Chương 536: Synchronized Ballet

As the sun started to go down, a ring of black wolves moved forward and encircled Sedgewick. As if on cue, a third of them began to howl, followed by another group, and finally the last, then the first group started up again. A chorus of howls that never ended echoed across the town. After five minutes, they sorted themselves into three rows: the first running around the town clockwise, the second in the opposite direction, and then the third running clockwise again. Ben watched with horror and fascination.

"Oh, he is going to be such a pain in the ass this time." Ozzy was chewing a handful of burney bacon; he'd eaten nearly five pounds of it, along with two gallons of strawberry surprise, a ten-pound Ham of the Apocalypse, and three more of what he dubbed ' Myrna's Death Burner Burritos.' His furnace was slowly refilling. He swallowed the last of the bacon and nodded his head in agreement.

"He is at that. And he's showing off." Caldrius watched the show, "Tell me what is going on. I've had little dealings with wolves and necromancers, other than turning them to ash." Ben pointed to the largest of the black Snarlfangs, far in the distance.

"That's the Necromancer... well, a Necrowolf, who is controlling this horde. He's practicing his control over them while showing us what he can do. We won't be dealing with a brainless horde coming at us, but a coordinated attack. And our helpful Shepherd won't be able to drive the wolves to the front of the town for maximum kills from fire attacks. He'll hit us from all sides." Ozzy was counting, Snarlfangs.

"Damn, he's got twenty-two of the stupid things. If they come over the walls all at once, that's going to be tough. At least we won't have to deal with the wolves at the same time." Out in the distance, A block of a hundred wolves formed into a ten-by-ten square. More wolves jumped on their backs, and then a third and fourth layer mounted, forming a staircase of wolves. And then, the other wolves ran up and leaped from the top, before running back in line.

More staircases formed with wolves leaping from the top like some strange, synchronized ballet. Ben looked at Ozzy, "Oh, really? You think so?"

"Damn, I stand corrected. Does anyone have a plan? Half a plan? A clever half-baked idea?" Caldrius shrugged.

"If that one is the brains of all of them, then we face one singular adversary and need to kill it by any means. I have spells that can deliver a huge amount of damage, but they will drain me for a day. When he comes in range to leap the walls, I'll target him, doing as much damage as I can. If everyone does the same, we might prevail." Ozzy agreed with that.

"I'll tackle him and hold on tight for as long as I can. Do you have much juice left, Ben?"

"No, only enough for some small heals. I used almost all of my mana, burning the dead wolves with Holy Fire to prevent him from adding them to his pack." Diego shook his head.

"It's good to plan, and I hope that we have a chance to use it, but I don't think he will go over the walls. He knows better than we the limitations of his horde, and he hates to die and lose levels. And he doesn't need to, not with an army like that. At best, we can hope he comes within range when he approaches closer to taunt us."

"Taunt us?"

"Oh, yes. He loves that. He's been around a long time, and some of us know him well. The Hollywood is his territory and he's haunted it for centuries. He claims that all of the chicken coops belong to him as his personal buffet. Three times as a boy, I came outside with my father's sword to kill him, only to find a broken chicken coop and missing hens. He stood at the edge of the woods, licking his chops. Twice, he laughed like a coyote, and another time said, "My compliments to the chef."

As an Inquisitor, I've chased after him many times when he grew in power. He knows me well and won't miss a chance to throw words at me, and Benjamin as well. He came very close to wiping out an entire force of Paladins, and only this young man's intervention saved us. I doubt he'll forgive you for that, Benjamin. He's incredibly vain and has a particular dislike of Paladins." Ben protested, "I'm a Courier."

Rolly patted him on the shoulder, "You're missing the shiny armor, but you have a magical pony, a shiny sword, and you toss around spells blessed by two gods. You also suffer from a highly developed Hero Complex, but that might be genetic, based on the rest of your family. If we can stuff you into some polished plate armor and teach you to raise your nose in the air, you'll be perfect." Diego nodded, "There is an open invitation for you to return to the Paladin Collegium for further training.

