Part 30
Battle of the Marsh
Already the army of trees encroached upon them, slowly pressing towards and surrounding them.
“What now?” Uncle Ben asked.
“We fight,” said the Trapper, producing the large piece of coal from his pack.
As they moved, the trees displayed resemblances to men, for their trunks would separate into two. Strange faces appeared as they neared, etched into their very bark.
“What are these?” the girl asked.
“Spriggans,” the Trapper said, “Kazan’s with the form of men imprinted on living wood. But why are they acting thus? I say we can do nothing but make our stand here. Grota.”
“Do you have but a trinket to spare?” came Grota’s reply, with his hand outstretched. The Trapper tossed the coal to Grota, who snatched it out of the air. Grota paused, “Is this yours to give?”
“They abandoned the fire. One does not collect their own embers,” the Trapper said.
Grota did not respond but the coal in his hand faded to ash and he staged, shining brightly. The form of Grota that emerged was an ash smeared figure with a gray waistcoat and a bag of charcoal. On his belt he had large pieces of flint and steel.
“That argument was a technicality,” Ranin said.
“Something freely abandoned is freely claimed,” Namic said, “And it seems as if his Kazan has accepted this argument.”
The Trapper strapped on his shield and Grota tested his flint, sending sparks onto the wet ground. “Hold your ground,” the Trapper said. “And conserve your strength. We have no idea how long this may last.”
“Are you certain of their intentions?” Uncle Ben said.
“I see very few reasons one would lay siege,” the Trapper replied. “But still I am not foolish enough to deal the first blow against a Kazan.”
The army of Spriggans pressed forward and one of the larger creatures bent its long arm backwards and whipped a vine towards the Trapper, wrapping his arm.
“Grota,” the Trapper called, and His Kazan drew a coal from his pack and set it against his flint. He struck the flint with the steel sending sparks from the bar lighting the coal instantly.
Tossing the burning coal up, Grota pocketed both flint and steel before snatching back the coal and hurling it at the Spriggan. The coal struck the Spriggan in the chest. The wooden creature recoiled in horror, screaming out in terror, causing the vine to fall from around the Trapper’s arm. Grota continued to light more coals, chucking them into the crowd of advancing Spriggans.
“Sworder!” the girl said as Spriggans began climbing up behind the group, seeking to gain purchase on the elevated island.
Swinging his axe, the Vassal leapt at the Spriggans, falling upon them, hacking and slashing. The Spriggans fell back against his axe and Grota’s burning coals but the horde pressed in, attempting to entangle the two Kazan’s with their vines.
“There’s too many,” the girl said in horror.
“Lass, complaining about it will not help,” the Trapper said, as he used his shield to push another Spriggan off the ledge into the marshy waters below.
“She is right though,” Ranin said.
“The odds are against them,” Namic conceded. “But are all the pieces yet to be played?”
Slowly the Spriggans pushed back the defenders. A great many of the mass fell before the Vassal’s axe and Grota’s flames, but no matter how many they felled, two more came in their place. Another coal embedded into a Spriggan, who leapt into the murky water, before rising again to rejoin the assault. Several more Spriggans who fell beneath the Vassal’s axe also repaired themselves and pressed in once more.
“They can’t make a dent,” Ranin said.
“Sworder!” the girl cried as a Spriggan’s vine wrapped around her.
Grabbing his axe with both hands, the Vassal covered the distance in a single bound, as his axe began to shine. Uncle Ben, seeing this, quickly grabbed the knife in the girl’s belt and cut the vine which held her, before throwing the both of them to the ground. A loud report echoed throughout the marsh, as the axe fell and slammed into the Spriggan crushing it beneath the weight of the blow. The Spriggans around him were sent flying, as the ground shook and quaked beneath them. The horde of Spriggans, in a united motion, stopped their advancements against the small group.
“What did I say about conserving your energy,” the Trapper growled.
“Sorry,” the girl said.
The army of Spriggans shifted into two columns, opening up a large path between them. From rear slowly marched a giant Spriggan. Each step sent its massive legs deep into the soft muddy ground, leaving large craters where he had stepped.
The Vassal pulled his axe from the mud and met the challenger. The giant Spriggan struck one of its arms into the ground and large vines emerged from beneath the Vassal. In response, the Vassal sliced one of the vines with his axe as he retreated. Several others twisted to follow him while the rest continued to burrow beneath the ground.
