Chapter 004:

Anton awoke properly for the first time, with small streams of light warming his face. His mana had returned completely during the night yet his muscles still ached with a dull throb after yesterday’s exertion. He knew this would be a good chance to test out the prayer power. It had worked rather unexpectedly the previous time, though he felt through his body that it wouldn’t work that easy again. Tethra, the chained priestess god, must have like him allot. The other gods have so far let him discover everything for himself.

He had slept in his old shirt and pants, both more comfortable than anything in the village. Several of the women, led by Sybil, had found it when he was unconscious and found it quite the conversation topic. It continued to fuel speculation and gossip that Anton was some sort of royal magician, as they were the only ones who could possibly afford something so fine.

He got out of the fur bed, the creaks reminding of the other night. Reflecting back on it they, whomever they were, could have dived in and tried to fight and kill him. He wasn't particularly confident in fighting someone armed with a knife, so it could have worked. Instead, they fled at the first sign of trouble. He couldn’t make anything else out of it so he had no choice but to try and remain vigilant.

Okay, Let’s try something ‘prayer-ee’

The mana flowed to his hands, pooling like the first time, but it wouldn’t flow forth back into his body, no matter what mental image of a prayer he had. It worked when he mumbled a vague and half-hearted prayer to Tethra.

“Um…Tethra, God of Prayer. I ask you to heal my wounds?”

Mana surged out his body, entering somewhere. It returned different, somehow foreign. The dull ache of worked muscles disappeared as the new mana surged back in.

He had lost nearly a quarter his mana but he was now fully healed. The muscles on his arms and legs had lost their ache as well as every other ache and pain throughout his body. Anton tensed his arms and legs, he was sure that they felt stronger. Anton inspected the rest of his body; he was of originally a slim and fit build and now his muscles were more defined and slightly larger.

Hmm. Guess it must heal the fibres of the muscle. Bodybuilders would kill for something like this.

The prayer power was both incredibly powerful and demanding, something that he would need to take into account. Perhaps it could regrow wounds or even limbs. The possibilities provided he had enough mana, could be limitless.

Anton quickly dressed in the villager shirt and pants but kept his old shoes. Most of the villagers were wearing wraps of cloth or leather for protection or just went barefoot. Anton wanted the soldiers to, at least, not be going bare-foot for today’s excursion.

After putting his shoes on he left the Main Hall.

Outside, work had begun. The construction group could be seen working in the distance, only a few layers of damaged houses remained untouched. Planks of re-usable wood were already being stored in the main plaza, the tables and chairs already back to their homes. Children darted throughout the plaza following whoever needed help, while the elderly did their best to try and organise what they had.

Anton spotted Zac in the centre of the plaza.

“Good morning Zac,” Anton said as he approached just after a group departs.

The bear man turned and waved.

“Morning Anton. Everything’s going well, now that we’re working together. The first row of houses are nearly down and we’ve got enough wood to start building the wall. What’s this nonsense about needing stone?”

“I don’t know how strong the wooden wall will be. Also, stone won’t rot and overall is stronger…and can’t be set on fire. We’ll use the stone as the wall and the wood for shelters and ramps and stuff.

Zac seemed to understand what Anton wanted of the wall and nodded appreciatively.

“Well, we’ll keep working while you’re out there fighting…and hopefully not dying.”

Zac let out a hearty laugh. Anton replied with a bitter smile. After all, he had no intention of dying or getting others killed.

Behind one of the large buildings that formed the plaza Anton saw a face peering around. Left Jeff was staring at him. Anton had felt uncomfortable the moment he met him but this was starting to get more serious. Anton stared directly at Left Jeff, who panicked and shuffled away from his sight.

The night’s distractions immediately flashed into his mind. However, this felt hostile, unlike the night before. Right now though, he had to keep an eye on Left Jeff.

“I don’t like that one.”

Zac had been looking as well. He sighed.

“He’s always been a queer one. Never liked the way he looks at people, seems like they’re beneath him or something. Plays the part, but you can see he hates it. Don’t know what that’s called but he’s definitely it.”

“Yes…Keep an eye on him and everyone that’s part of his ‘group’.”

“Good idea. I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you, Zac. Have you seen the good Jeff?”

Zac laughed even louder.

“Yeah, he’s getting the people over the west side of the village. Hope your plan works.”

Anton nodded and headed west.

---[]----

During the short trip through Atros, he was sure that he was being followed again. They weren’t very good but they were determined. They, whoever they were, were content with just keeping an eye on him. Several times Anton tried to lure the stalker by stopping and doubling back, but to no avail.

Anton found Right Jeff right near the western edge of the village. He had gathered around 60 strong looking men and women, armed with thick clothing and the best farming equipment they could find. A small sea of pitchforks and large hammers greeted him. Most smiled and cheered as they saw Anton.

Right Jeff turned and saw Anton. His arms were no longer exposed, wearing a thick brown cotton shirt with patches of a leather substance covering his forearms, shoulders and chest. He actually looked like a proper soldier.

“Mornin’. We’re ready to go here.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect everyone to be up so early.”

“Everyone here was so excited they barely slept.”

Anton was impressed.

“Well, no point waiting around here. Do you know the way?”

“Yep. My father made me memorise the way.”

“Right, well. Let’s get on with it then.”

The armed villagers let out a cheer, pointing their weapons into the air.

As they left, Anton saw a man and woman pair watching them. He recognised them, they were part of Left Jeff’s group. They muttered a few things to each other before returning to the heart of the village. Anton hoped that things wouldn't be too bad when he returned.

---[]----

Amsore Quarry was only an hour’s brisk walk from the village.

