My eyes lingered on our horses. There was nothing around but rolling fields, not even a bird was circling above in the vast sky. I turned to Stella, torn with what to do with our four-legged friends as we prepared to depart. She caught my worried expression, waiting for me to voice my concern.
“We have no way of knowing how far away they took this wagon, let alone if they took prisoners with them,” I finally said, running a hand through my hair. “I’m not keen on accidentally walking up to their encampment on horseback, especially how accurate their rock throws are. I’m thinking we leave the horses here and press on by foot.”
“We don’t know how far we’ll need to travel. Wouldn’t it be better to keep them with us, at least for now until we figure out what we’re dealing with?” Stella asked, bringing up a valid point. “Plus, who knows if we’ll be able to find them if - when we get back.”
I looked at our mounts, both were grazing nearby with their reins hung over their necks to not get stuck underfoot. “All day yesterday we traveled by horseback. But honestly, we weren’t moving any faster than a jog. There wasn’t a need to go any faster when there were so many unknowns at the time.” I took a deep breath and looked out to the open plains as I aligned my thoughts.
“A part of me believes we’re close to wherever this encampment is,” I continued. “We’re going to find them soon. I can feel it. Just like my premonition before we found those broken wagons. With my movement song, along with my high stamina, I believe we can move swifter and stealthier than we could on horseback. Plus, I don’t want our new friends to get injured.”
“Should we run back to the forest and tie them up there?” Stella asked as she eyed up the grazing horses.
“No,” I replied with a shake of my head. “We don’t know how long we’ll be away, and I think it safer to let them roam as they please. They are smart animals and can take care of themselves, from what I’ve seen and having got to know them better.”
I looked to Stella, “I think this is the right play here.”
“Alright,” Stella agreed and flew over to her chestnut mare. “Let’s take off everything but their bridle, even the reins. That way they are easier to get a hold of when we get back.”
Nodding with her words, I quickly stored everything but the two bridles on our horses. Wishing them happy grazing, our small party moved out the road, following the twin wheel tracks highlighted in my vision courtesy of my tracking skill. The wheels were pressed deep into the compact earth as if carrying a great load. We were about to pass over a rise, taking the faster path straight over instead of around it like the wagon had, all to gain more ground on our quarry. I looked back to our horses, moving along methodically and thoroughly enjoying their free reign. “We’ll be back,” I said though there was no way they could have heard me. “Stay safe.”
“They’ll look after themselves until we come back,” Stella said to reassure me as she moved to my shoulder, taking her usual place as we gazed back towards the path leading to our enemy. “We’ve got this.”
The trail was incredibly easy to follow. The combination of the heavy rain from earlier and the nearly overloaded wagon left what was akin to a fire trail in my vision. The wagon had gotten stuck a few times by the looks of it, the wheeling digging into soft mud but appeared to be muscled out of the jam. Footprints twice the size of man were buried next to the tracks, showing the beasts relied on a great deal of muscle to keep the wagon moving. We followed the trail for an hour, going up and around countless berms.
As we followed the trail, my tracking skill helped me pick out five different sets of tracks, all the large variants. Each was now highlighted in a different color, a nice perk of my budding tracking skill. My heart sank at the likelihood of finding survivors as I had not yet found a single human-sized track. Either they were slung over shoulders, or the entire contingent of guards and traders had been somehow tossed atop the single wagon taken from the field of battle. The pit in my stomach grew as my mind leaned to one of the possibilities being more likely given everything we had seen thus far.
When we crested the latest hill, Stella spotted a small smoke column rising in the distance. We crouched low, though nothing else could be seen across the rolling plains. Stella eyed the distance, squinting her eyes as her neck craned forward. “Maybe a mile off,” she said. “It’s a large one too, probably a large bonfire.”
