William and Karlach turned to the approaching ogre and his group of snarling and cursing goblins who approached slowly with their weapons raised.
William, with a practiced toss, sent his Sparky Points trident hurtling towards Karlach.
She caught the weapon, its electrifying energy crackling around her, before letting go of her battle-axe which was still firmly wedged inside the recently deceased goblin.
Oh, this one really makes my skin tingle! She exclaimed as she playfully fiddled with the lightning that was swirling around the weapon.
Halsin began transforming into his bear form and used his newly grown deadly claws to tear into a goblin spellcaster, its stubby limbs being torn off in a display of brutality that would make the Lord of Murder himself blush.
Astarion, who had just moments before been perched precariously on the tower wall, made a swift, silent leap down from its heights. He landed right behind William and Karlach, his daggers raised menacingly in the air as he glared intensely at the ogre standing across from him, his eyes glowing with an eerie, crimson hue.
"You guys take the goblins," Astarion declared, his body flashing forward in a blur of speed and agility that would leave even contortionists and gymnasts in awe.
William sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping as he turned towards Karlach. With a hint of anticipation, he let out a soft, "Wait for it..."
Before she even had a chance to formulate a response, a sound erupted that was incredibly loud, sounding very similar to a distant crack of thunder echoing through a canyon.
CRAACK!
Astarion swiveled past them, his arm bent in a rather unnatural position and a significant amount of blood spurting freely from his mouth.
He found himself colliding head-on into a rather haphazardly stacked pile of crates and barrels that, as if by magic, erupted with random bits of equipment, food, and booze, all of which then poured in a chaotic and indiscriminate manner over Astarion's motionless body.
"Astarion, buddy, are you alright?" William found himself unable to help but chuckle softly as he asked this.
Astarions only response was to let out a high pitched whine before coughing up blood.
"Yeah, he's fine," William confirmed, pulling the Widower from its scabbard and holding the deadly weapon firmly in both his hands as he turned it towards the group of goblins pushing forward.
Karlach roared out, unleashing the primal rage that burned within all barbarians.
Her heart hammered against her ribs like a war drum, and her body erupted in a steady torrent of fire, as if the infernal nature of the device she carried in her chest was literally igniting the air around her.
With a determined glint in her eyes, she launched herself forward, Sparky Points pointed squarely at the soft, fleshy underbelly of the monstrous Ogre that stood before her. Meanwhile, William, his blade flashing in the faint starlight, followed close behind, ready to strike.
William spun around quickly to dodge an arrow that had just been launched by one of the goblins in the rear, and then he used the momentum he gained from both his forward movement and his spin to deliver a deadly blow.
He brought his arm down hard, connecting directly with the goblin fighter's head and severing it completely from its shoulders before the goblin could even get its weapon up to block.
To his immediate right, Karlach was engaged in a deadly struggle with a hulking ogre.
The ogre, his club raised high and ready to strike, lumbered towards her. She managed to duck just as the club descended, but in the ensuing chaos, she quickly stabbed her three prongs of the dagger towards his knees, aiming for a fatal blow. However, before the attack could land squarely, the ogre grabbed a nearby goblin and, with surprising speed, forcefully shoved him into her path, thereby creating a deadly diversion.
SHHNNNK!
The prongs of the weapon plunged deep into the goblin's body, causing it to let out a deafening roar filled with the energy of lightning.
This devastating blow instantly killed the creature.
However, before she could even attempt to pull the weapon free from the goblin's body, a heavy club descended from the side, striking her with the force of a dull thunderclap.
"You will make a fine morsel of fuckable meat!" The ogre let out a hearty chuckle, his lips licking with anticipation. However, just as his happy and somewhat suggestive expression reached its zenith, something unexpected happened. The club in his hand suddenly felt warm, and his initial joyful enthusiasm was replaced by a flicker of confusion, his demeanor shifting from lewd excitement to a state of bewildered uncertainty.
WHOOOSH!
The club ignited into infernal flames that licked the dry wooden weapon as if it were a tasty treat before fully igniting the weapon.
The ogre let go of the inferno that had been his weapon, expecting it to simply fall to the ground with a dull thud, but the flaming weapon stubbornly remained right where it was, as if it were levitating in mid-air.
However, as he tilted his head, he was finally able to make out Karlach, her claws, which were almost demonic in their appearance, already deeply embedded within the now blackened section of the wood.
She managed to catch the club just as it was coming down, her burning hand stopping it inches away from her body.
CRACKLE!
As Karlach raised the club above her head, a palpable crackle echoed through the club, and with a powerful upward motion, she brought it crashing down upon the ogre's head. In return, the ogre attempted to deflect the club's blow, but it was too strong.
BANG!
The flaming remnants of the club, still glowing fiercely, slammed directly into the ogre's forearm, managing to halt the club's momentum but failing to prevent the resulting flames from splashing onto his face.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHGGGGGGHHH!" The ogre fell backwards into a few of his goblins as he clutched at his face, trying to douse the flames.
He tore off bits of scorched and blistered flesh with his unkempt and rough nails.
Karlach wasted no time and climbed on top of the ogre's massive body and slammed the business end of the Sparky Points into the creature's chest.
SPPURRRT!
A thick and viscous ribbon of blood poured out from the three puncture wounds, the lightning coursing through his insides causing him to spasm in place even as he cried out in agony.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhgggggghhh!"
While this was all unfolding, William found himself facing a small band of goblins, his sword glowing with a faint, necrotic energy as he expertly deflected the goblin scimitar aimed at him with a resounding clang of steel on steel.
