Steelforged Legacy 4 - Chapter 11

Okay peeps, this chapter and the next are the last of the pre-release ones for Steelforged Legacy 4: Warrior's Grit. I hope you liked the start of this leg of their adventure and the new friends they made. More mischief for the spirit beasts and answers about the visions to come.

Normally, I'd run the pre-release chapters a bit longer, but we needed to get everything wrapped up for the releases December, I figure you'll forgive me for cutting this and the next a few chapters short to get more than just 6 chapters of MGIS 7.

These chapters will come down on 10/20 and we will start on Lost Bloodline 5!

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Chapter 11

It actually took the Roaring Mountain three hours to find the mass of Fomori that the scout had warned them about.

The two hours would have been accurate if the Fomori had continued into the Windsong Valley without opposition, but more than a few of the wild spirit beasts that roamed the land had stood in opposition to the Fomori forces, tying them up long enough in skirmishes to slow them down.

That price did not come cheaply, as there were a few grisly trophies being carried by the larger of the Fomori that further sealed the fate of the oncoming forces, as well as guaranteed that the monarch who oversaw this area—the Steel Eagle monarch—would likely already be aware and moving to intercept the Fomori itself.

As planned, Casey, Magnus, Vibeke, and Einar were offloaded along with a force of around sixty of the junior and middle-rank drengr a few miles away from the enemy force, which was currently flowing through a small collection of tall rocks that was slowing them down.

As soon as they were offloaded, the qi-ship launched once more, racing to get into position for the second part of the offensive while the group rallied together and began pushing to confront and arrest the front lines of the Fomori forces. Their group was the largest, intended to act as the anvil that would smash the advancing forces to a stop, while the spear was made up of the fast-moving skirmish cavalry that would stab into the enemy lines from another angle before Runa and her elite dropped in from above to crush them.

Magnus seemed to be possessed by the same savage excitement that had been gripping Casey since they’d heard about what was going on. The elk pranced back and forth, tossing his head and snorting in excitement.

Why are we moving so slow? Magnus demanded as their group trotted towards the enemy lines.

Despite the miles distance, they could see the swirling mass of twisted creatures hopping, waddling, trotting, and in some cases rolling towards them. It made for a disturbing appearance of gross flesh that reminded Casey of an unsettling and organic sea that was trying to engulf and devour the land itself.

“We can’t charge them alone, Magnus,” Casey warned his companion, giving him a squeeze with his knees to reassure the large animal. This was his first time fully fighting from Magnus’ back, but he trusted the Gladewalker not to drop him.

We can’t wait much longer, Magnus insisted, the vines in his antlers writhing visibly as the elk shook his head. Something tells me we need to hurry. Like a rope in my chest tugging me forward. I want to stamp out those filthy creatures, to purge their poison from the flesh of Earth Mother so she may heal.

Casey grimaced, but couldn’t argue with the spirit beast. He had the same kind of thrumming sensation in his chest that demanded he confront the Fomori. He remembered the same disgust he’d felt at seeing them before, the same desire to wipe them out and see them purged from the land, and it was even stronger now.

Glancing to his right, he spotted Einar bouncing along on the back of a massive bear behind its much smaller partner. The big man was grinning as he did his best to keep his balance without grabbing hold of the smaller woman in front of him or falling on one of the many sharp spines that emerged from the hide of what Casey had learned was called a ‘Thistle Bear.’

A glance to his left showed him that Vibeke was balancing far more easily on the back of an Shatterhoof Elk, though she was visibly shivering as the chill that surrounded the creature penetrated her clothes while she worked to keep her spear steady.

Casey remembered their orders, they were to hopefully meet the Fomori on the edge of the rocky area, using that space to pin them and expose a large portion of their flank to the skirmishers. But as he watched, the Fomori seemed to be slowing down ahead of them, their advancing line folding in on itself as they swirled around a large rock formation.

“Looks like they might have found a spirit beast burrow!” called the leader of their assault group, a senior drengr that only introduced himself as Alef. “Let’s make them regret looking away!”

The answering roar from the drengr was almost drowned out by the suddenly increasing speed of the mixed cavalry.

Six more Thistle Bears surged forward, their loping strides devouring the grassy earth as they formed into a broad wedge with Einar on the far left side. To either side of the wedge of ‘heavy cavalry’ was arrayed the Shatterhoof’s, a total of twenty-two of the majestic animals with Magnus to make twenty-three of the horned creatures. On the outside of those raced the Tinderfoxes, Gale Cats, Flame Puma, and other skirmish-oriented spirit beasts. All of the riders bore either long swords, spears, pole-weapons or bows if they had them, while those aboard the Thistle Bears bore large shields.

The trotting approach picked up speed like the revving of a massive engine, ratcheting ever higher until a veritable avalanche of charging spirit beasts and their riders roared across the open ground.

