5 weeks, thats how long it took before Carrie found herself in real battle. Granted there have been small skirmishes and raids when camp was set and nightime rolled around. But those had mostly been due to the fact with winter solidly here, things got hard for the local wildlife and monsters calling the frontline home. But now? Now it was different.
Camp had been set for the day, set near a now snow covered forest that provided some shelter from the winter weather and hopefully from any wandering monsters. Along with some game for those with hunting skills could get for tonights dinner. Small chances, but Carrie knew everyone was getting tired of dried or salted jerky thats been boiled into a soup or stew when not eaten as is. There was only so many ways even she was able to make it taste different. But she had managed to get some dried herbs and spices from the supply wagon to make it a little better. Along with some of what she had sneaked into her inventory before they've all left the fortress to get to the outpost.
As such, it was only her, Snikk, Grommash and Thorgrim as Virel and Kessak had gone out to hunt. The camp was set and the tents were up. The fire was going and the cook pot was ready to be used. The snow was falling softly around them as the sun began to set. The air was cold and crisp, the only sound was the fire and everyone getting ready for either bed or the night watch. With the occasional 'dunk' sound that either came from a box or barrel that fell into the snow or some soldier once again slipped on the ice. The latter usually came with a swear word or two, or a shout of pain.
Carrie had been stirring a simple beet soup, along with keeping a close eye on a bowl where she'd cut up several pieces of stale bread she was going to use for a nice little dessert for tonight to perk up the team. The weather had been awful as of late and she could tell everyone was getting tired of the constant marching and cold. If things went well, there would be some panncakes for everyone, as long as Irene would stop trying to sneak herself a few pieces of the bread. She had just finished cutting up the last piece of bread when a sudden roar echoed through the forest, followed by the sharp whistle of an arrow.
Then the horn had been blown, sharp and urgent, and the camp exploded into chaos. Carrie dropped her knife with a clatter, bone fingers scrambling for not only her pan but also her sling. Grommash was already on his feet, axe in hand, bellowing orders to form a defensive line. The orc may not have a very high rank in the army, but few argue when a orc bellows like that. Not to mention since they where at the edge of the camp, they where the first line of defense so there was no time to argue anyways. Thorgrim muttered a low, guttural incantation, his dark dwarf hands already weaving earth magic as the ground trembled beneath their feet. Snikk, the goblin, vanished into the shadow of the nearest supply wagon, a wicked little dagger gleaming in the firelight. Carrie saw the flicker of movement beyond the tree line – large, hulking shapes moving with unnatural speed through the snow-laden pines. They weren't wolves, nor bears. These things were wrong. Twisted. Their forms seemed to blur at the edges, like smoke given flesh, and their eyes glowed with a sickly, pale green light that cut through the gathering dusk. The air filled with the stench of ozone and decay.
She did not need to wait long for the fight to start. Not that she was really allowed to fight up front, she is only level 4 after all even if she has far better stats then someone her level should have. And even with decent leather armour, even someone as low as her had a right to have proper protection even if she was not a ture fighter in any sense, it was better to err on caution. She had been ordered to stay in the rear, to use her slings and stone to provied support. And what spells she could use with ease and her small mana pool when needed. Which meant mostly Ember Wall and Dark Bolt as they where spells she could use with any decent range and with good enough accuracy she did not hit her allies and fellow soldiers.
Thorgrim had made it clear during the lessons and training he have been given her over the weeks that she should not use her spells unless she had to, and only the ones she felt where in her control. She have been improving by far, much better then expected in some areas even, but she was still far from being properly trained in it. While cross or mix classing is a thing here, there are certain conditions, spells and skills she'll need if she ever wanted a mage class to go with her cook class. Especially when you already have a class to begin with. It got even more difficult when said classes don't usually match.
Carrie banish these thoughts to focus on the figth before her, setting the stone into her sling as the things inside the woods came out like a broken dam.
'For Christ sake! What the hell are these things?!' was the first thing she thought when she saw the creatures burst from the treeline. They were like twisted wolves, but with too many legs, their fur matted with ice and glowing green slime that dripped onto the snow, sizzling where it landed. Carrie's sling whirled overhead, the stone cracking against the skull of the nearest monstrosity. It stumbled but didn't go down, its eerie eyes locking onto her. But not for long.
Arrows flew straigth and ture, hitting the things before the soldiers and other warriors enganged them. It quickly became a messy fight in every way posssible. The things where strong and fast despite their looks, and they had claws and teeth that could tear through leather armour like it was paper. Carrie saw one soldier go down, his throat torn out before Grommash's axe cleaved the beast in two with a roar that shook the snow from nearby branches. Thorgrim slammed his staff into the frozen ground, and a ripple of stone erupted, impaling two creatures that lunged for the orc's flank. The air crackled with ozone and the wet, tearing sounds of combat.
