Chapter 413 - Swarm

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

There were few things more valuable than people one could count on. For a long time, it had just been Hump and his master, but these days were different—he had friends he could trust his life to. Friends he knew had the skills to do what needed to be done, and if any one of them struggled, the rest of them would fill in the gap.

It was that trust that gave Hump the confidence to turn away from the shades and flesh prowlers that had him surrounded and focus solely on the gorger. With its prey ringed in by its stone walls, the creature appeared confident. It paced around the inner ring, studying them, searching for weakness. It had yet to realise the precarious position it had found itself in. They were not trapped inside with it, it was trapped in with them.

From above, Nisha spotted Marcela’s party as they climbed over a distant dune. They were tiny, dark figures far too far away to be of any immediate help, but Hump wasn’t concerned.

He and Dylan stood side by side, cloaks whipping in the storm of essence. Both gripped their staffs in their right hands as they took up position at the edge of Hump’s ring of obsidian shards, each on pulsing with disruptive intent. The shades and flesh prowlers were cautious.

“We’ll need to pin it down first if I’m to make Briar Cage work,” Dylan said quietly. “I’ll get close and start dropping seeds for Grasping Vines. Once I have it bound, can you try and catch it off balance?”

“I can do that,” Hump said. “I’ll use Earthen Grasp to grab it.”

Dylan nodded. He took a step and then paused. “Oh, and be ready with a defensive spell, just in case. I haven’t tested the blessing against a target this powerful. It may not hold.”

“I’ll be ready. If it doesn’t hold, we’ll adapt. But it will. Don’t doubt yourself, Dylan. It’s only a gorger—we’ve beaten one before.”

“Oh, there’s no doubt,” Dylan said with more energy to his voice. “I’ll follow your lead. Luck to you, Hump.”

“And you, my friend.”

Hump didn’t hesitate as he stepped out of his circle of obsidian and toward the gorger. The creature’s eyes locked on him, a glint of essence shining in them that Hump thought was either curiosity or apprehension.

It was likely unused to its prey putting up so much of a fight. And now their souls were on full display, roaring with blessings and power. They were the ultimate feast, dangled before its eyes, but it could not claim them. It had come so close with Randall’s party—so close to a meal that it had likely waited decades for, if not longer. All that effort, and now they were almost free. Its plan was falling to pieces. Hump knew the arrogance of gorgers—it took arrogance to become as strong as they did from the frail spirits they once were. This one would not like to lose any more than the last, and after using so much of its strength for no reward, it had to be frustrated. It was that frustration that Hump would use to force an error. A hungry beast was predictable, and that would be its downfall.

All around Hump, the battle was in full swing once again. An icy wind came from his right where Bud and Randall wielded Kelisia’s blessings against the shades. Even exhausted, Randall was effective against the weaker foes. Frostfire was the perfect tool against corrupted spirits just waiting to be purged.

As Hump took another step forward, Dylan slowly worked his way around the gorger’s left flank. A few flesh prowlers showed an interest in the druid, but Emilia removed that temptation with the point of her rapier, her blade a red blur as she weaved through the battlefield. Their numbers meant nothing against such speed, and with the efficiency of Celaine and Skander hunting at her side, it was a slaughter.

Hump would leave them to their fight, for he had his own.

Levelling his staff toward the gorger, he took aim with one hand. In his other, the Book of Infinite Pages whirled, the text alight with bronze essence, wisps of power rising in the air, laced with his intent.

Stone took form before him, bright with essence as Hump condensed it into many sharp, obsidian blades, utilising his spellbook to enhance the spell beyond his previous attack. It had been effective then, it would be more effective now. A dozen black needles appeared in little more than an instant.  

Already, Hump saw the gorger called on its power to respond. Hump could have thrown more essence into his spell, but he chose not to. His goal was to keep the gorger’s attention and create an opportunity for Dylan. There was no point in rushing his engagement or over-using his essence. Here, in the Remnant Realm, his reserves were more limited. Better to fight smart and wait for the gorger to make a mistake.

“Titan’s Wrath.” The magic shot forward, trails of bronze essence streaking through the air and at the gorger.

The gorger took no risks this time. It reached down, stone claw piercing the ground, invisible beneath the bronze glow that surrounded it. It heaved, power pouring from it as it dragged a curtain of stone up from before its feet, disappearing behind the wall. The obsidian needles buried themselves into the stone with a series of thuds.

