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Reforged pt 5

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The militia's armory was more like a simple store room-- not much different than a small warehouse shed with just enough room for the four of them. Arthur was disheartened to see so many weapons still on the walls. Harold didn't share his dismay. "Wow, Dad-- I had no idea the militia had so many weapons... you made most of these, didn't you?"

The blacksmith passed the Gnoll, patting his son on the shoulder as he moved to inspect the options. "The armory is so well stocked because none of the militia made it here."

Peter was likewise subdued. "The attack came on so quickly they didn't get a chance to arm themselves..."

Arthur saw realization suddenly strike as Harold comprehended their point. The Gnoll's lips pulled back from his teeth as he let out a silent snarl, declaring with a growl "We'll get revenge."

The Blacksmith picked up a war hammer. "We'll get Lucas. Revenge isn't important."

Peter nodded, grabbing a large heater off of the wall; in the Minotaur's possession it looked more like a small shield. "Family first, Harold. Always."

Letting out a huff of a snort, Arthur's middle son joined him by the war hammers and picked one out of the line-up. "This should work just fine for me too."

Arthur glanced at the hand axe the Gnoll had always used when gathering fuel from the nearby woods. "I would have figured you would have used your birthday present."

It had been a present for Harold's tenth birthday, when the Gnoll was finally allowed to go out and scavenge in the woods. In the several years since, Harold had become something of an accomplished woodsman and, except when in the forge, the Gnoll went nowhere without it. Offering a wide-muzzled, sharp-tooth smirk, Harold replied "I have two paws, Dad... no reason I can't have two weapons."

As if to accentuate his point, the Gnoll made room on his back beside his bow for the war hammer, and grabbed an extra two quivers to add to the mostly-full one on his back. Arthur set aside his son's eagerness to be weighed down, taking a moment to look over the meager armor options available. Still adorned in his leather apron, the blacksmith decided to go without, but he wasn't about to let Harold do the same. "See if you can find something to wear."

Peter let out a sigh. "They don't have anything in my size."

Harold had a much easier time, grabbing a larger suit of leather. "It looks like it'll be tight, and I'll have to wear it high... it's definitely not gonna feel good with my tail otherwise."

The armor did fit the Gnoll but, just as Harold had suggested, it did restrict his tail but not significantly. Ten minutes later Arthur and his sons were headed for the north gate. The streets were silent save for the crackling and popping of burning homes several blocks over and, much to Arthur's relief, they encountered no hostile forces... until they arrived at the north gate. The gate was twenty foot wide and nearly thirty foot tall and two enormous figures took up the entire width of the opening.

The beings guarding the exit looked at first like two large piles of rocks but, as Arthur and his sons drew nearer the blacksmith could see that they held a roughly humanoid shape. He slowed, glancing first to Harold then Peter. "Be careful, boys... we don't know what to expect from them."

To accentuate his point, Arthur pulled out his war hammer, holding it with both hands. Peter likewise drew his oversized sword and his shield, holding them at the ready. Harold, rather than reaching for his melee weapons, pulled out his short bow and knocked an arrow. "Maybe they're not with the attackers?"

Almost as if to spite him, one of the stone men slammed its fist-like protrusion into the wall and pulled free a huge hunk of masonry and threw it in their general direction. Seeing as there was nearly 80' between Arthur and his boys and the gate the clumsy attack didn't get anywhere near them. It was enough to confirm the blacksmith's concerns. "They are."

It was the only statement required by Harold, who quickly loosed his first arrow and had a second knocked and fired before the first impacted. The first attack bounced harmlessly off of the stone creature and the second, despite finding a crack into which it could bury itself, didn't appear to do any significant damage. The Gnoll growled. "Looks like this isn't gonna do much against rock."

Peter slammed his hoof against the cobblestone street. "My turn."

Lowering his head, the Minotaur chose to forsake any poise or tact and charged. Crossing the distance with his lengthy stride, Peter out out a bellowing roar of "GET OUT OF OUR WAY!" before lowering his head, horns pointed forward. Neither rock creature did, and Arthur could feel the resounding impact at a distance when the Minotaur collided with the one on the left.

