The sky above Ashvale darkened as the first signs of the wyrm's approach became undeniable. It wasn't just the tremors of the earth beneath their feet or the growing hum of the wind. It was the enraged roars of the beast that sent them on edge. As it drew closer, a shadow bloomed on the horizon, stretching long and dark over the crumbled ruins of the quarry. Despite the significant distance from the quarry to the village, the wyrm was almost upon them.
Caledryn stood atop the highest balcony of the central spire, gazing down at the hastily constructed barricades below. The walls of the fort were still far from complete, a skeletal structure at best, vulnerable against the force that was about to strike. In front of him, the workers and civilians had been rushed into position, civilians armed with pitchforks, makeshift spears, and the occasional crossbow; a militia forged in pure desperation. The trained veterans of the Obsidian Vanguard had been posted along the few remaining fortified positions, and at their head was Orion, a seasoned veteran, even more so than Caledryn.
"How long until it reaches the gates?" Caledryn asked, his voice directed to the scout by his side.
"Minutes," the scout replied, voice trembling despite his attempt at composure. "At most."
Caledryn's eyes narrowed. The wyrm, a massive, scaled monstrosity covered in a stone-like shell that would deflect any direct attack; a creature of earth and ruin, would soon be upon them. The walls would never hold.
"Orion," Caledryn called, turning to the multi-classed knight who stood beside him, his eyes already assessing the battlefield. Orion, a tall figure wrapped in layered, darkened armor and the familiar obsidian black cloak of the Vanguard nodded immediately. He was one of the Vanguard's finest, and though he wasn't in a direct position of power, he was far from a mere scout. His skill was well-known; he had a mind for tactics and an instinct for battle.
"Mobilize the Vanguard, gather the militia," Caledryn ordered. "Put them in positions where they can at least slow the wyrm. It will take everything we have."
Orion gave a sharp nod. He wasn't about to let the wyrm overrun the town, not on his watch, he had never failed a mission and wasn't about to start. He took off without another word, barking orders to the soldiers.
"And will somebody tell me where the hell Ironhearth is?!" Caledryn bellowed only to be answered within seconds.
"You called Warden?" Sasha's pale freckled face was beat red with exertion. "I came as soon as I heard the noise."
"We need every blade we can muster," Caledryn said, his voice firm but tinged with desperation. "This beast won't stop until Ashvale is rubble. Ironheart, we call upon you for aid, will come to our aid?
Sasha's mouth quirked into a wry grin, her hand tightening on the hilt of her longsword. "You bet your ass we will."
Caledryn nodded. "Then get to it. I'll keep the eastern flank covered, buy us enough time to regroup."
"Understood." She turned to her guildmates, her voice rising to command their attention. "Ironhearth! On me! Time to show this overgrown snake what we're made of!"
The ground shook again, each slam of the Mountain Wyrm causing minor earthquakes as Sasha led her guild into the fray. The wyrm was actively causing massive destruction to the newly formed fort, whipping its massive tail, and sending another section of the wall crashing to the ground.
Sasha charged forward, her longsword raised high. She swung at the wyrm's exposed flank, her blade biting into the thick hide. The creature flinched, relatively unscathed but irritated at the wound seeping at its side. It tilted its massive head snapping toward her, but she rolled to the side just in time, the jaws snapping shut on empty air.
"Kip!" Sasha shouted, commands not necessary, the time they all spent training together was paying off as they worked off of each shift in the battle, adapting to each new circumstance.
"On it!" Kip responded, already nocking an arrow. He loosed it faster than the eye could see, the projectile streaking through the air as the wyrm pulled back to locate these new threats. By a stroke of misfortune, the arrow lodged into the soft tissue around the eye, but left the eye untouched. The beast roared in pain, rearing back as dark viscous lifeblood dripped from the wound.
