“A weapon from the inner vault to any who kills Longhorn Faust, and let no member of the Free Horde leave this floor alive! Any may be possessed.” Zif shouted as he passed the stunned leader of the Rout. Minotaurs from the Free Horde began to clump together wherever they stood moving away from the charging golems as little vile demons that took abhorrent multilimb ephemeral forms circled them in a scrum of fighting among themselves. The minotaurs with the green sashes shouted at their fellow minotaurs to hold their blades or denied the demons around them. No one was willing to approach them as the demons circled. “We need to move,.” Franco said as Zif’s words echoed in the space.
“Stick together, the Free Horde are in green and don’t kill anyone else unless you have to.” Gull said with a long dark blue wand in his third hand as he and Finn moved after Zif.
“Sarah go rogue.” Frazier said as she looked over her team.
“Finally.” Sarah said with a wide smile coming to her face as she flipped up her cowl tucking her long red braid of hair into it.
“Dont, not with what's out there. We don't know how this will play out.” Franco hissed at their stupidity. Sarah scoffed at him but Frazier grew angry.
“I’m team Captain here, Sarah get going.” Frazier snapped.
Sarah drew her Gold rated dagger and blended into the background around her, almost completely disappearing from Franco’s sight as she started to move.
“You’ll get her killed,.” Franco said in a snarl. He knew he was right. This was not the place for that dagger. Who knows what levels or artifacts were in play here let alone the Demons.
Frazier shot him a hard look, auto crossbow in hand
“Shut up, we don't have time for this. Maph takes the lead and follows Gull, Franco behind him. Get moving.”
They moved out together with less than twenty seconds passing since Faust took the Demons deal. When a Free Horde minotaur in a clump of his clan members on the first line of barricades began to scream in a way that overpowered all other noses in the chamber. Franco saw some half human women, half bat demon ethereal form begin to merge with the younger looking minotaur. The chamber went quiet for just a second until Orla the Goblin Chieftain of the Obsidian Way Tribe flicked her right wrist at the screaming minotaur just thirty feet away from her and a two foot spear of obsidian launched towards the now falling minotaur. Piecing his armor and lancing through his shoulder.
“Kill all the Free Horde, no deals with the Old Ones.” Orla bellowed as she shot another lance of Obsidian into the group of Free Horde minotaurs. The brief second of inaction vanished as goblins began to fight with Free Horde minotaurs throughout the room.
Longhorn Eike shouted in a heavy anger-laced tone at his clan to kill the Free Horde. Many had already decided to do so. More of the Free Horde minotaurs started to be possessed. Many more than twenty. Franco wondered what the deal had said exactly. The Free Horde members that could make it were gathering around their Longhorn and the demon who’s hands he still yelled as they started to move towards the armory door.
Goblins and Rout minotaurs fought them on the edges. The Demon’s voice was still light and cheery and still able to be heard by Franco even if a small battlefield separated them.
“Oh should we see what's inside.” The Demon said as he let go of the Longhorn and turned him to face the open vault before pushing him towards it. With his back to most of his clan now the main body of Free Horde warriors started to be possessed. Zif halfway through the chamber ran into his first group of Free Horde warriors, half already in some stage of possession by the lesser demons. Zif had tried to barrel through the small group but hit something so hard it sent him to the ground on his back where the half crazed minotaurs attacked him, until the other golems got there. Franco ran behind Maph until the dogpile around Zif grew as a wild melee was forming around the down Golem as frenzied minotaurs in green sashes traded blows with golems and took blows from goblins or other minotaurs that would have crippled a normal man.
Maph was suddenly trading blows with a minotaur welding a two handed sword. While Franco dove left, away from his group as an ice lance shot out at him. Oaken started to exchange shots of magic with a Free Hoad minotaur mage that looked in control of himself and was using the next line of barricades as cover. While Frazier had put two bolts into the mad minotaur fighting Maph but now had her Desanigh blade in her right hand autobolt in her left fighting a smaller minotaur rogue. Franco scrambled back onto his feet in time to parry an overextended spear thrust and put a magic bolt into the beastman’s face. Sending the minotaur stumbling back a few steps but not out of the fight.
Franco with his feet under him again lunged out taking the minotaur in his off hand armpit and then put another magic bolt into the wound and then a third shot of his wand blew out the right eye. It collapsed dying but Franco had to spin away, turning a killing slash by a sword from his blind side into one that scored the back of his shoulder armor and cut him above his elbow.
