With our initial tactic set, we sat down to wait. There was no way of knowing how long it would take, but we had little in the way of alternate options. With the formidable perimeter of the minotaur camp, there would be no way to cast spells on targets we couldn’t see. This was a bee hive we couldn’t afford to excite, at least not yet. The two guards continued to stand their watch, though their heads barely moved as long minutes passed.
“I wish they wore more than those damn loincloths,” Stella muttered in disgust. She had floated to Tallos’ side, though had yet to rest on his shoulder like she did with Ripley and mine. They had shared words more than once when we were aboard the Siren but the budding friendship had not yet bloomed. I was encouraged it would soon change. I enjoyed Tallos’ company and quick wit. He could cut verbal jabs as well as the best of them, he was a kindred spirit.
“I mean, honestly,” Stella continued, unaware of my inner monologue. “It leaves little to the imagination.”
“Perhaps that is the point,” Tallos mused.
“You can’t be serious,” Stella replied with a skeptical glare pointed his way. Tallos didn’t respond other than a slight smirk tugging a corner of his mouth. “Well, I hope this ‘chief’ minotaur has some sense to cover himself. Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy the physique of a strong man, but these things – yuck!”
“How can they stand so still,” I said, trying to change the subject. “We’ve been watching them for like half an hour and they’ve barely moved. I’d be so bored. I’d probably wish something turned up so I could at least do something. Anything.”
“These Minotaurs are much like simpletons, though a few orders from a competent command can turn them into a deadly fighting force,” Tallos said as he looked around our position, ensuring nothing was approaching. It was a bit redundant as I had ordered Lowki to patrol some ten to fifteen yards out, with the utmost importance on remaining unseen. He was to immediately report back if anything dangerous came around.
“These two likely have explicit directives if an enemy is spotted. Until that time, they will stand there until ordered otherwise,” Tallos said.
“We know they likely have a chieftain, but do you think they’ll have something like a sub-commander when they venture out?” I asked both Stella and Tallos.
“I’m not seeing anything in the metadata… err, I’m not sure,” Stella said, not wanting to confuse our newest ally in arms with technical lingo.
Tallos either didn’t notice or chose to ignore what Stella was about to say. “From my experience with similar creatures, they likely will have something like a second or third officer to guide their movements. Speaking of which, when we do engage them, we’ll need to be able to quickly identify the leader and take him out first.”
“Good plan,” Stella replied, tilting her head as she spoke. “Take away the hand wielding the sword and all that. Though, a falling weapon can still cut you.”
“When we do engage,” Tallos continued. “Their initial response will probably be to immediately charge our position in an attempt to overwhelm us. It’s what’s most likely to occur. Though, it is possible they may have other standing orders. Still, I doubt it as a raiding party like what I hope we soon find, is usually a simple search-and-destroy party.”
“I bet their charge is an effective means of dispatching most foes,” I added to the conversation.
“That it is,” Tallos agreed.
Another hour passed without little movement outside their base. We discussed different tactical options to use what we knew of the beasts to our advantage. A lot of it was dependent on Tallos’ knowledge of these creatures, which he admitted was heavily influenced by different monsters, mostly giants, so we had to take it with a grain of salt. I nodded and tried to think of ways we could use this information to our advantage.
We didn’t have to wait much longer, fortunately. More activity than appeared ordinary could be detected behind the enemy’s barricade. Louder than usual guttural shouts reached our ears, almost as if a brawl had broken out in the fort. While it was impossible to know what was being said, a single voice cleared above all others. It carried with it a sense of dominance and self-assurance. It was deep and menacing. When the palisade gates swung open, a small warband walked out. The time had come.
“I mark five in total,” Tallos said by my side. “When we see which direction they are heading we’ll need to move.”
“Hopefully they keep a direct path, wherever they're headed,” Stella added as she floated over to land on my shoulder. We had long since decided to lay down on our chests as we had closely monitored the enemy gates, though now with our quarry visible, we quickly transitioned into a kneeling position. “We can then scout out anything in their path and try to find the best place to stage an ambush.”
Stella’s words were spot on, matching the tactics our group had settled on after several discussions over the course of the last hour. Our plan leaned heavily on the beasts keeping to a relatively narrow course, though we did have backup plans if the Warband instead chose to wander.
