by Seth Ring
His eyes going wide as he waited for Akira to continue, Thorn only heard silence. Sending his spiritual sense underground to where Akira was, Thorn saw that his furry battle pet had her front paws across her mouth.
[Uh, did you say Velin?] Thorn could not keep the excitement out of his voice. [Where is she?]
[Huh? Why are you asking about Lady Velin, master? I have not seen her in a long time. I definitely did not see her glowing green spirit earlier today coming out of a tree, so why would you bring her up?]
Akira’s vehement denial almost caused Thorn to laugh out loud, but he managed to hold it in.
When Velin had decided to stay on Rasyn, Thorn had not expected to see her again for quite a while, so he was quite happy to hear that she was nearby. Shooting a glance at the two Orc guards, he saw that they were not paying close attention to him so he made an opening in the dirt behind his back so Akira could come up from underground.
[You did not see her?]
[See who?] Akira’s eyes shifted back and forth awkwardly. Dropping her voice into a conspiratorial whisper, she continued. [Master, it is supposed to be a surprise, so later, if you meet someone that smells like Lady Velin, you have to pretend to be really surprised, okay? Not that you will.]
[No problem.] Thorn kept his voice as serious as possible as he replied. [If I meet someone who looks like Velin, I’ll be really surprised.]
[Oh, she doesn’t look anything like Lady Velin anymore, master. Her body got really green and she is completely see through, apart from when she is sticking leaves to her. Honestly, I don’t know why she did that. It seems really uncomfortable. Nice fur like mine is so much better. It's softer, prettier, and is fireproof.]
[That does sound useful. But about that plan?] Thorn tried to get the conversation back on track. [You said Corvo gave you something?]
[Yes, master. Here it is.]
Slipping the letter from Corvo to Thorn, Akira risked a peek at the two Orc guards. Seeing that they were not looking in her direction, she bared her teeth at them and then hid behind Thorn’s broad back again. Thorn put the letter in his inventory and then opened up a digital copy of the letter in a virtual window in his menu so that the Orc guards would not be able to see it.
Reading over the letter a few times, Thorn frowned. Corvo had given him a relatively small role but given his current situation Thorn was not sure that he could handle much more.
[Akira, I am going to need you to carry me to Thilvena really fast. Are you up for it?]
[Yes, master.] Unusually serious, Akira patted Thorn’s back. [Just tell me when and we’ll go.]
[Great, let's wait for the distraction that Corvo promised. I wonder if it will be like last time.]
As the minutes slowly ticked by, Thorn immersed himself in meditation, doing his best to recover his spirit. Even if he was only able to restore himself a single percent, it could very well mean the difference between life and death in the coming fight. As he focused on guiding earth elemental energy into his body, he kept an eye on the rest of the Orc camp, waiting to spring into action when the time came.
A few tents away, Arhtu sat on a carpet quite similar to the one in Thorn’s tent. Unlike Thorn, Arhtu did not meditate, but instead talked quietly with a few of his officers. As time passed, the conversation came to a close and the Orcs who had been talking with Arhtu left, leaving the Shaman of the Ash Maw tribe alone. Finally by himself, Arhtu found his mind wandering. His fingers brushed over a small ornament that hung from his belt and he let out a deep sigh.
Standing, Arhtu lifted the tent flap and walked out. The guards who had been standing at the entrance to the tent fell in behind him as he made his way across the camp toward the area where Chief Goldtusk and the Golden Sun tribe had pitched their tents. Along the way he saw countless Orc soldiers who scrambled to get out of his way. Whispered conversations alerted him that the news of what he had done to Chief Furg in the tent where Thorn was imprisoned had begun to make the rounds. Keeping his face impassive, Arhtu ignored the fear in the glances that were sent his way.
Arriving at the tent where Goldtusk was staying, Arhtu was about to enter when his sharp perception triggered. Freezing, his eyes turned to the east. A deep and ancient energy was beginning to grow in the forest at the edge of the Orc camp, causing Arhtu to narrow his eyes. It seemed that the guest he had been waiting for was about to arrive.
“Who is holding the eastern side of the camp?” Arhtu asked his guard.
