T Lain - The Sundered Arms

With a mighty heave, Tordek raised his axe and brought it down with all his mass and strength. The blade separated the second attacker’s head from its shoulders and showered Vadania with blood.

Tordek heard furious splashing behind him. He tried to turn in time to face the foe he had eluded moments earlier, but he was too late to raise his guard against the fangs and claws. Tordek heard the snap of a bowstring and felt a quick breeze upon his cheek just before the rushing troglodyte barreled into him, then they fell together into the muck. Tordek thrust an elbow into his foe’s head, but the enemy was already limp in death. As he shoved the dead trog’s body aside, he saw another of Devis’ black-fletched bolts that had pierced the monster’s cheek and penetrated into its brain.

Tordek rose to his feet, looking around to appraise the course of battle. Vadania and Lidda had their backs together, and two more trogs lay dead at their feet. Gulo had made short work of all four of his attackers and galumphed back to bolster his two-legged allies. Behind the dire wolverine, a second, longer line of troglodytes approached warily, the frills on their heads fanned out in threatening displays. Having witnessed their clutch-mates’ fate, they were less inclined toward a reckless charge.

Tordek grunted his approval at the tide of combat. He felt that his companions and he had little more to fear before they could begin withdrawing from the territorial troglodytes.

The stink hit him like a stone.

For an instant, Tordek was sure he would vomit uncontrollably. Tears streamed down his cheeks and into his beard as the noxious vapor stung his eyes, yet his dwarven fortitude withstood the full power of the toxic stench.

Devis and Lidda were not so fortunate. The bard doubled over and spewed out his own nasty contribution to the already filthy mire. Lidda managed to keep her insides on the inside, but she staggered back from the approaching trogs as if tipsy. Both looked wan and feeble, like ghosts in the gray swamp mist.

“To me!” cried Tordek. He stood as tall as possible upon a miserable, damp clod and raised his axe and shield to draw the enemy’s attention.

Lidda bounded through the swamp as fast as her little legs could carry her, mostly avoiding the muck and puddles that impeded her. Devis hesitated, seeming to consider casting a spell before thinking better of it and running toward Tordek.

Vadania was already by his side, scimitar in hand. Gulo crouched nearby, his dark lowering indicating that the beast was ready to deal more slaughter.

Rather than charge, the troglodytes crouched down among the grass and reeds. Those with javelins and shields began beating them together in unison.

“What are they doing?” asked Lidda, still gagging from the disgusting trog musk. She grabbed Devis’ arm for support, but he too was so weak that she nearly pulled him down off their little island before they steadied each other.

“They expected easier prey,” said Vadania. “They hope to frighten us away.” She turned to Tordek for agreement.

He nodded slowly, wondering whether the druid was sure of her assessment. “It’s time to get out of here.”

“Won’t they just begin tracking the villagers?” said Lidda.

Tordek sighed. Lidda’s concern for the villagers was admirable, and he too hated to think that their rescue might be for nothing, but saving them was not part of the mission at hand. He took a deep breath and prepared to explain exactly that when Vadania pointed beyond the trog position.

“Look,” she said.

Tordek could see little more than the blurred outlines of the nearest trees, dark green in the fog. Some of them were slender and lonely, while others clustered in twisted columns.

One of the thickest columns lumbered toward them.

The thing was well over twice Tordek’s height and built massively. When it moved, waves rippled out in all directions through the watery ground, and Tordek thought of the giant footprint he had seen earlier.

The enormous monster grasped one of the lone trees. With a terrible sound of tortured wood and deep suction, it rent the tree from its roots and hefted it like a club.

Devis uttered a long and artful dwarven curse that impressed even Tordek. He concluded in the common tongue, “What in the nine hells is that?”

“Maybe a hill giant,” said Tordek, hopefully. He longed to test his skills against one of the gigantic foes of his people, and he prayed fervently that he could defeat one such creature with a little help from his allies. He feared this was not his time for that battle—not when the thing had so many of its allies nearby. As the monster lumbered toward them, Tordek saw that it did not have the roughly humanoid head and shoulders of a giant. Instead, its reptilian skull hung low from its hunched shoulders, and what looked like three separate pairs of yellow eyes pierced the gloom like lanterns.

Gulo lowered his head and whined like a frightened dog.

Vadania looked at Gulo with an expression of astonished disappointment. Tordek guessed that she had never seen the great animal so cowed with fright.

“I’m with the big fellow,” said Devis. Beside him, Lidda nodded emphatically and pointed at herself before jerking a thumb over her shoulder in the universal sign for, Let’s get out of here.

Tordek felt the earth trembling. The monster’s steps came ever closer, gradually picking up speed. He saw the thing’s gray jaws clearly for the first time. They seemed as vast as a portcullis gate, with sharp teeth as hard and sharp as iron spikes. He hated to flee a fight, and yet…

“Damn it,” Tordek rumbled. “Run!”

The trogs hooted in triumph as they saw their foes scatter. Another flight of javelins fell to the ground all around, but neither Tordek nor the others turned to see where they struck.

Tordek and Lidda soon lagged behind their longer-legged companions. With every six of his own labored steps, Tordek felt the impact of another of the gargantuan beast’s long strides shudder up through the ground. He heard the thing’s breathing, deep as a forge bellows. He wanted to call out for help, but his pride forbade it.

“Hey, it’s catching up!” Lidda screamed to Devis and Vadania. Apparently, she was unhindered by Tordek’s qualms. “Do something!”

There was no time to hope for help, thought Tordek. He slowed his pace, preparing to turn and swing his axe around to fight the beast. He would not prevail, he knew, but he might delay the thing just long enough to give the others time to escape. Maybe the bard would make a song of him, maybe not.

When Tordek felt the splashes from the monster’s footfalls wet his back, he planted his feet and turned to face the foe.

“Tordek, don’t!” shouted Vadania.

Her warning came too late.

The beast’s roar was like an avalanche in his ears, its breath a noisome gale. Tordek swung his blade in a low arc, hoping to wound the beast so suddenly that it would stumble, giving the others a few more seconds’ lead. Instead, his axe swept through the empty space where the monster’s legs had been the instant before it hopped back from the dwarf, howling.

The beast dropped its giant club and clutched at dozens of tiny wounds in its feet, where sharp, woody spikes jutted from its thick hide. None of them was wicked enough to maim the creature, but collectively they gave it a fearsome pain. The monster bellowed and rubbed at the gigantic thorns.

Briefly, Tordek wondered how he had avoided treading on the spikes, but in an instant he realized their source and knew they had not been there when he passed. Vadania summoned them from the roots of the swamp growth to slow the brute.

Rather than take advantage of her spell, Tordek had turned to stand there like a half-wit.