I went through the forest with my units. Four had taken the vanguard, leading the rest of us to the dwarf-portal.
On the way I couldn't help myself, as I inspected random things as we went.
I found a lot of medical herbs, edible plants and trees with names I've never heard, on which fruit was growing, that had the ingredient description.
But every time I tried to gather or pluck something, it withered in my hands after a few seconds. I thought that one probably needed the proper profession to take them, without it withering.
After about half an hour of moving through the trees, we arrived at a hillside. Sneaking to the forest edge, I saw the portal near the base of the hill.
It was big. Larger then the others I had seen. And a new yellow light, shone vertically, from the top of the materialized portal edge.
It had been there, untouched and unbothered for a few days now. The amount of dark dwarves that had emerged was staggering. I counted at least 80 of them, just near the portal and on the hill. There could be additional more spread out in the surroundings.
The dwarves didn't look like the one I had seen, when he transformed at the portal in my camp. He had a young, robust yet kind face with a light-brown beard. These were all very dark haired, with braided beards and evil features. Their eyes really stood out, as they were all deep red and menacing.
Dark Dwarf. Level 8
Health: 110. Mana: 60. Fatigue: 215.
Class: Miner
Skill: Stone bullet. Mining frenzy.
Besides the miners, who had the majority carrying pickaxes, there were a few dark dwarf warriors. They carried a round iron shield and chainmail, with a one-handed axe sitting in their belts.
I would have to create some kind of tactic for these dwarves. They outnumbered me and my units, 3 to 1.
The vest side of the portal seemed to fit, as I decided that a direct assault would be best. My units had an attribute advantage, and worked well together when put into a formation line.
There were only a few dwarves on the vest side, as most had spread east and north to the hill.
I charged out of the forest, killing the first miner by surprise. My archers ran and shot arrows at the other miners. They fell as my 15 spear-units formed a line north-east ward.
It didn't take long before the dwarves had engaged my line. My archers stood behind the frontline, raining arrows over them, piercing dwarves as they rushed to the battle.
I kept the sword-units in reserve, looking for any breach in the line or flanking from the dwarves.
The miners were tough. Needing more than a few spear-stabs before they died. They looked frenzied as they hacked and slashed with the pickaxes, some even forming stones in the air that was shot at my units. And not just a few times did I have to resummon a fallen unit.
40 miners was left, clashing at my 20 units who was now in the frontline.
A dozen of warriors had gathered at the hill-side, creating momentum as they charged directly into the center of my line. They were like boulders falling, impossible for my units to withstand.
The battlefield became an all out battle, the lines completely broken. Units mixed with dwarves, even my archers was running around, trying to shoot their arrows.
I stopped summoning and went on a rampage.
A bloodlust had filled my senses.
Running to a spearman, locked by dwarven pickaxes. My sword danced as I sliced them open. Ran to the next foe and ran my sword through its chest. Dwarven axes had sewered limbs of my units. Arms, legs, heads, blood and entrails. The stench of blood heavy in the air, mixed wonderfully with the screams of the wounded.
*level up*
As I had beheaded the last dwarf warrior, my adrenaline and bloodlust continued to pulse through my body for a while, before I could finally sit down on a stone.
8 units was still alive and unscathed. 13 units was severely wounded, with deep cuts and body parts missing.
I didn't know what to do.
I had never experienced the wild brutality of such an open fight. My body felt ecstatic. Like some kind of euphoria, a remnant of my Viking lineage still buried deep in my genes.
This is how they must have felt. Not scared of death, but celebrating the honor of dying, while fighting in an open battle. I understood it now. Everything dies.
I felt very calm. Most of my former fear had been completely conquered.
"Gather the wounded. Gather their tabards and clothing." Was all I could think off.
I started to walk, gathering loot from the countless dead dwarves.
*Skill: Looter. Has ranked up.*
I had almost looted them all when the message appeared. And I had to stop to check the upgrades.
I now looted 50% more currency. And an item was sure to drop from all loots. So far I had looted a few pickaxes, which was nice as I needed them for mining. But also 3 minor health potions and 2 minor mana potions. About 4 silvers, a bunch of dark tokens, and a few leather items that provided stamina boosts. The tokens had no description so I sold them to the shop as trash.
I bought 10 additional minor health potions and provided one for all the wounded.
I had decided to take proper care of them.
We were bound by blood and battle now, and I felt they were my kin.
I resummoned the missing units and made them wear the cloaks and tabards of the fallen. Even the battle-hardened looked on, as the new units donned the equipments. As if some kind of division was starting to form within my company. As if the rookies had something to live up to now, taking the tabards of the dead.
