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The Doomed Bastards: Reckoning (story complete)
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3415553" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 130</p><p></p><p>RUNNING</p><p></p><p></p><p>The surrouding night was pushed back by a bubble of light as the eight surviving members of the company of fifteen from Camar ran along the dark road north. They made a considerable among of noise, mostly from the clanking armor of the group’s fighters. But a deeper noise filled the night, a faint, rhythmic thumping that shook the ground at regular intervals. </p><p></p><p>“It’s gaining again,” Shay said, bringing up the rear of the company. She was by far their fastest, even without taking her magical boots into account, but she had spent much of the last two hours doubling back, checking on the status of their pursuer. </p><p></p><p>They had considered dropping their heavy armor, which would have added considerably to their average speed. But that would have only postponed the inevitable; Shay had reported that the thing following them was faster than any of them than she herself. Or that was to say, it moved slowly, but it was so damned <em>big</em>, that each stride it took carried it over ground that the humans had to spend dozens of steps to cover. Talen had also suggested sending those without armor on ahead, but he’d barely gotten the first sentence out before Shay and Allera had both vetoed the plan.</p><p></p><p>“We can outpace it in sprints, but I don’t think it’ll need to rest,” Shay had told them, shortly after they’d crossed the river at the swollen ford. They’d lost time there; the swollen river had barely paused the monster at all.</p><p></p><p>“It will not stop as long as there are living bodies ahead of it,” Varo had noted, in his usual dark candor. </p><p></p><p>“We’re going to have to stop and face it,” Talen said, for the third time since their flight had begun. “We may as well have it be when we have at least some strength left to us.”</p><p></p><p>They were already flagging. The fighters had the strongest constitutions, allowing them to keep up the hurried pace. But even with all excess gear discarded, the weight of their armor was slowing them down. Serah, not used to such extremes of physical activity, had already removed her breastplate, and while she was not complaining, she looked far from rested. Allera, accompanied openly again by Snaggletooth, who had survived the undead siege at Alderford without difficulty, was helping everyone she could, but her healing powers were all but depleted. She gave them each herbs to chew, mild stimulants that helped them keep putting one foot in front of the other. </p><p></p><p>“I have told you, that we have little chance against the creature,” Varo said. </p><p></p><p>“Maybe we can draw it off,” Galen said. “Make it chase us off the road, give the refugees more time.”</p><p></p><p>Talen shook his head. “This terrain is pretty rugged,” he said. “It will slow us greatly, but from what Shay’s said, I don’t think it will inconvenience the creature much. And if it doesn’t follow us, there will be nothing we can do to stop it before it gets to the refugees.”</p><p></p><p>“Further, you are forgetting the shadows,” Varo pointed out. Several of the undead monsters had attacked since the ford, coming out of the night sky or rising from the ground ahead of them. They had been few in numbers, attacking in small groups, and Varo and Serah had turned or cowed them each time. Talen had used <em>Beatus Incendia</em> to swiftly destroy those held in thrall by Varo. But several of them had been slightly drained of strength, and the harassment was keeping them on edge, preventing them from relaxing their vigilance for even a few seconds. “If we depart from the road, the creatures will be able to come on us from any direction, and we will have a much harder time responding to their attacks swiftly.”</p><p></p><p>“Varo, if we do have to fight it, what can we do to kill it?” Talen asked. </p><p></p><p>“I know little of that type of undead creature,” the cleric admitted. “In theory, they can be hacked to pieces like any other corporeal undead, but it will be... difficult. A being of that size will have incredible durability, and the material of its construction will provide further resistance to damage. Blessed weapons may be of some use; I think your blade may be the only thing that can seriously discomfit it, commander.”</p><p></p><p>“I can enchant a weapon with blessed power,” Serah said, huffing slightly. “But the spell does not last long, a few minutes, at best.”</p><p></p><p>“Do it for Sextus or Octavius, then, if it comes to that,” Talen said. “Galen’s axe is already magical.” Galen nodded; he’d recovered his heritage weapon when they’d fled from the cottage. </p><p></p><p>“The decision may be made for us soon,” Shay pointed out. “We’ve got to be outpacing that last caravan of refugees, and we will almost certainly come upon them before too much longer.”</p><p></p><p>“All right,” Talen said. “Start looking for a place that favors defense.”</p><p></p><p>“That hill on the left,” Shay said. It was tough to see with their magical torches damaging their night vision, but up ahead the road seemed to curve between two rows of low hills, rising up out of the ground like sets of knuckles. The largest knuckle on the left was topped by a hillock that rose maybe fifty feet above the level of the road, and was covered in big boulders that looked to offer decent cover. </p><p></p><p>“Oh, crap,” Talen exclaimed. For as they came close enough to see the curve of the road, they saw light sources, which inevitably resolved a minute later into the slow-moving tendril of the refugee column, already jammed into the tight space between the hills. </p><p></p><p>“Checkmate,” Varo said.