The Labyrinth, page 23
part #2 of The Gods' Game Series
The forest goblins were dressed in hide armour and equipped with skinning knives, scimitars, spears or longbows. In a straight-up battle such as the one they were heading into, they were grossly outmatched by the heavily armoured paladins facing them. The horde’s shrieks faltered briefly when they spotted the dressed lines of mounted cavalry awaiting them. It was not the bevy of fleeing rangers they expected.
But their flicker of surprise only stilled them momentarily. In moments their war cries regained its previous crescendo and they flooded down the gorge in a seemingly unstoppable tide. All goblins are more than a little blood-crazed, thought Deegan disparagingly. At the slightest provocation the average goblin would joyously join battle, overcome by battle lust. This bunch seemed especially foolish, engaging veteran paladins in dressed and waiting lines with nary a care. But it served the brotherhood’s purpose admirably.
As the goblin horde neared, the paladins dropped their visors, lowered their lances and began a disciplined canter forward. Their charge gathered momentum and golden auras flickered into being as the riders activated their divine shields. In a few steps their canter turned into a full gallop and the gorge was filled with the thundering hooves of one of the realms’ most feared cavalries.
An instant before the two lines closed, each paladin released a starburst, the divines’ signature offensive magical attack. From each horseman, a burst of holy flames roared into the woefully unprepared horde, searing limbs and armour alike.
The defenceless goblins’ battle cries turned to yelps of agony as the starbursts burned through their ranks, melting through bone, flesh and armour with equal disdain. In the face of the divine wrath, the horde fell back. The goblins’ woes were not over however. The starburst attack was only the precursor. Remorseless, the Iyran paladins followed through with a devastating charge, cleaving through the hapless goblins.
The goblins that remained standing sought to retaliate, thrusting their knives and spears at the shielded paladins and mounts. Their blows however were too weak and clanged uselessly against the riders’ divine shields.
In a single charge the paladins had all but decimated the goblin horde of over three hundred. Not done yet, the paladins dropped their lances and drew swords and shields to hack down the survivors.
The slaughter left a bitter taste in Deegan’s mouth. He turned away from the futile loss of life for which he bore responsibility and instead watched the battle at the eastern end of the gorge where another three squads of paladins were engaged with the ogre band and mud golems. Here the forest denizens fared much better. The ogres’ thick hides and the golems’ mud armour provided some protection against the paladins’ starbursts.
The creatures were engaged in melee combat with the paladins, who had been forced to abandon their mounts. On foot the paladins were a much less fearsome prospect. The nine-foot ogres towered over the puny humans as they brought their stone clubs crashing down on the divine shields. Most held, but here and there in the paladin line, a shield flickered out after sustaining catastrophic damage. However, the paladins in the second line were quick to pull out their endangered companions and take their place.
Meanwhile both the ogres and golems felt the repeated bite of ranged starburst attacks and blades wreathed in holy fire. While toughened skin and mud armour resisted some of the magical damage, it could not stop it in its entirety. Gradually the damage from the attacks accumulated and the forest behemoths began to fall.
The paladins were winning handily. It was only a matter of time before the ogres and golems turned and fled. Where was Mirien? If she did not arrive soon, all of this would have been for naught.
It was time to cut their losses and retreat, thought Deegan. If he waited any longer, the brotherhood party would also feel the bite of the paladins’ swords. He opened his mouth to call out the retreat when Mirien shadow stepped into existence besides him. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright. It had been a taxing few hours, playing a dangerous game of tag with the two manticores. Breathlessly, she asked, “Miss me?”
Deegan, ignoring her banter and trying to hide his relief at her appearance, growled, “Where? Where are they?”
Mirien arched her brow in response, not fooled by Deegan’s gruff demeanour. She knew him too well. Silently, she glanced upwards.
Following her gaze, Deegan smiled.
