Possessing the Grimstone - By John Grover Page 0,20
down the length of Tolan’s back; searing pain rippled through him. He turned and swung his sword, but it ripped through nothing more than an apparition. The spirit laughed at him as its master smashed a club across Tolan’s shoulder, sending him toppling from his horse.
He looked up to see a spiked club coming straight down. Rolling out of the way, the club narrowly missed his head. The creature wound up again, and Tolan kicked him in the gut. The creature barely moved, but it halted his swing.
He got to his feet and attacked, sword meeting club. His enemy bashed him in the face with his head, forcing him to stumble backward. Tolan swung and swung, parrying against the brute, but he found himself moving back further and further, losing ground.
He tripped over a downed horse, and lost his sword. The creature raised his club, and …
Geyess jumped on top of it, smashing the thing with his sword. The creature turned and bashed Geyess with a backhand, knocking him to his rump.
Tolan jumped to his feet, and found an enemy axe. He swung and smashed the bone armor across the creature’s chest.
“Remember, Geyess,” Tolan called. “Bone breaks!”
The two of them slashed and hit the creature, its spirit animal lashing out, but unable to strike them. At last they battered through the creature’s armor, and sliced it open from gullet to tail.
It grunted and went down, black blood seeping from it. Its spirit animal howled and vanished.
“Thank Thet for you, my friend.” Tolan extended his hand to Geyess.
“They have ghosts fighting with them!”
“That, or their souls travel outside their bodies.”
“Whichever the case, the ghosts don’t die by sword or arrow, yet they do damage to us! It is like fighting two foes!”
Tolan looked around the battle scene: his comrades fell and screamed as foes of both flesh and spirit pressed against them relentlessly. Howls and growls rose, weapons clattered, horses screamed.
A catapult launched another boulder at Bhrungach. Tolan followed the rock with his gaze as it smashed against the walls. They were riddled with cracks, and the top crumbled; it wouldn’t be long before it came down. He spotted Bhrungach soldiers there, and a woman… it was her: the Lady of the Council.
He looked back to see the enemy loading their catapult, again.
“Hold them back, my friend!” Tolan shouted. “Shatter the bone armor!” Geyess nodded, slashing his sword across a stalking reptilian’s neck.
Tolan raced through the battlegrounds to the catapult. Ghostly claws reached for him, and battle axes swung toward him, but Tolan eluded both. He leaped onto a reptilian beast and launched himself into the air.
Coming down on the catapult, he ran his sword through its controller, and was swarmed by six other hairy, hulking creatures, their axes and clubs sweeping past him. He managed to climb up into the catapult chamber, and with all of his strength, rolled the boulder out and over the side.
The rock crashed down two of his enemies, their wails carried above the sounds of battle, and their spirit companions evaporated. Tolan raised his sword to the other four, but a green fireball exploded at his feet, sending him to the ground.
His enemies circled him, but their bodies were suddenly riddled with arrows. He looked to see Bhrungach archers looking down on him. Some of his foes fell, but one stubborn one fought on. Tolan dodged its axe, climbed up, and rammed it into the catapult wheel, forcing the arrows all the way through its tough hide. The animal spirit clawed at Tolan’s face, and the creature hissed at him before it died.
Tolan gasped for breath. Yellow-green fire roared past him, setting the ground aflame. He looked up at the Bhrungach archers.
“The mage!” he yelled, and pointed. “Take out the remaining mage, on the other catapult!”
The Lady of the Council understood, and directed her men. A hail of arrows found their mark, and took down the other mage. His magic was no more. Tolan saw that half of his men were gone, but with the fall of their mages, the creatures backed off, retreating to the nearby tree line. Horns and drums called. Creatures groaned.
Geyess met with Tolan. “They retreat?”
“No,” Tolan answered. “They’re calling for reinforcements, and for more mages. The magic gives them power; the mages call upon the piece of the stone in their possession. Which means…”
“It’s not with them, here.”
“No. It’s mostly likely back at their base of operations, the Red Coast. Geyess, we must get the Lady and the council, and