by Seth Ring
“I heard you were looking for me, Arhtu.”
The wind carried a gentle voice over the battlefield, causing all of the Orcs to look around. Arhtu was no exception, and his eyes soon locked onto a faintly glowing figure who stood by the edge of the dark woods. Lifting his staff, Arhtu sneered and fired off a [Shadow Spear] toward the figure. Gently waving her hand, the figure caused one of the trees near her to bend down, shielding her from the attack. With another wave, the two trees next to her uprooted themselves, and began trudging toward the camp, their branches waving as they joined the battle.
“Do you really think such attacks will work on me?” Velin asked Arhtu, her voice carried to his ears by the rustle of the leaves.
Keeping his eyes fixed on her form, Arhtu walked forward, his figure straightening with every step. Seeing that he was advancing, Velin stepped forward as well, her feet stepping in the air as she came closer.
“You are the Witch of the Wood?”
“Witch? Only to trespassers who seek to plunder the land.”
“Do you really think that you can fight against us? Your forest will fall eventually, Witch.”
“Oh? Do you really believe that?” Velin chuckled lightly, her laughter like the rippling of a small stream. “Where I am, there is life.”
As if to illustrate her point, Velin waved her hand and a stream of green leaves burst from the forest behind her, rushing over her head to where the mighty Sycamore was beginning to crumble. Whirling around the tree, the leaves began to settle themselves onto the branches, bringing with them a rush of life. Vitality began to stream back into the aged wood, causing new shoots to burst from its branches.
The large gashes began to heal as the tree grew thicker and more vibrant. The feeble struggles of the Sycamore grew stronger and stronger as new life filled it. From the splintered branch which impaled the shadow hydra new growth erupted, digging deeper and deeper into the hydra’s body. Hearing the enraged roar of the hydra behind him, Arhtu’s gaze grew cold. Across from him, Velin’s glowing eyes stared into his, her tone becoming frosty.
“I am the Lady of the Old Wood and you have trespassed on my land. You will pay the price.”
***
[Akira, it's time to go.]
[Yes, master!]
In the tent, Thorn stood to his feet once the two minutes had elapsed. Next to him, Akira’s eyes gleamed and her small body suddenly grew, filling the tent. Jumping up onto her back, Thorn pulled his arbalest out of his inventory and loaded a bolt. Behind him, Akira’s three waving tails began to burn with crimson flames as she got ready to run. Once they were both ready, Thorn spread his [Spiritual Sense] out and gave Akira’s shoulder a pat.
[Let’s do this.]
In a blaze of flame, cloth, and fur, Akira sprinted out of the tent, ripping through the wall with her sharp claws and bowling over the Orc guards who had been right outside. Paying no attention to them, Akira simply trampled them under her feet, leaving large scorch marks on their skin where her sharp claws landed. Gathering her flame around her, Akira began to sprint toward the edge of the camp, heading away from where Velin was fighting with Arhtu.
Akira was fast in her battle form, though not nearly as fast as she would have been without Thorn on her back, and it took only a minute for them to make it to the edge of the camp. Behind her, Akira left a path of burning wreckage as she simply ran over everything in her way. Though most of the Orcs were flooding toward the fighting on the eastern side of the camp, a few Orcs tried to stop Akira and Thorn as they fled to the west.
Those that were not crushed under Akira’s feet found themselves on the wrong end of a crossbow bolt the size of their arm, and Thorn and Akira were soon at the edge of the camp. Pulling up his map as they ran, Thorn highlighted the coordinates that Corvo had sent him and Akira began to run through the woods.
[Master, you might want to cut back on those pastries.] Akira complained. [What have you been eating? You are really, really, really heavy. I mean, I can still carry you, but you’re like an elephant.]
[Have you ever seen an elephant?]
[No, but I heard they are huge. Like really big.]
Akira fell into silence as they continued to run for a few more minutes.
[I lied. You are not as fat as an elephant. You are as fat as two elephants.]
[Haha, I can get off. I’ll run alongside you. We’ll need you to conserve your energy for when the pursuit starts.]