“The Minotaurs won’t be moving overly quickly, unless agitated and we’re seeing no sign of it here,” Tallos said his bow held tightly in his hands. We studied our prey. The small band conversed momentarily with the gate guards, who soon moved into the inner fortification and were replaced by another pair. The guards were being rotated.
“There,” Stella and Tallos said, almost in unison. Stella smiled and deferred to Tallos to continue. “Ok, they are heading west, towards uncharted territory. I had hoped they would move south, but luck can only guide us so much.”
“Let’s swing south of the base,” I said, nodding at our foes. “They’re going around along the north side. If we’re quick, we can quickly overtake them as they continue west.”
Copying Stella’s words from earlier, I added, “Let’s roll out.” I felt her tighten her grip on my shoulder.
As we jogged, taking a wide course with plenty of hill cover to mask our passages, I recast my movement speed buff and layered my shielding spell on myself. Tallos seemed impressed when his steps carried him further and faster than he was used to. “An impressive ability,” he commented appreciatively. “Oh, another thing I just recalled, I’ve often seen, when fighting against giants, one runner is typically ordered to disengage from battle if it’s obvious it's turning against them. We need to be prepared for such an eventuality.”
I turned to Lowki who was jogging beside me. I intended to turn him loose soon to ensure our path was clear of enemies, but for now, I wanted him close. “It will be your responsibility, Lowki. If you see one of the Minotaurs trying to flee, you’ll need to break off and bring the runner down.” Lowki ushered a soft growl before nodding a single time.
When we judged we were beyond the western perimeter of the minotaur base, we turned sharply north to regain eyes on our quarry. Although we had an extra three hundred or so yards to sprint to reach this point, the Minotaurs were in no rush. The group of five came around the corner, looking to be speaking amongst themselves without a care in the world. Their confidence was well-founded as I inspected the group. Their levels ranged from fifteen to as high as nineteen. I pointed out the highest leveled Minotaur to the group, marking him as he could be the commander of the warband. The muscled group each bore either a great axe, a great sword, or a club as thick as my torso. Though all were marked as having poor quality, they would surely cause devastation with a single strike.
Additionally, each wore what looked like a makeshift backpack of intertwined leather straps that hung low on their backs as if something heavy was within. “Boulders,” I whispered to my companions. “Maybe three to four each, by the look of it.”
Tallos nodded his assent at my words. “They’re continuing west, good.” Without a further word, our party retreated down the hill the way we had come before moving off in a sprint to gain as much distance as possible. “We need to be careful of our positioning,” Tallos said when we were well clear of our foe. “They have a powerful sense of smell, with the wind blowing from west to east, we won’t be able to cross to the north without potentially giving away our position.”
“So, we’ll need to stay south of them, if at all possible. Copy that,” I said in between heavy breaths as we ran on at a breakneck pace. The earth beneath our feet was relatively level and firm enough there was little concern of slipping. “Ok, we’re probably a mile in front of them. See there,” I pointed. “That river, there. I think we could use it to slow down a counterattack.”
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We trotted up to see what, if anything, could be used to our advantage. The steam was a small brook, perhaps three or four feet deep and twice as wide, the water moving at an agitated pace. Foam and frothy burbled hectically, making it hard to see anything below the waterline. “They’ll need to cross this,” Stella said. “It should be deep enough for Ripley to kneel and wait underneath. She doesn’t need to breathe after all.”
“Good thinking,” I said as I touched a finger to the ice-cold water. “It should conceal most, if not all of her.” I eyed up my tall minion before adding, “Well, maybe part of her head will still show.”
Tallos moved closer to the brook, looking to be judging our relative position. He eyed the sky above before taking notes of small landmarks in our surroundings. “The wind is favorable, though they may pick up our scent when they near the stream. In twenty or so minutes, they’ll be here. So, we have a short time to come up with a plan of attack.” Tallos said this without a hint of tiredness in his voice. He wasn’t even breathing hard, unlike me. His breathing was slow and even, whereas I was slightly winded from the fast jaunt.
“Alright,” I said as I studied our surroundings. “Here’s what I think we should do. See the small tree to the north, the crooked one to the left of the creek? Let’s have Ripley wade into the middle of the stream and submerge herself there as best she can. The tree will mark her position to us. When we engage, I can give a simple mental command for her to emerge and attack the nearest Minotaur.”
