Stevens and Cody were running as fast as they could, they were getting close to home and knew that if the people following them were going to attack it would be right before they got home. They were getting close but had been running as fast as possible and were starting to get tired. Suddenly, they saw something move above them and Cody tripped when he looked up, crashing to the ground in a heap knocking down a tree. Stevens went to help him get up and they tried to continue running but the crafter with them panicked and took off in the wrong direction. Just as they were going to go after him, Stevens saw something headed toward them and pushed himself and Cody apart so that it missed. However, now they were both on the ground and the jewelry crafter was nowhere to be seen.
One of the winged vampire people landed near them with an arrogant look on its face, knowing there were more around and probably more coming a few minutes behind them, they decided not to attack and just let this idiot talk. However he didn't get a chance to since his head fell off his shoulders to the ground and rolled right in front of Cody.
"That was odd," Cody said to Stevens.
"Is that some sort of suicide attack they do?" Stevens asked while staring at the blood coming out of the still standing guy. Away from their mountain, it seemed like the monstrous people were even more separated from humans. Their skin was grey and leathery, their faces were more angular with slightly pointed ears and long fangs that hung outside their mouths. Stevens picked up the head and used fire magic to burn it to ash in seconds, then the body fell over and a great deal more blood was coming out.
A slightly smaller and lighter grey one flew down and landed on the blood. Sucking it up like a vacuum, all of the blood disappearing inside him in moments. Then the slightly taller and darker skinned vampire-ish person turned to Cody with a grin and started walking towards him with purpose. This time his head didn't fall off, it exploded and his body started burning, the body didn't bleed, Stevens had shot it in the face with a fire arrow.
"These ones must be scouts since they die so easily."
"Easily? Stevens, that first one's head fell off on its own and all we did was look at it." Cody yelled.
"It was probably already injured."
"So, someone cut its head off, then it flew over to us and landed, then it fell," Cody said and paused for a few seconds. "I want to go home."
"Here come some more, we should start running again."
They got their bearings and took off toward home. They got within sight of it and both suddenly stopped and looked at each other, they forgot Theodore. He had run off when they were attacked and both of them had completely forgotten about him as soon as that guy's head hit the ground. Stevens nodded toward home, then Cody nodded toward the forest, they both gave each other a serious look trying to convince each other of what they wanted to do.
"Get a move on!" Audrey yelled at them as she burst out of a group of trees while fighting one of the vampire things with Theodore not far behind. Stevens and Cody both let out less than masculine squeals when she surprised them and together they decided to listen to her and started running.
"How many more are coming?" Cody asked.
"I saw about ten more in the distance," said Theodore over his shoulder while running as fast as he could.
Audrey finished off the one she had been fighting and drove her dagger into its eye and twisted. "You need to move, Ash says a hundred will be here shortly."
They stayed together but made it back into Crater Town and collapsed onto the ground. Stevens and Cody were looking at all the changes to the town in amazement. They had only been gone ten days or so but their home had changed so much it was a total shock to them. They got a drink from the fountain and soon everyone was present and standing there, no one seemed particularly nervous or agitated that they were about to be attacked so Cody just had to speak up.
"So, is there a plan to deal with those creepy guys?"
"Yes," Tara said as if it was obvious and it got quiet again.
"Well, what is it?" Cody asked, starting to get worried.
"We wait for them to attack, then we kill them," Lucy said with a little more bloodlust than Cody and Stevens were comfortable with.
"Not all of them," Bethany added.
Lucy looked sad and she kicked the ground, "Ok, not all of them."
"That's not really a plan," Stevens pointed out. "And who are these two?"
"Well, we plan on killing them when they attack," Tara said. "And these two are new."
Bethany snorted a laugh, "Can't argue with that logic."
They all just kind of looked at each other for a moment and started laughing, except Beau, he looked anxious.
"This is how you guys treat being attacked and outnumbered ten to one?" Beau said incredulously.
"Well, Ash is probably worth about a hundred of me," Tara said, "so we aren't really outnumbered."
"I killed six of them going out there and checking on you guys, this isn't going to be difficult." Audrey said with confidence.
"None of you know what you are getting yourself into," Theodore said in a panic. "Their lord is not something to take lightly. He cleared probably a quarter of the last monster horde single handedly. Whatever you thought this fight was going to be, I promise you it won't be easy."
"What's your name, new guy?" Bethany asked with a wicked smile.
"This is Teddy, and he can make jewelry," Stevens said, patting the man on the back and holding out the rings he had purchased. All four of the women came over to his hand and started inspecting them for a second then they each took one, Tara Audrey and Bethany put it on their left ring finger. They all glared at each other at first, but then they were all glaring at Audrey, who looked embarrassed and moved it to the ring finger on her right hand.
"My name is Theodore, and yes, I can make jewelry. Also, that man tricked me into coming here."
"Yes I did Teddy, and you want to be here. Isn't that right Lord Ash," Stevens said, saying the last part while looking at Eli.
Theodore's face turned white as a ghost, which was something since he was already the whitest person there. "My lord," He said while kneeling.
