Redmane’s body sailed free from the cone of flames. But the fire seared him deeply all the same, though he’d only been engulfed for a mere instant.
Corpus: 2586
That hurt.
It would be bad to be touched by the fire again.
Umber snapped at him and Redmane rolled underneath, came up to one knee and hacked into the Rock Warg’s lead leg with his axe. The blade struck true, but all it left was a shallow scratch in its rocky hide.
Redmane would not be deterred. He could not. The Enrage Skill made retreat even less of a possibility than usual. It was kill or be killed, and quickly. The Skill had a Gnosis cost, and his supply was far from infinite.
Ash the Warg crouched nearby, his hackled raised, head low. He too seemed to be struggling with Umber’s Fear Aura. It appeared Redmane could not avail himself of an ally this time.
Umber bit at him again once, twice. The snapping of its jaws was loud enough to echo off the stone. Redmane slipped to the side, he appeared to have speed on his side, unless the Rock Warg was bluffing by biting at him slow.
Redmane hoped the Monster wasn’t clever enough to set up a ruse like that.
Thus began a battle of attrition. Umber charged, bit, struck out with his claws, leapt into the air and strafed the ground below with fire. Redmane evaded, rolled, leapt backward, to the sides. The axe of Morholt struck rarely and when it did, it merely chipped and scratched at the Rock Warg’s impenetrable hide.
If Redmane was doing any damage at all, it was difficult to see. Umber came at him as if fresh from the kennel, the clack of his jaws spraying embers, smoke venting from between his teeth. As he charged, his monstrous paws sprayed shrapnel gouged from the stone they stood upon.
Gnosis: 70
He wouldn’t last at this rate. Blessing of Might would run out and he’d be blasted to ashes.
There had to be a way to best this creature.
Umber spit a gout of fire at Redmane and then snapped at the spot he dodged toward. Redmane dodged the first attack with ease, the second at the last possible instant, and a bolt of panic shot through him as those jaws struck an inch in front of his nose.
He rolled to the side, noticed a spot on Umber’s left foreleg he’d already cut with Morholt’s axe. It was a split second decision, strike now or lose his chance, so he struck.
The scratch became an X, and deepened a bit.
Redmane’s eyebrow shot up.
Umber came at him again, rearing up on his forepaws and slamming them down on the rock. Redmane ran to his right and spotted the same place, struck it again.
The X became something like a star shape. Its centerpoint deepened a bit more.
The Rock Warg filled its lungs with air and opened wide to blast Redmane with a whole column of flame.
Redmane again evaded to his right. This time he had a moment to really come down hard with the axe.
It punched into the skin, and there was a trickle of blood.
Not much. But a start!
Gnosis: 60
The battle of attrition felt less hopeless now.
Umber came at Redmane with vengeful eyes, leaping about their small arena. Redmane held back the instinct to press the attack, to charge, to claw and maim and devour with no thought to his own safety. He knew it was Blessing of Might at work in his mind. He had to keep those impulses at bay.
It was better than the alternative.
Every time an opening presented itself, Redmane struck the weak spot he’d created. Over and over again. Until it bled heavily, at which point he switched to his claw to make the bleeding even worse.
Bleeding (1)
Bleeding (2)
Bleeding (3)
This would help him sap that health away. The Monster had vitality to spare, and he’d only been wounded for the first time. More and more stacks of Bleeding seemed to slow Umber down, draining away his speed and power, and now he was even having difficulty bounding and leaping on account of the multiple axe blows to his leg.
Gnosis: 50
Redmane rolled to the side of another spray of fire breath, took his axe handle in both hands and brought it down on that leg with all his strength.
It cracked, and broke!
Umber shuddered and fell onto his face. Struggling to stand again.
There would be no better chance than this.
The weak spot gushed blood. Within, deeper down beneath the flesh, there was an orange glow.
Redmane dropped his axe and ripped into the wound with both claws, rending it as fast as his muscles would let him.
