Still trapped in the dwarven cavern town the wardens who had managed to survive the initial ambush of the blighted creatures had reinforced their position in the dwarven forge shop, using the wagons as a barricade around the small stair case that led into the forge a few of the horses they had brough missing or dead, Alaric was busy using his magic to help heal the wounded, Lyra and Zarath had joined the few archers to keep the blighted creatures at bay though their arrows were slowly running out. Tharon and a few of the veteran wardens had gone to the back of the forge and begun to hack away at the stone wall with some pickaxes they had brought with them. Emrick and Commander Winterborne along with the squad leaders tried to think of a plan to make it back to the bridge.
Dagan had taken the young dwarven girl they found and was keeping her out of the way of everyone as she tried to ask the girl what had happened before they had arrived. Sha'lara was helping to stitch up those who had minor injuries so that they could rejoin the fight outside the forge.
"On the left side on the left." Zarath shouted at the other archers as another wave of blighted dwarfs and humans rushed the barricade only to be quickly shot down by the small barrage of arrows.
"We could abandon the wagons and make a break for the bridge if we make it that far we could collapse the bridge and seal off Grûmthol from the rest of the underground highway and then rush back to the surface." One of the veteran squad leaders said.
"With the wounded we would have to carry them for miles, and that's if we don't get cut down while trying to drag them to the entrance from here." Another shouted.
"We can load them onto the horses we have left." Came another voice.
"And run from these dammed monsters we can easily win against the newly turned if we just kill all of the blighted knights commanding them." The last voice came from the oldest and most experienced warden.
"ENOGUGH! All of you we will not abandon our wounded, and we will not be running any suicide missions." Commander Winterborne slammed her fist down on a nearby table making the blacksmithing tools rattle and a pair of pliers fell to the floor, some of her hair fell over her face.
"Emrick load the wounded onto one of the wagons abandon all the supplies in it, we don't need the extra weight, in fact use all the crates and barrels to reinforce the barricade, have the wardens trying to dig through the wall stop and send them to help the archers they will be running out of arrows soon enough. Have all of our magic casters rest up we will need the firepower once we get ready to move out." With that final word Commander Winterborne had set the squad leaders straight and everyone began to prepare for the escape.
"Emrick, have your squad take up the rear, I hate putting a group of all new recruits at the back, but let's face it your misfits are the strongest unit we have here at the moment, probably in the whole Frontier Chapter." Commander Winterborne knew that if any squad could handle that level of stress, it was Zarath and his friends, the way they fought and with Zarath's calm but aggressive nature when it came to combat.
With swift precision, the wardens immediately adjusted their strategy. Those who had been focused on breaking through the rear wall redirected their efforts, moving to the barricade and helping the archers force back the blighted creatures. The biggest shift was Tharon, his heavily armored body smashing onto the frontlines his shield and spear making quick work of any of those unlucky blighted that got to close, the other wardens moving to unload one of the wagons and move the wounded onto it. The Misfit squad was informed they would be taking up the rear because of their combat ability as well as being the only squad still at full strength. Sha'lara wasn't too happy about the news but kept her annoyance to herself as she also didn't mind the fact that she and her friends were basically called the strongest people there.
Just as things seemed to be going smoothly a sudden ear-piercing scratch shattered any pretense of a plan, as suddenly something dove down from the cavern roof grabbing one of the warden archers before anyone could see what happened.
One of the veterans quickly took note of what happened and reacted quickly as another attack came, quickly slicing through the fast-moving beast that dove down at him.
"Blight Wyverns!" The veteran shouted his voice echoing throughout the whole cavern. In the next second one of the four remaining wagons exploded as another blighted wyvern crashed into it from above. With the barricade now destroyed the blighted creatures now rushed forward, managing to slaughter a few of the wardens that were still recovering from the sudden chaos. The veterans stepping between the blighted and recruits in their squads.
Dagan snatched up the young dwarf girl all but throwing her up onto a wagon, Sha'lara, Lyra and Alaric all rushed to help Zarath and Tharon who had already joined the veterans in the fight, Hura rushed to her master's side her claws and fangs tearing through the blighted in her way.
