Chapter 20 Human

Kate moved into a jog, her hammer and knives ready as she rushed up the stairs right behind Logan. The early night was clear but once the pyres were out and a few clouds would move through above, she knew visibility would become a problem. “Headlamps,” she said, once they had reached the battlements, more arrows whistling past, Bert grumbling insults while fiddling with a crossbow. Strange gargled shouts and excited guttural sounds came from the trees down below. Kate already saw a few torches.

The others followed suit, opening their packs and pulling out the headlamps from the same compartment. She looked down and flicked it on, turning it off again a moment later.

“Leave it off if you can. It’s an easy target,” Logan said as he put his on top of the knight’s helmet. He grabbed his sword and walked out from the guard tower and towards the roofed section right above the gate, crouching to avoid projectiles.

Kate looked back and saw Grey with a steady hand on the hilt of his sword. He looked back and gave her a slight nod. Jon checked his headlamp. Ethan had moved close to the stone wall, his face pale.

It’s good that it rained. She turned and followed Logan, glancing over the low stone wall to see the torches. There were over a dozen, held at the height of a human, the light illuminating green tusked heads, small creatures moving past below. Arrows clattered against the stone, more flying past above. Kate reached the wood covered part of the battlements right above the castle gate. She watched Bert try and come out of cover, arrows striking the wooden structure with dull thuds, forcing him to crouch back down.

She took one of the crossbows and set down her hammer. “Bert, you load, I shoot,” she said and activated Mindless Ferocity. Her perception changed. She took a deep breath, could feel the blood rushing through her body, the beating heart in her chest. She was calm. Ready. Kate took a few steps to the side, came out above the wall, aimed and shot. She hadn’t trained with the weapon but it wasn’t exactly rocket science. The string shot forward with a loud twang, her arms remaining steady as the bolt was released.

Kate didn’t stay to see if she hit anything, crouching again and handing the weapon back to a pale Bert. Logan aimed and fired next to her, Jon and Grey doing the same a little farther to the left. She watched how the old man loaded the crossbow and tried the same. She found herself able to pull back the string with ease, putting in another bolt. Kate stood up, moving her head to the side when she heard an arrow whistle towards her. She aimed again and fired, two more arrows hitting the stone at the height of her waist.

The sounds became more frantic at the treeline. Kate couldn’t tell how many monsters there were but they had plenty of bolts. She turned back when she saw rope fly up and catch around a part of the battlements. “Ropes! They’re coming up!”

“Grey, Kate! Take care of them and give us cover!” Logan shouted.

She dropped the crossbow next to the focused Bert and grabbed her hammer. She moved in a crouch towards the first rope, both hands on her weapon as more ropes caught around the battlements. Her hearing focused. She came up and swung, a dull impact flicking the goblin off the wall with a spray of dark blood, illuminated by the many torches. Two more had jumped down onto the narrow path on the wall, crude knives in their hands as they looked around with excited grimaces.

Kate looked at them and growled, the sound produced decidedly inhuman. She watched their expressions change as they took in her armed form. She didn’t use reckless charge and instead just walked three steps forward. Kate feinted, making the goblin dodge to the side, a jab of her hammer crushing in its face. She heard the second one charging with a wild screech, using an upward swing to silence the creature in an instant. She heard whimpers from the first one, turning towards it before she stomped down with her boot.

It stopped moving.

More crossbow bolts were fired.

She glanced left and saw Grey slice past the neck of a goblin, its body collapsing before its head slid off. Ethan and Melusine came out of the tower behind them, the latter moving in a fast crouch.

“Logan! They’re coming up on the other side!” she shouted, pointing to the yard.

Kate turned and slammed her hammer into a goblin that reached the top. She took a few fast steps to avoid the few arrows that still came at her, the momentum of her third step coming down onto the last climber with a strike of her hammer. It screeched with a crushed shoulder, sent flying down the cliff and towards the river flowing below.

A glance back showed the dying flames of the pyres, small critters illuminated beyond.

“The kids are in the armory!” Melusine shouted. Grey had moved past them and stabbed through a goblin that came out of the guard tower.

“Logan!” Kate shouted and watched him look her way. “Have some coffee ready,” she said and gripped her hammer.

The armored man gave her a light nod and moved up to shoot another bolt.

She ignored the others and activated Furious Dance, the sounds of battle turning into a rush. A calling. A pulse. She felt herself grinning. She had never felt this alive. Kate turned towards the yard, took a step forward, and jumped. Her hammer held close, she landed with a crouch and rolled, the impact hardly registering as she used the momentum to run forward. Silent.

Her enemies were overconfident. They were stupid. They didn’t know she was here.

Three goblins near the pyres turned her way but it was too late. The first barely got up its shortsword when she delivered the head of her hammer in a horizontal blow, its head exploding in a splatter of bone and blood.

