Finding no sign of trouble worried Beren, but it may have just been a scout determining the defenses of the base before he struck. That was worrisome enough. Yet now Beren was around to hunt down the mage and discover his purpose. The Magehunter had found his purpose for the moment. There was no need to wander far to find a mage, one had now come to him. That did not make his job any easier, however. If the mage had any idea that a Magehunter was near, then hunting him down would be quite difficult.
Mayitso sniffed around. The scent of his enemy was muddled. Whoever it was knew how to disguise themselves in more than one way. The lycanthrope kept his nose and ears on alert for anything odd. Eurysa's sharp eyes found some use on top of the walls. Kava, Aldebaran, and Ritter rested for the moment, although the vodyanoi was itching for a fight. Enzi chatted with Cassius as the two discussed what the intrusion of a mage might mean.
The scream of pain broke the growing tension, only to replace it with a different tension. One of the guards fell from the wall. Beren could see the sharp electric blue of magic in the air. The Magehunter dashed past the fallen man as medics rushed to the hurt soldier's side. A blast of acid had struck the guard in the face. It was a brutal attack. Eurysa moved to that wall with her bow in hand looking towards the area the spell had come from. Beren dropped over the wall, sliding down it to land on the ground. It was not the softest landing, but he was unharmed.
Mayitso took a longer path towards the area, exiting the gate. With his four legged speed, he could eventually catch up to Beren. The rest of the Irregulars were left behind, much to Kava's disappointment. Eurysa remained on the wall, prepared to provide support with her archery skills if needed. It would not be much help if the mage had retreated deep into the woods, but it was all she could do for the moment. Eurysa trusted that Mayitso would be enough back up, especially as Beren was more than capable of defeating most mages.
Beren saw a trail of magic that led into the forest. The mage must have woven a spell on himself to leave such a blatant trail. The Magehunter thought it was his lucky day. The mage's scouting had come before Beren had arrived. Beren assumed the mage had not realized a Magehunter of Agon was near. Beren expected the mage to find cover and hide once he heard someone chasing him. He would not see what was chasing him until it was far too late.
Beren let his eyes wander, taking in the whole area around him. The trail of magic was still clear, although it was weak. Such a weak mage did not seem like much of a challenge. Even the weakest foe could strike a deadly blow if they caught you by surprise, however. This was why Beren tried to keep his focus wide, watching for trouble from any angle. That was why he suddenly tumbled forward. He rolled back to his feet, sword in hand, to face the foe he heard behind him. However it was only Mayitso.
The lycanthrope barreled past Beren, nose to the ground. He was tracking the foe by smell. The Magehunter followed Mayitso's lead. Beren kept his senses sharp, allowing Mayitso's inhuman senses aid as well. The massive wolf suddenly yelped. A trap snapped shut on one of the lycanthrope's legs. Beren's mind filled with possibilities at the discovery of such a trap. The assassin knew his time had come and pounced at the distracted Agonish warrior.
The poisoned blade of the assassin met the buckler on Beren's left arm. The distraction of the trap had not been enough to dull the Magehunter's reaction time. Beren slashed with his broad sword but the Tarvoni spun and almost seemed to flow past the blade. The assassin moved into position for a strike at Beren's now unprotected flank. However a kick from Mayitso kept the assassin off balance long enough for Beren to bring his guard up. The fight drifted slowly away from Mayitso.
The lycanthrope began to gnaw at the trap on his leg to try to free himself. It had not been able to actually harm the lycanthrope, but it was limiting his mobility. The assassin stabbed at Beren who parried the attack. The Tarvoni seemed to flow past the parried blade again, moving with uncanny grace. He was a professional warrior. The assassin might have been a match for Beren, especially with the poison on the blade. One cut would end the fight. It put Beren on the defensive. The Magehunter could see the gleam of the liquid on the blade as the sunlight filtered down through the trees.
Beren watched his foe as the assassin pushed the assault. The Tarvoni's acrobatic twists, spins, and rolls kept Beren on his guard. The Tarvoni rolled towards a bush and came up from behind it with a small crossbow. The bolt flew fast and true. Beren was able to catch it with his shield but the assassin used that opening to diver under the Magehunter's defenses. The Tarvoni's blade struck true, shredding the magehunter's tabard. However, the mail shirt that Beren wore kept the blade from doing any real damage.
