“You want to try and assassinate the Warlord?” Helen asked. “Isn’t that…. dishonorable.”
Guinevere gave Helen a flat look. “Life isn’t a story, Helen. We are in a war, the devastation the Warlord could inflict if allowed to grow in power is unthinkable. Put aside any thoughts of honor or a fair fight because he won’t give it to you. If we can cut off the head of the snake, we could save thousands of lives today.”
“But the risk to yourself….” Helen objected.
“I’m not asking you Helen,” Guinevere said firmly but gently.
“You have no authority over me or my soldiers; this is a joint venture. You may be a champion, but I don’t answer to any of the Champions or your gods.”
“That’s a little blasphemous,” Helen said looking at Guinevere sternly.
“We each have the freedom to serve the gods we choose,” Guinevere said with a shrug. “I choose to serve none of them.”
“Is this because you weren’t made a Champion?” Helen asked.
Guinevere sat down and looked Helen in the eye. “I was offered the chance to be a Champion.”
Helen sat down in shock. “What?” she asked her eyes wide with shock unable to comprehend what she was hearing. “But you aren’t a champion, I can see your title now and it isn’t showing up.”
“I rejected their offer,” Guinevere said.
“It was one of the Chaos gods!” Helen asked in shock her mind jumping to the most logical conclusion.
“You don’t get it, Helen,” Guinevere said with a sigh. “I was approached by Zima, Goddess of Winter and Snow.”
“But she’s a goddess of Law,” Helen said. “Why wouldn’t you accept that?”
“Because your kind is a threat,” Guinevere said her voice soft but resolved. “Look at what happens to this camp every single day. Monster attacks, the only reason our soldiers aren’t dead or exhausted is because my party is a higher rank and have been doing most of the fighting. Think what would happen if you were all in a city and the system spawned a wave of monsters in the sewers.”
“We’d handle it,” Helen argued.
“And how many regular people would die before you killed them?” Guinevere asked.
“So, you’re saying all champions are just as bad as the chaos spawn?” Helen asked accusatory getting in Guinevere’s face.
“Yes,” Guinevere said not flinching. “You may have different means but history shows the outcomes are always the same. At least this chaos spawn chose to go into the wilderness instead of living in a city.”
“I’m not going to change your mind on this am I?” Helen asked.
“No,” Guinevere said. “I’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“Who else have you told about this?” Helen asked.
“You’re the only one,” Guinevere said.
“Then I’ll keep it to myself. Your father would kill you if he found out you know,” Helen said. “You being a champion would have been a massive advantage to your family’s station.”
“It would probably have led to a civil war,” Guinevere said. “It’s part of the reason I turned Zima down.”
“At least wait to attack the Warlord,” Helen said getting the conversation back to the original subject.
“Why?” Guinevere asked.
“It’s a full moon,” Helen said. “Your ability isn’t true invisibility and you could be spotted with how much light there is. Wait a few days for better cloud cover or for the moon to wane.”
“Fine,” Guinevere agreed. “I can wait a few days. It doesn’t seem like the Warlord is ever going to go anywhere.”
---
A thorny root as thick as my arm wrapped around both my legs and dragged me backward. The ground gave way beneath me and I swore knowing what was about to happen. All around me were tiny holes in the pit trap and bees swarmed out of them. They had to be magical bees since their stingers were able to pierce my skin despite its adamantine durability.
I unleashed Helheim’s Scream the sound reverberating through the earth around me. Every single bee within dropped dead but the mana use was extensive. Without the ability to regenerate even my massive mana reservoir was running low although killing all the bees had restored a massive amount thanks to Magma Heart(s). I jumped grabbed the edge of the hole and pulled myself out. I dodge to the side narrowly avoiding being knocked back into the pit.
Catching the root that had struck me with my left hand I just squeezed. The stacks of Blood Frenzy I had active and my incredible strength from Black Rage made the root shatter into mulch. I kept moving ducking and dodging. My eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and constant adrenaline and combat.
Attack from your right, Karnen said.
I braced and the root hit me but didn’t move me. I mulched it and kept moving.
Ambush ten feet ahead at four-o-clock, Voidra said.
It had taken her a while to understand the hands of a clock and how that correlated with positioning. I sometimes forgot that she had never had a physical body. I sprung forward to the point she had indicated. Three figures that vaguely resembled humanoids stood up. Their bodies were made of twisting vines with grass and flowers sprouting from them like a ghillie suit.