"Get the wagons moving now!" Commander Winterborne's voice cut through the chaos one of the wardens climbing onto the lead wagon and snapping the reins of the horses one of which had not yet been secured causing it to run off into the town, but the wagon still jerked forward as the wardens began to move out. Zarath quickly cut down a blighted human that rushed him, just as another blighted elf was about to strike his back with its viscous claws, Hura's maw completely swallowing the blighted elf's head, her fangs sinking into its back and chest before violently shaking it and throwing it. Stormwing dive bombed a blighted wyvern slamming it into the ground hard a sickening snap of the corrupted wyverns back before the griffon jumped landing next to Alaric and the others.
Tharon slammed his shield hard against a blighted knight crushing the beast helmet with a metallic crunch rolling his shoulder as he dropped into a ready stance spear positioned on the edge of his shield. Dagan stood next to Tharon her hands tight around her axe, Sha'lara stood next to Tharon both her curved golden blades drawn, Alaric next to Stormwing magic flames circling one end of his quarterstaff and Lyra stood behind the group, her bow drawn and an arrow nocked.
"Trying to have all the fun to yourself old friend." Tharon chuckled slightly as they looked at the blighted creatures moving closer to them.
"Not really the time to be joking around you big fool." Dagan shouted as she drove her axe into one of the blighted creatures' stomachs. The group slowly moved backwards as they fought hacking and slashing as the other wardens retreated, as the last of the three remaining wagons left, they all looked at each other and all understood it was time to go. Alaric hopped onto Stormwing, Lyra hopping up behind him, both taking to the sky and heading towards the bridge.
Sha'lara hopped up onto Hura's back as she moved to allow Zarath to he quickly joined her, cutting down a blighted dwarf that tried to grab his leg. Tharon picked Dagan up and put her on his shoulders.
"Time to get going little lady." Tharon joked as he started to run holding Dagan up.
"Can you every take anything seriously other than food." Dagan shouted swinging her axe and cutting a blighted elf clean in half as it tried to jump onto them both.
The group moved as fast as they could making sure to keep enough distance between them and the last wagon acting as the rear guard, fighting their way tooth and nail through the blighted that tried to catch up to them and surrounded them, Alaric and Lyra atop of storming quickly cut down any of the blighted wyverns they could Lyra using her bow and the fancy chain sickle that she had gotten to cut through their wings and gross blighted hide. Alaric casting spell after spell to blast at the blighted wyverns as well as the blighted creatures on the ground.
"Aaah you're a lot heavier than you look Dagan." Tharon groaned as he kept running with her on his shoulders, the sound of his full heavy plate rattling with each step.
"Are you seriously making jokes about my weight when we are both wearing heavy armor you ass." Dagan punched Tharon on top of his head causing the metal of his helmet to ring.
"Can those two stop joking around already." Sha'lara stated as one of her curved blades cut through another blighted creature as Hura bounced through the streets with her and Zarath on her back.
"At this point as long as I've known Tharon I don't think he knows how to do anything else." Zarath tightened his grip on Hura's harness.
The chaos only seemed to grow more intense by the second with Zarath and his friends taking the brunt of the blighted creatures assault for every one they cut down ten more seemed to take its place, the groups armor and weapons now stained with blackened blood, the rancid smell of iron clung to those of them that had body fur, even Hura the great dire wolf's fangs and claws dripped with the corrupted ooze even Stormwing had her fair share of blood against her feathered coat as she tore through another blighted wyvern.
The journey back to the bridge that lead into the cavern of Grûmthol seemed even longer than when the expedition force first arrived, never before had any of the recruits in their ranks seen this many blighted creatures at once, and only a few of the veterans had fought large numbers before as the last blight ended over seventy years ago only the few elven wardens would even have been alive to remember what it was like to see a true horde or an outbreak of blight in the land, many of the corrupted lands had already since been purified by holy magic and if only the chapter of Frontier had any holy magic users a priest or a paladin or a Raxvashk of the wolfkin goddess of death. One could simply purify the area and clean all the blighted in one go much like fighting undead creatures.
The first wagon reached the bridge and began to cross quickly followed by the second and third, just as the third wagon reached the middle of the bridge a loud snap was heard the back axel of the wagon breaking under all the tension and strain it had endured in the last several hours, the wardens inside scrambling out and running, Stormwing easily flow above the wreckage with Alaric and Lyra on her back, Tharon placing Dagan down and both where able to climb over the turned over wagon. The last to move over was Hura with Zarath and Sha'lara on her back.
But as the great dire wolf leaped up over the wagon, a blighted wyvern wicked talons grabbed Sha'lara pulling her back, Zarath reached back letting go of Hura's saddle. Leaning back his foot slipped from the stirrup both Zarath and Sha'lara slamming down against the cold stone of the bridge on the wrong side of the overturned wagon.