Beren kept calm and pressed his foe, hoping to wear down the Tarvoni. The assassin was using a lot of energy in his acrobatic moves. Beren made a few conservative strikes, keeping his defense up. However, Beren saw the Tarvoni grin. The mage had not used up all of his tricks. With a leap the mage danced back from Beren, then unleashed a magical spell. It was a blast of acid, similar to what had burned the guard on the wall. It splashed on Beren's chest, burning his armor and his skin.
The Magehunter grunted as the pain swept over him. The assassin took advantage of the new opening, charging in for the kill. Beren fought through the pain and brought his buckler up to stop the blow. The assassin grabbed Beren's arm with his free hand and drove the blade home. Beren tried to avoid it as best he could but the blade still sank in the Magehunter's shoulder. The Tarvoni ripped the blade back out with a slight chuckle. The laugh was cut short as a mass of fur erupted up over Beren.
A snarling maw gnashed its fangs upon the surprised assassin's face. Blood flew as Mayitso tore the Tarvoni man apart. The lycanthrope shook himself off and turned to look at Beren. The Agonish man was laying on the ground, burnt by acid, bleeding, and twitching as the poison began to flow through his veins. The great wolf carefully nabbed Beren's clothing with his jaws and began to drag the man back towards the encampment. There was little else that Mayitso could do, he was not good at dealing with wounds.
Aid came quickly once Eurysa spotted the pair. Sweat rolled down's Beren's forehead as his body tried to fight the toxins coursing through it. The medics bound up his wounds but they had nothing to help against an unknown poison. It was very possible that the assassin had succeeded, even in death. There were few ways to aid a person with toxins in their blood. It was something that if it was solved was only done with the aid of magic. There was only one person with magic in the encampment, and none trusted him. That man sat in his tent, mostly unaware of the situation.
Enzi approached Jenner, “Do you know anything of poisons?”
“I am no expert. I do carry some Rava herbal tea to flush out toxins. Is there a problem? I saw the rush of people.”
“An attack by a Tarvoni mage. He killed one soldier with a blast of acid and has poisoned a second man.”
“Take the tea then,” Jenner said, “Our alchemists make it. It is slightly magical and will lower the toxicity in anyone who drinks it. It might not be enough to save your man, but it will certainly improve his chances.”
“Then come and administer it,” Enzi said.
“As you wish.”
The Ravaleian and the Feergrus man approached the convulsing body of Beren Gendar. The Ravaleian pulled out a vial of liquid. Enzi held the Magehunter's head up as Jenner poured the fluid in the Agonish man's mouth. One of the medics nearby used his knowledge to force Beren to swallow. The next few minutes were harrowing. The convulsions slowed but did not stop. Within an hour, however, Beren's condition seemed to improve.
Finally Beren coughed out, “Is everyone safe?”
“Thinking of others first?” Jenner asked, “Yes, the mage only killed the guard on the wall and hurt you. Everyone else is fine. The poison does not seem to have killed you, but I would take it easy for a while if I was you.”
“Thanks. That foe was not a normal Tarvoni mage. He was not trained in magic, his skills in that area were weak. This was so
meone who had spent his life learning to fight in melee.”
“An assassin then,” Jenner stated, “Not of the Abyss Cult then. They hired one of the Shadow Cult I would expect. They are incredibly deadly in combat.”
“I noticed,” Beren chuckled.
Enzi's Irregulars #0065
The graveyard seemed somehow creepier than usual to the ranger. It was situated closer to the mountains, where rocks could be gathered to create cairns. The ranger patrolling the area felt like he was being watched. The distance was too great for him to see, but one of the rocks on the mountain seemed to move. The ranger continued on his patrol. The rock, however, suddenly leapt up off the mountain and took flight. It was a rock falcon.