Kate didn’t stop, feeling warm blood against her cheeks as she swung her hammer back. One of her enemies dodged but her weapon struck the second one, the spike embedded deep into its skull. She walked a step towards the last goblin, her teeth gritted as she growled, the sound deep, barely audible.

She saw the creature take a step back, unable to avoid the hammer that broke its arm and some of its ribs.

Kate heard bones crack and ended the pained existence of the monster, looking up at the goblins that had spread out onto the yard. An explosion resounded behind her. The fire mage had finally started using his magic. It didn’t matter. She looked at the group of nearby goblins, two of them raising up bows with shaking arms as she ripped the hammer out of the corpse.

She could’ve screamed, could’ve shouted, or laughed, but the moment was perfect. She was one with existence. One with battle itself. It felt like the world paused in that split second, the yellow eyes of her enemies looking on with fear. And then motion returned. Reckless Charge made her shoot forward, the arrows aimed at her previous position whistling past before she brought her hammer onto the first of her enemies. She didn’t stop, swinging wide and into the side of another. The critters tried to surround her but she kept her momentum going, her boots pushing against stone, her entire focus on the archers now. She felt resistance as she moved past two of the small goblins, hot pain in her side as she slammed her hammer into the first of the archers. She dodged to the side, an arrow striking her left leg but she kept moving. She struck her weapon against the creature’s chest before it could fire again, the air pushed out of its lungs as it fell on its ass. Kate walked past, stomping down on its head three times before she ripped out the arrow with a growl and looked at the remaining goblins.

They ran.

A mistake.

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She ran after them, first in a slight limp, the pain in her thigh still fresh and the wound bleeding. It lessened when she struck down the first of them. She could hear their breaths, could smell their fear. Death would come for them. Ten seconds passed and the last of them fell. Kate could no longer hear any monsters in the yard. They hadn’t gotten to the buildings. She turned her head when a loud bang resounded. Shotgun.

Light now flickered beyond the wall, screeches and screams of monsters sounding out from beyond as fire must’ve exploded in their midst. She rushed towards the tower when the gate exploded inward, an ogre pushing through while crouched. Splinters and chunks of the wooden beam flew to the side. Orcs and goblins moved past, some of them on fire, others with bolts stuck in their bodies. The large creature too had flames sticking to its back but it simply growled, looking around in the yard until its eyes found Kate.

She held her hammer and crouched, a grin on her face. More.

The monsters spread out, talking in their guttural language when a loud noise overshadowed everything. Roars from the sky. Low and fast. The creatures crouched and looked up, trying to figure out what kind of being had come to challenge them.

Kate was familiar with the sound. She saw the lights flash through in the sky kilometers above, too small and fast to be commercial airliners. Even in her state of battle, she stood and watched, her eyes wide as the distant fighter jets flew past the faraway mountain range on the other side of the valley. Both herself and some of the monsters started turning back, when a bright flash turned the horizon from night to day. A second flash followed, Kate closing her eyes as she let herself fall to the ground. She covered her head with both hands when the sound came rolling past the mountain range and through the Maar valley.

Everything was drowned out, the castle walls and the very earth shaking as strong winds moved past. Kate kept herself down and pressed against the ground, the effects of her spells gone as she prayed that they were out of range of whatever weapon had been used. Her heartbeat had sped up, her breathing fast and frantic. She felt tiny. Insignificant. Kate turned her head to the side and saw the distant plumes rise up, illuminated by the inferno she knew to be there. She understood intellectually what had happened, but seeing it, hearing it, feeling the vibrations, the sheer power. Nothing could have prepared her.

The ogre.

She forced herself to get up, despite all the thoughts going through her mind. Her legs were shaking, her arms feeling light. Her vision blurred just a little. She looked at the group of monsters, frozen and staring at the distant phenomenon.

Kate raised her head. You have invaded our world. She grit her teeth and held her hammer.

Some of the monsters started to turn, refocusing on the reason they were here. Flames burned beyond the open gate, lazily moving from side to side. The creatures remained numerous, savage, armed, and on the hunt. But the dynamics had changed.

Kate took her hammer into both hands and started walking towards them. We will not go quietly into the night. Her magic reactivated, her enemies once more becoming the only thing that mattered. There were seven orcs, twice as many goblins, and the ogre.

A bolt was fired from the battlements above them, punching through the head of an orc. More followed a moment later, the yard exploding into chaos once more. A sphere of flame flashed down, exploding between a group of goblins.

Kate ignored everything except for the ogre, running at the large creature that turned to face her, a massive crude mace held in its hand.

One of the orcs stood in her way, twirling its sword as it uttered words she did not understand.

Kate didn’t stop. She watched as the ogre stepped forward and struck sideways, the orc between them hit with the chunk of spiked metal at the end of its mace. The body was flung to the side, the mace impacting the roof of the barracks as the orc landed on the ground with a wet sound.

The ogre growled more strange words as it raised its weapon to strike her.

