Chapter 270: Riverleaf (1/2)
Riverleaf sighed as she looked at the ravaged forest outside their town. The trees that their ancestors had tended for hundreds of years were gone, replaced with burnt-out husks, and the farms were turned into with ruins and war trenches. As the shaman of their village, she sensed the pain of nature around them.
They had truly underestimated these foreign invaders. For months they had been battling for territory, neither side showing a clear advantage. The invaders might have been the strongest force in the area, but they were surrounded by over a Dozen towns who worked together to keep them at bay. But something had changed a week ago.
In just a day five towns were destroyed, their populations killed to the last man apart from the lucky few who managed to escape in time. Even the elderly and the children weren’t spared, and their scouts had recounted scenes straight out of a nightmare. From there those black golems had started their crusade, destroying one town after another. The Invaders had clearly been holding back until now.
She couldn’t help but wonder if there were traitors among them. Did the invaders know that their top hunters were unavailable or dead due to the hunt? They had worked so hard to maintain a mirage of normalcy, risking their lives to keep the pressure on the Incursions. But it was all for naught as they went into a rampage while their strongest warriors were occupied with the hunt.
Everwood Refuge was only still standing because the invaders had started in the other direction, methodically working their way from city to city. Her first instinct had been to flee, but she knew that they couldn’t do that. The beats around were much too dangerous. Besides, if they fled they would give up their ancestral homes.
Using the teleporter wasn't a real option either, not to their force at least. It was just much too expensive to send someone through that miraculous gate. Even if her husband had returned with enormous gains it was far from enough for the whole city. They could afford to teleport a few hundred at the most, only a fraction of the two hundred thousand who lived in their town. They couldn't even afford to send all the children to safety.
Her eyes turned to her husband, desperately fighting against the rockmen. They were beyond sturdy. Not even the chief of the hunt managed to quickly kill those things in a one-on-one battle, which was a clear indicator of how the rest of the soldiers fared. Worse yet, they couldn't even use their fortifications to their advantage. The rockmen had made quick work of their protective shield and rampart with their huge boulders, and in less than 20 minutes it was gone.
The moment they saw that their shield wouldn't hold they had made their teleporter public in a desperate bid to enlist some help against their threat. She had been elated to see people come through their gate earlier, but most had quickly disappeared again after learning of the situation.
Only a few remained, though it was clear that they were mostly interested in fishing in the muddy waters. She had even been forced to send some soldiers to prevent looting from unscrupulous guests. But suddenly she saw one of the young hunters-in-training speed toward her with elation in his eyes. Riverleaf had stationed him by the teleporter so that he could keep an eye out for any reinforcements.
“The humans have sent reinforcements!” the youth said between pants.
“They have?” Riverleaf exclaimed, some hope finally rekindling in her heart. “How many?”
Little Leaf scratched his chin in hesitation before he muttered.
“Three people came,” he said with an almost inaudible voice. “But one is a child it seems?”
“So two warriors,” Riverleaf sighed in disappointment, realizing it was just more opportunists.
She knew that she couldn’t hope for too much. That large human organization had already indicated that they were overwhelmed with similar threats, and they had gotten similar responses from their Ishiate allies. But honestly, she knew that most simply did not wish to risk their lives for no reward.
“Yes, only two… But they are strong,” he added with wide eyes.
Riverleaf was about to respond when her heart suddenly thumped and she looked over in the distance with alarm. Two men and a blue child approached, and Riverleaf immediately understood that these people were the trio that Little Leaf mentioned. Her second sight screamed in alarm at their approach, telling her that this party could level Everwood Refuge without much trouble.
While there were three of them her eyes couldn’t help but turn toward the human in the middle. He had short hair the color of sand, and he wore an opulent golden robe that made her think of her brethren who gave up their connection to amass material wealth.
In his hand was a ruthless axe that made her almost flinch as she imagined an ocean of blood for some reason. She knew that it was an omen from her shamanic powers, but she couldn't guess it's meaning. The axe felt primal, like something their hunters would fashion out of the bones of a great beast. It was an odd choice of weapon for someone dressed in something so fine; the man was a contradiction of refinement and carnage.
She knew that her gifts could be noticed by some people since their world changed, but she couldn't help but activate her skill that the System had named [Minor Prophetic Vision]. She wanted to get a glimpse of whether these people were their saviors, but a soul-rending pain erupted in her mind, only allowing her a glimpse before her sight turned black.