Several of the Senior Instructors were impressed with you." Rolly said, straight-faced, "Yeah, heard you brought the house down with your last performance. It was a real killer." Ben glared at him, but couldn't dispute the facts. Ozzy was looking around at who could fight and who didn't mind dying. It was getting longer for him and his friends, but the other Contract Workers would be back at dawn. Unfortunately, a lot of them had already died in the fight and were gone.

"I think we need to strike hard and fast, and in a way he doesn't expect. If he stays out of spell range, but comes close enough to charge at him, I say we rush him with an air force. Ben can carry me, Rolly can use a form that flies, and we can get the Silver Sorceress to tag along, hovering and tossing spells. We'll have to kill him fast before we get dogpiled." Caldrius stepped forward, "I'm getting on in years and don't mind going out with a bang. Count me in."

Ozzy shook his head, "Two reasons that's a bad idea. We walk back from death quickly; you won't. Secondly, you won't have any mana left after you push everything you've got left into my furnace." The old fire mage raised an eyebrow, "Sound logic, why do I think you came up with it to keep me out of the fight?" Ozzy shrugged, "We still have Winter coming, and we'll need every fire mage we can get. And we need someone to train the youngsters, of whom I see three napping in the corner. There will be more.

You're needed more than ever, and I'm not about to explain to Gus and Claudia how I got you killed playing hero." A look passed between Diego and Caldrius at the casual use of the Duchess's and the Emperor's names. Caldrius gave in, "Yes, that would be awkward. Very well, I'll save you from that." Suzette was glaring at the wolves. Her head was pounding with the effort of maintaining the flow of poison in the moat and growing the Silverthorne vines on the walls.

She had pulled hard on her realm, something she hadn't done before, and it frightened her that she wanted to pull more. But one thought made her laugh.

"A shame that furry bastard will never get to see his name on his plaque. I'll make sure Billy puts it on the ACME building's top floor and has it guarded by his golems." Ben turned a puzzled look on her, "Plaque?"

"Sure. Bill made his wolf-slaying quest to encourage people to kill wolves. It worked. The guilds and players were competing hard to slay the most. Unfortunately, so was that furry bastard out there. He won the title of ' Champion Wolf Slayer of Gadobhra.' Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Wait, he doesn't count as a group?"

"Nope, like you all said, it's just him, and the wolves are just extensions of him. The Sedgewick Mage's Guild won the group event." Ben was trying to put together scattered ideas in his head. Finally, something clicked; he'd still be making a lot up as he went, but it had a chance.

"Susy, can you make a quest for me?"

"Sure, you have a plan?"

"More like a clever, half-baked idea that will get me killed quickly, but it's worth a shot. If he comes forward like Diego thinks he will, I'm going to go out and talk to him." Rolly rolled his eyes, "I've heard of walking into the lion's den, but that's even better. How far do you think you'll get before the wolves turn you into puppy chow?" Ben looked exasperated, "Please, I'm not an idiot, I'll take a flag of parley with me." The Shepherd shrugged, "Well, I guess I'll get to see how that turns out.

Don't worry, Ozzy and I will be charging as soon as you go down. Try to at least take some of the parley-ignoring bastards with you. Say, do wolves even know what a parley is?"

"I'm hoping that Chartok does. Guess I'll find out." Diego said, "I'll be going with you, of course."

"Absolutely not. This is a suicide mission."

"Certainly. But, how would it look if I let you go alone? I outrank you in the Inquisition and am your personal advisor. Plus, I'm as much of an expert on the Old Wolf as anyone. You want a parley? Then trust me on this, if there is anyone here he'd love to talk to and have at his mercy, it's me."

"What about me?"

"A distant second. And there's no time left to argue, he's on his way." The wolves parted, and a pack of seven Snarlfangs walked forward, one larger than the others with red flames for eyes. They stopped just shy of the point where the furthest fireball had impacted.

"My, look at this turnout! So much better than the small crowd the baron managed to greet me with. Then again, I've always been more popular with the peasants. Isn't that right, Diego?" Diego waved back, all smiles.

"Indeed. The people in the large towns don't understand the plight of the peasants, who are trying to keep you out of their chicken coops. Saving a few eggs or a plump chicken for themselves is a hard-fought victory. And I can personally attest to the depression it brings each time you get away with it. Those lucky few youngsters who managed to defeat you went on to greatness and can hold their heads high in taverns. Your stories are always popular. Not the hundreds of us who failed.