He loosed three hasty shots of his wand only connecting with one as he spun. Catching the opponent's sword arm just enough to halt a follow up swing allowing Franco to use [Cleaving Strike] and cut off the sword arm above the elbow. He stepped back and cut the minotaur across his throat as he did so. While both hands were full he stepped closer to his teammates fights but still took the risk of activating his ring of Sure Footed. With no opponent near him he turned and put three shots into the back of a minotaur that was trading sword blows with Oaken. With his short sword Oaken was holding off the non crazed minotaur but the skinny minotaur woman had some kind of magic protection as the magic bolts only caused her to jerk from the surprise, but Oaken was well trained enough by his father to take the opportunity and cut the minotaur across her inner thigh. Sending her to the ground where Oaken stabbed her in her head before he stepped away, closer to Franco.
The two didn't say anything because there was no time. There was fighting all around them as Franco scanned the fight looking for his team members but he put his last magic bolts into a massive, now three armed, dual sword wielding and foaming at the mouth, green sashed minotaur that was fighting a blue sashed minotaur and a goblin at the same time and winning. Franco’s shots tore open the minotaurs side sending him to the ground where the goblin pounced on him and stabbed him through an eye. Oaken was doing the same looking for their teammates while helping other fights until he saw Maph and Frazier twenty feet away. They had their backs to a line of barricades while fighting three normal looking minotaurs. Oaken nudged Franco and started to hurry over. Both Oaken and Franco let loose shock bolts, missing both their targets but causing one of the three to turn to face them. At that moment Sarah appeared next to the turning minotaur stabbing him through the neck as she turned and put a dagger into the butt check of the minotaur fighting Maph. She then hopped back and sheathing and unsheathing her Gold rated dagger disappeared again. Maph cut down his wounded opponent which caused the third one to try and fall back allowing Frazier to run him through with her Desanigh blade cutting through his poor chainmail as he looked to his side.
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Franco got to her while she quickly reloaded her auto crossbow. Oaken trilling loudly pointed to where Zif, now back on his feet, fought alone. Four of the lesser golems by him laid on the ground destroyed. While the rest were closer to where their team stood. Zif’s four arms were blurring as he moved in rapid attacks and parries as half possessed minotaurs attacked him, most being able to block or absorb a few hits before being cut down. At least a dozen lay dead at his feet.
Finn and Gull were nearby. Gull using a partially destroyed section of barricade as cover to protect his back shooting [Ice Lances] and [Magic Bolts] into the attacking crowd while Finn was trading blows with a sword and shield wielding Minotaur that had two feet of height on him but still staggered every time Finn landed a blow with his now glowing mace. Maph drank a healing potion and then they were off trying to reach Zif but getting intercepted again. A backward falling corpse crashed into Franco’s right side causing him to stumble until he could shrug off the heavy body. He still took a heavy blow to his side as the two handed hammer wielding minotaur that was about to crush his chest in after killing the other guy couldn't follow through as Oaken blew open half his head with a Light Arrow. Franco hoped that one of his organs had not ruptured from that hit as pain raced up his body as he spun to see where Oaken had just sent another [Light Arrow]. Two minotaurs were falling dead, pin-cushioned from what looked to be a full magazine of Frazier's bolts in them. The Light Arrow had been unneeded so Franco contoured to move until Zif was in sight.
Closer to him Maph’s sword was high and fully extended from an upswing to parry another massive two handed sword twisted his body bringing his sword back closer to his chest point straight up. Maph then with a quick step back brought the sword down in a quick downward slash, cutting through one horn before the blade cut across the minotaur’s face and upper body. All before the minotaur could bring his sword back from his swing. The way was clear and Franco moved past Maph.
“On your left Zif.” Franco said as he lunged to try and take a frenzied minotaur from the side. They spun towards him and parried the lunge with a rapier and snapping out with their free hand grabbed Franco’s sword arm at the elbow and pulled him closer.
“Father wants to talk to you” a voice from another world emerged from the bloody snout of the minotaur. Franco didn't reply but while still being held put two Shock Bolts into the body of the possessed. Sending electricity through himself also and locking himself up. Frazier put a bolt into the handsy demon possessed minotaur’s cheek, allowing Franco to shake free and throw off the now dead fighter.
Zif had cut his way forward another fifty feet while another two golems lay dead behind him. He now only had three swords and was fighting two Abominations of flesh and metal. They blocked and traded blows with the giant golem and his two Jade blades. Franco put a few shots of Shock Bolt into one and it blackened the flesh where it hit. Hissing it caused the thing to shudder but it did little else.
