Chapter 285: The Barony Goes to War

Chapter 285: The Barony Goes to War

Ozzy watched as a small fortress made of sticks and dried mud appeared in the field. Beavers were already adding to the walls. From the gates came hundreds of large gophers the size of small dogs. They were divided into two large hordes and moved with purpose. Seven badgers in plate armor atop giant moles rode behind the hordes, urging them to battle. On the top tower of Fort Bucktooth, General Armidias directed his troops. He shouted down at the defending human army, his high-pitched squeal carrying across the muddy fields. "Run while you can, or I shall gnaw your bones. The day of the human is over. The long night of the Gopher is upon you."

Ben was impressed. "We have a villain that likes to monolog. They're the most entertaining."

Rolly yelled at the Baron. "Don't let him get away with that, Billy. Speech! Speech!"

Billy was yelling at the workers on the other wagons. "I'd rather let my war machines do the talking. Fire at will!"

Multiple ballistae fired low at the oncoming hordes, carving bloody trenches through the tight-packed rodents. A moment later, the rocks launched by the catapults landed, doing even more damage and breaking up the charge. Immediately the workers with the highest STR began reloading the war machines for another round. Jorges was calculating the distance to Fort Bucktooth and adjusting for wind before he fired. Cranking the tension nearly to the point of snapping the twisted ropes, he pulled the lever. His catapult launched a fifty-pound sphere of rock high into the air, trying for a shot at Fort Bucktooth. It took several seconds to reach apogee and return to Earth. The shot hit the highest tower of the fort, smashing it and destroying parts of the wall. Dozens of gophers and three brave beavers died. Armidias survived, but only by diving from the tower, screaming as he flew through the air. Without the army leader watching, some of the gophers stopped in their tracks, afraid to charge the humans.

The Butcher prepared for them to swarm him and planned to unleash Butcher's Breath on the charging gophers, but they split and went wide around him, not giving him a chance. Instead, he found himself charged by the Seven Riders of the Apocalypse. The badgers on giant moles spread out into a long arc, intending to spear him with multiple lances. Trying to even the odds, he cast Jaws of the Void and sent a shark to play with one of the riders. To his disappointment, the badger speared it on his lance. The shark only got one bite before it dissipated. The rider was slowed and out of position but still coming.

From behind Ozzy, a shaft of bright sunlight flashed by, hitting one of the riders, burning completely through its shield and armor before injuring the Battle Badger and causing him to nearly fall from his mount. Suzette was advancing, her golden hair reflecting the sun as she cast Evergreen's Shining Lance. Each time she cast the spell, green grass sprouted in a ten-foot radiance around her, and flowers bloomed. She felt confident, and her new staff felt like it was part of her.

Sun Blessed Staff of Evergreen

Here comes the sun do, do, do, do

Here comes the sun,

And I say, it's all right

-Spells cast from the domains of Light, Nature, or the Sun will have increased effect and damage.

-Spells granted by the Goddess Evergreen will have increased effect and damage.

Defeat the horde 1/1

Kill the Gopher Hero, Armidias Proudtooth 0/1

Kill the Seven Riders of the Apocalypse 7/7

Destroy Fort Bucktooth, named in honor of a fallen hero. 0/1

Defeat Gophorian Behemoth 0/1

Two more catapults put stone balls into Fort Bucktooth. The walls sagged and fell inward. The beavers gave up, clocked out, and went home. They weren't getting overtime for this.

From the wreckage, a high-pitched cackling could be heard. Armidias Proudtooth climbed upon a shattered wall. "I bring you doom manlings! DOOM! I summon the beast of end times, the creature that will destroy you. With my blood, I do this! DOOM!" He stabbed himself with his dagger. "Ouch...that stings!" Ozzy saw one more quest objective ticked off his list and knew what was coming.

"Heads up, people. Big thing incoming. Whatever a Gophorian Behemoth is. Back everyone up and give yourselves room to run." No one argued. Woodrat and his crew sprinted for the ship, and as the ground trembled, he took her higher into the air and started circling the battlefield.

The ground where the fort had been collapsed into a hole, and emerging from it was a giant bipedal gopher clad in armor made from hides and roots woven together. It stood upright on bowed legs and held a club made from a tree trunk in one paw. It was rank and stinking with matted hair. The Behemoth slept for long years, and its lair was a horrible thing of gnawed bones, animal skins, and its own filth. Looking at it caused fear among most farmers who started moving backward as fast as possible.

The creature was fifty feet tall and had to weigh over forty tons.

Gophorian Behemoth Level 15 Ancient Giant-kin Health 250,000

Doom comes for you, manling.

This ancient creature is slow to wake. Hitting and burning it usually takes care of that problem.