Despite the power of the wallop of flesh striking rock, the stone creature didn't so much a stumble and, before Arthur had a chance to shout out a warning, both of the humanoid-shaped beings were wailing on his oldest son with thick rock fists; Peter weathered the blows, but Arthur wasn't about to sit idly by and watch his son get pummeled.

The blacksmith, despite having his leg healed, couldn't cover as much ground as his eldest, and so he was still running to Peter's rescue as an arrow sailed by his head and struck the left rock-man in the head... to no effect. Behind him, Arthur heard Harold curse "Well damn it all..."

Arthur could tell Peter was in a bad way by the fact that he didn't correct his brother's use of foul language. Instead, the Minotaur maintained his focus on his opponents, grit his teeth, and delivered a powerful strike on the one directly in front of him. The sword glimmered in the morning sunlight and somehow managed to cleave a foot or two into the stone being's shoulder. Despite the wound, however, it launched its own attacks.

Peter managed to block the first blow with his shield but the pure force behind it knocked it aside and the second blow caught him directly in the chest. The Minotaur stumbled back, wheezing from the strength of the attack. The second one stepped forward to press the advantage, but Arthur finally arrived, interposing himself. He deftly evaded the first attack but its other fist clipped his shoulder; it felt almost like he was being attacked by a wall and his entire arm went numb from the power of the blow.

Ignoring the one facing him down, he came to the defense of his son, slamming his war hammer into what would be the knee of the stone man, not that it had one. The impact was satisfying, but accomplished little more than cracking the stone that was a stand-in for its knee cap; it didn't really seem to notice or care. Leaving himself open to another attack from the one facing him wasn't the smartest for Arthur and he realized it but, fortunately, Harold arrived right behind him, having traded off his bow for a war hammer of his own and he struck the second rock man in the sternum before it could press the attack against the blacksmith.

Standing between his two sons, Arthur was close enough to see that Peter was bleeding from his wounds and looked thoroughly winded. Regardless, Peter steeled himself and pulled his shield close, resting his hand against the wound to his chest; a powerful golden glow suffused him and the bleeding halted. He took a steadying stance, restored, and noted "Come at me, you accursed rock pile... I will not back down."

Arthur was proud of his son's heroism, but also worried. "Careful, Peter!"

Almost as if his warning were divine insight, the rock man in front of the Minotaur lumbered forward with both fists leading the way. At the same time, Arthur also realized that he still had one to contend with as well as it lunged with a punch. Although the blacksmith was already getting out of the way, Harold launched himself in front of the attack, catching what would be the thing's wrist with his war hammer and used the entire weight of his body to spin it, rotating its arm until it deflected its partner's, resulting in both failing to hit.

Despite the two earth beings getting in one another's way, the one in front of Arthur was not dissuaded, and a fresh arm emerged from what would be its ribcage and it lashed out with a straight arm punch which caught Arthur by surprise; he barely managed to get his head out of the way but the glancing blow left him dazed regardless. No worse than the blow to his arm, the blacksmith recovered quickly and, despite being off balance, managed to strike the rock creature twice, chipping off a small section of its bulk in the process.

Having apparently found his niche, the Gnoll danced past the Human, catching the back of Peter's opponent's 'leg' with his hand axe followed by a quick blow to its opposite leg with his war hammer. Although neither strike was significant in strength it was enough to put the earthen enemy off-balance, opening it up for Peter's attack and the Minotaur made the most of it. Receiving a one-two blow from Peter's large longsword, it exploded in a shower of rubble and the Minotaur's second attack cleaved into the side of the remaining foe.

The freshly-struck rock man, despite having received a significant strike from Peter, maintained its attention on Arthur. Harold jumped back to harry it, barely avoiding a punch aimed at him for his trouble, but its second blow found the mark on the blacksmith. Arthur saw stars for a moment as the strike hit him in the forehead and he was very nearly knocked flat, but somehow maintained his footing... and consciousness.

By that point, Peter and Harold were flanking the large earthen enemy, each delivering a series of blows to it, taking out huge chunks of stone with each strike. Their foe lashed out again, one arm at Arthur and one at Harold. Ready for the attack, the blacksmith managed to dodge out of the way, deflecting the rock hand with the shaft of his war hammer; Harold was not nearly as lucky, taking the blow directly to the end of his muzzle, which resulted in a spray of blood pouring out of his nostrils.