It wasn’t like a quarry Anton expected. It wasn't an open pit or carved into the side of a hill as he knew back on Earth. It was a quite large open and flat grassland, probably a square kilometre, with granite-like outcroppings jutting out of the ground. Surrounding the camp were patches of trees and shrubs. They looked similar to those on Earth but were clearly different. Anton and the soldiers stopped and made a rudimentary camp on a small hill overlooking the quarry around 100 meters away. There were dense trees and shrubs on the overlooking hill, obscuring them from sight. A small clearing had been set-up where most of the villagers were resting, waiting for the battle to commence. Anton and a few other villagers took up scouting positions near the edge of the forest.

Scattered near the centre of the quarry were numerous ramshackle wooden and leather huts. From their hiding spot, they could see the Rock-Rats, the upright bipedal rat creatures were swarming from hut to hut.

“They’re quite ugly.”

One of the women soldiers had approached Anton, who was peering out from the side of a particularly large tree. Anton nodded.

“They are. Though they don’t look that strong.”

“Yeah, good kick’ll kill ‘em.”

Right Jeff had approached without a sound before putting his arm around the woman and pulling her in for a kiss. It was short but obviously not an unwanted kiss.

“Ah, this is my partner, Sam. She’s a good girl.”

Sam smiled and bowed slightly. She wasn’t the most attractive woman he had seen but she wasn’t bad; tall and strong looking with obvious scars from fighting. Her brown hair was kept short, like most of the women he had met. Combined with her brown eyes made her look quite docile, though Anton could see that clearly wasn’t the case. He wondered who courted who.

“Nice to meet you, Sam. What do you know about these things?”

Sam and Right Jeff shrugged.

“Just that you can kill them with a good kick,” Sam said.

Anton nodded and returned his attention the quarry.

He quickly tried to count how many there were but it was a near impossible task. They were quite active, moving from hut to hut while some carrying small bags and spears.

“Christ, there must be hundreds of them”

Right Jeff cocked his head.

Ah, I did it again.

“Though they do look quite panicky,” Sam added.

Anton looked more closely, thankful that he had been saved. All the Rock-rats were emerging from the tents carrying stone spears.

“Ah, do they know we’re here?” asked Right Jeff.

They continued to watch for a few moments, hoping to not have to flee so soon. The Rock-rats gathered on the northern side of their encampment. They were trying to form some sort of defensive line.

Anton’s attention was brought towards the north. A swarm of yellow was just entering the quarry.

“Goblins…That explains why they’re so worried.”

Anton gestured for the others to look. The villagers quickly scrambled to their feet, taking positions along the tree line.

The Yellow Goblins were close enough to get a vague count, almost 500 of them. Around the same number of the Rock-rats assembling. This would be a close fight.

Why are the Yellow Goblins moving in now? Atros. Perhaps they want to get another direction to attack from. If that’s the case they are far more intelligent than anyone gives them credit. Perhaps collectively.

The two forces assembled opposite each other, each of the monsters snarling and hissing at the opposing side. A few seconds, a Rock-rat threw a small wooden spear, striking a Yellow Goblin in the chest. It didn’t even twitch before falling forward, the wooden spear digging into the ground, pivoting the goblin before crashing onto its side.

The other Yellow Goblins stared in disbelief. Their heads snapped back up towards the Rock-rats. One of the larger and ornate goblins stepped forward, raising its weapon before letting out a terrifying screech. The other Yellow goblins reciprocated the howl and charged.

Within seconds the two breeds of monster cut and tore at each other.

“Excellent,” Anton said, with a smirk on his mouth.

Some of the villagers looked on with shock.

“How?”

“They’re doing most of the work for us.”

The villagers didn’t look particularly pleased.

“Would you rather that we fought them both and lost honourably or fight the survivors and live?”

The villagers didn’t refute his words, they just didn’t feel good about being a ‘coward’.

“A few people keep watch on the battle below. Tell us if something changes, we don’t want one of them charging in this direction. Everybody else, get some rest.”

---[]----

Anton chose a place near the edge of the clearing to try and get a nap as best they could. The others were trying their best to sleep but it was hard to with the sounds of battle below.

It continued for a few minutes before dying off, rising a few seconds later. Anton rose, brushing the grass and dirt off him before getting to his feet.

Behind him the shrubs rustled. It felt the same as when he was in Atros. None of the other villagers appeared to have heard it. Anton told the nearby villagers that he’s going to have a look on the other side of the hill. They nodded and asked him to be careful.

He walked in the direction of the rustling. It retreated as he advanced, but kept the same distance.

I really don’t want to be stuck here all day. I hope they saw me training the other day.

Anton formed three lightning balls in front of him, tethering them.

“If you’re there, you’ve seen what these can do. In a moment I’m going to push these over to you and detonate them. I’ll give you to the count of three to come out….one….”

“Stop!”

It was a deep yet feminine voice. Anton kept the lightning balls active as the rustles got closer.

“Please don’t…do that loud thing please.”

A girl emerged from the shrubbery. She had almost white hair, with silvery streaks running through. It was cut short but very ragged and scruffy, probably done by herself. Her face was sharp with fine features, but it was spoiled slightly by the massive grin she wore the second she arose. There was dirt covering her fair-skinned face, some of it very black. Soot perhaps? The girl was short, probably only coming up to the middle of Anton's chest. She wore the same clothes as the rest of the villagers, loose long-sleeved shirts and pants. Yet they appeared somehow worse and more deteriorated.

But what drew Anton’s attention were her eyes. They were a deep blue, like glaciers. Anton found himself staring into them for what felt an age, both eerie and beautiful. He quickly shook himself back to reality.

“Who are you?”

The silver girl looked nervously behind Anton as she picked leaves out of her hair, apparently hoping the other villagers hadn’t seen her.

You couldn’t be out of your teens. What are you doing here?

“Name’s Verona.”

Verona held out her hand. Apparently shaking hands was a custom here as well.