Zif just barely turned his head and shouted. “Do not let any escape.” He bellowed but didn't look back as he fought.
Franco couldn't help himself and looked back to see that a group of thirty or so Free Horde minotaurs had broken past the first line of barricades and were now running towards the door. Several fell to arrows and spells that flew after them but most of them made it into the stairwell. Franco turned to get back in the fight but he wondered how many had made it. Was it twenty? He didn't know why but he felt certain that at least twenty survived and they were all going to be possessed. The cost had been twenty possessed minotaurs which Franco knew were going to be the only Free Horde clan members who would ever leave this floor alive.
A third Abomination of melded flesh suddenly appeared to the left of Zif. It seemed to explode out of the body of a nearby minotaur that had been lying face first on the ground. Its five arms were attached to an almost perfect sphere of flesh that was both body and head as it had a dozen large eyes spaced around it and three fat stubby legs attached to the underside of this sphere body head. Bigger than any one minotaur body could have held. It scuttered like a crab towards Zif.
Franco while switching out wands in his left hand jumped in front of the thing. Saber out in his right hand hoping it would run itself onto his saber. It easily hopped to the side while spinning. Avoiding his saber and putting two crude sword-like arms towards him attacking as it tried to pass by him. Franco moving away from Zif and to the side with more arms pulled up his flame spray wand and let loose a full seven seconds of fire onto the monster. Maph was there now opposite Franco and hacking at its limbs as fire engulfed its body. A waning screech emerged from the thing and Franco jumped towards it with a slash as soon as the seven seconds was up.
Still aflame it hopped spun again and all five crude sword arms lashed out. Franco got driven to the ground mid leap as one simply knocked him down while a second of its arms cut him through his armor and into his side almost from belly button to small of his back as Franco fell to the ground. Maph got a penetrating upward cut. From navel to throat and collapsed. Still aflame the Abomination moved to finish Franco off who was struggling to get to a healing potion. His arms had no strength and his vision was already narrowing. When Finn the old Kimber [Vagabond Merchant] stepped in between it and Franco. He swung his large mace to meet the killing blow that had been meant for Franco. Finn shouted the Ability before the mace met the sword arm.
“[Disarming Blow]”.
The sword arm of the Abomination tore off the body of the accursed thing and went flying to the side. It staggered and then hop spun again to put three sword arms facing Finn.
Gull was suddenly there over Franco while keeping his head up and looking at the fight. Franco saw the old [Water Mage] crouched down over him and with his third arm pull off a healing potion from Franco's adventurer's belt and popping off the cork poured it down Franco’s mouth as another arm of his held his head up. Franco felt his vision starting to clear and knew he wasn't going to die but the wound on his side hadn’t fully closed yet. It had been that deep of a cut. Most of the healing potion had gone to mend his internal injuries first. He was still coming back to himself when Gull patted him on the shoulder and got up to help Finn who had crushed another arm. Franco could see that Oaken and Frazier were dragging Maph back who looked white as a corpse but was still breathing.
A sudden split in the air appeared as Finn and Zif stepped back from the Abominations they fought as Gull stood just a few feet away from Franco now and before the three monsters could do anything a [Tidal Wave] of sea water poured out of the sky, rushing forward sending everything in front of it tumbling. Franco was amazed at the sight as he pulled free another Healing potion. All three abominations went tumbling from Gulls capstone Ability. Knocking over barricades, Free Horde warriors and fighters from both The Rout and the Goblins. Cleaning the way to the Armory door. Gull had aimed it to the right of the door but had caught most of the Free Horde fighters in it. One of the Abominations near the edge of the tidal wave was able to roll free from it after just two seconds in the water. Now a good hundred feet away. It shook itself like a dog and then stabbed into the passing wave of water and pulled out a frenzied half possessed minotaur. Franco watched this as he poured half a healing potion onto his side wound.
He watched as the Abomination with a minotaur pierced through its stomach on one of its five sword arms rocked back that arm and threw it at Gull, all within seconds of being washed away. Franco rolled away, losing the other half of his last healing potion. While Gull used his [Dodge] Ability. Easily avoiding being hit by the thrown minotaur but to his surprise not avoiding the sword it held in its thrashing hand. The sword cut halfway into Gull’s head and then lodging itself there pulled the corpse of Gull to the ground as the minotaur flew past
