining purple ember flared with a little sudden burst of energy. Anisha watched, unsure of what was beginning to happen. The small purple ember floated away and stopped dead, a few feet off the ground. Then the black soot that stained the floors, her clothes and her hands began to lift off the ground. floating towards the purple ember they began to form a mass around it. The swirling increased and soon she had to cover her eyes as the particles began to spin faster and faster around the ember.
She tried to get up and move away but she couldn't even stand anymore. Fearing the result of this runaway magic she scooted away on her hands and knees.
A body began to take shape from the soot. First a skeletal structure was formed from black cloud to hard white bone, then it was wrapped in tendons that snaked through and joined the bones, muscles overlapped muscles and finally skin. Black hair sprouted from the head, with one strand of black hair sticking out.
The man's body was then covered in his gray full body tunic. His armor formed, brilliant white with a stain of red on the chest. In his hand came his weapon that cracked like thunder.
Anisha couldn't believe what she was seeing now. She did it! She actually did it! And not only that she made the link!
If she focused she could see a few green chains floating in their connecting her gate to his. She really did it!
The reilief was short lived however as the banging on the door and screeching of the Lants soured her achievement.
Murdera, he was still out there!
"Murdera!" She cried out hoping to hear the dwarfs gruff voice.
"YOU BETTER HAVE THAT SPELL READY! THORN EARS!!" He yelled through the door, followed by the clanging of metal on monster limbs.
He was still alive! Anisha had to act quickly, she had to open the door to get to him and allow her summon to fight for them as they made their escape.
The summon floated in the air still, unmoving, his once bare body now covered with the armor he had worn in Hmota. While she was relieved, when she first summoned him and his body was taking shape, she was a little concerned that he would come... well without his clothes. A thought that made her cheeks almost as red as her hair.
She never thought of that before, burin was an animal so she never considered if everything would come with the person or just the body would be remade.
Anisha started to make her way to the door, sweeping her hands over the black charred floor removing the evidence of her magic she had just used. She'll have to think of some way to explain where this man came from.
Her legs struggled to move, so she resorted to crawling on her hands and knees to the door, grabbing the handle she pulled herself up and braced herself to try yanking the door open, With Murderas help they should be able to get the door open long enough to pull him in.
She glanced back at her summon who still floated in the air, unmoving and more alarming, bleeding.
Blood poured from the wound in his chest, but that shouldn't be happening! The deal should have made him have a new body, so why was it still there!
"Get back girl!" Murdera yelled from the other side of the door before being thrown threw it.
The dwarf shattered the wall and he went flying backwards crashing into a pile of wooden debris and stone in the back of the room. Exploding in a cloud of dust and beard hair.
A wooden branch stock its way through the door, Anishas eyes landed on the blood stained sharpened tip. Another leg followed and soon another.
A head made of vines and eyes stock through followed by a round body that looked like a round ball of leaves. A chittering click from its concealed beak froze Anisaha to the bone. Without the door to hold on to her legs gave out from her and she collapsed to the ground.
She just couldn't do it anymore. She was a failure, and not even breaking one of the most sacred rules of magic wasn't enough to save them. All it did was bring another person to the slaughter.
She glanced up, through tear filled eyes.
"I'm sorry- I'm so so sorry!" She cried out before a dark slumber took over her.
Murdera was only out for maybe one to two seconds, and no more! His Dwarven blood bolstered him to get up again and fight those Delvet forsaken monsters one last time! Ensuring his blood in his veins will form only the finest of Gold veins upon his death. He pushed himself up and out of the debris. Slamming his hammer into the ground and a gust of wind shooting out dispersing all the dust from the room.
Grabbing his silver blood and abominable corrosive green blood stained hammer with both hands he prepped for the fight, His march towards his foes was halted however when a new threat entered his gaze.
A man in white armor stood hunched over. On himself, with the dust cleared away he could see the Iron rich red blood pooling at his feet. A human, recognizing his brother kins blood type. His wound was bad, a hole from his back poured blood, and judging from his hand on his chest he figured he had been impaled by one of the Lants.
Murdera held out his hand. Though he wasn't partially skilled in healing, that was supposed to be the Half breeds Anishas Job. He did know how to at least stop a wound from bleeding.
Green energy swirled around his hand, pointing his hand, he focused his magic on him while also keeping his eyes on the Lants that began to slowly enter the room. Knowing they were trapped they took their time to approach.
The magic completed, a simple feedback from his magic circle informing him that there was no more healing to be done.
The man rose up holding a hand to his head, shook it around, and took a step back, steading himself on his wobbling legs.
"Take it easy adventurer, it'll take time to still recover from your head being rung like a bell."
