blacksmithoftheapocalypse
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1203. Lumbering?
🕑 Added 2024-10-27 16:57:19 +0000 UTC---Above Delta---
“Those damn old bastards!” she cursed. Her fists clenched so hard, she could hear the metal of her gauntlets creaking. A slumbering ember, the hidden fire of hatred and ambition flared up, far greater than her indignation toward the blacksmith.
The moment she saw gates growing in places surrounding the Guardian Tree, Natina knew that she was betrayed. Seeing how they used something as precious as the gate stone, she instinctively knew that it had to be one of the royals of Spatia.
One of those decrepit, calcified pieces of shit that had stood in her way long before even the evaluation. To think one of these stumbling rocks had the gall to interfere with her campaign. It just lent itself to concentrate her wrath, accumulated across her whole journey here.
The hardship, the losses, the worries that accumulated up to this point and these absolute cockgobblers were now trying to take her final prize from her? Good, fine. Did they want to play this game? She raised her fist and all undead surrounding the Delta began retreating into the purple dimension that had opened for them.
They wanted to face Minas Mar? Then they were going to do so alone. Relocating to Kalzemir, Diromold and Piotr also retreated. Riding the dragon skeleton, she returned through the portal in the sky, back to the place where the remaining soldiers were stationed.
Natina would bide her time and watch her enemies rip each other apart. And then, when they were all on their last leg, she would swoop in and get revenge, for herself, for Fafi, and even for Uz'Roc, that disappointment of an orc.
...
--- World 234Z, Empire of Spatia---
Eight armies made up of 15000 High-level players each, each player clad in at least an epic set of armor and possessing an epic class were assembled before him. They were his personal troops, incomparable to the simple troops shoved onto the little necromancer girl.
As if anyone would entrust an upstart like her with such hand-picked elites. His eight armies surrounded a giant eight-sided column, hewn from a small granite mountain. On six of the eight sides, portals had begun to open. This column was the focus anchor set as coordinates for the stone gates.
“My Lord, it seems that the collaborators only managed to deploy six of the eight gates,” the advisor mentioned on his side. Byron frowned and rolled his eyes. “I can see that. Have two of the armies stay back on standby. We will deploy them depending on the situation on the other side.”
When the first gate was established they...did nothing at first. Everyone was waiting for the teams that set up the gates to come over and report the situation on the other side. in the meantime, the other gates also opened, but there was also no sign of those who set them up.
Following protocol, golem eyes were sent in to find out the situation on the other side. Based on their original information, there was supposed to be a battlefield after all. If the teams didn't return, it meant they were caught after building the gates.
Soon, another adjutant appeared at Byron's side. “My lord, you have to see this,” he said and handed him a magic plate to watch the video of the golem eye. he couldn't help but gasp, when he saw the forest of vines, pressing against the cracking barrier surrounding the stone gate.
Through the gaps in the roving flora, he could see the shadow of a giant tree, covering the sky. So it was true that there was a legendary tree under Minas Mar and the Necromancer girl actually managed to tickle it out of them. Very good.
However, they had to move quickly now. The barrier of the portal was not meant to resist this kind of attack from a legendary existence.
“Tell the generals to ready their troops and stay on standby. Tell Jarvan, Soti, Vermar, Krista, and the Bishop to get their parties ready. They will enter first to do some ...lumbering,” he chortled at his own little joke. Byron doubted the tree would be able to stand up against five legend and their parties.
Jarvan, the Deathclaw, was a newer legend and attained great fame by killing an orcish legend from Kozdam, during an expedition to a non-system world. He used a pair of legendary obsidian claws that were said to rend space itself.
Soti, the Hawk was an elf and legendary archer. She had already served Byron's family when he wasn't even born yet. Despite her age, she still looked as young as the first time he saw her. It was said her arrows could darken the sky and would always find their target
Vermar, the Wolf, started out as a mercenary on one of the border worlds. They said that nobody he pursued ever escaped, an inevitable hunter. Even Byron didn't know what weapons the beastman usually used. He was also the only legend under him without a party.
Krista the Benign was a legendary healer who went the path of the divine doctor, that could even bring back the dead. She was not only well-versed in healing skills and spells but also had an expansive knowledge of medicine and alchemy. Her party was rumored to be immortal because of her skills.
Last in the array of legends that would raze Minas Mar to the ground was Bishop Demus of the Order of Covdite. He was a legendary crusader and leader of a knight order under the Church of Covdite. Byron promised the church exclusive rights to Urth if they sent support and they actually sent the Demus, the Heathenhammer.
Not only was Byron confident that they would be able to deal with the legends of Minas Mar, but they were more than capable enough to get rid of Natina and her rotten entourage, too. After the parties were briefed on the situation in Delta, they were ready to bring him victory.
...
---Delta---
To send them to clear of weeds, Vermar was disappointed at first, but right now he was frightened. Right after stepping through the gate, he got to see one of the most fear-inducing sights of his life. he came just in time to witness hundreds of wooden tentacles crush the temporary barrier surrounding the gate.
The only reason he was not squashed was his Trait: Ghost of the Woods, which allowed him to become incorporeal and pass through trees and vegetation. Even if it was legendary, it was a tree, so he was able to phase through the vines and roots that came to rip him apart.
However, passing through solid matter came at a price, so the wolf beastman had just enough time to pass through the wall of murderous vines and activate his stealth to escape the onslaught. He specialized in the hunt and single combat, not in facing such massive attacks.
Vermar had to halt for a moment. Although he heard about what Urth was like and what to expect of Delta, seeing the giant structures that made up their cities had him stumped for a moment. The sound of explosions, fire, and the intermittent light of holy beams erupting in other places of the city brought him back to the moment and reassured him that his colleagues had survived just like him.
Finally having the time to determine the situation, he took back his previous thought. This was far from pulling out weeds. In person, the “tree” was far bigger than it seemed in the video. This wall of wood, spanning several hundred meters and ending in green foliage could hardly be called a tree in his mind.
If he used his strongest attack against the trunk, he might be able to block a hole through it, but the foe didn't look like that would actually harm it. He saw beams of divine power shooting high above the structures of the city and severing dozens of vines and roots, but they just regrew.
Yeah, instead of getting himself in trouble with something that would not even bother the local flora he decided to look for another way to help in this situation. He brought some distance between himself and the tree.
On the way he took note of the various security nets, before finally finding a spot where he could deactivate his stealth skill. Here, he first contacted command and reported the current situation and his idea. After he was given the green light, he brought out a small wooden dial, resembling a compass.
“Reveal what I'm seeking,” he whispered to the disc before crushing it in his paw. The Seeker disc was a one-use item that could mark the location of anything one knew on their map. This was the restriction, he had to have seen it or them before using the item and they couldn't be too far away.
The next moment, he heard a notification that two points of interest were marked on his <Map>. Reactivating his stealth he began his own little solo mission.
...
Leana couldn't help but be even more confused by the current situation. Four legends and their parties had appeared to attack the Guardian Tree, while Natina had actually pulled out. To make things worse, the Tower master himself, still didn't answer their calls.
“Mina, can you go look what he is up to?”