Jumping down from Akira’s back, Thorn took a deep breath and began to run forward. After keeping pace with him for about a hundred feet, Akira transformed into her pet form and jumped up onto Thorn’s shoulder, her tails curling around his neck to help her balance as she fished in her pouch for a pastry.
[Whew. I need to regain some energy.]
[Hey, can I have one?]
[No way!] Akira shook her head vehemently. [If you get any fatter you’ll crush me.]
Grinning, Thorn began to get food out of his inventory and stuff it into his mouth. At the same time, he began pulling out random items that he had been carrying and tossing them to the ground. While his inventory was not normally an issue for him because of his strength, in his weakened state he found himself feeling the weight.
With a rattle, Thorn dropped an extra set of armor that he had been carrying around just in case he needed it. The platemail let out a clang as it landed, denting the soft ground. A large chest of supplies followed, cracking open and spilling rations all over. As Thorn ran he left a trail of random weapons, armor, and supplies. After some consideration, Thorn even began to drop the bolts for his arbalest, keeping only one hundred back in case of emergency. Debating for a second, he decided to keep his boulder seat, just in case he needed it.
Once his inventory was finally clear of everything he could get rid of, Thorn settled into a steady jog, cutting through the trees toward the Elven city of Thilvena, trying to get as much distance as he could before the Orcs began to chase him.
Chapter Sixty-Three
With a thunderous boom Arhtu’s fist impacted the earth, blasting a hole in the ground as a shockwave radiated out from him. Baring his tusks in anger, his rage filled eyes darted back and forth, searching for the elusive green form that had been dancing just out of his reach for the last few minutes.
“Do you know how to do anything apart from run, Witch?” Arhtu bellowed.
“It’s not my fault that your attacks can’t hit anything.”
Velin’s voice drifted on the wind, seeming to come from countless directions as the breeze stirred the dust and ash that Arhtu’s fists stirred up. All around them, Orcs swarmed the few trees that remained, chopping at them with axes and burning them with fire. Bursting through the smoke and dust, Arhtu spotted a green flash from the corner of his eyes and looked over. He caught sight of Velin’s green form retreating to the forest, a group of enraged Orcs chasing after her.
“Those idiots.” Arhtu growled, anger radiating from his body as he began to sprint toward Velin.
As she retreated, Velin turned back to face the howling Orcs, her body continuing to fly away from them. Taking a deep breath, she waved her hand, summoning the last sliver of power she could spare. A soft green light scattered from her fingertips landing on the ground around the Orcs. Instantly the grass under their feet began growing at an insane rate. Bursting up from the ground, it was only moments before the grass had grown up and around the stunned Orcs.
Wrapping around the Orcs who were caught in the middle of the explosive growth, the grass began to tighten, binding them in place. Furious, the Orcs tried to rip themselves free but the grass proved almost impossible to tear. One of the Orcs, thinking quickly, pulled out his knife to try and cut the grass away, but before he could, a thick vine wrapped itself around his wrist. Dark thorns sprouted from the vine, digging into his skin and forcing him to drop the knife.
By the time Arhtu got there, the four Orcs had been reduced to desiccated corpses, the blood in their bodies sucked out by the
vicious vine that snaked its way through the grass. Sensing new prey, the vine reached out for Arhtu as he passed by. With a sneer, Arhtu allowed the vine to latch onto him, its blood sucking thorns digging into his skin. Strangely, the vine began to shrivel as soon as it touched him, dying within moments. Seeing that Velin had reached the edge of the woods, Arhtu stopped chasing her and fixed her with a glare.
“What, you’re not going to join me in the woods?” Velin’s cold face wore a small grin as she matched Arhtu glare for glare.
“Not all Orcs are idiots.” Arhtu spat, sparing a glance for the four corpses by his side.
“Quite unfortunate, really.”
“What game are you playing?”
“Game?” Velin’s eyebrows rose as she looked at Arhtu. “What are you talking about?”
“You are hiding something.” Arhtu said, his eyes searching Velin’s face. “You would not waste your time on an attack like this without a bigger goal. Are you testing our defenses? Trying to distract us from the harbor so they can launch a force? No, if you were doing that, you would have attacked the sieging force. What are you up to?”