“Let’s drop fully into stealth and be mindful to not approach from the top of these barrows,” I said as I eyed up a path we could take. “I don’t want our profile against the horizon at our backs to give us away.” This was a trick I picked up from various first-person shooters back on Earth. I looked to Ripley, Lowki, then to Stella, pausing momentarily on each of my companions. “Let’s find out what we’re up against.”
Our group collectively crouched low, Stella floating over to Ripley’s shoulder, who I asked to keep close at my side. Ripley had her sword and new shield equipped, a good decision considering how powerful our foes were likely to be. “Lowki, keep close. I don’t think we need you to scout ahead, we know where they are. If we need to retreat, I want us to be close.”
A part of me wanted our party to spread out, in case we came under fire from flying boulders. For the time being, though, we had the tactical advantage since we had the element of surprise on our side. I doubted what was ahead was expecting a small group such as ours to be out and about, hunting them and not the other way around, I could only hope we would manage whatever presented itself. Our quest was to destroy the enemy and their camp, but if it was too much for us, I wasn’t averse to returning to town and calling in a contingent of guards to help us. Time would tell which route we would be taking.
The awareness my stealth afforded me gave no indication anything around suspected our stealthy approach. After a half mile, deep throaty grunts and shouts rang across the valley, though our view of its source remained hidden behind the hills before us. Growing closer, I could make out different voices, but whatever language was being spoken was lost on me. Looking at Stella, I asked her with my eyes if she could understand what was being said. She replied with a shake of the head.
The wagon’s trail led off around the left side of the tall hill before what I suspected was the enemy camp. So, we moved around the opposite side keeping ourselves only halfway up the small ridge. That way when we finally observed our foes, our silhouettes wouldn’t be accentuated against the vibrant sky behind us.
About to finally get a full view, I motioned for everyone to lower to their stomachs. Whatever was ahead sounded like it was composed of dozens of massive creatures. The deep bestial grunts made it clear the camp was active, so we needed to remain undetected. We inched forward the last few feet, moving aside tall blades of grass to finally see what we were up against.
At the bottom of the hill was a large wooden fortification. Thick beams of roughly treated wood were planted vertically in the earth, most over two dozen feet tall, and were packed tightly against one another. In effect, creating an imposing wooden wall made entirely of uncut logs. To my eyes, it appeared as if the monsters had struck down the tallest trees they could find, ripped away every twig and branch down the bark, and then slammed the trunks powerfully into the ground pointing straight up. It created an impressive outer wall of wood which was at least several feet thick.
“It’s a palisade,” I said barely above a whisper. This was no minor fort wall. If guardsmen from the capital attempted to create something similar, I doubt it would reach half as tall and the trees would only be half as wide.
The wall appeared strong enough to go unfazed against even one of my fireballs. I doubted the spell would leave more than a scorch mark against the mighty barrier. Little could be seen beyond inside the enemy camp as the creatures had slathered what appeared to be gobbets of mud, plastering it in between the tightly packed trees like some odd version of insulation. It was poorly applied though great chunks were even now falling away to leave behind a bare sliver of a gap which only hinted at what lay beyond.
We were in the center of a wide open plain, with nothing but tall grass for company. Where had the blasted creatures found such an abundant supply of towering trees to create such a base of operation? I looked over my shoulder, the expansive forest had to be many miles behind us. “That’s a long way to haul so many massive trees,” I whispered to Stella, who was lying right next to my head. Her small body was compressed against the earth and soft grass. “Whatever those creatures are, they are strong. Really strong.”
It would take dozens of teams to haul so many trees the imposing distance between the forest and this point. I couldn’t even imagine it being done, it seemed so incredulous. Nevertheless, our foe had accomplished the deed and had an impressive base heavily protected against incursion.
