Chapter 409

While the Companions were partying, the Echoes were preparing to invade the Quarry. On Cain’s orders, they had stopped antagonizing the other hunters and stealing kills, so instead, they decided to wait until after dark when everyone had gone back into the city to go all out and hunt.

The quarry was enormous, almost a square kilometer, and completely packed with the Crazed. They weren’t coming from here, the Echoes had been watching for hours and none of them left, but a few dozen more had arrived, pushing and jostling for space to get down the ramp and into the quarry. That made them think their Ancient wasn’t as incompetent as he seemed, he had sent them to a spot where they could find a real challenge and not just some under-leveled dungeon where the best they could hope for was a time trial against each other.

This place positively exuded power, suggesting to them that something stronger than a mythic creature was in here somewhere. With a bit of luck, there would be two or more so that they could both test themselves against a real enemy.

The first step to finding their challenge will be to eliminate the trash. The easiest way to do that is with flying beastkin, given Mythic Dragon Breath. They realized yesterday that dragons themselves are inefficient for most fights. They are simply too large to effectively blanket an area. But if you use flying beastkin, or other medium-sized flying creatures, they have room to maneuver and layer dragon breath over an area.

Transforming themselves into bat type beastkin for the efficient leathery wings and sonar that can give them a good reading on the status of the fight below a sea of fire, they call forth their armies, with one single pair of Mythic Divine Fire Dragons and activate [Ancient Wisdom]. The blessing of [Divine Fire Breath] spreads through the beastkin army and the dragons give a cruel laugh, understanding what is to come.

“Ancients never do change, do they? Even half-alive they still seek to rule over the world and all within it.” The dragons taunt their summoners, who only smile back at them in response. After all, these might be Mythic Dragons, but they are still summons, and can’t do anything about their status.

“Our master ordered that we clear the quarry and then find the vortex that is creating the Crazed humanoids. The faster we can get it done, the sooner we can find the real challenge that I can feel hiding inside the crowd.” One Echo informs the dragons, who nod in agreement.

“What is life without a challenge? Let’s get going then. I have no intention of being here all night.”

With that, the dragons lead the army forth in a wave of fire so intense that the residents of the city think that the sun has risen early. It might be out of sight due to the hills in between the quarry and the city, but the Divine Fire lights up the sky like a vengeful star, so intense that it is hard to believe that anything could have possibly survived.

But as the Echoes hoped, something did. Two crazed launch themselves out of the quarry in their direction as the quarry burns and the stones melt in the inferno. Both are on the Immortal level, but they have a strange aura. They do not feel like an individual, but like many individuals compressed together. The Echoes noticed clones entering the quarry, could this be the outcome of many of them merging together? Between the two of them, they might have enough mythic summons to accomplish the task.

But that experiment can come later, first, they have finally found the fight of a lifetime.

The echoes spread to opposite sides of the quarry, each leading one of the Immortal Awakened Crazed away to duel. The echo on the south is first to engage, shifting back into its natural Ancient form and activating [Crushing Tentacles] to lock the crazed in place and begin crushing the life out of it. The Immortal takes as little damage from them as they do from unawakened, and even dozens of tentacles barely make a dent in its life before being shredded apart by the claws of the Wolf Kin Crazed, its silver fur now soaked in black ichor.

Laughing in Joy the Echo activates [Superior Mental Domination] and orders the beastkin to its doom.

[Kneel before your betters, Dog.] roars through every mind within a hundred meters, bringing the immortal momentarily to its knees, while the Echo adds [Lightning Lance] to the [Crushing Tentacles] surrounding each in lightning and adding a spike to the end of the mighty black ropes of flesh.

The damage done increases exponentially, and the wolf kin roars in pain, breaking the Imprisoning command and tearing free of the tentacles again, before ripping a chunk of the Echo’s wing off in his jaws as the enormous Ancient struggles to dodge the increased speed of his foe.

A string of fireballs rushes out of the Echo’s body towards its opponent, who surrounds himself in a shimmering purple barrier, letting them impact without concern as it rips free of the pernicious tentacles, clearly becoming annoyed at the constant attempts to immobilize it.

The smell of burnt fur fills the air as the beastkin activates an ability and floats into the air, now even with the Echo’s head and not as easy for the tentacles to hit. But that isn’t going to stop the shadow cloaked manifestation, who simply casts the [Crushing Tentacles] spell on his own body as a base and flies up to meet the beastkin head-on, drawing a shield and one-handed ax from its inventory.

The sight is a bit comical, the shield is three times the size of the beastkin, but his claws leave deep furrows on the surface, which almost immediately vanish, eliciting a snarl. The shield is enchanted with [Indestructible] so no matter how much he damages it, the defensive barrier will heal in seconds.

Instead, the beastkin grabs the shield the next time he gets close and uses it for leverage to get closer, clawing at the mighty Ancient’s face.

Every strike he lands takes a healthy chunk of the Echo’s health, which is quickly refilling, but not fast enough to bring it back to full. With the Lightning effect on the Tentacles, the Immortal is in far from pristine condition himself but feels he is slowly getting the upper hand.

Not knowing Ancient Physiology, the wolf kin aims for where he thinks the jugular should be, only for the head to turn, lifting the barrier of tentacles and bathing him in a wave of Divine Fire. Unlike when the actual dragon uses it, the version that comes from the Ancient is cloaked in shadow instead of light, but it still sticks to the beastkin, doing far more damage than it has any right to.

Retreating away from the fire to find a more vulnerable angle to attack the tentacle monster with a humanoid core, the Awakened Immortal dips himself in the nearby river, then sees his attack point, directly under the Echo’s feet. There is a clear path up his back to attack the base of his wings. In a streak of fur most mortal eyes could never hope to follow, he charges the vulnerable back side of the Echo, rending one wing clear off and sending it crashing to the ground, where it roars again, commanding the Immortal to the ground.

The command is broken in seconds, but that is enough for the mighty ax to smash down on the Crazed beastkin, removing the right arm just below its elbow. It is a specialty of the weapon called [Trophy Taker]. With only one claw at the moment, the beastkin is greatly limited. It will grow back sooner or later, thanks to the regenerative effects that Awakened beings share, but not soon enough. 

The Echo has launched a vicious barrage of attacks, each only doing a little damage, but the chance of the weapon’s special effect succeeding in taking a limb again is an ever-present danger.

His health is getting low, thanks to the combination of the tentacles and the ax, so the Immortal goes for a desperate gambit, attempting to drive his arm through the Ancient and rip its heart out. The attack is a bit too predictable though, and the Echo twists at the last second, catching the opponent in [Lightning Lance] coated teeth and soaking it in [Divine Fire Breath] until the smell of roasted meat replaces singed fur and the announcement finally appears in the kill feed.

[Echo has Killed Immortal Awakened Crazed]