Bargrux hummed a merry tune amongst the slaughter as his goat trotted along the main road. Civilians peered from their windows at his passing, watching the mighty dwarven sea of steel as it passed by. ‘As I thought, it seems like they have nothing left to throw at us. We should be able to reach the next city before night falls.’
Bargrux nodded to himself, pleased with the dwarven show of power. However, that was when he heard it. A great cry echoed out from the area near the temple. Then the sounds of battle followed it.
‘Hm? What’s going on over there?’ He stroked his beard before urging his steed onward.
The army behind him broke into a sprint to catch up. Many dwarven captains called for him to slow down, fearing the enemy would catch him in a trap. However, Bargrux’s blood boiled at the thought of a worthy battle. So he paid them no mind. The road was long, so it took him a few minutes to reach the site of the commotion.
He watched over the heads of his men as a small group of Skardians prevented their entrance to the temple! No matter how hard the dwarven soldiers pushed, the enemy never faltered. A moment passed, and Bargrux bore witness to a goat and its rider being thrown into the ranks of his soldiers.
‘Hoho! What do we have here?’ Bargrux wondered as he watched the group from a distance. Then, he turned his sights on the temple. Where he could see a group of Skardians taking refuge behind the warriors.
‘Hm. Are they heroes? Or oracles?’ He found it difficult to tell the difference. Although, he assumed the warriors barring his army were most likely heroes. Who were probably defending the Oracles of their chosen gods. ‘It’s already begun. It won’t be long until a new Age of the Gods truly descends upon us.’
Bargrux frowned as he stared at his own hammer. ‘I’ll need to put an end to this before they cause too much damage!’
“Hrah!” Bargrux roared as he spurred his steed forward. His war cry alerted his men to his presence as they cleared a path for their king.
The Skardian warriors at the front did not miss his arrival. One of the women amongst the group stepped forward and swung her arm in the air. However, Bargrux only frowned at the gesture when nothing happened. A second later, his whole body jolted as he was thrown from his saddle!
Bargrux groaned as he landed heavily on the ground. The wind was knocked from his lungs as he struggled to catch his breath. The nearby dwarves rushed to protect him while he got back to his feet. A little shaken, but otherwise fine. ‘What was that?’
Through blurry eyes, he turned to catch sight of his loyal steed. Only to discover small roots had erupted from the ground and now bound its legs! ‘So, that’s what happened, eh? That one’s an oracle then!’
Bargrux roared as he shoved his soldiers aside and charged at the Skardian warriors! He raised his shield in front of him as the woman from before swung her axe. Her aim was true, and the blow struck it square on. A loud metallic sound rang out as a tremor raced down her arm!
Her eyes went wide as the shield pushed her axe aside and opened her up for a counter strike! The woman’s eyes almost popped out of her skull as Bargrux struck her full force in the sternum. However, he did not stop there! The next thing she saw was his shield swinging towards her face!
She was doubled over from his last blow, and had no time to react. A confused expression flashed across her face as she attempted to conjure roots. However, nothing happened! Bargrux laughed as his shield bashed her face, stunning her.
As she staggered backwards, Bargrux struck her thigh. Which caused the woman to collapse into a kneeling position! The dwarves behind him roared merrily as they redoubled their efforts to lock down the other warriors so they could not interfere. The woman glanced at Bargrux with fear in her eyes and a pleading expression on her face. However, before she could beg him for mercy, a solid blow struck her jaw, which rendered her unconscious!
“Tie that one up and keep her under guard! She’s one of our targets!” Bargrux roared at the surrounding dwarves, who were quick to respond.
This seemed to enrage the woman’s comrades as they attempted to break their respective encirclements and rescue her. However, the dwarves put up a stalwart resistance as they cooperated to prevent them from aiding each other.
“Take them all alive! Don’t kill them!” Bargrux warned his men as he studied their opponents. The others did not show any obvious sign of being oracles. They just seemed to be stronger or faster than normal humans should be capable of.
‘These three should be heroes, then. She was probably the only warrior oracle amongst them. Still, we can’t be having any accidents.’ Bargrux’s eyes glared at the remaining warriors one after the other as he decided who to challenge next.
Eventually, he settled for the man who had tossed a goat and rider earlier. His strength was forcing the dwarves to mostly focus on him. To prevent him from charging through their lines to the aid of the others.
The dwarves cheered again as their king rushed through their ranks to deal with the most troublesome enemy. Meanwhile, the people watching from the temple had horror plastered on their faces! ．
“Sigur clearly tried to use her powers! Why didn’t they work?” One man said to another with a tremor in his voice.
“I don’t know, but we have to give the heroes some support! What do you think will happen to us if they fall?” The man replied as sweat poured down his brow.
At that exact moment, Bargrux reached the man with inhuman strength. A mad glint appeared in his eye as he raised his shield to intercept the two-handed hammer that was aiming for his skull!