Green Tide 7
Fuckshitfuckshitfuckshitfuckshitfuck!
A rapid stream of profanity rolled out of Kaedes mouth as she ran, the weight of Hesks equipnt rattling against her back with every step. Having no better ans at her disposal, the assassin-turned-gofer was forced to stuff the mithril armor into a random fallen raptors backpack while carrying the Orc Poker in her hands. This extra luggage was definitely slowing her down, but she couldnt just leave it behind. Even if her promise to deliver this stuff was just a verbal agreent with a ghost, it was a point of professional pride that she didnt break it off if she could help it.
The sa could not be said of Hesks remains, however. Even if she didnt like it, Kaede had little choice but to leave those behind. The only reason she even bothered with those was to satisfy her own ego. Her own life was far more important, so she instead chose to bring only the easy-to-carry armor with her, even if it did an her almost-a-friends body would be swept up by that damnable thing.
*KRAKOOOOOM*
Unfortunately, the weather wasnt making her strategic retreat any easier. Though she had left that disgusting swamp behind, the sudden thunderstorm did its best to keep her as soggy and muddy as ever. The torrential downpour was also doing a magnificent job of getting her lost. The thick blanket of water made it impossible to see any landmarks or the suns position, so Kaede wasnt even sure if she was headed in the right direction. The rain had also washed away any footprints or scents, making it impossible for her Tracking Skill to pick up a trail left behind by the other adventurers.
*KRRRUKHUUUUUMMMMM*
A brilliant flash of lightning tore through the sky, lighting it up in a powerful white glow. It only lasted an instant, but it was enough to let the skull-masked girl spot the silhouettes of many large figures shuffling about through the trees in front of her. She imdiately skid to a halt and turned her attention to the sizeable tree nearby. Without thinking, she lobbed the spear she was holding upward, sticking it firmly in the underside of a branch. She then brought out her slim curved blades and utilized them like climbing picks as she clambered up the wet and slippery bark. She climbed as high as she could in the few seconds she had before stopping at a sturdy limb and thinning out her presence.
WAAAAAAAGH!
Both the lumber under her feet and the eardrums in her head rumbled as a mob of orcs stampeded through the jungle. They rushed past Kaedes hiding place on either side of it like a river. Though they did co from the sa direction that she was headed in, it was far more accurate to say these orcs were going towards the very abomination she was running from. It was a reasonable assumption when considering this was the third wave of greenskins that behaved this way. They didnt even register the nosferatas presence despite running underneath and swinging right by her in great numbers. As much as Kaede wouldve liked to claim this was because of her excellent hiding skills, she suspected the truth was sothing else entirely.
It wasnt until over a minute later that the greenskin herd finally began to thin out. Kaede waited a short while longer for most of the stragglers to pass her by before she retrieved the Orc Poker and climbed down from her hiding spot. After making sure the armor-filled backpack was still securely strapped to her back before resuming her tactical retreat. Or at least that was the plan, but she wasnt even able to make a single step before a mans voice echoed inside her skull.
Hail, Jolly Reaper.
A voice that, for once, was not Mortirs.
What the-?! Gux? she blurted out loud.
Indeed.
Where are you?
Nearby. Please, follow the sound of Guxs thoughts. Let them guide you.
As ridiculous as that request seed at first, following the sound of thoughts turned out to be much easier than expected. They were coming from roughly the sa direction Kaede was headed towards anyway, so she saw no reason to object.
Alright, Im on my way.
Very good. In that case, permit to connect you to the others.
Others? What others?
Oh? Found our resident stabassist did you? Orrins jolly tone echoed inside her skull.
Finally! Sigmund exclaid. Maybe she can tell us what in Teresas holy na is going on here!
Id love to, but Im not holding all the cards, either, Kaede claid as she made her way towards them.
What of Hesk of clan Susk, Jolly Reaper? Gux inquired. I cannot sense her presence nearby.
Oh, Ive got her with . In a manner of speaking.
Hey, Ill take whatever you can give at this point, Sigmund statd. Please, tell what happened over there.
We ran into big, an and green - Gutzstompa himself. We tried to run but he cornered Hesk and the two of them fought while I, uh, stayed out of the scary lizard ladys way. She ended up unleashing the full fury of Axels butthole on him.
