Somewhere in Kirkcour Woods.
04:23 a.m. 15 th Banem, 1092.
Dudududu…
A centurion of centaurs galloped out of the forest led by Kashi, Shadow, Larsial, Darian, and Agamios. The leaders pulled to a stop at a clifftop overlooking a vast encampment in the valley below.
Kashi keenly studied the kilometer-wide stronghold to devise a plan of attack. His lips curled up in a challenging smile as he realized the headquarters was much stronger than he initially suspected.
The stronghold did not appear to be a temporary investment, suggested by the 15-meters-tall circular wall that surrounded the perimeter. Intriguingly, Kashi counted five wooden pillars placed strategically around the wall. Each pillar ran alongside the wall’s internal part and had man-sized, pyramid-shaped mana crystals encased at their apex.
A final, sixth pillar was erected at the heart of the encampment. A thin translucent film seemed to originate from that pillar and spread to the others.
The valley itself was populated by tall trees that blocked off most of the compound from sight. Kashi highly doubted this was a coincidence. The boss of this place was undoubtedly brilliant.
However, two places in the valley could not be covered by the trees. The first was a large building that housed the sixth pillar, and the second, and most interesting was a giant pit with a diameter of at least 200 meters.
Dark energy and aura billowed from the pit like a sick, cursed volcano and spread to the surrounding forest. Kashi felt his skin crawl just from looking at the smoke. He instinctively knew he had found the Blight’s source.
Kashi turned from the pit and once again observed the film surrounding the camp. ‘It can’t be.’ Kashi thought to himself as he dismounted and picked up a smooth stone from the ground. He flung the rock and watched with bated breath as the projectile sailed through the air.
Clang!
“No way,” Kashi muttered in shock as he watched the stone bounce off some invisible barrier. The daeben picked another rock and threw it at the wall. He breathed a sigh of relief when the stone crumbled against the wall. Good, so the shield only protected the skies against airborne attacks.
Kashi admired the barrier technology with the utmost respect. Say what you will about these Chaos Order’s ethics, but their technology was undoubtedly leagues ahead of the continent. The daeben was grateful for their advancements in magitek (magic technology). It would undoubtedly save the Maggots several months, or even years, worth of research.
That’s right. As far as Kashi was concerned, the technology was already his.
“Kashi-dono, over there,” Darian prompted and pointed at the large building with his spear.
Kashi utilized [Keen Eyes] to zoom in on the building and spotted an aged centaur chained to the ground in front of the mansion. Judging from the slow rise and fall of the centaur’s chest, he appeared to still be among the living. However, Kashi could not tell how long that would last, especially now that the final battle had commenced.
“I see him,” Kashi confirmed and then took stock of the security personnel. Just as they thought, most of the base had been emptied, leaving only a few hundred monsters behind for protection. But Kashi was more concerned about the dozens of humes leisurely patrolling the vicinity. He could not accurately predict their exact numbers because of the trees, but he estimated there should be at least a hundred or more.
Kashi turned around and looked at Agamios and the rest of the centaurs. “This is it, ladies and gentlemen. The final push.” Kashi pointed at the gaping hole. “That over there is what we need to destroy. Everything we do henceforth is for that one overarching goal. The faster we complete the objective, the quicker we can save those at Lymar.”
“We understand the severity of the situation,” Agamios confirmed with a stiff nod. “What is your proposed course of action?”
Kashi looked at the compound and frowned. “Initially, I intended on scaling the fence while you burst through the front gate, but that does not seem to be an option this time.” The daeben’s frown softened into a smirk as he pointed at the wall. “So, I shall smash a hole through the side for you and your men. While you rampage from there, I, Shadow, and Larsial will sneak around and head for the pit to destroy the Blight.”
“What about Aethon’s chief?” Darian asked.
“Remember what I said,” Kashi reiterated, “Our top priority is to end the Blight. No one wants that centaur alive as much as I do, but we can’t risk the lives of every centaur for his.”
“I understand,” Darian replied with a tight tone. The centaur’s gaze filled with even more respect for Kashi. Aethon’s chief was the reason Kashi had begun this entire journey, yet he was ready to throw it all away for the centaurs. Was there a more selfless man in the universe? Unwilling to let the daeben sacrifice everything for nothing, he proposed, “What if we charge toward the Aethon chief? If the enemy believes we are here to save him, they might keep him alive as a hostage. And it will serve as an added distraction for you.”