"Legion." I said, as the units started to gather, a few still with cuts and bruises. The minor health potions had healed their missing limbs and deeper wounds, but it was still not sufficient to completely recover them.
They stood before me as I continued.
"This was the most brutal battle we have ever fought. And I believe we will fight many more, even more brutal than this one. Knowing this, I want you to have a choice. Will you follow me, into the darkness of the dwarven mines. Will you fight to become stronger? Or will you retreat and rest?"
A single unit stood forward from the rest. He threw his shield on the ground, letting his wounded arm hang useless along his side. With the other arm he raised his sword to the sky.
"We are Legion! We are with you Commander! Now, and always!"
All the units started tramping, raising their weapons to the sky.
"THE LEGION! NOW, AND ALLWAYS!"
I was satisfied. My bloodlust may have been suppressed. But I could still feel it. Laying dormant under the waves, ready to rise anew.
I looted the remaining dwarves. This time, every single one of them, dropped some kind of item, mostly the trash tokens.
"Let's move inside." I said, walking trough the portal as the first.
The dungeon was different than the other caves. The caves and tunnels was dug in a different kind of rock. Darker and harder than the usual stone. The usual green moss and plants illuminated it.
Something else was off. My senses made me feel some kind of heat from parts of the cave wall, as my ore tracking skill had detected ore in different sections.
One thing at a time I thought. First I have to clear this place.
"Let's move units." As there had been no dwarves outside the buffer zone, I started to lead my company down the tunnels.
The first time we found a group of dwarves something was different again.
Usually we had encountered groups of 3 to 5 monsters. But here was fifteen dwarves in a single group. 3 warriors and 12 miners.
"Spearmen, form a frontline! Archers, fire at will!"
Four miners was instantly shot dead as the dwarves engaged my front line. But I didn't intend to sit back anymore.
With the rest of the silver, I had bought a 1-handed iron sword.
It felt right. My sword dual-wielding mastery had finally been satisfied.
With a sword in each hand, I jumped over my spear-units. Landing behind the dwarves. Where my attacks had previously been stabbing and slashing at will, they were now much more refined.
By instinct I knew how to reach vital areas, how to best parry and utilize my swords movements. I found that I had knowledge of aggressive sword techniques, allowing me to force trough the dwarves defenses, cutting them down where they stood.
"Why didn't I equip a second sword sooner?" Obviously my skill was dual-wielding. Not a regular sword mastery.
Fighting became a lot more easy now. I could predict and counter any of the dwarven warriors and miners attacks.
The narrow tunnels made their large numbers count for nothing.
But the tunnel soon widened, and a huge group appeared.
A dwarven mage was standing in the middle of the tunnel. Twenty dwarven warriors around it.
Dark Dwarf. Level 12
Health: 300. Mana: 375. Fatigue: 455.
Class: Mini boss.
Skill: Ice spear. Ice barrier. Frost wind.
"This can be dangerous! Spearmen and swordsmen, engage the dwarven warriors immediately!"
I joined my units in the charge after telling my archers to aim for the mage.
I was a few meters behind my charging front units, when I had a strange feeling.
The dwarf warriors didn't counter attack, they just stood there, forming a line. But the mini boss, the mage, was smirking confidently, waving its staff.
The newly summoned units, moving faster than the more wounded units behind them, all took the hit.
A heavy, strong and ice cold wind streamed into my front units, seemingly appearing from the cave wall.
They froze instantly, their faces twisted in pain as I ran past the ice statues of my former units. Then the warriors attacked, and the battle began.
My units clashed against the warriors shields, as I ran directly at the dwarves. I was done with letting my unit's die easily. And seeing the boss kill five of my units so coldly, just pissed me off.
"Kill them! Kill them all!" I yelled, breaking the dwarves line.
My archers sprang through the gab while my spearmen pinned the warriors, allowing my swordsmen to end them.
Ice spears flew towards me and the archers. A few archers was dead, ice spears penetrating their vitals. But the rest started to fire arrow after arrow directly at the mage.
A huge wall of ice grew from the tunnel floor, making the arrows bounce off, or stick into the ice.
"Hell if I'll let you!"
I mustered all my might as I double slammed my swords directly into the meter thick ice wall, shattering it into pieces. My iron sword broke on impact, but I had remembered exactly were in the shop it was located, so one second later, I withdrew a new from my inventory.
The mage didn't stand a chance against my wrath. I dismembered it, hacking both arms and legs off as the dwarf mage lay screaming on the ground.
A breeze started to form, the temperature plummeting below zero.
Then it was over.
Four archers had gathered around the pathetic dwarf mage, four arrows penetrated its head.
*Level up*