‘At least they’re not normal bears,’ Adam thought.

In the distance, they came, a group of a hundred or so. They were bears the size of men, their furs a multitude of browns and reds. Between their shoulders were a pair of heads, which snapped with frenzied delight.

The ground rumbled, all the while Dunes and Vonda muttered their prayers to their Goddesses.

“Knock!” John shouted, causing the three archers to draw their bows.

Three arrows shot towards the heavens as the group prepared themselves. The arrows struck a bear or two from their multiple waves, but they did not down a single duabear.

Mana: 18 -> 15

Spell: Fireball

8D6 = 24 (1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 3, 5, 6)

23 damage!

Mana: 15 -> 12

Spell: Fireball

8D6 = 32 (2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6)

32 damage!

Adam weaved his magic, feeling his Mana rush from his heart to his fingertips. Fire roared around the duabears, silencing a few of them as they continued to charge. Some had already moved away from the group, charging towards the second outpost, while a handful took pause, surprised by the flames which had appeared around them. Many had fallen to Adam’s Fireballs, killing at least a dozen of them, if not more, along with the waves of javelins and arrows.

The front gate was opened and the bridge lowered, with the group ready to funnel in the remaining duabears, bracing themselves. The two Aldish companions took their place up front as the shields, having informed Jurot of their plan, and Jurot had convinced Adam. The farmers remained behind them, with pikes close at hand. All the while Lucy, Kitool, and Jurot prepared to flank the duabears.

They had to be careful, however, as the duabears could climb up the walls, so Jonn remained back with the archers and Nobby, while Vonda and Dunes prepared their Spirit Sentinels near the closest two corners of the fort. Jaygak and Adam remained near one of the Priests at each corner.

They all continued to rain javelins from their positions, trying to thin down the giant mass of duabears, while Adam shot out his Flame Bolt constantly.

Then came the shout.

“Do it!” Adam shouted, as the pair of Priests chanted their spells, causing swords and maces made of light to fly out, which engulfed a large portion of the fort, as well as the outside.

Adam didn’t expect another flash of light, as Jaygak extended out her hands, calling forth her own magics. A blast of fire engulfed a few duabears, causing them to shriek in pain as they were lit aflame, and four fell to the flames.

Adam did not allow the confusion to last long as the two groups crashed against one another.

Jurot and Lucy crashed against the duabears from across the ditch, roaring with bloodlust, and Kitool fell with them, Seekerstaff in hand. Jurot cut a duabear in half, while Lucy almost cut another. Kitool managed to strike one in the throat, causing it to fall into the ditch, which would take it out of the fight for a short while.

Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2

Attack - Wizard’s Axe, Flanking

D20 + 8 = 23 (15)

D20 + 8 = 23 (15)

Hit!

2D6 + 5 = 9 (2, 2)

9 damage!

Attack - Wizard’s Axe, Flanking

D20 + 8 = 10 (2)

D20 + 8 = 12 (4)

Hit!

2D6 + 5 = 12 (3, 4)

12 damage!

Onward Soar: 1 -> 0

Mana: 12 -> 11

Spell: Hex

Attack - Wizard’s Axe, Flanking, Hex

D20 + 8 = 9 (1)

D20 + 8 = 20 (12)

Hit!

2D6 + 1D6 + 5 = 13 (2, 2)(4)

13 damage!

Attack - Wizard’s Axe, Flanking, Hex

D20 + 8 = 10 (2)

D20 + 8 = 12 (4)

Hit!

2D6 + 1D6 + 5 = 13 (3, 3)(2)

13 damage!

Health: 65 -> 56

Constitution Save

D20 + 5 = 14 (9)

The duabears had been slowed by the Spirit Sentinels, which struck at the creatures with religious fervour. Adam cut through a duabear with two blows, his mind focused, before he inhaled, flexing his muscles. “Hey!” Adam snarled, casting his Hex on another duabear, before swiping another two blows to slay it. It fell, but as it did, another lashed out towards Adam, grazing his side with its vile claws, almost causing him to drop his focus on Hex.

Vonda aimed her mace from beside him, but couldn’t find purchase on a creature, too focused on keeping her spell up.

Nobby roared eagerly, hacking a duabear which had climbed up towards him, almost splitting its skull, as Brittany pierced through the second head’s eyes with an arrow, causing it to fall below.

Jonn remained near the pair, his own blade piercing through a duabear, before lightning crackled from beside him. The duabear, which had been skewered by his blade was forced back by the lightning, and Shamia focused on another creature which was approaching them.