Kate jumped to the side as the weapon came down, rolling as the ground shook. She stumbled but caught herself, rushing forward. She heard the mace grind against the cobbled yard as her enemy attacked her with a horizontal strike. Hunting Leap activated when she was in range, her legs charged with power before she jumped off. Kate felt the rushing air below, the spike of her hammer slamming down and into the wide eyed monster’s skull. She hung on as it shook its head and roared, her legs finding purchase on its shoulder. She held the hammer with one hand, unsheathed one of her daggers and stabbed down, aiming for its eye.

She felt the resistance but punched the blade through, another roar resounding. Something strong gripped her leg, squishing down before she was flung aside. The hammer came with her as she flew, the world spinning until she impacted the ground, her weapon clattering down as she rolled three times and hit a wall, all the air in her lungs pushed out. She slid down to her side, unable to feel her leg. One of her arms was twisted in an unnatural way but she hadn’t heard any bones breaking. Her magic remained active but the pain started to push against her focused mind.

Kate watched the ogre roar, taking stumbling steps as it reached for its eye and head, going down to one knee.

She looked up to see an orc approach with its jagged sword in both hands. The monster uttered something as it stepped closer and raised its weapon.

Kate braced herself and activated Reckless Charge while still lying sideways against the wall. Her body was pushed forward, her arms impacting the legs of the orc with all the momentum generated by the magical ability. She came to a stop and coughed up blood, the orc having fallen to the ground and now behind her. She crawled up and grabbed another dagger, stabbing down on its leg as it recovered from the fall.

Kate pulled herself closer with the weapon. She ripped it out and stabbed down again, this time near his groin. Again she pulled. He struck her head with his fist but the impact was laughable. Her left eye went out when he punched again. Kate groaned, stabbing down with wild strikes as he tried to stop her arm. She screamed as she went for another blade with her twisted arm, stabbing down as the orc struck her again. She didn’t have any strength in her left arm but the blade found his stomach, so she fell down with her chest, her jaws slamming shut at the blinding pain as her weight pushed the blade into her enemy.

The orc tried to get the weapon out, his focus on her good arm waning.

She didn’t waste it and stabbed upward, the blade cutting into his throat before she ripped it out and slammed it down on his tusked face. She twisted the blade while crying from the pain. She knew her spells were the only thing keeping her conscious, Kate feeling energy return to her, some feeling now back in her leg. She felt the heat of fire when a sphere exploded nearby, forcing another orc back. She looked for and found her hammer, crawling forward until she had it.

It took everything to stand, her left eye still out as she looked at the burning form of the stumbling orc. A bolt struck its back. She stood close now, her hammer swung with one arm and spike forward, the orc falling with her in turn. Her breath was ragged, the pain lessening once more. Her arm wasn’t right. She rolled to the side, letting go of her hammer before she grabbed the injured elbow and twisted it. A scream reverberated but it didn’t matter. There were more enemies. Her body felt numb. Standing was difficult. More.

Kate found four goblins near the gate, unsure it seemed, if they should get out of cover. She grinned. More.

Reckless charge slammed her into one of them. Her hammer struck with wild swings, broken corpses all that remained of the creatures. She took in a deep breath, flames clinging to the corpses in the yard and out towards the forest. Her leg felt steady once more, and her arm could carry some weight. Her left eye remained shut. She watched as bolts cut down the last remaining goblins, the sound of steel striking flesh coming from above where the others fought.

She crouched and breathed out, her eye focused on the stumbling and enraged ogre. Injured. Weak.

Kate took a step forward. Then another. The ogre turned when she was halfway there, its crude weapon gone when it charged at her. Bolts struck its chest but it didn’t slow down. She waited until the last moment, activating Reckless charge while turning to the side. She shot past its leg as it slammed into the castle wall. Both arms raised high, she struck down on its right knee, breaking bone. She jumped back when the ogre swung backwards with its arm.

Another bolt struck its back. It roared and stumbled backwards, turning to face her. Kate watched a dark form land near the ogre, rolling to absorb the impact.

Grey stood and crouched, one hand on the handle of his sheathed blade before he rushed forward, glinting light flashing up before he came to a stop past the large monster, his weapon sheathed once more.

The ogre fell forward, the tendons in its legs cut through. It roared, stopping its fall with its arms but Kate had been waiting. She swung her hammer with a scream, the weapon crashing down against its skull with all the strength that she could muster. Both the large head and her hammer were pushed back as she felt the impact reverberating through her arms.

The ogre swung forward but its movements were sluggish now.

Kate stepped back and watched the large creature collapse, its one uninjured eye cloudy and unfocused. She walked up to its head and slammed her hammer down. The skull cracked. She struck again, the metal of her hammer sinking into its head. More.

She struck again.

A cloud of brown something hit her face. Kate blinked. She smelled something nice. The enemies were gone. They had prevailed. Her magic deactivated as she rubbed at her face. Coffee. Kate staggered back and collapsed, her vision going dark.