The Journeys of Barak

Part 7

The early morning mists swirl across the surface of the swamps obscuring sight past 30 paces. All the signs and omens have lead both you and Yuth to believe that the wight you are searching for is very close.

As the sun begins to burn off some of the mists you begin to hear sounds of movement that does not belong to your gnomes or Yuth's halfling warriors.

"Stand ready. They are close. I can smell their stench," you say sniffing the air.

"I too can sense their evil," Yuth replies glancing around warily.

An unearthly shriek echoes out from somewhere in the shadowy swamp. The shriek must have been the signal to attack because from out of the mists around you shuffle the hordes of restless dead. Behind the ranks of skeletons and zombies you can just make out a mounted figure in the mist shrouded distance.

The figure brandishes an axe glowing with green and black energies and shouts, "Come shaman and feel the bite of my axe. I, Gragg, will bind you in servitude to the Lich Lord. Your precious Mother cannot help you now." With that he waves his axe forward and the undead army surges towards your position.

Glancing about at the surrounding area you notice that the site Gragg has chosen for this battle only marginally favors his forces. It is a relatively open area with a good-sized section of solid ground surrounded by water with several small trails leading off into the swamp. The solid patches of ground here favor your side but the murky waters do not hinder his forces at all. The limited solid surface are will restrict the effectiveness of your mounted gnomes. Quickly estimating the size of his forces you realize you are outnumbered 3 to 1.

Calling out orders you yell, "Deram. Fire the swamp there and there make them come to us down this path. Higgens. I want satchel charges placed twenty paces out and 5 apart. Set them off after the first wave has passed over them. Yuth. We will hold the center while the others protect the flanks."

"Agreed bearman. Only in death are we reborn. We honor the Great Lord Tan doubly today, both with our deaths and by sending them back to theirs," he shouts as the flames blaze up around your small island and the first of the satchel charges detonate flinging bones and decaying flesh through the air.

Ducking beneath the shattered remnants of skeleton you summon the powers of Bear and enter the fray next to the fierce halfling warriors and their fen hound companions. Shouting above the din you urge your troops on, "Hold the line. If they break through we are finished."

The battle sways back and forth for several minutes with heavy losses on both sides but the overwhelming weight of the undead causes a breach in your lines and as you are pushed back Gragg charges through the gap directly at you.

"Now you are mine shaman," he roars as he brings his axe crashing down on your shield and thunders past you.

As he rides past, you notice his axe is carved from the back spine of a dethfesh and that he has the fetishes of a Polar Bear Shaman swinging from his neck

Shaking loose the shattered remnants of your shield you turn to face him just in time to see his mount go down under the savage fury four fen hounds.

As he leaps from the falling mount he cuts down two of the hounds and lands in the ankle deep mud facing your direction.

The chaotic melee has separated the two of you from all of the other combatants for now. Behind Gragg you can see Talus and several other gnomes fighting a vicious battle against numerous undead.

"This day you die, blasphemer. The Great Mother and the spirit of the Polar bear do not tolerate traitors," you roar as you charge Gragg and bring your axe around for a devastating blow.

Blocking the strike with his axe he smiles, "Die? Hah! I think not foolish cub. I have found a power greater than that of the snow bear or the bitch. I shall live forever and you shall join me or die."

Enraged by his taunts you respond with a flurry of blows, which he parries almost lazily with the glowing axe. "Graaaaagghhh! Die monster," you scream as your every swing is blocked. Each time your axe hits his you notice a terrible feeling of cold surge up the haft of your axe and little chips of bone splinter off of it. Feinting blow to his head, you slam your axe deep into his left arm, snapping your axe in half and causing yellowish pus to spurt from the wound.

With an inhuman bellow Gragg kicks you to the ground and stomps on your chest with the cold steel of his left boot, "So little bear you think you can defeat me with the paltry powers you possess? I think not."

Grinning wickedly he bears down with his boot and you can feel your ribs giving way. Only the powers of the Bear are keeping you from passing out from the tremendous pain. Summoning the Bear's claws you rip at his leg, attempting to dislodge him.

Ignoring your ripping and tearing of his leg he bends down and places the blade of his axe against your face and says, "Feel the power granted to me."

As the green and black energies of the axe engulf your head your entire body is wracked with pain more intense than anything you have ever experienced before. Even when the orc shoved the sword though your belly, it didn't hurt this much.

As your vision begins to narrow you catch a glimpse of a rapidly moving tree swinging through the air and then, somehow, the pain is gone. Rolling to your knees and clutching your broken ribs you feel gentle hands on your back.

Faintly at first, and then louder you can hear Talus asking, "Are you okay Barak? It sounded like you were dying." Helping you regain you feet he continues in a worried voice, "C'mon hurry. I think he's getting back up already. I tried to pick up his axe but it burned me. I think that's his focus because when I hit him with the tree it didn't kill him."

Glancing down you see Gragg's axe lying on the ground a few feet away, behind Talus you can see a freshly uprooted tree about a foot in diameter and 15 feet long lying on the ground also. Midway along the tree you can see a yellowish smudge.

Shuffling over to the axe you bend down to pick it up. Wincing at the pain of your broken ribs you straighten and examine the axe. You can feel great spiritual power within the axe but it has been twisted and corrupted by evil, just holding it makes your skin crawl.

Looking around you see Gragg sprawled against a tree thirty feet away. Yellowish pus oozes out of the joints in his armor and from his mouth.

Laughing evilly as he struggles to rise, "It will take more than that to finish me cubling."

"Help me over there, Talus."

Leaning heavily on Talus' shoulder your make your way over to Gragg with the defiled axe in your hand just as he manages to get to his knees.

Ignoring the stabbing pain of your broken ribs you ask, "Do you repent and accept the Great Mother?"

Coughing up green and yellow pus Graggs spits, "Never. "

Letting go of Talus' shoulder you raise the axe above your head with both hands, "Then die," you pronounce bringing the axe down on Gragg's neck, severing his head.

As his head rolls across the muddy ground, it and his body begin to dissolve into a yellowish green slime. As you watch the last little pieces of Gragg's body dissolve into nothingness the axe begins to vibrate and shimmer. The black stains on the axe float away like wisps of smoke leaving behind a glistening white axe head and a silvery metal shaft wrapped in polar bear fur and bound by small silver chains.

Looking around you see that the rest of the battle has ended as well. Many of your allies have fallen and many are wounded but all the undead have been destroyed. The halflings look at you with approval and the gnomes look at both you and Talus with awe.

"You have done a great service for Lord Tan today Barak. I will honor your name in my prayers," Yuth says as he grasps your arm. "Come. Let us tend to the wounded and honor the fallen. Then we will travel to the elders and tell them of our battle and celebrate our victory."