Book 4 - Chapter 14 - Super Mutants (2/2)

Both the mutants had a weakness that was easy to recognize. The attacks themselves weren’t very strong, so while they were an intractable threat to most they did not scare Cloudhawk. Nothing they could summon would overpower his phase abilities.

He charged ahead, heedless of the poison. The Silver Serpents gleamed in his hands.

Toad knew that demonhunters were capable of all sorts of miracles, but he’d never encountered someone who could turn their body incorporeal. Against someone like that his poison was ineffectual. Yet the Green King was a survivor of countless battles, and would not let the surprise throw him off.

He couldn’t keep that strange power engaged forever. If he ever planned to attack he would have to drop it.

He stayed put, focusing everything on releasing more of the poison stored in his body. Rolling clouds of malignant fog hung around him. His bulging figure was lost within it.

“Fool.”

Cloudhawk appeared in front of Toad, and just as he expected the young Elysian was immediately soaked by the poisonous cloud. At this level of concentration he would be killed immediately.

But… nothing happened. Cloudhawk did not react to the poison at all.

With a sickening shhhtck, two identical silver blades plunged into Toad’s grotesque body.

Toad had the leathery flesh of his namesake, tough and tenacious, but not tougher than steel. Cloudhawk was confident he was on the verge of cutting the frog-like freak to ribbons. Toad, feeling fear grip him, deflated like a punctured balloon. A dozen gashes of silver light swept by harmlessly once their target shrank back to normal size.

But the last-second gambit came at a price.

Both of Toads arms were hacked off, and several more wounds appeared across the rest of his body. Even while reeling from the dire wounds, the mutant was aghast at how Cloudhawk was completely unfazed by his poison. How?! No creature he’d met had ever survived being doused by his poison!

Atlas was also continuing his onslaught against Canker. The cloud of insects had not risen to its peak yet, but was already choking out what little light was coming from overhead. Masses of insects gathered around Canker’s body and pressed together tight, like a shield. Atlas jumped into the air and disappeared, moving too fast to follow. A dozen gashes raked against the shield of insects from several different directions.

The swarm disintegrated. Canker was carved into several pieces. Though not enough to kill the creature, Canker would be out of the fight for a least a little while.

At last, the door was open. The world beyond was revealed.

As the door fully extended, intense light flooded the canyon, blinding the eye.

The door served as an enormous vortex as all the air within the canyon was sucked out. It was as though someone punched a hole in the bottom of a tank and all the water was pouring free.

Many of the weaker wasteland fighters were picked up off their feet and flung through the door, vanishing into the blinding light. Their fate was unclear. The others stared at one another with wide, wild eyes.

“Woodland Vale! The way is open!”

Wyrmsole’s mission had failed. He had been unable to stop his enemies here.

As for Squall, the desire to fight was gone. Now that the door to the Vale was open, continuing to throw himself at his enemies was pointless. Get in, and find a way to take control – that was the plan. If he didn’t then the Conclave would beat him to it.

“Forget about them,” Squall shouted. “We’re going in!”

Squall and his henchmen made a beeline for the door, and they weren’t alone. This millennial treasure trove was within their grasp, open and ready for the taking. They had to get in!

Wyrmsole ran as fast as he could toward the light.

Frost and Selene returned to the Elysian camp. Dawn cried out, “The door is open. Everyone, on me!” To which the Elysians all charged toward the door.

Claudia scowled. Because that bastard Cloudhawk had brought the child, she wasn’t sure what to do. Was she supposed to follow, dragging the child with her into a war zone?

It was their only option, a problem to deal with once they were on the other side. They ran through the press of bodies, Azura holding tight to Claudia’s hand. When they passed through the wall of light suddenly it felt like passing through a windstorm. They were immediately lost in the buffeted gusts and blinding light. Claudia didn’t even know which direction she was facing.

An intense blast of air struck her in the face. Azura cried out as the wind flung her away. Claudia and Rio both reached for her, but it was too late.

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