To the left, Dylan broke into a sprint. He took on the Aspect of the Ape, its form appearing over him as he empowered himself to move, taking advantage of the moment’s distraction.

Hump prepared himself for an attack. There was a great bang.

“Watch out!” Dylan shouted.

A fist broke through the wall, empowered by essence. Stone and obsidian shot straight back at Hump in a barrage of debris. Hump caught it with his own essence, overwhelming the gorger’s intent and rewriting it with his own. His new cloak beat with impacts, absorbing the blows painlessly. There was a sharp sting on his brow as a piece flicked by. Warm blood trickled down past his eye. The wound was quickly healed by the boon provided by Dylan.

More essence surged from the gorger. The ground was thick with its power. Stone rose into the air, shooting out in all directions before curving in on Hump and Dylan. Even as Hump raised a Shield, more spells came for him. Spindly spikes shot from the ground, as long as swords. He whirled his staff, slamming into them with Parry Shield, only to step to the side as he felt essence beneath him. The ground cracked where he’d stood a moment ago. Stone shards shot through the air; they were small but a crack to the head could kill. Hump’s own essence erupted, and he focused his intent into his manifested soul, ridding the incoming stones of the gorger’s will and rebinding them to his own. If it wanted to get to him, attacking from range wouldn’t work.

But it didn’t. As soon as Hump committed himself, the gorger launched itself at Dylan as Hump redirected the stone to send a barrage back. With the druid in close quarters, Hump had no choice but to wait. Dylan fought a vicious defence against the gorger as it tried to tear away the druid’s staff. It threw itself at Dylan, utilising its physical advantage while Dylan relied on speed. The ground opened beneath Dylan’s feet, spikes shot up at his back, or stone detached from the gorger’s fist, shooting at his face.

Dylan avoided it all, holding his own, whirling his staff around his body in an acrobatic display as he leapt through the air, pole vaulting over the gorger’s attacks, and striking back with his own heavy swings. Even as they fought, Hump saw Dylan sneakily lacing the ground with seeds, sowing the field for when it was time for them to go on the attack.

Hump prepared himself, condensing the stone he’d caught from the gorger’s attack, pressing it into a dense stone until heat built within, the rock becoming molten.

“Now!” Hump shouted.

Dylan’s vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around the gorger’s body like snakes, ensnaring the creature.

Hump took aim. “Molten Stone.”

The gorger roared, spikes protruding from its body turning to blades. It tore into the vines in a wild frenzy, like a caged animal desperate to break free. It managed to get a hand free and grab Dylan by his staff. Dylan’s eyes went wide with surprise as he was hurled straight at the incoming Molten Stone.

Twisting his body until he was upside down, Dylan extended his staff beneath him, elongating it with Growth and launching himself up, where he flipped over Hump’s spell, somersaulted through the air, and landed deftly on his feet.

“That was close,” Dylan said.

A small smile played on Hump’s lips as he watched his spell continue straight for his target. The gorger had no time to escape the Grasping Vines and dodge. It had torn some free, but it was still stuck.

It seemed to know its fate, for it faced the blow head on, raising both claws. Stone formed a gauntlet around each claw, the essence radiant as it poured its power into its defences. Hump pressed harder, driving the Molten Stone forward. And then he felt the great power of the gorger meet his own.

It was strong, that much was for sure. He sensed it in the confrontation, but now, his own essence pitted against the gorger’s, he felt it to his core. The gorger caught the stone between its claws like a ball. It roared from pain, but siphoned essence from Hump’s spell, draining it of power until the very stone crumbled. As the stone fell away, its claws were covered in balls of chipped, grey slag. They hung limply its side. It clenched its fists, and the stone fell away. It stared at Hump with a satisfied sneer—the creature was still confident. It still merely viewed them as food. Or it didn’t know better.

Already, Hump could tell they were taking control of the battlefield. Bud was keeping the shades distracted and Celaine, Emilia, and Skander had killed many of the flesh prowlers. Hump suspected it was only the gorger’s control that kept them there now.

While the gorger was distracted, Hump activated Earthen Grasp, grabbing it by the arm as Dylan’s vines tightened around its form. That arrogance fell away as it realised their attack was not over.

