Chapter 56: The Charge

Chapter 56: The Charge

Heat built under Leif’s bark and every muscle went tense. The paralysing cold was shunted to the side, his body regaining control. But that wasn’t all. Far from it.

All over his body his plant-like nature became clearly apparent. Red leaves bloomed where newly growing branches shot from his back and arms. The wooden spikes outlining the crown of his head rapidly lengthened, each jutting out like ivory horns. Blood red leaves billowing out like a canopy of crimson hair, or the plume of a helmet.

The shadow webbing, tightly wound around his body, was shredded by the sudden growth. As was the travelling cloak gifted to him by Hera. Leif staggered forward, falling to one knee. He was temporarily overwhelmed by the sudden change to his physical form.

Everything felt electric, from the sharp tips of his four clawed hands to the beating well of life force within his chest. It urged him up, to expand, to grow into his true potential. And for a brief instant he felt something more. It was a distant feeling, incorporeal and fleeting yet somehow all around. Then it was gone.

Golden light flared as cracks formed up and down his body, pain, this time real, lanced into his very soul. It was too much, he was burning up from the inside. It was as if the vitality coursing through his very being was trying to tug his existence in different directions.

His mind reeled at the sensations. How is it so strong? Is the skill being amplified by the vitality within me? Or is it the other way around.

He gasped, desperately trying to wrestle his rapidly transforming body under control. But it wasn’t working. The power within him wanted to grow. It needed to grow.

So he redirected that intense desire into something else. The two spiders chittered in frustration, neither willing to get too close to the plant monster that had suddenly lit up like a golden beacon, light blazing from within.

When a dozen amber limbs erupted from all over the spriggan’s body they weren’t totally unprepared. What they were unprepared for was the sudden increase in reach. Bladed gold impaled and amber fingers ripped as the two monsters, each three metres away, were torn to pieces.

Blue crystals slowly manifested out of similarly coloured mist over their twitching copses, but Leif barely registered the phenomenon.

Almost immediately the newly conjured arms destabilised, the rampant energy rendering the skill constructs brittle and volatile. They broke apart into amber motes of light, essence drifting up into the night sky.

But there was more to come, Leif pushed himself up to a standing position and lurched himself to the side as a pack of three more spiders scuttled past, their abnormally long limbs easily allowing them to step over any still standing tents.

Amber limbs once again burst from all over his body, the spiders stood no chance. The bundles of shadow they were hauling along fell to the ground with unceremonious thuds.

Leif could detect lifeforce and emotions from within, but he was barely in a state to help. Everything ached, each movement sending soul deep waves of agony through his body. The rampaging energy had subsided, but it had left him feeling raw and weak.

He limped over to the first bundle and ripped it apart with his clawed hands. A girl was within, Leif thought he recognised her as the expedition’s assistant coordinator but he couldn’t be sure. She was paralysed, unable to move except for the terror in her darting eyes.

Leif saw the pain, the fear. It hurt him deeply to feel a portion of both be shunted onto him. He moved on to the next bundle, this one contained a still asleep nomad.

Leif paused, but didn’t think too much about it. It was idiotic to sleep through something like this but he supposed alcohol was alcohol.

The third bundle was very small, too small to be someone’s entire body. Sure enough it contained a severed leg. Leif winced internally at the sight and healed both freed captives. He was running low on stored vitality, the abnormal usage of his skills weighing him down both physically and spiritually.

Someone screamed and he moved forward, half delirious. But not before grabbing one of the spider corpses by the spear tipped feet and draining its remaining vitality.

The largest of the hogs were no strangers to danger. Several of them bore scars from previously won battles.

Normally hogs wouldn’t actively seek conflict. Sure, they could be violent, especially when it came to protecting their young. But if one thing was readily apparent about these creatures it was that their behaviour wasn’t exactly normal.

The biggest of hogs slowly worked itself up into a frenzy, its younger and smaller family following its lead. One by one eyes turned to the distant campsite. They all froze, a powerful and familiar flare of energy erupted from the battle.

The lead hog squealed, outraged at the thought of leaving the protector to fight all alone. It was an old creature, its hide wore the signs of age, one of its tusks was broken. But ever since it and its family had encountered the protector things had been good.

From spending every day, desperately scavenging for food, struggling to survive. It didn’t want to lose what it had found. Something bound it to the protector, it bound them all. The connection wasn’t forceful or malicious, instead it was comforting, liberating.

It squealed once more, then rushed off down the slightly sloped hillside. A tide of furious fur followed after it.

The uneven rocky ground made the initial build up of momentum struggle to take off. Once the majority of the hogs had reached firmer ground they began to pick up speed. The earth shook under their hooves, almost two hundred beasts charging.

Their charge ran straight into a retreating group of monsters. Slender legs snapped under the onslaught as the hogs ploughed forward, unstoppable and furious. Dark webbing impacted a few but it wasn’t nearly enough.

The tide of animals reached the human camp and split in two. Like waves tide parting before the prow of a ship. Each half of the stampede curving around one side, the horde encircling the campsite, dozens of spiders perishing each second. Bundles of shadow fell from where they were being carried, they landed on the sea of hogs and were swept up in the charge.

A minute later the charge tapered off. The lead hog had accidentally run face first into a boulder and from there it all fell apart. Stunned survivors of the expedition stared in awe at their sudden and unexpected saviours.

Several of the hogs all moved to where their protector was slumped against a mostly collapsed tent. He reached out and petted them on the snout.

Hera stood in partial disbelief, then she started barking orders. The injured were gathered and those wrapped up in webbing were freed.

===

That night several animals all received system notifications they couldn’t read.

Level up! Class [Canyon Swine] is now level 10!

For savagely trampling monsters far stronger than yourself you have gained a level!

+1 to [Might]!

Congratulations! You have reached the level cap for your [Canyon Swine] class! Would you like to evolve? Y/N

Warning! You are vulnerable while undergoing beast evolution!