Hura slid into a quick stop to turn around ready to jump back to her master's side just as she crotched down to make the leap, two sharp whistles came from Zarath, it was a command Hura had been trained from birth to understand unlike the whistle he used to call her this one was meant as a sign to run.
Once Tharon, and the others realized that Zarath and Sha'lara were still on the other side they went to move, Alaric pulled on Stormwing's reins to turn the griffon back around, only to be cut off by another blighted wyvern. As Tharon took a step back onto the bridge the ground began to shake. Someone grabbing him and pulling him back, it was Emrick.
"We are falling back the earthquake is making it to dangerous to go back for them so move." Emrick Shouted pulling the much larger wolfkin back with much effort as Tharon tried to break free of the half elf's grip. Alaric tried to maneuver Stormwing around all the blighted wyverns and get to his friends only for Commander Winterborne's on griffon to force them back.
"Fall back now Alaric I will not lose a sky warden and mender over this you will follow my orders and fall back now." Commander Winterborne gave no room to discuss this using her griffons much larger size to force Stormwing to turn around and head for the cavern's entrance. "May the Eternal Flame protect you brave wardens." She whispered under her breath.
Zarath helped Sha'lara to her feet just as a large boulder fell from the caverns ceiling crushing a few blighted creatures still rushing towards the bridge, as Sha'lara stood up leaning against Zarath as the ground shook for support. Just as Zarath placed his foot down to steady himself the stone of the bridge creaked underneath them. Without question or ceremony Zarath grabbed and picked Sha'lara up hosting her over his shoulder.
"What the hell are you doing you dam mutt!" Sha'lara shouted as Zarath started running towards the overturned wagon not caring one bit about her shouting in his ear. As he reached the wagon, he tossed her up onto the side of the wagon which annoyed her even more.
"Move, Move, Move!." Zarath Shouted as he himself began to climb over the wagon just as he gripped the edge another loud crack came from the bridge beneath them, he looked up at Sha'lara and they both knew. They weren't going to make it across.
Just as the realization sprang on them the bridge gave out all the shaking from the earthquake which had only grown more intense with each passing second. As the rocky bridge fell from underneath them Zarath and Sha'lara were cast down into the dark cavern below their friends and fellow Wardens watching in horror as they fell.
In a desperate attempt to protect, Zarath pulled Sha'lara to him and covered her head they didn't know what was at the bottom and he didn't know if this would do any good to safe one of his squad mates and friends all he knew was the darkness that grew the further they fall down, eventual fading to complete black the only sound the wind rushing past his ears.
Zarath jolted awake springing up from the ground, as he looked around, he saw the familiar grassy plains of Zernar Ralak (land of souls) the cold blue haze that meant he was on the other side of the veil and in the realm of the gods once more.
"I tried to warn you, my child." The calm voice of Fenraya the wolfkin goddess of death pierced Zarath's ears he turned to see the giant celestial white wolf laying down her paws crossed as she looked the young boy she had taken as her adoptive child after bringing him back from the dead so many years ago.
"Though your dreams have become so crowded with darkness and many other feelings it has become difficulty to reach you outside of the domains of my realm in the heartlands." Her voice was smooth and relaxing like a warm embrace after a cold chill.
"If I am here and not dreaming then, Fenraya am I." Zarath thought for a second so this was how he would join his ancestors in the end he could do nothing to save his friend.
"You are not dead child though vary near, luckily the others saw fit to bend the rules a little and intervene just this once a luxury that your favor as my child will not always afford you." Fenraya's words seemed almost threatening but sincere at the same time.
"You mean that the other gods actual intervened when last we spoke you said that doing so was against the rules." Zarath seemed annoyed by this of course a god could say one thing and still do something entirely different.
"Our time is short you are still in danger do not let the fallen one you speak to sway you from your path the blight must never win." Fenraya's words faded as did the dream once again Zarath was falling into darkness of a different kind.
Once again Zarath jolted awake only this time it was followed by a sever sharp pain, he slowly sat up to see a long piece of jagged would sticking out of his side possibly from the wagon as he moved something rolled off him slightly. Sha'lara was still in his arms, her fur soaking wet as was Zarath's. They landed in a deep underground river and washed up on the rocky shores at the bottom of the cavern. Zarath gently moved Sha'lara off him to find that the jagged piece of wood was not his only injury, but his leg was broken to possible slammed against a rock or something, Sha'lara wasn't in any better shape luckily Zarath took what looked like the brunt of the impact.