“The east? That is the Stone Crusher tribe.” His guard replied after a moment of thought.
Arhtu’s brow furrowed for a moment and then smoothed out. The Stone Crusher tribe was one of the strongest tribes in their army. Their warriors were powerful and known for their defense. Even if there was an enemy attack, they would at least be able to buy time for the rest of the tribes to mobilize. About to command his guards to send scouts to check out what was happening in the forest, Arhtu’s face paled as he remembered a crucial fact.
“Stone Crusher? Wait, isn’t that where the Priests of the Cog are staying?”
“Yes.” Another of his guards said, nodding. “They’re helping the Priests of the Cog with the stone throwers.”
“Mobilize our forces, now! We need to get over there. Enemy attack!” Arhtu yelled, his voice surprisingly powerful.
Even as the words left his throat, he felt the ancient aura at the edge of the camp swell. In no shape to run, Arhtu slammed his staff into the ground and spoke an arcane command. His shadow began to grow and stretch behind him. As it twisted, it began to split. A single head became two and then two became four as they stretched out. Within a few seconds a deep hiss sounded as the heads bulged and then lifted from the ground, continuing to split as they rose.
The heads were followed by a long neck and a large body, forming an eight headed hydra made entirely of shadow. Lowering its heads, the hydra allowed Arhtu and his guards to step onto its back, their feet sinking into its shadow body. Lifting a few of its heads, the shadow hydra let out a roar toward the sky as it began to stomp to the eastern side of the camp.
Arhtu’s yell had a profound impact on the camp as countless Orc soldiers rushed from their tents, picking up weapons as they went. The hydra’s heads were easily visible, weaving back and forth as it charged through the camp. Each footfall shook the ground and its impressive bulk flattened more than one tent as it carried Arhtu and his guards. Yet it was not the large hydra that captured the Orcs’ attention. Instead, it was the sight of the entire forest on the eastern side of the camp standing up and beginning to charge forward that alerted them to where the battle was.
In the tent in the center of the camp, Thorn’s eyes snapped open. Arhtu’s yell had carried clearly to where Thorn sat and Thorn was positive that this was the distraction he was waiting for. Despite the distraction having arrived, Thorn waited a moment longer, his gaze resting on the two Orc guards who were looking at each other, confusion clear on their faces.
Sending out his [Spiritual Sense], Thorn was able to see the Orc soldiers rushing toward the east where fire and smoke had already started to rise. His eyes flickered as some of the guards around his tent joined the running soldiers, leaving only eight of the sixteen guards remaining. Judging that it was time to go, Thorn was about to give the command, when a subtle feeling made him pause. The air seemed to take on a tinge of sweetness, like the smell of dew on a morning meadow.
*ding*
As the notifications scrolled past him, Thorn saw the two Orc guards begin weaving on their feet as their eyes drooped. Less than a minute later the two Orcs fell to the ground as if their legs had been cut off. Springing forward, Thorn caught them before they hit the ground and laid them down carefully. Sensing someone behind him, Thorn took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
“Hello, Thorn.”
Hearing a voice behind him, Thorn could not keep the wide smile off of his face. Spinning around, he found himself looking at a beautiful Elven woman made up of leaves.
“Hello, Velin.”
For a moment, the two of them just looked at each other, their gazes locked. It was not until Akira yawned that Velin broke the silence.
“You don’t seem surprised.” Velin’s face was calm as she spoke, but her voice carried a note of teasing.
Too late, Thorn remembered that Akira had told him that Velin’s return was supposed to be a surprise. Opening his eyes wide, he pretended to be shocked, but Velin just laughed and waved a leaf covered hand.
“I should have expected that Akira would spill the surprise.”
“Haha, yeah, sorry.” Thorn rubbed his head, giving Akira a sheepish glance. “Nice, uh, leaf body you got there. And a fancy title too, right? Lady of the Old Wood. Is this part of your quest?”
“Sort of,” a faint shadow clouded Velin’s eyes, but with her whole body being made of green energy, Thorn felt like he could have been imagining it. “I have a lot of flexibility in the Old Wood here on Rasyn, but I’m still not anywhere close to completing my quest. I managed to figure out my next steps, and once this fight is done I’ll keep working on it.”
