Euy’La – Sal’Yiu – Alpha Zone #308
Hopelessness suffused Euy’La’s hearts as she numbly took in the gaping hole in the City’s wall she had failed to defend.
Idle thoughts of what would come next tried and failed to gain prominence as her eyes vacantly wandered the reformed land hemming the place she had called home. Her sight eventually fell to the now closed wound on her thigh and she wondered that if maybe her words had been different the-
A flash of bright system generated light obscured everything and caused her to jerk backwards involuntarily before blinking rapidly to regain her bearings. Over the space of several rapid heartbeats, vague outlines made themselves known to her watering eyes.
Recognizing the vastly diminished fungi forest some distance away and several thousand dazed and pointy eared figures slightly in front of it, Euy’La spun to see what the Benjamin had done to her once precious home. However, when the details of the structure not ten paces from her became apparent, she almost lost the balance her half kneeling position afforded.
Euy’La’s shock turned to confusion as she scanned upwards and then upwards still, aching neck protesting at this most recent mistreatment.
Blinking dazedly for a moment, she would have thought her sight hadn’t returned to her for the sheer volume of seamless white structure in front of her, had it not been for the upturned wasteland that was once forest that was still present to her rear.
Back peddling to see if some staggered distance would provide a better sense of perspective, after a half minute of stumbling in the opposite direction, she found that it didn’t improve things overmuch.
Against the faint illumination of star speckled and be-moon'ed night sky, Euy’La could just make out a tower with a bulbous top as it protruded above the flat section.
Her recently recovered balance began to revolt under her minds new strain as realization dawned of what the structure was. Meanwhile, behind her the calls of alarm and confusion from her equally displaced battle-weary allies and friends further confirmed her watering eyes discovery.
The Benjamin had built a Citadel.
The cost of such a thing had taken the Sal’Eir several hundred cycles to complete and even then...It was the only one among all the thousands of their numerous system enhanced dwellings. Feeling a hand on her shoulder she found Initiate Alchemist Ouy’Du, whom she had grown up with, looking at her with a worried and fearful gaze as he released in a rush.
“We have to flee Euy’La, t-this is no time to stand and gawk!”
Feeling her face flush at her lack of awareness, she allowed him to lead her groggily away, but after a few stumbling paces, she dug her heals in as she proclaimed.
“I wont run from a fight Ouy! Tell Vas’Ot that she is in charge now and to lead the others to safety whil-“
But her words were drowned out as from atop the Citadels monumental wall echoed the voice of the usurper.
“I KNOW YOU WILL LIKELY HATE ME AND TRY TO KILL ME IN THE FUTURE...BUT AFTER I A LEAVE YOUR WORLD , I WILL TURN OVER THIS CITADEL TO YOU LOT...AS UNGRATEFUL AS YOU MAY BE...NO-“
Before Euy’La knew what was actually happening, her mouth decided to interrupt The Benjamin as it yelled.
“WE ACCEPT YOUR OFFER!”
Silence descended on the clearing as her hearts hammered in her chest whilst she demanded of her mouth what in the abyss it thought it was doing!
Apparently having expended its free will, it didn’t inform her of its past reasoning’s and she was about to give up the hope that its unbidden gambit had succeeded, when a far quieter voice that undoubtedly belonged to the same speaker demanded.
“You what?”
Blinking as she thought faster then she had in her hundreds of cycles, she shouted once more with a shred of desperation leaking into her voice.
“WE ACCEPT YOUR OFFER!”
There was a slight whistling sound, like that of something metal with lots of protuberances traveling at speed through the air...Then Euy’La paled as her eyes found the metal encased form of the Benjamin whistling down toward her!
In a vain attempt to shield herself from the attack her demand had triggered, she held up her forearms protectively and squeezed her eyes shut as her whole body braced for the coming impact.
However the attack never came...And she was about to open her eyes a voice from beside her made her leap several paces to the side.
“What in the name of his noodly besauced appendage are you playing at elf lady?!”
Straightening self consciously from her crouch, she ashamedly released her customary grip on the dagger she no longer had.