"Nice shot!" Jax's voice rang out as he darted past Kip, "Maybe aim for the eye next time," he mocked before disappearing into the shadows cast by the flickering fires that raged from the destruction around them. Moments later, he emerged behind the wyrm, his twin daggers flashing as he struck at a vulnerable gap in the outer shell of the tail, desperate to strike a nerve and disable one of its stronger forms of attack. The beast only grew more enraged, its tail lashing out blindly, but Jax was already gone, melting back into the shadows only to strike again, hitting the same spot and carving deeper into the tendons.
"Taran, 10 o'clock!" Sasha ordered, her eyes darting from the wyrm's head down to its tail and back around to her teammate's positioning..
Taran followed Sasha's order and glanced over to his left, seeing several wounded soldiers and militia buried under rubble, their voices crying out in agony, unintentionally drawing the focus on the worm that tilted its head down and dashed forward, ready to grind them into a fine paste with his heavily armored visage.
Quick as a flash, Taran moved with a speed that no man his size should be able to accomplish, his eyes burning with passion as he rushed to intercept the beast. The wyrm tore through the earth, plowing through it like nothing, sending mounds of rock and dirt to the side as it carved its way toward the wounded men. From a run into several bounding leaps, Taran built up strength in his hammer and swung it hard to his left, the momentum causing his body to swing around 360 degrees, and as he returned to where he was facing, the beast's head was directly in his path. The hammer made contact with the side of its heavily armored face, causing the Wyrm to go tumbling to the side as its body followed the momentum of its head, a deep crack forming along the side of the impact point, chunks of obsidian-like armor shattering and falling in deadly shards to the earth.
Taran landed with a thud and toss his hammer to the side before hefting chinks of fallen wall and debris off of the men trapped beneath, his deep voice rumbled like distant thunder as he as he removed the last piece and pulled his hammer back up into a fighting stance. "Stay behind me, and escape if you're able. I'll keep you safe until help arrives," he said softly, his tone carrying both strength and care. "I'd rather take every hit myself than see even one of you fall."
"If none of you can keep this thing from darting about, I guess I have to take matters into my own hands!" Ivy shouted, her hands glowing with frost as she began to cast. Ice spiraled from her fingertips, creeping up the wyrm's body and binding it in place. The beast struggled, its movements slowing as the frost thickened, but the ice was already cracking under its immense strength. She continued the spell, pouring every ounce of her mana into it, sealing each crack as it formed, but she knew she was fighting a losing battle. "Now's your chance, I can't hold this much longer!
"Kael!" Sasha called.
"I know, I know!" the dwarf grumbled, raising his mace and slamming it into the ground causing shock waves toward Taran and the wounded he defended. A wave of golden light spread out from him, healing the wounds of the fallen and bolstering their strength.
The NPC militia struggled to their feet and scrambled back toward the town, some leaving their weapons on the ground, others holding on to them for dear life. The Vanguard that once lay helpless now brushed themselves off and reached for their weapons, the leader of the squad slamming a palm on Taran's shoulder.
"Thanks, big fella," he replied with sincere gratitude, "But there are more out there. What do you say about lending a helping hand?"
Taran grunted and nodded thanks to Kael before rushing off behind the Vanguard squad leader to save more soldiers.
Kael checked his party's health and then turned to Taran and decided his efforts would be better suited for aid. His team could handle things, and if something went wrong, he would be there in an instant to keep them alive.
The wyrm roared again as several arrows landed dead center into its exposed underbelly. The ice forced it into a vulnerable position, not allowing it to shield itself with the earth below. A dozen more arrows fired off in a flurry, sinking deep into its body as vines began to sprout out around it, binding it in place just as Ivy's mana was tapped out. She took a deep blue potion out of her bag and chugged it more like a frat boy than a delicate ice maiden.
Sasha looked over to Kip who was preparing explosive arrows and her mind swam with questions. Where on earth did those strikes come from? Her answer came in the form of a wild howl.
