Like a horde of piranhas, the human and non-human skulls made of mist and fog tore into the bodies of the grim reapers whose bodies were also made of energy mist. One bite at a time, the grim reapers were slimed down to their bones within just the span of no more than half a minute. But this still gave them enough time to deliver a few more strikes against the wall, and when all the grim reapers were torn into pieces and could no longer do anything, there was already a sizable breach on the outer wall for the teams of Carol Summers and Soren Lupei to go in. The four scythes fell on the ground, along with the four grim reaper figurines. The skulls made of mist and fog lingered around for a short moment, before returning to the cloud that released them.
“Go, before the breach has the chance to heal.” Carol Summers said to all on her side.
The two teams rushed towards the breach created by the grim reapers in long formations. The cloaked and masked individuals who released the grim reapers just picked up the scythes and figurines, and started re-charging them with blood red energy stones as well as their own blood.
The space between the outer wall and the inner ward was not that wide and the distance was not that long. And when they were not going through the walls, they would need to face the swamps that were in their way, and the trees and even the potential threats coming from the mausoleum. But, according to the battle plan and intelligence acquired by Carol Summers, the straight and easy path behind the main gate was actually the most vicious trap, something that could only be made worse by the unsuccessful spell cast by those last standing Hellingers during the siege.
When all members of their teams had come through the breach and came to the space before the swamps, Carol Summers turned back and took a look at the breach through which they came in - it showed a slight sign of self-healing, but in such a slow speed that she felt she would have plenty of time to lead the team through even if she had three or four more teams with her.
“Swamps, floating spells ready.” Soren Lupei ordered, then after a short moment of hesitation, he added: “Don’t pay attention to the songs, don’t let them affect you. Stay calm.”
A group of mages came forward and started casting a simple spell onto the bottoms of every team member’s shoes. Then as they proceeded to step onto the surface of the swamps, a thin membrane made of water elemental energy appeared beneath their feet and held their body weight without letting them sink.
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And it was by using this simple spell, the teams of Carol Summers and Soren Lupei “waded” almost half way through the distance between the breech and the inner walls. But just when the individuals leading the way were almost past the position of a tree standing near the swamps, the tree started shaking and letting out moans with dozens if not hundreds of different voices stacked together.
A few lycans, mages and warriors from the team immediately went into battle ready poses and were ready to fight. But the very next moment, all of them shivered and their limbs started moving uncontrollably. One lycan looked back at Soren Lupei while clenching his teeth and the corners of his mouth twitching and struggling, as if he was trying to suppress the sudden urges of laughter. He then soon succumbed to whatever influence he was under, and with a weird high pitched voice started singing: “Tears in the wind, tears in the wind. Mama’s crying and there’s tears in the wind...” And with every word he sang, his body and face started growing and collapsing at the same time, wolf hair grew along his neck and his chin, but they quickly turned grey and fell off - he tried to turned into a wolf in a desperate attempt to fight off the possession, but something was draining his life forces at such a destructively fast speed that even turning into a wolf and activating the explosive and wild energy in his blood was not helping.
Fire shot out from Soren Lupei’s eyes and nostrils as he lunged forward. His hands turned into razor claws with razor sharp nails, and within just the blink of an eye, all of those who were possessed lost their heads had holes drilled through their chests or backs - their hearts were taken out and destroyed.
“Voice Wraiths!” Carol Summers called out to all members of the teams: “Everyone cover your ears, block out the songs and conceal your minds! Now!”
But it was still a little too late, just for a brief moment, the urge to fight and avenge the fallen teammates and friends from other team members caused some more individuals to be possessed and started singing. Feeling that they have no choice, a few of the more powerful magic wielders among them broke the shroud and cast a powerful repelling and protective spell together. A light blue energy shockwave was released and swept across the space in every direction. Those in the teams with more acute senses of spirits and wraiths instantly felt that the dangerous unclean entities hidden inside the creepy children’s song itself were temporarily pushed away from them.
Carol Summers raised her hands and with a magically fortified voice chanted two syllables: “Doh - Khask!”
This was but the pronunciation of True Word, and just by the mere mention of it, the unclean entities were frozen, paralyzed and what was more importantly, driven out of the very medium of their existence - voices, and manifested into the air, revealing their forms in the physical world: long, winding transparent beings that shaped like magnified human neurons with long tentacle-like villi floating in the air.
Soren Lupei and a few lycans roared at the same time, blood red pillars of fire shot from their mouths at these entities, which then were incinerated completely leaving nothing behind.
“Charge forward!” Now that the shrounds were broken, Soren Lupei and Carol Summers had to force their attack.
The swamps started boiling and bubbling, and the trees started moaning in thousands of different voices, with their branches growing and wailing around like monsters with hundreds of hands and tentacles.