Mark of the Fool

Chapter 286: Heroic Battle

The team of reinforcements tore through the sky, racing toward the battle as the roar of flame reached them from up ahead. Thick smoke from burning grass billowed in a grey cloud. Something was moving through it.

A lot of somethings.

Alexs potion-enhanced vision began picking out details as the supporters closed the distance.

Oh hells!

Monsters were everywhere. A pair of hills on a hilly region up aheadhe and his surveying team had often passed ithad ruptured like rotten fruit. Nightmarish creatures poured from countless mounds like armies of ants.

Atop the smaller hill monstrous humanoids shrieked, clicked and chittered. They churned through the turf and brush on the broken hilltop, stomping anything in their way. Alex could see strings of spittle flying from their fanged mouths even as more of them burst from the ground.

They were armed. Most gripped rough-looking clubs of stone or hardened earth, but the larger ones wielded jagged bone blades that looked less like swords, and more like stacks of spikes roughly shaped into weapons. Imposing humanoid monsters strode forward, brandishing metal weapons of the kind humans normally carried, perhaps theyd been taken by force from bandits, soldiers or other warriors.

These monsters screeched louder than the rest, and the smaller ones seemed to be reacting to the cries, like they were receiving orders from a leader.

The Thameish bestiaries had described the monsters as chitterersfrom what Alex rememberedso he quickly called on the Mark to recall the wording:

No stronger than an average human, it had said, but they form a bulk of the Raveners forces: a single dungeon core can spawn thousands of them very quickly. Their dungeons must be destroyed or their numbers will quickly grow overwhelming. Ancient accounts speak of them covering the land and filling the forests to the brim, their screeches deafening when they cried out. Over time, they learn more of battle and tactics. Some are even said to be able to use mana, though it is blessedly rare in the extreme that a single one of them is born with the intellect and patience to practice spellcraft.

Luckily, Alex couldnt see any chitterers casting spells, which was a huge relief: since what was coming from the other hill was even worse news than the chitterers.

From inside the fissure and mounds, swarms of flying creatures spewed out and took to the air.

Are those blood-draks? He called to Isolde.

I fear that is exactly what they are. She called back over the wind. They will be a bigger problem than the other ones. She added.

Alex swore, recalling the entry on blood-draks in the bestiaries.

Each was as big as a draft horse. They had long insectile bodies and chitinous tails. Wings shaped like a dragonflys flapped, sounding like a roll of thunder as the monsters burst into the air, tails whipping around them, and six long legs rapidly stabbing outward.

Each leg ended in a barbed, bony spear-tip. Those legsll definitely be something to avoid. Alex thought to himself.

But the creatures had other natural weapons that would be even deadlier to anyone they came in contact with.

From the shoulders up, the monster looked like dragons. They had long, serpentine necks that ended in massive, scaly, reptilian heads crowned with horns. Their jaws parted, spewing

Alex physically recoiled mid-flight.

blood.

Just as it had been described in the texts, they were unleashing streams of boiling blood onto any solid object near them.

The red torrents were hissing loudly, spraying through the air, scalding anything they touched before clotting over like a scab that was said to be as hard as petrified wood. Anything unfortunate enough to be covered by the foulness, remained trappedif they were still alive.

And it only got worse.

The stench of blood-draks blood was so foul, it could turn even the strongest stomach, and send one into crippling retching. The blood was also a weapon that carried disease, so even if someone initially survived being sprayed, theyd be dead from sepsis within days.

Thank the Traveller the team had Orbs of Air around their heads. He thought.

Isolde was right, those blood-draks would be a problem.

His jaw clenched: theyd have to be the first to die before they had the chance to overwhelm our teams on the ground.

Through the blood-drak swarms and the horde of chitterers, Alex spotted a group of surveyors fighting for their lives: his own team, Tyris, and other expedition members who must have converged when the call went out.

They were making a stand at the top of another hill, blasting volleys of spells like a hailstorm, raking the ranks of monsters on the ground, and through the sky.

Streams of acid, ice bolts, crackling lightning and fireballs detonated amongst the Ravener-spawn, freezing, melting, or simply blowing them apart.

Alex felt the mana of summoning magic building: a group of wizards were focused on summoning; hellhounds, celestial dogs, fire elementals, and scorpion-like creatures were confronting the enemy, striking at them before they could overrun the hill the wizards were defending.

Others summoned flying demons to take to the air and battle the airborne blood-draks. They tore at the blood-spewing monsters, trying to force them away from the wizards hill.

