Mirio could sense a void as he tried to peer beyond the trees. It was as if all the air was sucked out of a spot fifty feet beyond the treeline. A memory from his youth flashed before his eyes.

Dereo’s nephew, amused by the fact a five year old was keeping up with the rest of the guard, put down his sword and smiled at Mirio. “We know why the guards fight for a living, but what about you, why do you want to learn to fight? Do you have a bully or something?”

“Not a bully exactly… But there is something I feel uneasy about I guess”

“Oh really, and what is that?”

“It’s hard to explain, kind of like a shadow, or an emptiness maybe… It makes me feel uneasy, like there is something waiting out there ready to hurt everybody”

Carlson wedged a thumb into his belt and smirked. “Haha! Listen to you, I didn’t know a five year old could say something so ominous, did your mother tell you a scary bedtime story?”

“... My mother is sick… And my father doesn’t read stories… So no… It is just something I feel in my bones… And I have to learn to protect people from it, I don’t know what it is, but it scares me, I think it is connected to why I am here”

Carlson frowned and adjusted his tone. “Oh, sorry to hear about your mother”

Dereo swatted Carlson on the shoulder and knelt down to meet Mirio eye to eye. “I think that whatever your reason Mirio you are making the right choice, a man who is strong enough to fight, can protect those he loves, and before long everyone you love will be safe with you around”

Mirio smiled “Yeah!”

Mirio’s hand clenched tightly around the reins. A dark aura closed around Mirio’s field of view like the shadow of a storm cloud. His hairs stood on end as he could sense the Sawtooth Queen in the clearing beyond.

Violet eyes rushed through the pitch black darkness between the trees. Mirio’s eyes flicked rapidly, scanning dozens of the thralls as they stampeded out from the trees. He saw everything in slow motion. The transfer of weight from the front foot to the back, the twist of the torso, the fierce clawing grip of their hands. Mirio’s eyes had always been able to pierce deeply into all things that held mystery within them, and as he saw the thralls, it was as if a great thirst was quenched as looking upon them. He noted every feature no matter how small, drawing as much information as he could into his mind. And when his eyes came to a rest they surged underneath the surface with an ocean of knowledge and comprehension.

*They are stronger, faster, and more vicious than a normal person should be*

*The light in their eyes is derived from innate magic*

*It doesn’t just control them, it empowers them with the will of the queen*

*Yet, the way they position their feet as they move, the stiffness in their muscles, they are prone to losing their balance*

Mirio’s eyes flicked to a thrall wearing a leather vest covered in wolf’s teeth. As the man powered forward, his footing was sturdier than the others.

*The queen’s empowerment can only go so far with the untrained. However, if they possess training and skill, it can tap into it*

*The chaotic nature of their movement, the relentlessness of their behaviour, they won’t be easy to put down*

Mirio quickly scanned from side to side to gauge their numbers.

*There are easily as many of them as there are troops*

*Lucky thing I stopped more from being turned earlier. It will be tight, but with some luck we might be able to hold out until the Captain arrives with the knights*

EAAAAAAAAAK

Mirio flicked his eyes in the direction of the Queen. Chills ran up his spine at the timing of her screech.

*Is there a possibility she is telepathic? Does she already know our plans?*

The makeshift cavalrymen watched on as the thralls poured into the field and rushed past them. Mirio held up two fingers, a signal for the men to remain alert.

After a couple of seconds passed Mirio grit his teeth and furrowed his brow.

“Fuck… The Queen has a plan!”

“What?” one of the horsemen responded.

“She must be telepathic, she’s reading our minds!” Mirio replied.

“How can you possibly know that?” the horsman responded.

“Look! The thralls are ignoring us and going straight for the line” another one of the riders remarked.

“Not just that, they are peeling into two groups!” another of the horsemen responded.

The runners, acting as the commanders of their units looked on with horror as the swarm divided into two and broke out toward the flanks of their line.

While most of the men remained disciplined, some called out and spoke their minds.

“Shit! They are moving to the flank!”, “What do we do?”, “Aren’t they supposed to just charge us head on?!”

“WEDGE FORMATION!”

“Flanks! Fall back ten paces!”

“Wings! Fall back five!”

“Ranged! Move with your line!”

The runners shouted orders to the men in their lines. The comments came to a stop as everyone rushed to position, the clanking of armor, and the stomping of boots loud enough to drown out doubt as the guards braced for impact.

