AA3 19 - Thralls (Patreon)

AN - This section is a lot more horror themed than the majority of what I write. I've touch on darker themes a few times, but just wanted to forewarn you all. I hope you still enjoy it all!

Things moved quickly in the wake of Ciaran’s words, and in no time at all, Verdan found himself perched at the lip of the depression once more as Ciaran, Jarn, and Kai walked out into the open with their weapons at the ready.

The trio made for an odd sight, that was for sure. Both Jarn and Ciaran were tall and powerfully built, with thick corded muscles. Kai, on the other hand, was barely average height and had a slender but toned physique.

“Attention, whoever lives within this cave. I am a Chosen of the Macstan Clan, here following the trail of survivors from a village that was raided nearby. Make yourselves known, and if you are friend or foe!” Ciaran bellowed out his challenge, his voice echoing from the exposed rock as the three men positioned themselves opposite the cave.

“Begone, dog of the Clans. You have no authority here and trespass on my land,” a rumbling and guttural voice called out from the cave. “I will not ask twice.”

Verdan found himself tensing as he heard the voice, realising a moment later it was because the hidden speaker had equalled Ciaran’s volume but without the strained note of someone shouting.

That could mean several things, but they essentially boiled down to whether whatever was in there was using magic to make itself heard or if it was simply that big.

Kai subtly shifted his weight, the ambient Aether around him shifting as the Sorcerer called on his Essence, but neither of the Chosen seemed to have drawn the same conclusion.

“Identify yourself, deal with us in good faith, and we will respect your territory. We wish only to know for certain that no villagers are kept captive here!” Ciaran called back, his axe still hanging loosely in one hand.

“You are fools,” the hidden creature responded with a wet laugh that echoed out from the cave. “You don’t deserve my name, and there are no villagers here, only my pets and the raw materials I need to make more. Now, begone, seek your righteous cause elsewhere.”

Ciaran straightened, his chin lifting as he stared down into the darkness of the cave. “We shall not leave until you show yourself. We have followed those tracks here, and you have given me no reason to believe you.”

“I blame the arrogance of humans for the bad aftertaste your kind have. Die quietly and leave me to my work,” the voice rumbled menacingly before fading altogether, replaced by the sound of movement echoing out from the cave.

Kai and the two Chosen moved into ready stances as a surging mass of creatures streamed forth from the darkness of the cave and raced toward them.

“What abominable madness is this?” Verdan muttered as he took in the writhing horde that emerged.

Long limbs of knotted flesh and patchy fur scrabbled for purchase as the creatures broke into a charge, howling in pain as they reached out, desperate to share their agony.

“Govannon, witness us!” Ciaran’s voice rang out like a clarion call, cutting through the wailing of the creatures for a single moment before the first of them arrived.

The closest creature surged at the Chosen, its jaws distending and unfolding into a nightmarish visage before snapping at Ciaran.

Verdan’s estimation of Ciaran went up slightly as the big man didn’t flinch, instead calmly cleaving the creature in half with a single swing of his axe. 

Jarn and Kai had likewise engaged the mass of creatures, Jarn smashing his first target back into the oncoming attackers while Kai slit open the throat of his target with a precise strike.

The three fighters were steadily retreating as they fought, doing their best not to be outflanked and overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

“Thearns, to the Chosen!” Padraig roared as he led the charge out of the tree line, the rest of the Kranjir forming up behind him into a flying wedge.

The original plan had called for Padraig to wait a bit longer to best catch the enemy in the flank, but Verdan approved of his initiative.

The trackers had given a rough headcount of a few dozen at most, but there were already at least forty creatures attacking them, and more were still emerging.

“Thanr bel,” Verdan called out as he stepped out from the trees, pointing his staff down at a knot of the malformed attackers as he released a tight bead of fire. “Dirk, target the creatures at the edge but be careful with your aim. Hedda, watch for any spellcasters.”

Verdan’s spell landed amongst the creatures, exploding outwards and searing all those around it while disrupting them.

“Yes, Master. Aer.” Dirk’s voice held only a slight tremble as he cast the spell. The resulting slash of air flew out toward a flanking creature with a mix of scales and fur, knocking it from its feet with a spray of blood.

Verdan was sorely tempted to finish the creature but forced himself to focus on the battle as a whole, trusting in Barb to keep Dirk safe.

Kai and the two Chosen had killed over a dozen of their attackers by this point, and a good portion of the remainder had wheeled to counter-charge Padraig’s group.

“Drea sia,” Verdan reached out with his magic and shifted the earth beneath the group that had split off, sending them all off balance.

The Kranjir slammed into the disordered group with an audible thud, barely slowing as they cut through them and carried on into the flank of the main group.