Ahead of them, Casey spotted the Fomori who had been previously so focused on whatever they’d discovered amongst the rocks begin to look around. Several started pointing and looked to be screeching, but he couldn’t hear them over the charge of the drengr.

Many of the Fomori scrambled about then, turning to face the oncoming charge of the Roaring Mountain. Crude weapons fashioned of bloody bones, gnawed wood, and broken stone were readied to receive the charge. Squat creatures with too many legs braced weapons with too many heads, while spindly-limb creatures cavorted amongst the forest of impromptu pikes like little monkeys at play, flailing over long tongues that ended in chitinous blades.

Larger Fomori loomed over the others, these wielding weapons of better construction, but foul nature. Weapons and claws alike dripped with noxious liquids, staining both themselves and the environment by simply existing. One creature, towering like a giant over the others, bellowed with three mouths—one in each shoulder and one in its head—while waving the shattered corpse of what looked like an auroch over its head like a blackjack.

“Now!” roared Alef over the din as they closed within a hundred feet of the enemy.

And in that moment, Casey understood why the Roaring Mountain was feared by so many.

Bellowing in rage, the Thistle Bears launched qi projections in the shape of their spear-like thorns in a hail directly in front of them, shredding the front row of the Fomori and leaving a wide gap for them to barrel into. On either side, the Shatterhoof Elk bugled defiantly as great blades of ice formed and launched from the tips of their antlers. Spears, javelins, and arrows flew from the riders as the last few feet closed between them.

The Fomori countered with projectiles of their own: dripping bone javelins, boulders, and stone throwing axes. He saw the giant hefting up a massive boulder that was easily the size of a pickup truck, the creature's three eyes fixed on the Thistle Bears as they slammed into the enemy line.

Beneath him, Casey felt Magnus tense and then the whole world was engulfed in green grass.

A heartbeat later, Casey was amongst the Fomori as Magnus emerged from a low bush that stood between the legs of the three-mouthed giant mid-leap. The giant’s roar of challenge turned to a bellow of pain and fear as Magnus’ briar-encrusted antlers ripped across its inner thighs and sent blood spraying.

Now, Casey! Hamstrings and the back of its knees! Maude barked, and he acted on his partner’s orders without hesitation even as his mind whirled though what had just happened.

Maude’s sword form clove through the nearest knee of the giant even as Magnus ripped his antlers free in another spray of black blood. The creature’s leg parted like snow before hot iron even as Magnus whirled to lash out with his back hooves. A crunch of breaking bone told Casey that the giant’s other leg was neutralized even as Magnus ducked back towards the bush.

Another swirl of green grass and leaves, and Casey was back in their place in the line in time to slam the metal-edge of his shield down onto the bald head of a squat, almost goblinish, Fomori that was preparing to drive a spear into the side of the Shatterhoof that carried Vibeke.

The creature’s head broke with a sickening crunch even as Vibeke whirled to deal with the creature. She caught Casey’s eyes and nodded to him as they pushed forward.

For the next several moments, Casey’s world was a whirling maelstrom of flashing steel, screaming monsters, and flying blood. He felt something hit him in the shoulder, but the qi-reinforcement in his garments kept him from being injured. But it did remind him to flare qi into his Skin of the Iron Bear technique to protect the rest of his body. Which was fortunate as he felt something clamp down on his right wrist a moment later.

Turning that way, he found one of the smaller Fomori, a gross parody of a flying squirrel but with tiny arms and legs like a human, gnawing on his sword-arm. The technique protected his limb, but the creature weighed him down enough to throw off his swings.

Snarling, Casey smashed his arm against the front of his shield, stunning the creature and allowing him to shake it off, where it was trampled into the ground almost negligently by Magnus as the elk stomped forward, thrashing with his blood-soaked antlers while bugling his fury to match the other spirit beasts.

“Dismount and expand the line!” Alef’s voice cut through the din, and Casey heard a happy cheer from Einar on his right as the big man leaped from the back of his Thistle Bear.

Einar slammed feet first into a Fomori that had the head of a pig on the sallow and flabby body of a man, bearing the creature squealing to the ground under his weight. The creature's squeal of surprise was silenced with a single blow of the heavy war-hammer that Einar carried, but the big man gave it two more blows to ensure it stayed down before stomping forward.

On his left, Vibeke dismounted nimbly, taking her place between her former mount and Magnus, spear whirling and slashing as she battled her way into the Fomori ranks.

All around the forces of the Roaring Mountain, qi snapped and rippled. Techniques sang out in flashing blades of energy, rippling thrums of near silent power, and thunderous blows as the drengr let loose their fury in the wake of their partner’s attacks.

Casey saw one of the Thistle Bear riders kick off her partner’s back and a ghostly image of one of those thick spines formed under her feet to carry her upwards before bringing her down like a meteor on the enemy her companion was currently fencing with.