“If there is any way I can help, just say the word.”
“Thanks, I’ll let you know. I’d love to catch up, but it is just about time for you to get going. I’m going to lock down Arhtu and the rest of the Orcs for you and Akira will take you to Thilvena. We only have about an hour until they warp again, so if you can’t get there in that time, we’ll fail.”
“Do they know I’m coming?” Thorn asked.
“No.” Velin shook her head. “That is the weakest link in our plan. We do not know if the Elves will open their gate and let you in. If they don’t you need to keep running. How are you feeling?”
“Eh, not great.” Thorn glanced down at his hand as he flexed his fingers. “I’m at maybe thirty percent. With no abilities until I make my escape.”
“Okay, just rely on Akira to get out of the camp.”
Velin’s head cocked to the side as if she was listening to something.
“I have to go, Arhtu has begun to engage my forces. Wait for two minutes and then leave as fast as you can.”
Velin’s figure began to fade and within a few seconds she was gone from the tent, leaving only the collapsed guards on the floor as a sign that she had been there.
Chapter Sixty-Two
By the time that Arhtu and his guards arrived at the edge of the Orc camp, it had been reduced to a ruin. The cause for the commotion, as well as the devastation that had been caused to camp, was immediately apparent. A row of huge trees had uprooted themselves from the edge of the forest and dragged themselves forward with their wriggling roots. Thick branches whipped through the air, laying waste to everything in their path.
Groups of Orcs had already begun to try and fight back, thrusting their spears toward the lumbering giants to little effect. A few enterprising Orcs had rushed toward the advancing forest, their axes gleaming. Before they could get anywhere near the thick trunks a rain of leaves and thin branches swept past them. Each leaf and twig was wrapped in a dark green energy, granting the attack supernatural speed and cutting power. As the storm covered them, the Orcs screamed and dropped to the ground, their bodies riddled with bleeding holes.
“Get torches!” A large Orc who held a thick warhammer bellowed at the soldiers rushing around. “Use fire! We’ll burn these blasted twigs to embers!”
Undeterred by the threat, the thick trees continued to advance, crushing any Orc who came in range with ease. A massive Oak that towered above the battlefield pushed forward, its gigantic roots slithering through the dirt like a nest of vipers. The dirt roiled around it as the roots dug their way forward, preventing any of the Orc soldiers from getting close to its trunk. Two thickly built Orcs who had grabbed torches from one of the tents roared and charged forward, their eyes gleaming with fervor.
The first had hardly made it a few steps when thick roots burst from the ground in front of him, wrapping themselves around his neck and lifting him into the air. With a slithering sound the thick root continued to twine around the Orc’s muscular form, slowly tightening until, with a crunch, the struggling Orc went still. The second Orc, seeing his companion’s fate, thrust the torch that he carried toward the ground. The roots that had been waiting for him recoiled, dancing just out of the torch’s range.
“Get back, fiend!” The Orc’s roar held a twinge of fear, but seeing that the roots were retreating, he was emboldened.
*SHIK*
Stiffening in shock, the Orc warrior’s eyes widened in sudden terror. As the strength drained from his fingers, his gaze slowly traveled down to his chest where he saw the bloody end of a sharp root wriggling. Trying to look over his shoulder, he failed as the root that had snuck up behind him lifted him into the air and flung his body like a ragdoll. The other roots that had kept his attention poured toward him, stabbing into his body and tearing it to pieces.
Clenching his teeth in fury, the chieftain of the Stone Crusher tribe lifted his massive weapon and charged forward. Little more than a boulder that had been bolted to a thick metal handle, it contained incredibly destructive power when wielded by a strong Orc. Lifting it above his head, he let out a guttural roar, intending to smash the trees to splinters. Yet he had hardly gone a few steps when he saw thick, knotty branches sweeping toward him.
Turning to face the incoming attack, he swung his hammer down, crushing three of the attacking branches into the ground, the weight of his hammer cracking the branches in half. Snarling in triumph, the Stone Crusher Chieftain was about to lift his hammer when a sea of brown began to fill his sight. Where there had been three attacks before, there were now dozens, all shooting toward him.