Bleeding (9)
Bleeding (10)
Bleeding (11)
Bleeding (12)
Gnosis: 40
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Then he noticed, too late, the glow inside Umber’s body was gradually intensifying.
Umber lifted his head skyward and howled. White hot flames boiled in its throat.
Then the Rock Warg’s whole body detonated.
Redmane’s vision went white. His ears rang. All the sound in the world went out.
It took him a moment to realize he’d been thrown backward a dozen feet or more, and now lay on his face.
Corpus: 1464
That… Hurt…
His ears rang. He felt searing heat all over his body. Skin struggling to regenerate, burns completely covering his flesh. His hand shook as he placed it flat on the stone, tried to push himself up to see what had happened.
Umber was still alive.
The Rock Warg Alpha paced toward Redmane’s prone form. Glowing yellow flames poured from holes all over its body, most of all from the wound he’d opened on the right shoulder. Those jaws hung open, flames gusting out with every breath it took, that immense maw drawing closer and closer. But slowly. Taking his time, as if he knew this was over.
Redmane glanced to his side. Ash still stood nearby, crouched, growling.
Blessing of Might
Gnosis: 40
The Warg didn’t hesitate for even one instant.
It flew at Umber. Opening with a killing bite. Ash was smaller than his foe, but the Warg had momentum and energy on his side. His jaws clamped down on the back of the Rock Warg’s neck and the two of them went tumbling across the ground, biting and clawing at each other.
Redmane pressed both hands to the cool stone. Breathed in slowly, and then out. In a moment he could move again. Everything still hurt, but he had the power to stand, walk over to the place where Morholt’s axe lay on the ground, and retrieve it.
Gnosis: 30
There was no time.
It had to end soon.
Now he had to pay to maintain them both. If he and Ash lost Enrage, it wouldn’t matter how close to victory they had come.
Redmane gripped the handle of the axe tightly and marched toward the struggling Wargs.
Ash threw his head back to avoid a blast of fire.
Umber shrieked as jaws ravaged his throat, flames trickling from the open wounds.
Redmane drew closer…
Gnosis: 20
Umber took back the upper hand. He rolled atop Ash and stamped with a paw, gashing the smaller Warg across the face with wickedly curved claws. Dark blood flowed over Ash’s eye, he yelped and kicked, trying to get free, and Umber pinned him with that paw, leaning in close and opening his jaws wide, inhaling to gather a lethal dose of fire.
Then Redmane struck Umber’s burning shoulder with his axe, severing the leg.
The Rock Warg’s fire breath went wide as he threw his head back in a pained howl. In the distance Redmane thought he heard the sound of huge paws scrabbling on the stone as Rock Wargs changed direction to come to the aid of their pack leader.
But he had greater concerns at the moment.
Redmane struck again, and there was a small bloom of fire as the head of his axe slammed into the side of Umber’s head.
Ash slipped free from beneath Umber and struck too, biting down hard on the Rock Warg’s throat, jerking his head side to side violently to maximize the damage.
Redmane laid into his foe as if he were felling a tree. Strike after strike, unrelenting, even as his Warg companion savaged Umber’s throat. He’d managed to create one wound, now he’d make another one.
But again, Umber’s form began to glow from within.
Redmane’s eyes went wide.
Back off of it!
He turned and ran in the opposite direction, and Ash did the same. Umber lay on his side, lifted his head to howl brokenly as his insides went bright.
Both of them managed to get clear of the blast this time.
Its force threw Redmane into the air, sent him skidding on his belly across the rock. He rolled and came up in a crouch, dizzied by the shock of the explosion but thankfully unburned.
Umber lay on his side still, but the fires were out. What remained of his blackened frame lay motionless, smoking.
Umber, Rock Warg Alpha, has been slain
Tasks Completed: 3/3
Level Up
Level 32 —> Level 33
Level 33 —> Level 34
Zone Tasks Completed
Cleared Zone: Midva Forest
Level Up
Level 34 —> Level 35
Quality Points awaiting allocation: 3
He gave all three points to Might.