I just punched them once in the chest each and they were all pulverized into plant fibers.
Root knee height behind you, Karnen said his words short and clipped.
I jumped straight up the root passing below me. I pounced on it like a hawk, stomping down I turned the wood and greenery to mulch.
I pressed on. I suffered attack after attack, some I couldn’t avoid or moved too slow to counter. Troll Hide slowly regenerated them. I had to kill as many of the creatures as I could, or I’d pass out from lack of stamina. I balanced on the edge of a knife, using Troll Hide used up my stamina, so I had to kill to regain more stamina but doing so caused injuries to myself that I had to regenerate again requiring more stamina.
The feeling of hunger is originating from a point a few more hundred yards ahead, Voidra said.
After sixteen hours of fighting, we’d determined we’d have to kill the creature creating all the plant monsters. Voidra was able to sense it and we’d been following her guidance for the past three hours slowly closing the distance on it.
Bee nest fifteen paces to the right, Karnen said. He’d gotten a lot better at giving warnings and deciphering my distorted Foresight.
I moved towards the nest and released Helheim’s Scream just as they emerged from their holes in the ground. The flood of stamina and mana nearly brought me back to full and I pushed forward with a second wind.
I could see a group of six willow trees around a pond. They were the only trees I’d seen since entering the prairie making them my obvious target destination.
I moved towards the grove of willows and dodged and rolled. My approach increased the frenzy of thorn whips as they slashed and tore at my skin. Whatever the creature was it was becoming increasingly desperate to kill me before I got to it. I grabbed one of the whips midair and squeezed. It exploded into mulch.
Staggering forward I reached the grove of willows and looked around. I took in a deep breath, my nostrils flaring as I took in all the scents. My head jerked to the side as a thirty-inch-long thorn buzzed past my ear. I hadn’t detected it with Foresight but my constant on edge had developed an instinctual reaction to threats.
My head turned like an owl as I honed in on the spot where the thorn had come from.
Three-o-clock, up in the willow branches, Karnen said.
I whirled on the spot he said and spotted a tall figure with bark-like skin holding a bow in hand.
Pouncing on the tree I raised both hands and brought them down on the trunk of the tree. The bark and wood exploded the tree toppling and sending the figure falling to the ground. I stepped forward the nausea didn’t bother me that much anymore since I’d long since thrown anything up in my stomach.
I stomped down but the archer rolled to the side dodging my attack. It was screaming in pain even though I hadn’t even hit it yet. Focusing in on it I read its description.
Wind-through-Leaves, Gifted- elemental/willow-dryad, Veteran, Rank: 215
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
I guess attacking the tree had been an attack on it. A whizzing in the air alerted me to another attack and I snatched a thorn arrow out of the air.
They’re all around us, Karnen said sounding a bit panicked. I can’t predict any more attacks. They appear to be everywhere at once.
“Then it’s a target-rich environment,” I snarled.
A let loose my spearheads and they began to spin around me. It was a drain on my mana that I couldn’t regain but it was time to go nova on these bastards.
There is something hungry in the pond, Voidra added.
I looked at the water but couldn’t see anything, so I turned back to scanning the waist-high grass around me and the boughs of the willow trees.
A wooden sword lunged at me as another dryad appeared emerging from the trunk of an adjacent willow.
Reaches-to-the-Sun, Gifted- elemental/willow-dryad, Veteran, Rank 234
I knocked aside the sword with my club and slashed down with the other club in my right hand. A thorn arrow bounced off my lower back although it did manage to pierce two inches into my skin, but it didn’t find enough purchase to stick in me.
“If you guys like your trees so much, lets, see what you do when I do this!” I growled.
Shouldering past the sword-wielding dryad I kicked out at the trunk of the willow. My Might attribute was pretty much at the maximum that Black Rage could raise it too, so my kick blasted right through the green wood of the willow.
I heard another scream and let out a vicious grin at the payback I was going to dish out.
Left! Karnen shouted.
I sidestepped the thrust of a spear its head glowing green with the power of some ability.
I grabbed the spear shaft and yanked forward clotheslining the dryad with my left forearm. I stomped down crushing the dryad before even bothering to analyze them.
