Butcher of Gadobhra Chapter 534

"Just a bit further, folks. Keep your eyes closed and hold on tight."

Ben had scoured the countryside all day, getting people to safety. Many had fled to neighbors who had invested more time in a safe dwelling. When Billy had allowed Contract Workers to build their own houses, they had kept in mind the recent corporate war and constructed their dwellings to repel invaders. Now, as many families huddled inside fortified farmhouses, the stone walls and thick Ironwood doors were keeping out the animals, and preserving the lives of the people inside. Their farm animals were turned loose to run for their lives.

But other families were on the run, trying to get to Sedgewick or the Hamlets. Ben guided them along safe paths to the safety of the Hamlets behind the thorn barriers. But this last family had been surrounded and about to be overrun. He'd landed Mudhead and loaded everyone on the horse, a child behind and in front of him, the parents holding onto the saddle with one foot in a stirrup and their hands linked to each other. It wasn't a good way to ride a flying horse, but better than getting eaten by wolves. Mudhead had galloped until he could take off, flying over a pack's heads and just barely avoiding them. As he flew over the Hamlets, Ben had seen most of the packs streaming away and heading for Sedgewick, but one village was still under attack and being defended.

The thorn barrier was down in several places, torn to pieces by a pack of Snarlfangs. The packs of wolves that got inside were too interested in the livestock in the barns, and only a few tried to dig out the tasty villagers in their houses. They were going to be disappointed. The wolves couldn't destroy the doors or walls of cottages made of stone and smoke-infused wood. They howled their frustration, trampled gardens and flowers, but did little damage other than that.

The Snarlfangs had headed to the four large, red barns filled with livestock. The barns were in a 2x2 pattern, and the farmers had filled the gaps between them with sandbags, overturned wagons, and cobbled together fencing to slow the wolves down. A few Contract Workers were working to fortify the area the best they could. And with so many of the younger villagers taking up the Hunter class, there were also hundreds of traps around the barns. Two hundred inhabitants of the surrounding Hamlets were defending their livestock, aided by the squads of soldiers sent from Rowan Keep, and the Baron and Baroness of Gadobhra.

There had been a lot of cheering as the nobles showed up, bringing bodyguards of eight-foot-tall lizardman warriors and a squadron of fully charged Bloodstone Golems. The fighting had been fierce for the last hour as the wolves circled and attacked over and over. Two of the Snarflangs were down, one each killed by Layla and Billy's bodyguards. There was a sense of competition between to two groups as they held the line and slew wolves by the score. The last Snarlfang was more canny and used its influence over the packs to send them in as massive waves from two or more directions at once. As Mudhead flew in for a heavy landing, the wolves were about to overwhelm one of the barricades held by the farmers. Many were on the ground, injured or wrestling with wolves as the canines poured in.

Ben had been conserving his mana, and now was the time to use it. As soon as the family was off Mudhead, he charged the wolves, bringing down a torrent of Phoenix Fire enhanced by the Blessing of Ra. The damage was enough to kill the wolves, and the healing saved anyone who was injured. He had to use the spell twice more before the attack broke off, and then race to the other side to do the same. Layla was holding one large gap, and Billy the other. The Legion fought bravely beside them. As the wolves broke off and reformed around the Snarlfang, Ben rode up to Billy.

"That's the last of our people from out in the wild, and the area is strangely clear of wolves, this group excepted. Everything is heading to Sedgewick. From what I could see, the town is holding out. They've got stout walls and a lot of firepower."

"Wish we had that here. Bloody hell, fighting thousands of wolves wasn't something I considered. A few monsters, sure. Predatory taxmen, greedy wizards, and politicians of all types. That's where I thought the danger lay. We need to be better prepared for next time."

Ben agreed, but also knew that the Hamlets were better protected than any other village he'd seen. "We're holding out. The fortifications you set up have done a good job, and any other village would be overrun by now. When we drive these off, we can build better."

"We will, but right now, I'm worried about that big, white Snarlfang. Most of them are only as smart as the wolves, but that one is going to be trouble. Did you catch his name? 'Frosty Goodboy, Eater of Men."

Ben scanned the creature. It turned and locked eyes with him. It wagged its tail and drooled. "Not good, he has special abilities: Leader of the Pack, Always Trouble but never Caught, and Knows the Best Tricks. I'll try to charge him and bring down the fire. Probably going to die, but I'll try and take him out."

