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Chapter 257
🕑 Added 2024-11-13 05:04:42 +0000 UTCAfter the establishment of the New Empire, there was an increase in desire to chart, excavate, and understand the ruins of previous civilizations. After all, if there were such extensive histories left behind that would benefit the Veratocracy’s enemies, would there not be relics and gifts that our esteemed ancestors left to us?
-From the notes of renowned historian Ahyalt di’Nielta
The hundreds of keelish’s cries shifted rapidly from excitement and exultation to confusion and rage. The oxfiends and axebeaks lowed and shrieked their protestations and terror, and I shouted, “SYBIL! Command the wolfstags! Took, to me! Keelish, FIGHT! Victory by fang and blood!”
My people rallied and turned to face whatever it was that attacked. The moment they ceased their hiding and attempted subterfuge, it was obvious our attackers were indlovu. Their 10 foot frames appeared in the grasses, somehow having approached without alarming anyone to their presence. This tribe was not here to search for one of their own or to see what was going on. Already, three wet splats echoed out as just as many keelish were crushed to paste below the indlovu’s massive mauls. The indlovu stood with nearly a dozen feet between each, giving plenty of space to swing their deadly weapons while still being only a couple of steps away from the aid of one of their own. We could seize on that space.
“Don’t let them get any space! Press close and hard, and take them down!” I commanded as I glanced through the dozen or so assailants. My blood boiled, and I shouted a [Debilitating Diatribe] at the indlovu while [Enervating Address] boosted my allies. I couldn’t tell which one was the commander, which the most valuable to their attack–
“Ashlani! That one!” Sybil cried as she pointed. Now that she pointed it out, there was something slightly different about how the indlovu reacted to that one’s presence. Maybe it was all in my mind, but I rallied against it nonetheless. For a moment, I wasn’t sure how she had picked it out of the crowd, but I quickly realized it was her magic, and instead focused on [Combatant’s Bloodlust] while sending a surge of magic to my throat and claws alike, preparing [Crippling Cry] and [Destructive Wave] respectively.
Two of the towering indlovu stepped forward in an attempt to block my approach, but Took, Brutus, Percral, and dozens more threw themselves at the obstacles and tore them away in the keelish way. Even under the cold impassivity of [Combatant’s Bloodlust], I felt my face crack into a wide grin as my people shredded into the thick hides of the cowards who ambushed us in the middle of our celebration of life. We would feast on their flesh and crack their bones.
Now forced into direct combat with me, the leader raised his club and trumpeted another war cry into my face, his trunk spewing mucus and fury in my direction. I continued to compress the [Crippling Cry] in my throat, hoping that the massive ears would also mean a greater sensitivity to my sonic attack. With a feinted lunge, I drew the ambusher into a crushing downward swing and as the heavy stone head of the maul smashed into the ground, my [Tremorsense] went wild with the localized earthquake the strike created underfoot. Confident in my speed compared to the immense heft of the leader’s weapon, I lunged forward in earnest.
His trunk sailed forward and smashed into the side of my head and knocked me prone. My vision spun and my ears rang as I attempted to gather myself and keep myself alive, but it was only my [Tremorsense] that kept me alive under the trampling charge the indlovu chief began. Though I couldn’t see straight, I could feel each approaching footstep, and I thanked Trai for her cooperation with my training all those weeks and months ago. I stepped to the side just fast enough to only catch a single tusk along my flank, and thus, first blood belonged to the indlovu.
I forced my vision to focus as the indlovu reached its trunk out once more, grasping for my throat. I dodged below, but was again surprised by the trunk’s alacrity as it again sought to smash into my head. I barely managed to duck my head and raise my shoulder enough to make the blow glancing instead of deadly, and was again sent sprawling into the dirt.
My [Skill] showed flashes of red spots, but I’d underestimated this warrior as a mere brute. He was a true warrior, and I’d suffered the consequence of my own inability to accept that. Now, I slowed myself, allowing myself to focus on what I could do now, how I could deal any blow to him without surrendering my own safety. The indlovu, emboldened by his success and my apparent and obvious hesitation, charged in once more.
Feeling my chance arrive, I compressed the magic in my throat one more time before letting the explosion of a scream tear through my throat. More powerful than ever before, my amplified magic rushed to slow my foe’s charge. Even better than I’d expected or hoped, the force of my attack blew the indlovu’s ears back, and he stumbled and fell from his charge. Before the dirt had settled, I leapt forward onto its back and raised both hands high. A small, calculating part of me realized that the sound echoed so loudly that the entire battlefield went silent for a slow moment, but the rest of me, furious at their cowardice, at the slaughter of my people, at the situation that I kept finding myself in, instead continued to move forward.
Both of my hands visibly vibrated under the influence of my [Skill], and I slashed both across the base of the indlovu’s neck. My claws were the first thing to pierce the thick hide, only tearing through the gray skin with redoubled effort, but my newly evolved [Skill] didn’t result purely in an increase to the cutting power of my claws. Beneath the physical form of my attack, an invisible but no less deadly blade cut through flesh, tendon, and bone. The shrill sound of cracking bone cut through the silence, and I raised my head and shrieked to my people once again, “VICTORY! I am the peak that casts the long shadow! Bow before me! Kill them all!”
Then, my cry of victory sounded, I leaned down and, disregarding the shuddering of my prey attempting to rise to its feet, began to tear ever deeper. My fangs couldn’t find purchase on the thick bone, its natural density and strength repelling my mundane attack. Furious, I channeled even more of my sonic magic to my fangs and hands alike as I fastened my fingers together in their blade form as they, empowered by [Destructive Wave], shredded and stabbed repeatedly into the thick flesh of my indlovu meal. My fangs, vibrating, shaking, powerful, found a space between two bones, and with a force of muscular effort enhanced by magical might, ripped two full vertebrae from the indlovu’s neck where it’s shoulder and base of the skull met.
My prey fell completely still below me, and I ignored [System] notifications as I took two more gory bites. Blood coated my face and filled my eyes as I again raised my head and screamed my victory to the skies. In a wordless roar, I leapt down from the corpse of the indlovu I’d slain and leapt towards the next, the next victim, the next prey. All around me, keelish screamed their approval and the indlovu’s initial pride and excitement quickly bled into terror. They began to flee, leaving a crippled indlovu behind, which trumpeted its fear to its companions as it began to succumb to the wounds given by dozens of claws and hundreds of fangs.
And I would ensure at least one more entered the count of the dead.
