the black fire would
devour the church…and everyone inside it.
Gothalinzur spun to face Ridmark as he staggered to
his feet, and he barely avoided a swipe of her claws and a stab
from her legs. Ridmark managed to land a blow with Heartwarden on
her flank. The wound smoked from his soulblade’s touch, and Gotha
hissed. The side of her leg struck his shoulder, the strength of
the blow knocking him back.
A chorus of battle cries rang out, and Ulacht, Sir
Hamus, and Sir Thomas charged the urdmordar, brandishing their
weapons. Hamus’s axe and Thomas’s longsword dug grooves in the
urdmordar’s side, and Ulacht’s club slammed into a leg with a loud
crack. Gothalinzur shrieked in fury…but the wounds the knights and
the orc headman dealt began to vanish at once.
Normal steel could not harm an urdmordar.
Gothalinzur turned, her legs lashing like a whip, and
knocked Ulacht and Thomas to the ground. Hamus bellowed and buried
his axe with a two-handed blow into Gotha’s thorax.
“Die!” roared Hamus. “Foul urdmordar! You will
not…”
Gothalinzur sneered and drove two of her legs through
the old knight like a child ramming a fork through a piece of
fruit.
At least his death was quick.
Ridmark recovered his balance, and Gothalinzur turned
towards him, snapping her legs to kick off Hamus’s corpse.
But he was stuck.
Gothalinzur stumbled, her balance thrown off by the
slain knight’s weight, and for a moment, just a moment, she was
vulnerable.
Ridmark raced forward, drawing on Heartwarden’s
power, and sprang into the air as Gothalinzur struggled with
Hamus’s corpse. The dead knight fell free from her barbed legs, but
it was too late. Ridmark slammed into her, plunging Heartwarden’s
glowing blade into her chest.
The soulblade sank to the hilt between the crimson
chitin covering her breasts.
Gothalinzur reared back and shrieked in pain, her cry
ringing inside both Ridmark’s ears and mind. She went into a mad
dance, her legs digging into the earth, and her clawed hands come
up and plunged into Ridmark’s chest and stomach, the talons sinking
deep into his flesh. Pain erupted through him, and Gothalinzur
flung him away, ripping Heartwarden from her chest, the sword's
hilt still in his right hand.
Ridmark landed hard upon the ground, blood splashing
from the gashes in his side. Gothalinzur convulsed once, black
ichor dribbling from the gash in her chest, and her glowing eyes
met Ridmark’s.
“A herd animal,” she whispered. “A herd animal.
That’s not…that’s not…”
Then the green glow faded from her eyes and she
slumped into a tangled, motionless heap upon the ground.
Everything went black a moment later, and Ridmark
felt himself sinking away…
Then blazing white light filled his vision, and agony
wracked Ridmark’s body. He sat up with a gasp, Heartwarden clutched
in his right fist, and saw Magistrius Sempronius stooping over him,
the white light of a healing spell glimmering around his
fingers.
“It worked,” Sempronius said, his face gray with
exhaustion and strain. “He will not die.”
Strong hands helped Ridmark to stand. He looked at
Gothalinzur’s motionless husk, dazed. Ridmark had faced an
urdmordar and lived.
He had not thought that possible.
“Good,” said Ulacht. “Good! He has fought like one of
the great orc kings of old!”
Ridmark looked around and saw the villagers hard at
work tending to the fires, trying to save what yet could be
saved.
“God’s hand was upon us,” said Father Linus. “If you
had not come when you did, Sir Ridmark, we would all be slain.”
“Aye,” said Sir Thomas, gazing at his father’s
corpse. “We have lost much…but we could have lost everything.”
###
After the battle, the men of Victrix and the orcs of
Rzoldur went to the mines. There they discovered Gothalinzur’s
lair…and the missing human and orcish children wrapped in her webs,
drugged and in a deep sleep. Magistrius Sempronius was able to
awake them from
devour the church…and everyone inside it.
