Adventurers Haven – Part 3

Harrow bent down, tinkering with one of her traps that had been sprung by a monster in the night. Click. Trap reset, she straightened.

Just in time to see a monster approaching Clarice from behind as she flowed her magic into the barrier around the inn.

Harrow instinctually lifted her bow and reached for an arrow in her quiver. She hesitated. The monster was too close to Clarice to risk an exploding arrow.

“Clarice, get inside the barrier!” she yelled.

Clarice glanced back once, threw a bolt of purple magic behind her, and ran. The magic hit the monster in the shoulder and it roared, slowing only momentarily. Clarice was close to the barrier, so it was enough.

Harrow breathed a sigh of relief. Until the monster turned to face her.

The massive hairy creature bared its teeth at her. It loped towards her on all fours, ground shaking beneath it, claws digging up chunks of packed earth.

Harrow was further out from the barrier, her traps set a good distance from it, but with Clarice safely inside she let her arrow fly. It collided with the beast just below the neck, nearly blasting its head off. It crashed to the ground, lifeless. 

Harrow laughed and wiped sweat from the back of her neck. Then she heard a chorus of shrieks and rumbles. 

The explosion must have woken some nearby monsters.

“Watch my back,” she shouted to Clarice before sprinting towards the barrier. 

A moment later Clarice cried out. “Faster!”

Harrow didn’t like the tense note to her voice. She tucked her head and pumped her legs harder.

“I don’t think you’re going to make it, Harrow.”

She whipped out an arrow as she spun around to face the threat. She saw Clarice move towards her out of the corner of her eye. 

“Stay behind that damn barrier, Clarice.”

She shot an arrow at the closest monster and launched a second before the first exploded. Two bursts in rapid succession took out her targets, but she could tell it wouldn’t be long before she was overwhelmed. 

She didn’t do close combat. That’s why she had Gawain and Bromli. She cursed herself for refusing Bromli’s offer of aid.

She let loose two more arrows before spinning to run towards the barrier. If she could just get in range of Clarice’s magic, maybe she could hold off enough of them for Harrow to make it.

She sucked in a breath, two. Pounding feet behind her. A blast of light and an inhuman scream of rage.

She glanced up to see Clarice…outside the barrier. She cursed again. 

Clarice worked her hands in complicated patterns as she backed away, swirling magic sparking outward. But Harrow knew Clarice specialized in defensive magic. She couldn’t fight off a horde of beasts. 

Harrow skidded to a stop in front of Clarice turning to face the monsters. They were just far enough away she could get off one more round of arrows, so she took down the closest two. 

“Clarice, shield.” Let’s play to our strengths. 

Clarice complied, and Harrow targeted more monsters with her arrows, flames brushing up against the magical shield. 

But she knew they couldn’t hold out much longer.

…

What do you think of the story so far? Let us know in the comments! Sign up for emails if you’d like to be notified when we post part 4.

Thanks so much for reading!

-Clever & WTF