With a sound ten thousand times louder than his grenades, they hit the ground.
Teine was nearly thrown from the path as the entire cavern shook. A terrible whining filled his ears until his Body punched through the Dazed Status Condition.
"What in Avet's black teeth was that!?" Piotr shouted, still stumbling.
Mervin, ever watchful, pointed out into the sea of violence, where a plume of dark smoke and bright red mist spewed upward into the air. Teine leaned on his cane and watched the smokedust, it appearedclotted the air. He looked up.
The crystal was gone.
What is that fool playing at? A commotion sounded from close by, but the Elder was too engrossed in his speculation. He dropped it?
"Sir!"
Without even bothering to look, Teine snapped his good arm outward and caught the Revenant by the throat. It's claws cut at his elbow and bicep, but it barely even scratched his enchanted robes.
Purloined Vision.
The mechanical whirr of his core was nearly audible as rich green Mana was forced through his channels. He hissed inwardly at the pain, but it was over momentarily. A blue screen appeared before the creature before rotating and revealing its secrets to Teine.
TERRITORY-WIDE QUEST ALERT!
Protect the Nest!
The Enemy has arrived! Defend the Broodmother!
Defeat and Devour the Primordial Heir!
Rewards:
x1 Gold Chest
Territorial Authority
The Quest updated.
Teine froze, and his Mind whirled through a thousand rapid permutations. From his spies, he knew the monsters wanted the Fiend; were drawn to him, in fact. He knew that the Revenants gained strength from that which they consumed, but...Primordial. Of course.
They were in far more danger than he had assumed.
Wind Blade.
An errant pulse of Will sent the Revenant's head tumbling off, and Teine dropped it over the side of the path before it even had a chance to bleed on him. Teine eyed his bodyguards, noting how flushed they appeared, and Piotr's coughing fits. They weren't feverish like the rest of the Guilders around him, no shakes. He pondered. Were they immune to the Primordial's influence now?
And what was the reason for the array? He lifted the device at his hip, inspecting the corrosive red Mana that steamed from it, sparked with a deeper yellow. Holding it, Teine was far better able to track the snaking, hidden lines of the array around him. His eyes tracked them along the path, until it hit...
"Blind gods," he breathed. He could see it.
"We stop this array! Now! Whatever the cost!" He pointed at his Guilders and had them pull close as he erected a shield of vital green Mana. "Follow behind me!"
You Have Killed Manawarped Revenants (x343)!
XP Earned!
Territorial Quest Alert!
You Have Gained Contribution!
You Have Killed Manawarped Ghouls (x42)!
XP Earned!
Territorial Quest Alert!
You Have Gained Extra Contribution!
You Have Gained A Level!
You Are Now Level 46!
+2 to PER! +2 to VIT! +2 to END! +3 to INT! +4 to WIL! +4 to AGL! +5 to DEX!
You Have 7 Unused Stat Points!
Felix pushed himself up on shaking arms. He felt like he'd been pancaked by a Mack truck, and his hand bones were only just snapping back into place, shooting flashes of pain up his forearms. The burgeoning thrum of System power flooding his core helped combat the pain, replacing it with a soft Harmony that shook his bones.
He was atop the crystal still, but all around him was darkness. He looked up, but felt his spine shift painfully at the movement. His Sovereign of Flesh was working hard, putting his pieces back together, but it was a hungry beast. He'd used up almost all of his Essence store healing what it could. He needed more.
Ravenous!
A claw the size of a dinner plate caught Felix in the chest, flinging him off the crystal and into the darkness...which resolved quickly into a crumbled stone crevasse wall.
"UGH!" Felix hit the wall hard enough that he saw stars flash in his vision. But above him, he could see crimson light. He was in a crater, one made by their impact.
"Death!" bellowed a familiar voice, and Felix saw the Pride of Blight leap atop the crystal. The thing was massive, fifteen feet tall were it not hunching, and strapped with so much muscle it looked ready to pop.
"You first," Felix snarled.
Reign of Vellus!
Felix ripped apart the earth behind him and sent his Body rocketing upward just as the Blight dove for him again. He skipped over the bastard's back, hopping into the air and spinning back toward the mutated chorister.
Shadow Whip!
Reign of Vellus!
Dual Casting is level 46!
Felix fired off another blast, this time directly into the Blight's wide back. Lightning coursed through the creature's flesh, and kinetic force caved in it's shoulder blade. It reared back, screaming. Just in time for Felix's Shadow Whip to catch it around the head.