The zombie patron stood in the centre of a ring of fallen. His body was full of gashes and little flaps of flesh hang loosely from his arm, yet still he didn't give up. He continued to swing his arms arms around, bashing fallen skull and mashing their brains to a pulp. "He seems to be enjoying himself." Ja'quar said as he stood behind the counter stabbing the occasional fallen that dared to jump across the built-in barricade.
Slowly the fallen flood was pushed towards the door. Ja'quar vaulted over the barricade and rushed forward. As soon as no fallen was inside, he smashed himself against the door separating the horde from the survivors. "There, some rest," He said as he locked the door shut.
He hadn't shut the door for a few seconds or Ja'quar heard someone banging on the door, "Let us in!"
"Wait, isn't that...?" Before he could finish there was another voice and the door seemed to unlock on his own. Ja'quar moved to close the door but before he could move a muscle someone rushed through it. As soon as no one seemed to enter he closed the door. He grabbed the zombified patron by his sleeve and dragged him towards the door, effectively using him as a doorstop.
Then there came a horrible sound; with fervour the fallen tried to tear down the door. "He'll hold on for quite a while," Ja'quar informed the group, "Now what will we do next?"
He then sat on the floor, looked up and chuckled, "Once the trapper, now the trapped. Oh Trag'Oul, why are you so cruel?"
"Should we go out or wait them to get in?" Vaker said, but the words didn't have time to be heard. A wave of Fallen fell on the door and forced his way inside the inn...
Vaker began to defend his site, throwing fireballs and freezing of the terrible creatures, he knew they were dangerous in large numbers and he was in the worst possible place when the demons began to enter...
One particulary fat creature jumped on him and ripped his chest, producing three deep cuts that started to bleed profusely, an electrifying jolt of pain ran through Vaker's body and blinded him for a moment... He was hardly recovered, when the fallen straightened to strike a blow on Vaker's head, but Vaker reached its disgusting legs with their hands and a wave of ice froze the devil instantly "nice sculpture" Vaker thought, "but not beautyfull enough"... he smashed the head of the creature wich broke into hundreds of pieces of frozen meat...
When he got up he saw Seddrik and Borin entering by the door, and saw the man of the swamp sending a zombie to defend the entrance... suddenly, a hand grabbed his ankle, turned quickly and saw a demon without legs still trying to attack, Vaker raised his hand and casted a fire bolt at the head, leaving only a trail of ashes ...
He approached the group, "Sometimes i think that healing is more painful than actually getting hurt..." Seddrik said, "I don't mind to much pain" he said to Sedrikk smiling, as he pointed to his still bleeding chest.
Ja'Quar raised the patron from the dead, Borin and Seddrick bashed on the shut door, Dragnar slaughtered one of the fallen, and steeled himself for more, and Vakar stood patiently waiting their arrival.
"Should we go out or wait them to get in?" said Vakar from across the bar.
"Well, it would be wise to wait for them in here. If we can force them through the small doorway, we can meet them one at a time, and not be beset by the entire horde." Dagon said, pointing to the doorway.
"As long as we flip some tables-" Dagon was cut off mid sentence by the creaking of the door, and saw Seddrick and Borin rush in.
Just as soon as Dagon let out a sigh of relief, a Fallen warrior screamed into the tavern, brandishing a wicked looking blade.
He kicked up his foot, which flipped the dagger into his hand. He heaved it towards the door and caught the first of the demons in the chest, toppling it onto its comrades. He drew his blade and rushed towards them, grabbed hold of his dagger, and kicked the fallen backwards into the street, while simultaneously loosing his dagger from the beasts' flesh.
Two more took its place, one sliced its axe towards Dagon, but hit his gauntleted arm. The metal brace deflected the blade, and Dagon drove his longsword into the Fallen's gut as its axe was flying backwards. He gripped his blade with both hands, and tore it out of the side of the beast, and into the side of the other. Both fell backwards onto the street, and bled out their last seconds on the stone walkway.
Dagon turned to the left side of the door, hiding behind the door, waiting for more warriors to come in. Can catch them off guard from here... might as well flank them if I can he thought to himself.
"We need more warriors!!" Dagon yelled across the bar, hoping the patrons knew how to handle a weapon, or better yet, had a grasp of magic.
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"One in every 10 million people can potentially have a headache from this pill." God forbid she is the 0.000000001% of having a headache.
Jerfuth had entered the bar with the rest of the group and sat along with them, drinking ales that had been put in front of them. Not long after the first round was served, all Hell broke loose.
"FALLEN!!!!" Dagon yelled warning the bar.
Suddenly, the entire town was in uproar. Townsfolk that had been in the bar started to panic as the sounds of a distant bell warned the rest of the townspeople. A patron laid dead on the floor due to a Fallen's arrow, but with Ja'quar mastering the dead, the patron had been raised to fight the Fallen. Drangar had quickly made his way to the door slashing Fallen down as they entered the bar, before Ja'quar shut the door, holding off the fiends. Borin and Seddrick then pushed their way into the bar, fleeing from the festering beasts that had started to invade the entire town. The others started to follow suit, Vaker blasting Fallen away at any chance possible and Dagon quickly racking up a decent sized body count. I've got to get into this brawl,Jerfuth thought to himself.
Jerfuth quickly scanned the bar for an suitable companion for his idea at hand, his eyes setting on Borin, "Borin, come with me into the alleyway, I've got an idea. Quickly!"
Jerfuth ran to the side of the bar as he changed into the tiger like he had done before. As his transformation completed, he jumped through the window shattering the glass, giving off a thundering roar.