Defiant, Euy’La meet the gaze of The Benjamin as she tried to feign Intelligence deficiency.
“Did you not understand what I said Human?”
Scowling at her for a moment he huffed before pointing an accusatory finger in her direction as he countered.
“Don’t get bloomin clever, sweet cheeks! Just cause your hot doesn’t mean I won’t tan your alien ass!”
Blinking in genuine confusion, she queried.
“Why should I care at this point if you wish to craft something from a pack animal that i do not posses?”
It made a sound her theology instructors used to make whenever she asked why there were three moons in the sky, before managing to rejoin.
“Doesn’t matter! Back on point! You want me to kill the orcs for you AND give you this citadel I just spent a fortune on!?”
Bluffing like she had never bluffed in her life, Euy’La maintained an impassive face while offering.
“Yes.”
After enduring The Benjamin’s narrowed red eyed gaze of unnerving intensity for what felt like several cycles, it relaxed slightly as it countered.
“Seeing as you weren’t feeding me sheep shit about the communication array, I’ll give you another chance…But!...Only on the condition, you tell the rest of the el…er…Sal’Eir to stay out of my bloody way!”
Euy’La, whilst slightly perturbed by its culinary habits, was about to jump at its meager condition when she almost smacked herself for missing the grey skinned opportunity starting her in the face!
If she could observe and report on its skills, capabilities and weaknesses, The Elected would never be able to refuse her leadership of a Siphon team!
No!
She was thinking too small...
Euy’La could use the information gained about the deranged beings vulnerabilities and assassinate it to claim the Citadel for herself, and The Elected be damned!
Failing to suppress her lips rebellious tugging, she rejoined.
“I have a condition of my own!”
The Benjamin glowered for a moment before motioning for her to divulge it.
“I will accompany you to liaise with any of my kind you should encounter, whilst you are about fulfilling your side of the agreement!”
The growl that emanated from its throat sent a chill down her spine and with a force of will, she managed not to flee as her hearts hammered at her renewed wish for death.
Despite expecting the worst, the rumbling growl cut off as the Benjamin’s face worked through a series of expressions that were hard to attribute to any one emotion, before it supplied in an almost whiny manner.
“Fine…”
Then the being extended a hand out and looked to her in an expectant fashion. Unsure of the custom it was invoking she retained her safe distance whilst mirroring its gesture. The Benjamin was clearly insulted as it huffed in annoyance and moved its hand slowly to meet her own and clasped it.
Stiffening at being within the demented beings grip once more, it bobbed their hands up and down once, then released it and added in mock placation.
“Relax lady...Just a handshake…”
Her distrust clearly still evident on her face, it furthered.
“It’s like a way of confirming an arrangement where I come from…”
After examining her hand for signs curse marks or poison injection and finding none, Euy’La further investigated her ‘status’ for any negative effects and still finding none, couldn’t help but ask.
“W-why not just use a contract based skill?”
To which it shrugged and replied matter of factly.
“I didn’t really feel like traumatizing anyone else tonight.”
She eyed it for a moment to confirm it was indeed not playing a practical joke and after a few heart beats she was still unsure of such when he clapped his hands together causing a mild thunderclap from which she darted backwards and rubbed them together while it it displayed evident mirth at her reaction, before it stated in a far too enthusiastic tone.
“Let’s get this Orc cull underway shall we?”
Still recovering from the minor shock of whatever sound based skill it had just used, she stammered.
“I-it is still night Human our enemy could easily strike us from the shadows...S-surely it would be better to wait until the morrow before we set out?”
Snorting at her advice, it paused a moment before querying incredulously.
“Wait just a fucking a second…You mean to say you lot can’t see in the dark!?”
Annoyed by its crass and skeptical tone, she snapped.
“Why would we be able to see in nocturnal hours?”
It eyed her skeptically for a moment more before replying.
“Eh, not really important anyway... So how durable are you?”
Giving it her most scornful look she countered, whilst letting a bit of pride seep into her words.
“I have a vitality of over 200 human, what of it?”
Disappointment palpable on its face, it rejoined.