Sha'lara awoke coughing up a bit of water quickly hunching over grabbing her sides, her arms were covered in cuts where the leather pieces of her armor had been ripped off possible from the impact into the water.
"I fucking hate water." She said between coughing and spitting up the water in her lungs. As she slowly sat up, she noticed the state Zarath was in as she tried to move quickly, she stopped grabbing her sides again and almost falling onto her face.
"Augh what the fuck happened, where the hell are we." Zarath was slightly taken aback, he had never heard Sha'lara talk like this, but he guessed she was not the person that handled pain very well.
"I think we are at the bottom of the ravine." Zarath coughed up a little blood as he clutched at the piece of wood sticking out of his side, unable to move much due to his broken leg.
"Well, we need to get the hell out of here, in this state if any blighted where to attack us." Sha'lara stuffed another piece of wood into Zarath's mouth as she grabbed ahold of the piece in his side quickly yanking it out and then using the same piece as a splint for his leg. Forcing Zarath to bite down hard on the piece of wood in his mouth his fangs digging into it deeply.
After making sure both of their immediate wounds were no longer bleeding, they moved away from the shore to take inventory. Both of their armor was destroyed and offered little protection. Neither one of them had their helmets even when the fighting started, those were still probably back on the wagon that hadn't gotten thrown into the ravine with them. Sha'lara managed to find Zarath's bow but none of his arrows and only one of his longswords, as for her own weapons all she found was one of her golden curved blades, the other broken beyond repair, just the hilt still intact. They pulled some of the wood from the wagon up onto the shore as well as a few pieces of dried meat and fruit that had washed up from the wreckage. Both of them still soaking wet Sha'lara couldn't help but let out a sneeze.
"Alright that's enough for now we should start a fire and eat something." Zarath quickly fall down onto his ass letting out a sight and rubbing his leg in the makeshift splint.
"What no we need to get moving what if the those…" Sha'lara was interrupted by another sneeze followed by another coughing fit.
"We are both tired injured and wet, we need to get out of this armor and wet clothing and let our fur dry we maybe beast folk but both of us can still get sick, and if that happens, we will die for sure down here so stop arguing." Zarath gave no room for protest. He knew Sha'lara wasn't strong enough to carry him and neither one of them was in fighting shape, Sha'lara was in better shape than he was, but she wouldn't be much help if she got sick from being cold.
Taking a few pieces of the scrap wood and taking a few minutes to start a fire given how wet the wood was, Zarath struggled to move with his leg in the splint and the deep wound in his side from being impaled. Sha'lara kept grabbing at her sides each time she coughed or sneezed. But she knew Zarath was right they were both weak and getting sick now would equal a death sentence.
Zarath removed his ruined armor leaving nothing but his torn trousers on because the splint around his leg was wrapped around the outside of them. His body was sore and stiff.
"Look the other way." Sha'lara shouted as she started to remove her leather armor. Zarath rolled his eyes and shifted at this point it didn't matter what happened. His ears twitched as has he heard Sha'lara struggling. He turned his head slightly, Sha'lara had her back to him as she tried to pull her leather chest guard and tunic up, she couldn't get it higher than her ribs. Her silver black stripped body fur looked like a blurry paint canvas from how wet it was.
"Do you need help before you hurt yourself more." Zarath asked cautiously, the two of them had a strained relationship from the minute they met after all cats and dogs rarely got along, but still, he couldn't watch her struggle like this.
"I don't need any help." Sha'lara snapped turning back to face him as she let her tunic and guard fall back down, her whiskers and tail twitched frantically and she quickly turned back around when she looked at Zarath only wearing his trousers, she never understood how wolfkin could be so open about showing off their bodies without proper grooming or anything like the Felinar did.
A few silent seconds passed before she slumped her shoulders in defeat. "I need help." She said quietly as she moved closer to Zarath, keeping her back to him.
Zarath didn't question it as he didn't want her to snap at him again he loosened the bindings of her chest guard in the center of the back and slowly lift her chest guard and tunic off her, he quickly noticed the signs of deep bruising on her sides not able to see through her fur but from how she winced with every breath, the same spots he had grabbed her when they started to fall which meant he was the one that injured her, and from how painful it was when she coughed it was possible she may have a creaked rib or two.