Heart of Dorkness

Scourge Twenty-Four - Penta

I think it takes all of three seconds for things to go from pretty good to really not so great.

The priest that Esteban was fighting and that Felix is now beating back half-turns to his friends. “I could use some help here!” he shouts. He flings his hand forward at the same time, creating a watery whip that Felix meets with a gust of giddy wind that bursts it apart long before it hits.

“Then don’t run ahead on your own, you fool,” the priest further back says. He’s the necromancer, and that big thing next to him has to be some sort of awful creation. I pause for just a moment and create a bigger, stronger spear of darkness next to me.

With a grunt and a huge punch, I fling the spear out towards the necromancer. It’s not the fastest projectile, but I can direct it a little mid flight, and it is really big and pointy.

The abomination steps to the side and squats down just a bit.

I wince as the dark spear rams him in the chest. That’s it for him.

At least, that’s what I think for the next couple of seconds. The abomination reaches to the spear, grabs it around the middle, then casually tugs it out of his chest.

The projectile’s already losing its form, breaking apart on account of being so far away from me. He crushes it one-handed.

“I’m going to presume that the imposingly large undead creature being so casually unaffected by your spell isn’t good news,” Bianca says.

“It’s not the best news, no,” I reply.

The field quiets down for a moment. The water mage skips back and away from Felix who lets him back off. Esteban shifts until he’s standing more upright to our side, and I can feel Bianca’s magic tensing around her.

It’s only the zombies that don’t seem to catch the memo. Too dumb to clue into the fact that we’re about start a proper stare-off.

“Hey!” I call out. “Who are you two?”

The necromancer scoffs. “I won’t waste time speaking to those who will soon be serving our lord.”

I narrow my eyes. “Come on, Abel,” I say. “Don’t be a jerk. Besides, I don’t think you’ll win this one.” A glance back at the carriages reveals that while a few zombies remain, their numbers are dwindling fast. The odds were very much on the necromancer’s side, but only numerically. The Big Hill Lions are each significantly stronger than a few zombies, and with teamwork and the carts to serve as high ground, it’s unlikely they’ll lose now.

“The girl’s right,” the other priest says. “We’re losing this one. Your little zombies are meant to round up civilians and maybe overwhelm a few town guards. This is too much for them.”

“They’re useful,” Abel snaps. “This is just not the optimal use for them. We need more too.”

The other priest shakes his head. “Call a loss a loss. Our lord knows well how to handle that kind of fear. Besides, I don’t want to die here and leave my corpse to your tender mercies.”

“Coward,” Abel says. His buddy just laughs off the insult though. “Fine, I’ve been saving these as a last resort anyway.” He snaps his fingers and five more zombies clamber out of the ditch behind him. Two are carrying backpacks that look like they’re loaded with stuff. The other three start shambling our way. “Sacrifice Twenty-Seven, kill them all.”

The big guy doesn’t make a sound to acknowledge the order, he just starts walking towards us, the zombies around him quickly catching up.

And then the priests turn, grab the bags off the zombies left near them, and start jogging off.

“Wait, are they really just going to leave?” Felix asks.

“I.. .guess so?” I said.

“We’re not going to let them, right?” Felix asks.

“Of course not!” I say. “Bianca, Esteban, deal with the small fry. Felix, knees and shoulders!”

“I don’t take orders from you,” Esteban starts, but he’s been kind of flailing around uselessly for a while, so I safely ignore him. Bianca at least is quick to listen. She cups her hands before her and scowls before a gush of flames washes over the nearest zombie.

Felix lunges ahead and stabs one of the faster zombies in the throat before retreating so fast that none of the gunk pouring out of the undead hits her.

I create a second dark shield and flick it forwards to catch the abomination in the chest. It barely slows him down, but at least I’m able to tell how much pressure I can put on him. Maybe I can pin him down so that Esme can mess him up?

I glance past the abomination and curse in mom’s name as I see the two priests just casually jumping off the road and running through the grass.

We’re not going to be able to catch them if they make it into the woods.

“We need to finish these off fa--” I start.

There’s a sound, a deep, impossibly loud noise that reaches into my soul and grips my heart.

It’s a noise that’s caused by sheer, impossible anger, anger directed at the entire world, the kind of sound that most only hear in their nightmares.

A honk.

The trees along the edge of the forest crash apart some fifty metres ahead of the two priests and they come to a staggered stop. There’s another honk, and then another, and even the zombies are turning towards the honks.

On the edge of the forest is a monster. Taller than a horse, with five heads that are shifting around like curious snakes, the monster surveys the scene with cruel, beady eyes.

One of its heads points to the sky and it honks once more, a huge gush of angry flames rushing out above it.

[Flaming Pentagoose - That Which the Goddess Shouldn’t Have Created]

Terror Five Headed Hydra

Monster Raging Honker

“Oh, that is not good,” I say.

“Val, what is that?” Felix asks.

“That’s a goose hydra,” I say.

Two of the goose hydra’s heads reach back. When they return they’re each holding long rusty claymores.

“An armed goose hydra,” I correct myself.

“It’s only a terror,” Esteban says. “But rank isn’t the measure of a man, and nor is it the measure of a challenge.” He turns back to the caravan. “We’re moving on!” he shouts.

The Big Hill Lions all seem very eager to get out of the vicinity, especially as the pentagoose honks again and spreads its wings to charge after the priests.

One of them, the one with the water magic and the sword, tries to fight back. He jumps away from one snapping head, slices a cut into another, and screams as a third bites into his torso and lifts him off the ground.

He screams more while whacking the head with his sword, but those screams are drowned out as the pentagoose lets out twin honks and cooks the priest alive.

The abomination on the road ahead of us turns and jumps over the ditch, rushing towards his master.

“Move! Move!” Teo screams from atop the lead cart.

The last of the zombies are dispatched with some speed. No one has time to waste with them, and they’re just a pest at this point.

My friends and I rush back to the carts. Esme helps us up, and we fall down atop each other in our haste to get moving. The drivers aren’t waiting. Nervous donkeys are being told to move, and after hearing the many honks of the pentagoose they don’t need to be told twice.

The caravan reforms while on the move, some carts rushing past others that get into line behind them.

Somehow, no one’s left behind, though our ride is a lot bumpier than usual, with zombie bodies creating impromptu speed bumps below.

I sit up and glance back. The pentagoose is fighting with the abomination. The undead has one of its heads pinned down, but that just leaves four more to attack it with swords and flame breath and nasty pecks.

“That thing is awful,” Esme says. “I didn’t think a honk could be scary before.”

“You didn’t hear it hissing,” I say. “It’s a lot worse.”

“You’ve seen one before?” Felix asks.

“Mom’s very proud of them,” I say. “She made them as a warning to some god that was getting too big for his britches. A flock of them left their mark on his temple from above. It left an impression, I guess.”

“Scary,” Felix says. She’s still smiling though.

Soon I am too, and then the giggles come on.

“You girls think that was funny?” someone shouts from behind.

That only makes it harder not to laugh.

Still, I think we’re going to have a lot of things to work through.

***