Quickly lifting his hammer, he swung again, snapping the branches that got in his weapon’s path. Yet where one fell, three filled its place. The knotty branches continued to swing toward him in ever greater concentration, filling the sky as a large willow tree stomped its way toward him. The drooping branches whipped back and forth, hemming in the Stone Crusher Chieftain as the trunk got closer and closer.
Up and down the line, the large trees of the forest stomped on the Orcs who rushed out to engage them. Sitting on the back of his shadow hydra, Arhtu’s cold gaze raked over the fights. A few more Orcs had found torches, but the trees were practically unstoppable. Even without supporting each other, the trees were massacring the Orcs at a tremendous rate.
Opening his mouth, Arhtu let out a command in an arcane language. Instantly, the shadow hydra stopped and lowered its heads, allowing those on its back to step off. After the last of them had gotten down, the shadow hydra lifted its head and rushed toward a powerful Sycamore that was stabbing its long branches into the surrounding Orcs. As if sensing the powerful creature coming, the tree shifted, turning its trunk to stab out at the body of the shadow.
“Where are the Priests of the Cog?” Arhtu asked as he lifted his staff and began summoning a shadow bolt. “And bring the Sun Forgers tribe, tell them to field their Shaman as fast as possible.”
“The Priests of the Cog are to the north, my Chief. As for the Sun Forgers,” the Orc hesitated for a brief moment until Arhtu turned to look at him. “The Sun Forgers were in charge of the Evil Eye towers at the harbor. Only one of them made it back alive, sir.”
“Then tell them to bring their warriors. Fire is the best weapon against these wooden monsters.” Arhtu said with a glare. Turning around, he looked over the armored Orcs who had been gathering behind him. “Ash Maw warriors! To battle!”
With a deep roar, the warriors of the Ash Maw tribe charged forward into battle. As they streamed past him, Arhtu turned around, his eyes sweeping the battlefield again. This was the same cursed trick that had been used to keep the Orcs penned up near Ilha Cealora. There, the whole forest had appeared to come alive and the bloody battle had been raging for weeks. It seemed that only half a dozen trees had been marshalled for this attack, but left unchecked, even half a dozen of these anc
ient trees had the ability to sweep through his army.
Closing his eyes, Arhtu began to mumble under his breath. Tendrils of the [Aeon Curse] spread from him, waving gently in the air as they made their way toward the Sycamore that was fighting with his shadow hydra. The two monsters were locked in mortal combat, their struggles destroying everything around them. A few of the hydra’s heads had locked onto the large tree while the others ripped large chunks of bark and wood from the Sycamore’s trunk and branches. Without care the tree slammed its branches into the hydra’s heads and necks, even as its roots sought to bury themselves in the hydra’s belly.
As the [Aeon Curse] tendrils got close to the tree, it seemed to shiver and try to back up, only to find itself held in place by the shadow hydra’s razor sharp teeth and powerful tail. Falling into a frenzy, the Sycamore rammed its branches into the hydra with renewed vigor, each pounding attack taking some of the shine from the hydra’s black scales.
*CRACK*
In its wild hammer, the Sycamore’s thickest branch snapped, leaving behind a jagged stub. Undeterred, the Sycamore wrapped its remaining branches around the hydra and squeezed, forcing the splintered end of its branch into the hydra’s body. Letting out a roar of pain as the branch stabbed through its scales, the hydra still kept its hold on the Sycamore, holding it in place as the [Aeon Curse] reached out to touch it.
Wherever the sticky energy from the curse touched the tree its bark began to rapidly turn grey, crumbling as the life energy was sucked out of it. The few leaves that had still clung stubbornly to the branches of the Sycamore yellowed, ageing rapidly before falling to the ground. As the tree lost its life it grew older and older, growing thicker and slower with each moment.
Feeling himself growing stronger, Arhtu straightened his body. Nearby, the remaining Shaman of the Sun Forger tribe had arrived and was beginning to summon a flaming elemental golem to do combat with the trees. As the molten golem stood up and stomped forward, its feet lit the grass around it.