The mighty birds blended in well with rocks, but often liked to sit on the walls of stone buildings as well. They were more obvious sitting on a building. They were ugly to the human eyes. Most called them gargoyles. They were foul tempered beasts, but they rarely attacked anything as large as a human. This gargoyle felt different. Pain had wracked its body for days. Something was growing on it. Something dark, oily, and it had the smell of rotted vegetation.
The creature had found itself larger and stronger. Yet now it was hungry. The humans now looked much smaller and weaker than they did before. The mighty bird flew above the forest, watching the Nuvroci Ranger below. As the ranger walked into a clearing, the falcon swooped down. The claws of the mighty bird felt the satisfying bite of its talons in soft flesh. The human yelled out in pain, but the cruel beak of the hideous gargoyle squelched that sound with a sickening crunch.
***
A few small goblinoid patrols had kept the base camp on its toes. The rangers were constantly on patrol. There had not been any major assault since the horde of orcs, but it seemed like it was only a matter of time. Beren Gendar was doing much better, the toxins had been mostly flushed from his body. He still was not in peak condition, but he was in no danger of succumbing to the assassin's poison. Things were going about as well as could be expected during wartime.
Enzi had been slowly preparing for a long trip. Eventually the Irregulars would have to move to the southern front. It was there that the dragon would strike. Since Enzi planned to take the long way there, he would need considerable lead time to reach the war front. They still had at least two months before they had to leave, but Enzi worked on being prepared just in case something changed. The Feergrus man was not sure that he could trust the goblin that had told him of the drake that would attack Agon.
However, Enzi could not take a chance. A strike in that direction would slaughter thousands of innocent people. The destruction would bring untold horror upon both the humans and then the goblinoids. General Cassius Tessium knew that the Irregulars could not stay forever. Enzi had informed the Nuvroci man about the drake, and the general had sent messages of about the dangers to the leader of the southern front. Hopefully all the information would make the entrance of the Irregulars less contentious.
Soon all of the rangers began to report in. They relayed what they had seen while scouting the area. However, one of the rangers did not return. Enzi sent the Irregulars out to search for the missing man. Mayitso's nose would come in handy for that job. Aldebaran, Eurysa, Kava, and Ritter would be able to handle almost any kind of problem. The aging Feergrus man remained behind. He had accompanied them directly on several of their recent adventures. His aching joints reminded him that he was not young anymore.
Mayitso led the rest of the inhuman mercenaries to the area where the ranger was supposed to patrol. The lycanthrope kept his nose to the ground, snorting out any clues he could find. Eventually he caught an odd scent wafting through the air. A few sniffs confirmed the direction and the immense wolf trotted towards the unusual odor. Another odor could be detected over the odd scent. The new scent was blood. This made Mayitso increase his pace.
What the group found was gruesome. Bones and torn flesh were all that was left. Ribs poked up out of the bloody mess. The vodyanoi gazed over the scene with her huge orange eyes. She had the most knowledge about wounds and what might cause them. Kava had studied anatomy for quite some time, using her knowledge to better slay her foes. Now it would be used to investigate the hideous remains for a cause of death.
“This looks like the work of a large animal, claws and beak.”
“A griffin?” Eurysa hissed.
“If it is, it is a small one,” Kava croaked, “I can't imagine a baby griffin would be brave enough to attack a human.”
“Maybe rock falcons?” Ritter asked, familiar with gargoyles.
“Not unless it is a gigantic one. Whatever did this was about the size of a horse.”
Ritter nodded, “Rock Falcons don't get much larger than a human.”
Eurysa also nodded, “Griffins do not come in such a small size unless they are but babies. This is a mystery.”
Mayitso was sniffing around the area. Something did not smell right. It was hard to tell what the scent was, the sharp tang of blood covered much of it. It reminded Mayitso of rotted vegetation. Whatever it was smelled wrong. His nose had never encountered such an odd smell. He was familiar with the sent of blood, of rotted flesh, of rotted plant matter. Whatever this was had to be something he had not encountered before. Whatever the Irregulars were dealing with, it was something deadly.