Far more worried about the Gnoll's safety than his own, Arthur changed his stance and launched a powerful, double-handed chop with his hammer, completely knocking its follow up attack away from Harold. Seizing the advantage, Arthur attacked again with a powerful blow, completely knocking the thing's arm off. Harold recovered quickly enough to hit the enemy twice as well, but to minimal effect. Arthur was far more worried about the Gnoll's health than what damage he could cause. "Harold.. give it some space!"

He was so focused on his middle son, however, that he failed to notice the fist coming right at him. Arthur felt two impacts against his head: the stone of the thing's clenched fingers, and then the cobblestone of the street. Somewhere off in the distance, the blacksmith heard Harold's war cry of "You bastard! I'll smash you into rubble!"

Darkness was quick to follow.

* * * * *

The sun had moved across the sky during Arthur's brush with unconsciousness. He awoke to the orange and red of sunset peeking through the canopy of the trees beneath which he was resting. The blacksmith was laying on a wool blanket and his leather apron was rolled up beneath his head like a pillow. The moment he sat up Peter was by his side, helping him to find a better position. "Careful, Father... you took a nasty blow to the head."

Arthur raised a hand to his forehead and felt a bandage in place. Although he had plenty to be worried about regarding his own health, he realized that Harold was nowhere to be seen. "Where's your brother?"

The Minotaur sat down beside the blacksmith. "He is gathering more herbs, Father. Harold and I brought you here so you could recover and after we dressed your wounds he went out to seek medicinal supplies."

Glancing around what little he could see through the thick tree line, Arthur felt a stab of dull pain behind his eyes; apparently he wasn't quite as fit as he would have liked. Moreover, he didn't realize where he was. "Where IS 'here', Peter?"

His eldest son pointed. "Town is back that way--" he then rotated and pointed in another direction. "--and that way is Traven Keep. We did not take the roads in case they were being watched."

Arthur nodded at the precaution. "Smart. That was a good idea, my boy."

The Minotaur's ears reddened just a little. "It was Harold's."

The Gnoll's voice spoke up from a short distance away. "What was mine?"

Harold walked into view with dirty paws and a satchel over his shoulder. Peter looked to his brother "Finding this place for dad... avoiding the roads."

The Gnoll wasted no time addressing the praise, kneeling down to check Arthur's bandages. "We're going cross country-- there are a lot of places where we'll be able to stay out of sight and, as long as we keep a good pace we'll get to the keep faster."

The blacksmith got the point and, once Harold verified that his health was stable, Arthur got the assistance from both of his sons to stand. He motioned in the direction Peter had indicated. "Alright... the keep is this way?"

Harold reached up and gave his dad's outstretched hand a little tap to the left. "Yeah, Dad... are you sure you're ready to go?"

The Human nodded decisively. "We need to find your brother and if Sir Asler is in danger then I am bound by duty to help."

Peter picked up his shield and set in place on his arm. "Harold... lead the way-- I'll keep an eye on Father."

Despite any objections Arthur had, his sons took control of the situation and in short order they were marching across the countryside. Despite having been unconscious for most of the day, the blacksmith was in good physical condition and his body recovered more as he put it to use. They remained quiet as they walked which allowed his mind to wander as he began to contemplate what could possibly have happened that caused Hearthbridge and Taravn Keep to be attacked. The Temple of Hieroneous seemed to have a theory, but they hadn't discussed it.

Despite being lost in his head, Arthur still maintained careful focus on his surroundings, following after Harold as the Gnoll lead the small group across the countryside. On the occasions they drew near to the road the blacksmith caught occasional glimpses of unearthly-looking patrols; they were the dark, twisted beings that had attacked Hearthbridge and looked as though they were eager for more bloodshed. Harold always gave them a wide berth.

The sun was still barely peeking above the horizon when Arthur and his sons came across the site of what looked like a great battle. Numerous armed men lay scattered about the landscape with horses mixed within the number along with a few destroyed wagons dotting the site. Even as Harold began to move cautiously among the carnage his ears rotated forward; beside Arthur Peter's did the same. The Minotaur murmured quietly "There is combat."