She was sitting at a table, having a drink, and heard the exact words of her dreams "We need more warriors!!".
The Fallen were coming, but she knew there was no danger to her. Her dreams used to change as the events happend, but this prediction remained intact since the day she woke up. Everything was meant to be. But without the Warriors of the Tavern she could never know her past or her purpose, as her dreams told her.
This was the moment to act. Her eyes lit with the glow of the stars and her hair floated weightless. the ground began to shake and a deep sound from the corners of time was heard. And time stopped.
There was no movement at the moment, a tiger stood still in the air, fireballs shining lighten the tabern, but she knew that her spell would not last much longer. She approached to Dagon, who was the leader in her dreams, and whispered softly, "I know you since my awakening. I've been looking for you. You are my companions in the search of my past and I'm your companion in the quest of your fate. Without me there is dark and uncertain future for you. Time is my gift, I know the future and the present, but my past has been hidden from me, you must help me. I can aid you out of this danger by giving you a few seconds to use your powers and weapons against the dark forces of hell. Do not waste your time"
Her eyes dimmed, but the sound of Time wasn't heard by the enemy. For a few seconds, the time was not runing for the Fallen. The warriors were ready to act.
"Borin, come with me into the alleyway, I've got an idea. Quickly!"
Borin heard Jerfuth call for him. He watched as Jerfuth turned into a tiger and jump out of one of the windows of the bar. Borin followed his lead and leaped out of the window after the tiger. As they both stood in the alley, Borin understood what Jerfuth had in mind. The tiger lowered the back half of his body allowing Borin to straddle him. Just as soon as Borin mounted the Jerfuth, the tiger began running around the courtyard. The fallen attempted to chase after them but they could not match the pace of he tiger. As Jerfuth continued to run around, borin pulled out arrow after arrow, shooting the fallen that were desperately attempting to attack them.
Borin made sure to aim for the eyes of the beasts. This weak point ensured the arrows made contact with the minions small weak brains, ending thier lives quickly. One by one the monsters fell. Just when Borin thought their plan was working, two fallen hounds appeared around the corner of a house. The two hounds pounced and knocked Borin off of Jerfuth's back.
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"Borin, come with me into the alleyway, I've got an idea. Quickly!"
Borin heard Jerfuth call for him. He watched as Jerfuth turned into a tiger and jump out of one of the windows of the bar. Borin followed his lead and leaped out of the window after the tiger. As they both stood in the alley, Borin understood what Jerfuth had in mind. The tiger lowered the back half of his body allowing Borin to straddle him. Just as soon as Borin mounted the Jerfuth, the tiger began running around the courtyard. The fallen attempted to chase after them but they could not match the pace of he tiger. As Jerfuth continued to run around, borin pulled out arrow after arrow, shooting the fallen that were desperately attempting to attack them.
Borin made sure to aim for the eyes of the beasts. This weak point ensured the arrows made contact with the minions small weak brains, ending thier lives quickly. One by one the monsters fell. Just when Borin thought their plan was working, two fallen hounds appeared around the corner of a house. The two hounds pounced and knocked Borin off of Jerfuth's back.
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Dagon shielded himself with his gauntleted arm, ducking behind it as shards of glass flew at him from Jerfuth bounding through the window. Dagon waited several seconds, cowering behind his arm before the shards would bounce off it.
Nothing happened.
He looked out from it, and saw the shards frozen in the air, the bar patrons frozen in place, all but one of the women, now walking towards him.
"I know you since my awakening. I've been looking for you. You are my companions in the search of my past and I'm your companion in the quest of your fate. Without me there is dark and uncertain future for you. Time is my gift, I know the future and the present, but my past has been hidden from me, you must help me. I can aid you out of this danger by giving you a few seconds to use your powers and weapons against the dark forces of hell. Do not waste your time" Dagon took a minute to take it all in, he couldn't believe that he was the subject of some prophecy. He had to believe it though, why else would a time manipulating witch approach him in the heat of battle?
"I'd ask you more, but, it seems we've got a bit of a situation on our hands. You're welcome to join us, so long as we survive." Dagon said to the mysterious woman, wondering how he ever got caught up in this all.
He looked out into the street, warriors and fallen were frozen in place. Villagers cowered as Fallen warriors brought their axes down upon them, they would strike home as soon as time resumed its flow. Dagon spotted what he assumed was one of the generals of the fallen, sprinted over, decapitated him, and ran back to the safety of the bar just as an arrow sped up it's flight in mid air, and embedded itself in the side of the tavern.
The quick respite from battle was all Dagon needed, he was ready to fight again, and it would be much easier with the general dead.
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"One in every 10 million people can potentially have a headache from this pill." God forbid she is the 0.000000001% of having a headache.
Jerfuth ran around the courtyard with Borin shooting Fallen at any chance he could. The Fallen could not match the speed and agility that Jerfuth had as a tiger, but it was not only Jerfuth's speed that was a factor. Time seemed to be slowing down. The Fallen moved with elongated motions as they attempted to chase down the tiger only for their death to come quickly by Borins arrow. That's really odd, Jerfuth thought to himself, Who could possess magic of such a magnitude?
But suddenly time had caught up with itself as two demon hounds came racing at Jerfuth and Borin. Before Jerfuth could stop and run, they had jumped on Borin, knocking him from Jerfuth's back. Jerfuth quickly stopped and turned to Borin's aid, pouncing on the back of the attacking Fallen hounds. Jerfuths large fangs dug deep into the back of the neck of a fallen hound, crushing its spine. It fell limb under Jerfuth as he clawed the other hound away. The hound backed up, dodging the ravaging claws which gave Jerfuth enough time to pick Borin up and run for cover.
