Constant flurries and a pale white sky limited their field of view. They crossed the invisible threshold, and Noah sighed in relief as the denser essence flooded his body. The others had odd smiles, experiencing a pleasant but foreign sensation for the first time. Noah warned them against unnecessary commotion and moved forward with hackles raised. The sensation of impending trouble had increased through the night and now weighed on him like a heavy blanket. He scanned the horizon, squinting in the harsh light, but finding nothing in his limited scope. That was when the smell hit them. A wall of acrid metallic funk filled his nostrils, and he coughed as the biting odor brought tears to his eyes. His heart sped up at the familiar scent, and he noticed the others stiffen in similar realization. Blood.
It wasn’t until an hour later that they came across the first bodies, the snow dyed red lying as a carpet before them. Disturbed by the mass of beast corpses, Noah led his others due east to sidestep the foul scene. After multiple hours of diversion, he determined that his attempt to avoid the carnage had failed and finally turned north. As the snow picked up, the blood was slowly covered, though every sinking step coated their boots in vicera. Kyle had made a noble effort to restrain himself but eventually lost control over his stomach and retched, a noise that interrupted the silent graveyard. Noah froze, straining his ears for any sign of reaction or approach. There was none. With a tense sigh, they continued forward, each hearing the racing beat of their hearts as they neared whatever had caused the devastation.
White knuckles were hidden under gauntleted hands as they clutched their weapons far too tightly. Noah constantly extended his domain, using it as an early-alert defence against hidden foes. Uneven lumps of snow were all that remained of the fallen beasts now, far too many to have been consumed for food. Hours passed, and the day turned to night, but they didn’t stop. They would find no rest among the dead nor would they be able to sleep with the threat looming an unknown distance away. As the snow ceased and clouds dissipated, the bright stars illuminated the night alongside a chilling red aurora. It was fitting he supposed as he stared at the river of red in the sky. It was the first time that he had seen the phenomena in the new world and it filled him with dread. Despite whatever symbolic meaning it carried, Jergin found himself in awe, never having seen such a sight.
“There is fire in the sky!” he exclaimed, momentarily forgetting their silence. “Only a dragon could fill the night with this visage,” he mused, his eyes wide as an involuntary smile turned his lips upward.
“It is a sign indeed,” declared Gerald as he stepped into place beside the drakon. Kyle also appreciated the sight, though his admiration was broken up with fearful glances at their surroundings.
“It is beautiful,” Noah admitted, figuring that any enemy nearby would have heard the others’ exclamations. “I only hope that it is a sign of fortune and not of peril.” The others nodded in muted agreement. They continued through the night, keeping a steady jogging pace, wanting to cover the distance while maintaining battle-readiness.
An hour after the sun rose in the east, they heard a sound like thunder in the distance. Noah’s heart skipped a beat and his mind snapped to attention. Minutes later, the sound came again. Though they had better visibility, they could not make out the source of the noise. Adrenaline coursed through them, and they picked up speed without meaning to, making their way ever north. Noah knew that they had several more weeks of travel ahead of them and found it unlikely that they would make it past whatever creature lay ahead. So, instead of seeking distance or waiting it out, they moved toward the sound. The thundering booms continued every couple minutes until they suddenly stopped after a roar of anguish echoed across the mountain. It had been a fight.
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After a span of silence, a loud rumbling permeated the air, along with a constant vibration in the earth. Minutes passed before the beasts finally came into sight. Of course. If Recter and Ta’Ku were present they would have recognized the beasts immediately. Before them was an endless horde of bulls, each with coppery skin and hulking bodies. After several minutes, they caught a flash of red, high above the shoulders of the others. An enraged lowing filled the air, and the herd of cattle came to a stop. Gusts of wind that Noah swore came from the beast's nostrils were all that could be heard for a tense heartbeat. Then, the massive red bull turned in their direction and let out a loud, rumbling bellow.
At first, the charge was slow, but it quickly developed into a stampede that shook the earth. As Noah looked on, he briefly wondered if he should just accept his fate. This nihilistic musing was interrupted by the frantic yelling of Kyle.
“Noah! Noah! What do we do?” the boy demanded. Noah woke from his stupor and gritted his teeth. He scanned the area for any favorable terrain but came up empty. Part of him wondered why the herd hadn’t passed into the higher realm yet, as he had predicted on their trip down the mountain. He supposed that it was possible they simply wanted to claim this area, or perhaps that not all of their number had reached Copper, but the sheer amount of bodies strewn across the frozen expanse gave him pause. It was as if every other horde had served as fodder for the one before him, and he could hardly imagine the quantity of XP that had been transferred in the process. What do I do? We can’t outrun them, nor can we hope to fight them all and come out the other side.
The stampede didn’t wait for his deliberation, and Noah found that he didn’t have the luxury of choice. He turned to the others and saw them shaking in terror. No. It can’t end like this. Not for Kyle, not for any of us.
“Weapons at the ready!” he shouted, far louder than he normally would have. The trembling trio started and were momentarily stunned before grasping the meaning of his words. They all withdrew their weapons, the two ranged fighters favoring swords over bows for this exchange. Once Noah saw their readiness, he spoke again.
“I’m not going to lie. This will be a long and treacherous battle—one that could end for any of us in a single moment of error. Listen carefully if you want a chance to survive. I will stand at the front and receive the charge, and you will form a line directly behind me. Do not allow yourself to get impaled upon passing beasts by stepping out of line. Our only hope will be to form a position with the bodies of the fallen beasts. I have done this before to some success, and the durability and mass of the bulls should prove up to the task. If you strike, strike quick, and be ready to release your weapon if it gets stuck in a passing beast. If you fall to the ground, it is unlikely that you will make it,” Noah stated. “Understood?” The three shouted their agreement and stepped into file behind Noah as the stampede neared.
Noah made sure to watch for the lead beast and was relieved to find it watching from the back of the herd. While that pointed to additional cunning and intelligence, it may also provide an opportunity for the four to gain a foothold in the battle.
Noah stood tall before the others and hefted his shining black hammer. To a human, he would have been a terrifying sight, appearing as a jet-black, humanoid dragon. When the first bull was 50 yards away, he lurched forward into a full sprint, closing the distance in moments. His hammer whistled through the air as he swung with all his might. The crunch of the impact could be felt throughout Noah’s body and was audible to the others as they ran several feet behind him. The bull’s momentum was brought to zero in an instant and the hammer drove its thick skull a foot into the dirt. Noah stared in amazement at his weapon for a brief moment before the next bull toppled over the new tripping hazard. He swung again, this time diagonally, sending the bull careening into oncoming beasts. It caused several others to topple as they failed to stop or step aside in time. It was only thanks to his domain that he registered the bull that came from his blindspot, and he spun with hammer in hand, meeting the charging bull’s horn with his weapon. The horn fractured and his hammer continued forward, slamming into its head. Before he could follow up the attack, Jergin plunged his spear into the beast's neck, silencing any further resistance. Noah looked up into a sea of bronze muscle and grinned. Perhaps they had a chance.