Gothalinzur spun to face Ridmark as he staggered to
his feet, and he barely avoided a swipe of her claws and a stab
from her legs. Ridmark managed to land a blow with Heartwarden on
her flank. The wound smoked from his soulblade’s touch, and Gotha
hissed. The side of her leg struck his shoulder, the strength of
the blow knocking him back.
A chorus of battle cries rang out, and Ulacht, Sir
Hamus, and Sir Thomas charged the urdmordar, brandishing their
weapons. Hamus’s axe and Thomas’s longsword dug grooves in the
urdmordar’s side, and Ulacht’s club slammed into a leg with a loud
crack. Gothalinzur shrieked in fury…but the wounds the knights and
the orc headman dealt began to vanish at once.
Normal steel could not harm an urdmordar.
Gothalinzur turned, her legs lashing like a whip, and
knocked Ulacht and Thomas to the ground. Hamus bellowed and buried
his axe with a two-handed blow into Gotha’s thorax.
“Die!” roared Hamus. “Foul urdmordar! You will
not…”
Gothalinzur sneered and drove two of her legs through
the old knight like a child ramming a fork through a piece of
fruit.
At least his death was quick.
Ridmark recovered his balance, and Gothalinzur turned
towards him, snapping her legs to kick off Hamus’s corpse.
But he was stuck.
Gothalinzur stumbled, her balance thrown off by the
slain knight’s weight, and for a moment, just a moment, she was
vulnerable.
Ridmark raced forward, drawing on Heartwarden’s
power, and sprang into the air as Gothalinzur struggled with
Hamus’s corpse. The dead knight fell free from her barbed legs, but
it was too late. Ridmark slammed into her, plunging Heartwarden’s
glowing blade into her chest.
The soulblade sank to the hilt between the crimson
chitin covering her breasts.
Gothalinzur reared back and shrieked in pain, her cry
ringing inside both Ridmark’s ears and mind. She went into a mad
dance, her legs digging into the earth, and her clawed hands come
up and plunged into Ridmark’s chest and stomach, the talons sinking
deep into his flesh. Pain erupted through him, and Gothalinzur
flung him away, ripping Heartwarden from her chest, the sword's
hilt still in his right hand.
Ridmark landed hard upon the ground, blood splashing
from the gashes in his side. Gothalinzur convulsed once, black
ichor dribbling from the gash in her chest, and her glowing eyes
met Ridmark’s.
“A herd animal,” she whispered. “A herd animal.
That’s not…that’s not…”
Then the green glow faded from her eyes and she
slumped into a tangled, motionless heap upon the ground.
Everything went black a moment later, and Ridmark
felt himself sinking away…
Then blazing white light filled his vision, and agony
wracked Ridmark’s body. He sat up with a gasp, Heartwarden clutched
in his right fist, and saw Magistrius Sempronius stooping over him,
the white light of a healing spell glimmering around his
fingers.
“It worked,” Sempronius said, his face gray with
exhaustion and strain. “He will not die.”
Strong hands helped Ridmark to stand. He looked at
Gothalinzur’s motionless husk, dazed. Ridmark had faced an
urdmordar and lived.
He had not thought that possible.
“Good,” said Ulacht. “Good! He has fought like one of
the great orc kings of old!”
Ridmark looked around and saw the villagers hard at
work tending to the fires, trying to save what yet could be
saved.
“God’s hand was upon us,” said Father Linus. “If you
had not come when you did, Sir Ridmark, we would all be slain.”
“Aye,” said Sir Thomas, gazing at his father’s
corpse. “We have lost much…but we could have lost everything.”
###
After the battle, the men of Victrix and the orcs of
Rzoldur went to the mines. There they discovered Gothalinzur’s
lair…and the missing human and orcish children wrapped in her webs,
drugged and in a deep sleep. Magistrius Sempronius was able to
awake them from
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