Jerfuth leaped onto the roof of the shop next to the bar and slowly lowered Borin onto the roof. Jerfuth's tiger appearance began to fade and he became human again.
"Stay here. That gash in your leg looks pretty bad," Jerfuth told Borin, "At least it wasn't your arm. This roof should give you a nice vantage point."
Jerfuth looked back to melee of Fallen trying to enter the bar, which seemed to be protected by magic at this point. Hopefully they can hold their own in there,he thought once more as the other Fallen hound was running at the shop, trying to leap onto the roof to finish Borin and Jerfuth.
Jerfuth leapt from the roof, transforming into a bear, clashing mid leap with the hound and left it mangled on the courtyard street. Jerfuth rushed into the hordes of Fallen, swiping and mauling his way through them in a frenzy of flesh, claw, and fur.
As the battle raged on, Ja'quar fenced with all his might to keep the onslaught of fallen at bay. His minion did its part as well, but the battle seemed to be taking its toll. Flabs of flash were abundant as the little demons clawed and slashed their way into the undead body. Ja'quar felt that it drained more and more of his energy to keep the body walking and soon it was reduced to nothing more than a pile of flesh and bones.
Ja'quar looked around for bodies that could be animated, but most of them were disembowelled beyond recognition. The entire floor was red with blood as more and more fallen met their death in this little room. In his disparate search for possible meat shields he didn't see the fallen leaping at his face. With horror Ja'quar saw the fallen flying towards him with his axe held high.
But then the most peculiar sensation came over him. The fallen's progress seemed to slow down mid-flight and as he looked around, he saw all other fallen experience the same thing. Seeing the opportunity he stabbed the fallen in the heart, but being frozen in time the beast neither died nor lived. Slowly time seemed to resume himself and the body slumped to the floor.
He then sheathed his blade to concentrate on the summoning. His mind emptied and he felt that more than familiar connection with death. He raised the fallen and promptly the little rascal ran outside, into the fray slaying as many of his former kin as he could.
"I don't know who has control over time, but I like it!" Ja'quar said to no-one in particular. He then proceeded to walk outside and form his own fallen army.
Drangar continued to rush towards the group of Fallen. Quickly, he sliced one in the chest and shoved his blade deep into the belly of the beast. He pulled the blade out and the red demon slowly fell into a pool of his own blood. Suddenly two came rushing at him, he moved out of the way but a Fallen swiftly knocked his blade from his hand. With lightning speed Drangar unsheathed his hidden blades and stabbed both Fallen directly in the face.
Drangar walked over to his blade and picked it up, when suddenly a Fallen warrior jumped on his back and began clubbing him directly in the face.
"SHIT!!!!! HELP HELP!!!" Drangar yelled as he frantically swung his blade above his head awaiting his comrades assist.
Dragnar rushed out of the Tavern and began assaulting one of the many clusters of fallen warriors, Dagon could see him battling them back alongside several of the town guard, and some of the brawnier citizens, who were brandishing anything from table legs, to kitchen knives.
"SHIT!!!!! HELP HELP!!!" Dagon heard his brother cry. Without looking, he bolted for the door and overtook a fallen, trampling him in the process. Nothing in his mind but helping his brother from whatever peril faced him. Dagon saw him, with a fallen warrior bashing him in the face with a club.
He sprinted over faster than he thought possible, as if his stride were aided by some unseen force. He was upon him in an instant, took the fallen by the shoulders, and threw him backwards against a wall. He tackled the warrior, tearing into its flesh with his fingernails, which had sprouted into wickedly sharp points. His teeth were sharpening as well, he tore at the neck of the fallen with his barbed fangs, wanting nothing more than to extinguish the life from the imp that nearly killed the only family he had left. It loosed terrible howls, squeals of pain as it's flesh was rended from its body.
In seconds, nothing was left but a bloodied, shredded corpse. Dagon merely hunched over it, panting as his body returned to normal, bloodlust subsiding.
"What... the fuck... was that." Dagon said under his breath, not knowing what had just happened to him. He knew it was something to do with his heritage, he could only hope that he would retain his humanity in the coming days.
He wiped away the blood seeping down his mouth.
Drawing his blade, he rushed over to Dragnar's side, ready to meet the oncoming horde of fallen.
"Anyone who can hold a blade, form a line! Archers and Mages, support!" he called, hoping anyone nearby would listen to his plans.
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"One in every 10 million people can potentially have a headache from this pill." God forbid she is the 0.000000001% of having a headache.
"Stay here. That gash in your leg looks pretty bad," Jerfuth told Borin, "At least it wasn't your arm. This roof should give you a nice vantage point."
"Thank you" Borin said to Jerfuth. He watched as Jerfuth jumped from the roof as he transformed himself once again into a bear. Jerfuth hit the ground taking out the beast below him.
Borin pulled himself up onto his feet. He watched as Jerfuth man-handled fallen after fallen. Knowing Jerfuth was safe for now, Borin placed his sight on the entrance of the bar. Just as he was ready to fire, he watched as Ja'quar stepped outside. The fallen around him seem to stop their assault and begin to follow his lead. Soon after Ja'quar, Dagon walked outside ready for more fight.