“Once in range, they will be charging the stream, directly toward her hidden position because Tallos and I will be on the opposite side when the fight begins,” I continued, pointing out several positions as I narrated my plan. “We’ll move however north or south we need so as to keep Ripley submerged from directly in line between the opposing groups. Lowki, I want you to hide yourself in the tall grass, over there to the southeast of us all. Once the battle begins, you’ll attack from their rear. Though, remember, you’ll need to break off if any of them turns to escape.”
I turned to Tallos, “We’ll be on the western side of the river, though we won’t be too close to each other. I’d like for you to fire at the Minotaurs, but from beneath the tall grass. I’ll start everything off with my spells and I’ll do what I can to grab their attention. They will hopefully charge at me, allowing you to remain hidden as you rain arrows on them unseen. When they reach the river, Ripley will emerge and do what she does best.”
“I will be the focus of their counterattack. I plan for them to focus solely on me as the rest of you crash down on their position. The river is the choke point where we wither them down. The river and with Ripley’s ambush, their charge should hopefully be halted. If the monsters somehow get past Ripley and get close to me, I’ll switch to melee and engage.”
“I’ll begin firing as soon as you make your presence known,” Tallos said, nodding along with the plan. “If either Ripley or Lowki seem to be in trouble, I’ll concentrate my fire on whichever minotaur is harassing them the most. Remember, we cannot allow a single of their kind to get back to their fortification, or this will be all for naught. They are too many for us now but, with luck, five of their brethren will fall today.”
“Ripley, Lowki, Tallos,” I said to each in turn. “We fight until none can lift a finger to harm anyone else. They’ve earned what’s about to happen. We’re here to avenge the men they’ve slain. Today, we’re justice.”
I locked gazes with each member of my team. “Let’s get it done.”
Ripley and Lowki quickly disappeared from sight. Lowki into the tall grass to the south, and Ripley’s dipping into the river with only the head marking her position. It was dark enough so could be mistaken for a rock. There was nothing for it, so I didn’t dwell on it. Ripley was able to keep her glowing eyes below the water line, at least. Otherwise, her eyes could have been a dead giveaway, literally.
Tallos and I crossed the river but as we did so I had a sudden inspiration. Thinking quickly, I instructed us to both dive into the frigid water to clear away as much of our sweat and scent before battle as possible. The Minotaurs would certainly smell us as they approached if their sense was as powerful as Tallos believed. Though, I hoped to delay our discovery as much as possible. If everything worked out, we would be the first to act when our enemy arrived.
Tallos and I would occasionally lock gazes as we waited. We had about twenty yards between us. I hoped it was enough. My nerves were a bit frayed. My plan called for me to be the main focus for our enemies. Whatever they did, their counterattack would likely be five raging bulls charging me down. This wasn’t going to be easy.
In short order, the horns of the Minotaurs crested a small ridge first, then they came fully into view. Weapons were slung over their shoulders. It was a good sign, they hadn’t picked up our scent and were not on guard. One small victory so far. Tallos and I shuffled our positioning slightly as planned, using the crooked tree as a guide. We used it like the point of a rifle and aimed it at the approaching force. We needed to keep Ripley in between us and their band. Any counterattack would need to pass right by her.
I’d finally get to see her necrotic aura in action against a true foe, I thought as I moved into my new position. My stealth gave no indication our presence was being noticed. So far so good.
I locked eyes with Tallos once more, my unspoken words crossing the distance in our stare. “When my spell fires, rain hell down upon them.” He nodded grimly back at me.
A pressure slowly built in my temples. With a start, I realized it was my stealth skill warning me our foes were coming close to spotting us. When I quickly turned my attention to the band, I noticed, though was not shocked, when the lead pair was sniffing at the air. They couldn’t see me yet but had picked up my scent. Before they could sound the alarm, I stood up, the enchanted cloth of my blazeweave kimono flapping gently in the wind.
I was on the very edge of the limit of my spell but they were close enough. My hands traced identical patterns in the air as I double cast my most powerful damage over time spell, lesser blood boil. Mystical and arcane syllables came out at precise moments, sounding to echo off one another. I wasn’t dual casting the spell. No, I had two different targets. The lead Minotaurs. With the ease of long years of practice and familiarity with the spell, my motions were precise. My words were spoken perfectly.
