Chapter 686: Hurts... M-Mama... Why...

The cavern shook as Thoren’s undead legion surrounded the Mother from every side.

The undead Garron reached it first. It leaped forward and brought his massive butcher knife down on the Mother’s left shoulder, the blade whistling through the air.

Clang!

Two of the Mother’s hands caught the blade between their palms. The undead Garron strained against it, but the abomination twisted its wrists, and the knife was wrenched from his grip.

A third hand struck his chest, and it was thrown backward across the ledge.

The undead Elite Jackal Beastman came from the right, its spiked club raised high. It slammed the weapon down toward the Mother’s ribs, and the spikes bit into the pale, stitched skin.

Thud!

For a moment, black fluid seeped from the wound. The mouths along the Mother’s body let out a long, trembling cry, half pain and half laughter.

Then a thick arm swung around and hit the Jackal Beastman across the face. Its skull snapped sideways, and its body crashed into the stone, the club rolling out of reach.

Behind the Mother, the undead Kharv and the undead Royalty Stonewall charged together, their damaged armor still marked by the rib-spears. Kharv struck at its back, and Royalty Stonewall hit its legs, trying to break its balance.

Bang! Bang!

The Mother staggered half a step.

The stone cracked beneath its feet, and its dozens of eyes rolled wildly toward them. Then several of its arms lashed backward, too many to count.

One caught the undead Kharv and hurled him aside. Another slammed into the undead Royalty Stonewall’s chest and drove him to the ground.

Thoren’s jaw tightened.

’Don’t stop. Keep pressing.’

The undead Storm Tyrant surged in from the front, lifting its heavy hammer with both hands. It brought the weapon down on the Mother’s head with all its strength.

Bang!

The Mother raised four arms to block it. The impact rang through the cavern, and its knees bent slightly beneath the force.

Black tears slid down some of its faces, and the sound that came from its mouths was close to a sob.

Then its other arms struck the Storm Tyrant’s body one after another, until the undead giant was driven back.

The undead General followed, slashing at the Mother’s exposed waist. The blade tore into the stitched flesh, and black threads snapped loose. Before it could strike again, a hand seized its arm and flung it into the air.

The wolves did not let up. The Pressurefang Wolves leaped from every direction, their jaws clamping onto the Mother’s arms and legs. The Alpha sprang onto its back and sank its fangs into the pale flesh.

Grrrrr!

The Mother shrieked in a dozen voices. It shook its arms, and the wolves were flung away like leaves in a storm.

The Alpha clung on a moment longer before a hand tore it free and slammed it into the stone.

At that moment, the undead Horn Lizard King rose from the ground and charged again, its cudgel swinging in a wide arc.

At the same time, the undead Scorpion Men King struck from the other side, its gauntlets crashing into the Mother’s ribs.

Bang! Bang!

For the first time, the Mother was struck from both sides at once. Its body lurched, and the cradle of ribs on its chest rattled. Its eyes turned toward the two kings, and its mouths twisted into broken, mournful smiles.

Jejeje.

Then all its arms moved at once.

The Mother’s arms came down like a storm.

Dozens of hands lashed out in every direction, and the ledge turned into a blur of bone, steel and black fluid.

The undead Horn Lizard King took a palm strike to the jaw and reeled, but its cudgel was already swinging back.

The undead Scorpion Men King ducked under a sweeping arm and drove both gauntlets into the Mother’s ribs.

Bang! Bang!

The cradle of bones cracked. A thin voice inside the Mother cried out, and the sound sent a chill through the cavern.

Thoren did not give it time to recover.

’All of you, attack now!’

The undead Garron rose from the stone with his butcher knife still in his hand and charged back in.

The undead Elite Jackal Beastman recovered its club and leaped at the Mother’s flank.

The undead Kharv and the undead Royalty Stonewall rushed in from behind, their damaged armor clattering with every step.

The undead Storm Tyrant swung its heavy hammer again, and the General cut at the Mother’s legs.

The Mother could not block everything at once.

The undead Garron’s knife sliced through a thick arm at the elbow, and the severed limb dropped to the ground.

The undead Jackal Beastman’s spike club smashed into a pale face, and the skull caved in with a wet crunch.

The undead Kharv drove his blade deep into the Mother’s back, and the undead Royalty Stonewall’s strike buckled one of its knees.

Crack!

The Mother staggered.

For the first time, it dropped to one knee. Black blood poured onto the stone, and countless mouths wailed in broken, overlapping voices.

"..Hurts..."

"..M-Mama..."

"..Why..."

Thoren’s heart clenched.

For a brief moment, hope stirred in him.

Behind them, the five undead Thunderhide Rhinos slammed into the Tithe-Bearers again. The ground trembled as the horns drove the two giants back toward the water’s edge.

One Tithe-Bearer swung a fist, but a rhino caught it on its horn and twisted it aside. The other was knocked off balance, and a rib-spear cage on its back splintered.

The Pressurefang Wolves seized the chance and surged forward, tearing at the Mother’s arms. The Alpha leaped onto its shoulder and ripped away a strip of pale flesh.

The Mother let out a long, terrible scream. Then its eyes all turned red.

Its remaining arms exploded outward.

Boom!

The shockwave threw the wolves into the air.

The undead Garron and the Jackal Beastman were hurled aside. The undead Storm Tyrant’s hammer was knocked from its hands.

The undead General’s blade snapped, and its body crashed against a pillar.

Thoren’s breath caught.

That was when he saw it.

The severed arm on the ground twitched. Black threads shot out from the Mother’s elbow, wriggling like worms, and dragged the limb back toward the stump.

The torn flesh pulled together, and the stitches sealed themselves with a faint wet sound. A few seconds later, the arm moved again as if nothing had happened.

The caved-in face swelled. Bone shifted beneath the skin and pushed outward until the skull was whole again.

The eyes opened.

The mouth smiled.

The wounds on its back closed one after another.

The gash from the undead Kharv’s blade stitched itself shut, and the cracked ribs knitted back together, and its knee straightened with a heavy crack.

Within seconds, the Mother stood tall again, unscarred.

Jejeje.

Its laughter spread across the cavern, softer now, almost gentle. Thoren felt the blood drain from his face.

’This thing...’

His undead had fought with everything they had, and the Mother had healed from it in the time it took him to draw a breath.