‘Darian, you beautiful centaur!’ Kashi almost kissed the young ‘prince.’ Could he completely give up on fully enhancing Drixlia’s bloodline after coming this far? Hell no! However, he’d noticed an opportunity to gain loyalty points with both Darian and Agamios. Those opportunities were rare to come by, and rewards earned from loyalty were exponential.
Kashi had taken an enormous gamble just then. He would have suggested that plan himself if Darian nor anyone else thought about it. This was one of those occasions where the bonus was very different depending on if the proposal came from himself or the other party.
Luckily and thankfully, Darian Alshmeer had stepped up to the plate at the critical hour.
“Yes, that is a perfect plan,” Agamios chimed in with an approving nod. “We will decimate everything in our way after you open the path. But what should we do if we rescue the chief before you’re finished?”
Kashi’s brows furrowed as he glanced at the pit. “There’s a terrifyingly strong being inside that pit. I can feel its aura all the way from here. Our battle will not conclude in a short period.” The daeben looked at Agamios with determined eyes. “Regardless of what happens, you must retreat once you begin to feel overwhelmed.” A challenging smile curled up the daeben’s lips as he looked at the pit and rapidly clenched and unclenched his right hand. “Our battle won’t be something the likes of those people could interfere in.”
“We’ll do as you say,” Agamios agreed with a firm nod. He glanced toward the north with a worried glance. “I only pray we are not too late.”
“Do not worry, the enemy should just be reaching Lymar right now,” Kashi consoled as he looked toward Lymar. “It’s a race against time now,” prompted the daeben as he climbed onto Drixlia and spurred him down the cliffside. “Let’s do this!”
The strikeforce roared with excited bloodlust as they charged down the cliffside.
Lymar Village, Kirkcour Woods,
4:30 a.m., 15 th Banem 1092.
Verlito stood at the head of a 10,000 strong monster army, a curious smile on her lips as she watched the forest around her begin to distort and vanish as the powerful illusion shielding the final village in their conquest slowly crumbled.
“So, this is where you were hiding,” Verlito cooed as a broad mountain range appeared in front of her. A 50m wide ravine buried between two cliffs traveled up the mountainside to a distinct town situated at the mountaintop. The daeben clucked her tongue in praise as she observed the natural fortifications.
The first centaurs had picked the best location in the entire forest to set up their final defense. The mountain range ensured the ravine was the only way to attack the village, and the tall passes allowed archers to snipe any incoming enemies. Verlito looked up, and she indeed spotted bow-wielding centaurs on the cliffs.
Verlito did not doubt that the centaurs had placed traps and all sorts of fortifications on the path, but if they thought this would be enough to save them, then they were in for a rude awakening.
Verlito raised her hand and pointed at the village. “Charge!”
ROAR!
The earth trembled from the monsters’ battle cries as they stampeded onto the path, eyes red with frenzied fury.
Chaos Order Outpost
Dudududu!
“What’s that!?” A hooded sentry shouted in panic, shocked by the sudden ground’s sudden shaking. “Is there an earthquake?”
“No, it’s something else,” another sentry countered. She quickly cast [Levitate], which let her ‘fly’ upwards over the wall. She scanned the area and paled when she noticed the centaurs charging toward a section of the wall. “Sound the alarm!” she quickly ordered as she looked over her shoulder at the chained centaur chief. Had they finally come for him?
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Acolytes and priests abandoned whatever they were doing and began running toward the section of the wall prioritized by the alarm.
The levitating woman frowned as she observed the charging centaurs. How did they intend to break through the wall? The tree trunks used for the walls were around a meter or two thick. There was no way the centaurs could break through that with charging power alone.
Wiiing!
The sentry’s eyes went wide in shock as several portals suddenly appeared in the sky above the centaurs. She barely had time to process her surprise before the wall faced heavy bombardment. Worse yet, the thousands of arrows accurately struck a small area of about 4 meters tall and 8 meters wide. The sentry’s eyes twitched as a small crack formed, then spread across the wall.
“They’re coming!” yelled the sentry as Agamios smashed into the wall.
Lymar Village
“Brace for impact!” roared Balasius, the Tulpar tribe general, as he eyed the approaching monster army alongside his clansmen. The centaur general couldn’t be more grateful for the terrain as it meant that despite being outnumbered 2 to 1, his troops did not have to defend against the entire monster army at once. Add the cover fire from the Glashtyn tribe stationed on the clifftop, and the battle suddenly did not seem so hopeless.