105 rank points gained.
Three arrows hit me in the back. Two went deeper this time and stuck in fast. I roared in pain my human voice morphing into something else as I activated Helheim’s Scream. I turned and threw my left club the dryad dropped its bow a wooden shield springing into place. My club smashed through it tossing the dryad back a dozen yards.
The sword-wielding dryad staggered towards me, the loss of its tree clearly affected it but it was still in the fight. I threw my other club at it everything red as my battle rage began to overwhelm me as Black Rage and Blood Frenzy worked together whipping up my emotions into an uncontrollable storm.
“Hell’s Talons!” I snarled my voice distorted by my rage.
Slashing out I cut through the base of another willow purple flames spreading to every surface of the willow. A dryad screamed purple flames appearing all over its body its link to the tree spreading the curse damage to it. I charged it practically running on all fours. Two more arrows hit me, but one bounced off my pauldron the other skidding off my armored skin.
Remembering to use my Stoneskin ring I spent the forty mana raising my skin’s toughness by six and halving the physical damage I would take. Flowers burst into bloom under me spraying out a cloud of pollen. I’d been breathing in the stuff for so long that I didn’t even pay it any more attention.
Like a lion taking out a gazelle, I pounced and tore into the dryad with my talons. I was so lost in my battle rage I might have even tore into it a few times with my teeth.
124 rank points gained.
All around me, my stone spearheads spun together like a weed-wacker moving the grass and plants to the ground.
Big attack coming in from behind, Karnen warned.
I jumped straight up backflipping as a lance of wood slammed into the ground where I had been standing. A dryad sat atop a horse made of bits of wood and vines. It looked like it wore plate armor made of bark and carried a massive shield.
Protector-of-the-Grove, Gifted- elemental/willow-dryad, Veteran, Rank 250
“Chain Lightning!” I snarled.
I hadn’t had time to upgrade the ability due to the constant attacks, but it still did lightning damage and the dryad knight staggered as the lightning hit him then bounced to its mount, and then a nearby willow tree scorching its bark. An arrow slammed into my stomach, but I just ripped it out and charged the knight. The effect of Hell’s Talon’s ended but I was so lost in my frenzy I didn’t even reactivate it.
Tackling the knight off its steed we rolled across the ground. I beat in its face until it stopped moving but it must have just been knocked unconscious because I didn’t receive any rank points. A wooden sword slashed across my back. Snarling in wild fury I grabbed the ankles of the dryad knight and swung them around like a flail scoring a home run on the sword-wielding dryad they went flying and another dryad rushed me wielding two wooden daggers.
Spinning around I swung the dryad knight up and brought them down. For an instant the willow-dryad looked surprised then it was pancaked by its comrade and they both turned to piles of plant matter and green blood.
235 rank points gained.
A massive spear tore through my back and emerged out my front. I looked down at the bloody spearpoint as the dryad used it to lift me up into the air.
You’re going to die! Voidra shouted at me, her voice barely understandable to me through my rage. Pull yourself together!
It was a struggle, but I grabbed hold of the storm of anger and pushed it down. Able to somewhat think again I wrapped my legs around the spear shaft and twisted cracking it between my legs. Falling to the ground I reached into my storage pouch and pulled something out I hadn’t used in a while. The massive sawblade spun through the air. A dryad tried to intercept it as I hurled it through the air but all it served to do was cut itself in half.
104 rank points gained.
The sawblade ripped through three of the willow trees leaving only four of them left. I jumped forward my flying kick shattering the trunk of another tree. My sawblade cut through a fourth tree, and I jumped between the remaining three my feet and fists smashing through and toppling the remaining willows.
The thing in the water is coming out! Voidra warned.
Attack from behind, Karnen said at the same time.
I rolled to the side as a wooden axe slammed down narrowly missing and eviscerating me. I watched as a pillar of water rose up spinning. It morphed into a feminine form wielding a long slender sword and shield.
Mother-of-the-Grove, Gifted- elemental/naiad, Veteran: 278
Jumping to my feet I raised my hands.
“Hell’s Talons!” I growled.
Punching forward I put a hole through the axe-wielding dryad.
108 rank points gained.