Dylan activated Briar Cage, and a thorny prison erupted from the ground in an angry mess. Hump felt the power of nature fill the area, making the dead essence of this world feel all the more stark. The shades must have noticed too as a few started to approach.

Hump grinned as he slipped his spellbook back into his belt and pulled out the vial of troll blood. The gorger struggled in its bindings, unable to tear them apart like before. It howled and shook, but the thorns only dug tighter, piercing its stone flesh and draining it of power. It screamed, a deep, rumbling cry, filled with terror.

Hump didn’t waste a moment, rushing forward and throwing the vial. It flew true, only for the gorger to throw its weight down into the thorns, bending the briar cage just enough to avoid it.

Heart sinking, Hump started thinking of what he could do, when one of Dylan’s vines sprung up behind the gorger, curled delicately around the vial, and flung it at the gorger.

The vial shattered across the gorger’s back. Essence surged in the gorger’s eyes, shining with madness. It poured from its mouth. Hump sensed how disturbed it was at its presence, its power driven out of control. A deep, rumbling growl escaped its mouth. It siphoned power from the blood, feasting greedily.

Dylan poured more of his power into Briar Cage, until the thorns matched the gorger’s energy. A warm breeze swept out from it, and Hump felt the nature essence against his skin like he’d been transported to a forest.

Hump let out a breath and let his soul return to where it belonged. He withdrew his essence, forcing it tightly inside. “Everyone back in the circle,” he shouted at the others. “Deactivate your blessings.”

“They’ll swarm us,” Madeleine said.

“Just do it,” Hump said. “We need them to lose sight of us, even if just for a moment.

There were some confused looks from Randall’s party members but they did as instructed, returning to the ring of Titan’s Wrath. The shards were beginning to fail now. If this failed, it could very well backfire.

But it won’t fail, Hump reassured himself.

“What now?” Randall asked.

“It’s already happening,” Hump said, a smile forming on his lips as the swarm of shades drifted toward the gorger. “Look at the shades.”

The gorger was breathing heavily, each time siphoning essence through the air in streaks of light, feasting on the Briar Cage and troll blood. Its mind had been confused by the meal. It was distracted, and didn’t notice when the shades lost track of their own meal, and turned their attention toward it.

At first, it was just a few shades, drawn toward the gorger in their temptation. They swooped down, hooded faces diving for the gorger, drinking deep from the air around it. But as others drew closer, they pressed in tighter. The gorger noticed them then, swinging out like a cornered animal, but Dylan’s blessing had dug deep. It couldn’t move, couldn’t even protect its own body as the shades swooped in closer and flesh prowler’s set their teeth to its limbs, tasting its body. And as the swarm grew, it only became denser. Soon, the shades were a frenzy of motion, cloaked figures whirling through the air in a cyclone of darkness.

And from within, the gorger’s screams came forth like an erupting volcano. Deep, furious bellows at first, and then the sound became more shrill and desperate.

“Gods,” Bud said. “That’s horrific.”

“It would have done the same to many creatures before it,” Hump said evenly. He felt nothing as he heard the gorger’s suffering. “It would have done worse to us.”

“There are these fish where I am from,” Celaine said, watching the feeding frenzy. “I once saw a pig fall into the river. The farmer got it out in seconds but all that remained was bones.”

“You never mentioned that!” Hump snapped. “We fell in a river! You didn’t think to say anything?”

Celaine shrugged. “They’re found closer to the Dead Marshes.”

“We were right next to them. There was a marshy dungeon even!”

“Well it wouldn’t have helped once we were in there, would it!” Celaine said.

“Unbelievable,” Hump snapped. “How could you not warn me?”

Celaine started laughing.

“It’s not funny.”

“We’re in another world fighting shades and you’re worried about fish. It is funny.”

“Flesh devouring fish! This is why I hate water. You never know what’s in it.” Hump turned away. “We should leave while the shades are still distracted.”

As Hump turned, he saw a confused look on Dylan’s face. He followed his gaze to see the druid’s vines still on the ground.

“What is it?” Hump asked.

“I’m not maintaining the Briar Cage,” Dylan said. “It’s draining essence from the gorger and shades and converting it back to nature essence.”

“You didn’t know it could do that?” Celaine asked.

“No,” Dylan said. “And if I’m right, it might be possible to do something similar to the chaotic essence that remains in this world. If we could harness it, we might be able to restore it.”