Uh You an that giant blue light that shone above the swamp just before the rain started? the human asked warily.
Yeah, thats the one. You guys saw that?
I think half the continent saw that, child, Orrin chid in.
Anyway, long story short, Hesk died in combat, but she took Gutzstompa with her.
Thats not what I hoped to hear.
Though Sigmund had, like most of the other Heroes, only known her for a brief ti, he was quite saddened to hear Axels chosen had been killed in action. She was honest, to the point, and treated others with far more courtesy then he ever could - all admirable traits in his eyes. Though he was not sad to hear the warlord was dead, he felt the price for putting him down had been far too steep.
It gets worse. The orcs corpse stitched itself back into an undead abomination right before my eyes.
He was therefore none to pleased at Kaedes next words.
... I see.
You sound less surprised than I thought youd be, old man.
Lets just say and Orrin ran into our own fair share of undead today.
The two Heroes had led a joint task force comprised of their respective followers. The Inquisition troops and giant adventurers were supposed to clear out a series of old mining tunnels that the orcs had turned into a hive. However, when they actually got there, they found the vast majority of the greenskins had been turned into shambling zombies and ghouls. This actually worked to their favor sowhat since over half of the punitive force - including both Heroes - were either Paladins, Priests or Monks. Their combined holy fury allowed them to purge the place much faster than they would have been able to otherwise, though cleaning up the Blight had taken a fair bit of ti by itself.
Ill explain more once you get here. How soon can you-
Im here.
Kaede burst through so bushes into a small clearing where Sigmund and Orrins people were currently setting up camp. There were a whole lot of n and won in uniform shuffling about and ten or so giants lugging entire tree trunks as they set up needlessly huge tents. A trio of griffins were resting off to the side, though they seed as displeased as Kaede about being soaked to the bone. The other Heroes were gathered inside one of the hastily set up tents, with Orrin waving Kaede over while the other two briefly shared their grief over Hesks passing.
The nosferata left the Orc Poker and the backpack with Hesks gear with one of the Inquisition soldiers for safekeeping and, after making a ntal note of his na, joined the others.
Wait, this all of you? she asked while looking around inside the tent. Where are Keira and her vertically challenged friends?
The golem and the dwarf? Theyre guarding the camp they slaughtered while the Eight tribes collect the bodies, Sigmund answered. As for Morgana, Gux here said she went off to check the sa blue light we all saw.
Gux expected to et up with her and offer support, the raptor chid in, but instead stumbled upon these two. She should be in the area, but her whereabouts are unknown.
Oh, nevermind then, was the only response Kaede could muster.
More importantly, what sort of undead has our primary target turned into? Sigmund pressed her.
Not sure, Ive never seen anything like it. It looked like a massive orc-shaped ghoul at first glance, but its behavior was completely different. It ignored completely and imdiately started feeding on the corpses around the battlefield, people and orcs alike. It wasnt until I tried to sneak up on it that it even registered my presence.
I take it you failed to kill it with an Assassination?
No, I didnt even hit it. I was sure I had the drop on it, but it blasted with this nasty cloud of concentrated Blight just as I was about to strike. I had to back off and take a few antidotes before I vomited out my lungs.
Not that she would have been able to take it down even if her sneak attack worked. Though this unnad undead thing didnt have as much HP as the original Gutzstompa, it was still in the neighborhood of thirty thousand. She was rely testing the waters on how aware of its surroundings that zombie was, the answer to which was very. She was also fairly certain that blast of the undead plague was actually flatulence of so kind, though that detail was probably not important to the ongoing discussion.
Oh no, Orrin mumbled, his face as white as a sheet. This isnt good.
Your powers of observation serve you well.
Guxs tone was rather harsh, though one could hardly bla the scaly sage for being upset after hearing that his friends killer had cheated death.
Kaede, did this undead monster swell in size?
The giant seed too focused on the young assassins words to notice the raptors biting remark, however.
Uh, yeah. Like, really quickly. It had already doubled in size by the ti Id finished detoxing myself. Growing and eating is all it seems to want to do. I ran to look for reinforcents but with all the orcs I saw running towards it I honestly have no idea how big it got.
Gux! Youre Zephyras guy, right? Can you clear up this storm right away!?
