The 3 days passed by fast. The announcement caused quite a bit of disturbance.
The sage sent some of the unused bones from the corpses to other sages in the capital. There were they were able to communicate with the will of the gods via a method unknown to him. They were able to interpret the will of the world with by using ancient arcane magic bestowed to them by their god, Vera.
These new creatures were apparently a form of cursed pygmy called a wankling. They were twisted deformed and discolored by a curse so sinister that none of the known cultist organization could have pulled it off.
The sages determined that the some heretics found ancient magic from the great demons of the past. They then conducted a ritual in a cave deep in the Immensus Forest to create chaos and sew discord between the ruling classes and commoners. What worried them was the fact that wanklings were magical creatures like pymies. So if many reached their magic limit it could create a force that would be quite troublesome to deal with even for trained soldiers.
Considering this they sent out an expedition army to thin out their numbers, but they knew they couldn't exterminate this unholy race. The forest was huge and they lived in small to medium communities. It was impossible to find them all.
This security measure however would thin out their numbers enough for them to be less of a threat and with a few walls around the villages near the forest they would be significantly less prone to attacks or at least more prepared to receive them.
They sent the army back with me having a fighting and advisor role. He was currently the man with the most experience dealing with these creatures and he had an advantage considering he had lived near the forest for his entire life.
I went back and trekked through the forest with the army. I assumed the scouting position as often as I could with an army issued bow and quiver. I became quite proficient in archery and killed many wanklings as we raided every cave looking for them.
Some of the cave residencies contained scattered kidnapped women. They were always in bad shape subjected to unspeakable torment forced to procreate with the creatures and birth their increasing numbers. Once found many of them wanted nothing more than the sweet embrace of death. Many others were broken shells of people, completely soulless barely able or willing to respond to any action.
This incensed the army and me even more. In my anger I repeated my vows to kill them all every night before going to sleep. I knew then that even when the expedition ended I would stay behind. I would become their very own nightmare how they became mine.
The entire expedition took 6 months. They only went back because their supply lines were too thin. The food they could gather was not enough for an army inexperienced with living in this forest. The supplies and equipment was already damaged and in dire need for repair. The people were tired of the wanton killing. I learned many things in the army, including some crafting to repair and create emergency bows and arrows. I learnt some basic ranger alchemy too; how to craft disinfectants from some of the vegetation in the forest, some poisons that could incapacitate these creatures, and some other useful survival and killing tools.
Even though the expedition could be considered an overwhelming victory by the army were they killed thousands of the creatures there were always more… sometimes hidden, sometimes just far from the areas they raided. They also lost many men to ambushes and direct confrontations. Sometimes one of their own stray arrows would catch a soldier from behind and as time went by this type of accident became more common due to fatigue.
While I was regretful that the expedition came to an end he did not return with the soldiers. I learnt how to craft a makeshift bow that while inferior to one made by a real bowyer could still kill the creatures accurately at a distance of 30 meters.
He stayed still hunting and killing the beasts.
I became their natural predator wherever I went. That was until I encountered the first of the wankling elites alone.
I was conducting his usual raids on their caves. I became accustomed to doing so in the many months he spent both with the army and by himself.
I took out five arrows and shot the sentries one by one without being detected.
I snuck in to about 15 meters and shot every wankling in the throat, a useful skill I learnt with my plentiful experience. If these shots didn't kill them instantly it at the very least prevented them from making any noise while dying and reduced his chances of being detected.
Next I set up a basic trap to exterminate the cave alone. I gathered as many dry leaves in a sack as I could. Then doused them in an easily combustible substance I could make out of wild plants and flowers and doused the bottom of the leaves. The flame didn't last very long but it was enough to set the leaves on fire to produce smoke.
Next I set up pitfall traps around the entrance of the cave. I lined the bottom of the trap with sharpened twigs and branches stuck to the ground facing upwards. I covered the pitfalls using some of the litter scattered around the forest floor. It did not look too unnatural considering the terrain.
The strategy was simple the stupid creatures would either succumb to the smoke and die of asphyxiation or finally break down the barrier and most would fall into the pitfalls. Whoever was left would be severely weakened and easy pickings for him and his bow.
The operation started without any problems like I had done many times before. Based on the tracks and signs around this cave there should be no more than 50 in this cave. True they did get a bit stronger the further away from civilization but their strength was significantly lower than the skilled fighter I had become. I was still their nightmare.
I would always be their nightmare.
This time it was different. Just when I thought the cave was clear a Wankling the size of a human stepped out. This one was very different from what they usually looked like. With the height of the creature surpassing mine by some 5 cm, his club had a heavy stone tied at the end and a wooden shield made of solid branches tied together with a tight knot. His muscles were thick, completely different from the usually sickly looking creatures.
This was obviously an elite of his species.
I had encountered plenty of big wanklings during my time with the expedition army. Some as tall as humans but never one so muscular, and with the support of archers they usually didn't last long on the battlefield anyway as they were instantly swarmed with arrows.
But being alone was completely different. I was barely able to shoot four arrows before the cursed pygmy reached me in his mad sprint. None of the arrows could even inflict a wound as they were blocked by the shield he carried.
I threw away the bow and picked up my spear as I lunged at his right unprotected shoulder. I wanted to use his speed and momentum against him as my short spear accelerated into his body.
He was ready for this though as just when the spear was reaching him he batted it away with his club and gave me a fierce kick in the stomach.
I rolled with the impact to negate some of the force and also gain distance, but he didn't stop he lifted his hammer and tried to smash me to pieces as I was recovering from the roll.
I rolled away again. This time I picked up some soil and threw it at his face.
It stopped him for barely a moment. Just enough time to regain my footing to fight properly. I was wounded and tired so I was at a disadvantage. I had to use his lack of experience in fighting someone like me to my advantage but his sheer physical prowess made it difficult.
I attacked his shield with the butt of my spear intending to push him away when I saw him overcommit to blocking my strike. I spun the pole mid strike going from a bash into a slice with the tip of my short spear.
The strike gouged his neck but his mace still struck me in the ribs. I was so focused on killing him I didn't notice him still go for an attack. He dropped his mace but kept striking me with his fist on the face until I he ran out of air.
While my last attack didn't cut a vein it burst his windpipe. This was the last thought I had until my consciousness faded.
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What the clergy could not have predicted was the actions of the heretics.
After the announcement of the new cursed race, some of the devilish cults and people resentful of the results of their lives gathered. They knew then that fighting back against the churches might be possible. The artifacts and teachings of the ancient demons were there somewhere just out of reach… the power they dreamed of having and the arcane secrets of the world was barely out of their grasp.
If they were to find the wise and powerful beings that awakened the power of their resentment they could make this world be reborn anew. They needed just go out and reach it. Prove their devotion to the cause and be baptized in the will of the ancient lords of legend who once ruled the lands. For now they could only wait and hope they would find them to pledge themselves body and soul to this great new ruler or rulers.