"SHIT!!!!! HELP HELP!!!" Borin heard Dragnar yell. Before he could even react to Dragnar's cries, Dagon rushed to his aid quicker then even his own eyes could follow.
What is going on? Borin thought to himself confused by the whole situation. He rubbed his eyes and once again scouted the battelground.
"Anyone who can hold a blade, form a line! Archers and Mages, support!" Borin heard Dagon yell, once again taking control of the situation. Borin readied his bow and checked his quiver.
"I am ready for your commands" Borin yelled down to Dagon.
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"Anyone who can hold a blade, form a line! Archers and Mages, support!" Dagon yelled from the outside, Vakero was restless, he could not continue without doing anything hidden inside the tavern, went to the maid, "there is a way to climb the roof?" asked "Yes, there are stairs in the back," she replied, "You're not thinking of going out there do you?"
Vaker didn't bother answering, went running toward the back door of the room, stepped outside and found the stairs. He saw it a few feet away, but also found it was full of demons that were trying to enter the tavern from above. He began to clear the way with fire and ice, when he reached the roof he ran to the edge.
The image was striking, a small army of demons was ravaging the town, Dagon and Drangar were near the door trying to organize a line of defense , a large bear was wreaking havoc on the demons "Jerfuth" Vaker thought. Ja'quar commanded a group of fallen who seemed more dead than alive, but also caused confusion and death among the fiends.
Vaker saw Borin on the roof of a nearby building, "I am ready for your commands" he heard him yell.
"This is going to be amazing" Vaker thought as his eyes glowed with a white glow, concentrated all his energies and fire and hail began to rain and on the fallen ...
Suddenly, Drangar fell to the ground. His vision was blurred from the force of the strike. When he finally came back to his senses he saw his brother looming over a mutilated bloodied body. "What... the fuck... was that?"Dagon said as he gazed down on the creature he just killed. He rushed to Drangar's side. "Anyone who can hold a blade, form a line! Archers and Mages, support!"
Drangar and his brother rushed to the front of the pack. Drangar turned to face the pack "STEEL YOURSELVES. PREPARE FOR THE ONCOMING BATTLE!! TODAY, YOU PEOPLE MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELVES! YOU BECOME MOR ETHAN JUST THE BARKEEP, THE BLACKMITH, THE WHORE! YOU BECOME HEROES!" Almost instantly cheers and war cries erupted from the crowd.
He turned to face his brother. "What the fuck happened back there."
It was an onslaught. As soon as Ja'quar had stepped outside of the tavern the cacophony of war intensified to a height he had never heard. Everywhere he went he heard the sound of swords slashing, axes cleaving and a thousand cries from both human and beast. The silence of the trees was nowhere to be seen.
Yet, he did not feel unsettled. He was the master of an army, the same type of army that had invaded the city mere moments ago, an army of fallen. Of course, they couldn't match in size but these undead versions were much more resistant to death than their human counterparts. Well, if he could sustain them that is. The energy it consumed was constricting and the only thing he could do was stand in the centre of a ring of undeath, maintaining his concentration to keep his minions fighting fit.
He then heard Drangar yell, "SHIT!!!!! HELP HELP!!!", but he didn't know where it came from. He steadily looked around, maintaining his trance, and when he saw him, he saw Dagon standing there with him with a bloody mess at his feet.
Getting back up after what must have been a pretty hefty fit of rage, Dagon rallied everybody near each other. Ja'quar spread his hands to convey the message to his minions. Even walking was intense with the dozen or so fallen under his command so he slowly made his return to the group.
While walking his hand suddenly felt the piercing sensation of an arrow. The pain that emanated from it shattered his concentration and in a blink of an eye his defences were gone. "NO!" he yelled angrily, "WHY? I'M USELESS NOW!"
He knew the others barely trusted him, but they were his only hope. "HELP," he screamed while the fallen advanced, "I'M TRAPPED!"
Borin heard the necromancer's cry for help. He looked over to see ring of minions encircling him as he stood their defenseless. Borin pulled out three arrows from his quiver as all three of the turned into icicles. He placed all three on his bow and shot the simultaneoulsy. The arrows flew through the air leaving a thin line of ice in the air. As soon as the arrows hit their targets, the monsters froze in their place.
"They should shatter under the weight of a kick now" he yelled down to Ja'quar.
Borin looked down around the courtyard to see where else his talents were needed.
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Dagon thrust his sword into the air and bellowed at the onrushing fallen as Dragnar inspired the nearby warriors with his speech, hopefully it would be enough to win the day.
"What the fuck happened back there." "Remember when mom and dad told you I wasn't ... normal? Well, I think it might finally be coming back to bite me in the ass." Dagon replied, hoping his demonic heritage wasn't stirring.
End of Chapter 2
He stared ahead as the next wave of fallen, and hopefully the last, came towards them. The guards unleashed volleys of arrows, stemming the tide and thinning the hordes, pushing the front line further back as they charged onwards.
They reached the gate within minutes, and flowed through the meet the warriors.They clashed for hours, neither line gaining or giving ground as demonic, and human warriors fell on both sides. Near midday, cavalry arrived from the outlying town of Olenta, plunging into the fallen lines, and breaking through to reach the town. With their help, the guard and citizens of Yarin pushed back the fallen, and won the battle.
However, grave news was being brought from Olenta. The riders had come to inform Yarin that they too had been besieged by fallen, as did the citizens of Menayu. The only town that wasn't attacked, it seems, was the town of Sulvus. It all fell into place for the fugitives with the news: the note they had found on board their prison ship had mentioned funds being transferred to the slavers from a town called Sulvus, obviously they were to serve as sacrifices to summon more demonic troops.
