The moment that we step in front of the gates, Xelyphe stops me.
"Wh-" I will ask when they cover my mouth quickly.
"Not so loud. I can smell blood, and it smells fresh." Seeing that their body posture has become more rigid, I wait for a second, and when there are no other sounds, we slowly creep forward. When we can get our heads around the front entry of the walls, we see it. There are piles of bodies of different species, their blood drained, and they appear drawn into a weird summoning ritual. And that is when I get a notification.
- Party Quest: Gnoll Way Home
You have stumbled upon a gnoll summoning ritual. This ritual will be completed when all the remaining captives' blood has been spilled in the summoning circle. You will need to slay all the gnolls within the wooden fort to prevent it from being successful.
Tasks:
Gnolls Slain: 0/12
Gnoll Warriors Slain: 0/2
Gnoll Shaman Slain: 0/1
Gnoll Chieftain Slain: 0/1
Optional Task:
Free the captives: 0/14
Rewards: ???
Failure: ??? -
When all this information has been digested, I can see a captive being dragged to an altar at the center of the circle, where a much larger gnoll is not far behind. From where we are spying on the gnolls, I can analyze several of them to grasp what we are about to walk into.
- Gnoll Level 5
HP: 50/50
Gnoll Warrior Level 6 (Elite)
HP: 160/160
Gnoll Shaman Level 6 (Elite)
HP: 120/120
MP: 40/40
Gnoll Chieftain Level 7 (Elite)
HP: 200/200 -
"Shit, shit, shit," I curse under my breath, "There is no way we are going to be able to complete this by ourselves; we need Mom and Dad; where are they?" Not being able to keep my calm, I start to panic. I noticed a patch of darkness deeper than the rest inside the fort near one of the warriors.
Taking a deep breath, I steady myself, hoping my eyes are playing tricks on me. Not thinking about the consequences, I prepare myself for a hard fight. Noticing that most of the gnolls are on the far side, I try to figure out if I can pull a couple out without causing too much distraction over the screams of the captives.
Seeing the gnolls with the captive are still far away from the ritual, I cast Nature's Grasp in their path, hoping it won't give away my position. The brambles spring upright as they are mid-step, the captive being dragged behind them, not reaching the patch yet. When the gnolls take the next step, one is so shocked by the sudden pain and lacerations on its leg that it lets go of the captive and howls while it starts to hop on its other paw. The other one also howls but manages to keep its grip on the captive. While the gnoll is still holding it and is in pain, the captive tries to wrestle their arm from it but can't.
The sudden howls of pain alerted the rest of the gnolls. The warriors huffed in amusement at the two in pain, and the shaman chuffed in frustration. Thankfully, none of the gnolls tried to find out where the brambles came from, but that doesn't fully assuage my concerns about them trying to find us.
After the first two and taking the step, I let my spell dissipate, and like it was never there, the brambles melted away.
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It doesn't take long before another set of gnolls come over to take the captive from the other two; when they approach, I try to cast my spell in the exact location, but this time while the gnolls are further inside to maybe kill a couple, but I am unable to at this time. I can cast around the initial location but not on that exact location. There must be some cooldown for the land underneath, or maybe it has something to do with the nutrients in the land. I will have to check on this when I return to the settlement. I can't be focused on these experiments when in a dangerous situation.
Instead, I look at the two gnolls that were hurt by my spell.
- Gnoll Level 5
HP: 36/50
Right Leg Severe Injury: Slowed Movement Speed
Gnoll Level 5
HP: 38/50 -
With none of the other gnolls checking on them, the other two went back to gather another captive. Slowed by the leg injury, they grab another captive. By the time they had caught another, I was ready to cast an arcane bolt at them. The bolt completely missed them, but they didn't notice my minor mistake.
Facepalming, Xelyphe looks at me, "How?"
Shrugging, I try again and miss again. "I guess I am just bad at this, huh?"
Gesturing at the limping gnoll, she gives me a look. "Just be glad no one has noticed that little light show, considering the amount of blood and whatever else in this fort."
"Fair point," I state, and with one final attempt, I finally hit the gnoll before it got too far from us and too close to the other gnolls. Snarling at the pain, he turns his head to find us crouched by the entry but not sticking out too far for the others to see. With anger in its eyes, it drops the captive again and, this time charges toward us. Along with that one gnoll, another three follow behind it.
