As he bobbed and weaved his way through the battle trying to reach the hooded figure, Isaac chanced a look back at his allies. Unfortunately, what little formation they started with had already fallen apart; Tenshi was being flanked by a pair of Trallugs armed with morningstars, doing all she could to avoid being squashed flat. To her left, Marie was nimbly dodging a small cohort of spear-armed Muggmites, unable to land a hit on them through their wall of pikes. Further on, Charles was using shield and sword alike to ward off a pack of Muggs, and beyond him Nor was rapidly being drowned under wave after wave of Muggmites armed with nets and javelins.
Sighing, Isaac turned his back on his quarry. Spending a moment to quickly survey the battlefield, he noticed that the town’s battlements were slowly filling with archers and gunmen, both guards and adventurers alike. Further, someone had also alerted the NPC guards, who were rapidly forming a defensive perimeter outside the gate. Meanwhile, the katana-wielding figure had not budged an inch, coolly observing the fight beneath the hood of their cloak.
“So, everybody’s keeping their distance, huh?” Isaac remarked to himself, watching the various ranged fighters on the wall tops cautiously aiming their weapons at the grand melee below. “No matter, I can make use of that.” Tracing small circles with his left index finger, he weighed the odds in his mind. “One Knight, one Brawler, one Fortress, one Gunner, and me…”
Gripping his pistol tightly, he dashed back towards Tenshi.
*******
At that very moment, Tenshi was fighting for her life.
Lifting her rifle barrel, she didn’t even have time to squeeze the trigger before the Trallug behind her swept a low blow with its club, forcing her to abandon her attack and roll forward out of its range. Meanwhile, the Trallug in front of her never gave her time to recover. Faking a kick with its right, Tenshi dodged right into its hairy backhand and was knocked flying. Breaking into another roll with her momentum, Tenshi looked up only to see the first Trallug charging at her, morningstar aloft. Grimacing, Tenshi rose unsteadily to her feet to confront her foe when a voice rang out from behind her.
“Tenshi, get down!”
Dropping to the dirt instinctively, a hail of bullets peppered the charging monster as Isaac fanned his infinite-ammo revolver. The Trallug grunted and threw a protective arm over its face, ceasing its charge, allowing Tenshi to crawl out of its path and out of the line of fire.
“Thank you,” Tenshi monotoned, dropping to a firing stance.
Isaac put a hand on her gun, pushing it down a little. “Help Marie,” he suggested, pointing over to where she was being overwhelmed.
“On it.”
Leaving Tenshi to her own devices, Isaac turned back to the pair of Trallugs. Even after unloading several belts worth of bullets into it, the Trallug before him was still standing undaunted, advancing towards him, Morningstar held over its shoulder.
“I guess .45 cal wasn’t enough after all,” Isaac assessed, remembering the pawn owner’s words. “Let’s try this.”
Swiping his inventory as the Trallug charged, Isaac equipped a bandolier of daggers, drawing one and rolling under the beast’s legs, slashing at its hamstring as he went.
Grunting, the Trallug swatted at him with its club, forcing him to leap out of the way. Stamping its feet, it made its way towards him again, showing no sign of injury. If it was bleeding from his strike, it could not be seen through its thick fur.
“No effect, eh?” Isaac muttered, sheathing his dagger. “I guess I’ll…”
Hearing a whistling sound behind him, Isaac leaped headlong to his right, rolling to the ground as the second Trallug decimated the turf where he had just stood. Meanwhile, the first Trallug was advancing towards him again, making a furrow in the ground as it dragged its weapon behind it.
Throwing caution to the wind, Isaac lunged towards the first Trallug, throwing his gun to the side. Dodging a clumsy swing, Isaac ducked under its legs and drove a pair of daggers into its lower back, hoisting himself off and imbedding another pair further up, like climbing spikes.
Roaring in protest, the beast slammed its off hand across its back, flinching as it unwittingly struck the daggers imbedded in its flesh, driving them deeper. Hanging onto the monster’s thick shoulder hair for dear life, Isaac let go with one hand, using it to draw a fifth dagger. As the beast readied its hand to strike at him again, Isaac swung himself around the creature’s neck to its front, driving his dagger first into one of its eyes, then the other. The beast bayed in agony, dropping its club and holding both hands to its face. However, Isaac didn’t have time to celebrate his success. Hearing a telltale roar, he detached himself from the Trallug’s chest just as the second Trallug’s club collided with it, striking the spot he had just been clinging to.
