Eventually, my own danger sense began to ping. A palpable tension hung in the air, and an unnatural silence presided over the whole area. Birds had been abundant, even in this sparse area, flitting overhead now and then. I hadn’t seen or heard one in far too long.
I stared up at the gray and purple sky and felt nauseous. If we were going to be attacked, I sure as hell didn’t want it to be at night.
An old memory came to me, one I hadn’t thought of in years. I was seven or eight years old, and my family and I had been at a flea market in south LA. We’d spent all day browsing the random bits of people’s lives that were for sale, and my hands were sticky from cotton candy. There hadn’t been a place to park nearby, so we’d walked almost a mile to get there. On the way back, as the day was fading just like this one, we’d heard voices shouting from a nearby alley.
I was holding my dad’s hand, so I felt safe—at first. He sped up, though, and my mom followed suit. I sensed their fear, and it made me worry as well. I remember thinking, what could be so scary that my dad would be afraid?
Then as we passed the alley, I looked over and saw two men standing over someone who was balled up on the ground. One looked up and stared me straight in the eyes. I saw anger and something else I couldn’t identify. Now that I thought of it, I think the man was ashamed. And even as he watched me pass by, his friend landed a kick to the unlucky bastard’s ribs. The man just grunted, no longer strong enough to defend himself.
That same sense of tension and unexplained dread filled me now, and I had to take a deep breath to bolster myself and keep moving on. This is a freaking game, I reminded myself, but the thought did not do much to dispel my fear.
Tejón made a soft groan behind me, no doubt feeling the same as me. The path through the stone began to turn somewhat, and the walls to either side lowered. We were apparently coming out of the channel. That should have made me feel better.
I saw a pile of stone that looked to have been stacked to either side, though at this point, I had begun imagining attacks coming from all angles. I stared to detect any sign of movement, but we passed by and nothing changed.
I was about to turn and check on Tejón when a deafening crash filled the air. I spun my head back and saw that the stone had fallen into the road, blocking any possible retreat. A few figures were running along the walls above us, and they weren’t small.
Then several pairs of heavy boots thudded ahead. When I turned to see our enemies, my blood ran cold. We were facing five of the huge trow warriors that we’d fought in the mine, their bodies warped and hideous.
I buffed Tejón and myself with Guardian of the Wild and Shield of the Barbarian, then taunted. As the ugly bastards began to charge, I inspected them, hoping to gain some insight.
Twisted Trow
Level 26
HP: 9285/9285
Abilities: Tackle, Smite, Frenzy
Damn! The same creatures as before, but these were six levels higher. I could not hold back if we were going to survive this.
“Let’s go, putas!” I shouted, sinking my axe into the first one’s head. Another ran around his fallen companion and attacked with a huge war hammer. I blocked with my free axe and kicked it in the chest, then used my latest skill, one I’d gained when I’d hit my Berserker class rank. Whirlwind pulsed through my arms, the skill making me attack three times, but since I had also chosen dual-wield, I stared in awe as my axes cut the beast before me six times.
The beast crumpled to the ground, but the tough hide caught one of my axe’s blade, and as it fell to the ground, I was forced to let go.
I heard Tejón roaring behind me, then a sound like a body being flung into stone. He had his own work cut out for him. I needed to focus on the three trow that were facing me.
Two held greatswords and the other, one that was noticeably larger, was swinging a hammer than must have weighed over fifty pounds. It swung the huge weapon with ease, and I used Dodge to avoid being pulverized.
During his third attack, the trow missed a step and stumbled. That was my window. I activated Sunder and stepped into the attack. As my axe flashed out before me, an unstoppable force slammed into my back and threw me to the ground. My axe glanced off the big trow’s leg, and though blood began to seep from the wound, it was far from fatally injured.
A pair of knees were pinning me to the ground, and I felt a giant hand wrap around the back of my neck. Though I stared up at the three trow before me, I was powerless to move.
I thrashed and activated Rampage, but the thing that was on me just weighed too much.
Predictably, everything slowed. Stark fear had sped up my perception. I watched the huge twisted trow lift its hammer and swing down at my head in an exaggerated arc.
I did not scream, and I stopped fighting. Instead, I watched in fascination as the weapon descended toward me.
Suddenly, the creature on my back was tossed forward and bowled into the trow that was attacking. It hit the swinging trow in the ribs