FWOOT FWOOT FWOOT

The men with nets and bolas swung them overhead.

“Ready!”

“Aim!”

One of the men chanted under his breath, “I am the eagle, I am the eagle, I am the eagle”.

“Loose!”

FWIT FWIT FWIT

“Yes I got one!”, the man chanting the mantra said as several of the men beside him missed their own shots.

“GET BEHIND THE LINE!”

The man scrambled as fast as he could through the shield wall before it closed shut.

The men chanted in unison as their shields clanked together.

“HUAH!”

“This is what we drill for! FORWARD!”

The men grunted and screamed as they fought to smash back the creatures as they slammed into their shields. The clash of flesh upon their shields hit like a symphony of sledgehammers. Each of the men caught in a vicious battle of wills and strength to hold onto their shields as the creatures violently thrashed to steal them from their grasp.

Men from the second line drove forward with their clubs, smacking and swatting at the hands as they gripped around the edges of the shields.

“They are grabbing our shields!”

“Don’t you let them take them from you!”

“Keep them off of us!”

The ranged units rushed back to the sides of the wedge formation and tried to circle around, but were surprised by dozens of the creatures also flanking further to the back of the formation. The adventurers rushed into action, charging in to attack the flanking thralls. A burly man with a fur vest overtop chainmail armor barrelled into a thrall tackling her to the ground, causing a child thrall behind to blast over the top of them.

“Fuck, I’m sorry!” a woman with leather armor cried out as she struck the child across the face with her mace.

“Don’t kill them!” another adventurer cried out

“I’m not! I pulled the strike!”

The clerics held onto their holy symbols with one hand as they cast glyphs with the other.

“Domir encantris, ensublimino allura!”

Blasts of blue light exploded from within the enemy lines, tiny flakes of magical energy falling like fresh snow onto the shoulders of the thralls. The thralls snarled and smacked up against the shield wall, with only a couple falling under the spell of the sleeping trance.

An adventurer dressed in hide armor screamed at the top of his lungs as she held two of the thralls by the lapels of their clothing. The thralls gripped their hands around her face, and neck, forcing her to thrash her head to avoid them gauging out her eyes. Three more adventurers to her right waging battles of their own were too busy to help her. As the thrall on her left stabbed its thumb into her eye, she tossed it to the side and off of her, giving it a clear path to the cleric behind her.

FWIP

A bola wrapped tightly around its legs and it smashed face first into the ground. The cleric glanced briefly as it landed at his feet, and then took a step backwards before continuing his incantations.

“Phew!” one of the assistants to the cleric remarked, “Good shot! Thanks for the assist”.

The man didn’t respond as he passed by. He was stoic and mumbled under his breath “I am the eagle, and they are the rats. I am the eagle… and they, are the rats”

Mirio glanced back as the swarm descended upon the line. As he did he whispered under his breath “Hold your nerve guys, and hold them off, I’ll try to buy us some time”

His eyes shot back towards the direction of the Queen. And just as he did, the canopy began to move, followed by a loud snap.

CRACK CRACK THUNK

“Oh, you have to be kidding me!”

“Men! I am going in!”

“Yah yah yah!”

Mirio bolted towards the treeline and plunged into the shadows. The light of his lantern stone flickering as he passed through the trees. Ezee bounding along behind him, with teeth bared.

Mirio burst out of the other side of the tree line to see the Queen hoisting a tree, roots and all, into the air above her. Two of its six tendrils latched around it as it drew it above its armored worm-like body.

It peeled back the flanges of its fleshy maw to reveal endless rows of teeth as it snarled at him.

“Rarrr!”

Mirio swerved tightly around to the side and blasted off a spell for cover as he plunged into the range of her tendrils.

“DIVINE LIGHT!”

A burning flare erupted as bright as the sun, allowing him just enough time to dodge the third tentacle on the side lifting the tree. Mirio hopped up onto the saddle and leapt with his sword raised above his head.

For a moment it was as if he was truly in flight like an eagle as he soared through the air. He drew from deep within his magical core, tendrils of rainbow colored energy trickling through his arms and into his sword. He drew up all the mana he could muster and swung for the tentacles holding onto the tree.

Spirals of rainbow colored energy poured from his blade like ink dragged through water. The Queen, sensing his magical presence in the ether, unfurled her tentacles from the tree and screeched.

EAAAAAK!

FWOOSH

His cutting arc cleaving just short of her tendrils as she managed to bend them out of the way.