✽✽✽
The battle was progressing well and would soon be over. If this was an ambush, thought Sara, it was poorly conceived. The scouts had uncovered nothing on the southern slope of the gorge and had started their examination of the northern one. Sara was almost of mind to call them back; the battle was nearly over and any attacks from there would surely have happened already. But that was the commander’s prerogative and she had promised herself that she would not interfere unnecessarily. She glanced to the paladin at her side, “Sergeant, what do you make—”
She paused. Divine sense made her look up. Her mind froze at the sight that greeted her. Puzzled by her sudden silence, the sergeant followed her gaze. His eyes widened fearfully and he thrust Sara forcefully aside only a moment before the diving manticores crashed into the company’s centre.
✽✽✽
For hours the two manticores had tracked the wisp of an elven girl that had dared attack their clutch. The clutch had survived the attack unscathed but manticores were territorial, vindictive beasts and the two had unrelentingly pursued the offender to this gorge. Only to find yet more interlopers in their territory. This could not be allowed to pass unanswered.
Unerringly, the two predators identified the biggest threat amongst the groundlings—the ones who stank of the divine, and as one, they dived from a thousand feet up, to wipe out the trespassers.
✽✽✽
A female manticore's sky dive has hit 17 paladins (chance to resist: 5%, radius: 10m, total damage dealt: 15,200 damage), 14 paladins killed.
A male manticore's sky dive has hit 19 paladins (chance to resist: 5%, radius: 10m, total damage dealt: 18,153 damage), 16 paladins killed.
In a fury of earth, rock and sound, the meteors that were the two manticores crashed headlong into the paladin company, each encased in a rock bubble—an earth magic shield that enclosed the winged predators within an impenetrable rock, deployed for the express purpose of shielding them from the force of their own dives.
Flung away from the epicentre of the attack by the sergeant, Sara survived—barely. The reserve force was not so lucky. Caught unawares, without their divine shields, they were annihilated almost to a man and in the sprinkling of an instant the company was down one-third of its strength.
In the centre of the devastation the manticores’ rock bubbles popped open and the two let out primal roars, asserting their dominance. All over the battlefield, motion stopped and shocked stares turned to the two furious monsters hovering over the company’s destroyed centre.
A moment later, goblins, golems and ogres dropped weapons and shamelessly fled. Stunned paladins, momentarily unhinged, let them go. Commander Ruben was the first to recover. Shaking off his shock, he shouted out orders, urgently trying to re-establish order amongst his shattered forces. If they were to survive the next few minutes, his men needed to pull together and fast.
On hands and knees, battered, bruised, bleeding and half-dazed, Sara scrambled desperately backwards and stared in wordless horror at the two monsters looming above her. The manticores were an unholy blend of cat, wyvern and scorpion. Their lower halves and heads resembled a lion, but no normal one. No normal lion grew to ten metres in length. Each had four massive paws, a red-maned head and glowing green eyes. Their rears curved downwards into coiled scorpion stingers that dripped with venom. From either side of their torsos, leathery wings snapped out in fury and their entire bodies were covered in red scales. Altogether the manticores were the most menacing sight Sara had yet encountered in Myelad.
Creature: Manticore
Type: Beast
Rarity: Epic
Level: 77 (Adept).
Health: 2050 / 2050
Attack: 80-120 (crushing, piercing)
Defences (Physical/ Psi/ Spell): 107 / 89 / 70
Special Effects:
Holy resistance: +95% resistance to divine damage.
Unholy resistance: +95% resistance to demonic damage.
Scale armoured: +80% resistance to physical damage.
Sky dive: A dive from altitude dealing earth damage to those caught within its radius.
Rock bubble: An ability that gives the manticore immunity from all damage for a brief period.
Manticore’s Sting: Paralysing melee attack with the manticore’s stinger.
Fear aura: Passive aura around the manticore that terrifies its opponents.
Mauling attack: Physical attack that inflicts wounds and crushing damage.
