Ebony Golems PART 2

At the back of the line of monsters who were thundering down the orchard path in the wake of the doomed strangers was a lizard warrior with a steel helmet and a crest of yellow and black. He staggered as a Magic Missile struck him; instantly, a group of twelve monsters turned towards them in response to that irresponsible action. To moan at Liam would be justified, but fatal. Instead, Lord Azanth cast Intoxicating Scent and locked down four lizard warriors. The human female mage used Freeze and because she had levelled up the skill to three, could target two opponents, as did Liam; three animated statues and a lizard champion were thus held in place, leaving just four opponents to continue running over the hillocks and through the trees towards them: a ghostly pirate; a lizard monk; an evil dryad; and a blue-armoured minor demon.Do not let the dryad use her Entangle skill. When she halts because she is in range, cast your Magic Missile to interrupt her incantation.'Hold here! All on the dryad when she stops to use her skill,' Liam repeated. Already planning ahead, the speed of their enemies was a vital consideration and Lord Azanth judged the proximity of their enemies against the refresh rate of his Intoxicating Scent. It would do. Make the most of time, it flies away so fast; yet timing will teach you to win.Abruptly, the dryad raised her sinuous arms to the blue sky, her hair of vines also streaming upwards. Before her spell was complete, the Magic Missile of the female mage and the more powerful one of Liam struck her, staggering her. A moment later their young monk's Ki Shock Wave flew into all four advancing opponents. His Intoxicating Scent having reset, Lord Azanth triggered it.Now we must fall back, obliging the dryad to move again when she is no longer stunned.'Back up…' Liam relayed to the other two and the three young humans hurried up the hill. Below, back at the path, Lord Azanth sensed that the original group of lizard warriors he had stunned were now moving again. Decades of warfare in every kind of tactical engagement provided him with a clear understanding of the steps that had to be taken if they were to survive. The dryad must die without using her Entangle skill; then the lizard monk, who would also have dangerous skills. The minor demon probably had Weakness, which was debilitating but not lethal. And the ghostly pirate was unknown to Lord Azanth but did not seem to have a ranged attack.They must keep the lead pursuers immobile and constantly use Freeze and Intoxicating Scent as fast as these skills reset. Then, the question of victory or death would be resolved according to the rate at which their mana pool emptied. Depletion of that bar of blue would mean that death had arrived and all his efforts to achieve revenge would melt away as crumbs of fried potato on the damp ground.Without him having to urge them, the mages used Freeze on the four lizard warriors. As three animated statues and a lizard champion came to the fore, Lord Azanth triggered Intoxicating Scent to stun them. Then the dryad group was leapfrogging past the others to the forefront of the chaseWith an efficiency that was appreciated by Lord Azanth, the humans used their ranged skills as soon as the dryad halted. Liam's powerful Magic Missile wasn't quite enough to finish her off but the Ki Shock Wave that followed soon after caused her to spin around and fall on her face. The dryad's sinuous fingers tore up the earth as she expired. O glorious moment. She was the enemy Lord Azanth most feared, for mobility was everything in this battle and her magic had the potential to have robbed them of it.Not that he could indulge in a sense of triumph for long. The ghost pirate and lizard monk were closing fast. They were just twenty steps away when Intoxicating Scent reset and he transfixed them. The two hands of the lizard monk thrust forward; a ripple in the air rushed upward and a powerful blow staggered Liam. Lord Azanth felt it too.  You have been struck by Ki Shock Wave for 10 damage With 33 hit points remaining, Lord Azanth did not allow any sense of alarm to cause him to reappraise his tactics.What range is your Magic Missile?Twenty-two metres, replied Liam.Addressing their own monk, he asked. What range is your Ki Shock Wave?Twenty metres.Pull back until your skill is greyed out and no further.Then to Liam and Kate in turn, Lord Azanth urged retreat as far as Aengus and reminded them that the next target had to be the enemy monk. They were capable companions and smart – when ridiculous feelings of gallantry did not arise in their minds – but all the same, they might be misled by the confusion of enemies moving up the hill through those that were still transfixed. Victory required they Magic Missile the enemy monk, not the nearest opponent, a lizard warrior.While the mages managed two cycles of Magic Missile they had not killed the lizard monk when the moment arrived for Lord Azanth to trigger Intoxicating Scent on the nearby warriors and for everyone to hurry further up the hill. Now the nearest pursuers were the three animated statues and a lizard champion.'Let me use Ki Shock Wave before you Freeze them!' shouted Aengus. This was the right order, otherwise the damage of the shock wave would break the Freeze.Mana check? Lord Azanth sent to each of the humans. They were just about able to control this battle, so long as their mana was sufficient. His own was on 98, exactly half used. The others were also at about the half way point.Expend your spare attribute points on Intelligence.He did the same with the five attributes that he'd been saving. That was an extra ten mana.A group of opponents consisting of the demon, the ghost pirate, the lizard monk and four lizard warriors were closing in and happily, the lizard monk died to Kate's Magic Missile, while the demon succumbed to the combination of Liam's Magic Missile and of being once more in the path of a Ki Shock Wave. Excellent. This made his own choice straightforward, stunning three warriors and the ghost pirate. Liam's Freeze landed on the fourth lizard warrior.Surprisingly, all was still for a second. Nine enemies seething with rage but unable to advance. In the distance, a dust cloud marked the path of the large train of monsters with the ebony golems. The doomed humans were running towards the bothy.Then Lord Azanth had to concentrate once more on more immediate judgements of distance and timings, for the statues and the lizard champion were free to move once more. Even as a demon lord, it had been a long time since Lord Azanth had been required to concentrate this hard to bring about a victory in battle and he found that while a residue of anger persisted in him (that such a precarious encounter should have arisen in the first place), it was deeply satisfying to control and then destroy such a challenging group of enemies. A demon was never happy till their strivings had revealed the full extent of their power to annihilate.