“Guess we’ll have to take it slow then…So where is the nearest Or…Er... Sorry, Wo’Dan infestation?”
Incensed by Its derisive dismissal of her impressive fortitude, Euy’La bit out.
“The last communication we received before the Wo’Dan made their assault was that another war party had besieged a City #212 in Alpha Zone #355!”
The Benjamin grinned whilst instructing.
“I’ll try to take it easy on ya, but just remember this was your idea love!”
Unsure what heinous attempt at its species courtship was coming next in this night of mind rending insanity, she demanded.
“What do you mean by eas-“
Then she let out an involuntary yelp as one second it was a safe few paces from her and the next it had wrested her from the ground into a carry of maidens!
Struggling in vain, the wind bit at her skin whilst inertia caused several of her joints to pop in protest, and the last thing she remembered before blacking out was the blue box of a notification informing her that she had moved father than was possible:
You have entered Alpha Zone #309 Level 1 – 20.
When Euy’La became aware of her surroundings once more, her available senses spoke of some kind of dour acridity much to nearby.
Mind gradually tabulating the most recent memories she had, when she reached the part where The Benjamin had absconded with her, she sat bolt upright with eyes frantically scanning the surrounds. Finding nothing but the tinge of burnt flesh tickling her nose in the complete darkness that encompassed her, she almost drowned in the wave of panic at where she feared she might be.
Mind taken back to the Initiate Mystic’s stories which were told to all young about the abyss and the heinous things it contained. Euy’La pushed down her fear of the prophecy about the thing that would come and take the second moon away, and instead pulled up her ‘Status’ to check she was not under some form of an attack of the mind from The Benjamin:
STATUS
Name: Euy'La
Age: 613
Titles: Survivor
Class 1: Initiate Sure Shot Level:99 + 1 Dexterity per level
Class 2: Initiate Hunter Level:99
Profession: Basic Alchemy
HP: 682/558 + 147 (705) MP: 243/165 + 127 (292)
Status Effects: Fatigued (Health and Mana regeneration reduced by 25%)
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Vitality:207 + 21 x 1.05 (239)
Strength:129 + 31 (160) Dexterity: 211 + 45 x 1.05 (269)
Intelligence:50 + 16 x 1.05 (69) Wisdom:50 + 4 (54)
Charisma:11 Luck:7
Undistributed Attribute points: 0
Passives –
Sal'Eir: + 2 vitality, + 1 to Dexterity, + 2 distributable attribute points per level
Lingua System: Able to communicate verbally with any system integrated entity and be understood
Nimble: + 5% to Dexterity
Survivor: + 5% to Vitality
Lesser Alchemists focus: + 5% to Intelligence
One With The Crowd: + 10% to damage dealt and -15% damage taken when fighting alongside others, -10% damage dealt and + 10% damage taken when fighting alone.
Quick As A Flash: Move at double your maximum speed for 1 minute after which you will suffer 25% dexterity penalty for 5 minutes, usable in 21 hours 25 Minutes
Skills – Initiate Sure Shot
1) Summon Arrow(LvL 10): Cast Summon Arrow to manifest an arrow into your free hand. Summoned arrow remains physically stable for 30 seconds (Duration and mana cost scale with skill level). Cost: 1 Mana, Cast time: 1 second, Cooldown: 1 second
2) Piercing Shot(LvL 10): Shoot a Piercing shot from your ranged weapon to ignore 35% of your targets defensive values and deal 135% of your weapons attack damage to a target within 500 meters of your line of sight. (Range, cooldown and mana cost scales with skill level). Cost: 15 Mana, Cast time: 1 second Cooldown: 30 seconds
3) Signal Arrow(LvL 10): Shoot a Signal Arrow into the air from your Ranged weapon that is either green yellow or red in color up to a height of 50 meters (Height, cooldown and mana cost scales with skill level). Cost: 10 Mana, Cast time: 1 second Cooldown: 1 minute
4) Lesser Multi-shot(LvL 10): Shoot three projectiles from a single split round of your ranged weapon at a target location in your line of sight within 200 meters for 75% of your weapons damage per projectile. (Range, cooldown and mana cost scales with skill level). Cost: 15 Mana, Cast time: 1 second Cooldown: 45 seconds
