Strength of Stone
Micro Conto — NQ6
“We must destroy those stones before our adversaries unleash their full potential.” These words from Everblight lingered in Thagrosh’s mind as he advanced through the hills, his spawn following on his heels.
Rapture vibrated with potency in his hands as he swept the great double-blade around with inhuman power to cleave clean through the center Tharn.
Thagrosh felt a rush of blighted heat through the handle of his blade as the Tharn’s form exploded into sizzling ash, the flesh instantly consumed from within and obliterated. This ash filled the air as a choking and burning haze, searing the two Tharn on either side, consuming their flesh. One fell outright, twitching and convulsing along the rocks of the hillside, while the other bared its teeth at Thagrosh and tried to bring its axe back for another swing. By the limitless power of his athanc, Thagrosh’s blade was a blur in his grasp, slicing through and easily annihilating the last two creatures as he waded through clouds of ash, his flesh immune to its sting. The wound on his side closed as he walked, strength drawn from the Carnivean behind him.
He recalled his vision as he approached his destination deep in the Vescheneg Headlands. He could see the three great stones now through the trees at the top of the hill, just as he had foreseen them.
He could almost feel their rough surfaces beneath his hands. They would crumble and fall beneath his claws. Diving into Everblight’s mind he had discovered a swirl of portents around these stones, and something Everblight called the Feast Lord. An enemy Thagrosh must forestall if possible.
The Seraph flew past him and above, its wings sweeping through the cold air, and through its eyes the Prophet saw a force awaiting him above, just back from the stones was a stout man leaning upon a sword of stone. At the center of the triangle made by the ancient monoliths was one of the great constructs of the druids, an animated warrior of stone and wood; Thagrosh had faced them before. Clearly they anticipated his arrival. Thagrosh gnashed his teeth at the way the druids kept foreseeing his plans and moved to thwart him. It was one reason he had undertaken this task personally. “It is of no consequence,” the dragon whispered to him, “Crush them. We will unravel the mystery of their foresight after.”
The ogrun sent his spawn ahead, whispering to the eager mind of the Carnivean and the hungry shredders that followed alongside. They did not enjoy feasting on druid constructs, but the two-headed hounds circling the outside of the stones would appease their appetites. Thagrosh sent the Carnivean flanking to his left, while the shredders went to the right. He kept the Seraph nearer to him as he advanced up the middle. The flying spawn sensed by its eyeless awareness another threat lurking in the trees surrounding the stones, another man transformed into a beast, heavily muscled and covered in bone-like spurs, a Warpwolf.
The man watching his approach did not betray the familiar stink of
fear as was customary with those Thagrosh faced. He stood in a wide stance, resolutely facing the ogrun, both hands folded on the hilt of his strange weapon.
“Stop, Blighted One. Come against me in this blessed place and your destruction is assured.” The man’s voice did not quaver as he spoke these ridiculous words, and Thagrosh felt the overpowering urge to punish him for his temerity.
Thagrosh’s spawn maneuvered into position by the urging of his mental commands, circling the beasts of his enemy and awaiting the command to strike. Thagrosh addressed the druid, “You are less than an insect in this struggle. Flee and you may yet live.”
As he spoke his spawn moved on his mental orders, spreading out to either side to engage the guardians of the stones. The Carnivean charged toward the Warpwolf while his shredders launched themselves in a rabid frenzy against
the double-headed hounds. The Seraph stroked its wings overhead to get close enough to wash the druid in its blighted breath, angling clear of the towering Woldwarden in the center. Thagrosh felt enormous satisfaction as his spawn were unleashed, knowing another enemy was about to fall.
The druid across the forested hilltop flickered and vanished. Thagrosh snarled, scanning the trees to either side before spotting his foe, coalescing from the shadows near a tree beside his Carnivean. The stout man raised his enormous stone sword above his head and brought it crashing down onto the armored plates of the Carnivean, shattering through and sinking into its hardened flesh. The spawn’s flesh suddenly took on a dusty pallor, chalking and becoming brittle by some strange process of calcification. The druid swung another terribly blow, shattering the forward right leg of the Carnivean just as the warpwolf leapt through the trees beside him to tear into its hide. In a few short moments Thagrosh saw his proud spawn dismembered.
“Kill him!” Thagrosh roared, and the Seraph hastened to obey, beating its double-wings to execute a wide turn back toward the druid’s new position, gliding closer to the ground as it lost altitude and stroked its muscled wings to regain speed. It nimbly avoided the construct, but the Woldwarden slammed its fists into the earth, and across the distance spikes of stone shot up like stalagmites right below the Seraph, piercing its torso and shredding the webbed flesh between its wings, knocking it to the ground.
Thagrosh felt the searing hatred of the athanc in his chest, the dragon’s awareness exploding full bloom across his mind. There was no more time for games; he had underestimated this adversary. The stones were all that mattered. He roared and charged the first pillar, leveraging Rapture’s edge into its granite mass with a clap like thunder.
