Battleborne by Dave Willmarth

Author:Dave Willmarth [Willmarth, Dave]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2020-06-29T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Max stood over the body of Agnor, king of the grey dwarves, breathing hard from his exertions. All around him, dwarves and kobolds cheered and congratulated each other. But none other than Rockbreaker got within reach of Max and his hammer, both of which were thoroughly splattered with Agnor bits and the blood of other greys.

Taking a few deep breaths, Max surveyed the hall, making sure no greys were still standing. He could hear Rockbreaker’s voice speaking to him in a calming manner, but he was still feeling the adrenaline rush of the battle rage and blood pounded through his veins so quickly that he could hear his own heartbeat.

Eventually, Max calmed himself. Whatever natural rage his monster half had sent him into began to fade, and he could hear the captain’s words.

“-moppin’ up the last o’ the greys inside the walls.” Max felt the tingle of a healing spell, and quickly looked at his health bar, which was rising above the halfway mark. He didn’t recall taking any injuries, but clearly he had. “Ye nearly give’d yer own life, standin’ so close to the king when he used that skill. It killed all the kobolds around the two of ye.”

Max looked down at his feet, and indeed there were a dozen or more kobold bodies spread out in a sort of blast pattern with the king as its epicenter. He noticed that his own armor was slightly scorched on the front, his greaves hanging loose because the fasteners had partially melted.

“Troll regeneration.” Dalia winked at him, stepping close and laying a hand on his back, where he was mostly splatter-free. He felt another heal wash through him, and he relaxed a bit more.

“I wasn’t really thinking. I just wanted him dead.” Max mumbled. He heard a scream from somewhere outside the hall, and his head snapped up. Looking toward the door, he asked, “Are we still fighting?”

Rockbreaker shook his head. “I just telled ye. Our warriors broke through the front gate, and are workin’ with the kobolds to seek out and finish any greys that might be hidin’ about.”

“Sorry, I was… distracted.”

“Ye had yer blood lust up. Ye were growlin like a mama cave bear waked from her winter’s nap. Damned intimidating, lad.”

“Thanks. I think.” Max wiped at the blood on his face, but his hand was just as bloody, so all it did was smear things around. He felt chunks of flesh in the mix, and nearly gagged when he pulled his hand away and saw brain matter. Dalia started to hand him a clean rag, saw the blood on his hands, and changed her mind.

“Bend down here, ya big pile o’ nasty.” When Max complied, she quickly wiped the worst of the mess from his face, then his hands, as if he were an infant. “Men. Can plan whole invasions, leap into battle against impossible odds without a thought, but can’t remember to carry a clean rag.”

Max pulled his canteen from his storage and poured some of the water onto his face, resisting the urge to shake his head and spray his friends with gore.

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