5) Seeking Arrow(LvL 10): Shoot a Seeking Arrow at a target within 500 meters of your line of sight for 125% weapon damage. The skill cannot be dodged unless the target possesses a higher Dexterity value than you. (Range, cooldown and mana cost scales with skill level). Cost: 20 Mana, Cast time: 1 second Cooldown: 1 minute
6) Lesser Empowered Shot(LvL 10): Charge and shoot a Lesser Empowered Shot from your ranged weapon at a target in your light of sight within a range of 500 meters. Skills damage and mana cost vary based on the duration that it is charged. (Range, cooldown and mana cost scales with skill level). Cost: 5 - 50 Mana, Cast time: Channeled Cooldown: 45 seconds
Skills - Initiate Hunter
1) Slashing Strike(LvL 10): Cast Slashing strike to move your bladed weapon in a slashing attack against a target location on your opponent within 1 meters of your line of sight. Skill deals 150% weapon damage with a chance to deal bleeding effect if opponents armor is broken (Range, cooldown and mana cost scales with skill level). Cost: 5 Mana, Cast time: 1 second Cooldown: 30 seconds
2) Lesser Tracking(LvL 10): Cast Lesser Tracking on a prospective targets tracks within 5 meters of your line of sight and become aware of the direction their passage took them. (Range and mana cost scale with skill level). Cost: 20 Mana, Cast time: 10 seconds Cooldown: 2 minutes 30 seconds
3) Camouflage(LvL 10): Cast Camouflage to blend into your immediate environment whilst you remain stationary. Effect will be ineffective against those with sufficiently higher combined attribute scores of dexterity, intelligence and wisdom(Cooldown and mana cost scales with skill level). Cost: 25 Mana, Cast time: 10 seconds Cooldown: 5 minutes
4) Marking Strike(LvL 10): Cast Marking Strike on a target within 1 meter of your line of sight to deal 75% of weapon damage and become aware of their location if they stay within 2 kilometers of your position. Skill may be resisted based on targets vitality when compared to your dexterity. (Range’s and mana cost scale with skill level). Cost: 50 Mana, Cast time: 5 seconds Cooldown: 10 minutes
5) Lesser Parry (LvL 10): Cast Lesser Parry to interrupt a targeted opponent’s strike mid swing based off your combined dexterity and strength scores compared to your attackers, and deflect the blow and all associated damage. (Cooldown and mana cost scales with skill level). Cost: 1 Mana, Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: 10 seconds
6) Lesser Decisive Blow(LvL 10): Cast Decisive blow on a target within 1 meter of your line of sight that has less then 7.5% health currently remaining to instantly kill them. Skill may be resisted if the target has higher vitality than the combined value of your strength and dexterity attributes. (Range, cooldown and mana cost scales with skill level). Cost: 35 Mana, Cast time: 1 second Cooldown: 2 minutes
Finding nothing as yet to confirm her fears, Euy’La in turn, tentatively took to creeping forward as her fingers quested blindly in front of her. Jolting to a stop, her hands found something hard and smooth. Further probing it's surface she tentatively labeled it as some sort of stone.
Using it as both an anchor and reference point for a hand, she stuck her free hand out to her right and began edging forwards, trying to keep the thoughts of what horrors might be but a hairs width from her outstretched appendage.
Step by cautious step she edged, heartbeats drumming loudly in her ears and as the tension continued to mount, Euy’La held her breath in dread of what was to come.
A burst of stale air almost knocked her backwards as she instinctively clutched for her blade in a defensive stance, very nearly collapsing when an odd yet familiar accent said.
“Oh right you can’t see in the dark can you…Sorry.”
Then a bright light bloomed and she staggered backwards to shield herself from the newly made star that was but a bare two paces from her face!
Indignant at her repeated mistreatment and lack of bearings. And having had enough of being thrown through the past few hours like a spore on the wind, Euy’La shamed her favorite etiquette and decorum teacher Heg’Ou yet further still, by screaming.