Further still, the base had been given an additional layer of protection. A half dozen feet from the base of the wall sat another line of roughhewn logs, half the diameter to those of the palisade, with sharpened tips and planted at a forty-five-degree angle. There appeared no rhyme or reason for the placement of what looked, to my eyes, to be something like an abatis. On Earth, an abatis was a type of field fortification that would slow down surprise attacks and delay an enemy’s advance against the defended position. Unlike a true abatis though, these wooden spikes were not tightly packed or entangled together with barbed wire. While a few improvised pikes were inches apart, most would allow four men standing abreast to pass by easily. Thankfully for our small strike force, the added defensive ring would pose little concern, unless we were daft enough to run headlong into one.
Boisterous hoots and murmuring filtered to our ears, along with the scent of cooking meat. Unfortunately, there was also a hint of a stink, reaching even us a stone’s throw away, which reminded me of a pig sty. No one patrolled around the fortification, and though our eyes could only catch bare glimpses, it was easy to tell a significant amount of the creatures were relishing the now-sunny afternoon.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
While dozens of conversations were happening throughout the camp, the animalistic grunts gave us no hint of what was being said. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see a way into the base from our vantage point, but there was another hill on the opposite side which probably would as it was half as tall as the one we rested on. Catching Stella’s attention, I motioned for our party to circle and come up from the other side.
She nodded and our party crawled back the way we had come. Taking extreme care to remain unseen, we backed away and gave the base a wide berth as we worked our way around. In short order, and still undetected, we belly-crawled forward. Several shouts of pain rang out into the country air in the meanwhile, though nothing sounded like it came from a human. It had me worried that we had not heard a single human voice the whole time we were close. I had to push the concern away, owing to the need to concentrate on getting to a better vantage point.
When we finally crested the rise, my stomach dropped. Standing near a gate was a pair of ten-foot-tall, heavily muscled beasts with the body of a man and the head of a bull. Each was holding a make-shift halberd which were half again as long as the creatures who wielded them. While the craftsmanship of the weapons appeared to have been made by a blind amateur, the pikes were probably three times as heavy as the ones seen in Allerton. “Minotaurs,” I whispered to Stella with an exasperated sigh. “You were right.”
With skin the shade of red, almost pink, the bullish creatures had the physique of a professional bodybuilder and wore only a simple hide loincloth. Countless cuts and scars adorned nearly every inch of the brutes as if marks of honor to the dim-witted savages. No matter how dull their vacant expressions appeared, even a single swing of their weapon would be enough to cleave me in two. The strength idolized from their bulging biceps to their oversized peck muscles, would put Olympic weightlifters to shame.
The main gate was built lower than the rest of the palisade, allowing us an easy sightline inside. Though we couldn’t make out everything, it was clear perhaps two dozen Minotaurs milled about. A large central campfire blazed away, above which sat a skewered wild board. Since we could finally see our enemies for the first time, I moved to inspect one.
Vagabond Minotaur (Level 17)
The physical embodiment of strength itself, a vagabond Minotaur is a foe not to be trifled with. Able to cut down armored men as easily as wheat in a field, these fearsome creatures value the strength of arms above all else. Anger-fueled, ready to crush opposition at a moment’s notice, these bullheaded monstrosities make up for their idiocy by following the commands of their leaders without hesitation.
In Minotaur society, the smartest of their kind are not shunned as one might believe. No, those are propped atop the shoulders of others and given the command of legions. Separated by a caste ideology, these Minotaur chiefs have a keen intellect for battle to rival the prodigious strength blessed upon their race. While the vagabond Minotaur is to be feared, it’s the chiefs who pose the greatest danger to adventuring Hunters. A sword will cut you, sure, but it’s the hand that wields it you should be wary of. Good luck!
Equal measures of dread and apprehension filtered into my stomach as I peered at the beasts standing like statues at the front gate. I couldn’t even imagine what their health and strength attributes could be, staggeringly high without a doubt. Worse, we hadn’t spotted the marauder’s ‘Minotaur chief’ as of yet. The System hinted it was as brilliant as the creatures were strong, a potent mix in an enemy commander. Heck, we would have a hard time battling even one of these ogres, let alone two dozen of the towering monsters. Anyone could cut me down as easily as the thick trees surrounding their camp.
