Chapter 690 (1/2)

Book 6, Chapter 82 – The Battle of Skycloud

Spindly wastelands weeds reached toward the sky They peeked from a barren landscape The corpses of wasteland critters were everywhere Maggots were everywhere Insects where everywhere

The city's ele sands Citizens tried to keep up appearances, but they were quickly running out of food and water They were growing frail and eled with despair in their sunken eyes

So and elderly, ere hit hardest by these tragedies Others let their twisted, foul natures show by cheating, stealing or looting what they could Survival instinct underathered in the main square and prostrated the all hope in beseeching forgiveness fro to show them how to escape this misfortune

Humans were coht, could lead to staggering transfored – when they were brought to the brink – that a person truly came to understand themselves

Wastelanders and Elysians weren't any different It all ca made it, the unequipped did not

Cloudhaas stunned at how quickly things had changed In only a few short months, fertile soil had turned to lifeless sand Incredible, that such a ile

It'd started when Adder used his primeval weapon to destroy one of the focal fortresses Without the energy field, Skycloud's condition began to deteriorate The process could be reversed with the right distribution of energy Protections could be reengaged, sparing Elysians from the harsh sun and arid climate

But Selene – the real Selene – had eroded in the face of a God's power The human who feared for her people was locked behind an Avatar Robbing the last vestiges of the real death In truth, Elysians still had it ten times better than wastelanders However, those used to a pampered life found it enormously difficult to live in a world of scarcity In less than a year,times

Cloudhaasn't the chief culprit here Still, as an iure in this historic period he had to bear some responsibility

The old Selene had seen the kindness and worth in Skycloud's people Cloudha it too Since the Selene he kneas locked away, it fell on him to help defend the people she cared for

Here they were NoNo matter what happened, Cloudhawk had to stop the Avatar fro anymore innocent lives He had to wrench Selene frorasp

Between the Cloud God and other senior Elysians under his banner, Cloudhawk's people encountered no resistance whiletheir way across the realm All cities and fortresses they passed quickly surrendered The Green Alliance won victory in theircity after city

While taking Skycloud wasn't Cloudhawk's intention – nor any part of his original plan – nonetheless his Green Alliance ing up vast swaths as theyhalf the realm's population was under his control

The Green Alliance may very well have moved beyond the definition of a wilderness power Cloudhaas on the cusp of unwittingly achieving what Arcturus could not Real unification

The Khan of Evernight was traveling a short distance before Cloudhawk His cold, digitized voice made a report “Most of the cities we've encountered have had no troops stationed Neither city guards nor troops garrisoned in fortresses They've alht More than likely, all of the troops had been recalled to Skycloud city

“It looks like the Te for a final battle” Cloudhawk rubbed his forehead in exasperation “Unless I' to face a million troops or more in the capitol Those numbers are unprecedented, and the bloodshed will be too”

The scale of defenders protecting Skycloud would be a far sight greater than what they faced at Sanctuary It ht would determine the fate of both Skycloud and the wastelands

Froht move She shrank the realm's enchantments to the heart of the city and protected it with every last loyal soldier she couldthe front lines to a very ser the defenders were

These soldiers were also wholly under the sway of the Terand influence likely wouldn't erode their resolve In all likelihood, Cloudhaas facing a brutal contest

Leader of the e, answered in his own cruel tone “What are you afraid of? We kill our way in, and cut our way out Our strength is not inferior”

Cloudhawk shook his head “I' the cost Like a group of cannibals being circled by a pack of wolves All the blood and sacrifice… how is it worth anything? What's the point? These soldiers don't even knohat they're fighting for”

The others lapsed into silence, considering his words He wasn't wrong They all shared a coainst the real threat

When the Gods came, all of this would just make it easier for them to scour this world clean

Cloudhawk didn't have the time to mull over the problem The Avatar made sure he only had days to find an answer