A barrage of water droplets struck me. It was like receiving a million paper cuts each water droplet cutting through my skin and blood turning my skin crimson. The three remaining dryads flanked the naiad ready to give their lives to protect her. I was more than willing to oblige them, and my sawblade spun toward them.
A blast of water knocked the sawblade off course. The dryads released arrows. I saw the attacks coming in and raised my hand stopping them in midair. I reached into my storage pouch and pulled out a handful of herbs. Quickly chewing I swallowed the Aurum Garlic, Purity Lilly petals, and Viper Bane.
Field Alchemist III activated reducing the negative effects of eating the raw alchemical ingredients and boosting the positive effects. I instantly felt both better and worse; my stamina and mana began to regenerate, and the lethargy and sluggishness vanished. I felt like I was burning up from a fever, but I pushed past that easily.
I teleported forward my talons lashing out. The dryads were so surprised they didn’t even have time to put up any defense before my claws ripped through their bark skin and purple flames spread from the wounds. Collapsing to the ground the three remaining dryads went down.
326 rank points gained.
I slashed out at the naiad but she raised her shield of water and my claws slid off it leaving no marks or sign they’d inflicted any damage on her.
“Why do you attack us human!” the naiad said her voice feminine but also alien.
“You started this fight bitch,” I shot back.
“You trespassed on our lands and stole from our garden!” the naiad hissed. “What gives you the right to come and take as you please?”
Teleporting behind her I struck lightning fast. I reached inside her my claws spreading purple flames over the water as my fist wrapped around something solid and yanked it out from her form. She staggered going to her knees her form floating atop the pond.
“I’m the Warlord, anything I have the strength to do, I have the right to do,” I said coldly. “If you get in my way, I’ll put you down.”
She collapsed into water droplets.
139 rank points gained.
I sat back exhausted not just from this fight but also from the past twenty-eight hours of non-stop combat.
“You know what the worst thing about all this is?” I asked.
What? Voidra asked.
“I went through all that and didn’t even get an ability,” I sighed falling back and passing out.
---
An arrow hit the wagon. On impact, its tip exploded sending a burning liquid splattering in all directions and lighting the supplies aboard on fire. All around were similar instances of destruction and chaos. Arthur stumbled out of his tent only his breastplate on and Excalibur in hand.
A lightly armored man rode past, he wore only light armor and shot an arrow as his horse galloped by. The arrow hit another tent and exploded on contact a plume of fire shooting up. Arthur cut down the next rider but they were everywhere. He saw two of his own men fighting the confusion of the raid making it hard to tell friend from foe.
“To me men!” Arthur called rallying those within earshot.
His men gathered round and they began to beat back the raiders. A horn blasted and the raiders turned and rode off. A few fell to arrows but they fled into the forest and out of bow range minutes later. Arthur looked around at the destruction, fires were everywhere, tent burned and bodies littered the ground.
“Put out those fires and gather the wounded!” Arthur shouted taking charge.
They rushed around beating out the fires they could shoveling dirt onto the flames. It took two hours to put out the last of the fires. The attack had been devastating only a hundred men out of the few thousand had died and they’d taken out twice that many in return, but the enemy had done what they’d set out to do. Their supplies had been torched, the stores of grain, dried nuts, fruit and meat mostly ash. They had maybe enough food for one day.
Arthur sent word back, but his scouts returned. Those that had made it back were wounded and reported the news, their supply lines had been cut. The towns and villages they’d taken had been burned to the ground the men guarding them slain.
“They burned their own towns and villages to the ground?” Arthur asked in disgust.
One of the scouts set down a piece of parchment on the command table. “This was pinned to a post outside of one of the towns.”
This is the fate of all traitors.
“So, any town that surrenders to us will be burned to the ground,” Arthur growled. “What lord leads the raiders?”
The scouts looked at eachother uncomfortably.
“Well?” Arthur asked again.
“There leader is a man named Pierce,” one of the scouts said.
Arthur paused. “Just Pierce, what is his title?”
“He doesn’t have a title sir, from what we’ve heard he isn’t even gifted,” another scout spoke up.
“You’re telling me all this was done by just an ordinary man?” Arthur asked in astonishment and anger.
“Yes sir,” the scout said hanging his head.
“I want four of best gifted scouts to stealth through the forest, track down, and kill this Pierce,” Arthur commanded. “Those not blessed by the gods should not meddle in matters beyond their station.”