Chương 186: Chapter 183 part 2 - heroic entrance

If there was a mistake in Mahjit's threat assessment report, it was that he had underestimated just how quickly the flesh titan could learn. At first it stumbled, unused to the open space. For a moment, it gave observing adventurers hope. The first shaking step made them believe that maybe, it wasn't designed to travel quickly. It would make sense, how could such an impossibly dangerous creature— Then it took another step. This time more confident, then another. It kept speeding up.

Finally the Flesh Titan was running like a sprinter in a mad dash. Right towards the largest group of Unwanted. He may have been wrong, but Mahjit had planned for the worst case scenario. He had split up the Unwanted into multiple groups—and while all of them were running towards Gravenmarch, plenty of them were taking a detour. Like the current group going particularly slower than the rest. Bait. The oldest of the Unwanted.

He had asked Shara for volunteers and they had come along, accepting the requests of their queen. It was a bastard move. Mahjit would stand before trial and accept punishment. Perhaps they'd suspend his adventurer's license over this. He'd still make the same choice every time.

"You should get out of here. Yes?" One of the older Unwanted grinned at him with that too large smile. It was interesting, many of the older Unwanted had a good sense of gallows humor. Mahjit smiled back and shook his head ruefully.

"I was too afraid to fight once before. Never again. Is everyone ready?" The Unwanted simply gave him a grin of someone that knew they were going to die. These were some of the best of the best of the Unwanted. The ones that understood their magic the most. The ones that were barely affected by the call of the abyss—it was what Mahjit was calling the memetic effect that the Flesh Titan seemed to have on the Unwanted. It was almost upon them. Great stomps shaking the ground for miles around.

It really was just a little too big for fourthers like him.

"On my mark!" He shouted.

"Three—" A hundred Unwanted dug their hands into the ground. Their long arms sinking deep into the earth. Mahjit had made a miscalculation in the timing. The Flesh Titan wasn't slowing at all.

"NOW!" Then they heaved it all up. Churning the earth in a great linked casting. With Mahjit in the center, pushing his skill as much as it could handle, keeping the magic linked. [Threaded Thoughts] leveled up! A great wall of earth rose in front of everyone's eyes. High enough—to come up to the Titan's knees. Mid-stride the Flesh Titan's foot caught on the wall and made it flip in midair. The titan landed on its head in an earth shattering crash.

Its neck was twisted in a fashion that would have been death to anyone under the fifth realm. Not dead, not by a long shot.

"Flee!" They split into groups of ten. They were bait after all. Hopefully the flesh titan chasing them down would give them time for the other adventurers to get together. The Flesh Titan stood up, almost looking confused. Its head snapped back as it tried to reorient itself towards… Gravenmarch? Then it resumed its sprint. Completely ignoring the scattered Unwanted.

The Unwanted and Mahjit stopped running away from each other, their confusion turning into horror as they realized which direction the Flesh Titan was running towards. It… it can't be going for the children first. As sound as Mahjit's planning was, it could only be as good as the information the [Mage] had on hand. And Mahjit didn't have the full picture. If he had known what was truly going on, he would have prioritized the queen above all else. ——'Shara, Fighting Fancy, Sideark. It's heading to you guys.'

"Yes, I see." was Shara's response. They could hear and see the titan sprinting in the distance. The freezing up of the children as they started to hear the call of the abyss. They did not sob or cry, for they didn't quite understand the words haunting their mind. The one thing they did know was that a monster was coming for them.

"Shit, my skill's out too." Lars swore as his new skill, [Strategic Retreat], started to wear out, the group's movements practically slowing down to a crawl comparatively. Without the skill's enhancements, the children started coughing, becoming short of breath. The surface wasn't a great place for the young Unwanted elves. The air here was toxic and their younger bodies weren't as resistant to it as the adults.

"Language." Enzo warned Lars, and not for the first time either. He turned to the queen.

"Well Shara, you should pick up as many of the kids as you can and get out of here." The Captain of Fighting Fancy nodded to the rest of his team.

"Fighting Fancy, it was an honor. See you with your next life. Drinks will be on me." Sideark had already run away. But Fighting Fancy wasn't as gutless as him. They would die fighting together rather than abandon children.

"Aye Captain!" Fighting Fancy chorused together. They were like that, this silly band of adventurers that always stepped up despite being hopelessly outmatched. To them, this Flesh Titan was just another Artigan.

"No." Shara said.

"I think it's coming for me. I should have known. Yes? This is my fault. I will lead it away." Enzo turned to her.

