Echoterra: Rise of the Verdant King-Chapter 85: Treacherous journey [9]

The team collapsed near the Scorchshrine, stampede still thundering.

Silence. What little of it could exist in the midst of an ongoing Behemorph stampede and a distant battle between 2 Verdant Warden rank Behemorphs.

They stared at the corpses lying in front of them.

Torren gripped his Pyreaxe trophy, Flamevine Wrath dim. "Clayton...," he hesitated, but in the end he asked. "Those thorns... where’d that come from?" His trust held, but his eyes narrowed.

The moment that he decided to reveal a bit more of his Aspect powers in the heat of the battle against the enemy Awakened, he already expected something like this so Clayton was not surprised.

He grinned, Shedskin cloaking his power.

He looked at Torren. "Got a few tricks. Saved your ass, didn’t it?"

Veyra, already looting an Ashfang, pressed. "That’s no scavenger move. You’re holding out". Her tone mixed admiration and suspicion.

"What really is your background?"

Clayton just chuckled. "Surprises keep it fun," he said, humor sharp, deflecting like usual. "Nice shots, Veyra".

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks".

Lorn healed Kaelin, voice sharp. "You rushed again, Kaelin. Nearly got us killed".

Kaelin, pale, nodded. "I’m sorry, Lorn. Clayton, you’re a lifesaver".

Soren, eyeing the shrine, spoke low. "Scorched Clans worship this crap. My brother’d hate ’em".

His trust in Clayton deepened, voice soft. "You’re one of us, Clayton".

Torren checked his pager. "Night’s not over. Thorn Crowns are close. Survive till dawn". The team braced, bonds ironclad, Nexus’s pulse a grim warning.

...

Day 15, deep in the night...

Clayton sprinted across a volcanic plain, the Earthcore Nexus’s pulse a howling dirge.

His Shedskin cloaked his Verdant Lord aura as tattered rags, Regalia of the Verdant Warden in bow form slung across his back, Thornsade Dagger humming at his hip.

His Architect Aspect thrummed, restrained to blend with Torren’s team.

Their Mycoglyph-etched pagers crackled, Nexus interference growing. The Aphid Network, still 45 minions strong, hunted the stampede’s edges, Spore Plague Lord reaping Embers, though two Initiate Ember minions fell to the chaos.

The Rootsite stood far behind.

Clayton and the team? Things were not looking too good.

The stampede, driven by two Verdant Warden Thorn Crown Behemorphs’ clashing roared closer, their battle’s shockwaves splitting the earth.

Torren, face grim, gripped his pager. "We can’t stay. The Thorn Crowns are closing in. Move now, survive the night!" He ordered.

None of them questioned his decision.

The team bolted, ash choking the air, lava flows collapsing underfoot.

Clayton’s Territorial Sentience pinged Ashen Covenants’ Ember Witches, their ritual a distant hum, and a Scorchshrine’s glow far off.

Six Luminous Seed Sporeflame Wyrms (8-meter Serpents, Dual Ash and Spore Crowns) slithered from a fissure, flames and spores erupting, drawn by the stampede.

Of course, in a stampede comprising literal thousands of Behemorphs, it was only expected that rare Behemorphs with Dual Crowns would be found.

"Brace!" Torren roared, Flamevine Wrath igniting, pyro-roots crushing a Wyrm’s tail.

WHOOSH!

Veyra let loose, her Thornstrike arrows piercing another’s eye, roots bursting.

Lorn shielded Soren, whose Emberblade slashed, sparks deflected.

Kaelin, reckless again, a personality trait he was helpless against darted with Ashveil Cloak, daggers sinking into a Wyrm, but spores burned his shoulder, forcing Lorn to shield him again.

Clayton nocked Regalia’s bow, channeling Embers for root arrows.

Two shots shredded a Wyrm’s core, roots exploding.

A Wyrm struck, but he dodged with nimble movements, Thornshade Dagger slashing, venom dousing its flames.

He kept Aphid Network hidden still, commanding it via Hive-Sight to continue hunting stampede stragglers, Ashbloom Stalker reaping Embers.

Torren’s pyro-roots and Veyra’s arrows felled the rest, the plain quaking as lava surged.

DING!

~----~

[Behemorphs Slain: 6 Sporeflame Wyrms (Luminous Seed)]

[Aphid Network Losses: 2 Initiate Ember Minions]

[Genesis Embers Acquired: 60 (Team Kills)]

[Genesis Embers Acquired: 250 (Aphid Network Stampede Harvest)]

[Genesis Embers Acquired: 15 (Random Network Hunts)]

[Genesis Embers Total: 3,502]

[Aspect Strain: Moderate]

~----~

Considering that all of his minions closest to him were all stuck in the stampede, hunting in danger, Clayton guessed that the 15 Genesis Embers from random network hunts must be from those minions he left at the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse with his Rootsite and the Verdant Lord form.

Panting, trying to catch their breath, the team continued moving still.

It felt like riding a storm, but the storm also harboring deadly and ruthless Behemorphs that could feed on you at any time.

The team stumbled onto stable ground, lava growing below.

Clayton’s Hive-Sight confirmed the Aphid Network’s haul, losses mounting.

Torren, panting, gripped his Pyreaxe. "We’re not out yet. Clayton, you’re keeping us alive".

Clayton smirked, stowing Regalia. "Just allergic to snake bites".

Torren’s face twitched, but then his lips curled upward in a smile. "You always have something to say for every situation, right?"

Clayton laughed. "Maybe".

Veyra, cleaning her bow, eyed him. "I know I’ve said it countless times already, but you’re too sharp for a wanderer. Really, where’d you train?"

"And like I told you, feral world’s my school," Clayton said, humor dark. "You’re...

"You’re not bad yourself, sharpshooter, right?" Veyra chuckled, shaking her head. "At least try to come up with some originality for me".

Lorn patched Kaelin’s shoulder, voice sharp. "At this point, I don’t even know if I should be mad or just abandon you to your fate. You’re gonna get us all killed, you idiot! Stop being so reckless!"

"But I’m pulling my weight!" Kaelin snapped, only to wilt under her glare, muttering. "Thanks, Lorn".

Soren, Emberblade sheathed, spoke low. "Remember the brother I told you about? He’d always rush in like Kaelin. We lost him to a Wyrm".

Torren, face taut, checked his pager. "Thorn Crowns are closer than ever before," his face was tense and full of worry.

He looked into the distance, as if trying to read the future or like he was able to see the 2 Verdant Warden Behemorphs fighting.

His eyes gleamed in determination. "We keep moving. No stopping".

The team pressed on, bonds tightening, stampede’s roar unrelenting.

And then, by past midnight, the team staggered through a fungal gorge...

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