The speaker came into view midway through the speech, an orc that was nearly a foot taller than the ones they had killed before. He wore what appeared to be cockroach chitin plates that covered the vital areas of his body and wielded a massive battle axe made from scavenged spider parts.
On either side of the tall orc stood two massive beasts. They had the same basic shape as a dog, except without any fur. Thick grey skin covered their sides, while the ridge along their spine sported thick red spikes and skin the color of rusty iron. Their ears were pointed and large, reminiscent of a bat’s, framing an angular face with small eyes that glowed red in the reflected light. Sharp fangs protruded from a heavy underbite in an elongated muzzle, while each foot contained four toes that were topped with an inch and a half long claws.
Behind the two beasts and the lead Go’rai stood another dozen Go’rai like the ones they had seen earlier, all armed with bone javelins and atlatls, as well as bone clubs. Several of these smaller Go’rai also wore armor made from cockroach chitin, although of inferior quality.
“Put down your crude spears. You are no match for the Go’rai. This is a new world; I can sense the mana is raw and primal. Your Deathweaver was potent but inexperienced. His life would not have been risked with so few defenders otherwise. Still, for your victory, I, Chakri of the Go’rai, give my word that my brethren will let you pass. Just leave the females here and we will not harm you until you return again to our land.”
“I don’t think we can do that,” Mitch said, his grip shifting on his own axe.
Chakri gave a short barking laugh, “Of course not, you humans.” He spat on the ground next to him, “You think yourselves better than us because of your Deathweavers. You are all the same, weak hangers-on that ride the coattails of your War Gods. But we have killed your mage, and you are not a match for the lowliest Go’rai bloodling. Leave now before I rescind my offer.” The Go’rai behind Chakri had chuckled with him but were now fitting javelins to their atlatl.
Drew realized that these atlatls were what the orcs above had used to pelt the party in their first encounter. He took a step behind Katie, attempting to hide his hands as he began casting a frostfire storm. The Mitch held the Go’rai’s attention by responding to Chakri’s taunting with one of his own. Drew paid little attention to his words, focusing on his spell as Katie moved to shield him with her body. “Get ready to cast a wall,” he whispered.
The whisper was a mistake. One of the lesser Go’rai looked in his direction and could see enough of his hands to know he was casting a spell. “Mage!” It shouted as it moved to launch its spear at Drew. Sarah jumped, pushing Drew down just as he completed his last gesture. The storm went off behind the main line of the Go’rai, only catching half their number in its wrath. An instant later Katie’s wall went up, just in time to block half a dozen javelins aimed at the trio.
They weren’t the only targets though; Mitch, who had been standing just far enough away from Drew and Katie that he wasn’t immediately behind the wall, took a glancing blow from a javelin that hit his shields and then deflected off, shattering against the wall to his right.
Chakri shouted, “Ravagers, attack!” The clack of javelins breaking did little to drown the sound of claws ripping carpet or the beast’s shrill growls of excitement.
Drew looked up from where he lay on the floor, Sarah’s slight frame on top of him, and pointed his finger at the edge of the wall, waiting for the lanky beasts to come into view. Katie meanwhile commanded the knight to assist Mitch on the far side while she waited impatiently for the five seconds to be over, so she could create another wall. The first ravager beat the cooldown and got a face full of fireball for its efforts.
Scorching heat ate away at half its face before consuming the grey flesh of its shoulder and half its chest. It lay whimpering on the floor, Drew wasn’t sure if it was dead or not, but it didn’t get up before a new wall blocked his vision of it. Sarah had been trying to extricate herself from around Drew. Her spear was tangled in his legs, making the process more difficult, and she elbowed Drew’s sternum in her haste to rise. The blow momentarily dazed Drew, but she managed to stand up and retrieve her spear.
Mitch and the knight were trying to fend off the other Ravager, but not having anywhere near as easy a time of it; the limited space behind the wall made maneuvering difficult as he ducked under the airflow of another javelin launched at him. The relatively short range of his axe was somewhat remedied by using his wind slash power, but he was only just keeping the beast away from him.
Drew, finally recovering his breath and standing, poked a finger over the six-and-a-half-foot tall wall and launched a cone of frostfire down towards where the ravager had been. Its shrill cry of pain was expected, but the orcish cries were not. “They’re coming around!” Drew shouted.
Sarah had gone to help Mitch, her longer spear allowing her to score several hits on the beast while Mitch and the knight protected her from retaliation. The ravager’s blood was the same green as the orcs they had killed and began to cover the floor around them, soaking into the carpet.
Katie created another wall behind them, enclosing the group on three sides, narrowing the approach paths, but also trapping them inside.
“Don’t kill them; I don’t want to deal with the wereghasts!” Chakri shouted from somewhere on the other side of the wall.
Drew launched a shocking bolt and an acid dart at the ravager, neither of which did much damage. He cursed under his breath. He couldn’t risk a fireball; the chance of hitting one of his allies was too high, and the space was far too small for a storm. He considered casting Dancing Blade, but he was too far away from the front line for it to be effective.
The walls were six and a half feet tall, but to get that height, Katie had needed to sacrifice length. They were only about nine feet wide, which meant that the group had three melee fighters in a space slightly wider than the radius of his fireball spell. The distance to the wall they had funneled their enemies into was only another 10 feet. He couldn’t cast anywhere near the frontline without risk of hurting his allies.
Drew jumped up, thinking he could cast a fireball at some of the approaching Go’rai.
Javelins whistled past his head, impacting behind him and shattering against the inside wall of their U. He ducked back, poked a finger over the wall and shot off a fireball blindly. Drew wasn’t sure if the lack of screams meant he had killed them immediately or missed completely. He hopped up again and saw the three orcs he had targeted were still standing. More javelins rained down and Sarah cried out in pain as one of the fragments buried itself in her shoulder.
Katie increased the height of the walls in response, all three sides growing another two feet. Sarah cast her healing spell before returning to the fight. Drew was helpless, his spells useless in the small confines of their shelter. Mitch was fighting off the ravager and another orc that had joined the melee. Sarah and the knight were positioned on either side of him, darting in to stab or block an attack whenever there was an opening. He could see another Go’rai standing behind the melee, waiting for a chance to join in.
Drew considered the situation. The Go’rai clearly wanted him dead more than the others. They seemed to have something against red mages, or ‘Deathweavers.’ If he could draw them away, the others might be able to take on what was left, and he could use his spells without fear of hurting his allies.