As if having waited for his brother to confirm his concerns, Harold pulled out his bow and began picking his way past the corpses, motioning silently for Arthur and Peter to have care. The blacksmith admired the deftness and skill with which his middle son was able to move so silently; the Human and his eldest were not quite as skilled. They stayed a short distance back from Harold, letting him blaze a trail ahead but, just as the Gnoll reached a small copse of trees he came to a stop and gestured for them to catch up before turning back to look at whatever he'd discovered.

When Arthur and Peter arrived, Harold pointed down an embankment to where a melee was in full swing. Soldiers wearing the house colors and heraldry of Sir Asler were gathered in a circle; the blacksmith gasped when he realized that in the center of the defensive perimeter was a fallen figure in a knight's armor. He barely managed to keep his voice a whisper "It's Sir Asler!"

The five soldiers still standing, along with the knight's shield man were facing off against six tan-furred, bestial-like humanoid creatures with glowing red eyes and radiating auras of dark miasma. Although the soldiers looked bloody, beaten and exhausted, the opposing force had them surrounded; the twisted beings looked fresh and ready for battle. Arthur's grip clenched tightly around his war hammer. "They need aid."

Harold murmured "Dad... you're still not fully healed... and neither am I or Peter."

The Minotaur snorted. "And neither are Sir Asler's men. We cannot stand by and do nothing."

Arthur nodded in agreement. "Right. Let's go, and Peter, this time, have some di--"

Peter crashed through the underbrush, bugling out a war cry as he lowered his horns and charged. The blacksmith sighed. "--discretion."

The next few moments were a blur as the Minotaur's impact sent a shockwave, both literal and figurative across the battlefield. The soldiers shouted a cheer while the demonic creatures were forced to adjust their ranks to accommodate dealing with a new opponent. The soldiers took that opportunity to rally and push their assailants back, further from where Lord Asler lay on the ground.

Harold knocked an arrow, commenting aside to Arthur "NOW the Humans are happy to see us... it figures."

The abyssal foes renewed their attack at that moment, and Peter was among those they targeted. More concerned about the safety of his eldest than a smart-mouth comment from his middle son, the blacksmith charged in. Two arrows buzzed past him from the Gnoll; Peter, who had been about to be struck by one of the twisted humanoids was saved from its attack as the first arrow caught it in the thigh but, unfortunately, the second arrow struck the Minotaur. Peter objected, but, thankfully, without any hint of pain. "That's my armor you just shot, Harold!"

The Gnoll knocked another arrow, rushing to follow after Arthur. "Sorry! You moved in front of it!

Snorting, the Minotaur returned his attention to his foes, working with the soldiers and pincering the enemy line; Arthur quickly joined him. The first minute of the renewed melee was pure chaos; the soldiers didn't quite manage to hold their own and, even with the added assistance, two of them fell to savage claws. After that, the two demonic foes turned to face Arthur and Peter.

The first lashed out at the Minotaur, who used his shield to protect himself. Harold shouted from behind them "Look out!"

Arthur heard the twang of the bow string again and the otherworldly enemy facing off against Peter fell away, an arrow barely missing it. The second arrow found a target however-- in Peter... again. "Burned flux, Harold! Y--"

The Gnoll interjected "You stepped into it again!"

The Minotaur shouted "Bows in combat are NOT the same as hunting!" He accented his objection by burying his sword into his demonic enemy's chest, then pulled it out and lopped off its head. Rather than a body falling to the ground, the furred form simply faded away into foul-smelling smoke. He continued his swing, the tip of his blade catching the one in front of the blacksmith on the shoulder.

Arthur stepped in and pushed his opponent further back with several swings of his war hammer. "Focus, you two! Harold, we'll talk about your bowmanshi--"

His statement was interrupted as he blocked his enemy's claws with the shaft of his war hammer. A soldier moved in behind the demonic thing, seizing the opportunity to flank it and strike it across the back. The sword drew black ichor, but the creature did little more than snarl in anger.

As another soldier fell, the demonic foes readjusted their lines again; one soldier and the knight's shield man along with Arthur and his brothers had the enemies evenly numbered, but Sir Asler's men were beaten bloody and the blacksmith's family still hadn't recovered from their earlier confrontation. Steeling himself, Arthur shouted "Protect Sir Asler!"