The raptor was montarily taken aback by the forceful urgency in Orrins voice, so it took him a few heartbeats to reply.
Yes. Gux can indeed silence the heavens.
Then do it! Please!
One didnt need to be a mind reader to sense the giants fear, though it certainly helped. Gux nodded sagely then floated himself out of the tent and into the rain, with the others following close behind. He took a few deep breaths to attune himself to the elents and raised his hands to the sky. The various tokens and trinkets hanging off of his clothes began to glow and the raindrops froze in midair as he began to channel his magic, but this was not a divine Skill that controlled the weather. Though he did have one of those, the aptly nad Torrential Tempest could only be used to conjure storms, not disperse them.
Cloud Burst!
What the Hero used instead was a mid-Level Shaman Spell. One would think such a thing would not be powerful enough to overco this heavy rain, which would normally be a fair assumption. Gux, however, was anything but normal. He was a Ranker with a four digit AFF Attribute, which he had slowly built up over the years through his highly unorthodox lifestyle. Not only did it greatly boost the effectiveness of magic such as this, but it also allowed him access to the Legendary Affinity Perk.
Legendary Affinity
Description: A being whose connection to the natural world is the stuff of legends.
Requirents: Reach 750 Natural Affinity (AFF).
Effects: Increases the overall effectiveness of Spells and Skills that manipulate natural forces by 50%.
Reduced hostility from wild animals and monsters.
The result was that the dense cloud coverage was torn wide open, almost as if soone had made a hole in the sky. The circular gap widened rapidly, allowing the afternoon sun to shine down on this particular part of Velos far ahead of schedule. The change was so extre that Guxs AFF was reduced by 6 points as punishnt for his highly disruptive actions. It wasnt much of a penalty considering he had roughly two hundred tis that amount, though that didnt an he was taking his actions lightly.
Still, even if he believed his actions to be a cri against nature, he had faith that his fellow Hero had good reason to make such a desperate plea.
The sudden change in weather caused sothing of a stir within the surrounding troops ranks, but they were quickly silenced by a stern glare from Sigmund. As for Orrin, he stared with bated breath at the water still lingering in the sky. Though the source of the rain was gone, it still took a while for the countless droplets to fall to the ground. And once they did, the Hero of the Sun almost wished they hadnt.
A spire of flesh lood over the treetops, its size placing it sowhere firmly between a small mountain and a wizards tower. It must have been at least sixty ters tall, and was comprised almost entirely of orcs, their green bodies mangled and pressed together like brick and mortar. A thick brown-green miasma spilled constantly from its top and rolled down into the jungle below, like so sort of profane volcano. Its neck was even slowly but surely swinging around in a worm-like manner, ensuring greater dispersal of its foul payload.
What in the fires of Hell is that?! Sigmund yelled.
That is a lot bigger than I left it, Kaede mumbled in disbelief.
She montarily questioned how it managed to grow to this ridiculous size, then realized the answer was staring her right in the face. If the ex-Gutzstompa really was in the middle of that, then it was possible what was left of him was calling out to all of the mindless drones connected to him via the Green Tide. Granted, Kaede was hardly an expert on the matter, but it would certainly explain those groups of stampeding orcs she encountered. It wasnt hard to imagine them dying en masse underneath that cloud of Blight, only to have their corpses used to fuel the undead war machine. And with almost a hundred thousand of them roaming around - plus whatever random monsters or people they mightve dragged along with them - there would definitely be enough raw material to make this sort of thing happen.
What we are looking at, Orrin said with a heavy tone, is the Boneshapers secret weapon.
Co again? the Hero of the Hamr exclaid. The Boneshaper? Here?!
I do not know if he has personally co, but this is definitely his handiwork. Those Blight-spewing abominations are the reason why my people lost their holand.
That was the true terror of the Boneshapers military strategy. He didnt kill a continent simply by overrunning it with legions of the undead. Though he did have those, they only ever fought when those mobile disease factories were threatened by the enlightened opposition. The rest of the ti they simply sat and waited as the thick concentrations of Blight spread throughout the land and either drove off or killed the living. Even if major cities and fortresses could stall the infection with magic, they could not prevent the contamination of the soil and water outside their walls. It was a type of siege they had never seen before, and though they did develop counterasures eventually, it was already far too late to stop the Boneshapers advance.