With the town of Yarin in turmoil, and Menyau and Olenta under seige, the lord had no choice but to send troops to help stabilize the region, and possible gain allies in the coming conflict with Sulvus.
The group of fugitives was one of the first to be asked, they had proved their worth in battle, and now had reason to seek revenge on the town of Sulvus. They accepted, after agreeing to a hefty sum of money for each of them as a reward.
The plan being set in motion was to send the group to the town of Olenta, while the lord's men would assault the town of Menayu. With any luck, this dual-assault would split the demonic forces, cause disarray, and win both battles for them.
Within the hour, the group had packed up their few belongings, and was on the road to the town of Olenta, hoping that they were not too late to intervene.
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"One in every 10 million people can potentially have a headache from this pill." God forbid she is the 0.000000001% of having a headache.
"Fucking horse.." grumbled Dagon as his steed plodded forwards down the road to Olenta. It was a bumpy ride, but it sure beat walking.
Others had been loaded into the wagons and carts they were bringing, and some rode on horses. The lord of Yarin had sent a small detachment of soldiers along with them to help guard them on their path, and to help in the retaking of Olenta. 50 of the most skilled soldiers accompanied them, the lord had confidence enough in their abilities, as well as the defences of Olenta, to justify sending such a small force.
"We should be there within the hour, under the cover of darkness. With any luck, we'll be able to ambush the camps of the fallen and eliminate any leaders we find. Once their forces are thrown into chaos, we'll be able to easily mop them up." Dagon said as the plan formulated in his head. Despite coming from such a non-militaristic background, Dagon was developing into an effective tactician.
Must be my dad's side... Dagon thought to himself, remembering the incident back in Yarin.
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"One in every 10 million people can potentially have a headache from this pill." God forbid she is the 0.000000001% of having a headache.
This was no ordinary thunderstorm, however. In the distance, a shadowy figure could barely be seen in the field. The clouds were even darker where perception allowed him to stand and the sound of life was whisked away by the chaos of the thunder.
"Hear ye, children of Abbadon!"
The voice boomed across the field, but the horses were content for the horses could sense more than the humans could. Seeing this as a good sign, Seddrik and Dagon moved toward the shadowy figure.
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I hate the way you cling to ignorance and pass it off as innocence
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Slowly the fallen flood was pushed towards the door. Ja'quar vaulted over the barricade and rushed forward. As soon as no fallen was inside, he smashed himself against the door separating the horde from the survivors. "There, some rest," He said as he locked the door shut.
He hadn't shut the door for a few seconds or Ja'quar heard someone banging on the door, "Let us in!"
"Wait, isn't that...?" Before he could finish there was another voice and the door seemed to unlock on his own. Ja'quar moved to close the door but before he could move a muscle someone rushed through it. As soon as no one seemed to enter he closed the door. He grabbed the zombified patron by his sleeve and dragged him towards the door, effectively using him as a doorstop.
Then there came a horrible sound; with fervour the fallen tried to tear down the door. "He'll hold on for quite a while," Ja'quar informed the group, "Now what will we do next?"
He then sat on the floor, looked up and chuckled, "Once the trapper, now the trapped. Oh Trag'Oul, why are you so cruel?"
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Vaker began to defend his site, throwing fireballs and freezing of the terrible creatures, he knew they were dangerous in large numbers and he was in the worst possible place when the demons began to enter...
One particulary fat creature jumped on him and ripped his chest, producing three deep cuts that started to bleed profusely, an electrifying jolt of pain ran through Vaker's body and blinded him for a moment... He was hardly recovered, when the fallen straightened to strike a blow on Vaker's head, but Vaker reached its disgusting legs with their hands and a wave of ice froze the devil instantly "nice sculpture" Vaker thought, "but not beautyfull enough"... he smashed the head of the creature wich broke into hundreds of pieces of frozen meat...
When he got up he saw Seddrik and Borin entering by the door, and saw the man of the swamp sending a zombie to defend the entrance... suddenly, a hand grabbed his ankle, turned quickly and saw a demon without legs still trying to attack, Vaker raised his hand and casted a fire bolt at the head, leaving only a trail of ashes ...
He approached the group, "Sometimes i think that healing is more painful than actually getting hurt..." Seddrik said, "I don't mind to much pain" he said to Sedrikk smiling, as he pointed to his still bleeding chest.
Ja'Quar raised the patron from the dead, Borin and Seddrick bashed on the shut door, Dragnar slaughtered one of the fallen, and steeled himself for more, and Vakar stood patiently waiting their arrival.
"Should we go out or wait them to get in?" said Vakar from across the bar.
"Well, it would be wise to wait for them in here. If we can force them through the small doorway, we can meet them one at a time, and not be beset by the entire horde." Dagon said, pointing to the doorway.
"As long as we flip some tables-" Dagon was cut off mid sentence by the creaking of the door, and saw Seddrick and Borin rush in.
Just as soon as Dagon let out a sigh of relief, a Fallen warrior screamed into the tavern, brandishing a wicked looking blade.
He kicked up his foot, which flipped the dagger into his hand. He heaved it towards the door and caught the first of the demons in the chest, toppling it onto its comrades. He drew his blade and rushed towards them, grabbed hold of his dagger, and kicked the fallen backwards into the street, while simultaneously loosing his dagger from the beasts' flesh.