The man turned and looked at him. A human in his mature years looked back at him with confused almost glazed over eyes.
Bahh these new adventurers were always quick to grab the fanciest armors but always forgot to get good head protection. Murdera couldn't recognize the armor style from any known patterns, or kingdoms. It was rather unique and his dwarfish instincts were intrigued by its overall uniqueness. Perhaps a custom set.
"Just sit this one out lad. I'll handle them."
Murdera was the Guild master of the Eastern Frontier Kingdom. Even if this wandering adventure wasn't assigedd to them it was his duty to look after all adventures in the area.
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"Hva?..." He finally said something. Even though it was Gibberish Murdera took it as a good sign that he was getting back to his wits.
Speaking of wits, he needed to refocus, in all the confusion he wasn't sure where Anisha had gone to. He had to-
A Lants head hung over Anishas body, thick oozing thendral vines slid across her face. Its jaws chittered a few inches from her face.
"OVER MY BRONZE COVERED HIDE WILL YOU EAT MY GUILD CURRIER!!" Murdera shouted.
He charged and slammed his hammer square on the side of the Lants spider-like head, smashing it against the wall in a spray of green ooze and fake leaves. Its body collapsed but before it fell on Anisha he used his right boot, hooked Anishas body and slid her back towards the man. Another Lant quickly climbed over its dead counterpart sensing that their prey wasn't beaten just yet.
"GET HER TO SAFETY!" He called back, bracing his shield; the second Lant put its full weight on his tower shield that was slung over his shoulder.
A third one pushed past and started making its way to the two young adventures.
"DEVELOTS FORGE! DON'T YOU IGNORE ME!" He braced his shield with one arm and jammed the head of his warhammer at the leg of the third but it merely stumbled a bit before continuing its march towards the weaker two.
"Don't just stand there! Defend yourself!" Murdera commanded the man. Murdera cursed under his breath upon seeing the man's face. Fear, utter shock coated his face. He was panicking, and was going to run.
"Develt strengthen me!" Murdera had to hold them all off, no noe was coming to save them, he was their only chance to survive.
But what could he do! He was pinned by one Lant while another just ignored him like he was some scrap of fools gold left by the wall. Murdera could only watch as the Lant approached the man, standing back on its back four legs it raised its from two preparing to stab straight through the man.
It lurched forward, but didn't find its mark. The man with surprising speed dodged at the last possible moment. One of the legs glancing off his white armor. Coming to a rolling stop, his expression changed from fear, to the face of a fighter.
Furrowed brows and a tense muscle Murdera has seen enough fights to know that he was no longer out of it but back in the moment. Resolve set the man looked about as if looking for something, and finding it on the floor. A small metallic rectangle device that Murdera didn't even know what to make of. Its shape was odd, and served no clear purpose but by the way the man eyed it desperately Murdera figured it must be important.
The Lant went for the stab again, standing up and attempting to stab him again. But the man dodged again, a little slower now, and his recovery wasn't as smooth, he held his chest and a thick cough of blood came from his mouth.
The healing Murder did early only sealed the wound but it couldn't fix what was damaged inside.
Undeterred by the stumbling the man continued his way to the object grabbing it he held it with expert pertice, there was no wasted movement, or fiddling with what apparently were the handles as many others did when desperately grasping for a weapon.
The warrier stood taking a sturdy looking stance; he braced the object against his right shoulder and leaned his head on the device gazing at the beast.
Murdera waited, he wasn't sure for what, but when it happened he couldn't believe it.
Thunder road from the weapon and the beast roar out in anguish as a red magic crystal shot out of it and pierced one of its eyes. Another crack of thunder and the monster backed up again, again and again the weapon boomed with power, and more crystals shot out. The monster's face was a pincushion of magic crystals. ALl of them zapped and surged with sudden bursts of energy. The Lant screeched one last time before being silenced by another crystal.
The man turned his attention to the hallway where the rest of the hive festered now in a ravenous rage once more trying to claw their way into the room. The stranger pointed his weapon down the hall and Murdera recognized the stance he was taking. It was similar to one used by heavy crossbow users or a hand held ballista. Not wanting to be caught in the crossfire he pushed back on the Lant with his shield and dove out of the way, scooping up Anishas body, he braced his shield between them and the weapon.
The thunder cracked once more but now even faster. Delvets foge; he couldn't even tell one crack from the other. His ears hurt from the sound that echoed. And even in Anishas' passing out state he felt the Half beed elf girl twitch at each deafening boom of the weapon.
The screechings of the Lants were canceled out as the warriors' weapon cried out even louder and seemingly with more fury than even a dragon.