Snikk took of any of the weaker or slowed ones, his small form darting between legs and under wagons with terrifying efficiency. Carrie focused on her sling, her movements mechanical and precise despite the chaos. *Crack.* A stone shattered the knee joint of a creature lunging at a spearman. *Crack.* Another found the eye socket of a beast trying to flank Thorgrim. The dwarf gave a curt nod her way, his concentration unbroken as he summoned jagged spikes of earth to erupt beneath a pack closing in. The stench of ozone intensified, mixed now with the coppery tang of blood and the foul, acidic reek of the creatures ichor steaming in the snow.
Carrie saw blue flickers to the side of her vision, no doubt the blue boxes of the system telling her she'd either getting experience or her skills are leveling up too. Or something else entierly. She ignore it, though she feels her aim getting much better as the fight goes on, happy tha the occasional range training Virel had given her had made it so she'd gained both Throw and Aim skills. Both really enchanted her ability to hit targets with her sling and stones.
She'd also been surpries that to a small degree, Aim also assisteted in spell aming too. But only a bit. She was not gonna complain about it, she weclome it rather as it meant less chances to hit a friendly.
Then a mighty roar- no several came out of the forest. And Carrie felt her nonexsisting heart fall to her feet as she sees bigger and much meaner things comming out. These ones took the form of bears, and much like the wolfs they looked wrong and twisted. With spikes made of ice and stone growing out of their backs and sides. Their eyes glowed the same sickly green as the others, with even more of that slime running off them. The ground shook as they charged, their massive forms plowing through the snow and soldiers alike. Carrie saw one soldier get swatted aside like a ragdoll, his armor crumpling under the blow. She quickly set another stone into her sling, her hands trembling slightly despite her undead nature. Then used her Dash skill the second she realize one of the damned thing was heading her way.
The bear-thing was upon her faster than she expected, its massive paw swinging through the air with a whoosh that displaced the falling snow. Carrie threw herself sideways, bones clattering as she hit the frozen ground hard. The paw slammed into the supply wagon behind her, splintering wood and sending sacks of grain tumbling. Before it managed to se where she had gone, she had scrambled up and was now on the move.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
And so it went for a while, her moving and using either her sling, pan spells or the occasional swing of her hidden dagger when one of the wolfs came too close. The bear things did not mind her whatsoever after that first attack, as they had bigger problems to deal with. Namely the soldiers that had formed up to deal with them. Which included Grommash and Thorgrim. The orc warrior was fighting like a mad man, his axe cleaving through the air with a fury that matched the winter storm. Each swing was precise, brutal, and backed by the strength that only a orc could muster. Thorgrim was beside him, his earth magic creating barriers and spikes that hindered the bear-things' movements, forcing them into Grommash's deadly arc. The air was thick with the sounds of battle – the clash of steel, the roars of beasts, and the cries of wounded soldiers. Carrie kept moving, her sling stones finding joints and eyes with unnerving accuracy, each hit a small victory in the chaos.
The reinforcement came, Virel and Kessak arraived with more warriors and soldiers, mages and as Carrie tired to help a wounded soldier to safety, the healing squad close behind to help the wounded and dying. Things became a blurr from there, as Carrie focused on helping the healers where she could and get any wounded out and away from the fight. Her mind set on just surviving and helping others to survive. She did not even notice when general Ak'tar charged into the fry of battle, but she sure as all hell felt it.
It had been a surprise for her when she had first seen the general during on last gathering before the march had started. Ak'tar is a centaur, but a really massive one compare to the few others she has seen around the fortress when she took the occasional walk. Most centaur, if she was to guess hight wise since she had a sneaking feeling that their size and hight depends wildly on what type of horse they where, where around 6 to 7 feet tall at the shoulder. Ak'tar was at least 8 feet tall, and built like a brick house. With a coat of dark brown fur that almost looked black in the fading light, and a mane and tail that was a deep, dark red. His human half was just as massive, with muscles that looked like they could crush stone. He was wearing a set of plate armour that looked like it was made for him, and he carried a massive warhammer that looked like it could crush a boulder with ease.
And if what few people who had been willing to share what was know of the general was true, he was someone considered a champion in the army, one of only a few dozen of the entier country even. A title that was not taken lightly as those who gained such a title also means the Demon Lord himself reognized them as such. Which meant he was a force of nature on the battlefield. Carrie felt the ground tremble not from the bear-things, but from the thunderous impact of his hooves as he charged somehwere past her, deciding to just focusing on getting one more wounded to the safety of the healers instead of looking. The air itself seemed to crackle with raw power as he passed, a shockwave of displaced snow and ozone washing over her. A bellow, deeper and more resonant than Grommash's, shook the trees. "HOLD THE LINE! FORWARD!" His voice was a physical force, cutting through the din of battle like a blade.
The battle did not last long after that. Well it did, even with the general here it took a good hour more or so before it was turely done. The damned things just kept comming like a flood. But eventually everything was finally over. Now there was just the clean up.
Which was what Carrie was currently doing, in the middle of the night doing a task she is very sure no one ever liked to do in a war. Cleaning up the corpses.
