Darian activated his new skill [Minor Rally], bolstering Alistair’s undead. While they couldn’t benefit from some of the skill’s buffs, they would at least be a little tougher. They lurched for the dwarf in unison, and the man was forced to retreat into the courtyard.
“Do you know any dark magic spells?” Darian asked, his legs finally stable beneath him.
Alistair nodded. “A few.”
Darian moved in front of the necromancer and squared his shoulders. “Hit me with the strongest dark magic spell you have.”
Alistair stammered. “Why would I—”
“Just do it!”
The necromancer sighed but did as he was told. Darian could hear him as he raised his arm, then he heard the crackle of magic from within the man’s palm. A moment later and a surge of dark energy slammed into his back, the force nearly taking him off his feet. But he checked his HP, smiling as it rose.
“My thanks,” Darian said, testing his left arm. While it still wasn’t 100%, he could now use it swing his sword.
“What kind of creature are you?” Alistair asked.
Darian ignored the question and followed the undead out into the courtyard. He spotted Jorg and one of the dwarves locked in combat. Krast was nearby, crouched over the crumpled shape of Isaac. One golem still stood, its spear buried in one of Darian’s undead. But the other had been torn apart, its limbs scattered around the corpse of Darian’s other creation.
Bursting into action, Darian rounded the horde of skeletons and zombies. The earth manipulating dwarf was raising his arm again, the stone within his hand shining bright in the darkness. With a downward chop, Darian sliced through his wrist.
The dwarf screamed but the sound was cut short as Darian’s blade found his throat. Blood spewed from the wound, and Darian used it to send his daggers into the back of the remaining golem, causing the construct to stumble and fall. Using this opportunity, Darian dispatched it with an electrified thrust. And with the golem dead, he turned his attention to Jorg.
The paladin was losing his fight. The dwarf he fought seemed bigger than the others, but he was twice as fast, wilding his two-handed hammer with surprising agility. He cracked Jorg on the shoulder and he dropped his mace. One more blow could be fatal.
Darian hit the dwarf in the back with a flaming spear. The attack didn’t seem to cause much damage, but it distracted him enough for Jorg to move out of his reach.
“Heal Isaac,” Darian called. “I’ll handle this one.”
He started by casting [Talon of the Night], but the skill was resisted. Then he activated his defensive skills as the dwarf turned to face him, the gems embedded in his golden necklace glowing as he barreled forward. Darian was faster, but the dwarf’s attacks were weighty, and Darian had little idea how to best use his sword when fighting such an opponent. Deciding to rely on his agility, he dodged and circled, Alistair’s undead drawing closer by the second.
But then the dwarf, glancing at his fallen allies, stopped attacking. He gripped his hammer tight to his chest, golden light spreading through it like glowing roots. Then the light flashed, flowing from the hammer like mist into the ground around the dwarf’s feet. Darian rushed in, but the dwarf parried the thrust. Then the dirt began to rip free of the ground in great clumps, forming and solidifying into the rough shapes of men.
There were four of the earthen creations in total, and the dwarf sent them to block the advance of Alistair’s undead. And though they were heavily outnumbered, the creatures the dwarf created were sturdy and more than enough to hold back the tide.
Darian and the dwarf exchanged blows, Darian landing a cut along the dwarf’s forearm and receiving a short strike to the chest in response. Casting [Biting Swarm], Darian was able to throw his opponent off balance. But even this distraction proved futile, as a green gem within the dwarf’s necklace flashed, dispelling the shadow bats.
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As Darian and the dwarf circled looking for openings, Jorg had cast his healing magic on Isaac. The boy was alive, but Krast had to lift him onto his shoulders. Jorg found his mace on the ground and was about to join Darian when he too heard the march of approaching dwarves.
“We must flee!” Jorg called, his back to the barracks.
Alistair shot a bolt of dark energy at the dwarf. He ducked the magical attack, but a swift kick to the chest from Darian sent him teetering backwards. But the dwarf and his summons were clogging up the area in front of the gate, blocking off their retreat into Lonelen.
“The tunnel,” Alistair rasped, his face pale and beaded by sweat. “We must use the tunnel.”