Boom!
“Hold!” Balasius encouraged his soldiers as the monsters slammed against the shields. He dug his hooves into the earth, leaned into the impact, and then stabbed the beasts through small gaps with his ‘short’ sword. The centaurs hummed and hawed as they struggled against the monster army’s momentum.
“Aaah!”
Balasius gritted his teeth when a Vine Blight extended its branches through the gaps and stabbed an unsuspecting centaur in the heart. The centaur, sensing her impending death, relinquished her spot and charged into the monster army, cutting down everything she could with reckless abandon.
“Close that gap!” Balasius shouted as he made a mental note of the centaur who had smartly sacrificed herself to prevent the line from crumbling. Unfortunately, they were in the thick of battle, and there was no time to mourn the dead. Instead, he respected her passing by alerting the rest of the army to the danger, and added, “Conserve your ki! Watch out for the Blights!”
“Damn you!” A centaur roared as a Vine Blight attempted to repeat the same feat on him. However, this time, the centaur congealed a solid ki coating over his chest, which the branch struck to no avail. The centaur, enraged, temporarily let go of his sword and grabbed the branch. Before the vine blight could react, he pulled hard and yanked the Vine Blight out of the army, over his head, and into a pack of red-eyed centaurs on his side of the line.
The Vine Blight did not make it to the ground.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Excellent!” Balasius roared in praise. “Hold your ground!” The stalwart general looked toward the north with a pensive expression. “Please be quick, Kashi-dono.”
Chaos Order Outpost
“Tear them apart!” Agamios roared as the Longman tribe burst through the walls and made a beeline for the prisoned chief.
“Stop there!” Several sentries shouted as the remaining five hundred or so monsters left in the camp clashed against the centaurs led by a marilith and a dire ape. Dire apes were 8-foot-fall ape-like creatures with four arms, two massive upper arms, and slightly smaller lower arms.
The sentries utilized [Levitate] to gain a height advantage over the battle, then proceeded to bombard the invaders with fireballs and ice spike projectiles, without care for the monsters caught in the chaos. Evidently, the Chaos Order acolytes and priests stationed in this outpost consisted solely of mages.
“Die!” Agamios roared as he burst through the flames and caved in a direwolf’s skull with a single punch. He flipped the corpse around and used it as a club to smash in the surrounding monsters’ heads. Blood and flesh exploded around the one-man battering ram as he continued his charge unhindered.
“That’s as far as you go!” A priest roared as he cast [Flame Tornado]. A thick flaming pillar rose from the ground and zipped toward the centaur general with the marilith close behind for insurance.
Agamios’ gaze narrowed as he charged into the pillar.
Boom!
The flame pillar exploded the second Agamios made contact and burned everything within five meters.
The acolyte laughed and ridiculed, “Foolish be—”
“Die.” Agamios’ deep voice interrupted the acolyte as he emerged from the explosion unscathed with a ki manifestation of a four-meter-tall centaur monster surrounding him. Before the acolyte could recover from the shock, Agamios’ ki manifestation roared as it grabbed the stunned marilith’s head.
Agamios’ rage-filled eyes looked up into the marilith’s as a sneer curled up his lips, “I just need to make you bleed enough.”
“No, wait!” several acolytes cried with panic-laden voices. The marilith’s importance could not be understated!
Agamios ignored their cries. “Isn’t that right, Kashi.” The centaur let out a ghastly grin as his ki manifestation ripped off the marilith’s head.
“You will pay for that!” The acolytes roared as they charged up a massive spell to eradicate the general.
Puchi!
A spear suddenly stabbed through an acolyte at this critical juncture. The hidden strike blasted a bow sized hole through the man’s chest, leaving no illusions to his survival. The acolytes froze as they watched the spear zip through the air into the hand of a distinct looking centaur.
The spear had barely settled in Darian’s hand before he once again launched it at the hovering acolytes. Vwhoosh! The spear blasted through the night like a shooting star and exploded through the heart of a hovering priest. The priest’s eyes widened in shock as he wondered why his mana shield had failed.
Darian’s gaze hardened as the weapon once again returned to his grasp. “You will pay for your crimes!” Darian cried as he readied himself for another throw.
Whoosh!
Darian gaped, shocked as the sentries rapidly descended to the ground. The mages did not fancy remaining a sitting duck for the angry centaur. Hence they grudgingly traded their aerial superiority for their lives.