Billy shook his head. "No, stay put and be smart, because that thing is. I've tried to lure him in. Even used Layla as bait. He knew, somehow, and didn't step into the trap. He's fast and smart. I sent Caidus and two of the Slothbots after him, but he backed off rather than fight, and led them into an ambush of wolves that tied them up. Caidus made it back, but used up half his power. The other two are exhausted and not moving. He's using all the other wolves like pawns, keeping us busy. He's got them clawing at buildings and digging through the barn walls, and I've got forty workers and farmers plugging holes with haybales and planks. But if we don't keep killing them and keep them here, I worry about what that many wolves can do to the hamlets. A few running around is no problem, but Good Boy can tear through them. And then...oh shit!" Whatever Billy was about to say, it didn't matter, as things suddenly got strange.

Howls came from all around them, and the wolves nearby began howling as well, but with a note of anxiety or fear. Another army of wolves had arrived, twice the size of the one they were dealing with now. A shiver went down Ben's spine as the dark wolves, led by a jet black Snarlfang, encircled the wolves encircling them. They braced for a charge, only to see the wolves back away from the dark army. The dark Snarfang howled, and Ben had heard that howl before. "Oh hell, I know that one."

Negotiations were over quickly. Goodboy wagged his tail, slinking forward with more wolves slowly moving up on either side of the Black Snarfang, calmly standing in front of his army. Then, Chartok charged Good Boy, turning to mist and flashing across the distance, reforming with his jawas around the other's throat. The fight only lasted a minute before Chartok ripped out his throat, and Good Boy collapsed, only to jerk and rise to his feet a moment later, a zombie Snarfang with white fur and red eyes. The rest of the dark army charged the outnumbered wolves. The human defenders held their line against frightened wolves trying to get away from the encircling undead. The battle raged for almost half an hour but was never in doubt. Every dead wolf swelled Chartok's ranks. When the last living wolf was dead and had risen as an undead slave, the black army backed away from the defenses, and the Old Wolf came closer.

"Ooooh, do my old eyes deceive me, or do we have Nobility present? It's not often that the high and mighty come out of the towers, especially on the nights I'm in town. A Baron and a Baroness? Oh...and I smell you, sneaky little Paladin. I watched you going back and forth all day on your flappy horse, gathering all these fine meals together. Thank you very much. Saved a lot of time. I haven't eaten Nobility before. I wonder if you taste like chicken?"

Billy stepped forward to the barrier and climbed on top of a wagon. "This is my land. Maybe you heard about the ghouls and what happened to them? I've faced worse than you."

"Sorry, I don't keep up on what happens in the big city. And ghouls are notoriously stupid. If you wiped them out, I applaud you. They give the undead a bad name. And the smell? I'm used to hanging around with dead things, but ghouls really stink. It's nice to see you cleaning up the place. I hear so much about Gadobhra now, but I never have time to visit."

"We aren't going down easy. Take your best shot, I'm waiting for you."

"Don't be silly, of course you are. You want to lure me into a fight, and normally I'd be up for it. But not right now. I just wanted to come by, taunt you a little bit, and sniff out any burgeoning heroes in your ranks. They're always a pain with their 'Lucky critical hits' and 'desperate charges.' I can't count the times I've died while trying to get a chicken dinner. And I'm glad I checked before charging in. You have way too many of the annoying urchins in your ranks, and I bet all of them are reading one quest or another that offers them glory and a full scholarship to a fancy school for Paladins. Instead, I think I'll head over to Sedgewick and pick up a few thousand more recruits. And then..."

"...All of your chickens belong to me. BWHAHAHAHa!!!"

Chartok turned and ran off, most of his wolves following him. But Ben saw small packs of ten to twenty slinking around, ready to harry and attack anyone who left the safety of their defenses. Billy shrugged, "Sorry, I tried to keep him talking and taunt him like you suggested. Didn't seem to work."

"You should have said something about his mother, that always works for Ozzy."

"I'll keep that in mind. Now get the hell out of here and warn Sedgewick about what's coming." Ben saluted, mounted his horse, and took to the skies. Mudhead was slow and exhausted after carrying so many people, but they should make it to Sedgewick ahead of the dark army. He hoped to hell that Ozzy had a plan to deal with them.