“Grota,” the Trapper said, tossing the Kazan his shield, “use this.”
Grota snatched the shield and it quickly turned to dust as Grota staged. The Vassal was now surrounded by the Spriggan’s vines hacking at them, until one ensnared his arm. Soon he found himself encircled by the vicious vines.
Suddenly, Grota, wielding a large flaming shield, smashed onto the mess of vines burning through them. Grota continued his charge, striking towards the Spriggan, but before he reached its main body, a wall of vines rose up in front of him. Grota rammed against the wall but it did not give and instead, threw Grota back, hurling him several feet away.
The Vassal took up where Grota left off, smashing through the partially burned vine wall with his axe. Raising his axe above his head, he embedded it into the bark skin of the Spriggan. The Spriggan countered by slamming the Vassal with one of its mighty clubbed fists. The Vassal of Earth’s armor shattered as Sworder flew back rolling to a stop.
“Sworder!” the girl said, running to his side.
“Grota, burn him down,” the Trapper said.
His shield flaming, Grota surged forward, and he struck the Spriggan as the girl knelt at Sworder’s side. A spark injected from the shield and quickly engulfed the giant Spriggan in flames. Throwing its head up it cried out. Not far away, the girl and Sworder watched the massive inferno. Something caught the girl’s eye, and reaching out she cupped it in her hands. “Pollen?” she said, examining the strange substance, which seemed to have a glow of its own.
In one movement the flaming Spriggan slammed Grota with its clubbed fists. Grota braced against the blow, but cracks began to run across his shield. Buckling under the attack, the shield shattered. The mighty fist of the Spriggan continued its motion into Grota, sending him flying. Still burning like an inferno the Spriggan stood tall. The other Spriggans backed away from the flames, but the giant Spriggan simply raised its head towards the sky and roared a cry of great agony. The cry rang loudly before falling silent, and with it the Spriggan collapsed. Silence fell over the marsh and the flames consumed the mighty warrior. Soon the fire died and the Spriggan horde slowly renewed their attack.
“They’re coming,” the girl said. “What are we going to do?”
“Grota!” the Trapper commanded, but the Kazan reacted slowly, no longer bearing his shield.
“This does not look good,” Ranin said.
“There is still another player in this play,” Namic said.
“Hey, Master,” a voice suddenly chimed in above the group. “There are some people in trouble here.” The voice came from a tiny figure of a floating man clad in woven leaves borne in the air by a pair of green tinted transparent wings.
“A pixie?” the girl said, surprised.
“You’re right, Leaf,” a young man said, bounding lightly on top of the Spriggans, as they attempted to ensnare him. “We should help them.”
“If I didn’t believe my own eyes,” the Trapper said, laughing. “I never thought I would see you around here.”
“I have to admit,” the young man said, touching down on the ledge the party was crowded on, “I never thought I’d see you here, either.” Turning his face skyward he called to the pixie, “Leaf, calm them down.”
“On it,” the pixie said with a salute. Twisting in the air, he began to fly in ever widening circles. A cloud of shimmering pollen slowly descended over the marsh. The Spriggans suddenly started to relax, rooting themselves back into the ground. The pixie laughed gaily as he spun and twisted through the air.
“So you did it,” the Trapper said. “A Marshal. The title fits you.”
“I was on my way back when we stumbled across that burnt landscape. While investigating, Leaf heard a thunderclap coming from here,” the young Marshal said.
“We just left that small village, of yours,” the Trapper said. “They will be glad to have you back.”
“How are they holding up?” the young Marshal asked.
“She’s still waiting for you,” the Trapper said.
“Well, that’s not what I meant,” the young Marshal said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.
“Thank you, sir,” the girl said, helping Sworder up.
“You arrived at just the right time,” Sworder said.
“That fire could be seen from across the marsh,” the young Marshal said. “But we can not rest yet, we have to stop the source.”
“The source?” the girl said confused.
“There,” the Marshal pointed to the willow tree not far away. “Leaf, how long do you think you can hold these Spriggans?”
“There’s so many,” Leaf said, wiping his brow. “No longer than a few minutes.”
“Then we need to hurry,”
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