“YOU DRIPPING GAQ’DEU EXCREMENT! RETURN ME TO THE WORLD THIS INSTANT OR I SHALL HAVE YOUR BIRTH MOTHER CUR-“
Before she remembered to what she was speaking and cut off her harangue midway, as its intended effect was likely wasted on the maladjusted and clearly deficient creature.
Instead Euy’La shielded her eyes with a hand and surveyed the area around her. To her shame she discovered that instead of the black of some pit in the bowels of the abyss, orange smooth rock supported her and curved round to hem her in, in the shape of a tunnel.
Still scowling and with eyes now sufficiently adjusted, she lowered her hand to find the Benjamin looking upon her with barely contained mirth as it held a body suspended in the air.
Anger flared whilst she demanded in an icy tone.
“Where have you taken me human?!”
It’s face fell slightly as it relayed.
“Well you kinda passed out so I thought I’d stow you in this cave while I did a bit of scouting...Oh, I also found you a friend...”
Still processing his words she dodged the incoming body as it was tossed toward her whilst her mind registered that it was not traveling as fast as she had assumed. Instead drifting somewhat sedately through where she had just been.
A fresh wave a panic flashed through her when her sight fell upon the heads trade mark pointed ears and silver hair, noting they were far to short to belong to one even close to a hundred cycles young!
Seeing the same panic in the young males eyes, Euy’La had experienced all too frequently in the last few hours. She discarded her blade and leapt with arms outstretched to halt the disconcerting passage of the youth.
Colliding with him she was puzzled by the lack of weight to him as she clutched him about the torso, barely having time to adjust her rolling body lest both their heads take the brunt of the rapidly approaching tunnel wall.
Thudding painfully into the curved orange stone with her back, she swore she could hear the malicious Benjamin snickering at her actions.
Far too worried about the youth to care about the intelligence deficient Human and its twisted sense of humor, Euy'La released the trembling adolescent to study his fear stricken face from a close remove.
Confirming that he was indeed conscious and free of injuries she asked in the best comforting tone she could manage under these harrowing circumstances.
“Are you alight young one? Did the thing hurt you in anyway? Did he…D-Do things… T-To you?”
There was a weak shake of the boys head as the Benjamin blustered.
“Fuck a duck lady! JUST WHO THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?!”
Wincing at the volume of the humans overzealous protestations and foul mating intentions, Euy’La asked of the youngling.
“I am known as Euy’La, what is your name youngling?”
Looking to her as if for the first time, tears began to leak from his eyes as he stammered.
“T-Tov’Ge elder…”
Her eye involuntarily twitched at the youth’s misconception of her age, but managing to put aside her pride she furthered.
“How did you come to be abducted by the human Tov’Gel?”
The Benjamin released an exasperated sound as it lamented to the cave’s ceiling.
“Fuckin elves!”
Before tossing the stone of light between her and the boy, and causing the cave to shudder as it stomped out to leave the pair alone with their thoughts.
Tov’Gel fixated on the bend in the orange stone where the human had disappeared until Euy’La put a comforting hand on his trembling knee, causing him to almost jump out of his skin upon contact.
After he had discovered the owner of the hand was her, he bowed his head in shame as tears dripped quietly onto the dry of the rock floor.
She thought he was lost to his thoughts once more and decided it best to leave him as such to find himself, when he confounded her assumption in a tremulous voice.
“T-they took the City elder Euy’La…T-there was so much screaming and blood in the chaos when the s-shield fell…Thousands of Wo’Dan overran us….I am still bellow level twenty…not even allowed out of the alpha zone by my birth mother so…So I ran to the hills…I…I know it was a cowardly thing…f-forgive me elder I didn’t know what else to do…”
Gabbing the now sobbing youth in a tight embrace she offered.
“Hush little one…it is not your fault the accursed green skins exist…More over, they cannot hurt you here, not while me and the…not while I’m here…”
Looking to her with hope radiating from his tear streaked face, Tov’Ge collected himself before nodding to her with a shaky smile on his face. Extracting himself from her embrace and straitening his leathers self consciously, he proceeded to mop his face with a sleeve.
