He caught sight of the rest of Gorgonbane converging on him. Bless those people. Not one of them had failed to meet their Monstrosity quota. Pierce could see the hulking, lifeless bodies behind them. One of them had its head blown off. Who'd done that?
Axebourne waved frantically for Pierce's attention. He pointed at Pierce, then pointed upward. Fly?
I can't fly, he thought, blew out the gems.
He came within about ten yards of Axebourne, and the man had lifted one leg. He watched Pierce closely. He lifted a hand over his head and hesitated, then brought it down in a chopping motion as he stomped mightily on the ground. Pierce made a subconscious connection and leapt. He knew it must be an illusion, but he thought the ground beneath him rippled in a wave, travelling outward from Axebourne.
The werewolves either didn't see the ripple, or weren't concerned by it, but they didn't leap, and all their ranks were bowled over. Lupine bodies crashed into one another, fanged mouths yelped soundlessly. In their anger some of them slashed at each other with their claws.
Pierce fell in with his comrades.
Axebourne squared off against the werewolves as they righted themselves and began to approach again, more cautiously this time. This was more the kind of battle Gorgonbane had been expecting today.
Pierce swiftly scanned the city. He hadn't looked up in a while. Grondell was razed. The Everlasting Temple lay in ruins. There still seemed to be fighting going on where the garrison troops had been arrayed, but Pierce couldn't see Grondell's flag flying among them. Gorgonbane had failed. They fought now only to preserve their own lives.
On the bright side, that opened up a few options.
The tactic had been discussed before the battle, and now was the time to use it.
"So we've covered gate breach, wall breach, undermining. If we end up outnumbered," Scythia had said, "what's the plan then?"
"If Ess could multiply my strikes rather than amplify..." Agrathor posited.
Ess shook her head. "That Skill is a lending of power from me to you, I cannot alter the nature of your abilities."
"You can't just make more bolts?" Pierce asked. "Or do them faster?"
"Make more, do it faster," Agrathor mocked. "Why don't you just make that sword grow longer? Or have it melt brains instead of bone? We can test it on you."
Pierce laughed. Agrathor grinned.
Pierce said, "Okay then. The rest of us are only good for single targets. That leaves Ess. But you said you can't just blow up an entire army."
"I cannot," she affirmed. "Even if my telekinesis were more advanced, that would be too many all at once." She closed her eyes, white painted eyelids glimmering. "There is something, but I doubt you will find it palatable."
"What is it?" everyone asked.
"Something like... a bomb. Like one of Scythia's, but ethereal, and very costly."
"If it saves our lives, it could be worth it," Axebourne said.
"It would require someone's... body parts. Well, just one part really."
Everyone flinched. Pierce touched his chest absently. Would he be able to hand over a finger, or a toe, or more, to save his own life, and that of the group? He supposed in the moment he would do it with nary a second thought. But now, in premeditation... It seemed more than unpalatable.
Involuntarily, his eyes drifted over to Agrathor. Everyone else was looking at him too. He noticed.
"No, no no," he said, holding up skeletal hands and backing out of the group's huddle. "Just because I don't feel pain... No. That's not fair. These bones are all I've got left."
"True, Agrathor, it is not fair," said Scythia. "Our obvious thoughts do you a disservice. Do not think that we consider you merely a tool."
This seemed to pacify the man somewhat.
"But," Scythia continued, "in a life or death situation, when all other hope is lost, it would be easiest -"
"And quickest -" Axebourne added.
"- if you did it," Scythia finished.
There was a long silence that even Pierce dare not break. He had only begun to imagine what it must be like to be Agrathor. To ask the skeleton man to part with another portion of himself...
"Okay," Agrathor had said, casting his green eyes downward. "I'll do it."
The werewolves were bearing down on them. It was time for something drastic.
Pierce watched his comrades. Were they really going to do it?
Ess took a deep breath. She tapped her chest under one arm. That was the signal. Agrathor looked dejected, but he nodded and approached her. He reached under his armor, and with a grimace he snapped off one of his ribs. He gazed at it longingly, as if he was parting with an old friend. He even touched it to his teeth in what Pierce assumed was a skeleton's kiss. Then he handed it over to Ess and turned away.
Ess ferreted the rib up one of her sleeves. She did something with it under her robe. She closed her eyes for a moment, and Pierce relished the doll-like quality of her face. He slapped himself mentally.
You might die in moments, fool. Focus.
When she brought the rib back out, it glowed with a yellow fire that shifted and bent all around the bone. She kissed it, handed it to Axebourne.
He stared at it for a moment, heaved a sigh, drew back his hand and lobbed the bone out over the ranks of cautious werewolves.
Every one of the vicious things turned its head up to follow the high arc of the rib bone. Many leaped up into the air as if they could catch it in their vile jaws. Some came close. One werewolf in the rear of the pack finally succeeded, and