Two more took its place, one sliced its axe towards Dagon, but hit his gauntleted arm. The metal brace deflected the blade, and Dagon drove his longsword into the Fallen's gut as its axe was flying backwards. He gripped his blade with both hands, and tore it out of the side of the beast, and into the side of the other. Both fell backwards onto the street, and bled out their last seconds on the stone walkway.
Dagon turned to the left side of the door, hiding behind the door, waiting for more warriors to come in. Can catch them off guard from here... might as well flank them if I can he thought to himself.
"We need more warriors!!" Dagon yelled across the bar, hoping the patrons knew how to handle a weapon, or better yet, had a grasp of magic.
"FALLEN!!!!" Dagon yelled warning the bar.
Suddenly, the entire town was in uproar. Townsfolk that had been in the bar started to panic as the sounds of a distant bell warned the rest of the townspeople. A patron laid dead on the floor due to a Fallen's arrow, but with Ja'quar mastering the dead, the patron had been raised to fight the Fallen. Drangar had quickly made his way to the door slashing Fallen down as they entered the bar, before Ja'quar shut the door, holding off the fiends. Borin and Seddrick then pushed their way into the bar, fleeing from the festering beasts that had started to invade the entire town. The others started to follow suit, Vaker blasting Fallen away at any chance possible and Dagon quickly racking up a decent sized body count. I've got to get into this brawl, Jerfuth thought to himself.
Jerfuth quickly scanned the bar for an suitable companion for his idea at hand, his eyes setting on Borin, "Borin, come with me into the alleyway, I've got an idea. Quickly!"
Jerfuth ran to the side of the bar as he changed into the tiger like he had done before. As his transformation completed, he jumped through the window shattering the glass, giving off a thundering roar.
"We need more warriors!!".
The Fallen were coming, but she knew there was no danger to her. Her dreams used to change as the events happend, but this prediction remained intact since the day she woke up. Everything was meant to be. But without the Warriors of the Tavern she could never know her past or her purpose, as her dreams told her.
This was the moment to act. Her eyes lit with the glow of the stars and her hair floated weightless. the ground began to shake and a deep sound from the corners of time was heard. And time stopped.
There was no movement at the moment, a tiger stood still in the air, fireballs shining lighten the tabern, but she knew that her spell would not last much longer. She approached to Dagon, who was the leader in her dreams, and whispered softly, "I know you since my awakening. I've been looking for you. You are my companions in the search of my past and I'm your companion in the quest of your fate. Without me there is dark and uncertain future for you. Time is my gift, I know the future and the present, but my past has been hidden from me, you must help me. I can aid you out of this danger by giving you a few seconds to use your powers and weapons against the dark forces of hell. Do not waste your time"
Her eyes dimmed, but the sound of Time wasn't heard by the enemy. For a few seconds, the time was not runing for the Fallen. The warriors were ready to act.
Borin heard Jerfuth call for him. He watched as Jerfuth turned into a tiger and jump out of one of the windows of the bar. Borin followed his lead and leaped out of the window after the tiger. As they both stood in the alley, Borin understood what Jerfuth had in mind. The tiger lowered the back half of his body allowing Borin to straddle him. Just as soon as Borin mounted the Jerfuth, the tiger began running around the courtyard. The fallen attempted to chase after them but they could not match the pace of he tiger. As Jerfuth continued to run around, borin pulled out arrow after arrow, shooting the fallen that were desperately attempting to attack them.
Borin made sure to aim for the eyes of the beasts. This weak point ensured the arrows made contact with the minions small weak brains, ending thier lives quickly. One by one the monsters fell. Just when Borin thought their plan was working, two fallen hounds appeared around the corner of a house. The two hounds pounced and knocked Borin off of Jerfuth's back.
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Borin heard Jerfuth call for him. He watched as Jerfuth turned into a tiger and jump out of one of the windows of the bar. Borin followed his lead and leaped out of the window after the tiger. As they both stood in the alley, Borin understood what Jerfuth had in mind. The tiger lowered the back half of his body allowing Borin to straddle him. Just as soon as Borin mounted the Jerfuth, the tiger began running around the courtyard. The fallen attempted to chase after them but they could not match the pace of he tiger. As Jerfuth continued to run around, borin pulled out arrow after arrow, shooting the fallen that were desperately attempting to attack them.
Borin made sure to aim for the eyes of the beasts. This weak point ensured the arrows made contact with the minions small weak brains, ending thier lives quickly. One by one the monsters fell. Just when Borin thought their plan was working, two fallen hounds appeared around the corner of a house. The two hounds pounced and knocked Borin off of Jerfuth's back.
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Nothing happened.
He looked out from it, and saw the shards frozen in the air, the bar patrons frozen in place, all but one of the women, now walking towards him.
"I know you since my awakening. I've been looking for you. You are my companions in the search of my past and I'm your companion in the quest of your fate. Without me there is dark and uncertain future for you. Time is my gift, I know the future and the present, but my past has been hidden from me, you must help me. I can aid you out of this danger by giving you a few seconds to use your powers and weapons against the dark forces of hell. Do not waste your time" Dagon took a minute to take it all in, he couldn't believe that he was the subject of some prophecy. He had to believe it though, why else would a time manipulating witch approach him in the heat of battle?
"I'd ask you more, but, it seems we've got a bit of a situation on our hands. You're welcome to join us, so long as we survive." Dagon said to the mysterious woman, wondering how he ever got caught up in this all.