Description:
Amongst the largest of Myelad’s flying creatures, manticores are rivalled only by dragons, phoenixes and gryphons for mastery of the sky. Indigenous forest creatures, they are fiercely territorial and solitary, pairing with other manticores only for the purpose of mating and raising their young.
The two beasts stalked in languid circles around their kills and stared menacingly at the hastily redressed lines of paladins, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation. The smaller manticore—the female—flicked a derisive glance at Sara’s retreating form but otherwise took no action.
Sara continued her backwards crawl until she reached the cautiously approaching paladin lines. Safely behind it, her panic subsided. She regained her feet, dusted off her hands, and cast a divine shield over herself. The manticores watched this with the supreme disinterest of apex predators.
The commander hurried over to Sara, his own divine shield securely in place. With his attention fixed firmly on the manticores, he asked, “Milady, are you all right?”
“Yes,” she answered shakily. “I’ve no more than a few cuts and bruises. But if not for Sergeant Nolan…” Sara shuddered. She had no desire to dwell on her brush with death and quickly redirected the conversation, demanding, “What do we do? Why are they not attacking?”
“They are stalking the herd—us, milady. Waiting for us to break and flee. Then they will pounce.”
“What are we waiting for, then? Let us attack and kill those wretched things!” A hint of shrillness had crept into Sara’s voice. She hated it. Hated feeling this fear. And she wanted it to stop and to kill the ugly monsters responsible. She wanted to feel safe again. And she wanted it now.
Commander Ruben shook his head. “It is not that simple, milady. Those are manticores, which are highly resistant to divine magic. Our spells can do little more than annoy them and our weapons will have a hard time piercing their scaled armoured hides. They on the other hand will have no trouble piercing our shields and striking at us with claws, bite and venom. No, I fear this is not a foe we are equipped to fight.”
Sara’s voice rose an octave higher. “Cowardice, commander? I did not expect it from you! Do not tell me you are advising we run?” she asked fiercely.
Impassive despite the insult, the commander said evenly, “No, milady, that way lies death too. The moment we flee, they will pursue and pick us off one by one. No, we fight. To the death and pray to the divine mother for a miracle.”
Sara deflated, the commander’s calm steadying her. She bit her lip. She might just have such a miracle, but Iyra had admonished her to use it in only the direst of circumstances. Did this qualify? Her fear screamed, yes! But no, it was her ace, not to be frivolously played. Surely the commander was mistaken, surely two manticores, no matter how fearsome, could not defeat seventy paladins and one champion?
The commander interrupted her internal debate. “The manticores grow restless, milady. I suspect they will attack soon. What are your orders, champion?”
He had deliberately used her title, whether as a plea for a miracle from her, Iyra’s chosen, or as mild rebuke for her dithering, she did not know. She looked around at the paladins and with a start, realised no few had their eyes on her. Almost, she imagined she could see the desperation in their eyes. Many looked nearly overcome with fear, realising, no doubt, as the commander had, the futility of their position.
Feeling the weight of those eyes and the responsibility they imparted, she silenced her misgivings and said, “Attack, commander.”
Commander Ruben nodded sharply and gestured to his two lieutenants. Instantly the paladins unleashed a barrage of starbursts at the manticores. Sara was momentarily blinded by the dazzling light show and when her sight cleared, she saw with a sinking heart that it had been woefully ineffective. The two manticores, unscathed and still standing, roared out their contempt of the humans’ puny attack.
40 starbursts have hit a male manticore for 102 divine damage (1901 resisted). Remaining: 1948/2050 HP.
30 starbursts have hit a female manticore for 76 divine damage (1420 resisted). Remaining: 1974/2050 HP.
Worriedly, Sara inspected her battle log. The commander was right, the starbursts that had been so devastatingly effective against the goblins barely scratched the manticores. The two leapt into the air, ignoring the continued bombardment of ineffectual starbursts and with powerful thrusts of their great wings, spiralled upwards, gaining altitude.
Sara’s burgeoning hope that the manticores retreated were dashed when the commander shouted, “Disperse! They are about to dive again. Go! Go go go!”
