Alton blinked his eyes as his senses gradually returned to him. When he opened his eyes fully, he found himself lying face down against a stone floor. His vision was blurry and his ears were ringing, drowning out all other sounds as he tried to get his bearings and remember what happened. As he picked up his head to turn it to the left, a roaring pain ripped through his side. As he looked down towards his body, he grimaced upon seeing that a large piece of wood had impaled the left side of his back. He tried to lift his left arm but it wouldn’t respond to his thoughts. He took a deep breath and turned his head to the right, groaning from the pain radiating through his body.
He jumped, causing another lance of pain as he saw eyes staring back at his from a foot away, a body trapping his right arm. He felt his heart sink as he recognized Carli, her once vibrant blue eyes now devoid of life. He called out, in pain and sadness, no sound reaching his ears through the ringing. Slowly, gritting his teeth through the agonizing pain, he pulled his arm from under her and used it to lever himself to his right side. The pain abated just a hair as the pressure from the wooden stake in his back lessened. His left arm was broken above his elbow and numb from the shoulder down. Carefully and methodically to not upset his precarious balance on his side, he reached into his jacket pocket and found a small vial, one of his healing potions. With numb hands he brought the small glass vial to his lips, arm trembling from the effort, and drank.
The green, bitter liquid numbed his mouth and throat as it slid down and settled in his gut. Warmth spread out as his body eagerly accepted the healing magic. He collapsed back on his stomach, too exhausted to continue holding himself up with his right arm. His blurry vision lessened enough to see the surrounding devastation in the chamber. More bodies littered the floor, all unmoving like Carli. Tears welled in his eyes as he looked at the remnants of his team. His last thoughts before darkness took him again were that of failure, and of regret.
—————
Alton awoke again several hours later, the pain wracking his body lessened by the healing potion. His brief hope that it had been a nightmare was immediately crushed as he turned his head and saw Carli’s body still lying there, as lifeless as before. His back still throbbed from the wooden stake and his left arm was still clearly broken. He took stock of the rest of his body as best he could before checking his mana core. It had filled to less than ten percent, barely enough to enhance himself for a few seconds, and it was raw from being overused, unlikely to fill quickly. He would have to time it perfectly to get the wood out of his body and find another healing potion, having drank his last.
Bracing himself for the pain that was about to come, Alton started to slowly circulate his mana through his right arm. Surging mana through a specific limb would increase the physical strength and abilities of that limb for as long as he could sustain it. He had never been much of a mage. He instead specialized in empowering his body. When he thought the strength in his arm was enough, he levered himself up to his knees and reached behind him, grasping the wood. He took a sharp intake of breath and braced his core as he pulled it out. The pain was agonizing. It felt like his entire body was being bathed in fire.
He crawled over to Carli’s body, his heart welling up in disgust at what he was about to do, and searched her jacket for any remaining healing potions. Each corporal was assigned three of the potions for reconnaissance missions and he only remembered her drinking one before….He banished the thought before he could get distracted. The first vial on her left breast pocket was crushed, not enough of the valuable liquid remaining to be useful. He searched her hip on her right side and found the other vial still intact.
The room was spinning as the darkness returned. The bleeding from his back had already coated his body and was steadily covering the floor below him. He grimaced as he uncorked the bottle and swallowed the bitter potion. It began working quickly, but Alton knew he was going to lose consciousness again, the damage to his back too severe to heal quickly. He crawled over against the wall and propped himself up, facing the doorway they had entered from. Tears rolled down his face as the world again darkened again.
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“Forsett remain in formation! You are a soldier of Wolf team and you will act like it or I will strike you down here and now!” Corporal Carlianne whispered though in the large cavern it was more like a shout.
Alton smiled to himself while listening to Carli verbally abuse the newest private of the team. The team was assigned to scout out a series of tunnels carved into the side of the valley that the Third Army of Agorra was currently marching through. Alton was a Captain and led the Wolf team under the command of Major Corbin of the Strike Teams. Alton and his team specialized in close quarter combat and often drew assignments like this.