“Do I have to be up to something? Can’t I just be attacking you because I am tired of you being in my forest?”
“No, there is something else going on.” The Ash Maw Shaman said, his mind working furiously. “What would cause you to divert your attention from the main camp and deploy your trees up here? Someone here needs reinforcements? The Elves? No, the travelers. No.”
Arhtu’s eyes gleamed brightly as he spun, his gaze shooting past the battle line toward the center of the camp.
“The prisoner.”
Slowly, Arhtu turned his head back to look at Velin, a murderous look in his eyes. Velin met his gaze, her face impassive. As they matched stares, the last of the giant trees fell to the combined might of the Ash Maw soldiers and the flaming elemental golem that the Sun Forger Shaman had summoned. As it crashed to the ground with an earth shaking thud, Arhtu suddenly burst into motion, his form blurring as he charged toward Velin.
Arriving next to her in an instant, his fist drew back and then blasted forward, the force of his attack crushing the air. With unstoppable might, his fist ripped through the air where Velin stood a moment earlier. Slamming into a tree behind the spot her heart had been, Arhtu’s fist smashed straight through it, cutting the thick trunk in half.
A light laugh echoed throughout the forest, carried by the breeze that rustled the leaves of the trees. Suppressing a roar of rage, Arhtu cast one last look around and turned to stalk back toward the camp. As he walked, the strands of the [Aeon Curse] that he had sent out to decay the massive trees began to gather, wrapping themselves around his powerful body. With each step his back bent more and more until he was forced to stop, his body unsteady on his trembling legs.
One of his guards brought him his staff and he took it with a nod of thanks. Leaning on it, Arhtu breathed out a lungful of turbid air and looked around at the devastation that the living trees had caused. Hundreds of Orc corpses littered the battlefield, most in pieces from the incredibly destructive attacks of the tree’s roots. Countless more Orcs were wounded and required immediate medical attention. Letting out a deep sigh, Arhtu cursed the green Witch who had brought the trees to attack them.
“Go, find out if something has happened to the prisoner.” Arhtu said, coughing into his arm. “If the tent is empty, send our fastest scouts after him. We cannot let him escape.”
It did not take long before the guard that Arhtu sent was seen running back toward him, a furious look on his face. Cursing, Arhtu lifted his hand to summon his shadow hydra when he remembered that it was currently laying in pieces on the battlefield behind him. Gesturing for his guards to come with him, Arhtu began to slowly make his way toward the center of camp, issuing orders as he went. Soon a squad of Orcs mounted on wargs were rushing from the camp, intent on running Thorn down before he could escape.
Deep in the forest, Thorn was still jogging toward Thilvena, Akira sitting on his shoulder. Though it had not been that long, he was making good progress toward the coordinates that he had been given and expected that it would not take more than another twenty minutes to get there. Doing his best to conserve his energy as he ran, Thorn continued to eat the piles of food that he had stored in his inventory.
It had been quite a while since he had last slept and combined with the deep exhaustion that had set in after upgrading his bloodline, Thorn would have much preferred to simply lie down for a nap. In fact, he felt like it would not be an issue to sleep for a few days. Despite his exhaustion, Thorn continued to jog, placing one foot in front of the other to carry him forward.
[Akira, can you sense if we are being chased?]
Thorn’s active abilities were still locked due to his [Prisoner] title, so he could only assume that someone was going to come after him. Thankfully, his senses and his [Spiritual Sense] were not counted as active abilities but were passive in nature. As he ran, Thorn allowed his [Spiritual Sense] to seep out of his body, doing his best to keep track of everything around him.
[No, I don’t hear...wait.]
Pausing, Akira jumped from Thorn’s shoulder and ran up a tree. Jumping to another tree, she began to scamper up it, muttering in a low voice as she went.
[This tree is mine. And this tree is mine.]