Anton tentatively reached out and shook her hand. She flushed slightly as they made contact. After they broke she stared at her hand for a moment, perhaps perplexed that a mage would actually talk or acknowledge to a villager.

Verona didn’t say anything but continued to stare, switching from shocked to her ridiculously large grin again.

In a place like this, I hope she’s not a crazy.

Anton hadn’t cancelled the lightning balls. They hovered to the side. Verona kept glancing towards them.

“I take it that you were the one following me?”

Verona flushed vividly, obviously not expecting to have been found out so easily. She dug her feet along the grass and dirt, back and forth, obviously trying to hide her embarrassment.

Anton noticed that they had the same black soot marks as the rest of her body.

“Ummm….”

“You weren’t very good, you know?”

Her smile returned.

“Yeah,” she began scratching the back of her head, “I was trying to figure out what you were.”

Anton didn’t speak, allowing Verona to gather her thoughts. The lightning balls continued to flicker and crackle, making the awkward silence slightly more bearable.

“Well, when all the adults gathered together yesterday, I thought that they, and you, were going to fight those fucking goblins.”

Anton was stunned slightly at hearing her swear with such anger. She even bared her teeth, like she was about to spit at having to mention the goblins. He allowed her anger to subside and continue.

“Then you made them stop, after saying that you were going to fight, so I got confused. When I heard about you doing this I got even more confused. So, I decided to follow you. Didn’t do a good job, huh?”

Verona was still smiling even as Anton began nodding. It would be understandable for confusion, telling them one thing and seemingly do another. He was surprised that more hadn’t tried to stalk him. Perhaps they had, she was just the first one he caught.

She mustn’t have heard what I said to stop them. Still though, what to do now?

Her composer began to break under Anton’s judging gaze. She no longer moved except her eyes, darting between Anton and the three circling lightning balls.

Deciding that she probably wasn’t much of a threat he withdrew his mana from the lightning balls, shrinking quickly before fizzling out of existence.

Verona breathed out in relief, thankful that she was no longer under suspicion. She began to lean down to pick up something in the shrubbery before stopping, her head snapping up at Anton, a tinge of fear in her eyes. She slowly continued.

Anton didn’t react physically as Verona leant and grabbed something. It was a stick, quite a long one, though given Verona’s height it wasn’t saying much. It was roughly cut to a point at one end, probably done by her own hands judging by how impressed she looked at it.

Something clicked in his mind. Truthfully, he felt embarrassed for taking so long. She was here to fight with the others. But she was so young to be fighting, at least in his mind.

“Verona,” her apprehension disappearing as he called her by her name. “I appreciate the sentiment, but this is something that should be left to adults…”

One of her eyes twitched. She stomped her wooden spear into the ground.

“Hmph…I’m 18 winters, I think. Besides I can fight, I know some people my age that are already married.”

People do marry early in these medieval societies. There wouldn't be any people otherwise. It would explain why some very young people looked pregnant and had small children running around.

Neither of them looked as though they wanted to continue the line of conversation so Anton switched to something more proactive.

“Do you know how to use that?” Anton gestured to the wooden spear.

Verona threw the spear into the air before catching it, spinning it around before catching it and pointing it at Anton.

“Get them with the point?” She raised an eyebrow quizzically.

I wonder how long it took for her to get that right.

“Well, that’s true but…”

“Hey!!!”

Sam and Right Jeff emerged, running and smashing through the thickets.

“It’s over, the…” Sam spoke first but stopped when she saw Verona.

“When did you get here?”

“A little bit ago, I’m here to fight,” Verona spoke with enthusiasm, though positioning herself so Anton was in between them took away some credibility.

“Well, whatever,” began Right Jeff, “The battle’s over. You need to come see it.”

Anton nodded. They began to head back to the main camp, Verona sticking close to Anton.

---[]----

Villager soldiers turned to look at Verona when they emerged. Some looked as if they wanted to say something as they walked through, but Verona’s close proximity to Anton kept them at bay.

They took up position at the tree-line.

The battle was well and truly over. The Rock-Rats had won. Yellow and furred bodies littered the grassland, their crimson blood spattered over the rocks. Some were still twitching. A few Rock-Rats moved from body to body, prodding them for any movement. Occasionally they would find one still twitching, raising then driving a stone spear through its skill. It didn’t seem to matter whether or not it was a goblin or a Rock-Rat, all were being killed.

If what the old couple said was true, then they probably find it easier and quicker to replace than to heal them. Brutal and cold, but if they can, effective I suppose.

The other villagers joined them at the tree-line. They seemed similarly sickened by the display in the quarry. Their enemies were monsters, but they must have thought they would have compassion for their own kind. Apparently not.

Far to the north, Anton could make out small yellow specks disappearing into the distance. Some of the Yellow Goblins must have survived. It still didn’t make the situation feel any better.

Anton walked away from the tree line and back to the makeshift camp to address the villagers.

“The battle’s over. Everyone get ready.”

Some villagers grumbled but all did as he said, gathering what weapons they have.

A village of this size should have a blacksmith of some sort. Another thing I have to figure out.

He felt a tug on his sleeve.

Verona looked at him with questioning eyes, almost pleading if she could come and fight. Anton had no intention of getting youngsters killed on his account.

“Verona, please stay here. After this is all over we'll be coming back here and the last thing we'll need is it to be discovered and crawling with monsters. Can you do that?”

“Got it!”

She stomped the blunt end of the spear into the ground, her grin returning.

Anton smiled and checked that the other villagers were getting ready. He hoped that it would be enough to keep her out of harm's way, but he knew that she would follow regardless of what he said. He could see it in her eyes; the fire, energy and hatred for monsters, specifically the Yellow Goblins, was something fierce bubbling underneath her icy eyes. He sighed, praying to the gods that she would actually listen.

