Chapter 3.50: Zoot and the Wave

Chapter 3.50: Zoot and the Wave

Goblins stumbled through the swamp west of Broken Tusk. Theo stood, flanked on either side by [Lesser Copper Golems] with Alex perched on his shoulder. The gosling was excited to see the oncoming attack, but jumped and nearly lost her footing when the bombs went off. Throk was getting more creative with his defensive artifices, but they hardly seemed to matter. The alchemist stuffed the scared goose into his satchel, leaving enough space for her to poke her little head out if she wanted.

What an appreciable change of pace, Theo said, watching as citizens and adventurers carted the motes around. 8 of his golems were helping with the job, transporting the supply of motes theyd collected to the walls. The first wave we had was a bit of a nightmare.

How Xolsa had instigated a simple wave was beyond the alchemists understanding. Theo wouldnt complain. It gave him a chance to see how well Aarok had drilled the adventurers. There was no misunderstanding between them now. Each unit was drilled to perfection, often leaving the walls for a sortie. The Goblins would have trouble pushing into the range of the turrets, let alone to the walls. He walked the walls, finding his way south to Aaroks command post.

Wooden poles held up a hide awning, shading Luras and Aarok from the sun. Adventurers came in, giving status reports, but most of the commands were given through the tactical interface. Theo checked the interface, finding each adventurer segmented into distinct squads. Some ran to the north, checking on the [Hills Dungeon], others to the east for the [River Dungeon], and so on. There was no activity outside the swamp.

Most towns dont have such a mind for defense, Khahar said, appearing from nowhere.

Thats because most towns dont have to worry about it, Theo said. Weve got 5 dungeons to think about, so weapons were our first concern.

Luras grunted, leveling his gaze at the Khahari leader. How quick could you level this rabble?

In a blink, Khahar said. But then, how would you get stronger?

Theo nodded. He leaned over, trying to stifle a laugh. Hey Yuri, remember that one time you got set up by that lady from the Asia Alliance?

I cant even recall her name, Khahar said, trying and failing not to laugh. Left me out to dry. Why? Because I cheated at her dice game. The nerve.

What? Luras asked.

I tried to go back, Khahar said, ignoring the Half-Ogre. Figured if I could get strong enough, maybe I could turn back time. Save the planet. As I learned, it wasnt our planet that was destroyed. It was the universe.

Bummer, Theo said, watching a Goblin get zapped. Alex twitched at the booming sound of the turret, but everyone else was used to it. Not sure if my current position is much better. I often feel like a puppet.

Because youre short-sighted,, Khahar said. Aarok barked orders to a passing adventurer. Its going to take you a long time to understand this, Spencer. When you arrived, you were a pawn. When you took the soul-bond, the person who pulled the strings lost control. The moment you were out of the Burning Eyes reach, Drogramath betrayed him. Flipped the entire operation on its head.

Then Drogramath is pulling my strings, Theo said.

Wrong. Your realm grows stronger by the moment. If Drogramath cant pull your strings, hell do the next best thing. Make sure no one else can pull your strings, Khahar said. Your heart beats once, and the gods have made a thousand moves in the heavens. Time marches slow down here, but in the adjacent realms? Well, maybe all this information is cheating. But youre making your own decisions now.

Theo never felt as though he was following someone elses plan. The more he thought about it, the more he realized this whole experiment seemed like a failure. Even with 2 Drogramathi cores, the Demon Gods influence seemed miles away. But could the same be said for Fenian Feintleaf? One more cheat.

Does Fenian intend to harm Broken Tusk? Theo asked.

Khahar leveled his gaze at the alchemist, piercing him with the power of the Khahari Desert. Who do you think knocked their plans off course? When hes done with the first stage of his plan, remember that empathy.

Theo looked over the wall again. Yuri wouldnt lie to him. If he said Fenian was on the level, that was the end. Khahar might think the alchemist had some love for the kingdom, but he was wrong. The only thing he felt was disappointment. Unless King Karasan showed he cared about anyone in the south, it would be a good thing if Qavell fell. Especially if they were expecting something big to happen, failing to inform their subjects. At least it was a good example of what not to do when running things.

Khahar remained near the command tent, giving no advice on what they should do for the battle. Both Luras and Aarok seemed to dislike, if not hate, the Khahari leader. But that was Half-Ogres. They trusted authority as much as a rabid Marsh Wolf, and those with power even less. Theo just listened into the reports being given, eventually finding himself running motes for the northern section of the wall. Goblins had slipped past their defenses and were making a run for the section near the farm.

Many of the crates stationed near the farms turrets needed a resupply. Civilians were manning those stations, feeding motes into the turrets as quickly as they could fire. This section of wall wasnt well-defended, but Aarok showed his mettle as a tactician. Theo spotted Tresk in the forest of Ogre Cypress below, weaving her way through the Goblins back ranks with a team of stealthers. To his surprise, the Marshling made an excellent commander. Her group executed hit-and-run tactics expertly, never lingering long enough to draw the mass of seething monsters. They were methodical, leaving poisoned Goblins to writhe in the dirty marsh before moving on to another section of the monster wave.