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 3415553, member: 143"] Chapter 130 RUNNING The surrouding night was pushed back by a bubble of light as the eight surviving members of the company of fifteen from Camar ran along the dark road north. They made a considerable among of noise, mostly from the clanking armor of the group’s fighters. But a deeper noise filled the night, a faint, rhythmic thumping that shook the ground at regular intervals. “It’s gaining again,” Shay said, bringing up the rear of the company. She was by far their fastest, even without taking her magical boots into account, but she had spent much of the last two hours doubling back, checking on the status of their pursuer. They had considered dropping their heavy armor, which would have added considerably to their average speed. But that would have only postponed the inevitable; Shay had reported that the thing following them was faster than any of them than she herself. Or that was to say, it moved slowly, but it was so damned [i]big[/i], that each stride it took carried it over ground that the humans had to spend dozens of steps to cover. Talen had also suggested sending those without armor on ahead, but he’d barely gotten the first sentence out before Shay and Allera had both vetoed the plan. “We can outpace it in sprints, but I don’t think it’ll need to rest,” Shay had told them, shortly after they’d crossed the river at the swollen ford. They’d lost time there; the swollen river had barely paused the monster at all. “It will not stop as long as there are living bodies ahead of it,” Varo had noted, in his usual dark candor. “We’re going to have to stop and face it,” Talen said, for the third time since their flight had begun. “We may as well have it be when we have at least some strength left to us.” They were already flagging. The fighters had the strongest constitutions, allowing them to keep up the hurried pace. But even with all excess gear discarded, the weight of their armor was slowing them down. Serah, not used to such extremes of physical activity, had already removed her breastplate, and while she was not complaining, she looked far from rested. Allera, accompanied openly again by Snaggletooth, who had survived the undead siege at Alderford without difficulty, was helping everyone she could, but her healing powers were all but depleted. She gave them each herbs to chew, mild stimulants that helped them keep putting one foot in front of the other. “I have told you, that we have little chance against the creature,” Varo said. “Maybe we can draw it off,” Galen said. “Make it chase us off the road, give the refugees more time.” Talen shook his head. “This terrain is pretty rugged,” he said. “It will slow us greatly, but from what Shay’s said, I don’t think it will inconvenience the creature much. And if it doesn’t follow us, there will be nothing we can do to stop it before it gets to the refugees.” “Further, you are forgetting the shadows,” Varo pointed out. Several of the undead monsters had attacked since the ford, coming out of the night sky or rising from the ground ahead of them. They had been few in numbers, attacking in small groups, and Varo and Serah had turned or cowed them each time. Talen had used [i]Beatus Incendia[/i] to swiftly destroy those held in thrall by Varo. But several of them had been slightly drained of strength, and the harassment was keeping them on edge, preventing them from relaxing their vigilance for even a few seconds. “If we depart from the road, the creatures will be able to come on us from any direction, and we will have a much harder time responding to their attacks swiftly.” “Varo, if we do have to fight it, what can we do to kill it?” Talen asked. “I know little of that type of undead creature,” the cleric admitted. “In theory, they can be hacked to pieces like any other corporeal undead, but it will be... difficult. A being of that size will have incredible durability, and the material of its construction will provide further resistance to damage. Blessed weapons may be of some use; I think your blade may be the only thing that can seriously discomfit it, commander.” “I can enchant a weapon with blessed power,” Serah said, huffing slightly. “But the spell does not last long, a few minutes, at best.” “Do it for Sextus or Octavius, then, if it comes to that,” Talen said. “Galen’s axe is already magical.” Galen nodded; he’d recovered his heritage weapon when they’d fled from the cottage. “The decision may be made for us soon,” Shay pointed out. “We’ve got to be outpacing that last caravan of refugees, and we will almost certainly come upon them before too much longer.” “All right,” Talen said. “Start looking for a place that favors defense.” “That hill on the left,” Shay said. It was tough to see with their magical torches damaging their night vision, but up ahead the road seemed to curve between two rows of low hills, rising up out of the ground like sets of knuckles. The largest knuckle on the left was topped by a hillock that rose maybe fifty feet above the level of the road, and was covered in big boulders that looked to offer decent cover. “Oh, crap,” Talen exclaimed. For as they came close enough to see the curve of the road, they saw light sources, which inevitably resolved a minute later into the slow-moving tendril of the refugee column, already jammed into the tight space between the hills. “Checkmate,” Varo said. [/QUOTE]
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