On the hills peak stood Vesuvius, roaring and blasting chitterers with a fountain of lava, while he sprayed the swarms of blood-draks with his fire breath. Tyris floated above him, roaring out spell after spell: blasts of boiling lava, ice spikes and force bolts burned, froze and crushed blood-draks.

Alexs eyes kept searching unti-

There. He found his team.

Khalik was chanting spells that blasted volleys of stone spikes, or created stalagmites that erupted from the earth, impaling chitterers as they sought to swarm the surveyors. Thundar was beside Grimloch on the front line, his form shimmering as an illusion spell obscured his movements.

His mace flared with blasts of force each time it struck, crushing monsters into pulp. Grimloch was laughing maniacally, his hammer blurred from swing to swing, striking again and again. With each swing, a mass of chitterers died. An armoured leg also shot out, breaking enemies and booting them back down the hill. His armour was turning aside every weapon thrust at him, and before the attacker could try again, the sharkman was disarming them then returning the weaponblade first.

Alexs heart jumped.

there was Theresa and Brutus.

The huntress was blurring through the monsters, her swords flickering out like flashes of light. Chitterers were falling around her as Brutus lunged and mauled any trying to attack her from behind. Svenia and Hogarth were behind Brutus. They skewered and chopped down opponents with thrusts and swings of their halberds.

The surveyors were mostly holding their own

But, not everything was going their way.

Because no matter how many they killed, more chitterers would burst from beneath the hill, and the blood-draks were also very fast; some were evading spells and demons, diving at wizards with barbed legs thrusting, and spewing their diseased blood before swooping away.

Flying wizards were trying to blast them from the sky or shield the others below from the flying creatures attacks, but they were vastly outnumbered by monsters that were repeatedly being replaced from reserves under the two hills. Already, more than a handful of wounded surveyors lay on the ground, surrounded by blood mages tending to them.

It was a scene of chaos, a study of the Ravener and the fierce battles that came with every cycle.

And Alex and the rest of the reinforcements were about to charge right into it.

Everyone focus on the blood-draks first! Watcher Shaw drew his sword and brandished his staff. Keep your distance, clear them out, then focus on the chitterers! Summon monsters to hit em from above, if you can! Our mana wont hold out forever, so lets make a path that our surveyors can retreat through!

Right! Alex pulled out booby-trapped flight potions and tossed them into two Wizards Hands. He tossed his second pair of Hands a couple of sleep potions, then gave the last pair some booby-trapped sensory enhancement potions.

Whoooooom.

Claygons fire-gems powered up.

Crackle.

Isolde began to chant; lightning played between her hands.

Im going for those flyers! Alex shouted, glancing up at the other Heroes. You with me?

Aye, Ill go after em wit ya! Cedric shouted. You got a spine, I gotta say that!

Hart simply laughed, diving straight down toward the battle below. Im better on the ground!

His sword seemed to blur into his hand.

Hart! You- Drestra shouted, shaking her head. Damn itIll get the tunnels!

Drestra flew away.

Bloody hell, Im still wit ya! Cedric cried.

He raised his quicksilver-like weapon which shifted until it was a polearm with sharp-edged blades on either end, like a double-ended sword. He cast several spells of protection on himself then shouted one that Alex had never heard of.

A stone formed in his handwhich vibrated so violentlyit was blurring in his grip. The Chosen cocked his arm back then whipped the stone downward with all of his considerable might: straight into the swarm of blood-draks and-

Boom!

-a blast of sonic energy detonated, hitting nearby monsters with a wave of sound, and a cloud of shrapnel. Fragments tore into them, shredding wings and chitin as the sonic wave spread, rupturing eardrums and insides. The creatures burst apart like over-filled sacks.

With a war-cry, Cedric dove at the blood-draks, spinning his blade before him, slicing through the stunned creatures with precision. Isolde summoned her orbs of lightning and cast them into the swarm, catching a line of monsters between them and jolting them with repeating arcs of lightning.

Claygon! Fire! Avoid my friends!

Alex tucked his arms at his sides and hurtled toward the blood-draks.

Clear the way, Claygon! he shouted. Heads up everyone! Look out below!

Whooooosh!

Three fire-beams blasted into the swarm, drawing three lines of death. Wherever they touched-

Booom!

-blood-draks exploded in columns of fire that swept more of their kind, singeing wings and skin. Screeching Ravener-spawn fell from the sky in burning waves, slamming into chitterers below and setting them ablaze.

As flame exploded through the sky, Alex sent the Wizards Hands and forceballs into the swarm of blood-draks. Many were flying aimlessly and in complete chaos because of the attack from above.