Mirio, without time to worry about the miss, looked immediately towards the fast approaching ground

*Shit shit shit!*

Mirio reacted quickly as he shot like a projectile towards the ground. He tucked in his arms to his body and tumbled across the grass.

CRASH

The tree trunk smashed down onto the ground behind him as he stood to his feet.

The Queen, irritated by his interference, whipped her head around towards him and lifted all six of her tentacles. She rattled them in a threatening display before whipping them down at him.

“SHIELD!”

A flash of blue energy surrounded him in a sphere. Sparks of magical energy blasting off as each of the tendrils smacked into the barrier before plunging through it a split second later. While the shield spell at his current level can’t directly stop attacks it can deflect them for a split second. Mirio used the precious fractions of a second to dig his toes into the ground and spring off to the side, raising his hand as he did.

FLASH FLASH FLASH

A series of lights flicked off of Mirio’s hands, startling Queen just long enough for him to dive free of her reach. The tendrils smashed into the earth behind him, throwing up dirt and stone.

Mirio flicked his ankles in a sharp athletic motion and used his quick footwork to dart off back into the trees with Ezee following close beside him.

EAAAAAAAAK!!!

The Queen screeched in frustration and began to chase. It stormed into the woods gripping its tendrils around small trees. It ripped and tore at them, snapping them in two and casting them to the side. Debris scattering across her beak.

A rumble of hooves sounded out in the trees, as the eight horsemen burst through to the other side. They rode around the back side of the Queen just outside of range as she dug her way through the small patch of forest.

“What the hell? Where did he go?”

“His horse is over here! He dismounted!”

“It must be chasing him”

“Quick, get his mount, then peel back around”

…

The tower roared at the top of his lungs. The flat of his axe smacked hard against the skull of a woodsman and continued through to sweep a housewife off her feet.

“You are in my way!”

He gripped out with his big meaty hand and grabbed a farmer by the lapel and tossed him into a crowd of thralls toppling them over.

Dereo, Tad, and Carlson followed along closely behind him, swatting off the clutching hands of thralls all around them as they pushed their way out through enemy lines.

A small girl rushed towards Tad with her teeth bared, he grimaced as he swatted her off to the side. Carlson glanced up amid the crowd of thralls and saw a girl with golden hair and a baker’s apron.

“Macy?! Not you too!”

“Keep focused!” Dereo shot back at him before digging the heel of his boot into her chest, throwing her back onto the ground.

“Stupid weaklings, get off of me!” the Tower shouted as he tossed off another handful of thralls and blast out the back side of the formation. The other three ran out behind him into the middle of the field behind the main lines.

“There they are! Ahahaha!” he said as he unsheathed the hood of his axe.

The woman in hide armor with flowing red hair and a scar across her eye took aim with her crossbow at the tower.

“No!” Dereo said as he tackled the tower to the side.

FWIT

The bolt shot past the tower’s ear as he shrugged Dereo off. “You get the girl,” he grunted.

“Sure yeah, don’t thank me, wasn’t like it was going to get you right between the eyes or anything”

“Pfff, look at this cocky son of a bitch” the tower snarled as he looked at the half orc.

Tad looked around nervously and grabbed Carlson’s shoulder, pulling him towards the Elf wielding two blades.

“You think we can manage this guy?” he asked.

“Why are you asking me? I haven’t fought a guy like this before” Carlson replied.

“But aren’t you a guard, don’t you do this thing as your job?”

“This? Fuck no. But I have fought my fair share of goblins, and if the same rules apply here, keep your distance, and wait for your opportunity, don’t just rush in”

“Right, got it, that’s actually useful. Shall we both take a side, me left, you right?”

“Yeah good idea”

The elf spun both blades in a flourish and ran towards them. Tad pounced out to the side and deflected one of the blades with the handle of his axe, while Carlson swept his head out of the arc of the blow. In making contact with Tad and not Carlson the Elf spun towards Tad with both blades, striking with one after the other. Tad jumped back just out of range as the blades slashed through his cloth shirt.

“Holy shit he is fast!” he spat out before lifting his axe to knock away another blow.

Carlson rushed forwards to kick out the Elf’s knee but a blade came swooshing back at his throat forcing him to leap out to the side and reposition for a strike with his sword. He gained a solid stance and leapt in with his sword up high, bringing the blade down at the Elf.

CLING

The Elf effortlessly blocked the blow and swept it off to the side.

