THE WOLF WATCH

The huntsman had nothing in his armory to even put a scratch on the golem’s thick plates of steel and bolts. Retreating into the woods would be the only viable move in hopes to survive. Coral followed him, the golem’s heavy steps trampled trees as she pressed on and the trees that didn’t fall to the weight of the golem’s feet, were cut down by the golem’s massive sword arm. Bard had four of Coral’s golems on his heels. Two of them were smaller and faster than their much larger but slower comrades. Like his huntsman ally, he too was outmatched and had to think of a solution rather quickly if he did not want to become fertilizer for the flora. Luckily enough, Aegis came barreling forth in the form of a massive mammoth. He rammed one of the larger golems with his mighty tusks and began to drive the giant backwards. The golem planted it’s heavy stone feet into the soft earth to prevent the mammoth from advancing him an inch further. Aegis saw a long drop off ahead, a cliff that would send the golem into a hundred-foot or so drop into the sea. The golem was an unmovable tower of stone. The mirrored golem of equal size and weight abandoned its chase of Bard to assist its comrade. Aegis felt the stony fist dig into his rump and let out a loud trumpet of pain that sent him upward, driving the golem’s footing from beneath it and advanced it right over the edge of the cliff. The stone mass dropped into the sea with a mushrooming cascade. The second golem raised up his rock arm and sent it flying down at Aegis’ back. The druid shapeshifted into a sparrow, narrowly avoiding the crashing arm and feeling the air force his flight pattern to alter slightly. The golem stretched out to grab the elusive sparrow but couldn’t nab the bird as it flew swiftly in and out of its large earthen fingers. Virgil and Beliac continued to dish out and exchange expertly fenced sword-strikes. The fires of the crashed and now burning dirigible light up their scene like a hundred oil lamps set up behind them. Virgil was indeed the better swordsman and Beliac was having much difficulties landing a strike, resorted to using the powers of his pedigree. From the earth he summoned a stone spike that drove through Virgil’s foot. Virgil snapped from the pain and Beliac rushed in, seizing the advantage. The warlock had left Reacher alone in the foreground where he had loaded his shotgun and sprayed double barrels of birdshot into the back of Beliac. The force from the firearm stopped Beliac in his tracks. “You damned bastard! Go back to hell and tell your ma I said hi!” Reacher shouted. Beliac was still encased in a damage resistance spell so the birdshot served as painful reminders rather than fatal ones. He turned to Reacher and extended his hand, sending forth a gripping tendril that ripped the shotgun from the old geezer’s hands and swung it across his face with it, knocking him down. Virgil encased his own fist with ice and landed a sickening thump onto Beliac’s jaw, sending him spinning. The damage spell absorbed the damage and Beliac recovered instantly from the punch and sent a side kick into Virgil’s gut, pushing him back and on his back. “You can’t harm me shaman. You’re but the shell of a man. Your entire order is gone, leaving your powers in a permanently weakened state.” Beliac said. The Warlock began to perform a spell. His black magical aura began to wrap around his body. It was an enhancement spell that increased raw physical traits. He moved faster and hit harder.