“Thank you,” Jonn said, simply, blade in hand.

“It is no problem,” Lady Shamia said, as her bodyguards skewered their own duabears with ease.

The farmers with their pikes stabbed away at the duabears in front of the two Aldishmen, who seemed awfully fine considering they were being bitten and torn apart by claws, and yet only their clothing seemed to be falling.

Javelins skewered a set of a duabears which were climbing up from the side, with the porters grabbing another set, and Fred calling for where they should fall, tossing his own javelin.

The duabears struck at the pair of raging warriors nearby, though their blows were superficial, not even drawing their blood, all the while a handful had managed to climb the walls.

Attack - Wizard’s Axe, Flanking, Hex

D20 + 8 = 25 (17)

Hit!

2D6 + 1D6 + 5 = 19 (6, 6)(2)

19 damage!

Attack - Wizard’s Axe, Flanking

D20 + 8 = 27 (19)

Critical hit!

4D6 + 5 = 16 (1, 3, 3, 4)

16 damage!

Adam shifted his Hex upon the bear which had struck his side. “Come here!” Adam growled, cutting it across its neck, causing it to drop, before he struck another, cutting through its shoulder, kicking it off of the wall. He was glad that the duabears had been peppered by arrows and javelins, otherwise he would have only killed one.

Vonda’s mace slammed across another duabear, which fell down, the maces of light striking it on the way down to finish it off.

“Nice,” Adam said, nodding his head.

Vonda sighed, sadly, knowing that she had to kill the creatures, but she took no delight with the task.

Kitool killed another, and forced two different duabears into the pit, while Lucy and Jurot slaughtered another set each.

Jaygak and Dunes were having their own fun, Stormdrake crackling with lightning, and Dunes’ Sword, Adam’s second greatest creation, flashing white hot with radiance as Dunes skewered a duabear.

“On your left!” Fred shouted, as the porters retreated, throwing their javelins to strike a duabear, before Fred pierced through a skull, the duabear trying to bite at him with its jaws, but it shuddered.

Nobby and Brittany pulled back as a duabear tried to overwhelm them, but an arrow pierced through its neck from the deadwood bow, and Jonn’s blade flashed white hot as he pierced through its back, letting it drop, before his blade cut through another duabear’s neck, causing it to drop into the pit.

Shamia chanted, placing her hands together, and she blasted three duabears with her flames, killing them, and the bodyguards slammed another down, before finishing it off.

Adam glanced around, noting that most of the duabears had been slain, and only a handful remained. There was one within the camp, which found itself being skewered between two giant elks, as the last few were finished off by blade, javelin, and arrows.

“Nobby! Brittany!” Adam shouted, quickly darting towards the pair. “You two okay?”

“Good,” Nobby said, having managed to block the blows from the duabears.

Brittany nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Good!” Adam said, enthusiastically. “Good.” He pat their shoulders. “You did great!”

“That was… much easier than I thought,” Brittany said.

“Brittany,” Adam warned, raising his brows. “What did I say about deathflags?”

Victory!

Duabears

XP Gained: +1600

XP: 10 750 -> 12 350

Kitool, Jurot, and Lucy had returned much later, after assisting the nearby outpost. They were the swiftest moving from the group, so Adam left it to them, trusting them to not get in over their heads.

“Finally,” Lucy said, resting up against the wall.

“We need to rest before the second wave appears,” Adam said, looking between them all. “You know, being in a fort makes it all so easy.”

Shamia looked over towards the ditch, which was half full of duabears. “We will need to clear it out, otherwise it will not be quite so useful.”

“Will it be duabears again?” Adam asked.

“Most likely, though the second wave is usually easier than the first.”

“I’ve still got two more Fireballs,” Adam said.

“I can set some arrows aflame,” Jaygak said.

“What?” Adam asked. “Hold on. Since when could you shoot fire?”

“Last year.”

“Last year? And you didn’t use it once?”

“I’ve never needed to,” Jaygak said, simply.

“What about the fire arrows?” Adam asked.

Jaygak nodded.

“Jaygak…” Adam sighed, exasperated.

The Devilkin smiled.

Rick and the farmers all gathered together, checking up on one another, while Adam went around the groups, before resting himself.

‘So much XP!’ Adam thought. ‘Damn. This fort is pretty overpowered too. Don’t they say that forts make it so that each person counts as ten?’ He looked out to the group, twenty two strong. ‘Yeah, sounds about right.’