Two blurs of dark energy raced from my fingertips as my twin spells completed. The magic of the spell ripped across the space between us in an instant, looking like a tight swarm of locusts had burst forth to eat the air between my foes. As my spells connected, shouts of alarm roared out from the pair. Those yells were cut off as both flinched back, grabbing at their arms and chests. Before any more could react, I was already deep in another double casting, this time my lesser ignite bones, targeting the same two beasts.
I was only dimly aware of arrows singing off to my side, their shafts nearly invisible as they honed down on the enemy. I dare not glance in his direction, lest I give away the archer’s position. Even as I had completed my first spell, Tallos already had several arrows in the air. While I had a narrow set of targets, the lead Minotaurs, Tallos was given free rein to target which foe he pleased.
From their jerking bodies, at least some of those arrows had found their mark. I knew Tallos was deadly with his keen bow. I doubted many arrows would miss their mark in this battle.
As Tallos fired a continuous stream of arrows, I wound my spells between a new double cast of boil blood, this time targeting another two of the beasts at random. I followed each next with two lesser soul leeches to get some of my absorption shield going.
Our enemies had not been stationary during our opening salvo, however. As our attacks and spells landed, the entire group of Minotaurs, save one, grew a brighter shade of red as if molten lava had formed beneath the layers of their skin. Instantly, these creatures were covered in what looked to be boiling water vapor. With horrendous peels of anger, the bulls charged.
The beasts were packed so closely together that I was only able to keep an eye on four of them. One bull, though he was charging along with his group and looked identical to his comrades, had not made his own impression of a gigantic steaming humidifier. From what Tallos had said earlier, it had to be the group’s commander and, as such, was a high-value target for my spells. Unfortunately, the massive bodies of his friends kept him out of sight enough so my spells were unable to target him.
“Damn,” I muttered between spell castings. I would, for now, have to hope Tallos would see the same thing and change his target to the commander. With the distance between us rapidly shrinking, I continued to cast as many of my DOTs as I could in our short window of opportunity. Lesser blood boil, lesser arrested affliction, lesser soul leech, lesser ignite bones, each flew as quickly as I could manage. I went so far as to intentionally try to speed up their spell casting, but I couldn’t be sure it had any effect my focus was so pinpoint in the moment. My mana dropped at a prodigious rate, but I put it out of my mind. I needed to cast all I could, while I could.
Though I couldn’t see him, the number of arrows Tallos loosed in as many seconds was staggering. Before the fight, I had thoughtfully handed him one of my stored quivers. Seeing how quickly he could shoot, I should have given him another. From what I could see, Tallos was alternating his shots, never striking the same creatures twice in a row. He wasn’t singling out the leader, but there was little I could do for it now.
Panic spiked through my chest as I saw the bulls shift their sprinting gait, to larger and larger bounding leaps. Whatever effect their rage buff had on them, I had no idea. No matter what it did, to my horror, they looked to be preparing to leap straight over the river where Ripley was lying in wait. We had been hoping the river, which was at least six feet wide, would slow them down momentarily so Ripley’s sudden emergence would hinder their mad dash. By the looks of it, it wasn’t going to happen. With their loping gait, I was soon to have at least four of the Minotaurs upon me.
I doubted my ability to survive against such a combined assault. I had to think quickly, the spell which had been on my lips fizzling away to nothing. If I didn’t do something soon, it would be game over. My initial thought was a fireball, but I doubted it would stop more than a single bull. I could aim it towards the ground, just before the river, though my timing would have to be absolutely perfect. I needed something that was guaranteed to hit… at least four of them.
That’s it, I thought excitedly as the idea raced through my mind.
The range of the spell was too short from where I was though. So, without another thought, I was sprinting headlong towards our dangerous enemies. Stella and Tallos must have surely thought I was a madman. Nowhere had this been part of the plan. Sliding to an abrupt stop, dirt and loose stones rolled under my sliding feet. Chanted the words of my spell as quickly as I could, and I rushed to complete it in time. It was like speed-talking an already difficult tongue twister. As arcane phrases moved cohesively with the gestures of my articulating fingers, I could only hope I was fast enough.