Pandora Unchained - B1C84: Breach

Sorin and his team soon discovered that it wasn't just two but four bone-forging cultivators who died in battle that day. The heavy casualties provoked a shuffling in the assigned adventurers, as well as the conscription of bone-forging cultivators who normally avoided battle.

Team We Don't Need a Life Mage was one of many teams sent to the Southern Wall. They were joined by Mr. Primrose, who was arguably one of the more deadly cultivators in battle thanks to his powerful poison mana, and Haley as a representative of the Adventurers Guild. Barbara and Nale also came with them, along with three other heroes who had broken through mid-battle.

An endless tide of demons could be seen from their vantage point atop the bloodwood walls. A small portion fell to arrows and spell bombardments, and the rest fell to devastating spell waves powered by their freshly topped-up supply of demon cores.

Poison had also been brought to the forefront. Wind mages used gentle drafts to drizzle lung rot powder and scorching bramble ash on the demonic invaders. Packs of hundreds of wolves erupted in flames before they could even reach the wall, and demonic herds numbering in the thousands simply collapsed as lung rot powder corroded their internal organs, leaving them to suffocate out on the open plain as the endless tide of demons trampled them into mush.

It wasn't just poisons that were deployed. Barrels of alchemical reagents were launched into the enemy horde, detonating on impact. Alchemist's fire filled large swaths of land, scorching everything in its wake. The copious amounts of blood did nothing to put out the fires but instead served as fuel for the alchemical concoctions, spreading them farther and wider than their initial payload warranted.

Like the other adventurers, Sorin and his team were on standby, ready to respond to any eventualities. Many of these eventualities took the form of two-star demons that lumbered toward the wall with no regard for their safety. They fell under arrow and spell, including a few poisonous spears, courtesy of Sorin. But for the most part, Sorin conserved his mana, as it would be needed when the fighting reached its climax.

Mana potions were consumed by the thousands. Demon cores and mana crystals saved up over the course of an entire year were burnt up at an alarming rate. Before long, demon corpses were piled up high enough even for one-star demons to launch themselves onto the parapets, where cultivators of the Governor's Manor and the Adventurers Guild cut them down before they could cause too much damage.

"I see termites up ahead," said Gareth, his gaze penetrating deep into the wilderness. "Tens of thousands of them." The swarm skittered over to the wall as soon as it emerged, unleashing acid upon the battlements that ate away at the enchanted wood, destabilizing its enchantments.

"Unleash the insecticide!" called out Commander Zenol's replacement, Command Ven. A hundred mortal soldiers each hauled up a 25-kilogram bag of powder onto the wall and fed them into a wind funnel powered by dozens of mages. The potent poison had little to no effect on the mammalian one-star demons but struck the swarm of demonic termites with such a blow that only a few two-star guardians and a two-star queen lurking just behind the tree line remained.

"It's going back for reinforcements," said Commander Ven. "Commander Resh?"

"On it," said the bone-forging archer supporting the southern wall. He pulled a black arrow out of his quiver and shot it at the retreating queen in one fluid motion. Its guardians, sensing the threat to their hive, attempted to block the shot with their bodies—only to discover that the shot was not something an ordinary two-star demon could block. The two guardian termites collapsed and were quickly followed by their queen.

"Is there no end to them?" muttered Sorin. He didn't remember the demon tides being so bad. That said, he'd always experienced them from the safety of the medic tent.

"This is as bad as it gets," said Stephan. "A push like this only comes once every century."

Sorin nodded and continued observing the battle that took place. The demons employed swarm tactics that differed depending upon the species, and the defending humans countered with what appeared to be well-practiced responses. Poison for termites. Fire for wolves. Normal arrows in most cases, but enchanted arrows against trickier targets.

Two-star demons were difficult for blood-thickening cultivators to take down, but that didn't mean it was impossible. Through sheer numbers, the defenders of the outpost took down monstrous creatures well before they could reach the bloodwood walls.