---[]---

Something was itching at the back of Anton's mind as they left the safety of the trees. It wasn't the sudden appearance of Verona, nor her probable following of the soldiers. Nor was it about the ramshackle force that he was leading. It was about his own role in the fight to come.

His understanding of magic was shaky at best. He still had no real understanding or practice with fire, which might be useful against furred creatures, and the prayer power was just for healing. The lightning balls were his only real offensive ability so far. There was the 'Thunderous Roar', but that would knock him out and leave everyone in danger.

More annoying was that he had limited understanding of the lightning balls and the tethering, as he called it. He still had no idea what happens if something touched the balls rather than the tether, an oversight that Anton loathed to remember.

The Rock-Rats noticed them almost as they left the tree-line. The few that served as scouts waited a moment, probably hoping that they were going in a different direction, before screeching an alarm. A few hundred quickly gathered, almost like a stream of water weaving between the rock outcroppings. Some were still bloodied and wounded from the battle. Only a few were left to guard the largest of the huts in their camp.

Anton formed the villagers into a line, two villagers deep. This would allow, at least in his mind, the best force they could use given what they had available.

The Rock-Rats formed a line as well, as best they could.

Both sides stood almost 100 meters apart. At this distance there were few large rocks to obscure their vision or for the Rock-Rats to hide around. Anton was glad that at least they would have the terrain on their side, for now at least.

Anton gave a rough signal with his hand to advance. The villagers did so, their steps matched by the Rock-Rats retreat. The villagers had longer strides and quickly closed in.

80 meters.

As they continued to approach the rock outcroppings began to get larger, almost up to hip height. At this distance, Anton could start to make out the differences between the Rock-Rats.

Some were clearly more muscular and furred than the other types who had significantly less hair. Probably male and females were coming out to fight. They must truly be desperate.

60 meters.

Anton could see nipples on the less haired Rock-Rats now. There must be 10 on each one. Truly ferocious breeders.

There was panic in their faces now, as best as Anton could reason. Their faces were slack, teeth no longer bared. Screeches and squawks travelled up and down the line, each looking to their neighbour hoping for an answer, but none came.

40 meters.

The stones were now taller than the villagers and becoming quite dense. Over the retreating line of Rock-Rats they could see their huts and tents. They were simple constructs, with only a few decorations. A few of the rocks were painted with crude memorials of Rock-Rats.

As the villagers continued to advance the Rock-Rat line approached a large outcropping. Many stopped when they backed into it, stunned that they could no longer retreat, clawed hands quickly feeling at the stone.

Anton saw one glance back at the stone, it's face changed. It drew back, no longer slack from surprise and baring its teeth. It let out a grunt, different than any of the others, loud and almost guttural.

Others looked towards this one then back to their encampment. Around 50 meters further back stood their encampment. They repeated the guttural call, travelling down the line, each stopping as it carried on the call.

The Rock-Rats came to a complete halt. Anton motioned for the villagers to move forward, but the Rock-Rats did not budge a step. This was their line and they would hold it or die.

Anton was slightly irritated. His magic, currently, ended if he went further than 30 meters.

The stand-off continued for a few tense moments, each second stretching for what felt like minutes. Anton scoured his villager soldiers for some way to make them charge. Near the back he found it. A bow, or more specifically an armed villager with a bow over his back. He was tall and looked strong enough to use the bow effectively. Anton shuffled through the lines towards him, the hole that he left immediately filled by another villager.

“You.” Anton pointed towards the bow-wielding villager. He obviously did not expect to be addressed by Anton.

“Any good with that bow?”

“I'm alright. I brought it along...”

“Doesn't really matter why, just so long as you use it now. How many arrows have you got?”

“20.”

“Anyone else got a bow or arrows?” Anton asked loudly. No-one else made any movement.

“Right, it's just you then.”

Anton guided the bowman to the front where he stood moments before.

“You think you can hit them from here?”

“Yes.” The Bowman said matter-of-factly.

“We need to break their line and make them charge. Hopefully, this will piss them off enough to do that. Fire as many as you can as well as you can.”

The Bowman nodded, drawing back the bow. Wood creaked and groaned underneath the strain. The bow looked quite old and worn, hopefully it would hold up for today at least.

He fired, the thunk echoing throughout the silent battlefield. The arrow flew, faster than Anton could reliably make out, and struck its target, the Rock-Rat immediately next to the one that stopped the line.

The arrow pierced straight through its eye, driving through its brain and out its skull. Blood, brain and bone fragments splattered over the stone and back onto its neighbours. Without making a sound or whimper, it slowly fell down and slumped on the ground. It began twitching violently on the ground before going into shock, every muscle clenching as hard as it could, twisting its body into strange contortions as it stopped moving. It was dead.

The other Rock-Rats were shocked, their attention on their downed comrade. Some began reaching for their waists and searching the ground.

Must be those javelins or spears that they had. They mustn't have any more. Looks like we're in luck.

10 more arrows flew in quick succession, each finding their mark.

Each dead Rock-Rat angered the group; snarling, biting and gnashing and jumping in frustration. They were riled up. It wouldn't be much before they charged. Their homes were about to be taken and they were being picked apart one at a time. Someone had to charge first.

One did.

It was the less hairy type, probably a female, that charged first. Eyes full of rage, it dropped its crude spear and ran on all fours, screeching as it did so.

Another followed and then another. Within a few seconds, nearly all of the Rock-Rats were charging at the villagers with reckless abandon.

The Rock-Rat that stopped the retreat desperately tried to stop the charge, even going to so far as to grab a hold back those that it could. But it could only stop a few before they were too far away.

The rest quickly covered the ground towards the villagers.

Anton formed as many lightning balls as he could, the size of two clenched hands, and tethered them forming a line of nine each a foot apart.

The Rock-Rats were less than 15 meters away.

