133 Worms (1/2)

The zombified giant was the first creature to step past where the walls had once been. It did so with happiness, and I momentarily wondered if I should awaken the thing. I knew that that would increase its potential and turn the monster into a real beast, but I knew that such an activity would force Nivar to try and control it, which might not work.

I mulled it over, and after a second or two of internal debating decided to hold off on awakening the giant. For now. Right now was Nivar's chance to shine. I wanted to see if she could.

The area the pair had just reached were the town's outskirts. In front of the pair stood a number of small houses, houses I knew contained life. But here's the thing: the noise of the wall falling had alerted the town's guards, a small number of men who were on their way to see what had caused the collapse of the wall. Nivar had a few moments to decide how to proceed.

I knew that the grave giant instinctually knew that her enemies were approaching. It was both logical to assume that, and also something that should have been within the realm of possibility as a sensory thing for a worm that walks, the particular type of undead that Nivar was.

Nivar spent a moment or two being as still as a worm that walks could be. There was no movement from her actual form, though the tiny swarm that made up her body was constantly in motion. But then she tilted her head and turned to face the nearest, tiny hovel in front of her. And with a grim smirk she pointed at it. This time she didn't even need to speak. Her pet lumbered forward, ready for more destruction.

Not far behind her there were more undead. It wouldn't take them long to get to her, and she was confident. She didn't doubt that she could hold off any guards who might actually reach her before her allies backed her up. So she opted to begin to fulfill her objectives. It was a wise choice.

”So she's mission-oriented huh? A real 'get the job done' type of creature...” I muttered, grinning wryly.

________________________________________________

The giant's pet closed in on the house in a few steps, and swung one of its arms at the tiny building. The house was a simple building, a tiny square made of wood with just enough for two rooms, an all-purpose room, and a bedroom. It was occupied by a single, sleeping person.

The giant was still blessed by me, and I watched, satisfied, as the monster's untrained arm crashed into one of the walls of the house and smashed through it. The noise this produced was incredible and inflicted lasting harm on the house. Nivar's excitement spiked, and the truth was, so did mine.

The wooden house's wall broke apart against the overwhelming power of the giant's fist. It stood no chance against the beast, and the zombie swiftly retracted its fist, all while inadvertently doing more damage to the house. The loud noise had awoken the mortal within the house, who was a single, human, woman. The woman leaped out of her bed, and opened the door that separated her from the destroyed wall and the rest of her home.

I ”heard” her gasp, thanks to my sensory powers and the proximity of my worshipers to her. And I heard the harsh laughter Nivar emitted when the grave giant heard her too. Nivar rose a single hand and pointed it at the house's door. The giant somehow understood her intentions and aimed its other hand at the door.

A single violent thrust of the beast's limb was all it took for the massive monster to blow through the door. The monster's limb was a blur of movement and the thing slammed through the object that protected the house's inhabitant, prompting her to scream in terror. And that was a mistake.

The fear-filled sound was heard by Nivar and Nivar's pet. It was a fascinating sound that clearly communicated the horror she felt as a massive limb broke apart her house. I liked the way it sounded, and I recognized the... eerieness of that. But the problem wasn't that I heard it, the problem was that Nivar and her pet heard it.

Nivar was radiating bloodlust. I sensed it wafting off of her, and wondered how long it'd take her to act on it. She was perfectly still, and I had a theory that she was actually a bit overwhelmed by the emotions she was feeling at this moment. Her pet, a much simpler creature, was not.