Through a series of long, deep valleys that were riddled with caves and tunnels, the third army was marching towards the Eroskian plains. Agorra traditionally owned the valleys, but the Edorians claimed them after the War of the Mad God, and have since populated them. The current ruling council of Agorra vowed to reclaim all of Agorra to the historical borders shown on maps salvaged from the mountain. The fighting had been brutal, with both sides suffering heavy losses for more than a year.
Wolf team had been clearing caves all afternoon along the westernmost edge of the valley. Every one empty or abandoned with no signs of life until this one. Alton kept a careful eye on the surroundings as they crossed a large cavern that had housed someone until recently. A hand-dug fire pit was next to one wall, and someone had scattered scraps of clothing around. He watched one of his privates, Leen, emerge from the dark and give the all clear motion to Sergeant Rhet.
“Clear!” Rhet gave the call and everyone visibly relaxed. “Sir! No signs of life in this cavern or the small feeder cave. Whoever was here left only a few hours ago by my guess.”
“Agreed. Rest up for a quarter hour. We still have half a mile of this valley to clear before sunset. Set a watch.” Alton said to his squad before taking off his pack and setting it against a wall. He pulled out his faithful sword, known as Fang, and laid it across his lap as he began refilling the inlaid mana reservoir.
An hour came and went and Wolf team went back out to search for more tunnels. By the time they reached the end of this section of the valley, the sun was starting to set. Private Syca reported one more tunnel that needed to be cleared before they could head back down to the main encampment. On approach, Alton noted that this opening was much larger than the last few, and a feeling of dread crept up his spine. Alton had long developed a trust in his sense of danger, having saved his life more than once. Alton debated calling for backup since they were so close to the main army camp, but pressed on. The best encounter with the enemy was to encounter nothing at all in Alton’s professional opinion. The second best encounter was with overwhelming support.
“Wolf team on alert. I don’t like the look of this one.” Alton called out to the scattered group. On his command, the eight person squad formed up into a sharp formation with two in the lead, followed by two groups of three and finally two following up in the rear. Ambushes were common for the forces of Edoria, its army excelled in guerrilla tactics. He turned to Carli and lowered his voice “silent protocol until the cave is cleared”. He watched as she moved through the group and passed the message.
They stopped and ditched all of their extra gear, anything that would rattle or give away their approach. The team advanced on the cave opening in silence, each member circulating mana through the legs to keep footsteps light and sure. The cave opening was wide with a low ceiling, the waning sunlight couldn’t penetrate the entrance, leaving it darkened. Corporal Rhet gave the signal to activate manasight. Alton circulated his mana through his eyes. The area beyond the entrance lightened as the mana took effect, but revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
Wolf team continued their approach and spread out to enter from both sides. Rhet took the left and Syca took the right. Both reached the entrance and motioned for the rest to approach. Silent protocol meant all communication became non-verbal using an extensive series of hand signals. Alton cleared the threshold of the cave and the team moved in deeper. It was fifty feet or more deep and showed more signs of recent habitation, similar to the cave from earlier in the afternoon. Piled up against one wall were animal carcasses, while another wall was stained by the remnant of a fire.
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Rhet continued in and Wolf team fell in behind him, passing through the cavern. Alton strained his ears for any signs of life. Beyond the initial chamber was a long tunnel that was man made. The tunnel was narrow and short, allowing only enough space for two men to walk alongside each other. Rhet sent two privates through the tunnel while the rest waited, weapons out and ready to engage. Alton thumbed his sword a few inches out of his scabbard.
A few tense moments later, one private returned and motioned everyone forward. They reached the end of the tunnel and found it opened to a large circular room that had multiple tunnels branching off. It was set up like a common room, with tables and supplies laid out in an orderly fashion. The feeling of dread was intense as Alton surveyed the room. Despite his mana sight being active, the tunnels remained too dark for him to evaluate from here. Alton motioned for three teams of two to scout the tunnels and leave a rearguard of two. Rhet and Tuka took the tunnel to the right, while Carli and Lithil took the one straight ahead. Private Leen took Forsett down the left tunnel, leaving himself and Syca as back up.
