132 Undead Unleashed

Nivar stood atop her bizarre pet, a zombified giant. The giant was a primitive-looking thing, dressed in the furs of some massive animal, and with a dazed look on its passive face. Both of its tree-truck-like arms and legs were on the ground and even on all fours it stood several meters tall.

Unlike her pet, Nivar was not merely a mobile corpse. Nivar was a fully intelligent, almost autonomous undead being. And she had thoughts of her own. Presently all of her thoughts were fixated on the thick wooden wall that stood between her and her master's objectives: the extermination of a community of living mortals.

Nivar's hands were at her side. She had lowered them after receiving her blessing. After a few moments of quiet contemplation, the young grave giant rose them and did her own verminous version of a smile. But there was no magical energy gathered in her hands. She had a different idea in mind for how to finish the destruction she had begun. One that'd allow her to save her supped up spells for when she'd need them.

She stretched a single finger at the wall and spoke. "Destroy." She muttered, her voice soft and causing her to experience pangs of discomfort. Fortunately for her, she was as loud as she needed to be. The giant she was mounted on top of started forward with a halting gait, before finally beginning to sprint at the wall.

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There was a smile on my face when Nivar uttered that single word. It showed me something admirable about her: she knew she didn't need to do everything alone. There was a point in my life, days ago, when I felt that I couldn't rely on others. It was a feeling I never voiced, but one I felt all the same. I know better than that now. And I was happy that my worshipers were already so wise.

Parts of my mind were elsewhere, beyond my physical form, but the part of me that remained within my body was delighted at the events on Salifinos. Nivar and her pet were currently the undead servants of mine that were closest to mortal life on Salifinos and Nivar was showing me a little bit of leadership potential.

Depending on how she did here a part of me was open to making her a real leader within my horde. I could use leaders within that messy mass of undead might and it'd be nice if Nivar, one of the original undead I rose up before I had a horde, was one of them.

My dream-selves were making progress. They steadily explored the dreams they had infiltrated and were corrupting things. None of them had yet encountered the dream-forms of the people whose minds they had invaded, but I wasn't in a rush. I knew they just needed time.

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I watched as Nivar's pet swung its mighty arms at the wall that obstructed it. The beast panted as a result of the physical exertions it was being forced to do, to complete the command it had been given.

The giant was an eerie thing. It was far taller than Nivar herself, even when crouching on all fours, and had larger muscles than any other living creature I had seen aside from a dragon. It swung its limbs in an uncoordinated manner, merely bashing them against the walls that ringed the boundaries of the town the monsters were attacking, but it was strong enough to be effective anyway.

Each time one of its limbs bashed into the wall, or the oaf hurled its body against the wood that stood between it and slaughter, the barrier budged a bit more. Each strike brought the horde closer and closer to the living mortals they sought to devour, but only produced a noise comparable to a dull thud, and not the explosive roar that such an attack should have produced. I watched the giant strike the wall three times, before I sighed and had had enough of its limited strength.

I reached out with my mind, and spoke directly to Nivar.

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"Your pet looks like he could use... A boost." I told my servant, deciding to hint at what I was about to do. I felt her excitement, as an echo of it radiated out of her and into me.

"Master... Are you enjoying yourself?" She asked me, her mental voice much clearer than her physical one. I heard no signs of pain in it, only the excitement of a subordinate who had been seeking their superior's approval. I chuckled.

"I am. But your pet seems to be struggling." I told her, speaking cryptically. She couldn't see me, but I was smiling.

"Oh? Is he?" She asked, beginning to sound a little bit concerned, but I merely rose a metaphorical hand, and began to bless the massive beast. I was bestowing it with a temporary blessing, one that increased its strength.

"He is. But he won't be for long." I told the grave-giant turned worm-that-walks. I sensed a bit of confusion radiated off of her, but it only lasted the time that it took her mount to hurl another powerful strike against the wall. This time there wasn't a dull thud when it tried to bash the wall in.

The beast's attack was a powerful one that made use of its thick body. My blessing was fast-acting and even seconds after I blessed the thing the difference in power was immediately noticeable. The wall was visibly forced back, but the craftsmanship of the thing was commendable and the wall refused to collapse. Nivar was encouraged by this though and cheered her pet on. She radiated genuine joy, and I chuckled at the positive outburst.

"One more attack." I muttered, inaudibly. The beast Nivar was riding reared up and proceeded to throw a single, powerful punch at the wall.

The beast's meaty fist collided with the already damaged barrier and proceeded to not only smash through the wall, busting the area the fist collided with into splinters, but continued onwards until lazily coming to a stop a few seconds after smashing the wall to bits.