He looked out into the street, warriors and fallen were frozen in place. Villagers cowered as Fallen warriors brought their axes down upon them, they would strike home as soon as time resumed its flow. Dagon spotted what he assumed was one of the generals of the fallen, sprinted over, decapitated him, and ran back to the safety of the bar just as an arrow sped up it's flight in mid air, and embedded itself in the side of the tavern.
The quick respite from battle was all Dagon needed, he was ready to fight again, and it would be much easier with the general dead.
But suddenly time had caught up with itself as two demon hounds came racing at Jerfuth and Borin. Before Jerfuth could stop and run, they had jumped on Borin, knocking him from Jerfuth's back. Jerfuth quickly stopped and turned to Borin's aid, pouncing on the back of the attacking Fallen hounds. Jerfuths large fangs dug deep into the back of the neck of a fallen hound, crushing its spine. It fell limb under Jerfuth as he clawed the other hound away. The hound backed up, dodging the ravaging claws which gave Jerfuth enough time to pick Borin up and run for cover.
Jerfuth leaped onto the roof of the shop next to the bar and slowly lowered Borin onto the roof. Jerfuth's tiger appearance began to fade and he became human again.
"Stay here. That gash in your leg looks pretty bad," Jerfuth told Borin, "At least it wasn't your arm. This roof should give you a nice vantage point."
Jerfuth looked back to melee of Fallen trying to enter the bar, which seemed to be protected by magic at this point. Hopefully they can hold their own in there, he thought once more as the other Fallen hound was running at the shop, trying to leap onto the roof to finish Borin and Jerfuth.
Jerfuth leapt from the roof, transforming into a bear, clashing mid leap with the hound and left it mangled on the courtyard street. Jerfuth rushed into the hordes of Fallen, swiping and mauling his way through them in a frenzy of flesh, claw, and fur.
Ja'quar looked around for bodies that could be animated, but most of them were disembowelled beyond recognition. The entire floor was red with blood as more and more fallen met their death in this little room. In his disparate search for possible meat shields he didn't see the fallen leaping at his face. With horror Ja'quar saw the fallen flying towards him with his axe held high.
But then the most peculiar sensation came over him. The fallen's progress seemed to slow down mid-flight and as he looked around, he saw all other fallen experience the same thing. Seeing the opportunity he stabbed the fallen in the heart, but being frozen in time the beast neither died nor lived. Slowly time seemed to resume himself and the body slumped to the floor.
He then sheathed his blade to concentrate on the summoning. His mind emptied and he felt that more than familiar connection with death. He raised the fallen and promptly the little rascal ran outside, into the fray slaying as many of his former kin as he could.
"I don't know who has control over time, but I like it!" Ja'quar said to no-one in particular. He then proceeded to walk outside and form his own fallen army.
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Drangar walked over to his blade and picked it up, when suddenly a Fallen warrior jumped on his back and began clubbing him directly in the face.
"SHIT!!!!! HELP HELP!!!" Drangar yelled as he frantically swung his blade above his head awaiting his comrades assist.
"SHIT!!!!! HELP HELP!!!" Dagon heard his brother cry. Without looking, he bolted for the door and overtook a fallen, trampling him in the process. Nothing in his mind but helping his brother from whatever peril faced him. Dagon saw him, with a fallen warrior bashing him in the face with a club.
He sprinted over faster than he thought possible, as if his stride were aided by some unseen force. He was upon him in an instant, took the fallen by the shoulders, and threw him backwards against a wall. He tackled the warrior, tearing into its flesh with his fingernails, which had sprouted into wickedly sharp points. His teeth were sharpening as well, he tore at the neck of the fallen with his barbed fangs, wanting nothing more than to extinguish the life from the imp that nearly killed the only family he had left. It loosed terrible howls, squeals of pain as it's flesh was rended from its body.
In seconds, nothing was left but a bloodied, shredded corpse. Dagon merely hunched over it, panting as his body returned to normal, bloodlust subsiding.
"What... the fuck... was that." Dagon said under his breath, not knowing what had just happened to him. He knew it was something to do with his heritage, he could only hope that he would retain his humanity in the coming days.
He wiped away the blood seeping down his mouth.
Drawing his blade, he rushed over to Dragnar's side, ready to meet the oncoming horde of fallen.
"Anyone who can hold a blade, form a line! Archers and Mages, support!" he called, hoping anyone nearby would listen to his plans.
"Thank you" Borin said to Jerfuth. He watched as Jerfuth jumped from the roof as he transformed himself once again into a bear. Jerfuth hit the ground taking out the beast below him.
Borin pulled himself up onto his feet. He watched as Jerfuth man-handled fallen after fallen. Knowing Jerfuth was safe for now, Borin placed his sight on the entrance of the bar. Just as he was ready to fire, he watched as Ja'quar stepped outside. The fallen around him seem to stop their assault and begin to follow his lead. Soon after Ja'quar, Dagon walked outside ready for more fight.
"SHIT!!!!! HELP HELP!!!" Borin heard Dragnar yell. Before he could even react to Dragnar's cries, Dagon rushed to his aid quicker then even his own eyes could follow.
What is going on? Borin thought to himself confused by the whole situation. He rubbed his eyes and once again scouted the battelground.
"Anyone who can hold a blade, form a line! Archers and Mages, support!" Borin heard Dagon yell, once again taking control of the situation. Borin readied his bow and checked his quiver.
"I am ready for your commands" Borin yelled down to Dagon.
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"Yes, there are stairs in the back," she replied, "You're not thinking of going out there do you?"