The Shield Man stepped in to defend the fallen knight, facing down three assailants by himself. His sword lashed out, catching one on its arm as it went to attack, and he quickly interposed his shield between the other numerous claws coming at him. Despite his obvious skill, one attack lashed out low and the wicked claws carved though his leg plate, gouging out flesh as they went. He hobbled for a moment before regaining his stance.

Two more arrows sailed past Arthur and Peter; one shot missed completely but the other found its mark and struck one of the dark creatures in the shoulder. The Minotaur pushed his foe back with mighty strikes, forcing it to give up ground to avoid being struck; Arthur's enemy was not as lucky as the blacksmith slammed his war hammer down on its head twice. The first hit created a resounding crack and the second resulted in a wet crunch; the demonic creature dissolved into black mist.

The remaining guard stepped in to aid Peter with the last demon, shifting to the side to keep it away from Sir Asler. The other demons pressed the attack against the Shield man who, remarkably, managed to take on all three, his curved heater intercepting every last claws. Bashing into his enemies to drive them back, the shield man roared out in a deep baritone "Protect Sir Asler!"

Although the Shield Man managed to push the three demons back, one worked its way around his shield and swiped forward with its claw; an arrow sprouted from its eye. Harold continued his charge toward the melee, dropping his bow as he pulled his hammer and axe, joining the fray by leaping at the enemy Arthur was fighting. With his son's assistance the two managed to catch the demonic creature in pincer and they began wailing away.

Despite the arrow sticking out of his head, the injure demon was far from defeated; it stumbled past the defending Shield Man and launched itself onto the remaining soldier from behind, digging into his shoulders with its claws before its sharpened teeth clamped down on his neck. The man let out a gurgling cry of pain, and fell. The unearthly creature settled its gaze on Peter and struck at him too but the Minotaur deftly blocked with his shield.

Arthur and Harold continued their relentless assault against their foe and its massive injuries finally overcame its unearthly constitution; it faded away just like the others. Peter seized his chance and stepped into the empty spot on the battlefield, swinging his sword with a backhand strike; his enemy raised its claws in a feeble attempt to protect itself but the blade went straight through its wrists and carried on to cleanly cleave its neck. The demon's head was separated from its body, and both faded into smoke.

The tide of combat had changed, leaving Arthur and his sons along with the shield man against just two foes. Despite being outnumbered, the two demons continued their attacks against the Shield Man. Obviously exhausted and overwhelmed, the man's reactions were not as fast as they needed to be and he suffered several severe blows.

He fell back, going down to one knee as he groaned out in pain, but, rather than dropping his sword and shield, the man roared out in defiance "HIERONEOUS!"

The shield man was suffused with golden light and Arthur was shocked to see that many of his bloody wounds simply ceased to be. Although it had been over a decade since the blacksmith had been in the militia, his training pulled through and he didn't let the surprise distract him from combat. He stepped forward, moving to step into line with the man against the remaining two demonic foes.

Harold likewise stepped up, motioning with his head to the enemy with the arrow in its eye. Confirming the plan with a swift nod, Arthur joined his son, sidestepping to their left before rushing it from its blind side. Arthur's war hammer combined with Harold's hammer and axe made short work of the injured demon, leaving just one standing against them; Peter stepped forward to remedy that.

The Minotaur swung his sword in a wide arc, bringing it down at an angle and burying it part way into the demon's chest via its shoulder. It looked up at him, narrowing its eyes as it spoke in a language that chilled Arthur to the bone and made him sick to his stomach.

Harold stepped in quickly behind it, attacking the thing multiples times until his savage assailing sent it to smoky oblivion. "You picked the wrong village to attack, filth!"

With all demons gone, it was apparent that they were victorious. The shield man finally dropped his sword and shield, turning to sprint to where Sir Asler lay on the ground. He fell to his knees, crying out "Father!"

The exclamation caught Arthur by surprise; he hadn't known Sir Asler to ever have taken a wife, let alone having a son. The shield man quickly unlatched his helm from his armor and threw it to the side. The man's long, black hair fell down freely amidst a field of green skin among a porcine face complete with tusks.

Harold had never been one to censor his thoughts when it came to speaking aloud. "You're... an Orc?!?"