Anton pushed on the lightning balls as hard as he could. The lightning ball chain flew straight towards the chests of the charging Rock-Rats. Their minds, filled by rage, didn't or perhaps couldn't process it in time.

The central ball connected with the chest of a Rock-Rat. Anton could feel the physical resistance through his mana. The flow of mana cut abruptly, severed at its end instead of Anton's.

He could feel it change, but it happened in nearly an instant. The lightning ball contracted ever so slightly then exploded, the force ripping its chest apart, the bits flying towards the other charging Rock-Rats. Sparks from the exploded lightning ball frying the hair of the neighbouring Rock-Rats. The lower torso continued to run as if nothing had happened.

Anton felt and saw the lightning ball explode and the mana flow forcibly being cut but he could still feel its mana, ghostly almost. Instead of dissipating, it flowed down the line, either side to the next lightning ball in the chain, mixing and adding to it.

Each lightning ball swelled, now larger and more violent. The Rock-Rats were now less than 12 meters away. The overcharged lightning balls felt uncontrollable to Anton. He wasn't expecting to have to control that much mana, his concentration slipped for a moment. The flow ceased again.

The next set exploded, killing a dozen Rock-Rats. The blast was considerably larger, ripping the Rock-Rats apart. The combined mana flowed onto the next in the row. Again, they grew in size and power.

Each ball exploded, greater in strength and destructive power.

By the time the last two lightning balls remained, both were larger than his first attempt to use magic. Anton couldn't control them for more than an instant. He tried to draw back the mana, but it wasn't enough.

The last two contracted from the size of a basketball to a clenched fist. Anton felt them erupt, as they tore themselves apart in a twin blinding and deafening explosion. Villager and Rock-Rat alike were blown back.

Anton tried to shield himself but to no avail. He was blown back like the others, landing on-top of others. His eyes and ears hurt, stringing and ringing respectively. It took him a moment to get himself back together.

The other villagers were groaning as Anton righted himself. Without standing, to avoid gaining attention, he quickly surveyed the battlefield.

There were two large craters where the Rock-Rats were charging. They were all dead; twitching and smouldering bodies littered their side. The villagers were far better, only a few had been injured by the lightning blasts. Those could easily be healed with a prayer.

“Quickly! Get up!” Anton barked as loud as he could.

One of the first to rise was Right Jeff. He also saw him help Sam and several others who were struggling to stand.

He'll be good to have around later on.

The Rock-Rats were not all dead, almost a hundred were still alive, barely. Most had missing limbs or at the least flesh torn from their bodies.

Anton could see the panic in their eyes.

“Charge!!” Anton’s cry ran down the line.

They broke into a run, farming weapons forming a spear wall.

The Rock-Rats ran away as fast as they could, their shrieks of despair hurting Anton's ears. The stopper Rock-Rat backed further into the stone, unable to comprehend what occurred. Villagers quickly overtook the Rock-Rats, striking them down as they ran with either impalement by pitchfork or crushed under the force of hammers. It made Anton feel a little uneasy about the barbaric way they were being killed but this was a fight for survival. It had to be done.

Something was concerning Anton though. The villagers were becoming lost in the battle frenzy.

Those few that survived the lightning blast and could move were lead by the stopper Rock-Rat, screeching and pointing its diminutive arm towards their camp.

The villagers, lost in the thrill of the fight, continued past where the Rock-Rats halted.

“Stop!!” Anton yelled, but nearly half the villagers didn't listen and continued their charge.

Those that had stopped gathered around Anton, desperate for instructions. Right Jeff moved his way to the front, but Sam was not with him. Anton could see the panic in his face, trying to find her in the charging villagers. They had nearly reached the edge of the Rock-Rat encampment.

Perhaps we went to early. I should have tried to train them first, instead of thinking that they could just handle this...There's nothing else for it. We need to get in there.

“Stay together as we advance. Hopefully, they won't have become separated. We'll join up and finish this thing.”

The villagers did not let out a cry, simply nodding. They hurried to their comrades.

---[]---

It was chaos inside the Rock-Rat encampment. As they entered the encampment, Anton got a proper understanding of its layout. It was a series of randomly distributed huts and tents throughout a large enclosure. In the centre stood the largest hut, easily the size of the main hall in Atros, adorned with bones and crude paint on its leather exterior. The other tents were only a few square meters but were abandoned. The main hut was still being guarded by several Rock-Rats. Anton could only surmise that this was the most important thing for them, and it would be where they fight the hardest.

Luckily the villagers that had charged had formed two groups, each with around 15 people, now back to back and trying to hold the Rock-Rats off. Their battle frenzy having worn off and now quite panicky as they were increasingly surrounded.

Anton was surprised at the number of Rock-Rats. He thought that most had been killed during the charge, yet they outnumbered the villagers. There were the ones that were guarding the huts, ones from the fight that were battered and bruised and far smaller ones. These smaller ones even had less hair and appeared very weak compared to the others.

Children? They must not have anything else left.

Anton's group stayed close together. A Rock-Rat occasionally would charge but be killed with a single strike from a weapon.

As they neared the first group, tens of Rock-Rats attacked at once. A panicked villager moved to the side, exposing Anton to an attacking adult male. He didn't have time to form the mental image of lightning and was concerned that he might kill villagers like he almost did.

Weapon-less, Anton raised his leg and kicked with all his might as the Rock-Rat lunged at him. He wasn't a particularly strong man, but as his shoe connected with its chest he heard and felt it break; strong resistance then nothing. The Rock-Rat flew back with the kick, crumpling on the ground, desperately trying to breathe. Around him, the others were fighting, but Anton found himself almost transfixed at this creature dying.

For a moment he felt a small amount of pity, but that disappeared as another Rock-Rat bit sharply onto a villager next to him. The village swung down a fist on the creatures head, not killing it but stunning it. She threw it down then pierced its throat with a pitchfork.