Vaker didn't bother answering, went running toward the back door of the room, stepped outside and found the stairs. He saw it a few feet away, but also found it was full of demons that were trying to enter the tavern from above. He began to clear the way with fire and ice, when he reached the roof he ran to the edge.
The image was striking, a small army of demons was ravaging the town, Dagon and Drangar were near the door trying to organize a line of defense , a large bear was wreaking havoc on the demons "Jerfuth" Vaker thought. Ja'quar commanded a group of fallen who seemed more dead than alive, but also caused confusion and death among the fiends.
Vaker saw Borin on the roof of a nearby building, "I am ready for your commands" he heard him yell.
"This is going to be amazing" Vaker thought as his eyes glowed with a white glow, concentrated all his energies and fire and hail began to rain and on the fallen ...
"What... the fuck... was that?" Dagon said as he gazed down on the creature he just killed. He rushed to Drangar's side. "Anyone who can hold a blade, form a line! Archers and Mages, support!"
Drangar and his brother rushed to the front of the pack. Drangar turned to face the pack "STEEL YOURSELVES. PREPARE FOR THE ONCOMING BATTLE!! TODAY, YOU PEOPLE MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELVES! YOU BECOME MOR ETHAN JUST THE BARKEEP, THE BLACKMITH, THE WHORE! YOU BECOME HEROES!" Almost instantly cheers and war cries erupted from the crowd.
He turned to face his brother. "What the fuck happened back there."
Yet, he did not feel unsettled. He was the master of an army, the same type of army that had invaded the city mere moments ago, an army of fallen. Of course, they couldn't match in size but these undead versions were much more resistant to death than their human counterparts. Well, if he could sustain them that is. The energy it consumed was constricting and the only thing he could do was stand in the centre of a ring of undeath, maintaining his concentration to keep his minions fighting fit.
He then heard Drangar yell, "SHIT!!!!! HELP HELP!!!", but he didn't know where it came from. He steadily looked around, maintaining his trance, and when he saw him, he saw Dagon standing there with him with a bloody mess at his feet.
Getting back up after what must have been a pretty hefty fit of rage, Dagon rallied everybody near each other. Ja'quar spread his hands to convey the message to his minions. Even walking was intense with the dozen or so fallen under his command so he slowly made his return to the group.
While walking his hand suddenly felt the piercing sensation of an arrow. The pain that emanated from it shattered his concentration and in a blink of an eye his defences were gone. "NO!" he yelled angrily, "WHY? I'M USELESS NOW!"
He knew the others barely trusted him, but they were his only hope. "HELP," he screamed while the fallen advanced, "I'M TRAPPED!"
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"They should shatter under the weight of a kick now" he yelled down to Ja'quar.
Borin looked down around the courtyard to see where else his talents were needed.
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"What the fuck happened back there."
"Remember when mom and dad told you I wasn't ... normal? Well, I think it might finally be coming back to bite me in the ass." Dagon replied, hoping his demonic heritage wasn't stirring.
End of Chapter 2
He stared ahead as the next wave of fallen, and hopefully the last, came towards them. The guards unleashed volleys of arrows, stemming the tide and thinning the hordes, pushing the front line further back as they charged onwards.
They reached the gate within minutes, and flowed through the meet the warriors.They clashed for hours, neither line gaining or giving ground as demonic, and human warriors fell on both sides. Near midday, cavalry arrived from the outlying town of Olenta, plunging into the fallen lines, and breaking through to reach the town. With their help, the guard and citizens of Yarin pushed back the fallen, and won the battle.
However, grave news was being brought from Olenta. The riders had come to inform Yarin that they too had been besieged by fallen, as did the citizens of Menayu. The only town that wasn't attacked, it seems, was the town of Sulvus. It all fell into place for the fugitives with the news: the note they had found on board their prison ship had mentioned funds being transferred to the slavers from a town called Sulvus, obviously they were to serve as sacrifices to summon more demonic troops.
With the town of Yarin in turmoil, and Menyau and Olenta under seige, the lord had no choice but to send troops to help stabilize the region, and possible gain allies in the coming conflict with Sulvus.
The group of fugitives was one of the first to be asked, they had proved their worth in battle, and now had reason to seek revenge on the town of Sulvus. They accepted, after agreeing to a hefty sum of money for each of them as a reward.
The plan being set in motion was to send the group to the town of Olenta, while the lord's men would assault the town of Menayu. With any luck, this dual-assault would split the demonic forces, cause disarray, and win both battles for them.
Within the hour, the group had packed up their few belongings, and was on the road to the town of Olenta, hoping that they were not too late to intervene.
Others had been loaded into the wagons and carts they were bringing, and some rode on horses. The lord of Yarin had sent a small detachment of soldiers along with them to help guard them on their path, and to help in the retaking of Olenta. 50 of the most skilled soldiers accompanied them, the lord had confidence enough in their abilities, as well as the defences of Olenta, to justify sending such a small force.
"We should be there within the hour, under the cover of darkness. With any luck, we'll be able to ambush the camps of the fallen and eliminate any leaders we find. Once their forces are thrown into chaos, we'll be able to easily mop them up." Dagon said as the plan formulated in his head. Despite coming from such a non-militaristic background, Dagon was developing into an effective tactician.
Must be my dad's side... Dagon thought to himself, remembering the incident back in Yarin.
"Hear ye, children of Abbadon!"
The voice boomed across the field, but the horses were content for the horses could sense more than the humans could. Seeing this as a good sign, Seddrik and Dagon moved toward the shadowy figure.
I hate the way you cling to ignorance and pass it off as innocence