chapter Sixteen

The Ironhaven and the Stormbringers stand at the edge of the dead forest, teams of adventurers behind them, the air thick with tension and the stench of decay. Silvari's heart pounds in her chest, her nerves on edge. She can't shake the memory of their last encounter with the Ursagorath, and now they are about to face it again.

Thorn stands beside her, his face pale but resolute. "We're really doing this," he mutters, more to himself than anyone else. Rollo, standing nearby, has a grim look on his face, his usual bravado replaced by a cold determination.

The leader of the Stormbringers, a tall, muscular man named Jarred, turns from his party to address the group. His voice strong and steady, a stark contrast to the fear gripping many of the adventurers. "Listen up! Our primary objective is to take down the Ursagorath. Stick to your roles, watch each other's backs, and we can get through this."

Jarred's second-in-command, a sharp-eyed woman named Elara, nods in agreement. "We've got mages from the Institution providing support," she adds, her gaze flickering to the representative of the mages and a newly born magi, Xelva, who stood a little apart from the main group, her expression unreadable. "Their spells will be crucial in weakening the undead, so stay close and cover them."

With that, the group moves into the forest, the air growing colder with each step. The trees are twisted and blackened, the ground littered with bones and rotting corpses. The presence of death is palpable, and every sound seems amplified in the eerie silence.

As they venture deeper, the first wave of undead appears. Skeletons and ghouls emerge from the shadows, their eyes glowing with malevolent energy. The adventurers spring into action, weapons clashing and spells igniting the darkness.

Priscilla casts a holy barrier spell around her teammates, her hands trembling slightly as she chants the incantation. Silvari's arrows fly true, taking down several ghouls before they can reach the front lines. Rollo's massive axe crushes skeletons with bone-shattering force.

The battle is intense, and the adventurers hold their ground, the experience and combat prowess of Ironhaven and the Stormbringers proving their worth. Xelva and her mages unleash devastating spells, fire and lightning cutting through the ranks of the undead.

As the group press forward, they finally reach a clearing. In the center stand the Undead Ursagorath, it's massive frame now reaching seven meters, it's hulking body of muscle, fur and dark miasma. Its eyes glowed with an eerie grey light, and a dark aura radiated from its body, suffocating the very air around it.

Jarred raised his claymore, signaling the attack. "Remember the plan, keep the fodders off us!"

The rest of the adventurers charges, spells and weapons aimed at the undead surrounding the clearing. With the other undeads handled, Ironhaven study the main threat while the Stormbringers charge along side two other parties, their archers and mages hanging back. The Ursagorath roars, a sound that echoes through the forest and sends chills down their spines. It swings its massive claws, scattering the front line.

Elara, rogue of the Stormbringers darts in, her dual daggers flashing as she aims for the beast's joints. Priscilla focuses all her energy on strengthening the barriers, deflecting the Ursagorath's dark magic. Kai and Jarred of the Stormbringers work in tandem, Kai's holy unfused arrows targeting weak spots while Jarred's claymore deliver crushing blows.

Despite their efforts, the Ursagorath seems almost impervious to their attacks. Its wounds regenerating quickly, a grey viscous magic fueling its resilience. Xelva steps forward, her eyes glowing with power. "Stand back!" she commands, raising her hands. "This is going to be big."

The air crackles with energy as Xelva chants a powerful spell. A massive bolt of white lightning descends from the sky, striking the Ursagorath with a deafening crash. The beast howls in pain, its dark aura flickering.

Jarred seizes the opportunity, rallying the his team for a final assault. "Now! While it's weakened!"

With renewed determination, they launch a coordinated attack. Blades, arrows, and holy spells converge on the Ursagorath, each strike chipping away at its defenses. The mages' barrier hold strong, protecting the adventurers as they fight with everything they have.

Yet the Ursagorath is far from defeated. With a roar, it unleashes a wave of dark energy that knocks the adventurers off their feet. Several of the lower-ranked adventurers are caught in the blast, their screams echoing through the clearing as they are torn apart by the dark magic.

Silvari's heart sinks as she sees the aftermath. Being at the receiving end once before, she understands the outcome. "No!" she cries.

Thorn and Rollo are at her side, their faces grim but resolute. "Nothing?" Thorn says, hoping his comrades have spotted a weakness, his voice steady. "Guess we have to keep fighting."

The battle rages on, but the toll is heavy. More adventurers fall to the Ursagorath's relentless onslaught, their bodies littering the ground. Jarred and Elara fight viciously, but even they are struggling to keep up with the beast's power.

Xelva, her face a mask of concentration, unleashes another powerful spell. "This is our last chance!" she shouts. "Give it everything you've got!"

The mages pool their power together for one final assault, their attacks converging on the Ursagorath. But despite their best efforts, the beast refuses to fall. With a final, earth-shattering roar, it unleashes a devastating blast of dark energy that sends the adventurers flying.

