Introduction
Welcome back to Maledicturs Terra. This is a Chain Story between myself and @lex-zaiya, meaning that we each write the parts alternatively.
If you have not read Maledictus Terra Book 1: Mortis Custos yet, it starts HERE at Part 1 and ends at Part 101 HERE. At the end of the Part 101 post you will find links to all 101 Parts!
Maledictus Terra Book 2: Sanguifex started HERE with Part 1 and ends at Part 111 HERE
The previous part by @lex-zaiya can be found here
Part 106
Tibero's life flashed before his eyes. This was it. This is what he got for meddling in the affairs of time-travelling wizards who thwarted and made deals with Gods. He had been out of his depth... why had he come here to die?
The life that flashed before him brought him visions of his late wife and his sons. Their weddings to their own wives. What sort of life would they be living if he did not do something to make the realm a better place.
The stone and blood creature bore down on him, though it did not register pain, it was drooling as its jaws snapped at his staff in its mouth.
Suddenly, the weight was gone. The snapping jaws were gone and Tiberos could stand. He took his chance at life and rolled over and came up off the ground as quickly as he could. This action was one that he had not done since he was a boy when other boys used to bully him.
To lay down while getting a beating was to invite more kicking.
He did not have time to think. The Orc warrior was slashing at two of the beasts to his left. There was a tumble to fur and snapping jaws to his right. Another beast was lunging for his chest.
He flicked his staff upwards at the beast. He meant to spear it, but the hasty magic brought a blunt pillar of earth out of the floor. It struck the beast in the chest and sent it careening down the hill.
He had space and a moment to consider the tumble to two creatures to his right. Finally, the less stony of the two was on top, its jaw clamped around the invader's neck. It was Marrok! The Prince's warg!
With a deliberate crunch, the warg closed its jaws firmly and crushed the thing's neck and it went still.
This put more of a pause in the steps of the remaining creatures than the magic and weapons that had been used against them. Besides the two Gorma were battling, there were only four left.
Gorma span, axe alive in her hands as she deflected a lunge from one beast and dodged the other. They had been at it for a few seconds but it was an eternity of exchanges in the heat of battle.
But it meant that neither of the beasts had managed to get her, and she knew their attacks and patterns.
The one stone hound lunged again for her, hoping to make her lose balance while the other went for her neck. She changed tactics, ducking her armoured shoulder in underneath the lunging predator and rammed it with all her might.
There was a snap as something broke in the creature. Immediately, the other creatures' follow-up attack was met by Gorma's axe. It had not expected her to be ready. She was meant to be distracted. Her axe came down on the creature's skull. It was dead before it hit the ground.
She followed up on the other stunned creature.
Tiberos had time to ready his magics. The Warg stood guard before him and the remaining creatures were not keen to take it on alone. The four seemed intent on surrounding Marrok and attacking from all sides.
Their slow advance made it easy for Tiberos to cast his spell. The ground underneath all four creatures became liquid as though turned to mud, but only for a few seconds. They sank in heavily to their chests and the stone began to harden again.
Marrok lunged forward and ripped out the throat of the nearest creature. Similarly, Gorma dispatched the stunned beast she had struck with her shoulder.
Tiberos took a deep breath, looking behind him at the top of the cave and around the wider area. No more enemies or signs of creatures or magic. Good.
He realized that Marrok had finished off two more of the creatures. "Marrok! Wait!"
The warg paused before the last creature, its jaws wide. It pulled back as Tiberos jogged closer.
"This warg is mighty! I have not seen one this young battle so fiercely!" Gorma yelled proudly. "Why not let it have its prize?"
"Study." Tiberos said firmly. "Leave one alive for Adrian and Adiran to assess." He used his magic to bring the earth up over the creature's back and covered it until only its head remained exposed.
Marrok sat back on its haunches, its tongue lolling out as it drew rapid breaths. It was as though the warg was laughing and taunting this stone hound.
The stone hound had a mean look on its face but it looked neither afraid not enraged. "I think... I might have read about these before..." Tiberos thought and strode to his pack at the cave entrance. He began rummaging around to look for a book.
Gorma rolled her eyes and began wandering the hillside and dragged the bodies of these creatures together so they could be studied. They appeared to be large dogs, not wolves. But the way that stone and crystals came out of their skins... this was a Mage's doing.
She knew the mark of magical corruption without needing a book to tell her. There was an evil mind at work here. The little old mage was rifling through the pages of an old tome. She guess she would wait for him to give her an idea.
She stared down the hill. There was a flit of darkness, she thought that it might be the shape of a man. She was not so foolish as to set off after it. She would defend this hillside and cave. That was all.
Over to you Lex!
Thank you for reading!
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Vetitum Nemus
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