We got to sip our sour beer and dream of glory we'd never experience." Chartok laughed like a hyena,"Yes, it's so sad you never got to tell a heroic story. I remember you with those big, round eyes, clutching a dull chunk of rusted steel and stumbling after me, cursing as I raced into the night with a fat hen. Those are some of my fondest memories. I'll miss you when you are in my belly, Diego. Hmm, maybe I can animate you and walk you to a taxidermist? But where would I put you?

I like to roam my kingdom, and two legs just can't keep up. Oh well, those are decisions for later. Do we have any last-minute plans for saving your town from utter destruction at the hands of my pack? Wait, don't tell me. I want it to be a surprise!" Diego shook his head sadly.

"Not much, I'm afraid. Oh, the players will charge in a glorious failed attempt, and there will be some fireworks, but frankly? The townsfolk are worn out. Beating back the Assault of the Winter Wolves will go down in history as a glorious fight, but I'm afraid this will be an easy win for you. No mana left for spells, half the warriors are dead, and most people are cowering in their basements." A snarl came from Chartok, and he pawed the ground.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to content myself with killing you and grabbing a quick chicken dinner." Diego shook his head, "Nope. All dead. The wolves of Winter got into the coops and had a quick snack. They were starving, after all. You'll have to be content with chewing on me for your dinner."

"Seriously? That is so disappointing. And I hate tough, old meat. These Winter people are getting on my nerves." Ben stepped up onto the parapets, leaning dangerously, looking at Chartok, and then sketching on a large pad. Then, exasperated, he threw his hands in the air, shouting.

"What is disappointing is trying to capture an image at this distance. It's totally unacceptable. I can't be expected to work this way!" Suzette glared at him.

"You're the artist. So draw. What do you have so far?" Ben turned the drawing towards her. Everyone looking at it grimaced. Rolly said, "He's a wolf, not a badger. And that tail is all wrong."

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT! He's always moving around, and I'm a hundred yards away. An artist needs to be near their subject to capture their image. He isn't even posing! This statue will be horrible, and I don't want my name associated with it. Get a child with a pencil to draw their pet dog and be done with it." Chartok's ears picked up.

"Statue?" Diego sighed, not looking happy.

"Yes, a Statue. I don't suppose you'd agree to a quick parley so that this fool can capture your image?" The Assault of the Winter Wolves is over! Victory to Sedgewick! Chartok, the Old Wolf of the Hollywood has taken first place with more kills than any other individual. He claims the Title of CHAMPION WOLF SLAYER OF GADOBHRA, with his name engraved upon a bronze plaque at the front gate. Master Caldrius has taken second place. He wins free Tacos for a month on Tuesdays from Myrna's Taco Stand.

Giantmuncher of the Order of Heracles has taken third place and won his choice of six pies from Sedgewick Inn.

The Sedgewick Mage's Guild is the winner of the Group Event, killing more wolves than all other registered groups. They are absolved from Guild fees for 1 year and Free Entry to the Dungeons of Gadobhra. Contract Workers of Sedgewick take 2nd place. They win an extra day off on weeks with double Sundays. The Hunting Party of the Beast Princes takes 3rd place. No one is foolish enough to thank them and incur a debt to the Fae, but Bob and his friends should swing by the Tavern for a free tankard of ale. BUT WAIT!

THERE'S MORE... The Mayor of Sedgewick and grateful populace have commissioned a statue for the Individual who kills the most wolves. This glorious piece of artwork will be on display in the town center, carved from Black Marble, mined deep beneath the town. All Hail, Chartok, Champion of Sedgewick. Ben crossed his arms, "Only if I can do a proper set of drawings. Otherwise, it will be an ugly badger!" Chartok stared at the quest announcement.

"Oh my. A statue of me? I suppose I can hold off my attack upon your quaint little town for a bit. I'll allow a parley, but only if Diego accompanies the artist. Any tricks and I'll swallow you both whole." Diego yelled at Ben.

"This is another fine mess you've gotten me into! Someone put a handkerchief on a stick. I have a parley to attend."