Slowing to a walk, Thorn extended his [spiritual Sense] to its maximum range, creating a narrow field of view that stretched out almost three hundred feet. Sweeping it around himself like a radar, Thorn took note of everything in range. Not finding anything of interest, Thorn let go of it, allowing his [Spiritual Sense] to return to normal. As he did, Akira dropped out of the tree that she had scaled, landing on his shoulder.
[Master, there is a major commotion behind us. The birds are saying that there are beasts rushing toward us.]
[Well, that’s our cue.]
Breaking into a run, Thorn stopped worrying about conserving energy and moved as quickly as he could toward Thilvena. Without his [Improved Pack Travel], his speed was much slower than normal, though it was still considerably faster than most people. As his body picked up speed, Thorn could feel his energy beginning to drain at a noticeable rate. The sensation was strange, almost as if he had a tank of fuel that was being used up as he moved.
While he had often experienced this feeling in the real world before he came into the game, Thorn had not felt it since. His normally endless pool of stamina was an advantage that he had not truly appreciated until now when it had been drained. It made him wonder what other things he took for granted.
Thorn continued to run for six more minutes before his sharp hearing picked up the sound of paws on the forest floor. The sound reminded him of the corrupted wolves that he used to hunt in the forest around Berum when he first started playing, though he could tell from the tremors in the ground that these creatures were much bigger than the corrupted wolves. Concentrating his [Spiritual Sense], Thorn projected it backward, extending it as far as he could. At first he did not see anything, but he persisted, continuing to send it out every twenty seconds.
Another two minutes passed before Thorn saw them, large ugly looking creatures that looked like a cross between a hyena and a bulldog. Thick shoulders with powerful front legs gave way to a thin waist and haunches. Large claws graced their feet and a snub nosed mouth full of grinning teeth dominated their heads. Small beady eyes and pointed ears gave them an especially evil look that was only compounded by the spiky hair that covered their bodies.
Sensing that they had gotten close to their prey, the warg in the front let out a furious howl that sounded like a demented laugh mixed with a dying screech. The call was picked up by the other wargs and they rushed on, closing on Thorn with every moment. Sending out his [Spiritual Sense] repeatedly, Thorn counted six wargs, each carrying an Orc warrior on its back.
Cursing under his breath that his abilities had still not unlocked, Thorn could only run as fast as he could. With hi
s [Improved Pack Travel] he could have at least maintained his lead, but as it was, the wargs were gaining on him steadily. Dashing past a tree, Thorn risked a glance behind him. While he could not see the wargs, they had already entered the regular range of his [Spiritual Sense]. Checking his map, Thorn saw that he was only a few minutes away from his goal.
[Master, I’ll stop them!]
[Not yet, Akira. We can make it by running.]
[Uh, master, they have bows.]
Akira’s words were punctuated by an arrow that brushed past Thorn’s head, causing him to flinch. For a moment he considered equipping his armor, but that would slow him down, and besides, if he died, he would be guaranteed to lose all of it.
[Master, I can do it!]
[Alright, but if you are in danger I want you to retreat, okay? Do you understand?]
[Yes, master!]
Jumping off of Thorn’s shoulder and landing on a nearby branch, Akira vanished into the trees. Hiding in the crook of a tree as Thorn charged forward, Akira waited for the chasing Orcs to get closer. It did not take long before the wargs were sprinting past her position, their long tongues hanging out of the side of their mouths.
Just as the first two wargs were passing under her tree, Akira dashed out of her hiding place and launched herself into the air. As she flew, her body abruptly grew until she dwarfed the two wargs. Taken by surprise, the two wargs stood no chance at all. Akira’s razor sharp claws flashed, cutting huge chunks from the wargs even as her bulk pinned them to the forest floor. One of the riders was lashed by her tails, his chest caving in as he was thrown into a tree, but the other rider was able to make a narrow escape by throwing himself from where he sat.
The four other riders reacted quickly, loosing arrows at Akira as soon as she appeared. Though the arrows were not able to get through her fur, the attacks forced her into a defensive stance, allowing the rider who had thrown himself from his warg to scramble behind a tree. Squeaking angrily, Akira’s tails rose up into the air, igniting with flame.