When the barrage finally stopped Murdera cautiously peeked out from behind the shield.
The warrier stood their stone still, smoke poured from the end of the weapon, and occasional zaps of yellow energy game from the back of it. Murder cautiously stood up from behind the shield. He never truly considered the danger of this man. As far as he knew he could be a bandit, or a rogue infiltrator from a rival kingdom.
With weapons like those he must have high status with some nobles.
Murder stood up from behind his shield. With a quick turn the man turned his weapon on Murder and pointed it at him dead center. Murder quickly raised his hands showing he was unarmed having had to drop his hammer to grab Anisha.
"It's alright lad, calm down. I'm Guild Master Murdera Stormchin of the Eastern Frontier Kingdom."
The warrier didn't lower his weapon, but his stock still stance loosen a little.
"Hva-... Hvo meg... Hvo meg?" He said in a questioning tone. But Murdera couldn't understand him.
"What's your name stranger? I wish to thank you properly and share your deeds today."
"N-name?... Hva Var Det?" He asked a little more confused. His weapon lowered a little more, but his shoulders showed that he was still on edge.
C-could he really not understand common? There was no place on Borotone that didn't at least know some common tongue. Just where he was from wondered Merdera.
But his questions had to wait, one of the Lants slowly began to pull itself from the pile of its dead hive. A few red crystals shown from its head but non were dead center.
Murdera hefted his shield, having abandoned his hammer it was his only means of protection. The stranger turned his attention also pointing his weapon at the monster. It charged and reared back preparing to stab the man. Merdera braced for another crack of what he was now theorizing was magic made thunder.
But it didn't come, instead he heard a very quiet. 'Click'
The man looked at the side and in what Murder guessed in his tongue muttered a curse under his breath.
What was wrong? Did he over use the weapon? Murdera could only stand by and watch again as the Lant Charged into the man, sending him sprawling to the ground. One of its legs came out and slammed down on the man's chest piece. A blow that would almost certainly puncture or dent most armors.
But once again the man's equipment left Murdera speechless, the Lants leg slammed into the armor, but didn't so much as distort the paint on the armor! It crashed another leg in only for it to not pierce the white armor.
The force of it still caused the man to cry out in pain as the weight still fell on his already injured chest.
Murdera couldn't stand by this time. Leaving Anisha, he charged with his shield. Bashing into its side, its weight barely budged from his weight. But he dug his boots in and pressed with all his might he could muster. The Lantsncreeched in protest, Now trying to get one of its long branch limbs up and over his shield to stab him, but Merdera held tight to his shield not allowing the creature to get another nick of his silver blood.
The weight of the lant suddenly shifted and the lants own weight was used against it as it began to bend back and tip. Merdera looked in shock as the man had grabbed the lants front two legs and was now pressing it backwards.
Such raw strength was rare to find in a human, even rarer for one as young as him.
The man pressed hard, getting to his knees then standing he pushed back against the creature. It Screeched in protess as it tried to resist, it can't use any of its other four legs as Merdera was blocking two of them while the other two it used to desperately keep its balance.
Resurint to its second weapon, it shot out its vine tendrils and wrapped them around the man's arm.
That wasn't good. Lant venom is a paralysis type that can freeze an entire person's body in a matter of seconds.
The man's right arm slowly began to wain and the leg now bolstered by his prey's weaking moved towards his neck hoping to stab him in a weak spot. But with the brashness of a dwarf the man released both legs and shoulder charged the underside of the Lant, not only toppling it but sending it flying back a few feet.
It sprawled on its back, spear like tree limbs jutting upward trying to find leverage to flip it back over.
Taking the opportunity the man unsheathed a small bladed knife with an extreme bend in it. Almost similar to a hawks beak, or a reptiles claw. He rushed it. Right arm gone limp but wielding the knife in his left hand expertly flipping reverse grip he drove the tip into the lants neck before dragging it around its entire throat.
The chittering and sprawling legs slowly died away. As the last Lant died on the floor.
Murdera could only stare in awe.
The man slowly stood, his body tethering from side to side. He turned to face Murdera, giving him a slight nod of his head. The guild master took that as a sign that it was dead, and that he wasn't going to find Murdera.
His eyes moved over to Anishas, his face then twisted into a mix of shock, confusion, and anger. Murdera instinctively moved between the stranger and Anisha. He wasn't sure what Anisha had done to warrant that reaction from him but he wasn't going to take any more chances today.
The man looked back to Murdera, his eyes started to glaze over again.
He caught himself with a stumble, and with a flourish of his right arm he crossed it against his chest and proudly stated "Verden Ennhet!!" Before falling over, and going unconscious.