Smiling in the most reassuring manner she could manage at the moment, Euy’La mirrored the youths movements and got up to go and seek the creature who had promised her aid, when the youth behind her questioned in rediscovered confusion.
“Elder Euy’La, what is the t-thing that brought me here…I’ve neve-“
Preempting the boys questioning she added, whilst fixing him with a serious gaze.
“It is known as a human, young Tov’Gel. It is also a dangerous and devious creature you should never let your guard low around. A-And though for now it is an ally of…convenience…Keep in mind that that may not always be the case...In light of this, limit your interactions with it accordingly...”
Receiving a curt nod for her instructions she proceeded further along the tunnel, realizing part way that she had foolishly left the light source behind.
Refusing to leave the traumatized youth in the dark, or worse, bring him to wherever the Benjamin was attempting its foul mating practices, she pushed onward into the darkness, with only her fingers for guides.
Blessedly, it did not take long for a source of light to make itself known, as she cautiously quested toward it. The closer she was to it, the more her spry feet’s custom surety was reclaimed.
Churlishly, Euy’La discovered that they had been in a cave all along, however vengeance for her kin and their brutal passing effectively sidelined what ever that confirmation might imply.
Edging to the smooth entrance of the cave, she found the mouth situated above the smooth, undulating orange stone. Further away from it there were studdings of outcrops of glowing red crystalline formations, which constituted the vaguely familiar Alpha Zone #355. From a depression some several thousand paces away, her sight found the source of the acrid stench in the air as a plume of black smoke continually belched into the air.
Loosing herself in the thought of what might be burning so well, she jumped when a voice to her side added apologetically, like the meal she ordered from the Initiate Cook was short several integral ingredients.
“Sorry we couldn’t get here quicker, but I didn’t want to accidentally pop you in the process. Also kinda weird I couldn’t find any more survivors…The Wo’Dan really do seem to have this mindless pillaging and slaughtering thing down pat don’t they?”
Staring daggers at the human she demanded.
“Why did you not inform me that the City had fallen?!”
Looking at her like she was in possession of a head full of stone, it countered.
“Well I was gonna but you were kinda preoccupied with calling me a pedophile and playing parkour with mister scared shitless in there, that I figured it could probably wait?”
Bristling at its belittlement of the youth’s evident trauma, she spat.
“Each and every word you utter only seeks to lower my opinion of you…human…Now let us investigate the source of the smoke as I will need to verify your account in person before you take any action.”
The plate clad being was silent for a moment as it sent her an almost pitying look before cautioning.
“Look, I get it...You think I’m a weirdo! But try and see past your hate boner for a second and just listen!…I don’t think it’s gonna make your life any better when you find out what they’re doing...O-Or what’s burning.”
Shooting it a contemptuous glare that barely conveyed her opinion as it clearly sought to use feigned empathy to back out of its side of the agreement. She took to spitting on the stone before It then broke into a run to leave the unctuous human where it stood.
It was only after traveling several hundred paces with the glowing blurred forms of crystals for landmarks in the ink of the night, that Euy’La noticed the streak of what was shadowing her, off to one side.
Already traveling at the maximum speed her barely recovered stamina would permit, all she could do was keep a weary eye on the blurred form of The Benjamin as it effortlessly ghosted her passage.
When she completed her disquieting journey, Euy’La was overlooking the depression where once City #212 had stood as refuge to her kind for hundreds and hundreds of cycles prior. Now however? All that remained of the bustling population center was fractured walls with a large fire burning just outside where the battered central hub stood.
As the bonfire painted warped shadows of the celebratory reveling of the hundreds of elite Wo’Dan that surrounded it, she tried yet failed to stifle the contents of her stomach from escaping.
However try as her body might to purge the image of what the monsters were doing to the bodies of her blood brothers and sisters, the gruesome and grotesquery still remained etched into her minds eye.
The ringing in her ears barely let her hear The Benjamin’s next words of mockery.