"The Unwanted are going to need you, Shara. You need to survive." When the Titan had started to roar and terrify the Unwanted, Shara had been the one to push against it and organize her people. Her presence alone was enough to uplift the Unwanted and hold them against the call of the abyss. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. At least that was what Mahjit believed. Fighting Fancy agreed, Shara was indeed the cornerstone of her people. She had to survive.

Unfortunately neither Mahjit nor Fighting Fancy knew the truth. One that was becoming increasingly clear to the Unwanted's so-called queen. The Flesh Titan was coming for her because of the portal enhancements. She just hadn't realized it could detect it until now. At least it made her job simple. Shara sprinted away, away from the children. Towards the rat that had run away. And the Flesh Titan followed. —— You couldn't blame Sideark for running away.

He had fought and bled for the Unwanted, he had done everything he could have. Even when his stream was getting bored of the same gray views of the Cataclysm Abyss he had still pumped out content for Unwanted elves. There was just… no point staying with them and dying a pointless death. When he saw that Mahjit's plan had failed, he had decided that it was much better to keep his life intact and do more good for the world. It was the right choice.

Sideark began to record the Flesh Titan, uncertain whether he was going to post this online. His fans might eat him alive… then again… Juniper and Shadowstrider couldn't do shit, Zedart had failed, and Valee wasn't even here. He'd drag out a couple Unwanted during the incoming chaos and save their lives. That was how he was going to do it. Bring a couple of them out of this hellhole and into Ulverra. Then they could start a community there. Yup. That was how you made a difference now.

There was no fighting that thing, even if Shara was weirdly stronger than the other Unwanted, it still wouldn't be enough. Sideark kept recording. Only… why did the titan look like it was changing directions slightly, like it was curving towards him? Sideark then noticed another figure running towards him. The queen of the Unwanted, Sharesshvil. Had she left the children behind like he did? Except she was running towards him. And it looked like the Flesh Titan was chasing her.

Sideark bravely turned around and fled. Try as he might, he could not outpace the Unwanted queen. She arrived only thirty seconds later. The Flesh Titan was getting ever larger as it closed the gap. Sideark panic-shouted at Shara." What are you doing?"

"I am using you as bait, yes? You say you are one of the strongest fourthers, come help me distract it."

"How?!"

"We can dodge and keep running, yes?"

"No!" Try as they might, Shara could not outpace the Flesh Titan and Sideark could not outpace Shara. So, there was nothing to do but try to dodge. Sidark leaped away from a sweeping kick from the titan, diving down with an [Explosive Dodge]. Shara used the distraction to start climbing the Flesh Titan's legs. Spinning Rax's spear. She was no master of weapons—though she was physically stronger than Zedart. Her spears started stabbing and slicing at mass of flesh.

She was quick enough to react to thrown weapons too. Clawing her hands into the legs and climbing up rapidly. Her teeth bared. Unfortunately, a single shadowy hand was all it took. It grabbed her foot and messed up her movement for a split second. She hissed and roared as a sword was thrown into her in the leg. Shara leapt off, sprinting away on the ground as a trail of weapons were thrown in her wake. The titan swung down as she barely dodged out of the way.

She started sprinting towards the fleeing Sideark in the distance. The Flesh Titan then opened its mouth. And a ray of crawling inky hands spewed forth. Sideark screamed in horror.

"Get away from me!"

"Help be a distraction, yes?" This was how it went, this was how they would die. The Flesh Titan roared, ordering the mass of crawling hands to encircle them. It shot another procession of crawling arms overhead, shooting them far away to block their path. The field was awash with a mass of squirming inky hands. Larger, tougher and thicker than their shadowy counterparts." Ah. This is bad, yes?" The Flesh Titan roared its victory. A guaranteed doom when one of the hands would grab her and she would be overwhelmed.

Then the system portal would appear, revealing to the rest of the world that the Unwanted truly were monsters. Then the Flesh Titan would take it and kill every single one of her people. Shara started to hear Rax's voice. She felt it, the weight of Rax's curse and hate etched into his creation. Compounded by the eternal hands of the Cataclysm Abyss. It was as if Rax's mind was twisted with the world. Both compounding each other into the worst mutation possible.

Did you really believe some plucky savior would pull you up and make you into something that you weren't?

'Didn't he?' Shara replied dreamily. Did you really think you could rise from the abyss and turn into something else?

'I did.' Hah.

'It is funny, yes.' It was a nice dream, wasn't it?

'Yes.' But now, it's time to come back.

'But I don't want to.' Gently into that good night. No. Where you know you belong.