They are pretty tough these villagers.

They were a few meters to the next group but another group of Rock-Rats had formed between them.

Anton formed a single small lightning ball in his hand. Compared to before, this used a small amount of mana. He pushed it straight into the head of a Rock-Rat. Again the mana flow was cut from its end but this time the feeling of mana disappeared. The lightning ball contracted and exploded, rendering the upper body of the Rock-Rat into giblets.

Tethering the lightning balls is way too dangerous. Think I'll use this for now. There'll more time to experiment when I haven't blown myself to pieces.

He formed them again and again, clearing a path to the encircled villagers. He dared not try forming the tethers again.

Anton's group merged with the first villager group.

“Everyone alright?” Anton asked the beleaguered villagers.

“Yeah. We are now,” answered Sam.

Right Jeff ran up and hugged her. They both seemed glad to see each other alive.

“Alright, no time for that,” began Anton, Right Jeff and Sam separating, “We need to get to the others first.”

They could see the other group, they were not doing well. Only seven or eight villagers could fight well, the rest were bloody and kept in the centre for protection. In between the two groups lay the large guarded hut.

As he pondered the next move, another villager retreated to the centre. Time was running out and he knew it.

“Keep your guard up as we go past the main hut. Who knows what's going on in there.”

The large group moved at a quick pace. The Rock-Rats continued to throw themselves at the villagers, becoming more desperate as they got closer to the main hut. The guards charged at the villagers. Anton formed lightning balls, firing them at the guards, each dying a gruesome death.

As they passed the main hut Anton peered in as best he could. Loose flaps acted as doors, but there was something moving them.

Before Anton could say anything, the flaps burst open. Nearly fifty Rock-Rats surged out. These were not like the others, these had well-made stone spears and basic leather armour.

“Watch out!” was all Anton could manage before the armed group crashed into theirs.

The villager group broke under the charge, forming small pockets of two or three villagers, Anton near the edge. He was with two male villagers he didn't recognise, he did recognise the panic on their faces.

Anton contemplated for an instant of tethering the lightning balls but thought it too risky. Instead, he formed as many single lightning balls as he could safely manage, around five at a time. He pushed them into the armed Rock-Rats around him, each still dying easily as they were torn to pieces by the explosions. The immediate area was clear. Anton formed another batch of lightning balls and readied to fire them.

“Gah!!”

The villager beside Anton cried out. Anton turned around. 10 armed Rock-Rats had got behind them and had attacked the villager, a stone-tipped spear piercing his shoulder. The other villager was similarly set upon, leaving Anton exposed.

4 of the armed Rock-Rats charged straight at him. He tried to form more lightning balls but couldn't, he was panicking. He formed two extra lightning balls, but the strain of controlling the others existed, was too much. He fired both as best he could, one hitting a head, the other missing.

3 were still charging. Anton tried to form another set but he was too late. The first Rock-Rat lept with only a meter remaining, spear forward.

Not gonna' die like this.

Anton raised his right foot to defend himself. The Rock-Rat shifted the spear up, the tip of the stone spear pierced the sole of the shoe and going through his foot.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. That hurts!.

His concentration broke, the other lightning balls exploding behind him. The Rock-Rat that stabbed his foot looked unmistakably happy, he was sure it was smiling. It was stuck keeping the spear in Anton's foot but the other two were free to move. The two villagers were faring better but couldn't get to him in time, even if they won straight away.

The other two Rock-Rats ran either side, spears aimed straight at Anton's chest.

“LOOK OUT!!!”

A familiar voice brought Anton out from his stunned state. He looked to his right.

A silvery wisp. Verona.

She ran as fast as she could, face red from exertion. At the last second, she leapt with all her might, driving her wooden spear through the throat of the Rock-Rat to the right. It didn't even have time to react, dying instantly with a gush of crimson blood. The force of her charge continued, carrying both her and her victim into the Rock-Rat pinning Anton, stabbing it in the chest.

As the pinning Rock-Rat fell over with the group it released its hold on the spear. It was still in Anton's foot, but now he could move freely.

Verona couldn't hold the momentum, the pinning Rock-Rat still alive and fighting. It dug its feet into the grass and stopped, spinning them away from Anton.

The Rock-Rat to the left of Anton stopped suddenly, dirt and grass flying into his face, obscuring his vision for a moment. It turned around to attack Verona, who was still lying on the ground. The pinning Rock-Rat had red foam erupting from its mouth. Verona had pierced its lung.

Verona saw the Rock-Rat charging at her, the blood draining from her face. Anton could see tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She thought that this was the end.

The Rock-Rat was only half a meter away from Anton and had another two to travel before reaching Verona. Anton grabbed the spear in his foot but it would not budge, the pain blinding. His left foot still worked fine.

You aren't going to get another person, you shit!

Anton tried to stand but the spear prevented him. Instead, he lunged at the Rock-Rat, using all the strength he could muster in his left leg.

He crashed into the Rock-Rat, landing on its front with Anton on top. It only had a meter before reaching Verona, but its spear could still reach. With a terrible screech, it attacked, stabbing her in the upper thigh.

“Gah!” she screamed, her voice on the edge of crying.

The pinning Rock-Rat had stopped moving at last. Verona turned her attention to the Rock-Rat Anton was wrestling. She grabbed the spear tip with both hands, keeping it in her and not available for the Rock-Rat.

The Rock-Rat underneath Anton struggled to free itself but couldn't. It turned onto its back, the fur proving surprisingly hard to get a proper hold on. It swiped a clawed hand at Anton's face. Anton bent up to avoid it but it latched onto his arm. He could feel the claws trying to rip his skin and flesh apart.

