A Journey That Changed The World. - Chapter 1644 - 1644: One Of My Creatures

(Colestah, Halime, Llyniel, and Kassandra)

Kassandra jumped into the ocean and shifted into her Kraken form, allowing her to protect the landing crafts. Colestah led the way as the Oathkeepers prepared to protect Halime and Llyniel. The Water Elf glanced at the two, warning. ”You both don’t rush around.”

The older woman’s dark blue eyes narrowed. ”We don’t know how dangerous this place is, and if anything serious happens, summon Archer.”

”We know what to do, Coles,” the snake woman retorted, a knowing smile crossing herself. ”Plus, we have Kass here to protect us alongside you guys.”

”Don’t count on just us, you two need to be careful,” Colestah commented. ”The other expeditions have been attacked by all kinds of monsters.”

”We’ll be careful,” Llyniel sweetly said, a soft smile appearing. ”You and Kassie can look after us. We always have Archer to come help.”

Following that, Kassandra surged through the waves, her tentacles protected the landing craft from the rogue waves by shielding them. While doing this, she leaped from the water, transforming into her human form, landing on the sand. Moments later, the crafts hit the beach, the women disembarked, their boots crunching against the shale.

The air was thick with salt and an eerie hum of ancient mana. Colestah signaled for silence, her hand raised, senses straining. Halime’s yellow serpentine eyes darted to the cliffs, while Llyniel’s fingers twitched, ready to weave defensive spells. Without warning, a deafening roar shattered the quiet.

From the mountains, a barrage of Mana Blasts erupted, arcs of chaotic energy tearing through the air like lightning. The blasts struck the shore, sending sand and stone skyward. ”Take cover!” the Water Elf barked, diving behind a boulder, readying her magic.

Halime moved to Llyniel’s side, pulling the Wood Elf behind a wrecked craft. ”Told you this place was trouble,” she hissed, her voice laced with grim amusement.

Llyniel’s hands moved fast, conjuring a shimmering barrier that flared under the onslaught of Mana Blasts. ”Focus!” she snapped, her voice steady despite the chaos. ”We need to find the source!”

Colestah peered over the boulder, her blue eyes narrowing as she tracked the blasts to a jagged peak. ”There, caves in the ridge. Something’s up there.”

She glanced at the two. ”Ready to move? We hit hard and fast.”

Halime grinned, her fangs glinting. ”Let’s make them regret this welcome.”

Kassandra moved forward, transforming into her Kraken form, tenticles blocking more Mana Blasts as her voice rumbled like a storm. ”I’ll clear a path. Stay sharp.”

With a nod, Colestah spearheaded the assault, the Oathkeepers spreading out as a barrage of Mana Blasts illuminated the sky. Suddenly, Halime caught sight of humanoid lizards bursting from the underbrush, brandishing spears and swords. As the knights collided with the creatures, blood sprayed in chaotic arcs.

The Wood Elf Colestah raised her hand, channeling torrents of water that surged forward in a devastating Water Blast. The shimmering wave crashed into the largest lizards; they crumpled under the force, scales glinting as they were hurled back into the underbrush, covered in blood and gore.

Meanwhile, Kassandra’s massive, writhing tentacles erupted from the water. They slammed down with bone-crushing force, flattening clusters of the monsters in a spray of mud and water. Halime, perched on a rocky outcrop, aimed with her crossbow, each bolt dripping with venom.

Her Poison Bullets struck true, piercing the hides of several lizards. The toxins worked quickly, their movements slowing as they clutched their wounds, collapsing in heaps. At the rear, Llyniel wove her nature magic, vines and roots spiraling up from the earth to form a living barrier.

The shield pulsed with emerald light, deflecting a hail of spears and dark energy bolts hurled by the enemy, protecting the knight from the onslaught. The battlefield roared with chaos, the clash of steel and magic echoing as the Oathkeepers fought on, their teamwork and power turning the tide against the horde.

***

(Agrippina, Dellah, Vivienne, Aeliana, Valariana)

Dellah stared at a massive opening, revealing a massive underground jungle that stretched as far as the eye can see. They had found this after the battle came to an end, after they dropped to the ground in the hole. Bodies of the spiders littered the ground, prompting her to call out.

”Vivi! Can your ants keep the carapaces? I want to test them out once we get home?” she questioned.

