“There is Mana in all living things. With the proper blood rituals, one can use life itself as a substitute for Mana. Mana from Life.

So too can you use Mana in place of life. To reanimate the dead with magic, Life from Mana.”

On Forbidden Magic

Chapter 21

The Abomination charged and every heavy step could be felt through the walls. The vibrations rattled the bundles of arrows the archers had stacked nearby.

Erinn and the other defenders notched arrows in their bows, waiting for the monstrosity to enter range. The undead creature was near to the large bonfires the legion had set up marking the range for the archers, 150 feet.

As it neared, Erinn could smell the monster, a mixture of rotten meat and coppery blood. Erinn had to fight to keep from gagging, breathing through her mouth, but she could even taste it on her tongue.

Finally, it passed the closest range marker, and the archers drew their bows and loosed. Over a hundred arrows sailed through the air, with the majority striking the monster. Most of the arrows bounced off its tough flesh, while some struck deep. The Abomination roared in anger at the assault.

Knocking another arrow, Erinn could see three large fireballs streak through the sky like shooting stars. The mages had begun their assault on the creature.

The fireballs crashed into the undead, combining into a massive explosion that shook the wall. The shockwave knocked some lower ranked warriors off their feet, and Erinn could hear glass shatter from the buildings behind them.

The fire climbed into the Night sky, fiercely orange and red. It created a deafening roar, and Erinn could hear nothing over the loud ringing in her ears.

Erinn staggered, off balance from the attack. Gripping the battlements to steady herself, she watched as the creature disappeared in the flames. Its massive body completely engulfed in the intense explosion.

The soldiers cheered for the magic attack, they were sure the creature was dead. The large amount of mana used for the magical attack filled the air with its own unique, ozone like scent.

Magic lingered in the air, a hazy shimmer with occasional crackling flashes of light.

Erinn looked away from the flames, turning to gaze towards the Goblin and Orc army. They had begun to march back towards the town.

She kept her bow ready, knowing that since the monstrosity was dead, the Goblins and Orcs would now begin their assault. She had her sight turned away from the burning undead creature, so she missed the moment when the Abomination, blackened from the flames and missing large chunks of its flesh, emerged from the flames.

Roaring madly, it slammed its arms onto the ground, unleashing a massive wave of Mana. The corrupted and black energy burst out from the ground around it, flinging dirt and debris everywhere in its rage.

The large monster leapt forward, charging at the gates even faster than before. It crossed the space to the tall walls in the blink of an eye, too fast for the mages or archers to react.

With a thunderous crashing sound, the Abomination slammed into the gates. The stout wooden doors, nearly 10 feet tall, instantly bent and broke. They were unable to withstand the momentum and massive weight of the monster.

Barely slowing down, the creature charged at the soldiers responsible for reinforcing the gateway, slapping down on them with its massive limbs. It frantically flailed its arms, each blow crushing the armored and spear carrying soldiers. It left nothing but trampled and flattened bodies in its wake.

Stunned by the sudden assault, many of the soldiers stood in place, watching in horror as their comrades were killed. They gripped their spears tightly, shaking in terror.

The abomination exuded a powerful pressure caused by the corrupted Mana it was releasing, affecting those who lacked the power to protect themselves. Many of the soldiers in Whitewater were rankless, lacking any Mana at all. They were like lambs to the slaughter against the creature. Even the higher ranks in Whitewater could hardly resist the feeling of terror it emanated.

As it raised its hand to kill another helpless, rankless soldier, a streak of light flashed from the direction of the Fort. The streak crashed into the creature’s side, knocking it off balance.

The flash of light dimmed as it was stuck in the Abomination’s flesh. It was a spear, long and silver. It was etched with runes and glowed strongly with magical light. The Mana it contained sparkled and crackling energy emitted from it, striking the undead monster.

Turning to face its attacker, the Abomination found a tall, middle aged and handsome man, dressed in shining plate armor. On the front of his armor was the symbol of the Legion, an eagle in flight.

It was the Fort’s Commander Holland, one of the highest ranked warriors in Whitewater.

Holland dashed towards the creature, which responded by wildly swinging at him in defense. Tucking under its attack, Holland grabbed his spear from the monster’s side. He gripped it tightly, before leaping back to dodge a backswing, pulling the spear out as he did so.

Frustrated, the Abomination picked up a nearby supply cart, hurling it at Holland. Rather than dodge, he gathered Mana on the spear’s tip. The spear glowed eye wateringly bright, before he cleaved downwards, splitting the cart in half.

Rushing forward again, Holland leapt high into the air, before stabbing downwards towards the Abomination. The spear, still glowing brightly from Holland’s mana, stabbed deeply into its shoulder.