"Yippie ki-yay motherfucker!" Ranger bellowed the ancient film's quote as he emptied his entire quiver into the beast, causing tremendous damage, but forcing it to retaliate as it erupted molten hot lava from its belly. All of the rocks it had consumed had melted and boiled within it, and all the beast had to do was regurgitate the concoction to spray the area in liquid stone, melting the ice and burning the vines while the surrounding area burst in flame on contact. Several fell before the attack, their screams muffled by the thick hot stone that covered their faces.
The wyrm reared back, its obsidian scales shimmering as it prepared another attack. Seeing the effectiveness of its blast, it directed its focus toward Ranger and let loose another breath attack, spewing lava in a wave toward him. Ranger stared on in abject horror as the curtain of white-hot rock crashed down on him, covering his face in vain as certain doom awaited him.
The lava pooled over him in a perfect sphere, mere inches from engulfing him, held back only by a brilliant golden light that held it at bay as it cooled into an egg-like shell around him. Fayne stood some thirty feet away, her staff still humming with energy as her spell fizzled out and the rock hardened around her friend.
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"We'll get you out Ranger, but you should be safe for now!" she shouted, unable to hear his response, but managing to make out a muffled cheer from within. She returned her attention to the others that fought around her, casting healing spells on the archers remaining atop what little wall still stood. Her spells washed over dozens of players, again and again, bringing many back from the brink and bolstering those still healthy.
The humans were striking back with incredible force, but despite all of their efforts, the creature did not seem ready to end its relentless assault, though it was certainly worse for wear.
"Kip, aim for the throat!" Sasha shouted, charging once more toward this impossible foe.
The scout nodded, his eyes narrowing as he drew another arrow, one of his explosive rounds this time. He waited for the perfect moment, his breathing steady despite the chaos around him. When the wyrm reared back again, he released the arrow, the projectile finding its mark in the soft tissue beneath the beast's jaw and exploding, blowing a hole in its neck and causing lava to pour from the gaping wound.
The wyrm shrieked, its movements becoming erratic as it thrashed in pain. Jax seized the opportunity, leaping onto its back and driving his daggers into the vulnerable joints of its spine. The beast writhed, trying to throw him off, but he held on, his blades digging deeper.
"Ivy, freeze it again!" Sasha called, her voice hoarse but determined.
The mage nodded, her hands glowing with frost as she cast another spell. The ice spread rapidly, encasing the wyrm's legs and tail, holding it in place just long enough for Tarran to swing his hammer in a devastating blow to its exposed flank.
"Now, Sasha!" Jax shouted, his voice carrying over the roar of the beast.
Sasha surged forward, her longsword glowing faintly as she poured all her strength into a final strike. She wasn't sure if this would end it, but she had to try. Her sword flew threw the air, aiming to sever the neck of the wyrm, but it had one last trick up its sleeve.
The wyrm's razor-sharp scales stood on end, exposing dozens upon dozens of vulnerable spots throughout its hide. This was the perfect chance, at least, it would have been, but the spines erupted from its body, showing everything in a mile with thousands of deadly obsidian bolts, dropping swaths of soldiers and Sasha was front and center for the strike. A glimmer of light enveloped her in a shield, but there were too many spines and she quickly became skewered by hundreds of strikes.
The battlefield fell silent save for the grumbling of the wyrm as it surveyed the absolute carnage of its last-ditch attack. It shook its head from side to side to clear its mind as gazed upon the town, nearly unguarded after the slaughter it brought upon them. Though it was bare, its hide exposed, it had little to stop it from consuming each and every life form remaining in Ashvale and reducing it to utter ruins.
Caledryn rose on shaky limbs and his heart caught in his chest, as even those hidden behind the fort's walls were shredded into pulp. Only through the will of the gods did he manage to survive that attack. A handful of his troops made it to their feet, a rag-tag group of survivors left to defend the bulk of the population, hidden in the rear of town, trying to flee to safety. He needed to buy them time, he needed to make sure some of Ashvale survived, or new players would never make their way in this world.