Orrin had not seen one of these things in person before, but as soone tasked with his peoples revival it was only natural hed be well acquainted with how they fell. The especially painful part was that the giants of Percepeia could have stopped this if they had reacted quicker and with greater force. All they had to do was mobilize and wipe out the undead and their damnable Blight factories before the plague grew too thick for their people to handle. Sothing that obviously didnt happen, due in part because of their peace-loving nature, which had ultimately been their downfall.
A mistake that Orrin would not allow to happen again.
We need to destroy that thing! he shouted while pointing at it. Quickly, before it forms foot soldiers to protect itself!
What thing? Gux asked in a confused manner.
What do you an, what? Cant you see-! Nevermind.
The giant could be forgiven for montarily forgetting that the raptor was sightless. Though he was extrely proficient at taking in his surroundings with a combination of Psionic and Shaman abilities, these did not extend that far out. This also made it extrely difficult to aim and control the Torrential Tempest at anything that wasnt in close proximity, greatly reducing the potential of the Hero of Rains greatest weapon.
Uh, yeah, you guys do that, Kaede stated as she warily stepped back. anwhile Ill be right here. Not dying.
Though she was all for ridding the world of the foul undead, she drew the line at challenging genocidal murder-towers that had over 200,000 HP.
Youre just going to run away? the giant asked in an accusatory tone.
What do you expect to do, exactly? she snapped back. Anything that I couldve done was already spent trying to save Hesk! In vain! As far as Im concerned, the only way I can contribute to this is by not adding my body to the pile!
Calm yourself, Jolly Reaper, Gux attempted to intervene. Tis of crisis are when maintaining a cool head is most-
Shut it, weirdo! How about you get so fucking eyes before lecturing about the situation! Now if youll excuse , I have a job to do. One that doesnt involve handling shit far above my pay grade.
Kaede then stord off to find that soldier she left Hesks gear with so she could deliver it before she got as far away from this god-forsaken continent as possible.
Uhm Gux is having a hard ti grasping the situation. Can Gux please borrow one of your heads for a mont?
Yeah, here, you can use mine.
Sigmund stepped forward and let the raptor place a hand upon his shiny scalp. A few monts passed by while Gux borrowed the humans mories of the last few minutes, focusing mostly on the sights he had seen.
Ah Gux understands why the Jolly Reapers words were so harsh. This is not an opponent she can hope to face.
I know. I shouldnt have made unreasonable demands of her, Orrin lanted. Apologies can wait for later. Right now we need to stop that thing while we still can.
Well, youre in luck, big guy, Sigmund said while rubbing his slightly aching head. You just so happen to be in the presence of Teresas Grand Inquisitor. Willis!
Laws second in command, who had watched the entire exchange in silence, stepped forward and saluted.
Your orders, sir?
Get in touch with field HQ, tell them we have a code Black and to bring as many able bodied Paladins and Priests they can. Not just from the Inquisition, but from the adventurers and locals as well. I dont care if its by griffin, teleportation, or a miracle, you get those people here as fast as possible.
What about those already here, sir?
You are to maintain a periter and monitor that things movents until they arrive. We also need to limit its food, so dont let anything approach the Uh Whats that thing called, again?
Sigmund glanced at Orrin inquisitively, who nervously scratched his beard.
Historical records refer to them as smokestacks, but I dont know if thats the actual na.
Close enough. As I was saying - Willis, feel free to crush any orcs or lesser undead that co your way, but do not challenge the smokestack directly. Understood?
Not even for reconnaissance purposes, sir? I could have Colemans squad board a griffin and test the targets defenses.
Hmm Alright, but tell them to be wary of counter attacks. Sothing tells this smokestack wont take kindly to being blindsided. Now go, and fear no evil!
Aye, sir.
The soldier ran off to deliver Sigmunds orders, letting him focus his attention on the other Heroes.
Who is this Man of Coal? Gux asked matter of factly.
Colemans people are so of the best Spell-slingers the Inquisition has at its disposal. Theyll be seeing if anything other than holy magic is effective against it.
Forgive Guxs ignorance, but does not Teresas Hamr already possess an extrely potent weapon?
