Chapter 15
Morgorath Rises
"To arms!" Locmire cried out.
The reanimated Brazurkins and Bear Men crawled from the rubble. Most of the fallen warriors' bodies remained intact, while others could not stand, only drag themselves with their remaining extremities. Their eyes were solid black, soulless. Once foes, now the Brazurkins and Bear Men worked together to help remove the large chunks of the rock from their fallen comrades.
The Wizard saw a figure standing to his side. He turned to find Red standing, pistol drawn. Before Locmire could react, Red pulled the trigger. Locmire tensed up and quickly relaxed as something fell behind him. He turned to see a Brazurkin sprawled out with an axe in hand. Blood oozed from a hole in the center of his head.
"Relax, Old One. Me ain't fixin on shootin ya," Red said, chuckling. "Dat be's twice me saved yer hide.
Urganox made his way to his feet and looked around, stunned.
What just happened?
In front of him a large figure stood clutching a war hammer. Kraydar. His right arm dangled to his side, almost severed from his trunk. A boulder left his head flattened and oblong. His horns, and one of his large eye teeth, were broken. Dried blood covered his body and frenzied maggots filled his wounds.
"Kraydar," Urganox said. His voice cracked. "It is I, Urganox."
Kraydar turned his head to one side as if confused. He looked at Urganox with an icy stare and lumbered forward.
"Kraydar!" Urganox exclaimed. "It is I! King Urganox!"
Kraydar increased his pace.
Lot ran to Urganox's side and said, "Urganox! You must kill him!"
Urganox snapped around and said, "I will not kill him. He is my friend. I will not cause him harm, nor will any of you." I just have to make him remember who he is. That is all.
"Look at him, Urganox! The creature before you is not your friend. He is not even of the living!" Lot pleaded. "You must kill him . . . or I will."
Urganox directed his attention back to Kraydar, who was now mere feet away from him. He glimpsed Kraydar's onyx colored eyes.
This is not my friend, at least not the friend I remember. This creature is an abomination. I still must try. "Kraydar, this is your last chance. If you do not stop, I will be forced to raise my hand against you."
Kraydar now hovered over him. He raised his war hammer high into the air and brought it down. Urganox kicked Kraydar in the chest and sent him tumbling across the ground. As Urganox advanced upon Kraydar with flail in hand, the horde of Brazurkins and Bear Men came climbing out of the rubble, cloaking Kraydar in the chaos. The battle began.
Urganox lashed out with his flail, exploding the head of a Bear Man. He brought his shield up to block a flurry of strikes from two of his fallen people. Their war hammers and battle axes sparked as they glanced off his shield. Urganox lowered his shoulder and plowed forward, clearing a path for himself and Lot.
Lot followed in Urganox's wake, hacking and slashing at his attackers as he went. His dragon bone swords had no problem cutting through the soft flesh of their outstretched, groping, arms.
Red and Oggy fought side by side.
Oggy cried, "Watch out!"
Oggy spun round and round in large circles, holding tight to the hilt of his war hammer, unleashing devastating blows against the flood of attackers. He spun faster and faster and faster. With each revolution, his hammer gained momentum. Oggy decimated his foes with ease, until he fell to the ground, and his weapon flew from his hands. The flying hammer ripped through Brazurkins and Bear Men like a cannonball. Oggy tried to climb to his feet, but he was too dizzy. He stumbled and fell to the ground. Red appeared at his side and protected him while he recovered.
Although Oggy had disposed of a great number of the abominations, the reanimated warriors kept swarming them. They seemed to be in the area with the greatest concentration of enemies. Red stood over his dizzy friend, fighting off an onslaught of attackers. His cutlasses were a blur of silver as he hacked and slashed through any of the creatures that came too close. His razor sharp cutlasses danced in a rhythmical pattern. It seemed as if they had taken control over his body. Appendages littered the ground. Each time his cutlasses lashed out, they added another limb to the pile. Red moved at unbelievable speeds, striking to his front, then to his sides, turning on a dime and defending his rear. He had no room for error, for his attackers came at him from every direction. Red had a split second after landing a strike to turn and lash out once more. He tired at the never ending onslaught. His strikes slowed considerably. His arms burned; he could barely swing his cutlasses.
Oggy made it back to his feet and cried, "Give me your steel!"
Red tossed Oggy one of his cutlasses. Oggy's large hand swallowed the hilt of the sword. Oggy let out a hearty laugh and went to work.
Red called out to Oggy, "Ye look like ye holdin a toof-pick in yur-"
One of the Brazurkins grabbed Red by the hair of his head and hoisted him high into the air. Red drew his pistol and aimed it over his shoulder. He put the barrel of the pistol to the Brazurkin's head and squeezed the trigger. The Brazurkin released his grip on Red and crumpled to the ground. Red fell to his knees, and one of the Bear Men was upon him before he could stand. He put his pistol under the Bear Man's chin and squeezed the trigger. He too collapsed onto the ground. Red fired off four more shots, allowing him the time to get to his feet. He cleaved a path to Oggy, where the two fought back to back.
"Catch!" Oggy cried, tossing Red's cutlass back, as he ripped a hammer from one of the Brazurkin's hand.
