89 Chapter 17 - Queen of Thorns (1/2)
”Turn back now, yea who would enter here. The lands beyond are forbidden to you,” warbled a faraway voice through a black cat with flaring green eyes.
”And I warn you in turn, Witch. Return the heart to us, return the werewolves to their minds, and leave this land forevermore. Otherwise, there will be no respite until your insides are placed in various bowls and your bones handed out like candy to those warriors who butchered at least ten of your abominations!” Kenji roared, a great howl and stamp erupting behind him. The human mob joined in, despite Kenji being quite certain they were not ones for snacking on witch fingers.
”My powers will twist this land into every danger imaginable. My rangers will slaughter you from above, and you'll be forced to bear it and grin. Meanwhile, my 'abominations' are...well, why spoil the surprise?” the cat appeared to smirk, and Kenji began to chuckle.
”For untold years, the spirits of the land have filled our heart with peace. But now we can drink of that soothing dew no more, and return to the fiery nectar of war!” Kenji roared, addressing not the cat but those Furblogs that remained. Roaring loudly, they were mainly warriors or druids of the Path of Thorns, Grandfather's grandson Arti Chief amongst them.
”And so, as High Priest of this dead religion, let me [Awaken Senses] and [Call of the Queen of Thorns] to bless us now, and grant us victory!” A whispering filled Kenji's ears, and a vile power flowed from the clouds to snap into the Furbolgs limbs and fill them with black smoke. Their eyes went unblinking blood-red in moments, muscles bulging beneath bear pelts, as the Furblogs contorted into their true form.
Half man, half bear they appeared. The strange race that was the Furbolg's heritage, the race that stood like a man with the power of a bear, with fanged teeth, clawed hands and bear furs worn like clothes. They roared incoherently into the air, and the [Queen of Thorns] entered their minds.
[It has been, a long time...but I accept. Be blessed with the Thorns of War].
Across Kenji's body thorny vines pulled at him, spreading, hardening, until Grandfather was encased in vine hard as iron. It supported his frame, his power feeding it, and the vine in return making him strong of the body if weak of mind.
Gone was the aching back, banished the weak knees and to the void any sense of a fading mind as Kenji felt the Grandfather's body become truly powerful. No healing light would he be able to work with now, only thorns, twisting and unyielding. In his palms, he produced a [Thorn Spear] that if projected would uncoil into a dozen yard spike before retracting just as fast into his hands, or could be curled around branches like Spiderdude's web from the comics.
”Bearfolk Berserkers of the Thorn, attack!” Kenji roared, firing his vine spear like a lance. The cat narrowly dodged aside, as a rush of iron-hard vine flew passed its cheek.
”Really, you NPCs are the worst. Can you not just accept that I have won? In under half an hour my spell will be complete and everything will be mine, my monsters are too strong as it is-” cut off by another spear thrust, the cat was driven away, as the Furbolgs turned Bearfolk charged into the darkened forest.
The humans, Guild and mob alike, charged right afterwards while Kragg flew across the ground as if the wind itself. Together they arrived at the fortified lines of the Witch's domain, rangers in trees letting loose with their arrows, a pair of witch apprentices sending bolts of green to explode through their ranks and a horde of corrupt treants spewed forth to meet Kenji's forces head-on.
With Iron hard vine weapons the Bearfolk crashed into the Treants lines, while the Hero Guild focused on the enemy range units with their own volley's and Kragg hunted down the witch apprentices directly. Thrown into a rage, Kenji found his vision going red as he crushed treant after treant. Small and spry as a certain dyslexic green master from a show called StellarBattles, Kenji became an unstoppable force as he blasted his way across the battlefield.
Wrapping his Thorn Spear across a faraway branch, Kenji pulled to send his little body flying across the battlefield and crash into the rangers' lines. Screaming, he unleashed a barrage of flailing vines to batter the humans against the ground and crush their bones like glass.
One human threw him back with his shield, another spearing Kenji's thick armour with her spear and managing to wet the tip of the spearhead in his blood. Surrounded, Kenji was assaulted by a wave of the Bewitched human fighters who knew no fear and fought with a level of strength and resilience far beyond their brethren.
Thankfully Kenji had not come alone.
From behind arrived the Bearfolk warriors, their crimson eyes lusting for blood, vine armoured bodies dedicated to the dance and Vine Spears contorting to maces as they crashed into the human's plate. Steel was dented, the bones beneath shattering, bursts of crimson spluttering from painless lips.
Lost in the battle, Kenji kept fighting until all was gore, and his mind was lost in the sweet siren call of bloodlust. Too late did he notice the enemies maneuvering, although perhaps he had and just didn't care. Unsouled Werewolves slammed into their flanks, viciously clawing at human, Bearfolk and werewolf alike.
”We need-WE NEED TO GET TO THE WITCH!” Kenji roared above the din of battle, leading those he could further ahead through the enemy lines and trusted his allies to hold the three dozen or so werewolves in place. Breaking through, Kenji arrived at a desolate area, with shattered trees thrown aside and a log building visible beyond. Above the building swirled a dark green cloud that crackled and blazed as it sucked the life from the surrounding land to leave nothing but dead soil and withered flora in its wake.