There was no telling what lay in the tunnel, though no new threats had emerged from the barracks. But the tunnel could lead to more of them, and what if they use the earth to crush us while we’re inside? He had to make a decision, and soon. More enemies were about to reach the fort, and the stubborn dwarf proved too difficult to dispatch quickly.
Jorg looked into the barracks and cursed. “Follow me,” he said to Krast, Isaac hanging limp across the boy’s shoulders.
As they disappeared into the building, the ground between Darian and the dwarf writhed in solid shadow. Then Alistair raised his hand and a thick wall of bone appeared, blocking off the dwarf.
The necromancer, weakened from his imprisonment, almost collapsed after completing his spell. But then he summoned another skeleton, this one bigger than the others. It dropped its rusty iron sword and shield and scooped the thin necromancer up. It would have looked comical in different circumstances.
The skeleton’s bones rattled as it followed Darian into the barracks. A great pit yawned at the other end of the room, the tunnel diving into the earth. Jorg’s heavy steps echoed from within, and Darian wasted no time following the paladin.
Alistair and his skeleton were slow to follow, but Darian could not stop for them. While he heard no other signs of enemies within the tunnel, he could hear shouting from both the courtyard and the gate into Vizzera. Soon the fort would swarm with dwarves. Though their current predicament wasn’t much better. Even if no other opponents awaited them within the tunnel, the dwarves would know where Darian and the others were headed.
Jorg’s glowing mace was the only light in the squat darkness of the tunnel. Whatever had dug the tunnel— dwarven magic by Darian’s estimation—hadn’t left much room for maneuvering. The walls were wide enough for two people to stand side by side and the ceiling was short. But there was evidence that a portion of the tunnel had collapsed. With how narrow the passage was, there was no way undead or dwarves had made it through with enough numbers to kill the fort’s defenders. And if parts of it had collapsed, it meant they could do so again.
Squeezing through, the sound of Alistair’s ragged breath began to fill Darian’s ears. He was still a good distance behind, stopping occasionally to cast a spell. Further past him came the shouting of men and the scrape of steel. It seemed some of Alistair’s summoned creatures were holding back their pursuers.
They traveled for what felt like hours, the slow incline of the tunnel the only sign they weren’t running in place. But eventually a hint of winter air touched Darian’s cheek, and the glimmer of distant starlight marked an exit.
Jorg was the first out, bursting into the clearing ready to bash heads if need be. Krast came next, Isaac still hanging over his shoulders. Darian exited soon after, his heart dropping as he noticed the small encampment built around the tunnel’s exit.
Though it had been abandoned, there were many footprints in the snow and signs of a recently extinguished fire. And Darian could hear the low rasp of frigid breath in the bushes along the forest’s edge. They were not alone
Then a crossbow bolt shot from the trees, the tip burying itself in Jorg’s shoulder. He stumbled backwards as another bolt slammed into his chest, knocking him to the ground.
Darian spotted the two crossbowmen in the canopy above. The trees were frozen solid by winter and leafless, yet the air around the dwarves shimmered and shifted, obscuring them from sight. He targeted them with [Biting Swarm] as he raised his sword.
Two dwarves, both armed with shields and maces, exploded from the forest. As they charged another person appeared behind them, a human, his skin pale and his body wrapped in dark cloth. A necromancer.
With a simple flick of his wrist, the ground was swallowed by shadow, and the undead clawed from the dirt to join the battle. The necromancer then stepped forward, his body encased in swirling shadows.
Darian cast a concerned glance at Jorg, noticing the paladin lay unmoving on the ground. Krast was beside him, Isaac staring wide eyed from the boy’s back. And Alistair was still in the tunnel, leaving Darian alone to face both the undead and the dwarves.
But then a warm breeze blew through the trees, carrying thick green fog with it. Something about it gave the dwarves pause, and they backed away, forming a defensive perimeter around the necromancer. And as the fog continued to thicken, the snow upon the ground melted, grass growing and spreading where frost had been only moments prior.
Then the familiar chittering of gremlins filled the clearing, and all fell into chaos.