EA Chapter 20 - Intermission: The Ashlands Massacre

Wailing sandstorms crossed the dunes of the Ashlands, kicking up great grey clouds that were near blinding in their intensity. The Ninth Expeditionary Force had, by Captain Quirk’s estimation, ventured deeper than any prior expedition.

But it was as if the world itself was actively working to hamper their efforts. The ashborn grew larger, stronger, and more determined. The weather became harsher and more erratic, as if actively trying to divert them back to the Bulwark. Yet the Ninth pressed on. Quirk led a Party of very capable warriors, all of them being adept enough to handle the threats that came their way.

He, a veteran Paladin, was more than capable of fending off most threats head on, side by side with their Brawler. Their Arcanist and Ranger were masters off ranged combat, complimenting their technique perfectly. And whenever they were injured, or their food grew scarce, their Cleric was always on hand.

Try as the Ashlands might to rebuff them, the Ninth had forged on like a relentless spearhead. They wanted to see beyond the eternally raging sandstorms. To either reach the heart of the Ashlands, or at least glimpse whatever bordered the Ashlands.

“Form up!” Quirk roared, raising his halberd rifle high. The quartz in the chamber glowed red hot, the tip aimed toward a colossal figure pounding toward him on four rock-encrusted limbs. Ogres were a common sight deeper into the Ashlands, and were among the stronger breeds of Ashborn, where even the smaller ones were thrice the height of the average man.

Five dead ogres littered the ground near the charging, earth-shaking beast, their shattered remains already partway submerged in the ashen soil.

A lance of ruby light shot from Quirk’s halberd, then another and another, each ray carving a chunk from the ogre’s massive ridged hand. It raised a hand, pronged with three sharp claws, trying to shield its quad of luminous golden eyes. Just as Quirk had wanted.

Venn, the Arcanist, slapped her hands to the ground and let her aura erupt around her in a blaze of of jade fire. The soil rippled, bending to her command, becoming a sinkhole that sucked the ogre down to its waist and then hardened again. She was, after all, a master of the Way of Elements. Bending the earth in a great swathe was trivial to her.

The ground shattered as the ogre fought to pull free, uprooting great chunks of rock and sending them hurtling dozens of meters into the air. The struggling still gave Orden, the Brawler, a chance to rush in. The dark-skinned man cleaved through the air like a bullet, his body ablaze with his own qi, and he struck the ogre’s head with a blow like a thunderclap. Great scales broke off the beast’s head, making the creature howl in pain. But, already, the rocky flesh of the ogre was starting to mend itself back together.

“I got a clear shot!” Nysha called, drawing her bowstring tight. An arrow gleamed, the steel tip wreathed in a tongue of golden light summoned by Enzo, the Cleric. She loosed five shots in the blink of an eye, her hands a blur, striking the weakened sections of the ogre’s head. Each impact unleashed a golden explosion, tearing away chunks of stone to better reveal the glossy black core of the beast.

Quirk grinned and sprinted forward, his feet fracturing the ground with every step. His qi and faith surged through his body in unison, summoning forth a blaze of golden fire on the edge of his halberd. He leapt high, cleaving toward the thrashing ogre before it could fully recover, and swung fiercely at the exposed clear. It was tough, like trying to slice a block of solid steel. Yet the blazing halberd cleaved it with ease.

The ogre died them and there, a final hissing shriek rising from its massive maw, while broken chunks of matter fell away from it.

Quirk landed on his feet, huffing for air. “Well done, everyone. I think we’re clear.”

Enzo raised his staff aloft, the gemstone in the wood glowing from his qi, while he scanned their surroundings with his one remaining eye. “I can’t sense anything else in the area. By Zehud, I thought that would be the end of us.”

Nysha snorted, sauntering over to the corpse to retrieve her arrows. She was a beastkin, but that was impossible to tell at a glance with how her hood concealed her coyote-like ears from sight. “We’ve killed plenty of ogres by now. Starting to get a little boring if you ask me.”

Enzo glared at her back. “Would you rather we be fighting off hordes of drakes?” he asked.

Orden grinned, exposing rows of great yellow teeth. “Sounds fun.”

“Big Guy gets me,” Nysha remarked, chuckling.

Quirk and Venn exchanged a look of mutual annoyance. “Need I remind you that we are not out here for fun? We’re here for the sake of the kingdom,” Venn said.

“Gotta derive enjoyment where we can, yeah?” Orden replied, shrugging.

“Considering how shitty our current situation is.” Nysha pulled a map from her back, the parchment marked by a series of graphite smudges. “But by my reckoning... I guess we should be proud. Crossed more than fifteen miles into the Ashlands. Gotta be a record.”

“You’re not wrong,” Venn admitted. She scanned their surroundings, at the great whirlwinds of blinding ash that swept endlessly across the dunes.

“We should camp for now, all the same. Stock up and recuperate. Enzo, summon some water for us.” Quirk turned to the cleric, who had started to raise his staff overhead.

One moment Enzo was standing tall. The next instant a smoking hole had erupted in his chest, and he was crumpling bonelessly to the ground.

“Enzo!” Quirk shouted, rushing to his fallen ally.

“Contact!” Orden roared, his mirth instant replaced with white hot rage. “We’re under atta-” Something swept the massive Brawler off his feet, vanishing into the churning whirlwind of ash.

“What in damnation?!” Nysha barked. She nocked an arrow, her eyes wide with fright. “Orden you son of a bitch... you better get back here, now!”

Only the sound of the wailing wind answered her at first. And then something whirled through the plumes of ash, and landed with a thud a short distance from the group. Quirk looked up from Enzo’s body as Nysha’s scream filled the air, and saw that it was Orden’s severed head that had been flung back their way. Something had gouged his eyes out.

“Gods,” Venn whispered.

“Form up!” Quirk roared, rushing to his allies. “Whatever’s out there is trying to pick us off! Don’t let it!” He managed to reach his two allies, and stood to attention with Venn while Nysha screamed and fired arrows into the ashen whirlwind. Lightning flashed somewhere on the horizon, trailed by a boom of thunder a few seconds later.

“Come out you FUCKER!” Nysha screamed, continuing to shoot her arrows into the gloom. “So help me, I’ll tear your head off!”

“Damnit Nysha, calm d-”

Lightning flashed again. This time summoning a great explosion that struck right at their feet. Qurik felt the whole world spin around hum, his qi ablaze in his muscles as an automatic defence. It was strong enough to keep him in one piece... but only barely.

He’d never been hit so hard before, his whole body shuddering as he struck the ground like a comet. Not by ogres, not by drakes, not even by rogue Arcanists.

Quirk rose shakily to his feet, using his halberd as a makeshift crutch. “Venn!” he cried out. “Nysha!”

No answer.

His vision slowly grew stable, at which point he was able to see a great smoking crater that had been gouged into the earth. Nothing remained of his allies, save for chunks of sizzling, blackened meat. Tears welled in Quirk’s eyes, his jaw hanging slack.

“What... in the world...?”

Through blurring vision he could just about see a humanoid silhouette framed against the whiling ash, floating a few meters off the ground. The slim figure appeared to be adorned in robes, flowing and flapping against the breeze.

“You...” Quirk gripped his halberd tighter, staring at the shape which barely stirred at his words. “You killed my people! Face me! So help me, I’ll cut you down for their sake!”

The figure turned. Lightning flashed again.

The next attack came so fast that Quirk didn’t even see what killed him.

Thus died the Ninth Expeditionary Force. Killed for having the audacity to venture too deep into the Ashlands.