With the arrival of their reinforcements, the distraction team turned to focus on the attack.

A spiny creature with four arms was bodily lifted off the ground and sent flying by a powerful strike from Jarn. Kai used his wind manipulation to keep the rest off-balance, and Ciaran left butchered corpses in his wake.

A bare dozen of the creatures remained now, but they were just as desperate to attack as at the start. With little coordination and their numerical advantage squandered, the final few creatures were methodically taken down.

As the final enemy fell with an arrow in its back from one of the trackers, a tense silence stretched over them all. No further attackers had emerged, but neither had the hidden speaker shown themselves.

“Form up, bind your wounds and prepare to clear the cave,” Ciaran called out as he flicked the blood from his axe.

“I’ve seen no spellcasters, but I can sense something about that cave,” Hedda said abruptly, looking over to Verdan with a worried expression.

Focusing on his Aether senses, Verdan studied the battlefield carefully. The first thing he noticed was the Aether within the weapons the Chosen were wielding. Those etchings had been inert when Verdan last looked, which implied the Chosen had some way to activate them.

While that was interesting, Verdan soon put it aside as he felt a chill settle in his gut. He could see now what Hedda had been feeling.

They were surrounded by Malfease.

Abyssal energy was seeping slowly out of the fallen creatures and flowing back into the cave in a steady stream. Thankfully, not all of the energy was being gathered, but whatever was in that cave was regaining strength.

“Ciaran, time is against us,” Verdan called out as he hurried forward. “We have to go in now. Whatever made those things is reclaiming its magic.” 

The Kranjir were already preparing themselves to enter the cave, but at Verdan’s warning, Ciaran told the few warriors who were injured to finish binding their wounds while the rest of them went first.

“Can you do something about this darkness?” Ciaran asked as they approached the entrance.

“Grym disir,” Verdan called out, holding his staff aloft as the tip burst into warm radiance. 

“Thank you,” Ciaran said, stepping into the mouth of the cave, Jarn following close behind him. 

The cave snaked deeper into the hill, descending further down into darkness, but with Verdan’s spell, it was easy enough to see.

“Form up, eyes open,” Ciaran called out as he warily advanced down the slope deeper into whatever this place was.

The passage they were in opened up into a large subterranean cavern with scattered pillars of rock supporting the roof. Verdan’s light pierced into this new area, but between the pillars, the stalactites and the uneven terrain, they could see little.

Verdan channelled fresh Aether into his spell to give them more vision, causing an angry rumble to come from the darkness. “You insult me, kill my pets, and now desecrate my home with this magical light.” The Malfease flowing into the darkness accelerated as a malignant presence built in the distance. “I shall take my pleasure in your pain.”

Ciaran had stopped when the voice began speaking, and he opened his mouth to respond when a chorus of screams and shouts of horror came from up ahead.

“Forward!” Ciaran scrambled down the last part of the incline and hurried forward as the rest of them followed suit.

One of the screams grew abruptly louder as a figure sailed out of the darkness before cutting off abruptly as they slammed into a rock pillar with a horrible wet thud.

The body of a young woman slid down to fall just a few feet from Kai, who met Verdan’s eyes with an expression of pure rage.

“Disir bel,” Verdan lifted his spear as he conjured multiple balls of light, firing them ahead of their group. Each ball stuck to whatever it struck, giving a bit more illumination and showing what they were working with.

A gigantic humanoid figure of uneven proportions was standing next to a log wall, holding a struggling man in one hand. The creature snarled wetly at the presence of the light and whipped around to throw the man it held at Verdan.

“Aer liff,” Verdan cried out, pushing a chunk of Aether into a new spell, forming a net of air to catch and slow the human projectile.

“By Govannon, it’s a Gormagyr,” one of the nearby Kranjir cried out in horror.

“Steel yourselves. It will have more Thralls!” Ciaran shouted, slowing his headlong charge enough that he didn’t leave the rest of them behind.

The Gormagyr stepped closer to them, letting the light play across its malformed physique. The creature was almost fifteen feet tall and looked like some foul mockery of a giant. 

Malfease gathered around the creature as it gestured towards them, unleashing a powerful wave of corruption.

“Grym ast!” Verdan poured his Aether into a protective shield that covered them all, but even so, the twisted giant’s attack felt like someone had taken a hammer to Verdan’s skull.

“Impressive,” the Gormagyr rumbled, its tongue slipping from a too-wide mouth to lick its lips. “I shall enjoy taking you apart. Come to me, my pets. It is time to feast!”

Discordant howls broke out around them as more of the disturbing creatures they’d previously fought revealed themselves.

They were surrounded.