With SHOCKING speed, the Stranglethorn fiend pelted over the clearing in our precise direction.
“Scatter!” I shouted. “Lenya, set it alight — base of the tusks. Alator, help me keep it busy. Drya, help where you can, but keep safe. It’s mindless — you should be able to distract its attention if you can light a torch.”
My companions yelled, “Right!” and we leapt up and ran off in different directions. Lenya took place in front of the dense holywood tree, with Drya beside her, shaking in her boots. She started scanning the ground and collecting dry matter. Alator met my pace, shooting off two slingshot bullets as he ran, then pulled ahead towards it, making an arc to get to its side.
Then I felt my blood turn to fire.
It’s been too long!
My mind exploded in gratitude for the combat. Lenya has spoken of gods before.
Is there a war god I can give glory to?!
As a reflex, psychically, I plunged both hands into the stream of inner power. The improved [Battle Tactics] brought a stunning clarity which confirmed my plan — The tusks are flammable! — and [Vigour] pulsed through me, ridging the muscles in my arms and legs as I leapt at it.
The thing’s trunk twitched again and mid-gallop it turned as if on a top, rotated easily and maintained speed right at Alator.
My savage companion set out at his receiving stance, legs wide, bare feet scraping through the dried thorns and leaves, arms up before him, eyes FLASHING yellow and smoke trailing off. The clash came suddenly.
The THUD exploded through the clearing as the beast’s skull met Alator’s chest, sending him two yards back across the dirt, but stopping the thing. Instantly, through inertia rather than skill, its vine tusks slapped around his back, thorns tearing red lines into his back. With my Constitution, I was sure, That would have stripped flesh from bone.
Alator raised an arm and the whole thing’s bare skull was lit a dull gold and he brought his elbow down on the fiend. With a CRACK the skull dented in, thin fractures covering it.
The demon elephant fell back half a step, and I reached it, thrusting my spear into its hide, bronze point piercing grey leather. It squirmed and raised its head, letting out an almighty hooting bellow, then levelled itself down again.
With a horrible rush of air, its vine tusks took up and shot towards me. One wrapped around the thick Linothorax on my chest, the other like a whip moved lightning and entwined itself over my spear, covering half the haft.
This is only Level 9?!
// SYS : Creating new profile based on available parameters. Loading. //
What?!
A ripple like a wave passed down the vines as the Stranglethorn threw its head to smash into the ground. I reached deep but in the moment didn’t have time to activate a Skill. I was whipped down and my face smacked hard against the dry earth and needles. I felt hot pain rush between my eyes and my mind flashed white as my nose crunched broken.
Dazed and swallowing blood, I was vaguely aware of being lifted up to my feet again. A bellow sounded as the fiend brought itself back on its hind legs, preparing another slam.
“Oi! ’rah! Wukka!”
A shrieking call in a faltering voice brought all our attention back to the treeline. The fiend huffed and cocked its eyeless skull head as it turned. Drya was standing with a bundle of dry needles, leaves and small twigs. She held the small obsidian oval in her other hand and smashed it against the makeshift torch.
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Fire erupted in her hand, and the fiend baulked instantly. It fell back a pace, trunk twitching and sniffing the burning pine in the air. It gave me a moment — deciding between my chest (protected) and the spear (my only weapon) — to pump [Vigour] and I tore at the vines with my fingers, eventually prying them from the haft of the spear.
// SYS : Updated profile created. //
My mind worked through the options. Was still taking too long. Wondered how many other wounds I could have avoided if I had quicker wits. Another decision to make: tear the vines off my chest and risk it charging and trampling me, or . . . Analysis.
Fiend :
Stranglethorn (Ancient), Level 17
Stats :
Str 26, Dex 14, Con 6, Mnd 1
XP :
167
// SYS : Talbot, I —//
I’ll deal with you later!
We had no idea how the encounter with the Shadow Prowlers was going to go, so I didn’t want to exert myself unduly. However, suddenly seeing that this thing was almost as strong as the Abominable that had almost killed me in a flash on my first day in Barbican, that was no longer an option.
“Alator!” I called. “This thing is —”
Suddenly the fiend snapped out of it. Its powerful legs moved it about easily, and it threw its head aside, launching me into the air, knocking the wind out of me. It had a roadmap of raised scars running over its back and sides, trophies from a lifetime of combat. I was pulled straight towards it, soaring.
Alator FLASHED yellow and leapt up and into my path, and grabbed the thorned vine even as I was whipped forwards, wincing as the spikes dug into his skin. I crashed into his back and we fell to the ground. I righted myself and took my spear in both hands. The thing bellowed again, its one vine still about my chest, and threw its massive head back.
The thorns tore from Alator’s grasp and he grunted and held his wrist a moment, blood beading and dripping. Again I was thrown into the air over its back, but I was ready. A third [Vigour] made my muscles iron and I directed [Weapon Mastery : Precision Strike] to my shoulder.
My spear thrust hard into its back, the bronze piercing deep against bone, sending shuddering friction up my arm but stopping my flight. My sandals landed heavy on its spine, the impact buckled my knees but I pulsed yet another [Vigour] to stay standing. I felt the sinews ache and my ankles accordion against the force.
Then at that moment I heard Lenya call:
“[Flicker : Spark]!”
Her hand exploded with a ripple of rose pink and poppy red and the air between her and the fiend danced with excitement, then, right at the base of its vine tusks, a flame was magicked into reality.
In a moment, a lick of fire raced up the full length of the vines, blackening the thick haft of my spear and blazing around my waist.
With the heat drying my eyes, I roared and took a heavy step forwards, even as the vine tusks whipped up and tried to throw me again. Between its efforts, I shocked [Vigour] again and again with every step until I found the base of its neck, just before the massive skull-like head.
“DIE!” I yelled, eyes mad and voice pure rage. As the vines weakened and became brittle with the flames, and as it bellowed fear and fury beneath me, with the compounded Skills, I wrenched my spear out of its spine and rose it in both hands, making to stab it back down. Before I could find proper footing, the thing heaved and leapt.
Bellowing at the fire, vines fully ablaze, it launched itself with frightening, impossible power ten yards into the air, then came down fast and hard. I felt the weight of its barrel body smash into the ground, teeter on its legs, joints popping, and I was thrown to the hide. Grasping onto the mane, with the Skills still inflaming me, I managed just about to keep myself attached, but then I felt the same ripple of muscle against my body as it readied another jump, and the flaming vine, still tight around my chest, began to pull.
Then Alator was in front of it, sweat turning to steam on his body, bursting into the air. With both hands he grasped the fiend’s trunk. It squealed and simmered fury. Finally, the vine about my waist let up and both of them curled up into the air for a moment before whipping down at Alator.
Back LASHED, Alator grunted, dug in his heels and leant back like tug o’ war, eyes flashing yellow, smoke drifting up, and held the thing in place. As fast as I could, I righted myself, set both feet into divots on either side of its spine, and shoved the Bronze Spear of Blinding down again.
The spearhead, flashing in the light of the flames, dug deep into the base of its neck. The Stranglethorn’s trunk slapped up over it and walloped my back, but I just grunted against the pain and put my full weight into the spear, shoving it another few inches down, the bronze disappearing into a growing puddle of thick grey lifeblood.
Then, with one colossal shudder and effort, I felt the spear break through something, and the fiend staggered, back legs buckling, let out one final death throe, and fell heavily beneath me.