Dima and I swiftly made our way back to the medical center in order to find our families. We passed by many who had been saved by the hardworking doctors, a plethora of glowing plants surrounding them indicating that. Each corresponded to the person who treated them and their specialty, often with multiple people helping one person.
So many others rushed around us as more people tried to find their loved ones, and some simply panicked at the incoming swarm. By this point, I was feeling much better, and I told Dima to go off and find his own family while I went to find mine. He gave me one last smile and patted my shoulder before running off alongside Diphus, wrapped around his shoulders, looking back at me, too.
Continuing on, I found my way to the newest arrivals, where my mother was currently healing the worst-injured, and my father was pressing on the ground nearby, his mana flowing into the earth. At this point, the barrier around the center area was nearly complete, with three layers of defense. The first was the water-aligned barrier, the second the Starmoss tree’s roots that wrapped around, creating a dome, and the Elders alongside other warriors preparing for a fight. My father was making sure the ground beneath us was as defensible as possible, just in case the enemies could make it through the countless roots and reinforced earth below the Sanctum.
I ran up to them, getting as close as possible without interrupting their work, and spoke.
“Are you guys ok?”
I wanted to say more, to ask more, if things were actually going to be alright, and what was going to happen to the village, but I didn’t. The people around who were already scared and panicking didn’t need to hear an actual answer to that, the answer I didn’t think would comfort anyone.
My dad looked over at me; his bushy, braided, gray beard, speckled with white, was messy, but not enough to cover the gentle smile he had. His arms were pumping so much mana into the ground that they bulged unnaturally as veins erupted across them, but the gentle light of his tusks using Worldspeech that maintained it all made it seem all right.
“We’ll be fine, little root. Our people have always survived. This time will be no different.”
My mother, who wasn’t looking over at us as she concentrated her full energy on helping the bleeding patient in front of her, formed a slight smile on her face in response to her husband’s words. The many tattoos across her body, holding many different affinities, were dimming due to the sheer amount she had to use to heal everyone, and the crimson destruction mana she fought against had begun to climb up her fingers. Even so, she continued to fight, pushing it back and believing we would prevail. Maybe it wasn’t enough for others to hear that from my father and see that smile from my mother, but alongside all of their effort, it was enough for me.
I nodded to them as I looked outward at where the swarm was, but now I could only see the shaded interior of thick, mana-filled roots that created a barrier not only for physical protection, but one to shield all of us from the sight that lay ahead.
At this point, the talking that had once filled the space had stopped, and only the grunts of effort from those protecting the village alongside the hum of swirling space mana was left, but even that seemed quiet. Most huddled close to the Starmoss tree, their backs pressed against its trunk and roots, feeling safe in its presence. Those who didn’t have the luxury were clumped close together. Family, friends, and even those who didn’t know each other well, all clutched together for comfort as they stared at the barrier. Nobody was sure where they would be attacked first, knowing only that the swarm was coming from all different directions. The fact that the insects made no sound themselves, and that one could only hear the hum of their mana, was disorienting, but even worse now was that nothing could be heard outside.
Silence dominated the area; only the occasional sounds of coughing, whimpering, or crying broke it up as people’s heads whipped around in fear, responding to them. Instead of comforting them, because nothing had happened yet, it only made everyone more afraid, as we all knew something would happen soon.
A few moments passed before the first sound outside was heard.
THUD -
A singular impact against the barrier made the roughly thousand trolls in the barrier look at the northside, anxiety rippling through the crowd, as before anyone could react, more followed.
THUD - THUD - THUD - THUD - THUD - THUD
Within a few seconds, the singular impact became tens, hundreds, and then, thousands, as a cacophony of insects flying against the barrier filled the dome. Looking around, I could see others begin to cry and scream, yet I couldn’t hear a single thing as, alongside the loud collisions, the space mana reached its apex. The purple mana moved like both lightning and water as it created a physical hurricane of energy that began to drift to each troll, marking them with mana that wasn’t malicious, and then concentrated around the Starmoss tree.