With a sickening crunch, the first Trallug went flying head over heels backwards, turning cartwheels until its momentum ran out and it slumped to the ground, quite dead.
If the second Trallug realized its mistake, it didn’t show it. Turning to Isaac, it bayed threateningly at him, hefting its morningstar and showering him with bloody bits in the process.
Wiping the gore from his face, Isaac rolled to the side, recovering his revolver. Facing the monster he grinned as the adrenaline of battle rushed through him.
“Well, I guess it’s just you and me now.”
*******
Marie was fighting her own battles.
Although she had started out in an advantageous position, using her speed and agility to deliver swift blows to the axe and sword-wielding Muggmites with her arms and legs, it didn’t take them long to amass a force of spear-armed fighters, keeping her at bay with their long reach.
As a more venturous Muggmite dashed forward spear first, Marie dropped an elbow and raised a leg simultaneously, catching the offending weapon between them. Using the monster’s own momentum, she broke into a spin, releasing the spear and sending the Muggmite flying into a rank of Muggs.
However, her victory was short-lived as a shabby javelin shot by her face as if to remind her of their presence. Turning to face her foes, Marie was greeted with a sudden explosion, a blast of heat knocking her to the ground as whole and partial Muggmites flew past her. Rolling to avoid a careening sharpened shield, Marie rose to her feet as her savior waved a hand in greeting.
“Greetings, Alex.”
“Ugh, really? Again with the Alex!” Marie shot a look of distaste at Tenshi. “Anyway, weren’t you taking care of the Trallugs?”
“Change in plan, you help Charles,” Tenshi asserted, waving her rifle.
“Okay, but do I really have to?” She sighed, running a hand through her hair.
A pair of javelins imbedded themselves in the ground behind Marie, heralding a second wave of Muggmites.
“You know what, I’ll go help good ol’ Charles, you stay here and take care of the little guys, okay?” Marie smiled tightly, dashing off in the opposite direction of the oncoming hoard.
“Precisely what I suggested in the first place,” Tenshi murmured, pulling a spare magazine from her hair and dropping into a crouch.
*******
Charles was doing everything he could to hold his own. A quartet of Muggs faced him, each armed with full pitted black chainmail, horned helmets, and jagged-edged cutlasses and bucklers.
“Four of you? That’s not very sporting.” Charles laughed through gritted teeth as he caught a blade in his sword’s hilt, maneuvering it to block a second foe’s downward chop. “You might at least make it a fair fight with three.”
Looking up, he noticed that there were now in fact only three foes facing him. Before he could contemplate this new development, a blade cut deep into his shield arm, slipping between the crevasses of his armour.
Dropping his shield, he fell to the ground, letting out an unearthly hybrid between a roar and a scream.
“OOOOOWEEAAAAAARGHHHH!”
Sensing its chance, the Mugg that had slipped behind him followed up with a lunging strike, plunging its blade at a chink in the side of his cuirasses.
“Psyche!” Charles grinned, rolling over onto his back and thrusting with his sword. Unable to stop its charge, the Mugg effectively impaled itself over his blade. Grunting, Charles used the blade as a crutch to rise to his feet, the dying Mugg still twitching on the end of his sword.
“Well now, who’s next?” Charles laughed boldly, flicking his sword free from the cadaver. “You won’t kill a Wood that easily, not when there’s a cute girl watching!”
“Who the hell said I was watching you?”
With a dash and a leap, Marie planted a hand on Charles’ shoulder, leapfrogging over his head towards the remaining Muggs. Swinging an empty helmet by its long, gnarled headspike, she lashed out at the first monster, steel ringing against steel as the beast reeled away, seeing stars. Turning on her heel, she transferred her momentum into a roundhouse kick directed at the head of the second Mugg, the resulting snap heralding a neck fracture.
“Who the hell said I was talking about you?” he quipped back. “Oy, watch your six!”