When the dust settles, the clearing is silent. The Ursagorath stands triumphant, its eyes glowing with a malevolent grey light. The surviving adventurers lay scattered on the ground, their bodies battered and broken.

Jarred, struggling to his feet, looks around at the devastation. Even with his party taking the brunt of the damage, their losses were still piling. "Retreat!" he shouts, his voice hoarse. "Fall back to the city!"

The remaining adventurers stagger to their feet, their faces pale with shock and exhaustion. They retreat from the clearing, their bodies heavy with exhaustion

Jarred turns to Elara. "Looks like we're using it after all." Resting on his claymore he glares at the Ursagorath as it stands and watches them with a tilted head. "Bastard doesn't even see us a threat. Just watching... and waiting."

Kai watches as the rest of the adventurers escape into the forest. "I don't get why we're putting ourselves in harms way like this." Nocking an arrow in his bow he stands by Stormbringer's healer Shin.

With a small round shield on his left arm, Shin the healer pulls out a dark blue vial and tosses it to a fair skinned girl wearing a similar round shield and holding a staff. "Considering how close we are to Furan it's only a matter of time before the city is directly affected. If we can take care of it right here and now, there's no issue."

The fair skinned mage known as Holga nods. "It shouldn't be a problem, but why's it just watching us?" The Ursagorath in question hadn't done much since the other adventurers retreated, just watching the Stormbringers.

Jarred rolls his shoulders. "Don't know, but I'm glad it is. Having to distract the damn thing myself would be troublesome." He helps Elara get back on her feet.

Elara pants. "Ooh, it's a tough one alright. It heals with every hit it gives, that goes for damage taken as well. I realized it when I hit it's joints and they didn't break, damn thing absorbed the damage." She drinks a stamina potion to alleviate her exhaustion.

As they prepare for their iconic attack that gave them their name, the Ursagorath watches them with cold, calculating eyes. It seems almost curious, as if wondering what these tiny creatures would try next.

The surroundings begin to grow colder, the winds picking up. Above the dead and decaying forest, storm clouds gather in the sky, lightning rolling within them.

Holga's eyes glow an otherworldly yellow light as the energy from the vial she had drank coursed through her veins. On her neck was a yellow colored pendant that glowed with an equal intensity. A second look showed that each member of the Stormbringers were wearing such pendants.

The Ursagorath, sensing the threat, turns its focus on the mage. It raises a claw, ready to strike her down. Jarred immediately throws himself in front of the attack, his claymore deflecting the blow. The force of the impact sends him sprawling, but he is quickly back on his feet, a wicked smile on his face. "What's the problem? Don't feel like watching anymore."

Jarred immediately charges, his claymore blazing with a light enchantment. He slashes at the Ursagorath's legs, aiming to slow its movements. Elara darts around its flanks, her daggers gleaming from a holy enchantment, once again aiming for any exposed joints.

The Ursagoroth's massive arm raises firing its shadowy energy coalesced into a dark claw shaped bolt that hurtles towards Holga with unstoppable force. With a resounding force, the attack slams into Shin's round shield, the ground beneath him giving way as he's sent flying.

The storm clouds, now so thick it looked viscous, rolled ominously in the sky. "It's ready." Holga calls to her teammates.

Jarred turning to Kai, nods. He charges at the Ursagorath with reckless abandon, making the undead retreat from his wild swings. Shin focuses entirely on healing Jarred as the rest of the team surround Holga.

Raising her hands up to the storm clouds above the forest, Holga screams. "Descent of the THUNDER GOD, ŚURI."

KRABOOM

A single pillar of lightning, with a width that spanned for meters descended on the forest.

The world seemed to have lost all color, painting everything white for multiple seconds.

When the attack ended, the forest now had a bald spot.

Holga summons a gust of wind, dispersing a bit of the smoke from the attack. "You good, Jarred?" Kai, Shin and Elara walk up to her, unscathed from the wrath that had descended from the sky, thanks to the yellow pendant they all wore.

Emerging from the smoke was Jarred, covered in cuts from his wild clash with undead, other than that he was similarly untouched by the lightning. "I'm alright. Damn this was stressful."

Elara sheaths her daggers. "Why'd we even bring the other adventurers anyway." She heads towards her leader.

Jarred chuckles. "Don't look at me, it was Dagon's idea." He grabs Elara's waist, pulling her in for a kiss.

A low growl startles them however, causing them to draw their weapons again. With the smoke clearing up they see the Ursagorath in a terrible form, barely standing on one foot/paw, half it's body had melted away from the intensity of the lightning.

"Holy fucking shit." Shin stares in bewilderment. "It survived?" He yelled.

Elara frowned. "Not for long." She immediately charges but a loud inhale freezes everyone in their tracks. They had been preoccupied with the Ursagorath's broken form so they let their guard down.

Slowly turning back, their bloods freeze. There, right behind Holga, with it's three claws protruding out of her chest, was a second Ursagorath.