“Good work, kid!” Agamios praised as he stormed through the monster army. The pressure on the centaurs had significantly reduced as the mages lost clear sightlines to their targets.
Unfortunately, the Chaos Order was not one to roll over and lie down. The mages immediately switched to buff and guerilla tactics, increasing their monsters’ abilities while seeking opportunities to fire missiles and restraining spells at the centaurs.
ROOOAR!
A roar burst through the battleground, and Agamios’ eyes narrowed as he watched a centaur get battered to death by the enraged dire ape. “Foul beast!” The general roared as he burst through the battlefield. He grabbed a random wolf and flung it at the ape to catch its attention.
The dire ape punched the thrown direwolf. The beast exploded on impact, sending blood splattering across the ground. However, the ape did not appear to care, as it roared then charged at Agamios, likewise sending everything in its path flying.
“Run!”
“Clear a path!”
Warriors on both sides shouted as they got out of the way of these forces of nature.
“Die!”
ROAR!
The calamities clashed in an explosion of rage and bloodlust.
BOOM!
A massive shockwave blasted outward, knocking several weak individuals off their feet. The shockwave was so powerful that it spread far beyond the confines of the battlefield.
Kashi, Larsial, and Shadow paused off in the distance as a strong wind blew past them. Kashi looked over his shoulder at the battlefield and frowned, “Let’s be quick. People depend on us.”
With those words, the trio blended into the night and dashed toward the pit. They did not encounter much opposition during their run as most sentries had been attracted to the battle. What little they met were silently and efficiently dispatched.
Shortly after, the pit came into view.
Kashi, Shadow, and Larsial gaped in shock at the massive black hole. Now that they were this close, even Shadow and Larsial, who were less mana-sensitive than Kashi, felt goosebumps shoot up all over their skins. They felt like they were gazing upon the origin of everything evil and impure in the world.
“Over there,” Shadow prompted, and both Kashi and Lunette followed his finger to see a white-haired, old man stood at the mouth of the pit with a transparent orb in his right hand and a magic staff in his left. The six-foot-six old man, who looked to be in his late sixties, retained the body shape of a peak thirty-year-old. He was dressed in green cotton pants and donned a loose jacket made from leaves.
Kashi visibly cringed, instantly recognizing the outfit. The all green, plant-based clothing, going as far as to make pauldrons out of wood bark. These, plus the staff and the minimalistic outfit, usually pointed to one class. Druids.
Druids shared a mixed reputation in Destia. On the one hand, their ability to tame and communicate with beasts, coupled with their comprehensive knowledge of all things plant-related, could mean the difference between life and death for an adventuring party.
On the other hand, druids were often known to force their ‘balance’ ideals onto others. They believed humes should not hunt beasts, as they could not do so without destroying the world’s ecological balance. Instead, they thought humes should seek to live among animals as equals and adopt a vegetarian life.
During King’s Journey , civil war once broke out between a druid faction and a Summoned guild. After that war, many players began to playfully refer to druids as the PETA of the gaming world. A stigma also started to float around that only two kinds of druids existed on the continent: A sane druid or a bat-shit insane druid. There was no middle ground between the two.
Personally, Kashi did not buy into that stigma, as Razznik had run into quite a few druids during his many adventures. Like any other group, most druids he met minded their own business and lived peaceful lives. Unfortunately, the loud minority who forced their ideas down the throats of everyone else had ruined their reputation.
‘Hmm?’ Kashi’s attention was drawn to the orb in the old man’s hand as dark aura from the pit poured into it. He then watched as the druid took out a vial from his satchel and poured the solution within onto the orb. To Kashi’s surprise, the darkness in the globe began to show signs of clearing. Unfortunately, the progress stopped moments later, and the sphere turned black as night.
The druid frowned and crushed the orb in a vice grip, then looked in the direction of Kashi with a sneer, “You have come this far. Why do you still hide?”
Shadow and Larsial’s gazes turned pensive. The fact that the druid had spotted them was proof enough that he was nothing to scoff at. Meanwhile, Kashi issued a lazy smile as he emerged from the trees with the assassins in tow.
The druid’s brows furrowed as he examined Kashi. He waited until the daeben stopped a few feet from him and muttered, “You appear familiar. Who are you?”
“Kashi of the Hopeful Maggots,” Kashi introduced himself, then his partners, “He is called Shadow, and she is Larsial.” The daeben looked at the druid and questioned, “And you are?”