”Yes, Del,” the redhead answered. ”I’ll have them drop it off at Archer’s treehouse for you.”

Following that, Aeliana and Valariana appeared from above. The blonde jumped down the side of the edge of the deep hole, and the spider queen was on the back of one of the monsters before jumping down. Agrippina appeared like a shadow, speaking to the group with an amused smile.

”The hordes have retreated. I believe the leaders have fled deeper into the Hollow,” she said.

”Makes sense since you arrived,” Dellah teased the white-haired woman, who smiled.

Just then, Vivienne stepped forward and offered. ”I can send some scouts while the Legions set up down here?”

Agrippina nodded. ”Do it, Vi. Let me know if you find any more monsters.”

”Of course,” Vivienne responded.

Following that, the redhead summoned hundreds of smaller Nightmare Ants called the Scouts. A monster she created just for the expedition and ordered. ”Go find anything of interest in the jungle.”

The monsters nodded, rushed into the underbrush. One Nightmare Scout, no larger than an arm, navigated the jungle’s labyrinth of towering ferns and gnarled roots. Its tiny legs crunched over fallen leaves and skittered across moss-slick stones, antennae quivering to detect vibrations.

Ahead loomed a Thornbeast, a hulking mass of spiked vines snuffling through the dirt. Its beady eyes missed the Scout as it darted beneath a giant leaf, noting the creature’s size and menace but deeming it irrelevant to the redhead’s orders. Deeper into the jungle, where the canopy choked the sunlight.

The Scout passed a cluster of Glimmerwings, moth-like creatures the size of hawks, their iridescent wings pulsing with eerie light. They hovered, sipping nectar from bloated, snapping flowers. The Scout cataloged their speed and glow, its siblings fanning out to climb vines or burrow beneath roots, all mapping the jungle’s secrets.

A tremor shook the earth. The Scout froze, antennae twitching. A massive Serpent emerged, its jade scales gleaming, eyes like burning coals. Coiling around a tree, it crushed the trunk with a crack. The Scout marked the beast’s location, its musky scent sharp, a threat worth reporting.

In a clearing, the Scout skirted a pack of Razorclaws, their talons glinting as they tore into unseen prey, blood tainting the air. Keeping low, the Scout evaded their predatory gazes. The jungle teemed with monsters, each more dangerous than the last, but it pressed on, small and unseen, driven by its command to uncover anything.

It pressed deeper into the jungle, its obsidian shell glinting faintly under slivers of light piercing the dense canopy. The air grew heavier, laced with the tang of sap and the distant roars of unseen beasts. Its antennae flicked rapidly, parsing the cacophony of scents and vibrations as it navigated a maze of twisted roots and glistening fungi.

A low hum vibrated through the ground, and it paused, sensing a new presence. From the shadows emerged a Skitterhulk, a beetle-like monstrosity twice the size of a bear, its carapace studded with jagged spines. It lumbered forward, mandibles snapping at the air, oblivious to the tiny Scout clinging to a fern’s underside.

The Scout noted its armored bulk and slow gait before slipping past, its mission unhindered.

Further along, the jungle parted into a murky swamp, where bioluminescent mist curled over stagnant pools. It skittered across a fallen log, avoiding the water’s surface, where ripples betrayed the presence of Lurkfins, sleek, eel-like creatures with needle-sharp teeth.

One lunged, jaws snapping inches from its path, but the ant’s agility kept it safe. It cataloged the Lurkfin’s ambush tactics, their glowing eyes a detail to relay. A sudden screech pierced the air, and its antennae swiveled toward a canopy. Two Skyshriekers, bat-like beasts with leathery wings and barbed tails, clashed midair, tearing at each other.

Feathers and blood rained down, and it darted beneath a leaf to avoid the debris, marking the creature’s lands. Undeterred, the Scout continued, weaving through the jungle’s perils. Each monster, from the Skitterhulk to the Lurkfins and Skyshriekers. Just then, something appeared and crushed the ant into gore.

Vivienne shook her head when the Scout was killed, her red eyes narrowed before turning to Dellah. ”Something destroyed one of my creatures. It’s powerful but not as strong as me or Vala. We can handle it,” she said.

Afterward, they remained to oversee the legion as it established camp and constructed a mana lift to transport them to the surface. Soldiers rushed around, working hard and building defences to protect them from the monsters lurking in the jungle. Dellah was standing on the wall overlooking the entrance to the green hell.