A second goblin lunged at him, slashing with his dagger across his thigh, leaving a deep, bloody wound that tore into his flesh, causing him to let out a sharp, pained hiss as he pushed the goblin away and spun sharply, his blade flashing towards the attacker.
He then brought the blade down with swift and decisive force, piercing the goblin's chest.
The attack sent the goblin tumbling backward, his body convulsing as blood oozed from a wound that seemed to sizzle and burn at the edges.
Williams free hand erupted into brilliant flames, and with a swift motion, he launched the fire bolt directly towards the gaping open wound on the goblin. The intense heat caused the blood inside the goblin to boil and bubble violently.
POW!
The remnants of the goblin's alcohol, still smoldering inside him, suddenly ignited, causing him to erupt in a shower of flame, blood, and viscera.
An arrow shot past William's head pulling him away from the gruesome and bloody explosion, he spun in time to see the goblin who had fired upon him already knocking a new arrow.
William could not close the distance in time and dodging it was more of a matter of luck than anything else so with a firm and thoughtful expression William began to channel the power of shadows themselves, his free hand forming a dark fog like substance.
The shadows condensed into a small sphere that seemed to swallow any and all surrounding light and he looked at the goblin with a murderous light glinting in his eye.
"DARKNESS!"
He extended his hand towards the goblin, who was now positioned directly in front of Williams' chest and holding an arrow aimed at his heart.
With a swift motion, he released a powerful orb of darkness from his hand, which shot directly down onto the ground in front of the goblin.
The orb's intense darkness immediately seemed to engulf the goblin's vision, causing him to suddenly lose his ability to see even his own nose.
Before the goblin could escape the fog, he felt the air shift in front of him as if someone had shot towards him, and suddenly the goblin felt a stabbing pain in his neck as William's necrotic sword, the Widower, pierced it clean from one end to the other.
William pulled his sword free with a sickening but equally satisfying wet crunch, the goblin's head falling off its shoulder as William turned his back on it, adding an extra layer of disrespect to the death.
Before the body even had a chance to fully collapse, William found himself feeling it.
Movement.
Too close.
Too many.
Three goblins emerged from the edge of the skirmish line with the ferocity of wolves circling a wounded elk, ready to pounce.
Two of them charged straight towards him, their scimitars raised low and held with an eager glint in their eyes. Meanwhile, the third one held back a bit further, lurking near the broken cart, already drawing an arrow with a practiced malice in his gaze.
William let out a deep, guttural exhalation, his breath puffing out through his teeth, and he shifted his grip on the Widower.
The first goblin screamed and lunged.
Steel met steel with a sharp, shriek-like sound as William just barely managed to catch the scimitar against his own blade.
The impact sent a jolt up his arms, followed by a flash of necrotic light that erupted from the Widower's edge as the second goblin darted in from the side, its dark eyes fixed on him.
William twisted, too slow.
The scimitar bit deep into his forearm, creating a deep red line that burned with a searing intensity.
He grunted, shoulder-checking the goblin backward and bringing his blade around in a brutal horizontal arc.
The cut opened the creature from ribs to hip, blackened blood poured out, spreading instantly from the wound as it collapsed in a choking heap.
The archer loosed.
With a wet, sickening crunch, the arrow struck William's shoulder, sending him stumbling back half a step.
A wave of intense pain erupted from deep within him, quickly spreading throughout his arm. He felt as if his arm was losing its ability to function.
He snarled and, with his free hand, ripped the shaft even further shorter. Then, he let it dangle uselessly as blood began to stain the sleeve of his robes.
The last scimitar goblin seized the opportunity, lunging forward with a swift, slashing motion and striking William across his back.
The blade tore fabric and flesh, leaving a burning trench that stole his breath.
William staggered forward, boots skidding in blood and mud.
Then he smiled.
With a swift, low maneuver that surprised the goblin, he drove the Widower directly into its thigh with great force.
The necrotic energy surged, its tendrils of dark power twisting and tearing through the surrounding flesh, swiftly and mercilessly rotting muscle and bone in its path.
The goblin howled in agony and collapsed, and William finished the job with a downward thrust through its skull.
The blade sank deep, then tore free with a heavy, wet thud.
The archer was already beginning to retreat, and the panic that had taken hold of him was quickly overwhelming his discipline.
He fumbled desperately for another arrow.
William broke into a run.
A second arrow whizzed through the air, narrowly grazing his ribs and ripping a strip of skin from his side.
Despite the sharp pain, he didn't hesitate; his boots pounded against the ground as he pushed forward, his vision becoming increasingly focused on the trembling green shape that loomed ahead.
The goblin turned to flee.
Too late.
William hurled himself forward, tackling the archer into the dirt.
With a bloodcurdling snarl, they rolled and flailed, their claws raking against his armor with useless force as William slammed his forehead squarely into the goblin's face.
Bone cracked.
Teeth scattered.
He raised the Widower and brought it down once.
Then again.
By the time he finally managed to rise to his feet again, the goblin had become little more than a broken ruin, its form slowly leaking into the surrounding ground.
William stood there for a moment, chest heaving, blood dripping steadily from his arms, back, and shoulder.
The arrow still jutted from him at an awkward angle, each breath sending a sharp reminder through his body.
He reached up, putting all his strength into it, braced himself for the impact, and then yanked it free with a loud hiss.
The battlefield around him was finally quieting.
Crackling fire.
Distant groans.
The metallic scent of blood was thick enough to taste on the air, a smell that seemed almost tangible, heavy enough to make the skin crawl.
William wiped his blade clean on the goblin's tattered cloak, then turned back toward the others, his face showing the effects of the battle but his spirit resolute.