“Rayatha Thorn,” the druid replied in a flat tone. Recognition flashed in his eyes. “Kashi, you say? The Order has spoken much about you.” Rayatha regarded the daeben with cold eyes. “Are you here to kill me, young man?”
“That remains to be seen,” Kashi replied with a light shrug. He pointed at the pit and asked, “What are you trying to accomplish here?”
“Why, is that not obvious?” Rayatha questioned in an incredulous tone.
“Humor me,” Kashi replied.
Rayatha glanced at the roiling, cursed aura billowing from the pit and then back at the daeben. “I am working on a cure for the Blight.”
Kashi’s brow rose. This time, it was his turn to give the druid an incredulous gaze. “You are joking, right?”
Rayatha’s eyes narrowed. “Do you find this funny? This is my life’s work.”
“Wait, you are serious,” Kashi stated in shock. “Have you looked at the forest? How is that curing the Blight? You’ve been spreading it! And what does hunting the centaurs have to do with your cure?”
Rayatha’s eyes shone with the excitement of a scientist who finally found a student. “Do you not find it fascinating? The Blight has existed in this forest for countless years alongside the centaurs, yet they are completely immune to its effects.”
“The Blight does not affect humes,” Kashi countered. “At least, it shouldn’t.”
“The Blight does not have an immediate effect on humes, yes,” Rayatha confirmed with a nod. “But, it does if exposed long enough, over generations. There is a reason centaurs are the only sentient civilization left within this forest. The rest either perished or ran away over time as the effects worsened. Something within the centaur’s bloodline holds the cure,” Rayatha said as he looked at the pit. “ And, I am very close to figuring it out.”
“What does that have to do with massacring the centaurs?” Larsial questioned.
Rayatha turned to her and explained, “One cannot run tests without a few test subjects.”
“You’re wiping out the entire tribe,” Kashi countered. “What about that says few?”
“The entire tribe?” Rayatha blinked as if trying to recall something. “Is there something I forgot?” He muttered something under his breath, then looked up at the daeben. “Oh, yes. I remember now. The Order did request something to that effect. They have supported my research for several years. I lent the Order my army in return.”
Kashi frowned. “You keep saying ‘them.’ Are you not a member?”
“Yes, I am,” Rayatha murmured. “Something called Primate, I believe.”
Kashi’s expression instantly turned severe. ‘Primate.’ That was the same level as Ruse, and Kashi could tell this man was much stronger than the flame mage. Furthermore, druids rarely used flame spells because of their destructive nature, which denied the daeben that natural superiority.
This would not be an easy fight.
However, before the battle began, Kashi intended to squeeze as much as possible from the druid. The daeben folded his arms and studied the druid. “Why does the Chaos Order want to kill off the centaurs?”
“That I do not know,” Rayatha replied and shook his head. “You must question the daeben for the specifics,” The druid patiently explained, then stretched his hand toward Kashi. “Now, you know the whole truth. What will it be? Will you walk away, and let me complete this cure that will save billions for several generations to come, or die here?”
“That is a generous offer,” Kashi said as he walked to the pit’s edge. “Unfortunately, I must refuse.”
“Do not step in there,” Rayatha softly warned. “The Blight is too concentrated. You will instantly perish.”
Kashi looked at the druid and shook his head. “I do not know what to think about you right now. You do not look murderous, but you do not hold lives in any regard.” Kashi shrugged and let out a sigh. “I suppose I shall chalk it up to the eccentric nature of a mad scientist.”
Rayatha’s eyes narrowed. “Mad?”
Kashi ignored the druid’s rebuke and called out to his team. “Shadow, Larsial, capture him. I’ll decide what to do with him after I put an end to this.”
“What?”
Neither Shadow, Larsial, nor Rayatha fully processed the daeben’s words until he jumped into the pit.
“Kashi!” Shadow shouted. However, a split second later, he stared, mouth agape, when Kashi’s skin lit up with a soft green glow. The daeben turned around and flashed a salute before dropping into the pit.
“Impossible!” Rayatha yelled, breaking his calm demeanor for the first time as he watched the daeben descend into the pit. He glared at Shadow and Larsial with greed and excitement in his eyes, “You will tell me everything!”
“I refuse,” Shadow stated as he dropped into a battle stance.
“Oh, we will certainly talk,” Larsial taunted as she drew her daggers. “But only after you’ve been taken down a notch.”