90 The Coming Tide (2/2)

With that in mind, I looked up from my status screens. I flew up into the air, well over the trees, and Springfield spread out before me. It was a warzone.

Giant beetles stood behind steel legion vehicles and troops, firing green bolts of energy. The green plasma shot out into the yellow forests, splashing into trees with a vibrant emerald in the distance. Troops fired plasma rifles that streaked with blue flashes. They melted flesh, halting regeneration.

Those blue bolts came from trenches lining the streets, just inside the containment field. Eltari flew through the air above the assault, dropping bombs or diving into the spawns and named of Yawm. From all sides, the forest’s grip waned. The yellow wasn’t growing anymore. Patches of the forest browned, dying as the troops cut through the roots and left the forest to burn in a green fire.

All of the suburbs had been taken over. The dense, lush cityscape was all that remained now. The followers couldn’t or weren’t handling the problem. Without Etna’s explosive assaults, Torix’s blitz sped up with epic results. At this rate, it wouldn’t even be a week before they reached the world tree.

A delighted smile raced up my face as I stared at the sight. I landed in the middle of an empty encampment, all the tents empty and no one walking nearby. They all busied themselves with slaughter. It was a refreshing feeling, knowing morale was no doubt high. Even if an army is facing giant monsters, they won’t give a fuck if they’re beating them.

I leaped over the buildings and burrowed under them, weaving through obstacles before landing in front of Torix’s house. As I did, I kept a giant telekinetic pad beneath me. This compressed the area beneath me, creating a circle of deepened earth surrounded by cracks. Hod raced out of the room at the sound.

Across his face, three beetles tried chewing through the metallic plate. He raised his fingers, several larvae chewing on his fingers. Hod whined,

“Hod need Harbinger’s help! Dry man no help Hod.”

I rolled my eyes before jogging up. I jerked the beetles off him, letting them bite into my armor. Their teeth shattered against my skin as we walked inside. Torix went back forth, the lines on his map ever-shifting. He sent out message after message, typing out messages onto his status screen and sending them.

He didn’t even use his real hands. He had two extra arms made of blue mana that did it for him. He walked towards a ritual site where he placed a palm on an egg. A flash of black and purple mana shot outwards, blowing a few papers back before Torix stepped back up towards the map. The red lines shifted before he sent a few more messages.

From behind him, a jet black beetle crawled out of the egg and expanded. A giant sack of green dragged against the wooden floorboards. Torix walked up towards the beetle placed a palm on the beetle's forehead. A flash of darkness followed. The eyeless beetle nodded, scurrying off towards a giant tunnel leading to the basement.

I blinked a few times before Torix turned to me,

“Thank Schema you’re here. Another second of Hod’s interference and I’d have snapped.”

Torix always looked thin, like a dried-out corpse. He covered himself in an elegant, soft robe of black and gold that kept him from being gross. Combine that with two cobalt colored fireballs for eyes, and Torix struck an imposing figure. That figure degraded during the three days I spent learning my mythical skill.

The robe was disheveled, lacking the pristine clean Torix normally maintained. His eyes were more like blue coals than the normal fiery circles. On his face was a manic smile though that contrasted the exhaustion showing everywhere else. As he paced up to me, a spark of fear shot up my spine. It was like a mad doctor coming at you with a scalpel. Talk about spooky.

He pointed a finger at me, “You had better have a good reason for taking so long.”

I nodded, “I do.”

Torix spread his arms, “Well...What is it?”

A mischievous grin appeared on my lips, “I got my next mythical.”

Torix clapped his hands, “Well then, I suppose that will do. Is that your fourth one already?”

I raised three fingers, “Nope, only three so far. I’m hoping for a few more soon.”

“Good. Now, you and Hod will finish off the last dangerous rift near the center of the world tree. I’ve waited until all of the followers were preoccupied. After one of their own disappeared, they’ve been far less disruptive. I believe you’ve given them something to fear. Now I’m abusing that fear.”

Torix turned towards the map, walking with purpose, “I told the troops one of their own has slain a follower over two thousand levels above himself. You’re being looked to as a symbol of the resistance, partially for your humanity and partially for your feats.”

I frowned, “Sucks some of those feats are lies.”

Torix shook his head, “They aren't quite lying, however. They are the truth presented from an angle. Regardless of your misgivings about them, they are fulfilling their purpose. With each passing moment, our troops are leveling as the enemies forces are waning. It’s as if we’re cannibals feasting on the corpses of our enemies.”

Hod raised a hand, “Except Eltari. Eltari not cannibals if eat human.” He leaned forward as if he was saying something profound,

“Humans ugly though. Hod doubt Eltari ever eat human. Human too much like metal too. Hod does not understand why Humans all covered in metal.”

Torix and I stared at him, trying to decipher his sentence for a moment. I pursed my lips, “Hod...the legion and I are both wearing armor. That’s not our actual skin or anything, except with maybe me. I’m not normal though.”

Hod’s hands lowered as he gasped, “Humans have no metal skin?”

Torix pinched the bridge of his nose, “Answering your questions is like driving a nail through each of my fingernails. The word hatred, quite frankly, can’t explain what I feel for you. It’s something darker, more malignant, like cancer.”

Hod nodded, “Hod understand Dry Man anger. Dry Man thirsty because Dry Man is dry. Hod forgive Dry Man. Hod get cranky when Hod thirsty too.”

I laughed as Torix raised both his hands to his face,

“If I had a working heart, it would shrivel and die knowing you exist.” Torix turned to me, ”Take him away from me. I can handle no more.”

I grabbed Hod and dragged him out of the house,

“Yeah, I can’t blame you. Anyways, keep kicking ass here and I’ll do the same out there.”

Torix nodded, his frustration fading into a slight smile, “I expect as much from you.”

After getting Hod out of the house, I turned towards Hod. Despite Hod's lack of mental prowess, his speed was undeniable. While not as quick as Althea, he was a close second in our group. Kessiah could outrun all of us in theory, but the ground would just melt under her feet. It would be like trying to jump on water.

Curious about figuring out how fast I was now, I asked,

“Want a race?”