He couldn't use magic at this range, lest he kill himself in the explosion. He latched both hands onto its neck and squeezed hard. He didn't care about the pain, he had to kill this thing first.

The Rock-Rat squealed and squirmed under Anton's force. It gave up the idea of escaping, using its other hand to attack Anton.

Pain and anger surged through Anton's body. Adrenaline was flooding his body, the pain starting to dissipate.

Quickly, the Rock-Rat's struggles became weaker and weaker, no longer able to hold on. Its bloody claws retracting from Anton's arm.

He felt a crack in the Rock-Rat's neck, the resistance of the windpipe gone. Almost instantly it went limp and died.

Anton waited a moment before releasing. After he could no longer feel a pulse he got off the creature. The spear was still lodged in his foot. With the adrenaline still working, he pulled it out in a single strike. Blood gushed out of the open wound. He wrapped both hands around the shoe, slowing the blood flow.

Hope this doesn't make me unconscious again.

“Tethra, God of Prayer. I beseech you to heal my wounds.”

Anton decided to use the most official sounding words he knew. Mana flowed out and back into his body, his wounds closing before his eyes in a few seconds. It took considerable mana to heal himself but less than before.

Am I becoming better at this? More experiments to do later. How is everyone else going?

He could see villagers having formed groups again and were holding off the armed Rock-Rat's. No one appeared to be dead, which was good. Many were injured though, and the fight was beginning to take its toll.

“Holy shit.” said a deep feminine voice.

Anton looked over at Verona, still clutching the stone spear tip in her wound. He crawled over and kneeled beside her.

“Since when were you a healer?” Verona looked honestly shocked after seeing Anton’s wounds close before her eyes.

“I think I always could,” Anton replied, bending the truth slightly. “I don't know if I can heal your wound but let's give it a go.”

Anton took Verona's hands and guided the spear out of her leg. There was lots of blood. He could even see the bone.

How tough are you girl? Very, obviously.

Anton repeated the same prayer as before, considerably more mana flowing out of him. This time he could feel it entering Verona's body. It felt, for an instant, that he was sharing two bodies at once. Underneath his hands, they both watched as the muscles and skin rebound themselves before closing the wound. Despite the blood, there was no indicating that she had been injured.

“Thank you, Verona. If it weren't for you I'd probably be dead now.” he reached out and rubbed her head. Her hair was surprisingly soft to the touch. “I'm glad you didn't listen to me.”

Verona flushed lightly before the smile returned to her face.

“I'd do it again. Never thought I'd have the chance to kill something. We'd better get back into it.”

Verona nodded towards the villagers.

Anton tried to stand, but the dizziness had returned. He could tell he wasn't about to pass out again but it was close. He stumbled, hand pressing onto a dead Rock-Rat to try and stabilise himself. Verona grabbed his arm and put it over her shoulders, holding him up.

“Thanks, this should be enough.”

Verona nodded.

Anton formed three lightning balls. He gestured to Verona to move towards the still ongoing fights. As they got close enough to a group of villagers Anton fired the lightning balls at the Rock-Rats, killing them and freeing the villagers to join his group.

None questioned why Verona was there.

They formed a circle with Anton at the front, quickly moving from one fight location to another. Anton used the few lightning balls that he could safely manage to deadly effect. Each villager saved increased their strength.

A minute later, all the Rock-Rat's were dead.

The villagers let out a cheer. Men and women hugging, crying at the relief that they succeeded and were alive. What was most amazing was, despite the last minute attack, no one had died. Anton saw Right Jeff and Sam had done okay so that was good news. What wasn't was his lack of mana. There were many villagers that would need serious attention and they could be out of commission for weeks to months if not treated soon. They sat down in a relatively body free section of the encampment.

Right Jeff approached Anton. Verona was still at his side. No longer holding him up but staying very close. She even had the Rock-Rat's stone spear tip, some grizzly trophy from her first kill perhaps?

“Well, that coulda' gone much worse.” Right Jeff chuckled, but Anton could tell there was a tiredness behind it.

“Yes. We'll need to be better trained and armed before the next fight. I think we got lucky here. And I don't feel like repeating today again.”

Right Jeff and, from the corner of his eye, Verona nodded.

“But,” began Anton, “We have the quarry now and a supply of stone for the wall. Some big pieces are loose in the grass, so they'll be our first delivery.”

Anton looked around at the villagers lying down.

“Though, perhaps not today. We've got a lot of wounded.”

“Did you know he's a healer?” Verona asked Right Jeff.

He appeared surprised, though it faded quickly.

“Shoulda' guessed it. Crazy bugger like yours'elf probably would be.”

Anton raised his hands in opposition to this statement.

“It's really still as much a mystery to me as it is to you. I don't have much mana left to heal the others. We'll have to get them back to Atros as safely as we can, then I can have those Karak fruits and we'll be fine.”

Right Jeff perked up, remembering something. Without saying a word, he walked over to his spot and brought back a bag. He reached in and brought out a Karak fruit.

“Had a feelin' that you might need this. Got a couple more in here too.”

He tossed it at Anton.

Anton bit as deeply as he could. He didn't realise how thirsty he actually was. With each chew his mana being recovered bit by bit. After finishing the first fruit he could feel his mana was around a third of what it was originally and it felt like it was restoring faster too.

Verona watched this, confusion evident on her face. She didn't know that this was important to a mage.

With his mana mostly restored he picked himself up. The dizziness had gone. Verona offered to hold him up again but looked disappointed when Anton turned her down. Right Jeff returned to Sam and the others while Verona followed him.

He walked to the most injured villagers. These had deep cuts and wounds. Not life threatening yet but given some time it could kill them. The villagers nursing these few made a gap for Anton to kneel next to them. He didn't recognise the villager in front of him but he would try to heal him.

I don't want to heal them so much that I pass out, or need a constant supply of those sweet fruits. This'll be a good time to see if I can actually control the prayer power.

