Chapter 2864 Wretched Land (Part 2)

Chapter 2864 Wretched Land (Part 2)

"There are so many monsters that it doesn't matter how many we kill in a direct battle. They eat our and their own fallen to produce an offspring that reaches maturity in days. noVelb1n

"It's the reason we always dispose of the corpses after every battle. The good news is that without the leaders, the monster tide will fracture into multiple hordes that can actually be exterminated."

"Can't you or Vladion do it?" Kamila asked.

"Yeah, right." Ilthin scoffed. "Monsters are immune to my charms and even if they weren't, their leaders are damn smart. They don't go around wearing a crown or lavish clothes.

"They stick to the middle of the tide, surrounded by so many underlings that I'd die before I get there. Even if somehow I managed to succeed, how do I tell the real leader from his bodyguards?

"It's not like I can take a stroll among them and ask for directions. I would be surrounded by millions of monsters charging at me from every side. Not even if I was a Divine Beast I would survive that."

"Point taken." Lith nodded. "Any news from the elves?"

"Only that they have locked themselves inside a Fringe." She replied with a snort. "They use guerrilla tactics as well but with the advantage that the monsters can't enter the Fringe.

"The elves prepare their spells, get out, unleash them, get in, rinse and repeat."

"Why so angry? It sounds like a good strategy."

"It is, but as I told you, unless you get rid of the corpses it just buys you a bit of time. On top of that, the elves have refused to leave the Fringe even for a few hours and turned down every offer to collaborate." Ilthin replied.

"Idiots. Lith took out his communication amulet and called Aalejah. "I can't do anything about the elves from Jiera but those from Garlen are supposed to help us. Otherwise they can kiss their future cities and the books about modern magic goodbye!" The former apprentice of the World Tree was now a member of the Awakened Council of Garlen and the appointed liaison between elves and humans during the colonization expedition.

"Hey, Lith. It's been a while. How are you doing?" Her blue eyes sparkled with joy from hearing a familiar voice.

'How strong was that pile of trash?' He asked after every defeat.

'About as much as your brother.' Night always replied with a mocking laughter.

Of course, it wasn't true. A cursed object of that size needed a Guardian just to be pushed back. Without a proper spell to destroy their power core, the death of a cursed city would have triggered a devastation of untold proportions.

Yet the lie stoked the fires of Orpal's rage and envy, keeping his motivation strong.

What Night had failed to take into account was his mental sanity. Or rather, the state that was considered normal for his twisted mind. Death was a scarring experience and Orpal's streak of defeats on Jiera was longer than the Wayfinder. Both took a toll on his mental state and after escaping from the Golden Griffon, eating was the only pleasure he had left.

To heal Orpal's wounds and make him stronger via body refining, Night needed nutrients. The Horseman's pocket dimension had been filled with delicacies, but after months without restocking there wasn't a single morsel of food left

To make matters worse, Orpal had never learned how to cook or to field dress a prey.

Cooking was a woman's job and his parents had disowned Orpal when he was considered too young to handle a knife. As for Night, she had never needed to do either of those things.

Her previous hosts were undead whose meals required no preparation. She only knew the thrill of the hunt and the ecstasy of the feeding. To make matters worse, monsters tasted disgusting even if someone knew how to butcher them.

Orpal had tried to imitate the protagonists of the stories he had listened to as a child, ripping off a leg or arm from a corpse and putting it on a fire as it was. The result tasted so bad that it required him to swallow the meat while holding his nose without munching.

Even then, he would usually puke everything in a few hours.

Night didn't care since during that time she still managed to extract from the wretched flesh everything she needed. She considered his pain and hunger the proper punishment for Orpal's incompetence and she believed that it would have made him grow strong faster.

That until his mind had started to slip.