blacksmithoftheapocalypse
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1209. Legends Unite
🕑 Added 2024-11-03 19:43:30 +0000 UTC---Outside Delta---
“Hey, Ceres? Are you still fighting the Hydra?” were the first words coming from the communication orb, leaving the parrot of doom a little confused. Wasn't Seth supposed to be working or something?
The eagle was currently with Rayki and the Faer, who, fortunately for them, managed to reach Blotches in time to save the questing beast's life. It wasn't completely safe, yet, but with the constant support of magic, music, and potions, Blotches was able to overcome the complicated curses and slowly heal its wounds.
“The necromancer girl took over. I thought she came on your instructions?” the eagle asked back without much care in his voice. It wasn't the elemental's job to fact-check every stupid decision others made.
“Shit, so that's why all the undead vanished on the walls. Ceres, can you go look for her and make sure she is okay?” Leana's worried voice could be heard from behind the blacksmith. “Evee is immortal, the worst thing that can happen to her is becoming incapacitated,” Seth, mentioned to soothe her worries.
“Ceres we need you here. Can you return to Delta and look for Evee on the way back? And tell heads to return, too.” its maker asked. The elemental cocked its head from side to side, as if thinking about the task, before nodding defeated. he was able to come to look after Blotches because of Evee, so he probably owed her for that.
“Fine~”, it said disinterested, and cut the connection. “You guys better protect Blotches with your lives”
The parrot of doom left a final warning before he set off into the sky to look for the Chosen of Persephone.
...
---Delta---
One by one, soldiers slowed down or fell over. Even the ones he managed to gather around him had empty expressions. The commander could also feel it. His eyelids were heavy and his mind was clouded.
He bit his tongue in frustration and to clear his mind. Just how had things come to this? Lord Byron's plan was perfect, they even had a group of legends assembled to attack. This abominable tree, he thought looking at the roots that had grasped the edges of the portal, and further at the center of the city, the source of this horror.
His fingernail dug into his palms, thinking of the scenes at W-234Z. He had seen men get pierced by the vines and turned into mummies that crumbled to dust within seconds. When the barrier broke and hundreds of valiant soldiers were washed away by these things. They stood no chance, they couldn't even evacuate as they had registered the world column as their home for home call...
The commander could only feel sorry for those who were left behind to fight these things. They stood no chance, they were just cutting offshoots of this thing. A being even four legends had trouble stacking damage on.
Crack!
The barrier had weakened, as many of the mages around him succumbed to fatigue and the spell. Even he could feel his consciousness slipping, trying to keep up the support for the barrier. Just when he could no longer keep resisting the pressure from inside the barrier, it vanished.
Falling to his knees, he realized that the wooden tentacles had frozen and were no longer trying to break through the barrier. After a moment of stillness, they actually pulled by, leaving only the vines that covered the frame of the gate, keeping it active.
“Oh, looks like some people are still awake;” he heard someone mention. With drowsy eyes, he looked back over his shoulder. A group of diverse knights had appeared and at their center stood an attractive woman with green hair. She had an ethereal air to her, a kindness that stood in stark contrast to the brutal-looking knight group.
“It's alright, Lady Karina. We will just knock out the ones that are still up,” a slender knight said, pulling the whip in their hand taught, to enforce their words. Knock out? He didn't even have the chance to react when he felt an impact at the back of his head.
...
“This is not working! We have to work together!” Krista exclaimed, using <Holy Voice> to reach the whole raid team. She had realized that their individual attacks were not enough to deal lethal damage to the tree. They had to combine their efforts and breakthroughs.
“I guess you are correct,” Demus, the Bishop of Covdite agreed unwillingly using the same skill.
“I can help coordinate our attacks,” Soti, the Hawk exclaimed using the <Spirit Whisper>. As a legendary archer, she had the best skills to see the big picture. Even if they were in different locations, she would be able to coordinate the attacks to align at least partially.
“We are ready to go along with your plan,” the priest of Jarvan's party announced, as Jarvan didn't have any skills to communicate with the raid party. They just came up with a raid plan, when the situation unexpectedly changed again, as the gates at their back began closing!
“What is going on? Did something happen on Byron's side?” Demus exclaimed as he defended against a root the size of a whale, trying to crush his shield. Unlike Soti, Jarvan, and Krista, he was not a subordinate of the royal and couldn't contact them directly.
“I can't get in contact with Lord Byron. Something must have happened on their side.” Krista answered. Unlike Vermar, they were too close to the tree, to see what had happened to the gates that were unprotected.
“Does this mean the mission is aborted? Should we go back, before the gates close completely?” Jarvan's priest Everyone stayed silent for a moment, as they concentrated on fending off the tree's attempt to eat them alive.
“Fuck!” Krista, the benign suddenly cursed in the <Holy Voice>. “ i think i know what happened on their side. There are tree roots coming in from the gate behind us...” she informed the others, They were legends, not idiots, so they quickly understood what this meant and why they didn't hear from Byron.
Although they couldn't know the extent of damage on the other side, if the tree managed to get over there, where no legend was left to defend, they were pretty much doomed.
“We should get back and help Byron, “ Soti suggested. if they returned now, before the gates closed, they may be able to fight the tree back and close the rest of the gates. This way they could prevent more loss of soldiers. Looking at the future, this may have been the better option, however..
“No! We are fighting the root of the problem right here. We can end it all by winning here,” Demus argued vehemently. “ We have to strike down this impure creature here and now before it can grow even stronger!” he spoke like a true zealot.
However, he wasn't wrong. With more information, their decision may have been a different one, but at this moment it seemed like the best option to stay and strike down the Guardian Tree while they still could. If the tree fell, the situation on W-234Z would also end.
“Let's gather and fight together then.” Soti voiced the conclusion they had all come to. Together, they would fell this tree!
Cutting their way through a forest of vines, the four legends and their companions merged into one big party. The legends themselves had a good balance. Jarvan was a melee attacker, Demus could act as a tank, Soti was long-range physical and magic damage while Krista was a pure support.
Their individual party, made up of high-level professionals similarly meshed together, creating a good synergy. They all united under Krista's shield, which was not only able to withstand the onslaught of vines but was also located at the only still active gate in the tree's vicinity. This still left the option of retreat.