A slim young man with hair like snow stood on his Shatterhoof’s saddle, a massive longbow in his hands and firing yard-long arrows made of shimmering ice.

A wrinkled older woman who looked like she should be tucked up by a fire telling stories to her grandchildren wove a deft pattern with a pair of bearded axes while her Tinderfox partner bellowed flames at her opponents to put them off balance.

All around him, Casey saw spirit beast and drengr working in concert to dismantle their opponents and protect each other as if the two shared the same mind, and it made him proud to see them working so flawlessly together.

Not all were successful though.

Casey also saw when one of the larger Fomori turned away from a fight and snatched a drengr off her mount. The woman gave a scream of surprise that turned into one of fury as the creature bit down on her sword arm. She hammered her shield into its eyes furiously even as her Gale Cat whirled and threw itself at the creature. The three of them vanished a moment later in the swirling maelstrom of battle.

Focus on your fight, Maude chastised him, having followed Casey’s wandering eyes. You can’t help them, but you can protect those at your side.

Casey nodded without speaking, throwing his leg over one side and coming down on Einar’s side of Magnus even as the Gladewalker Elk lunged forward. In one smooth motion, the Gladewalker hooked two squealing Fomori up in his antlers. The creatures were thrown up and into the air before landing with bone-breaking force.

What was that thing Magnus did earlier? Casey asked Maude, thrusting forward with his shield to intercept a chopping blow from one of the smaller Fomori to cover Einar’s side.

Casey, they are called Gladewalker’s for a reason, Maude replied in exasperation. Magnus’ kind can pass through growing things, like trees or bushes, as if they were gateways. How do you think he kept sneaking up on you?

“Huh,” Casey grunted, flicking his shield out to bat the stone weapon away before thrusting forward, burying Maude up to the hilt in the Fomori’s flabby throat before kicking the monster off his weapon.

Another challenging roar and the sound of techniques impacting told Casey the second force had arrived, even as more squealing and screaming came from off to the left. While their charge had stalled out and was now more of a slog, he knew that the flanking force would be tearing into the Fomori’s ranks to inflict as much damage as possible.

Time passed in that heart-stopping maelstrom of melee as they fought. Casey and Einar worked side by side, and Vibeke came around Magnus’ flank to take up a spot between them, plying her spear from behind the defenses of the twin shields with devastating effect as they moved forward.

Despite the fact that Einar and Vibeke were both not nearly as far along the Drengr’s Road as Casey or the others from the Roaring Mountain, the two fought persistently and covered each other well. Magnus and Casey did what they could to protect their weaker friends, all while qi swirled through the air around them both spent on techniques and battle-won rewards surging into their cores.

Several of the far-larger Fomori, one on par with the massive forest troll he’d seen before and the others not much smaller, surged through their fellows, pushing towards the front line and Casey knew they would need to deal with them.

Magnus stomped forward and vanished in a swirl of greenery, the grass underfoot literally surging upwards and enveloping him in a cocoon before shrinking back to normal size once more. Half a second later, another of the larger Fomori screamed in surprise, going up on tip-toes before falling forward and crushing several of its smaller kin before Magnus reappeared beside him in a storm of leaves.

Brother! Come quickly! Magnus demanded, blood dripping from his antlers and staining his green-brown fur. The elk didn’t pause, whirling to plant both rear hooves into the chest of a gangling Fomori that looked like someone had grafted two gorillas together at the shoulder, sending the creature crashing to the ground with a caved-in chest.

Casey didn’t question the animal even as more crashes of techniques going off hit deeper in the ranks and he saw the shadow of Runa’s qi-ship slip overhead to deposit their elite fighters amongst the most powerful of the Fomori in the warband.

“Magnus needs me, protect each other!” Casey barked at Vibeke and Einar, getting twin nods from the two as they shifted their formation to step in closer to the flank of the Thistle Bear that still fought on Einar’s right.

Quickly! We don’t have much time! Magnus barked in his mind, the normally jovial and childish animal voice the animal used instead filled with worry.

Kicking off the ground, Casey landed in Magnus’ saddle awkwardly but the elk shifted underneath him to help steady his seat. A moment later, the grass engulfed them once more.

Casey had a heartbeat worth of time to regard his surroundings and feel the blood and sweat running equally down his face before they emerged once more, this time in a burst of pine needles from a small tree that stood between two large stones.

He could see the fallen giant, its back a map of torn flesh from Magnus’ antlers. That told him they were maybe a hundred feet from the battle line, but he immediately saw what it was that had Magnus so frantic.

A low cave, barely two feet wide and three tall, sat at the base of a large stone outcropping. From the tracks leading into and out of it, this was the den that had distracted the Fomori on their approach, and it still distracted several of the larger ones.