Anton hated himself a little for using the villagers suffering as a chance to experiment. Regardless, he would still do it.

He placed his hand on the arm of the villager. This one had deep wounds over his chest and arms. The bleeding had stopped, but he was in obvious pain.

“Okay,” Anton muttered under his breath, “Tethra – God of Prayer. Heal this man.”

This time Anton did his best to imagine the wounds healing slightly. The mana left his body, but nowhere near as much as he expected. The man's wounds did heal but not completely, losing their redness and inflammation and significantly reducing in size.

Anton sighed in relief. The mana use was considerably less and he could still move. The other villagers stared in awe. Some muttered that Anton must be someone truly special and powerful. He didn't respond, moving from one wounded person to another, Verona never leaving his side.

---[]---

Twenty minutes later every critically wounded villager was now healed. Right Jeff had brought almost eight Karak fruits with him, Anton using half to make sure everyone was healed.

Despite the near tragedy that could have befallen them, the opinion of Anton was incredibly high. Especially now that they knew he could heal as well as use lightning.

Anton had ordered everyone to get ready to depart. The plan was to have as many carts and people as possible to carry as much stone away as possible every day. Today would see the villagers still at Atros swap over and take a single batch away. Anton found that many rocks were loose, so getting enough wouldn't be a problem.

Something was irritating him. Not like before but still present.

Where had those armed Rock-Rat's been before the charge and why were the juveniles sent out before them? Anton suspected at the answer, but it was something he was hoping to avoid.

Everyone had stayed away from the large central hut, fearing that another charge was coming. Anton wasn't that superstitious but felt it couldn't hurt to stay away.

He was looking at one of the armoured Rock-Rat's that had suffered a lightning ball to the head. The rest of its body was intact.

Anton asked Right Jeff for a knife.

“You going do that again?”

Anton nearly rolled his eyes. Verona titled her head in question.

“No, just remove the armour.”

“Let me help ya.”

This particular Rock-Rat had almost a full set of leather armour and most of the others nearby were further injured.

Right Jeff handed Anton a knife and took one for himself. They began cutting away the straps and links holding the parts of the armour together. Verona leaned in next to Anton to get a better look.

After removing it, Anton began questioning his feeling. This one looked like every other 'female' type he had seen; less fur and a row of nipples down its front.

Anton put his hand on its front. It was tepid in temperature to the touch, somewhat uncomfortable. He felt something as he moved his hand. Each nipple felt soft and engorged. They may have even been recently wet, slightly damp to the touch.

He looked around for a regular female type and walked over to it. Their nipples were small and hard.

Anton knew what he would probably find inside the main hut. He walked towards the main flap, knife still in his hand. Verona, with her captured spear, and Right Jeff, with a knife as well kept close.

He opened the flap with his knife, enough to let the light in and catch a glimpse. There was movement. He let the flap close. It had only been an instant but he knew what they were.

“Verona.”

“Yes?”

“I want you to go back to the others. Go find Sam and wait with her.”

“Why. What's happening?”

“Verona...Please.” Anton asked with some force.

Verona opened her mouth to speak but held it back.

“Okay.” she nodded and walked away, glancing over her shoulder.

“What was that about?” Right Jeff asked.

Anton waited until Verona was far away before opening the hut again. Right Jeff looked in and gasped. Anton opened the flap completely.

Inside there were piles of torn clothes. Within them lay hundreds of writhing sausages. Except they weren't sausages. They were babies, recently born probably.

“Bloody...In the name of the gods, what do we do?”

“They'll die in a few days, from hunger and exposure. I'm not going to keep these things.”

Right Jeff raised his knife but Anton gently lowered Right Jeff's arm.

“That won't be necessary.”

Anton gestured for Right Jeff to step back.

A good chance to experiment more.

Anton used the flame glyph, forming the image of a roaring flame in is his mind. He fed mana to it, feeling to warmth in his hand. He held out his right hand, the flame glyph glowing bright red. He wasn't entirely sure if the other glyphs glowed, he was focusing on other things at the time.

A torch of red-hot flame erupted from his hand shooting into the hut. The wood and leather catching fire instantly. Within seconds the entire structure was on fire.

Anton heard the crackles and pops underneath the roar of the fire. Occasionally a screech, then nothing. Anton didn't have the stomach to kill them by hand or exposure. He told himself over and over that this was the best end they could get.

Right Jeff backed away, hands raised to shield him from the heat. Anton could barely feel the heat.

How strange. Perhaps its because it was started by the glyph.

Anton walked away. The fire would burn itself out in a few minutes, hopefully. He found quickly found Verona sitting next to Sam, her silver hair like a light in the sea.

The other villagers didn't question Anton as he walked by. They looked too tired mentally to care.

“What was that about?” Verona asked, running up to him as he approached.

“It...It's difficult to explain properly. Don't worry about it.”

Verona didn't seem satisfied, puffing her cheeks slightly. She didn't press the issue after it became obvious to her that he wouldn't tell her anything else. Her usual smile and demeanour returned.

Right Jeff sat next to Sam, clearly still shaken by what he had seen and the knowledge of what Anton had done.

“You taking that with you?” Anton asked Verona, pointing to the Rock-Rat spear.

“It's better than my stick. It's still in them.”

“Well then, we'd all better get ready to go.”

Anton turned to the villagers.

“Everyone! We leave...as soon as we're ready!” Anton yelled towards the villagers.

“You three.” Anton pointed to two men and a woman soldiers that were idling about.

“Make sure everyone's ready. If they can't move, get people to carry them.”

The three nodded and left, Anton heading off to other groups of villagers.

Verona and Sam lent towards Right Jeff.

“What happened in the tent?” Verona and Sam asked Right Jeff.

He just shook his head and refused to say anything more.