He willed the Hands to spread out, aiming for the outer margins of the monster swarm then, he crushed the bottles.

Pooof!

Gaseous potions exploded around the swarm, catching blood-draks as they flew through it. Immediately, some went to sleep, plummeting from the sky and dropping either on their kin, or chitterers on the ground below. Others screeched, spraying boiling blood everywhere in blind panic as their senses were completely overwhelmed. It spattered, covering their allies, scalding and hardening their wings: monsters screamed, blood hardened, and Ravener-spawn plummeted to the earth.

As the outside of the swarm fell into chaos and Cedric tore through the centre of the monster swarm, Watchers and accompanying reinforcements summoned monsters and fired spells at the swarm of blood-draks. They were being hit from all sides.

Go! Alex ordered his bat-like aervespertillos. Stun them!

He then instructed the fire elemental-beetles. Swarm them, go for their eyes! But, stay clear of the blood-streams!

His air elementals swooped down like falcons, inhaled deeply, then screeched as one. Cedrics sonic wave had hurt some of the monsters, the aervespertillos did the same to even more: blood-draks shrieked in obvious pain, careening into each other.

Elemental beetles took their turn, pouring from the sky like hailstones and seething onto blood-draks then biting at their eyes and mouths. The monsters tried to writhe away.

Claygon! Alex called. Move in, make them sorry they ever attacked us! Watch for our allies!

Heads up everyone! He shouted as Claygon took off.

Making no sound, Alexs golem climbed through the air and hovered for a bit, then streaked downward like a meteor.

Whooooom!

His fire-gems flared bright as he halted among the confused, screeching, blood-draks to unleash hell.

Whoooooosh!

The golems head revolved in a full circle, drawing arcs of fiery death through blood-spewing Ravener-spawn, while his upper arms tracked and blasted more to bits with the fire-beams embedded in his palms. Raining fire in all directions, he charged more blood-draks, punting them with massive clay feet, and smashing them with gigantic lower fists.

Crack! Crack!

Every kick and punch shattered exoskeletons and monstrous bodies. Some of the blood-draks tried a counter-attack, spraying boiling blood over his clay body.

Hsssss.

It hissed through the air, hitting his armour. But Claygon didnt flinch, he just kept surging toward the attackers. They screeched and swerved, spraying streams of foul blood, but the golem kept coming.

Crack! Crack!

Spear-tipped legs stabbed frantically: the natural weapons merely shattered on his hardened form.

Then, he reached out and plucked two from mid-air, holding the struggling creatures by the ankles.

They were now living weapons for him to wield, and wield them he did. Claygon swung them like flails, smashing their kin from the sky then pulping and discarding the pair. The fetid blood that sprayed on him began to harden butwith mental instructions from Alexhe simply tore the quick setting fluid away like old parchment.

Crackle!

Suddenly, lightning struck the swarm as Isolde drew a line of death through them. Cedric was flying from monster to monster, slashing some, blasting others with magic, or crushing the flying creatures with divinity. Alexs summoned monsters were also wreaking havoc, nibbling at eyes and stunning blood-draks with high pitched screeches, while the Watchers and the other reinforcements rained down battle-magic and their own summoned monsters on the Raveners.

The tide of the battle in the air was beginning to turn.

Whoooosh!

Alex looked down to see what was happening on the ground.

The Sage had brought a colossal amount of mana to bear, raising a ring of flame around many of the burrows the chitterers were pouring from. She wasnt able to ring in that entire hill, but shed penned off a large part of it with fire. The flames would flare, scorching Ravener-spawn that came too close, and trapping others inside the circle.

The endless tide of chitterers began to shrink, things were looking up for both the folks on the ground, and in the air.

Harts laughter boomed over the sounds of battle and Alex had to whistle, awestruck at what he saw. The Champion was battling a large group of monsters like he was having the time of his life.

Hed never seen anyone fight quite like that before, and hed seen some pretty amazing fighters.

Hart was faster than Theresa, and even more skilled than her and Grimloch were. He was whipping his massive sword around in a whirlwind of blades, thrashing chitterers apart like a farmer reaping wheat.

The more they threw themselves at him, the more they died. The more they died, the more headway the wizards on the hill made against them.

The Watchers had wiped out every chitterer behind the surveyors with fireballs, and were now casting two smaller walls of fire to create a flaming corridor for them to retreat through.

Crack!

Suddenly, the ground atop the blood-draks hill exploded with tremendous force. Something enormous began shifting its way through the groaning earth.

Alex prepared for the worst.

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