My vision shifted as the space mana marked me, allowing me to see what looked like giant, blurry mountains in front of me. I could even begin to make out what looked to be a giant clearing on top of a lower one that held runes similar to the ones we had at the Sanctum, yet different at the same time. The space was big enough to fit everyone who was going to be teleported, and hope began to fill my chest as we were finally leaving the clutches of this swarm.
All of a sudden, a vast amount of mana from outside the barrier, and outside the village, erupted outward. Even though it was so far away, the sheer density and feeling of dread it caused made it easy to pick up. Before anyone could even react, it rocketed toward us faster than anyone could comprehend, appearing just above the barrier as it burst apart, causing a wave of bubbling, crimson destruction mana to shatter our defenses.
Halfway to teleporting, I could just see what looked like a human flying in the sky above the Starmoss tree, with giant, rotting beetle wings and crimson mana around them, darting to where my grandfather was. In the next moment, the space mana shifted, becoming uncontrolled, causing my own vision of the mountains to disappear as images of vast, unexplored jungle took it over. Instead of being instantly teleported away, I slowly began to feel my body shift away and be taken elsewhere, allowing me to watch as the barrier broke apart. As it did, those closest to the outside, being the elders and stragglers, were consumed by the vast swarm of insects, bodies being bitten in one moment and vanishing under the crimson wave in the next.
I tried to see if I could see Civa, Vica, Ordo, or Dima, but the onslaught of space and destruction mana made it way too much. I felt my arm being grabbed by my father as he pulled me into him, my mother following suit as they wrapped themselves around me as we all teleported away, together.
Tusgove fell downward, his back impacting the ground as claws pressed around his throat, and the vile smell of destruction reached his nose. The dark-skinned human figure above him was mostly clouded in crimson mana, but he could see a chitinous helmet on his head that was similar to the rotting beetle wings and the insect-like claws that were on his throat. Using the remaining space mana that was wasted in the interruption, Tusgove wrapped it around himself, teleporting a few feet away as he landed on his feet.
Breathing heavily as the rebound of the broken ritual hit him, he continued to stare at the assailant, not letting his guard down as he let his mana reach out around him to assess the damage.
The clearing was currently barren beyond the swarm that was still there. The Starmoss tree, the villagers, his family, and even the vegetation were all gone, teleported away. A grim expression overtook Tusgove’s features as he realized that while everyone had gotten away, the interruption of the ritual had clearly scattered them. The Starmoss tree had made it to its destination while those closest to it had at least arrived very close, within a few miles. Those farther away would be in much worse predicaments, teleported to anywhere within the jungles of Geru, which the Sanctum was in, all the way to the wetlands, or even farther. At least it was far from here and closer to their destination.
Sensing the spot his family was last in, the 3 of them would most likely be close to the outskirts of the jungle, which wouldn’t give them an easy journey to the Behemoth mountains, but would have to do for now.
Looking at the figure before him, getting up from previously pinning him on the ground, Tusgove examined him better. The human was 5 feet tall, lean and muscular, with dark skin covered in crimson mana, black chitinous plates resembling armor on just their legs, feet, hands, and head, including a pair of clawed gauntlets, and two rotting, giant beetle-like wings on his back. Their torso was uncovered, alongside their shoulders up to their elbows, but was still protected by the mana that radiated off of them.
The figure slowly stood up onto his two feet as Tusgove braced himself for any signs of attack, wary of the destruction mana and information affinity he had detected before. He looked at the old troll with a slow, predatory demeanor, as if toying with its prey, yet a more sinister intention seemed to be brewing beneath the surface. As Tusgove looked at him, the human’s wings softly shook, and their eyes were made clear through their helmeted face. Two piercing red eyes with what seemed to be hundreds of minuscule, white runes within the pupils locked onto him, and as they did, a burst of dual destruction and information mana rippled out to Tusgove.