“Fall back,” I whispered to our party. “We need to make plans – find some way of handling this many.” I was shaking my head in disbelief as we edged our way back down. Nightmares of boulders raining down around us like rain swarmed inside my mind. How in the blazes are we supposed to fight this?
As we silently retreated, we found a secluded area that afforded us an unobstructed view of the front gate, about two hundred yards away. We sat in the middle of a depression between a trio of short knolls, the combination of the natural divot and the dale’s long-bladed grass meant it was unlikely we would be spotted.
I gave Stella a mournful look. “I don’t know, Stell,” I said with uncertainty lacing my words. “I think there might be too many for us to handle.” I tried to keep any hint of desperation out of my voice, but I doubted I accomplished it.
“We could wait for the cover of night,” Stella offered helpfully, her voice full of forced optimism. “We slip in quietly, cutting their throats before any are the wiser. Or… we could wait until a group of them wanders off. We saw, what five sets of tracks, from the group who raided the supply wagons? I doubt they all come out at the same time. We could try taking out such a smaller group with our long-range spells once they are far from their home base.”
As I considered her suggestions, I raised my head above the billowing grass to peek at our entrenched foe. “I don’t know what the answer is here,” I said as I raked my brain for a solution. “So, stealth or range? What’s the best choice here?
“How about a combination of both,” A familiar elven voice said directly behind me. The sudden presence had me nearly shouting in alarm. I held my shout back, though barely.
Whirling around, amazement plastered across my face when a friendly face stared back at me. My mind couldn’t comprehend what my eyes were trying to tell me. “What, who?” I stammered. “Tallos?”
“Good to see you too, Xaz. It looks like you need some help,” Tallos said as he knelt a few feet away. Ripley had at first started to unsheathe her sword from its decorative scabbard but paused when she realized it was no enemy in our midst. Lowki, who had been hunkered between me and the enemy camp was now staring daggers at the elf. No one had caught his approach and we had been taken completely off-guard.
“Worry not, my friend,” Tallos explained as if his sudden appearance had been no big thing. “Giants, Minotaurs, even Cyclopes, they are all my specialty. More than one has fallen to my hail of arrows.”
As he spoke, my mind finally caught up to my eyes. The earthen-garbed archer continued to beam a friendly smile our way. His polished recurve bow sat across his back, with two quivers of arrows resting on his hips. The reinforced leather of the quivers touched the ground as he crouched. Tallos was a striking figure. Sharp angular features, a strong jawline, and a pointed chin looked back at me, my mouth hanging open.
My eyes returned to his corded belt and the pair of quivers cramped pack with countless arrows. “You think you have enough arrows, my friend?” I asked jokingly, the same as I had done dozens of times when we were chatting away in his crow’s nest aboard the Moon Siren.
“By the look of it,” Tallos replied as he peered towards the enemy encampment, their bellowing shouts weakly reaching our ears at this distance. “No, I don’t think I do.”
I held out a gauntleted arm, which Tallos gladly grabbed as we locked wrists with zeal. “I’m glad you’re here,” I said as my previous apprehension vanished like smoke in the wind with the welcomed presence of my powerful friend. “Damn, elf, how in the blazes did you find us, let alone sneak up on us?”
“Natural talent,” Tallos replied deftly as he looked to each party member in turn, an avid glint behind his eyes. “Ready to kill some beasts?”
“Really, how in the nine hells did you find us,” I asked Tallos as Lowki pressed against my side, lowering himself completely to the ground. Though I couldn’t explain why, I got the sense the great cat was embarrassed having not detected our elven friend. It was his role to scout for our party, after all, and his job to ensure nothing like what happened actually did. I rested a hand atop his soft head, trying to reassure him it wasn’t his fault. We never even considered someone might be following us.