"NO." A light of blue lit up in the oppressive gray. And the aura of a new queen ignited. A color that remembered the true image of that plucky little savior. Not the one he used to terrify others and dominate his enemies, but the one that he held close to his chest, for his allies. Her people were scattered, lost and afraid. She could not lose here. The Unwanted all across the surface of Sector Four felt it burning in their chest. Two great presences fighting for their fates.

One, an overwhelming torrent of dark, the other a flickering blue fire. It seemed silly to expect anything from the flickering fire. But it was clear who they wanted to believe in.

"I WILL FIGHT FOR MY PEOPLE UNTIL THE VERY END. YES?!" Shara roared as the royal blue aura blazed against the dark. The inky hands reeling back from the too bright-light that burned them away. Renewed with burning royalty, Shara leapt, spear in hand. … If only it was enough. If only Zedart, Shadowstrider and Juniper were here together. Then perhaps they could lead a glorious charge where Shara dove into the guts of the Flesh Titan. Unfortunately both the Flesh Titan and the inky hands could learn.

The hands stood back, throwing metallic scraps at her when she got close. She was no practitioner of aura, she could not condense it like Artigan could. And Shara was too much of a novice with her spear to parry much. She still clung on, trying to direct the aura like Artigan had. It was just… so hard. Aura was like a formless gas surrounding her, all it could do was keep the shadows at bay. She was bleeding all over. Scrap metal having torn through much of her body.

If it wasn't for her portal enhancements, she would have already lost the use of her limbs. Both Shara and Sideark were encircled by an ocean of inky hands, a lot of them trying to push each other into her aura. For every single inky arm that burned away, a bit of her aura was used up. If it was only that then they could hold out, perhaps do something else. But unfortunately the Flesh Titan was also intelligent. As if instinctively knew that her aura could be dangerous.

Perhaps pulling on a memory of a certain other adventurer. Now it was leaning down, its head nearly looming over them. Its chest to the ground, unexposed. Careful to not let her get close. Beyond that, the Flesh Titan was eager. Its massive head watched for an opening. Waiting for its inky hands to retrieve the thrown weapons so it could try another strike. Its arm raised above them, ready to do a horizontal strike when it was ready. The last time it had happened they had barely managed to jump in time.

Shara had gotten cut by plenty of thrown weapons as the inky hands coordinated with the titan. And the boost from the ignition of her aura was starting to fade. Still, against the hopelessness of the gray skies, Shara only laughed.

"I tried. I'm sorry my people, I wish I could have done better, but I will fight until the very end." A clash of blades brought her attention to the side. Sideark had stepped forward to stop a wayward blade thrown at her blindspot. He was still recording of course… and possibly he was staying within her aura to avoid the shadows. But he was still here, fighting like one of the strongest fourthers that he claimed to be. Sideark nodded at her.

Grim, a little reluctant maybe, but no longer trying to find an opening to run away. Sideark was burning again, like he did back in the tunnels. His courage had been ignited once again. Is this how it works? How silly. Shara couldn't help but chuckle. But it did give her strength. She held her spear once more. Her arms were shaking. They had already bought more time than she had expected. A whole eight minutes of it.

According to Mahjit, there was just another two hours and forty two minutes to go before children would be considered far enough to be safe. A voice broke through over Sideark's phone.

"Incoming." A great figure bounded over the massive encirclement of shadowy hands. Using all the momentum she had built up to clear the shadows and land with a crash in the middle. Between Shara and the Flesh Titan. Shara almost breathed a sigh of relief. The orc turned her head to meet Shara's eyes. She nodded.

"Priority One. Adventurer Valee, reporting for duty."" You are late, yes?"

"I don't know, I feel like I could've waited another couple more minutes." And Sideark's resolve to die fighting, died immediately.

"Valee! We just need to hold out another twenty minutes. Shadowstrider and Zedart are coming. Then we can take turns stalling." Valee stared into the hateful eyes of the Flesh Titan, though it only had eyes for Shara. It cared little that another tiny pest had appeared. Valee whistled, her wrappings starting to come free.

"Twenty minutes, huh." She pumped her arms, letting more of the bindings free.

"Might be a little hard."

"But we can do it, yes? We must try and survive. I cannot not die here."

"Survive?" Valee scoffed, then shook her head in annoyance.

"First Ryan, then you, I'm getting sick of people underestimating me. I'm killing this thing in twenty minutes. Sideark, keep the queenie safe." Sideark looked like he wanted to pull at his hair.

"Are you crazy?! Did you not see the threat assessment?" The inky shadows had brought back enough of the blades onto the Flesh Titan's arm. It readied a low horizontal swing. Valee stood tall, her enchanted bindings fluttered in the wind.

"Just watch."