As undead, Carrie did not need to sleep, drink or eat. Nor did she get physically tired either. And her undead nature also meant she had no risk in getting sick from the cold or from the filth she was wading through. Or the corpses themself. Which was a small mercy she was glad for as she hefted one of the wolf things on her shoulder to take it to the cart.
She was not even made about the task. It made sense that she would be here at night, doing what she can to get as many of the dead bodies away from the camp as possible. The smell was awful, and the risk of disease was high. She had been at it for a few hours now, along with a few other undead she had not know about. But unlike her, they where the mindless kind just doing what they had been orded.
What was a bit funny, ironically, is that she had been given command over these mindless ones. She had no skill or even a spell to command these undead, especially since she was of even lower rank then them. Lesser skeletons can't order normal Skeltons at all. Yet, here she was, and they followed her orders without question thanks to the fact these ones was bound to a medalion she was now wearing. She had no idea how the magic worked, nor did she want to know in all honesty. She was just glad it made things easier in the long run and let her order the dozen or so skeltons under her command.
Especially when one of them would single when they found one of the dead soldiers lost in the battle. When that happened, Carrie would come over and take the body to another cart meant for any loss they found. Carefully marking them with a special braclet that had a small tag with their name and unit number once she had found what was basically dog tags on the bodies that matched, before laying the corpse among the others as gental as she could. Some did not have their tags, mostly likely lost in the battle one way or the other, so Carrie marked them with painted rope on their wrists or ankles to be identified later.
In all hoensty, Carrie was feeling a lot of different enmotion of the whole thing. From the start of the battle to the end, and now this. The history books or movies never cuts it when it came to both the messier parts of war and the emotional toll it took on everyone. She had seen people die, people she had talked to just a few hours before and over the weeks here and there. Few she could call freinds but none the less she had gotten to know some of them. And now she was carrying their bodies to a cart they would take with them to the outpost for proper burial. It was a sobering thought, and one that made her feel a strange mix of sadness, anger, and determination. She was glad she was undead, for if she had been alive, she might have been sick to her stomach. But as it was, she just felt a deep, bone-deep weariness that had nothing to do with physical exhaustion.
"Its no wonder when soldiers return home from war or other conflicts, they look like husks of their former selfs." Carrie mutters as she takes a small break to take a count of the bodies she and her undead helpers had collected so far. The cold night air bites at her exposed bones, carrying the heavy scent of blood and decay that clings to everything like a second skin. She watches the mindless skeletons move with eerie efficiency, dragging twisted wolf-corpses towards the cart with blank, empty sockets. Their movements are jerky but purposeful, a stark contrast to the chaotic frenzy of the battle hours before. The only sounds now are the crunch of snow underfoot, the occasional groan of the overloaded cart, and the distant murmur of the camp where the living try to sleep or tend wounds. Carrie adjusts the medallion hanging around her neckbone; its cold metal feels alien, yet it pulses with a low, steady thrum that seems to synchronize with the shuffling skeletons. She doesn't understand its magic, but its weight is a grim reminder of the responsibility dumped on her shoulders tonight.
Much earlier, she had been busy helping where she could. Mainly in getting the supplies the healers needed or make sure those not too wounded or had already seen a healer finally got a warm meal. Had to even hand feed some of them due to having either their arms broken or had wounds that just made it difficult to eat on their own. She'd made lots and lots of soup, as it was easy to make and easy to eat for everyone. And not a big chocking hazard for the wounded that could not even sit up. She been in the middle of cleaning one of many dozen pots and cauldrons of all differnet sizes when she had been called by one of the officers to take care of the bodies. And here she was now.
She had not been happy with the task. But now she just wants to be done with it, and by the looks of it it will be well until moring before everything is cleared away. The corpses of the monsters where piled high, the biggest out of the lot as there had been many dozens of them. And the bear ones had yet to be moved due to them being far larger and heavier then any bear should be. Thanks to that, she and the other skeletons are unable to move them even when working together. So they have been ordered to leave them for now until morning when the living soldiers can help with ropes and wagons. Which was a bit of a hinderence as she could see some of the bear corpses had fallen on a soldier or two thanks to how they died. Or just crushed a unlucky one that had been unable to move out of the way in time.
The only positive Carrie could find in doing this job is that it gave her time to think. Especially sicne she had gotten a new promont in her status menu.
Not carring if anyone heard her, not likely given it was only the dead on the battle field now and the few patrols near them was a good distant away, Carrie just said the words thats been on her mind for a while now after she had gotten a brief moment to check all the blue boxes that had poped up while in battle.
"What the hell is SP and why is my level cap blinking?" Carrie muttered, her voice echoing hollowly in the frozen stillness. The words hung in the air like fog, unanswered, until the morning when she asked her teammates what the hell was going on with her status menu. After she had gotten one mage to help her clean up, like hell she was gonna go in looking she had wrangled with a mud creatures or carry all sorts of other nasty stuff on her after hauling corpses all night.