In response, the old troll calmly whispered in Worldspeech, and in the next moment, the earth shifted as thousands of feet of densely packed roots, dirt, and mycelium were sent towards the wave of hostile energy.
The two sides affected each other as the dual mana disintegrated plants, earth, and fungi, slowly spreading like an infection. The physical construct of life didn’t stop, moving forward as more of it came out of the ground, causing the entire Sanctum to begin to shake in response.
Both figures began to move at high speed as the human tried to get closer to the troll, flying forward with their wings, while Tusgove began to eliminate the swarm and move farther away from the human. Destruction mana continued to eat away at the life in the area, and in the next few moments, 4 humanoid figures appeared in the area, the ones Tusgove had sensed earlier. All of them were fully covered in chitin, no flesh showing, but they each had large tumors of mangled flesh or insect-like appendages on their bodies, with some even having their entire limbs mangled in the same manner.
They looked at each other, seeing how the old troll moved, and each of them held out their arms in front of them, palms facing upward. As they looked up at the sky, they each sent out slightly different pulses of mana, each with a tinge of information affinity to it. The swarms that had been either chasing Tusgove or consuming the Sanctum responded to the near-invisible call, rushing to their commanders. Each of the 4 figures was immediately covered by the swarms, hundreds of thousands of them swirling around them, getting smaller and smaller until only the figures remained and the insects were gone. Instead, each now had denser destruction mana within their bodies, and blood-red shackles appeared around their wrists, elbows, shoulders, necks, knees, and ankles, holding onto more.
One of the figures whistled, and the crocodile-insects appeared out of the shadows, close to 50 of them. The 4 largest of these chimeras became mounts for the figures and began to dart swiftly away from the Sanctum, in the direction of the Behemoth mountains.
From a distance, Tusgove saw this happening, but couldn’t do anything immediately as the human who was fighting him continued to corner him. He held him back as he tried to figure out the best counter and command the nature that made up the Sanctum to assist him. Thousands of tons of roots, mycelium, dirt, and stone shifted the terrain to his advantage, buying Tusgove a few moments to do one thing that would help out his people.
Reaching down to a golden gemstone chain he kept hidden below his robes, he ripped it off himself and spoke out loud.
“We’ve had our differences, you and I, but we both know that doing me this solid, and helping out my people, will make you happy. Even if I stole this favor from you and tricked you a bit, it was for a good reason. Why don’t you help me out?”
A few moments passed as the fight continued on, and just as Tusgove thought nothing would happen, something changed.
Time within the Sanctum stopped, and a vast presence that seemed to encompass not only the land but make up its entirety, too, responded. The golden gemstone chain held in Tusgove’s hand shattered apart into glowing motes of mana of the same color, scattering away from him, being carried far away from his sight. Time resumed, and Tusgove continued on manipulating the Sanctum to battle his opponent, but now he was relaxed with a grin on his face.
“Ah, thanks, World, I knew you’d have my back.”
He paused for a moment, noticing none of the golden mana seemed to be on him, and chuckled.
“Well, not my back, but my people’s. They need it more than I do.”
Tusgove glanced toward the Behemoth mountains, where he believed his descendants would be heading soon, and gave them a big, toothy grin, showing off more gemstones that were in place of teeth.
“Ya gotta survive, Dezore, Esselor, and little root. Just do your best, and I’ll come find you eventually…”
He paused for a moment, looking at the powerful human trying to kill him as he ran out of life to manipulate; most of it disintegrating from that nasty dual affinity.
“…it just might take a while.”
Miles and miles away, close to the outskirts of the jungle, a burst of space mana quickly deposited 3 huddled trolls onto the ground and disappeared as it ran out of energy. Imperceptible, a few moments later, 3 small medallions of golden mana appeared on each of the trolls, quickly fading away as they began to get up, albeit slowly, and assess their situation.
Patreon is 5 chapters ahead and I'm planning to increase that in the future, so check it out!
If you’re enjoying it, please follow and leave a rating or review, it helps the story reach more people. Thanks for reading!
Patreon