Marie turned to see the third Mugg’s sword swinging at her face. Unable to dodge in time, she watched in surprise as Charles’ blade came out of nowhere, catching the cutlass in its ridged hilt and flicking it out of the creature’s hands.
Following up, Marie flicked the helmet in her hand into the air, smashing her fist into it and sending the headspike deep into the monster’s thorax.
“What was that about not shielding me?” Marie turned to face him, grinning smugly.
“I stuck to my word, I only used my sword,” Charles shot back, matching her grin.
“Oops, still one left,” Marie remarked, seeing the first Mugg staggering away from them, after its fallen blade. Hopping lightly from one foot to the other, Marie took three running steps then leapt into the air, kicking high up then dropping her heel down onto the creature’s neck, flattening it.
“A shot to the back of an unarmed combatant? Bad sportsmanship!” Charles booed. “Foul play! You call yourself a man?”
“No, for the record I don’t.” Marie scowled, turning to face him. “And if you know what’s good for you, you won’t either. Now get going! I haven’t seen Nor since the battle started, and that’s a bad sign for a big lug like her.”
Shaking his head, Charles hurried off muttering to himself. “What a shrew! I try being a little chummy with her and she bites my head off. Sheeeesh!”
Sighing, Marie placed her hands on her hips and looked around. “Well, I guess I’d better get to work too, I sure can’t let THAT guy show me up.”
*******
Sheathing his sword as he ran, Charles pressed a button on his chestplate, causing his shield to slide off his limp left arm and reattach to his right. Clouting a stray Muggmite as he went, Charles sprinted across the field, searching for any sign of the hulking Fortress. Finally, out in the distance he noticed an odd sight.
Easily twoscore Muggmites were swarming in a heap over some huge object wrapped up in a thick corded net, prying and poking away with their spears at whatever was underneath. His curiosity roused, Charles approached the mass of monsters. As he neared it, a couple Muggmites sighted him, dropping off from the group and menacing him with their shabby weapons.
However, this was not what caught Charles’ eye. In the space the Muggmites had vacated, he could clearly see a familiar insignia poking out from the net; The Peppermint Eyeglass sigil!
“You rotters, that’s not even close to a fair fight!” Charles reprimanded, drawing the attention of the rest of the Muggmite pack. Gripping his shield tightly, he smacked it against his chestplate repeatedly, producing a dull ringing sound which echoed across the battlefield. “EYE ANCHOR!” he intoned, as his shield was enveloped in a subdued yellow glow.
As one, all the Muggmites assaulting the armoured player locked eyes on him, dropping off the imprisoned Nor and approaching him steadily.
“As long as EYE ANCHOR is in effect, you all are forced to focus on yours truly!” Charles soliloquised. “A perfectly heroic skill for a perfect hero like me.”
Leading the rest of their brethren, a pair of Muggmites rushed Charles, weapons low and bucklers high. Waiting until they were almost upon him, Charles dodged left, turning in a circle as he built up centrifugal force, catching the Muggmites in their backs with his shield and knocking them head over heels to the turf. Turning back to the rest of the horde, Charles sped on ahead, trampling through and over the waist-high monsters, lashing out left right and center with his shield as more than a few spears found their marks in his sides.
Reaching the entrapped Fortress, Charles slumped against it roughly, raising his visor with his shield.
“I hope you have a plan to get us out of this,” Charles called to the player. “I’d use my sword, but my left arm’s pretty gimped up, and if I drop my shield, EYE ANCHOR will end.”
However, he received no response from the suit of armour.
“Hey now, don’t leave me hanging!” Charles groaned as the Muggmites rallied for a second charge. “Neither of us are getting out of this alone, I guarantee it.”
A deep sigh emanated from the bulky armour. “I guess I’ve got to do everything around here, don’t I?”
With a loud sound of pressure discharging, the spiked helmet launched off the mechanical suit, tearing through the netting and impaling an unfortunate Muggmite where it landed. Emerging from inside the armour, a petite, grease-stained girl in overalls hoisted herself out, flicking her long, wavy auburn hair out of her red glasses, and drawing a large monkey wrench from inside the suit.
“Well?” she asked. “What’re you waiting for?”
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