The Rocs dove from the sky. They targeted the shieldwall, as if the defence Ashlyn and her comrades presented had made them a target.
The first bird targeted Pecs, catching him with its talons for 4 damage.
The second swooped down soon afterwards, its big black eyes focused on Ashlyn. She tried to move, but there was little room for manoeuvre in a shieldwall. The bird’s talons gripped her shoulder, dealing three damage. Even worse, its grip was strong enough to lift her into the air. Panicked, Ashlyn struggled, but the talons cut her more, while the bird bit with its serrated beak, opening another wound on her arm. She struck out with Greenblade, and got lucky. The sword’s bonus helped take 26 damage from the Roc. It was enough to make the bird drop her. She did her best to break her fall, but the hard landing and her other injuries left her vulnerable on 15 hit points.
The Rocs had broken up their shieldwall, leaving her comrades even more vulnerable. The third bird caught Fortune with both talon and beak, taking 8 hit points. The last went for Tree, who almost evaded its talons, taking only 1 damage.
The Rocs had made a mockery of their defences, and would destroy them given a few more turns.
Tree probably had this in mind when he decided to break, instead running at the line of Blood Fiends. Killing them now looked like their best chance of survival. The scout reached the Fiends with three actions remaining. Two hits from his axe and one from his shield were enough to account for another of them.
Hubert followed his friend into the melee. He reached the Fiends with two actions left, both converting into strikes with his powerful clawed paws. It left his victim on 9 hit points.
Mental was ready to unleash all four actions using her manic energy. She killed two Fiends with her first action. Two more fell to her axe, with a fifth wounded. Only by her final turn did it seem that exhaustion was catching up to her, her strikes slow enough for her wounded opponent to avoid.
Ashlyn picked herself up. Greenblade seemed undamaged from the fall, and she ran back towards the fight. But with only three action points, she barely reached the remains of the shieldwall from where she had been plucked.
From their position behind the shieldwall, Twerk and Sharptooth joined in with the charge against the Blood Fiends. Each arrived with only one action point left to make an impact. The gnome landed a blow with one of his axes, while the warg couldn’t get past the double-clawed defence. Their opponent survived, on 13 hit points.
The Blood Fiends had been pruned, but now was their chance to hit back. Three of the monsters were already embroiled in combat. Hubert’s adversary caught him only once, knocking 3 hit points from the bear’s total.
Mental was not so fortunate. Three hits got past her failing defences. Deep cuts left her on 11 hit points.
Twerk was struck twice, the deep lacerations leaving him on 19 hit points. Sharptooth suffered the same, left on 15 hit points.
The Fiends were beginning to make their mark, and there were five fully healthy warriors still to go.
Tree was the first to feel what five action points work of Blood Fiend attacks felt like. Five clawed strikes breached his defence, causing 11 points of damage.
Three of the creatures went for the ogre, probably their greatest threat. Twelve arms full of claws were impossible to deal with. It was only Og-Grim-Dog’s size that allowed him to withstand the onslaught. He was left bleeding profusely, on 21 hit points.
And one Fiend still remained. It attacked Hubert, the other obvious threat to their victory. An endless barrage of claws left cut after cut; Hubert bellowed in pain. He survived the assault with 22 hit points remaining.
“Ready yourselves!” shouted The Hoffmeister.
Pecs and Fortune joined him, preparing to defend against the Rocs, who banked in the sky ahead, turning their great bodies around for another attack.
Ashlyn watched as three of them dived for the shieldwall. She was unprepared, but at least her three comrades had set themselves up to deal with the attack.
Og-Grim-Dog had been reduced to three action points; but had the advantage of having two skilled fighters to deliver them. Except Dog’s first mace blow was a let down when they needed it, doing a mere 3 damage. Og’s pike attack did only 1 better. This wasn’t going to get them through the remaining Fiends, and the Apples wouldn’t all survive another round. Dog’s second strike did the job, 17 damage just enough for a straight kill. Blows of 6 & 3 from Og knocked down the second Fiend; and then Dog’s final attack killed the second, leaving one adversary at full health.
With six Blood Fiends left standing, the Apples still had work to do.