Three Fomori dug and scratched at the earth, slinging large handfuls of the dry soil away from the entrance as they tried to widen the entrance enough that they could reach whatever lay beyond, snarling at each other from misshapen maws.

Two of the creatures lacked heads, instead their torso split open vertically with a massive maw full of teeth like broken glass while they used large, fin-like hands to dig. The third was larger than the others and looked like a stooped man but with two heads rather than one, both sporting extra eyes and seemingly sharing a mouth that spat and hissed at the other two.

“Dig dig, extract the morsel!” snarled the two-headed creature, kicking one of the others to encourage it.

Magnus didn’t wait any longer to let Casey take in the situation. The Gladewalker gave a bellow of challenge and lunged forward at the larger of the three, raking its back with his antlers and sending black blood flying into the air.

Casey felt that same surge of savage rage in him that he always felt with Fomori, but doubled again this time. He repeated his earlier dismount, this time more gracefully, and landed on Magnus’ right even as the two-headed creature spun towards them.

He saw the creature’s odd double-mouth spreading wide and revealing a tongue studded with spines as it began to speak, but Casey bellowed defiantly back at it, qi empowering him as Bellow’s Roar ripped out of Casey’s lungs.

“BEGONE FILTH! CORRUPT THIS LAND NO LONGER!”

The wall of sound slammed physically into the Fomori and sent the creature reeling. Blood spurted from its misshapen ears and its eyes crossed as the sonic assault stunned it just long enough for Casey to rake Maude’s blade across its twinned throats.

Lurching forward, the creature tried to bury Casey with its bulk, but Magnus was there, hooking the creature with his antlers and slinging it to one side with a furious grunt of his own. The two torso-mouthed Fomori also lurched in surprise as the sound hit them and fragments of rock splintered.

Neither of them noticed the way that Casey’s commanding bellow made the Fomori stumble in a ring around them, they were entirely focused on the threat in front of them. They both remembered the last time they found a predator digging at a burrow like this, and neither would risk the chance of children being hurt, regardless of if they were people or spirit beasts.

“Split them!” Casey barked the order to Magnus and the elk huffed in agreement before they both lunged.

Casey went right and Magnus left as the two diggers began to turn towards the center. Maude let out a roar of her own fury to match both of them as Casey reached his opponent first and her tip dug deep into the creature's side, punching through to emerge in a bloody mist before Casey twisted the blade and yanked it out the creature’s side.

The beast’s torso-mouth split open, the maw yawning wide enough to engulf Casey entirely as it roared in pain. Rather than recoil, Casey jammed the flat of his shield into the gaping maw, breaking off several teeth before the mouth slammed shut on the iron-banded wood and yanked it out of his hand. The shield gave an ominous creak before exploding in a cloud of splinters as the Fomori’s powerful maw finally overpowered the reinforcements on the plain wooden shield.

Spars of wood pierced its mouth and blood flew when the creature squealed in pain a moment later, a sound that cut off abruptly as Casey jammed Maude into its gut and opened the creature’s pouchy abdomen to spill its guts into the soil.

A flick of his arm brought another of Casey’s shields out and he whirled to help Magnus, but the elk was already shaking the dead creature off of his antlers, having done a far more brutal job of disemboweling his opponent than Casey.

Stay where it is safe! Magnus barked mentally and Casey blinked in surprise as the elk whirled to confront another Fomori that peeled off from the surrounding pack, angling towards them with wild eyes the size of softballs set into a head the size of a watermelon on a bony body.

Casey was about to turn to help Magnus when a sudden movement at the mouth of the burrow caught his attention. He spun, thinking that maybe a smaller Fomori had snuck into the burrow and was coming out now, only to be greeted by a set of tanned feet and legs slipping into view before a large iron-banded shield made of a dark gray wood that shimmered like metal, the wood transitioning straight into the solid iron boss at the center.

Before he could speak or react, the bearer of the shield pushed forward and emerged from the narrow den in a flash of hair the color of forge-hot metal.

Once clear of the stone overhang, the woman—because that was the only thing Casey could think when he saw her—stood tall. And she was tall, looming almost a foot over Casey in height as she took in the remains of the battle even as she hefted a gnarled club of ancient, bloody wood onto her shoulder.

Casey felt his heart skip a beat in his chest as he took her in. He knew this woman, seen her in his dreams ever since the time within the Womb of the Earth. But more than that, he could feel her, feel a connection that pulled him towards her and recognized it as something forged of his own qi.

She was different from the image he’d seen though. Injuries marred her body, blood leaking from several cuts in her arms and across her body, while her simple brown leather clothing was in tatters and looked about ready to tear apart beneath her full form as she straightened up.

The woman locked eyes with him as her second set of arms unfolded from where they’d been wrapped around her waist, the rightmost going up to join the first on the haft of her weapon while the left tucked a strand of fiery hair out of her eyes.

Eyes the color of blood, of rubies.

And of cherries.