Half A Hero

8

“How many are still standing?” Arenviel shouted to Bjorn.

“Couldn’t count ‘em all.” The big man answered while smashing together two monster heads. “But I could sure tell there still a lot of them.” He smiled.

“I might run out of arrows.” Tersextes shouted from the back. “Looks like they are far too many.” He reported.

“Good! Because I am still warming up.” Bjorn laughed and charged towards the monsters. His strong arms were enough to cut through the swarm. He mowed the monsters and pushed them back. “Keep up, kiddo!” He shouted to Ghwyr, who was fighting earnestly, swarmed by a few monsters of his own.

The halfling couldn’t see as much, especially with a small group of the monsters have ganged up on him. However, he didn’t waste the opportunity to showcase the skills he had got from training alone in their wild forest.

Using that very knowledge, he tried his best to evade the wide claw slashes and stabbing attacks the monsters did. He dodged one more attack and swung his axe on the creatures, slicing two monsters in one strike.

Ghwyr became more focus than he ever did as he evaded some more attacks while still dashing forward, trying to catch up to the other swordsman who effortlessly cut through the enemy line like butter. Arenviel danced gracefully along the waves of monsters in his way. It was an amazing sight to see, a rare showcase of both grace and brutality.

He cut more monsters than the rest of them. Although, Bjorn and Tersextes wasn’t far behind him. Ghwyr saw joy in their faces. They were more than happy to fight the monsters regardless of their obvious disadvantage. They reacted like as if they were children entering the candy store for the first time. They weren’t sure who to take on first, but they attacked everything they saw all the same.

On the other hand, the ladies were no pushover either. They used their magic to cast ranged attacks, from behind. The stern lady casted water arrows and ice spears at them, while Frejr used her abilities to heal and regenerate her party’s stamina and health.

“Five and Twenty!” Bjorn shouted. “The ones who get the least count shall buy drinks for the entire month.” He said to them.

“I am well into five and sixty, Bjorn.” Arenviel smirked.

“Five and sixty?!” The big man exclaimed. “Damn it! How much’s yours, Tersextes?” He asked while punching off a monster’s head.

The elf looked at him with a groan. “Maybe, thirty?” He said.

“Liar!” Bjorn spat. “You still have 85 arrows in your quiver.” He smirked.

“I never cheated!” The elf clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Well, I am surely not be the one to be left behind.” He drew his arrow and with a help of an enchantment he murmured, Tersextes was able to clear an entire row of them.

“If you’re playing this sick game again, I will never allow myself to be the loser!” Narjuna shouted. “These kills will be for Frejr and I.” She casted as spell that rained on spikey icicles on the monsters.

Ghwyr was at a lost by their enthusiasm to play a game despite the enemy’s overwhelming numbers. They confidently bet against one another and bragged about their kills while he was just focusing on trying to stay alive.

“Hey, why not let the halfling join in the fun?” The elf proposed while hitting another incoming monster in the head with his arrow.

“Ha! Wonderful idea!” The bigman chuckled as he crushed a monster against the wall. “How many kills do you have, kiddo?!” He shouted.

Ghwyr took a glance at the shouting big man. Bjorn Bearskin had just asked him a question and he wasn’t sure how to react, especially when he was busy fighting for his life.

“Umm….” He barely dodged a charging creature. “I lost count!” He said.

“Ha! Looks like we have a loser now!” Bjorn chuckled.

“W-what?!” Ghwyr chopped off a creature’s arm as it tried to reach him. “B-but…” His words fumbled again.

“No buts kiddo.” Bjorn said. “Just ale!” He smiled and crushed another monster’s skull with his fist.

Although worried, Ghwyr couldn’t help but smile. Despite the direst of circumstance, they still had the time to chat and laugh about what was going on.

The attacks went on. The swarm was finally showing signs of its finite number. The convoluted tunnel thinned down as they continue to cut them down. Until finally they got to the last living monster. They surrounded it and tried taunting it, but before they could a huge pillar of ice dropped right on top of it, ending its misery before it could begin.

“What did you do that for?!” Bjorn annoyingly turned to Narjuna.

The sorceress rolled her eyes. “You’re taking too long.” She answered. “It stinks here and we, Ladies need a good warm bath.” She explained.

“You’re no fun.” Bjorn sighed. “Let’s go ahead and check their lair.” He signaled at Frejr.

Frejr nodded and stepped forward. Bjorn and the rest of the fighting men went along and escorted the healer while Narjuna was left outside as lookout.

They entered the last tunnel and was horrified to see the pile of bones and skin from different sentient beings fashioned like decors and protective covering along walls. The stretched faces looked grotesque, seemingly screaming in agony while bile and other putrid goo flow out from its empty orifices.

“What in the world is this?!” Ghwyr tried his best not to puke while looking around such horrid scene.

“A Mandragora’s nest… well this one… is more of a swarm or colony to me.” Frejr answered.

“How did it get here? I-in the dungeon.” The smell of the nest was fouler than the sewage.

“Well—” The golden-haired healer wanted to answer but got angry glares from Bjorn and Tersextes. “I… I…. don’t know.” She cleared her throat.  

Ghwyr knew the party had been hiding something. However, he respected their privacy and didn’t try to delve in any further than what he already knew.

The group was silent for a while until Bjorn poked one of the blistering faces.

“Watch out, these bastards might’ve set traps.” He said.

“Yeah, better not touch anything, Bjorn…” Tersextes turned to Bjorn then to the both of them. “And both of you as well, especially you!” He pointed at the healer.

Frejr looked at him sulking. “I am not that much of a klutz!” She declared.

“Fine, as you say.” The elf sighed. “10 golden heads, says you’ll trip around here somehow.” He teased the golden-haired healer.

“Fine.” She took a deep breath. “Deal.” She nodded.

Tersextes smiled back and carried on with the clearing.

After finishing their last task, Bjorn ordered Frejr to conduct a cleansing in the area. The healer nodded and told everyone to stand back as she raised her staff as high as she could and chanted. The tunnel glowed a golden light as she continued performing her magic.

Frejr began walking around the defiled place and let her staff touched the things she wanted cleansed. It was easy and didn’t take her long to almost finish her feat. However, as she moved in closer to the last nest, she unluckily stepped on something that tripped her.

She immediately fell to the cold sewage and just as she rose up, Frejr was surprised to see the nest move. Suddenly the nest exploded, and a huge tentacle came out of it, immediately attacking her. Just before everyone could react, Ghwyr stepped in and pushed her away and was stabbed by the tentacle instead.

The tentacle lifted him high above the tunnel just before Arenviel sliced it down. Bjorn caught Ghwyr just before he splashed into the cold, dirty sewage. The big man held him in his arms.

“Kiddo are you alright—” The big man paused for a moment, his eyes were wide open. “By the gods!  We need to get to the surface and fast.” Bjorn told the others.

Ghwyr realized the look of horror in the big man’s face was caused by him. He looked down at his throbbing wound. The tentacle hit him right in the stomach and he was bleeding profusely because of this.

The halfling couldn’t turn his eyes away on his wound and the exposed organs he could see through the hole. Ghwyr knew he was about to meet his end. He knew that heading to the surface with that would spell his death.

Although his hands were shaking, Ghwyr covered the wound with his two weak arms. He was losing a lot of blood fast and fainted in Bjorn’s arms while he was carried by him.