The first Roc came for the Hoffmeister. It bit and clawed, causing 7 damage. But Georg hit with an interrupt, the Spear of Riposte perfectly suited for a counterattack. The bird screeched as the blade raked across its side, doing 24 points of damage. It beat its wings and rose back into the air.
When the second bird came for Pecs, he threw Tree’s spear at it. It was a hit, ramming into the bird’s chest. It was only 7 points of damage, but the Roc appeared to struggle with the weapon still lodged, pulling up before it had a chance to launch its attack.
Unlike the spears, Blueblade did little to fend off the third Roc, which bit Fortune’s arm, causing five damage. However, as the bird lifted in the sky, Eddie caught one of its legs with a vicious strike, cutting right through the limb. The Roc screeched in anger, worse off by 25 hit points.
Ashlyn was relieved to see the fourth bird had been slower than the other three. Thanks to her strike with Greenblade, it had run out of action points and couldn’t dive this turn.
It was Tree’s chance for revenge. Four action points left him with decent odds. He failed with the first; clobbered it with his shield on the second; failed again with the third; and managed to kill it with axe and shield on his final attempt.
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Hubert struck his opponent on his first try, taking it down to 4 hit points. He finished it with his second blow. He then swiped at the next Fiend, dropping it to 15 hit points.
Mental’s rage had blown over, but she could still swing an axe. Her first swing was on target, finishing her wounded opponent. She moved on to the last Fiend on full health. The axe blade sank into its head, killing it instantly.
Ashlyn knew she couldn’t reach the Blood Fiends this turn. Instead, she readied Greenblade for the return of the Rocs.
Sharptooth sank his teeth into one of the Fiends and pulled, giving Twerk a perfect opportunity to end things. Both axes sank into the unbalanced creature, killing it. The gnome then moved on the last of them, already injured by Hubert. Only one axe struck this time, but that was all he needed. With that, the fifteen Blood Fiends were no more.
Does that mean we’ve finally eradicated them? Ashlyn wondered.
But The Hoffmeister, Pecs, and Fortune still had to worry about the Rocs, preparing for another round.
“Over there!” Dog shouted. The ogre lifted his mace to point across to the other side of the col.
Six more Fiends? Ashlyn did a quick calculation in her head. Oh yeah. Six left. They must have been out hunting and returned when they heard the sound of fighting. Now, those six Fiends ran towards the scene of the combat, unafraid of the squad who had killed off the rest of their host.
The next turn began with two of the Rocs descending to Ashlyn’s group of four. The first came straight for her, and she realised it was the same one that had lifted her off the ground. This was getting personal. She successfully dodged its talons, but it wasn’t giving up, catching her with a vicious bite. She was down to 12 hit points now. She thrust at it, the blade crunching into its brittle skull for 28 points of damage. It flapped away, reduced to 16 points, and Ashlyn was confident she wouldn’t be seeing the bird again.
The second bird struck Pecs with talon and beak, for 7 points of damage. With only his shield left, he was unable to strike back, and the bird lifted into the sky again.
Tree readied his battered troops as the new Blood Fiends advanced. It would be six against six. They could do with some help. But Ashlyn was also needed to fend off the Rocs, and she was too wounded for heroics.
She stayed in position and readied herself.
“Here,” Georg said, passing Victor the Spear of Riposte. “I’m going to give my hammer a go,” he added, his other hand on the handle of his close combat weapon.
Pecs nodded in silent thanks, no doubt grateful to have a weapon should one of the birds target him again.
Ashlyn watched the Rocs carefully. Two of them were readying for another attack. The one she had struck twice was moving slowly, and in a different route—surely, she reckoned, catching an air draft to carry it back to its eyrie. These birds were fearsome, but she doubted they had a death wish.
The first dove, straight for The Hoffmeister. He skipped aside, avoiding both talons and beak—but left himself too much to do to get a hit in with his hammer.
The second went for Fortune. Strikes with talon and beak dropped him to 8 hit points. But he avoided its attempts to carry him up. He lashed out with Blueblade, but the Roc was gone.
Meanwhile, the two groups of six closed on each other. Key would be who could get in first strikes, and how many.