***
Feeding had been good for the rock vulture. The hunger pangs had diminished. Yet now other pains overtook them. The creature felt as if it was being torn apart. Growth like black oily vines spread through its body painfully. The creature grew larger. Its wings grew harder, the skin on the arms becoming tough as steel. The growth spurt was painful, but when it ended the creature felt its hunger return. The unnatural growth had sapped the calories it had consumed. It needed to feed again.
It took flight and soared near the mountains. It saw a lone griffin near its nest. The falcon suddenly realized that the griffin was not much larger than it anymore. Such a huge creature would be good eating. The griffin tried to fight back. Its beak did not pierce the toughness of the falcon's newly hardened skin. The falcon attacked with beak and claws, but also buffeted the griffin with its now immensely powerful wings. The mighty griffin was no match for the gargoyle.
The gargoyle feasted upon the griffin, ripping and tearing flesh in a desperate attempt to devour as much of it as it could, as quickly as it could. The hunger pangs drove the beast nearly to madness. Soon the griffin had been devoured and the hunger pangs dimmed once more. The creature rested. Then the pains of growth came again, enraging the beast. There was nothing it could strike out against to avenge its pain. Finally the rock falcon slipped into unconsciousness.
When it awoke it found itself nearly unable to fit where it had slept. It had grown again. Now it was every bit as large as the mighty griffin it had devoured, if not slightly larger. Pain still maddened the creature, but also hunger had once more taken hold of the monster. It took flight once more, looking for prey. Far below in the woods it spotted an eclectic collection of tasty looking morsels. Once each might have been threatening in size. Now these humanoid sized creatures looked so tiny and weak.
***
Mayitso's ears swiveled. They took in many sounds but even they could not catch the sound of an enormous rock falcon swooping down until it was too late. The gargoyle went after the creature that was easiest to see. Its talons scraped across the shiny metal armor of the Halz. Ritter grunted as he was lifted off the ground by the monstrous beast. The rest of the Irregulars let out sounds of surprise and shock.
“What is that thing?” Kava croaked wildly, “It looks like one of those damn gargoyles but something is seriously wrong with it!”
Eurysa brought her bow around and fired off an arrow at the beast as it tried to fly away with Ritter. The arrow struck the immense gargoyle. The ichor that flowed out smelled horrific. The dwarf nearly retched as the scent filled his nostrils. The ichor was not the only thing that smelled. The creature had a scent that reminded
the dwarf of rotted vegetation. This close to it, the smell was almost overpowering. Ritter desperately swung his heavy warhammer at the flying monstrosity.
The warhammer hit the creature on the leg and it squawked. The pain the beast was in had inured it to other pains. Another arrow hit the beast, hitting it in the wing. The creature shuddered and turned its course. It swooped down at the ting that kept shooting painful barbs at it. Aldebaran and Kava were ready and waiting for the gargoyle as it swooped at Eurysa. Two hatchets and a two handed elven blade struck the creature hard. Mayitso placed himself between the creature and Eurysa to take any blows it might throw.
The gargoyle flailed wildly with its rock hard wing arms. Its talon tried to crush Ritter. Only his Armor saved his life. Even with that, the Halz could feel the pressure. He could hear the sound of the metal under great stress. The beak of the rock falcon shot out at Mayitso. The lycanthrope returned the favor, snapping at the gargoyle. As soon as his mouth touched the beast, however, Mayitso regretted it. He yelped and rolled on the ground, taking dirt and plants in his mouth.
He spit it all back out. However, even the taste of the forest sod was far superior to what the gargoyle tasted like. The scent of the creature also filled the lycanthrope's nose. The terrible scents and flavors overwhelmed the poor wolf. He would be of no further use in the fight. The minotaur and the vodyanoi hacked at the gargoyle. The creature screeched and attacked at random. The gorgon slithered back away from the melee and took aim with her bow.
The next arrow hit the maddened monster in the head, even as it knocked Kava and Aldebaran away with a pair of wing buffets. Ritter kept trying to force his way free by beating the creature with his warhammer. Another arrow to the head finally caused the beast to stop. The gargoyle collapsed to the ground, still shuddering and convulsing. Aldebaran used his muscle to help extract the Halz from underneath the heap. The group looked at the slain monstrosity.