Seconds felt like hours as Alton waited for his teams to return and check in. Rhet and Tuka returned first and signaled all clear. Leen and Forsett were next and signaled clear. Nothing sounded from Carli’s tunnel, and Alton shared a grim look with Rhet. They advanced two at a time down the tunnel, prepared for anything as his feeling of dread intensified.
“Retreat!” A shout broke the silence as Carli appeared in Alton’s sight. She was running with a strong limp, her bright blue eyes wide and panicked.
“Retreat! Shields up!” Rhet repeated the call as they backed out of the tunnel.
They opened the line and allowed Carli to pass back towards Alton before closing it again and retreated in a controlled manner. There were footsteps echoing out of the darkness. Alton guessed there were dozens of humans approaching at a run. They reached the opening of the room and Rhet called for a defensive position against the tunnel. Leen and Syca readied their bows while Rhet and Tuka used their larger shields to make a wall and crouched down to give the bows room to shoot.
“Ghouls. Thirty, maybe more, Lithil is dead. At least one Sapient.” Carli reported, out of breath and in obvious pain.
“Damn.” Alton replied, and his face darkened at the news. Ghouls resulted from humans dying in mana rich environments. Weaker humans became mindless and frenzied. They attacked without abandon and felt no pain. It was necessary to physically disable or defeat them by destroying the head. Mindless were a considered a tier three fiend. Powerful humans became Sapients, able to think and direct the mindless. They sustained themselves on the manasphere but fed on humans to absorb their mana cores. All Sapients were regarded as tier five fiends at a minimum and were seldom encountered alone.
“We won’t outrun the mindless. Prepare for combat, aim for the head. If you see the Sapient, take it out at all costs. Carli healing potion now. We need you for this. Everyone blow everything you have, take no chances.” Alton gave the command and ceased circulating his mana to his feet and eyes and circulated through his muscles.
It didn’t take long for contact as the mindless barreled against the shield wall. They scratched and bit at the two men, unsuccessful at breaching the barrier. Arrows began to fly and the team stabbed through at the once-humans. The fight was going well with a dozen of the mindless already down until a bright blue light flared farther down the tunnel and Alton felt the ambient mana level drop. The Sapient was joining the fight. Sapients retained the ability of the living to circulate and use mana, even able to progress tiers of power.
A large blue orb slammed against Rhet’s enhanced shield and threw him backwards. Mindless surged through the gap. Alton threw himself forward to stabilize the line, Fang blazing with a blue glow. He stabbed one of the mindless through the head. Alton pushed further and further down the tunnel to buy his team room to regroup. The bodies piled up and limited his mobility, but the narrow tunnel worked both ways. Only three or four could assault him at a time. His muscles rippled with ecstasy as he surged and enhanced them far beyond natural limits.
“Edorians behind us! Ambush!” Rhet’s booming voice called out.
Alton decapitated the mindless before him and turned to move back towards his team when another mana blast slammed against his back. He went down on his stomach and felt the weight of a ghoul landing on his back. He surged through his arm and used the wall to flip himself over and crush the mindless beneath him. It clawed against his back and bit at his neck as he grabbed for his sword and surged through his legs to shoot backwards, clearing the mindless and hacking its head off.
He saw Edorians and dozens of mindless in the chamber as he crossed the threshold of the tunnel. Rhet and Carli were pinned against a wall and outnumbered by Edorian heavies. Syca, Leen and Tuka fought the horde of mindless to a standstill. Alton surged through his sword arm and lost himself in the onslaught of violence as he fought towards his team. Mindless died by the dozen and the wolves were on the verge of turning the battle when an even larger blast of mana erupted from the tunnel and blew Syca’s torso apart.