Tad took the momentary loss of focus on his side to swat away the blade pointed between his eyes with his axe.

CLANK

The Elf withdrew the sword back into his body using the momentum of Tad’s strike to help him pivot and send both blades towards Carlson.

SLASH SLASH

“Ugh!” Carlson gripped his side as one of the blades slashed clean through his armor. The Elf’s blades continued to cleave around as he pivoted back towards Tad with a cross attack.

“Rrrgh!”

Tad held up the blades and sunk his heel into the Elf’s chest launching him back into Carlson. Carlson swatted back at him with his free sword arm and sunk the blade into the armor’s backplate.

THUNG

His hand rang with pain as the vibrations shot up into his hand.

“The bastard is wearing full plate under the leather” Carlson said as stumbling back trying to regain his composure.

The woman quickly slotted another bolt into her crossbow and cranked back the string.

“Oh no you don’t!” Dereo cried. He dipped under the line of fire and then brought his sword up under the crossbow attempting to knock it from her hands. With a flick of her wrists she spun the crossbow onto her waist belt. In one swift motion she hopped backwards and drew her spear.

Dereo dived off to the side as she thrust the spear through the air where he had been a split second before.

WHOOSH

The air whizzed as the speartip swirled and stabbed in a flurry of blows. Dereo circled and swatted with his sword, trying to keep his motions tight and occupying his centerline as much as possible to not expose any openings for her to pierce through. The clank of wood against steel smacked by his ear as a thrust blasted past his face.

“Grrr, I hate spears!”

Dereo thrust the shaft away from his ear and dived in towards the monster hunter. He gripped one of her arms with his free hand and pulled himself in close. He lifted his head back and then smacked forwards with his metal cap helm, blasting her in the face and knocking her to the ground.

SHING!

Dereo threw himself to the side as he heard the swift unsheathing of daggers as she let loose her spear and readied herself for a close quarters fight.

FWOOSH THWACK FWOOSH FWIP FWOOSH

She swung her daggers in a wide circling arc across her body, smacked her shin deep into his thigh causing his leg to buckle then flipped up to her feet and followed with a whirlwind of attacks. Each motion of her blade missing him by a hair’s breadth.

THUNK FWOT

Her boot swept up in a half circle and smacked into his wrist hard sending his blade flying into the grass.

“Shit” Dereo said as he jumped back and pulled a dagger of his own.

“Rawg!” The Tower roared as he swung his axe over head in sweeping arcs.

The Half Orc stepped back and out of the range of the first two blows, and then stabbed his axe into the path of the third, growling with his orcish might. The Tower and the Half breed coming face to face in a contest of raw power.

“Yah!” the Tower thrust the Half Orc back to break the lock and then lifted his axe up high, and threw down a massive blow. The Half Orc caught it on the haft of his axe and then tossed it to the side. He then shot his knee up into his chest and shot out with his massive steel boot towards the Tower.

The Tower smacked it aside with his forearm and swung his great axe around one handed. The Orc with no other choice had to duck under the blow and crash forward into the tower trying to take him to the ground.

SMACK

The Tower brought down his elbow hard onto the back of the Orc’s neck, and thrust his hips back and away from the Orc’s shoulder, defending from the takedown and regaining distance and position. He swung his axe across his body in a flourish and then brought it up in a side stance as the Orc regained composure and held his axe low and to the opposite side.

They both came together with all their power, the clang of metal resounding as each axe collided in the middle of them both.

“Rrrgh!”

Mirio scrambled out of the tree line, as trees tore up behind him. Splinters and shards of wood bursting around him in all directions as the Queen burst through into the main field of battle. Mirio could see the Tower, Dereo, Calson, and Tad fighting the monster hunters a hundred paces ahead, and the line holding momentarily against the thralls. However, he had no time to assess how any of the fights were going as he was forced to dive off to the side to avoid half of a small tree trunk as it shot towards him.

FWOOSH THUNK THUD

Mirio rolled back up to his feet as Ezee circled around him and barked at the Sawtooth Queen. He glanced over his shoulder at the shard of a tree that had narrowly missed him and let out a quick sigh of relief.

He turned to face the Queen and flicked out his sword tip towards her, his gaze piercing through the dark aura filling his view.

Her tendrils splayed out in all directions and coiled back ready to strike. Each one rattling at the end as it searched for the right angle to attack from.

Her giant fleshy maw peeling open at its flanges to reveal her teeth.

EAAAAAAK