Darian led his forces through the outskirts of the hive, his mind focused on the task ahead. His brood had assembled, ready for the assault on the wyrm, and though the risks had been clear, there was no turning back now. Ashvale's survival, and his own future as King of the hive depended on this.
Darian's legs pumped him farther, faster than ever before, each stride carrying him closer to the battle that awaited. Behind him, the hive's forces marched in unison, a sea of black chitin and deadly purpose. The ground beneath them vibrated as the wyrm's presence grew nearer, its colossal form sending shockwaves through the earth. The wyrm was a beast of nightmare, a creature of destruction that could ravage entire landscapes, leaving nothing in its wake but ruin, but even it would be no match for the swarm.
As they approached Ashvale's border, the distant rumblings of the wyrm grew louder, the ground continued to shake and splinter as they pressed forward. Though he had not pressed the Vescora this far, he could sense the danger, he could feel it in the air, the thick, oppressive weight of an impending catastrophe, or one that had already occurred he wasn't certain. The wyrm was close. His time had come.
Darian signaled for his forces to halt, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Ashvale lay just beyond the tree line, its newly formed walls still standing to a degree, but the sounds of destruction were unmistakable. The wyrm had already begun its assault, tearing into the town's defenses with reckless abandon. Buildings crumbled, and the ground shook with the force of its rampage. The humans were in disarray, fighting for survival, but it would not be enough without intervention.
"We strike now," Darian ordered, his voice cold and commanding, in this moment he was a true Vescarid commander.
Without hesitation, his brood advanced, charging toward Ashvale at full speed. Drones, Prowlers, and Hunters scuttled ahead, their bodies blending into the landscape, while the larger, more fearsome members of his forces moved with a terrifying grace. The world thundered with the sound of their approach, rivaling that of even the Wyrm itself.
Darian's heart pounded in his chest, a deep rhythm that matched the movement of his forces. This battle was greater than any he had engaged in before, it was a battle for his place in this world. If he could bring down the wyrm, the humans would no longer see him as a half-human abomination, they would see him as a rival, an ally, something to be respected as much as feared. He would be the one who defended the sentient races in the same way he defended his hive.
As they neared the town's outer defenses, Darian's gaze flicked to the sky. The wyrm loomed in the distance, its body coiling through the air, its massive form casting a shadow over the town. It was beyond anything he had imagined. Something was off though, it appeared severely wounded but still had enough life in it to wash over the remaining human forces. He had arrived too late.
The first wave of drones reached the outskirts of Ashvale, setting up their positions around the beast, working to distract it and leave an opening for their more combat-oriented siblings.
It was massive, a presence that altered reality around them as it smashed into the remaining walls and uprooted trees like they were toothpicks. Its maw opened wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth as it unleashed a deafening roar. The ground beneath them trembled, and Darian could feel the heat of the wyrm's breath as it swept across the battlefield.
Despite all of this, Darian was not afraid. He had come for this moment. With a single command, he led the charge, his forces following closely behind
"To the wyrm!" Darian bellowed his voice a battle cry that echoed through the air.
His forces surged forward, reaching the wyrm in a flurry of movement. Mireguards clashed with the beast's thick hide, their mandibles and claws tearing into the exposed flesh. The wyrm retaliated, lashing out with its tail, sending several of Darian's drones flying through the air. But Darian's forces were relentless, and his Mireguards were significant threats to the massive beast. As it lashed at them to shove them away, their spines protruded and connected with the creature's tail. It let out a howl as several Mireguards found themselves lodged deep within the flesh of the beast, taking this time to lash out and carve grooves into its hide, tearing hefty chunks of flesh away. The Mireguards were massive in their own right, but even their incredible size was dwarfed by the elder Wyrm that eventually dislodged them and sent them tumbling off into the distance.
Darian himself moved with deadly precision, a blur of black chitin as he closed the distance between himself and the wyrm. His limbs were poised, ready for the perfect strike, his body coiling with the energy of battle. The wyrm's massive head snapped toward him, its glowing eyes narrowing as it saw him approach. It roared again, but Darian did not flinch. This was his moment. The serpents that curled around his body began to glow in their respective colors as he launched a torrent of elemental energy at the beast. Every school of basic magic flung toward the beast, sending it sprawling backward, its body a pincushion for their torrent of attacks.