Two troopers grabbed Sara by the arms and raced her to the dubious safety of the forest foliage. Watching the terrified groundlings scatter, the manticores roared in victory and plummeted downwards, flinging about the paladins with the force of their strikes.
With two earthshattering quakes the manticores ploughed into their victims. Thanks to the commander’s quick thinking, their dive claimed far fewer victims.
A female manticore's sky dive has hit 8 paladins (chance to resist: 5%, radius: 10m, total damage dealt: 6,013 damage), 2 paladins killed, 4 wounded.
A male manticore's sky dive has hit 6 paladins (chance to resist: 5%, radius: 10m, total damage dealt: 5,109 damage), 3 paladins killed, 3 wounded.
The female manticore leapt into the air again while the larger male set into the injured paladins. With his claws he slashed at the dazed soldiers, their divine shields already shattered or critically damaged from the sky dive. With his massive wings he buffeted them, causing those fleeing to stumble and fall within his reach. To the rear, his manticore’s sting struck out and unerringly found targets, paralysing them instantly. With catlike quickness the beast surged across the field picking off the paladins one by one while up above the female circled, watchful for any threats to her mate.
A male manticore's fear aura (radius: 77m, chance to resist: 65%, duration: 5 minutes) has terrified 15 paladins, 41 resisted.
A male manticore’s mauling attacks have killed 6 paladins.
A manticore’s sting has paralysed 4 paladins.
In despair, Sara surveyed the battle. All was nearly lost. In not much longer, the paladins as a fighting force would be destroyed, and her mission left in shambles. She could not fail. Out of options, she scrambled at the ties of her surcoat, and removed the divine sigil The First had gifted her from his own hand. It contained a master-level spell, one of the most powerful in Myelad and with Iyra’s help, she would have enough essence—barely—to use it.
Name: Sigil of summoning (Giyra).
Type: Enchantment.
Special Properties: Summons an aspect of the demigod Giyra.
Requirements: Divine magic.
Enchantment strength: 83.
Charges: Single-use item, item consumed on use (not charged currently).
Cost: 2560 Essence.
Description: Infused in this sigil is the spell design for a summoning spell. As a single-use enchantment this item has minimal prerequisites but requires 4 x the normal essence energy to cast and must be charged on use.
A master-level sigil such as this one could only be crafted by a champion who was both a grandmaster of enchanting and divine spellcasting. Only one such existed in Iyra’s imperium—The First. To enchant the sigil had taken weeks of his time—weeks in which The First spent every waking moment channelling and weaving essence into it. Such a sigil was valuable indeed, its use authorised in only the direst of circumstances.
Turning to the two paladin troopers, she commanded, “Shield me. Make sure nothing disturbs me, our lives depend on it.” At their stoic nods of affirmation, she turned her focus inwards and began the summoning.
✽✽✽
In appalled wonder, the brotherhood watched the havoc created by the manticores. Never had they witnessed such destruction before. Not even Deegan, who had orchestrated no few ambushes in his lifetime, had ever seen its like. The destructive might of the manticores was awe-inspiring and left them all breathless. Victory was in their grasp and with nary a shot fired by a brotherhood soldier.
The paladin scouts had long since turned back to assist their fellows, leaving the brotherhood to safely spectate the destruction of Iyra’s forces but their sense of triumph was short-lived. Mirien sensed a sudden surge of magical energy from where the champion had disappeared into the underbrush on the opposite side of the ridge. A portal to the ether was opening. Deegan growled softly. He sensed it as well. The champion had begun a summoning and there was nothing they could do to stop it. The portal was a powerful one too, far more powerful than the champion—only an apprentice—should rightfully be able to open. She looked a question at Deegan. “Do we retreat?”
“No,” he growled back. “We see this through.”
Mirien turned her attention back to the portal—manticores forgotten. What was the champion calling? Whatever it is, it does not bode well, thought Mirien uneasily.