Enraged by the pain, it swung at Holland again. He attempted to push off the Abomination and leap out of the way, but the creature was quicker this time. It backhanded Holland, hitting him directly with a wet smacking sound. He soared through the air, slamming into the wall and fell into the wreckage of the cart.

Roaring in victory, the Abomination lumbered towards the prone figure of Holland, intent on crushing and devouring him.

As it stood over the commander, a blue streak of lighting struck the creature from behind. The mage who had cast the large ice magic earlier stood in the street, holding her staff in one hand and a glass rod raised and pointed at the Abomination in the other.

An older woman, Magus Antonia was the lead mage assigned to the legion. She was short and olive skinned, wearing long grey legion mage robes. As a rank 5, she was the commanders equal in combat ability.

Turning to the new threat, the Abomination dashed towards Antonia, who promptly fed mana into a charm hanging from her neck. She disappeared briefly, before reappearing on a nearby rooftop.

The abomination, unable to reach her on the roof of the three-story building, slammed its body into the side of the structure. A rain of bricks and stone showered around it as it roared in rage and pounded its fists repeatedly into the building.

After several powerful blows, one of the supports gave out and half of the building collapsed into itself. Antonia, knocked off balance by the shaking building, ran to the edge of the building and jumped off. She floated slowly towards the ground, her Mana supporting and slowing her fall.

Antonia let out a shaky breath at the close call. She turned back towards the abomination, only to see a large section of the building filling her vision. The Abomination had picked up a massive piece of the collapsed structure and thrown it at her.

She watched the falling debris careen towards her, unable to get out of the way fast enough. Her teleportation charm was useless, it was only good for a single use. Before the thrown rubble could strike her, she saw Holland dive in front of her, shielding her with his body.

With a bone rattling crash, Erinn witnessed the thrown rubble slam into Holland. Both figures disappeared in a shower of debris and dust.

The Abomination bounded over to the pair, preparing to smash them with another large chunk of wreckage. The rubble raised above its head, the Abomination was suddenly engulfed in a pillar of divine light.

Erin looked behind the creature, a group of clerics had left the injured and were holding a large yellow sun symbol high in the air, chanting prayers to Primaris. The divine light continued to pour onto the Abomination. She saw it roaring at the falling divine light, its dark mana forming a cocoon of blackness around it.

Slowly, the creature fell to its knees and collapsed. The dark Mana burned away, and the divine fire turned the abomination to ash. Several of the priests, exhausted by the mana required to cast the divine spell, fell to their knees. The rest of the group rushed to Holland and Antonia to heal them.

Erinn could see the clerics pick up the pair and carry them towards the triage tent, where they would be attended to by the other clerics. Erinn could only assume that both were still alive, if barely, judging by the urgency the priests were carrying them.

Letting out a shaky breath, Erinn turned to Hale, both showing relieved expressions that the creature was dead.

“Will the commander and the mage be alright?” Erinn asked Hale.

“They should be, if we hold the town. The clerics can heal anything short of death, but the cost was high. Antonia and Holland were the highest ranked here, and that last attack drained a lot of our clerics. We’ll have to hold with what we have left until reinforcements arrive.” Hale said, sighing at the situation.

Hale turned back towards the approaching Goblins and Orcs. They both hefted their bows again, preparing for the army to cross the last distance marker.

Oakley, the captain of the House Guards, was now standing before the gates. There were around fifty men and women, a mixture of Guards, Legionnaires and Auxiliaries, with a remaining fifty or so on the walls.

The Goblins and Orcs had a few hundred remaining, all of which were now charging towards the open gates.

Erinn and the other archers fired volley after volley towards the Goblin army, most striking at the ill-equipped Goblins leading the charge. The Orcs were using them to soak up most of the arrows before their arrival.

The archers fired four more volleys before the enemy reached the gate. Oakley and her forces surged forward to meet them. The battle quickly reached a stalemate, the humans unable to push the enemy out of the gates, while the Goblins could not get inside.

“They’ll let the smaller Goblins attack until we’re exhausted and out of arrows. Then the Orcs will charge.” Hale said, pointing out that the Orcs were stopping short of arrow range, along with the better equipped Goblins.

Erinn lost count of how many arrows she shot into the Goblins below, but they quickly returned fire with their own short bows and thrown spears. As the enemy dead piled up, the humans were running out of arrows and each of them could barely draw their bows or lift their swords from the continuous fighting.

Finally, Erinn could only see a few goblins left standing by the gate. Before the Defenders could catch their breath, the remaining Goblins, much better equipped charged into the melee. Leading the advance were large Orcs. They smashed through the tired defenders easily and entered the city.

Hale and Erinn, having run out of arrows, drew their weapons and followed the other archers off the walls and into the fray.