The ambient mana trembled at the power from the attack. This sapient was far beyond a tier five. A voice screamed as blood and viscera flew. The scream sounded again and Alton recognized Tuka’s voice. He turned his head and saw Tuka down on his back with a mindless straddling him. The ghoul bit down on Tuka’s neck and clawed his face. Tuka resisted weakly. Alton surged and fought his way through until he saw Tuka’s body go limp. Alton screamed in rage as he watched the life leave his friend’s eyes. A powerful swipe out with Fang beheaded two more mindless. Leen went down next, overwhelmed by the fiends.
Mindless continued to flow out of a hidden tunnel. Alton swiftly reached the backs of the Edorians and killed two, but not before one stabbed Carli through her stomach with a spear. Carli looked down at her body in shock and toppled over. Time stopped for Alton as he watched in shock before the ghouls pounced on her body. Alton hacked through two more Edorians and hit the mindless ravaging her body like a tempest of metal. He wasn’t fast enough. Standing over her corpse, his sword moved through the air as a blur and his enemies died by the dozens.
“Alton!” Rhet shouted. “I..”
Alton turned and saw one of his oldest friends and founding member of Wolf team with his hand to his throat. Blood poured down his chest and Alton felt time slow again as he watched the life leave his friend’s eyes. His body tumbled down and the last Edorian standing turned to Alton with a vicious grin on his face. In the future, Alton would never forget that moment. The Wolf of Agorra roared his defiance at the certain death that had dared to claim him. He picked up Carli’s sword and drew more mana from his core, already dangerously low, and surged into the horde. A one-man army.
-----
Alton regained consciousness for the third time, his heart racing as he stared out into the dark. Before panic could set in, he circulated his mana to his eyes and activated his manasight. Though not a substitute for actual light, it enabled him to detect the ambient mana in the room and utilize it as a light source, akin to using a torch. His eyes confirmed he was alone in the room and he let out a sigh as he released the mana and let the events of the afternoon crash through his tired mind.
The pain from his back threatened to overwhelm him, but at least he could move his left arm again. Painstakingly, he got to his feet and stumbled over to where Carli's body lay.. He somberly took in the scene and found the portable mana torch clipped to her uniform. It was drained, so he infused a small amount of mana into it. He activated the torch, and the room was bathed in a familiar blue light. Alton sighed as he closed her eyes and said a small prayer to the Mad God for her soul.
He rummaged through her pockets and found her communicator, but the small polished stone was completely drained of mana. She had tried to draw in every bit of mana on her person during the fight. The only other communicator in the team was with private Syca, so Alton slowly got back up and walked over to the young privates corpse. The blast of mana had blown his chest open. His communicator was also drained. Alton infused a small amount of mana into the stone in four small bursts. Four bursts would signal to the companion communicator stone he was alive and required help.
He turned and surveyed the carnage one last time before collecting the tags from each of the bodies. A silver medallion with a wolf engraved on it, followed by the name and rank of each soldier. His mind was on the verge of collapse as he processed the situation he was in. Getting back to camp was the priority, despite his heart revolting at the idea of leaving the bodies of his friends. His emotions were numb as he began stumbling back down the tunnel to the cave entrance. The main camp of the army would be near the middle of the valley by now. It was going to be a long walk alone with only his thoughts for company.
——
Wolf team prayer of the Mad God:
“Oh Mad God, whose fury knows no bounds,
Grant us the strength of the untamed wolf’s howl.
In the heart of chaos, we find our pack,
Grant us the wisdom to navigate and track.
Beneath the moon’s bright gaze, our spirits ignite,
Grant us courage in the darkness of night.
In the hunt for truth, amidst the unknown,
Grant us your resolve, let our spirits be honed.
Guide us through madness, keep our minds clear,
Grant us clarity when chaos draws near.
In the wild, where shadows breed and trod,
Grant us resilience, O Mad God.
For in this world where danger abounds,
Grant us protection, your memory resounds.
As a wolf in your image, in your name we nod,
Grant us this strength, Oh Mad God.”