Might 20 —> 23
This Zone will be integrated into the domain of House Redmane
As before, there was a change in the air.
Ash seemed to notice it too. He lifted his nose to the sky, sniffed.
Smells different, he said.
Better, I presume, said Redmane.
Less like Monsters. More like your kind. But you smell like a Monster too. And a man. Your scents are confusing.
It’s because the land is under my protection now, said Redmane. Monsters will trouble you no more.
The Warg appeared content with that.
It walked to the ledge and peered down at the survivors. There were three, other than him. If it bothered Ash that they had numbered thirteen when Redmane released them, and now they were only four, it didn’t register in any way Redmane could perceive.
But he was a bit distracted.
His eye was on the carcass of Umber.
He returned to it, crouched over it, and sunk his teeth into the Rock Warg Alpha’s scorched remains.
—
Monster Skills Learned
Rockskin
Bloodline Skill [Monstrous (Rock Warg)]
Rank 1 - Evolution Possible
Body Enhancement
Sustained - 10 Gnosis per 30 seconds
The Monster may harden its flesh (or the flesh of an allied creature) against physical attacks, granting the following enhancements:
+10 Fortitude
+10 Armor
-Enhanced Fire resistance
-Damage Ablation (50)
CAUTION: Damage Ablation may be eliminated if a creature attacks the same target on the Monster’s body repeatedly.
Fear Aura
Bloodline Skill [Monstrous (Rock Warg)]
Rank 1 - Evolution Possible
Aura (Range: 10 yards per Rank)
Sustained - 10 Gnosis per 30 seconds
The Monster radiates menace.
All creatures within the radius of the Fear Aura fall under its influence. Affected creatures will either:
-Flee at maximum speed
-Cower in place
-Be able to move and fight at a penalty to all Qualities
The severity of a creature’s response to Fear Aura is relative to its overall strength in comparison to the Monster’s.
Flame Breath
Bloodline Skill [Monstrous (Rock Warg)]
Rank 1 - Evolution Possible
Active
20 Gnosis
The Monster belches forth a cone of fire. This attack has the following Weapon Profile:
Damage +15
Armor Penetration 5
Evasion Negation 8 (Spread 4)
Corpus Damage over Time (Burning 4)
Greater Ranks increase the dimensions of the cone, and the damage and qualities of the fire.
—
The meat was a little well done for Redmane’s taste, but it gave nourishment all the same.
Corpus: 2301
The Rock Warg Alpha had three Skills tied for top Rank. Umber was a strong one.
As much as he would have liked to test Flame Breath right then and there, it would cost the last of his Gnosis. Redmane hadn’t yet run out completely, and didn’t want to find out if there was some manner of penalty for doing so.
Redmane peered over the ledge at the results of the battle below. Four more Rock Wargs lay dead on the ground, along with their uncorrupted brethren.
He thought about eating those too. But Ash and his pack might have feelings about it, so when he vaulted down from the outcropping he restrained himself and stuck to the Monsters.
Corpus: 3887
Corpus: 5493
Ash followed him down, at a casual pace. He caught up to Redmane when he was almost done devouring his third Rock Warg.
You still eat fast, even when the battle is over.
Habit, said Redmane, between bites.
The Warg looked out at the horizon. A deep blue glow framed the top of the treeline like a halo.
Dawn comes, said Ash. We shall find a place to rest and lick our wounds.
You can go north to my castle, said Redmane. The folk there will feed you. The Magister might be able to tend your wounds.
We know the place. It smelled bad before, it smells worse now.
And with that said, the Warg and his three surviving relatives walked back into the forest. Redmane didn’t know if they would go to Häerz Castle. Most likely not. But he’d offered.
He rose from the last carcass and wiped his mouth.
Then he too looked out at the treeline. His treeline. Midva Forest was Redmane territory now.
To the south he spied the silhouette of a wall with guard towers at regular intervals. Barograd.
It would be his too.
Redmane slung Morholt’s axe over his shoulder and set out for the next conquest.