"None of that Teddy, Do you see anyone else kneeling? And, for the record, I'm not 'your' lord until you agree to stay and officially join us." Eli said while winking at Lucy. She immediately looked troubled and it looked like she was concentrating fiercely for a few seconds and then she relaxed. Then the system window popped up saying that Lucy wanted to be his servant and met the requirements. Eli didn't even read it and selected 'Yes'. Her face lit up and she nodded in thanks, knowing that this was not the time to bow or hug him like she wanted.
"Ok, now we just wait for them to attack. How long do you think that will take?" Eli asked Audrey.
"MY lord, they should all be here ready to attack in a few minutes," Audrey said putting a tremendous amount of emphasis on the word 'my' while glaring at Teddy. He just rolled his eyes at the young woman and pretended not to have heard her.
"Anyone want to start a betting pool on how they will attack?" Eli asked.
"I've got a million on underlings going first in a group," Audrey said quickly.
"I'll bet the same on their lord doing some kind of ability to start it off," Tara said excitedly.
"I think he will be cautious and send in small groups of progressively stronger people," Beau said. "I'll bet a million as well."
"Can I bet?" Teddy asked and when everyone nodded he continued. "I think the lord will monologue first. He seems like the dramatic type. I don't have a million, can I bet half a million?"
"I'll spot you," Stevens said, "don't worry about it."
"Anyone else?" Eli asked, and after a few seconds of silence he continued, "Then the bets are closed. Good luck everyone."
They chatted in small groups, with most of them listening to Cody and Stevens recount their journey to the other safe zone, the people there, the mountain, and so on. Almost twenty minutes went by and they heard a loud booming voice spread across the area.
"Who is the lord in this tiny place?"
Eli walked out the gate and stopped after about ten feet when he saw the winged enemy all lined up like a military formation. He decided to go full ham and over-act so hard it couldn't be seen as anything other than sarcasm. He could feel all of them, and every single one was weak, they had levels but when he sensed their magic, it was hollow power, like putting a lawn mower engine in a sports car. Eli was actually disappointed that he wasn't going to get a decent fight out of this which made him not want to take this seriously at all.
"Look if you want to buy the place, I'll tell you what I told the other lord, I'm not selling it."
"Why would I buy something I can take from your corpse?"
"I bet you say that to all the girls, but I'm not like the other girls," Eli said with a smirk since he could hear Tara and Stevens fall to the ground laughing. The line he just used, he used on an African warlord to confuse and enrage him into falling into an ambush. He was hoping this idiot would hear them laughing and get angry.
"Do you know who I am?"
"Are you the terror that flaps in the night?" Eli said using every ounce of his will to not laugh at his own reference.
"No, I am not Darkwing Duck, I am Lord Drak, and I have come here to add you to my collection of souls. You will add to my strength, which I will use to conquer even more land until I am recognized as King of this new world."
"Well Mr. Duck, I don't think you are supposed to reveal your plans for world domination like that. You have no shot at winning now. Haven't you ever seen a movie?"
"Enough nonsense, Kill Him! Kill them all!" Drak said and all of his people rushed in.
Eli didn't move a muscle, standing there in his cloak and mask, he let them get within arms reach before he absolutely wrecked the first wave with one incredibly fast and arcing swing of a conjured cudgel. At the same time as his swing he cast air detonation three times into the group of attackers. It pulled them a bit closer and when they exploded, it knocked back several of them and outright killed at least four of them. Then he blinked to be within a foot of Drak's face and headbutted him as hard as he could, this knocked Drak down and back a few feet. His nose was bleeding and it took him a bit to get to his feet.
"You are going to be a feast!" Drak yelled and charged at Eli with some kind of dash skill. It wasn't an air based dash, which is easy to see with high enough perception, this was a shadow magic dash that was very disorienting to watch. The claws that were his fingernails grew to three inches long each and before Eli could react, both of Drak's claws were stuck into his body. With one hand's nails buried in Eli's head and the other near his heart, he began to drain his life. Or that was how the skill was supposed to work, but it did nothing, first his face showed confusion, then anger, then worry, and just before it got to panic, Eli grabbed his forearms with an iron grip and crushed them, breaking the bones.
"You should have stayed in your mountain!" Eli yelled as a clone look-alike made of tree roots came out of the ground and went at the back of the invaders as they were charging in, to devastating effect. At the same time, Eli crunched the bones in Drak's forearms again and pulled him in close, locking him in a bear hug. Drak had fear in his eyes, real imminent death fear, it was so palpable that Eli hesitated for a second knowing that he held in his arms a person. Over the next second a floor of thoughts passed through his mind making him second guess ending this man's life.
Eli squeezed harder and more bones broke in Drak's torso as he frantically swung his broken arms around trying to get away from him. Ribs were bending and breaking, Drak held his mouth open in a scream but was unable to move air in or out of his lungs. Eli was tired of the struggling so he headbutted him again and again until he was unconscious, breaking his jaw and caving in part of his skull. Eli was staying focused on Drak's magic so that he could keep track of how much damage he could take before he died, instead of killing him he had an idea. As per the usual with his spur of the moment ideas, this idea was going to be a little crazy and unpopular, except maybe with Bethany, she might appreciate it.