Theo picked up on chatter from passing adventurers. They spoke of a group of hooded figures in a copse near the river. When they brought it to the alchemists attention, he deferred to Aaroks command. If migrants were on the road to the east, they should be safe from the wave. He made his way to the northern section of the wall, finding none of the crates in need of resupply, and moved on to the eastern wall. The alchemist tracked a path to the harbors wall, trying to see what the fuss was about. He drank a [Potion of Lesser Foresight] just in case there was trouble.

There were no migrant trains visible from the wall, despite it being a clear day. Theo sent a mental signal to his lodestone network, recalling his remaining [Lesser Copper Golem] and standing perched on the wall. The terrain to the north was a gentle slope of land, the road following the rivers path. He spotted the cluster of trees the adventurers spoke of, but couldnt see anything strange. Broken Tusk didnt own the land that far out, so people might have been roaming the area. He walked the perimeter of the harbor, finding nothing suspicious on the other end before meeting with the adventurers who saw the figures.

Bal and his 2 brothers were the ones who saw the people, but none had much to say.

Just a few people, Bal said. Thought wed make the report, cause you never know.

Right, Theo said. Too far out for any detail.

It wasnt a slow process. Theo was surprised with how many hits the thing took before it died. The Troll left a trail of slimy goo along its march, plants rotting in its wake. Aarok knew better than to let that trail of filth stay where it was, ordering the bomb-lobbing adventurers to burn the swamp with the alchemists [Firebombs]. But the familiar system message popped up the moment the Plague Lord died.

[Boss Monster] defeated! Plague Lord Gripstink has been slain. Bonus Wave!

[Bonus Wave!] Broken Tusk defeated the monster wave in 3 hours! Bonus wave: [Aerial Attack!].

[Aerial Attack!]

Monster Wave

Duration: Infinite

Pincer Attack!

The [Swamp Dungeon] has generated aerial enemies!

These half-bird half-Elf creatures dont care about your walls! Hope youve invested in ranged attackers, or wall-mounted weapons.

Defeating this wave will result in a greater reward, but the difficulty is increased significantly.

Effects:

1 flying boss monster has spawned from the [Swamp Dungeon]. She leads a group of aerial enemies!

Increased reward for completing the monster wave.

Gain an additional effect for completing the wave within a time limit (24 hours).

Ah, shit, Aarok said, issuing orders to the citizens of Broken Tusk.

Everyone in the town was sent to find refuge indoors. He ordered adventurers to remain with ranged attackers, getting inside if they couldnt find a partner. Most adventurers in town were melee attackers, rendering them obsolete. Theo saw a problem with running motes to the towers while they were bombarded by aerial enemies, but remained at the western gate. Alex let out a concerned chirp.

They got me! Tresk shouted into Theos mind, only to appear beside him a moment later.

Nevermind, Tresk said. They came flooding out of the dungeon. Like a flock of angry birds. They were cussin, too.

The adventurers waited on the wall, spotting the clouds of bird-like monsters after a few minutes. Tresks squad rushed through the open gate, trailed by several others that were trapped out in the open. When the bird-things drew close enough for Theo to see, he recoiled. They looked like Elves twisted into the form of birds. Clawed feet with mottled plumage covering their nude bodies. They had wings where their arms should have been, ending in jagged talons. Even their faces were vile, beaked and chittering as they were.

The first assault saw the air filled with the scent of singed feathers, a smell not unlike burning hair. The [Chain Lightning Tower] fired volleys, joined by their less powerful [Fireball Towers], and [Firebolt Towers]. While the [Frost Cone Towers] froze the monsters in place, forcing them to drop from the sky, the bird-things were smart enough to fly patterns around them. Aarok issued orders frantically, eyes glued to his tactical map as he rearranged adventurers. More than once, he redirected Luras to free a captured adventurer, resulting in a scramble to feed them healing potions from the damage of the fall.

Theo felt his body go weightless as his eyes were glued to a captured adventurer. He fell just as quick as he rose, spotting a bird-person above him. His [Lesser Copper Golems] took the attack personally, snatching the bird from the air and pummeling it on the battlements. Tresk also took this to heart, seeking monsters to graze with her poisonous knives.

The battle went on like this for a while, a wild scramble to reposition the few ranged attackers in town. Xolsa saw the most kills, warping reality around clouds of the beasts and ending the life of the boss. Theo didnt even get to see the boss monster until it plummeted into the center of town. The first part of the monster wave only took 3 hours, but the bonus wave consumed the afternoon. When the system message finally flashed, the defenders of Broken Tusk were tired and wounded. Zarali had established a station for healing in the center of town, right near the fallen corpse of Flight Lady Zoot. The alchemist relished the wave complete message.

[Boss Monster] defeated! Flight Lady Zoot has been slain.

[Monster Wave] completed!

Reward:

50 gold.

[Ring of Terogal]

Theo breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the message. He rushed to his lab, finding Salire shaken, but carrying an armful of healing potions. The alchemist sent her to Zaralis healing station and ran inside to fill his inventory. While the battle was over, there were wounded citizens to attend to.