If you an Judgent From Above, then yes, I do have that, Sigmund nodded. However, itll be useless unless I can get close enough to use it.
There was also the question of whether said Skill would be able to eliminate that spire of death in one hit. It certainly had the power to purify its bones and flesh until they beca salt, but the target was far too big for Judgent From Above to envelop it completely. Therefore, while it would certainly be a huge blow, it was necessary to consider what would happen after Sigmund brought down Teresas wrath upon that vile abomination.
What about yourself, Gux? he shot back. You got any massive attacks that could be of use?
Gux does possess the power to unleash the fury of the elents. However, though Gux will be fine thanks to Lady Zephyras grace, your soldiers will get caught up in it.
Understood. Orrin?
The Hero of the Sun did indeed have access to a powerful Skill on par with the others. It was called Celestial Avatar, and could be used once a day to flood the user with the suns blazing heat for up to ten minutes. Not only would it greatly increase his HP and MP, but also grant him temporary access to several powerful light and heat based abilities that could be used to heal or harm in equal asure.
The downside was that the Hero needed to be in direct sunlight in order to use it to its full potential. That wasnt a problem since Gux was kind enough to disperse the storm, but Orrins patron was starved for faith at the mont. It was highly likely the Celestial Avatar would either not last the full ten minutes, or would not be able to unleash its full potential. That said, if push ca to shove, Orrin would not hesitate to unleash his god-given powers on that vile abomination.
However, it was rather questionable whether he would have the chance to do so.
Uhhh, Sigmund? the giant said while staring at the disease-spewing smokestack in the distance. I think soone already beat us to the punch.
A flaming ball of rock had appeared in the sky while the three of them were sharing information and giving out orders. It left a thick black trail of smoke as it hurtled groundward at a relatively shallow angle, colliding with the smokestacks midsection in an explosion of crimson flas. The undead spire lurched dangerously to one side, the force of the impact forcing it to bend over like a wet noodle. Its body then suddenly sprang back into its previous position, launching the remains of the magically conjured ball of molten rock away from itself and into the surrounding jungle. Streams of concentrated Blight shot out from countless tiny holes in its surface as the smokestack attempted to snuff out the flas that clung to its side. Sothing that proved to be a futile effort, as the disease cloud itself was instantly set alight and burned away in the blink of an eye.
And it was only then that the distant din of the teor Spell hitting its target washed over the three Heroes.
Its just one thing after another today, isnt it? Sigmund grumbled.
Gux could feel that aftershock in his bones, the raptor comnted. Was that your Man of Coals doing?
No. He hasnt even left the ground yet. Orrin, you said you had clairvoyance magic, right? Can you try to find the caster?
It was an unnecessary request to make, as the giant was already ahead of him. He had stuck the bottom of his golden sun-staff into the muddy ground and was holding it with both hands as he channeled his Lightbinder magic through it.
Far Sight!
Images of the undead spire flashed on the inside of his closed eyelids as he gained a birds eye view of its surroundings. The jungle directly around its base had already withered into a barren wasteland, though the pyrotechnics display probably helped bring it to that sorry state. As for the one that had called down that attack, it was a being that Orrin was not ashad to admit was outside of his realm of comprehension.
She was clearly female though, that much seed plainly obvious. She had a voluptuous figure with massive breasts, thick thighs and hips yet joined by a slim waist. It was without a doubt the sa kind of overtly sexualized shape one would expect to see on a succubus. The dull red yet surprisingly shiny skin and ribbed jet black horns like that of a ram were clearly indicative of a demonic heritage. However, though her outfit was both extrely revealing and fittingly tempting, one would be hard pressed to call this thing a succubus.
For starters, her clothes were made up of a writhing fleshy substance with a rich purple color, the re sight of which made Orrins skin crawl. The sa stuff also made up over a dozen tentacles that dangled off of her scalp and waist, each one tipped with a short tal blade. Her eyes were like hollow circles of yellow light floating amidst a sea of darkness, not to ntion that she had an odd number of them. Two were located right where one would expect them to be on that pretty face, while the third was in the middle of her forehead and surrounded by what looked to be tiny teeth. It was almost as if the vertical slit couldnt decide if it wanted to be a second mouth or an extra eye, so it tried to be both at once.
"Tenticubus" by dmaxcustom
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