Locmire fought removed from the rest of the group, but this was not of his own choosing. They found themselves separated during the chaos. He cast a great number of fireballs, but just enough to keep him free from danger. The Brazurkins and Bear Men had him backed against the face of a mountain, closing in on him. He shortened his staff and lashed out with it. From the end of his staff, a long lightning-like whip tore through the reanimated corpses. He brought the whip back and forth, around and around, each time severing his foes in half. Within a few moments, Locmire had provided himself room to move. He drew the lightning back into his staff and returned it to its normal length. He extended his staff and slammed it down. A mighty force erupted from its end and rolled over the abominations like a great wave in the ocean, hammering them into the ground.
Locmire stood for a moment, surveying the battle, searching for his companions, but the wall of undead corpses shielded his view.
Urganox and Lot made their way through the horde by force. Urganox's flail destroyed everything it contacted. Lot put his dragon bone short swords to work with deadly accuracy. He tucked in behind Urganox, killing anything that made its way past the Brazurkin King.
"Look!" Urganox cried.
To his pleasure, Lot saw Red and Oggy a few feet away from them. Urganox smashed his way to their side.
"Arr!" Red said. "It be good ta see you two."
"There seems to be no end to them," Oggy said as he exploded the head of a Bear Man.
"Have you seen Locmire?" Lot asked.
"Nah," Red replied.
Red and the Saviors fought together as one. They defended themselves well, but the Brazurkins and Bear Men were relentless with their attacks and showed no signs of fear.
As mighty as their combined forces proved to be, The Saviors and Red were unable to escape from this insurmountable situation. The deceased warriors were too much for even these great heroes to contend.
"Let go!" Oggy screamed as a legless Bear Man wrapped his cold hands around his ankles.
As hard as he tried, Oggy couldn't shake himself free from the being. Red tried to help his friend, but found himself in danger as well. Another of the Bear Men grabbed him by the wrist and tried to pull him into their swarm. He freed himself by cutting off its arm.
"We must retreat!" Urganox commanded.
"To where?" Lot asked between slashes.
"We must cut off one of their approaches. We need t
o get our backs to the mountain," Urganox said.
"Do you think it wise to back ourselves into a corner?" Oggy asked.
"It is our only option," Urganox said. "Follow me, now!"
Urganox raised his shield and charged toward the mountain. The others followed him.
As soon as they got their back to the mountains, the fallen warriors closed in on them once more. Urganox held his shield in front of them. The Brazurkins and Bear Men pressed them against the mountain, with no means of escape. Urganox blocked as many of their weapon strikes as possible, but that was not the problem, many of them were unarmed. The undead had strength in numbers. The others protected their side. They became an impenetrable circle.
"What be's da plan?" Red asked as he found himself pressed into the wall.
"Die?" Oggy replied, putting his hands against Urganox's back to allow him room to breathe.
Every direction Lot looked, he saw green and brown discolored skin. They had become trapped in a sea of the dead.
This is it, Lot thought. Surely it will not end like this.
Before the Saviors and Red knew what was happening, Locmire appeared and cast a clear orb around them and raised his staff above his head. It became smoldering hot inside the protective orb. The Wizard's body convulsed, and a bright red light grew from within his chest. A loud humming sound resonated from within him. He brought his staff forward and a monumental wave of fire consumed the undead horde. The smell of charred flesh clashed with that of rot. When the smoke cleared not a single Brazurkin or Bear Man stood.
"What happened?" Oggy asked as he tried to wiggle himself free from between Urganox and Lot.
"It's over," Lot said as he surveyed the scene. "They plague us no more."
Urganox fell to his knees, panting. "If not for Locmire, I am sure we would not be having this conversation," Urganox said, putting his hands atop his head and leaning backward. "Thank you, Wizard."
He received no reply.
"Somebody need ta get over here and help!" Red called out, kneeling on the ground next to a motionless Locmire.
"What happened?" Lot asked as he came to offer aide.
"Me don't be knowin dat. Juss found him lyin here on da ground," Red answered.
"Is he alive?" Oggy asked
"He be's breathin, barely," Red said.
"Will he not wake?" Urganox asked.
Red shook Locmire several times and called out his name. He did not respond.
"Take his hood off so he can draw wind," Lot said.
Red pulled back Locmire's hood. The Wizard went pale, color racing away from him. He shook like an earthquake, and his body became stiff as a board.
"He does not look good," Urganox said. "We need to get him out of here."
"Agreed," Lot said. "But where shall we go?"
"Just south from here stands an old stone structure. It should not be occupied. It would serve as a good place to rest for a while," Urganox said.
"Can you carry him?" Lot asked.
Urganox replied, "Yes. Just give me a moment to catch my breath."
Once Urganox had rested, they prepared to depart.
"Found it!" Oggy cried, pulling his war hammer from a pile of ashes.
"Are we ready?" Urganox asked.
"I believe so," Oggy replied.
Urganox bent to pick up the Wizard, but Red called out to him.
"Wait," Red said.
"What is it?" Urganox asked.
"Me got's ta see sumpin," Red replied.
The Pirate knelt down beside of Locmire once more. His hands made their way to Locmire's goggles.
"What do you think you are doing?" Lot asked.
"Me got's ta see what be's under deez goggles," Red answered. Me hopes it ain't sumpin dat me don't want ta be seein.
"You can't do that," Oggy interjected.
"Why?" Red asked. "Ain't da lot of ya interested ta see what be's under thar? How do ya reckon he sees through dat thar hood and goggles? Me gots ta know."
No one answered.
Red, taking his time, peeled back Locmire's goggles. The group's mouths gaped open and their eyes grew large.
"Well, blow me down," Red said in a whisper.