The deadly race had come to an end. The guards were roused, weapons were drawn, and the next few minutes would determine who would live, and who would die. Unexpectedly it was Elder Zin who made the first move. He was long past his prime and even though he walked unaided with his back straight, the years had taken their toll on his strength and his teeth. One thing age couldn’t take away from him were his skills. Zin had left the tribe in his youth to become an adventurer. He returned four years later wiser for the experience, with a set of tales that only came out after the wine was flowing. He had served as a guard for a good twenty years after his return, only stepping down at the request of his own son. Even then he kept his eye out for any youth with martial talent and did his best to draw it out of them. Every guard present was someone he had personally trained, and Elder Zin wasn’t the sort of person to be passive when lives were on the line.
A lunging strike allowed Elder Zin to close the gap between the camp and Ade’s group in a blur. Sword first, he impacted the closest sand wolf, his blade piercing the tough skin as if it wasn’t even there. At the same time the normally restrained elder released his bloodlust, a primal feeling that froze the wolves it was directed at. The alpha was unaffected and it didn’t take long for him to galvanize the other wolves back into their attack. Those moments gave the defenders the time they needed. Fresh guards arrived and positioned themselves between the weary miners and the monsters, while the apprentice healer began to administer healing tonics to the heavily injured.
The alpha sand wolf barreled forwards, two tons of killing machine focused entirely on destroying the old man who had appeared and killed one of his pack members. As it charged, it howled, and instead of following him on his attack the rest of the pack split, running forwards on either side of the defensive position of the nomads. They had a different target in sight.
“The children!” Ade realized and shouted out. He might not be able to intervene himself but he could at least alert others to the problem. School was finished for the day and the children had been happily playing in the Oasis. They knew just how serious the defensive alarm was, and all of them were making their way back to the safety of the camp, but their legs were short and more than a few had already tired themselves out while playing. As such they were caught out in the open, unable to run or fight as the sand wolves closed in. The adults coming to help fight the wolves immediately switched directions to position themselves between the monsters and the children, spears pointed forwards threateningly. Unwilling to impale themselves the wolves slowed.
An unofficial rule of adventurers was that monsters always had another trick to play. Whether a piece of magic, the ability to exceed their regular level of strength, or some other ability that allowed the monsters to survive in environments that would kill a human in hours. The sand wolves proved the truth of that adage as they approached the guards. With a ripple of muscle the layer of sand that coated their bodies and acted as camouflage was expelled outwards. For a second a thick cloud of sand filled the air, blinding everyone present. The sand wasn’t fine enough to stay up long, but the momentary distraction had served its purpose.
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The wolves couldn’t see through the sand any better than the humans and instead of risking a blind attack against the thicket of spears they once again went around the obstacle in their path.
Elder Zin was still busy engaging the alpha sand wolf. It took every ounce of speed and skill he had to compensate for the sheer difference in size and strength. He didn’t have the focus to spare to think about the children, much less save them. Ade scrabbled in the ground and found a handful of stones he could sling, but he knew it was more of a gesture than anything. He simply didn’t have the strength or the angle of attack to convince the wolves to turn aside.
Amazingly, he didn’t need to. Having avoided all the people who tried to intervene the wolves had nothing preventing them from simply charging forwards and taking the children down. Yet for some miraculous reason they split and changed direction, some heading left and some right as if to flank an invisible enemy.
It wasn’t like there was anyone present to cause that effect and Ade could only watch dumbfounded as the wolves continued to travel sideways, kept away from the children by an invisible barrier.
“The Oasis.” He whispered, then louder as it turned into a cheer that was picked up by others. “The Oasis! The Oasis protects!”
The Oasis’ growth was well known by this point, but this barrier it provided was the first action it took that aided the nomads directly. Before the Oasis had been simply alien, now it was benevolent, and the hope that thought provided gave everyone fighting a little more energy to strike harder.
Crack! The barrier wasn’t perfect. Two of the larger wolves had managed to breach the barrier, and while none of the other sand wolves seemed to be able to follow them Ade knew it didn’t really matter. Two wolves was one wolf more than was needed to slaughter every last child.
“Joss!” One of the younger guards, Jeb, exclaimed. Joss was his younger brother, if Ade remembered correctly. With his brother’s life on the line Jeb moved. It wasn’t as fast or as devastating as Elder Zin’s earlier maneuver, but it was sufficient. Jeb stood there gasping, weakened by the unexpected energy expenditure, his spear embedded in the throat of one of the monsters. Yet he wasn’t finished, couldn’t be finished while the other sand wolf still threatened his family.
“Me me me me me…” It was another skill, one used by guards to focus aggression on themselves. The words weren’t necessary but Jeb spoke them anyways, every syllable a show of his willingness to trade his life for the lives of others. Fortunately, he didn’t need to. A sling bullet whistled through the air to crack the sand wolf’s skull and it slumped to the ground, dead.
While the other guards distracted the alpha sand wolf, Elder Zin managed to repeat his earlier attack, blurring forward to catch the alpha by surprise. It wasn’t the throat or any other lethal position, but the hamstring that Zin targeted was enough of an injury to make the outcome inevitable. The alpha realized it as well and gave a mournful howl, a signal to retreat that the other sand wolves reluctantly followed, leaving the dead and dying behind.
It was over.