Razormaw descended upon the beast like locust, leaping onto its form and tearing away at its exposed flesh. They were no more than ants to the wyrm but numbered in the hundreds and were making significant progress. They swarmed it like a legion of ants, climbing atop the body and tearing away at anything they could penetrate. A dozen or so would cause harm, but Darian sent all of his children at it, and soon the Wyrm's form was coated in a deadly brood of every variety that relentlessly attacked and left it bleeding profusely. It's black life-blood spilling into the soil beneath it.
With a swift, calculated movement, Darian launched himself at the wyrm, his sharp mandibles slicing through the air. He connected with the wyrm's hide, his claws digging deep as he climbed up its massive form, striking with all the might of his hybrid power. The wyrm howled in pain, thrashing wildly in an attempt to dislodge him, but Darian held fast, slashing and clawing, digging into the beast's torso; his strength unmatched as he truly let loose, not willing to allow it even a moment to recover.
The battle raged around them, Darian's forces pushing forward with the relentlessness of the swarm The wyrm fought back with everything it had, but Darian was far from done. He would show the humans his strength, he would show the elder wyrm that even something as ancient as it, paled in comparison to the swarm.
As he cleaved meat from the monster's body, his hunters launched poisoned spines to penetrate its hide as prowlers leaped onto any open space, digging their poison fangs into it and injecting an overwhelming quantity of venom that flowed endlessly into its veins.
The remaining Vanguard atop the remaining walls of the fortress took this moment to fire their heavy weapons, loud pops echoing in the air as their bolts rang true and pierced the creature's body with deep penetrating blows.
Caledryn shouted at his troops, barely audible through the chaos, "Careful! Do not hit the Vescarid, we need them to take this beast down!"
Orion arrived at his side, bloodied and battered, "Forget about the Vescarid, our weapons can do more damage than any one of them, they can restore their forces easier than we can ours. We need to take this chance–"
"They are our allies in this conflict Orion, we will not fire upon our allies!"
"How do we fire at all when our 'allies' are covering every inch of that thing?" Orion spat back.
"Then hold your fire and take shots when an opening reveals itself. Think of this as a brief reprieve in combat. Get potions to the wounded and restock our projectiles. If the Vescarid fail, we will need to make our last stand"
"If the Vescarid succeeds, we will need to make our last stand," Orion muttered under his breath before taking off down the shattered ramparts and issuing orders to the survivors.
As the battle wore on, the wyrm's movements began to slow, its strength waning beneath the weight of Darian's assault, combined with what little the Vanguard had to offer. With a final, vicious strike, Darian drove his claws deep into the wyrm's heart, a surge of satisfaction coursing through him as the creature's roar turned into a guttural scream of defeat. As if to secure his victory, he surged with elemental energy, the most potent of which was the black twin Vescarid, one of two of the true princesses of the hive. She poured death energy into his palms and rotted the heart that he held in his hand.
The wyrm collapsed, its massive form crashing to the ground with an earth-shaking thud. The dust settled, and for a moment, there was silence. Darian stood atop the wyrm's carcass, his chest heaving with exertion.
The wyrm was dead, and Ashvale had survived another day. But more than that, Darian believed he had proved himself to the humans. His hive might not agree, but what he did was vital to their survival, for to fight the humans would be a much grander task than even this. His forces had struck when it mattered most, and now, the humans would see him for what he truly was.
His forces swarmed the creature, tearing flesh from its body in an attempt to strip the corpse bare. This would be a substantial boon for the hive, enough biomass to support twice if not triple the forces they had amassed so far. The human's looked on in horror as his brood went to work. Darian did not stop them, they had earned this kill, and if anyone would stand in his way, they were not fit to be his allies.