Considering that only four are coming at us, I figured that would be the best solution. I cast nature's grasp right in front of us. Once that spell was cast, I cast another shield onto Xelyphe since the last one had lapsed. With a front-line defender, we should be able to clear this group and pull the next one quickly.
By the time the gnolls got to the summoned bramble patch, I had cast one more arcane shot at the leading gnoll. With this final arcane bolt, the gnoll drops with one final whimper before going still. I briefly noticed something strange happening, but I put my observation aside with the incoming threats for now. The gnolls had already approached, and by the time they had taken their second step into the bramble patch, they were already almost to Xelyphe.
Reaching with their sword, Xelyphe thrusts forward to the next one in line and catches it as it slashes. Piercing it through the torse, it collapses forward onto them. With the sudden addition of weight, Xelyphe can't hold onto her blade and loses her grip. The other two gnolls, now bleeding from cuts all over their legs, are finally in front of Xelyphe.
They both slash, claws flared, striking Xelyphe with no way to defend the attack's land immediately. My shield spell flares, blocking the damage, and tiny cracks spread throughout when the second attack slashes at it. Unable to get the blade since it has been run through and the hilt is pressed against the ground, I instead take the shield by both hands and slam it into one of the two gnolls' chins, sending it stumbling backward onto its back inside of the brambles.
The other gnoll is hit right in the gut with an arcane bolt. It swipes one more time at Xelyphe and manages to break through the shield and scrap its claws against the armor, making them both stumble. Looking past the two in melee, I see another three gnolls headed our way. Knowing that we might be in trouble should Xelyphe be unable to get their sword in time, I throw spells one after the other at the approaching gnolls, hoping to damage them before they approach closer.
Trying to conserve mana and deal as much damage as possible, I focus entirely on casting arcane shots. It is my highest level with the highest guaranteed damage potential. Of the seven I cast, four landed on the gnolls in my frantic rush to deal damage, one getting hit in the leg right before the brambles, making it stumble into them. Xelyphe finished the last gnoll of the initial four pulled over, scrambling to get their sword out from underneath the run-through. It takes some time, and the other three gnolls are already upon us when they get up.
Of the three gnolls, Xelyphe was able to avoid two of them. The third one was able to rake its claws along the armor, scoring a deep gash in it, and blood started to flow out from the wound. Continuing to cast my spells, I see more gnolls coming to help their brethren. At this time, the warrior with a darker shadow also starts to approach us. Wanting to help more, I keep casting, shield and barkskin for Xelyphe, and every time the shield drops quite quickly, I cast another. More attacks head Xelyphe's way as more gnolls start to pile up.
By the time the warrior reached us, we had downed another four gnolls. Raising its blade to slash down at Xelyphe, its arm is caught by a black-clawed hand. And that is when I hear the whisper, "Oh no, you mustn't interrupt their fight. You will be fighting me."
Seeing my mother's abyssal eyes, I can't help but let out a breath. I quickly look around and count how many more gnolls we must fight. With the initial four from the first pull and another four that joined in the battle shortly after, we have eight of the twelve gnolls slain. With four more normal gnolls, two warriors, the shaman, and the chieftain left, we should be able to get through the fight with minimal injuries.
The only three gnolls who haven't made their move are one of the warriors, the shaman, and the chieftain. The chieftain's creepy smile makes me feel eerie about our situation. It takes Xelyphe, my mother, and myself another three minutes of battle before we can finish off the gnolls attacking us. Xelyphe has minor wounds from the exhausting fight right after the other fight we had earlier. My mother is covered in blood, especially her claws. I look at my own when asking where everyone is with their resources.
- Drake:
HP: 80/80
MP: 55/300
Xelyphe:
HP: 60/100
MP: 0/0
Madoka:
HP: 200/200
MP: 0/0 -
With Mother's health still full, we can take the last three gnolls down without hassle. As we approach the last gnolls, I notice that the bloody scent flowing through the camp has become more pungent, as if it is being concentrated. And that is when Xelyphe lets out a small groan.
"What happened?" I asked, on guard for anything.
"Noth-" cutting off their own words, and instead go wide-eyed at something, "Drake, Mom, we need to finish this quickly. I am somehow losing health still."
Looking around, I quickly grasp what is going on. While the wounds Xelyphe has aren't enough for it to be noticeable. Looking around at the remaining corpses surrounding us, the blood has been flowing into the ritual even without the sacrifices. And it is at that moment I receive a notification.
- Quest Failed -