Tree had two actions left to use. He only whittled the Blood Fiend down to 15 hit points. But that was probably good enough. The Fiends had already used 2 actions this turn; now it only had 1 left.
Hubert only had one action. His brutal swipes were hard to resist, however, and he reduced his opponent to 15 hit points.
Mental also had only the one shot. She was more than fortunate it connected, her battle-axe proving just as deadly as before.
Advantage to the Apples. Sharptooth’s strike was equally critical, his sharp claws doing 6 damage and taking an action from his adversary.
Twerk only hit once, halving the Fiend’s hit points to 12.
Now the Fiends could retaliate.
Twerk’s Fiend struck right back, taking 8 hit points from the gnome, and leaving him on 11.
Sharptooth’s Fiend had two actions to play with. It only struck once, and the warg was left on 11, just like its master.
Hubert and Tree’s opponents both missed.
The Fiend facing Og-Grim-Dog had all 3 actions remaining, and two strikes got past the ogre’s tough defences. His hit points dropped to 11, and he was now out of actions for this round.
Just the one Roc came at Ashlyn’s position this time. It went for Fortune, vicious blows from talon and claw dropping him to zero hit points. Unconscious and unable to resist, Fortune was lifted into the sky.
Pecs threw the Spear of Riposte at the bird. It struck home, delivering 24 points of damage.
The Roc released Fortune.
The Hoffmeister dived over, catching his friend and breaking his fall.
“Tree!” Ashlyn shouted, as she took in Eddie’s deathly pallor.
But Tree had his own problems. With a new turn, he had 4 action points to use. It took him 3 to finish off his adversary. He then turned and ran at the sound of Ashlyn’s desperate shouts.
Hubert finished his Fiend off in 2 actions. With his third, he swiped at the ogre’s Fiend, taking off a useful 6 hit points.
Mental chose to help out Sharptooth. She produced a hit with her second action, killing the Blood Fiend outright, and adding to her impressive tally. With her last action, she tried to help Twerk, but her strike failed to penetrate the Fiend’s scaly hide.
Ashlyn stood in front of Georg, who nestled Fortune’s lifeless body. The Rocs would have to get through her and Greenblade if they wanted to finish the job.
Sharptooth savaged Twerk’s adversary, taking its hit points down to 5. The gnome dispatched it on his first action. Only one Fiend was left standing now. He battered it with both axes, and it fell dead.
Pecs stood beside Ashlyn. He’d lost yet another weapon, and was left with only his shield once more.
Dog roared in triumph at the defeat of the Fiends, the noise echoing around the col.
No doubt that sound helped to dissuade the Rocs from trying again. Then there was the fact that all the Blood Fiends lay dead; and that two of the birds, already badly injured, had set off back to their eyrie. The two remaining birds, despite being in good health, changed course. Their long wings beat hard, as they retreated from the newcomers who had invaded their home.
The battle was won.
The Apples gathered around, as Tree tended to Fortune. He removed the stopper of his healing potion, and The Hoffmeister held Eddie up while Ashlyn opened his mouth.
“Wait,” said Wilson. “Mila already used a healing potion on him in Avolo, last year.”
“Your point?” Henning asked, in a curt voice.
“It’s hardly fair, is it?” the gnome asked. “You’ll have none left now.”
“That’s not how it works,” said the tall Hargon. “It’s given by need. That’s the only way it can be done.” He tipped the potion down Fortune’s throat.
MISSION COMPLETE
SUCCESS: The Blood Fiends were eradicated
Some of your mercs improved their stats:
Greenblade:
Skill with swords: master
Agility + 1
Twerk:
Skill with axes: master
Grit +1
Hit Points +1
Action Points +1
Sharptooth:
Might +2
Agility +2
Grit +3
Hit Points +5
Action Points +1
The Hoffmeister:
Skill with spears: expert
Grit +1
Hit Points +1
Pecs:
Grit +1
Hit Points +1
Action Points +1
Fortune:
Grit +1
Hit Points +1
Mental:
Skill with axes: master
Might +1
Hit Points +1
Tree:
Skill with bows: expert
Grit +1
Hit Points +1
Action Points +1
No mercs levelled up