“Don’t get me wrong,” I continued, astonishment radiating from my words. “I am thrilled to have you here with us now, but how did you do it?” As I spoke, my thoughts whirled to Ripley’s new area of affect spell which would harm any nearby hostile foe, something Tallos clearly wasn’t. Up until this point, the AOEs sole benefit was its ability to keep biting bugs at bay, essentially functioning like a giant bug zapper. Even as we rested, soft sizzles sounded around us marking yet another dying bug. I was glad the spell only targeted enemies with aggressive intent.
“I may stick out like a sore thumb in a city, but in the wilds and woodlands, not much can mark my passage if I choose not to be,” Tallos replied confidently. As he spoke, he strung his bow, showing how adamant he was in taking down the giant creatures.
“You already helped me shoot a bow straight,” I said pointedly at his powerful recurve bow. “Perhaps you can give me some pointers later on how to be so damn silent.”
“If we take down even one of those damnable beasts, I would be happy to capitulate,” he responded as he notched an arrow across his bow string. As he moved, my eyes roamed over his impressive armor. The muddied green and browns of the treated deerskin, with bandoliers strung diagonally across his chest to allow for easy access, didn’t make as much as a squeak when the conditioned leather moved with his body.
“They outnumber us at least six to one,” I said. “Even with your arrows backing up my spells, taking down even one will be quite the accomplishment.”
“Worry not, with your talents as a Hunter, I think together we can even our odds,” Tallos said as he crouched low, moving next to me for a better vantage of the enemy fort. “I don’t intend us to attack without due care. I knew how best to take down such foes. As Stella mentioned, they will send out a raiding party, likely soon. We’ll pursue them and attack at the opportune moment.”
“Then,” I continued down Tallos’ suggestion. “When the next group goes out to find their missing friends, we’ll ambush them too.”
“It’s a good plan, one I’ve done several times before, but never with a group so massive at this,” Tallos said.
“Alright then,” I said, agreeing to the initial outline of our plan of action. “Our objective is to take down these Minotaurs, find or retrieve the stolen goods, and then report back to the city.”
“Now, we need only wait,” Stella said from my shoulder. She had moved to the other side closest to Tallos. “Until a scouting party comes out. Seems simple enough.”
As we waited, I turned to the elven warrior. “Why did you come?” I asked.
“I thought the answer obvious,” Tallos responded with an amicable grin. “I was hoping to repay the favor you showed me in defending the pirate attack on the Moon Siren. Plus, I care very little for giants, whatever form they take. I’ll tell you the tale later, but such beasts were responsible for the felling of my parents, many years ago now.”
Tallos paused before continuing. “My kind takes life debts very seriously,” he said with a firm set of his jaw, resolve etched across his handsome face. “As Captain Larsa no doubt told you already, I doubt any of us would have lived to see another day against those pirates. I intend to repay you this debt.”
“I will most certainly welcome your aid,” I replied. Though I was quick to add, “But I will not hold you to that debt.”
“Nevertheless, I will honor it,” Tallos responded ardently.
“Any other tidbit of information you can share about these Minotaurs?” I asked the archer as we hunkered down to wait for our prey to make the first move.
“While the beasts have unrivaled strength, their weakness is their intelligence,” Tallos said in all seriousness. “When you said they ambushed a merchant caravan, I immediately thought it unlikely they did so without direction. These particular types of Minotaur act as the arm, the sword is their chief. My guess is this camp was set up recently, the benefits of such a construction meaning it unlikely they will be supplanted, with the merchant pack the first to fall victim.”
It was solid information and matched the information garnered from my earlier inspection. I looked at Stella at my side. “Any concerns with our initial stratagem, my wise Accelerator?” I asked cheekily.
“Nope,” Stella responded with her usual cheerfulness, ignoring my attempt to inject some levity into the situation. “When we see their scouting party, let’s roll out.”