“Like I said, not something that helps you live your most authentic life now is it…”
Craning her neck to look with hatred at the apparently sovless human. In response to her obvious ire, it held up its armored gauntlets defensively to add.
“I’m new here and I made a deal with you, which I intend to honor... Strewth, I’m more then happy to obliterate the fuckin lot of them…Just wasn’t sure if you guys had some kind of religious belief’s around destroying your species bodies and in doing so, it might have barred them from your afterlife…”
She almost believed its words for a moment but then its eyes roamed whilst its face flickered through another series of contortions, laying bare the voracity of its lacking character...
Turning to face the still unfolding horror she begged brokenly.
“P-Please do not continue to mock me human…just end this…t-this...atrocity…”
No sooner had Euy’La uttered the last word, the ground beside her exploded with a crack of *BOOM*ing sky light which knocked her tumbling to the side.
Groggily she got to her hands and knees, eyes searching out the horrific spectacle of the accursed Wo’Dan elite and their celebratory bonfire.
Believing herself still slightly concussed she found the once raucously grotesque celebrations had come to a halt, only to be replaced with the bizarre scene of chaos.
Before the bonfire stood The Benjamin and all around ,Wo’Dan brutes and mages alike shot past him and into the fire, to join and ever increasing mass of burning screaming flesh.
When the screams had reached their peak something within the malfuric ball of roasting green skins sucked them inwards, before more foolishly repeated the same terminal mistake of attempting to get near its apparent field of influence.
Transfixed, Euy’La watched in horrific glee as the stream of frantic elites were extinguished, only to be replaced by the thousands upon thousands of alerted and rallying rabble of lesser Wo’Dan.
Unsure of how long she watched the purging continue, the screams of alarm and confusion filled the night while The Benjamin stood in its midst looking on dispassionately at the tens of thousands that perished before it.
Her vindictive glee stuttered however when she heard the tell tale whistling shriek of a Wo’Dan Ballista, whilst her hearts sought to strangle her breath.
Euy’La barely caught a glimpse of the colossal bolt’s magically empowered supersonic smear before it struck the Benjamin’s outstretched palm, causing him to be launched into and through the bonfire to crash into the remains of the ruin City’s central hub.
Shock gave way to despair as her budding hopes of being able to finally turn the tide on the Wo’Dan blight were crushed like the Benjamin had.
Then, from within the City’s rubble came one of the most baffling statements she had ever heard.
“NICE TRY SHIT BIRD!...BUT I THINK IT ONLY FAIR THAT I SHARE WITH YOU THE FORTITUDE OF MY OWN WOOD!”
Euy’La’s jaw muscles ceased to function when in front of the central hub, materialized an oval of near complete black. Then from its surface protruded a round of wood of almost equal size the ovals glowing blue edges.
Utterly engrossed by the absurdity of the scene, her eyes bulged as the wood continued to slowly extend for what looked to be but a few paces.
Still trying to puzzle out the purpose of materializing the over sized bit of wood, Euy’La was once more caught off guard when the now familiar voice bellowed.
“WHAT’S GREEN, RED AND BLACK, AND GOES SPLAT IN THE NIGHT!?”
There was a shriek of sound, far louder than that of the ballista’s round as a steak of flame light up the orange rock of the basin and the white rubble of the structures beneath it, before striking the ground with an echoing explosion. The all but blinding light filling her vision with its intensity as she struggled to remain upright whilst the stone beneath her trembled.
When the blast wave had finished washing across the bowl and the light of the mushroom like cloud had died away, silence reigned anew and Euy’La idly wondered if she had not indeed made a deal with some fiend borne of the abyss itself.
Her fear however was stymied by a chuckle when the voice echoed throughout the zone once more.
“YOU!”
Then Euy’La knew as the sound of her foes fear filled panicked cries filled the night once more, that she did not care where the Benjamin had come from or its degenerate sexual proclivities.
Now.
Now she knew she would agree to almost anything, anything at all...If The Benjamin would continue to mete out its unhinged wrath, upon the invading enemies of the Sal’Eir.