NOVEL NEXT 79
I reached Lak’s location to find that the situation had been resolved. Somewhat. Entering through the barrier without any trouble. There are many Eonir survivors here. Though the number of the beastmen are few and most are incapacitated. Those who can still stand and do anything are at most a few dozen out of hundreds unconscious bodies. The barrier keeps all of them alive and not killed or get worse fate by the daemons just outside. Though the lone cygor smashing any lesser daemons that come up close definitely helps. Then I noticed that the cygor carried whatever was left of the Waystone tower shield in one hand and was wearing a half crushed Waystone power fist in addition to the Waystone hammer that I gave him. This means that the other two cygors are dead. Seems like Dorn and the cygors are the one that defeated that unnamed Bloodthirster and impressed it so much it wants to join. I will need to reward them later.
For now though, I approach Lak who is the only one still standing mostly unscathed.
“Lak.” I call but get no answer. Approaching closer, I notice blood still trickling through her ears. Tapping her shoulder. She immediately went berserk as she saw me. Clawing and biting and screaming incomprehensibly. I tried to evade and hold back so as to not hurt her. Though I stopped doing that and immediately forced her mouth shut as I felt a channeling of magic. She struggled ferociously clawing at my hands as I channeled my own magic and healed her ears. Only then she calmed down.
“Can you hear me now?”I asked and with her nod, I released her mouth.
“What happens? Did a daemon try to trick you using my face?”. She did not answer but nodded again while looking away.
“Hey, hey. Look at me. Don’t worry. Tell me everything.” I asked her to share what happened here. This might not be the time to do this but there might not be many chances that I can converse with Lak alone like this. And dedicated time to help someone handle a very stressful event is almost necessary. Besides, all my other children are dealing with what’s left in the east. They can handle themselves. Knowing there’s nothing she can say to make me go away, Lak hesitantly shares what happened. Her frustration about the Eonirs. Her lack of foresight made her not carry enough spell slots plates. How the warp stones now began to act erratically if one wears more than one spell slot plate. Then finally her encounter with a Keeper of Secret.
“Well done.” I praise her to her surprise
I have been thinking on what to say and I purposefully use another word to praise her in contrast to what the Keeper of Secret said. As for the warp stones getting erratic, it seems like Tzeentch is adding some patch on the magic to make some limit on those who carry plenty of spell slots.
“You managed to fend off a Keeper of Secret, a Greater Daemon, very much alone. Not many can do that and fewer can do that without dying.” I reassure Lak of her accomplishment. She looks unconvinced.
“Do not worry. A Greater Daemon will immediately be banished after we close that rift.” I add before she can say that the Keeper of Secret managed to run away. Greater Daemons require a pretty high concentration of magic or be bound to a specific artifact if they want to extend their stay to the material world.
“As for now, bring the unconscious shamans to me to heal. You have been maintaining this barrier the whole time, and I will need you elsewhere.” I command her to do something instead of brooding on her supposed failings.
“Need me where?”
“To help your brothers in the east of course. They are not yet finished over there.” On this, Lak seemed somewhat relieved. It is clear that she now starts to harbor some inferiority complex. Maybe helping her brothers can help to address this situation before it goes out of hand.
Meanwhile in the east. The golden beastmen fought hard while knee deep in disease forest and mud. The center of Nurgle’s corruption via the possession of Wolfe’s old body and different with the other chaos gods, Nurgle are allowed plenty of time to corrupt this place. Plague toads twice the size of a bear hops around, smashing any beastmen or throwing them off balance, vomiting potent acidic bile to any that come close. Their stampede was only halted by the golden Bovigors. Plaguebearers with their singular rotting eye withstand blows after blows as the golden beastmen fight them to a standstill. While Nurglings joyfully scurry around almost unimpeded, pulling down those that have been thrown off balance and drowning them in the mud. All the while, treants bearing the visage of elves whose faces twisted in agony surround the golden beastmen army.
Another streak of red light flashed. Punching through the skull of a Great Unclean One, a Greater Daemon of Nurgle. But it shrugs off the wound. Its disgusting vermin filled and rotting jaw unhinged as it bellows in laughter in between chronic coughing. Even as a huge spiral gaping wound filled with crawling vermin and rot on the left side of its head. Another mighty swing of a burning greataxe struck the greater daemon’s thigh. Its gigantic, bloated green figure tumbles forward as it pukes from its jaw and the gigantic jaws on its bloated rotting stomach. Nurglings, insects, worms, and all manner of vermin streams out as it pukes. Then it resumes its laugh as it pushes itself to stand. Pulling the falling flesh of its thigh up like a person lifting their pants. Closing the wound before a new jaw formed on the cut wound.
While the Golden Beastmen fend off all manner of Nurgle’s lesser daemons and beasts. Kal and Druig have spent the entire time wounding the Great Unclean One. Dozens of gaping, rotting, spiral wounds spilling acid and God knows what dotted the daemon’s obese body from his spear. While a few row of deep jaws marks the wounds where Druig have wounded it. Its left hand once split from between middle and ring finger until elbow and its right arm almost split from its shoulder now turned into a great jaw. Either puking more lesser daemons, acid, disease or coughing more toxic gas. It has shrugged all their effort to kill it and exhaustion starts to take its toll on Kal and Druig.
The falling snow started to turn into a snowstorm and a bright golden light can be seen approaching from the southwest.