It's a good thing the outpost didn't skimp on wall enchantments, thought Sorin, his eyes wandering to the palisade holding back a moat of contaminated blood. The moat had been accumulating all battle, and if not for the wood's blood-absorbing and recycling properties, the level of liquid would have been much higher.

Wait a minute. Sorin's eyes narrowed when he saw that the wall was glowing with blood red color. That in itself wasn't worrying – what was worrying was that the single stretch of wall they were on was glowing a different color than the rest. It's filled with green sparks. They're spreading out throughout the wood. What was worse, they contained something Sorin would recognize anywhere he found it: life energy.

"I'm not feeling so well," mumbled Lawrence as he clutched his chest. "I feel sick. How about we get off this wall?"

"Something's happening," said Stephan, sniffing. "Something strange."

"We need to get off the wall. Now!" shouted Sorin. He quickly used Python Coil to grab Daphne and any surrounding soldiers, interrupting them mid-fire in some cases. His companions did the same, as did Commander Ven.

Haley also appeared on the wall with a blink and threw off mortal soldiers before launching herself off the wall with a kick. Moments later, the wall exploded in a mess of wooden stakes that impaled the remaining defenders and ripped into the city.

Seconds later, a dozen spires of wood shot out from the ground via well-hidden roots, destroying fortifications and piercing into bunkers filled with civilians. The attack slew hundreds of non-combatants before the defenders could react.

Further complicating matters, the corrupted soil near the aqueduct suddenly sprouted a small forest of vines that immediately gobbled up all available water and used the incoming water flow to fuel its expansion.

Sorin mourned the loss of so many, and cursed the enemy for its trickery. The poisoning of the water supply hadn't been done with the intention to kill them, but to plant the seeds for an attack form within.

Even so, his eyes were glued to a small figure that walked through the breach, birthing flowers with every step she took. She looked mostly human, but the natural energies that she gave off and the corruption infesting every fiber of her being marked her as being something more.

She was a demon and a powerful one at that. A three-star demon that inspired fear and reverence in even bone-forging cultivators.

The demon looked around at the surrounding adventurers with disdain, and only stopped when another powerful entity interposed himself between her and the rest of the outpost.

"I expected a powerful opponent," spoke the new arrival. "But never in my wildest dreams did I think a corrupted dryad would be behind this attack. Has your kind not seen enough bloodshed? Has it not learned its lesson over the centuries?"

The man had short black hair with graying sides, and wore silver armor inlaid with powerful black runes. Every inch of his body pulsed with power far stronger than that of bone-forging cultivators, confirming that he was indeed Governor Marsh, father of Vice-Governor Marsh, the strongest cultivator in the outpost.

"My kind will never forget the injustice done to us, Governor Marsh," said the demon in a soul-soothing voice. "Not in a hundred years, and not in a thousand years either."

"You know me?" asked the Governor in an even tone. "It seems we underestimated your patron's intelligence network. And his intelligence, for that matter."

"It was only a matter of time before we made our appearance," said the dryad. "Your kind shamelessly stole this land that rightfully belongs to us. The Herald of Violence has returned and has instructed us to reclaim it."

At the mention of this so-called Herald of Violence, the Governor's expression turned grave. "So, the herald has awakened at last. But judging by your weak energies, he is still recuperating from his injuries."

"Injured or not, his very presence has revitalized our kind," said the dryad. "Even if you survive this demon tide, will you survive a second? Or a third? Things will only get worse from here on out."

Governor Marsh snorted at these words. "So what if your kind has recovered slightly? We humans pushed you back after the Twilight of the Gods, and we will do so again. The Seven Evils might back your resurgence, but we have the Almighty Hope as our ally. With Hope on our side, we will never falter."

Upon hearing his words, the dryad chuckled. "Hope is the patron of the desperate, Governor Marsh. He would never support humanity unless it were facing an uphill battle. The era of humanity is over. It is us, the rightful inheritors of Pandora, the children of the now-dead gods, who will reign supreme."

"You are but a pale imitation of what you once were," said Governor Marsh, drawing his sword. "And you might be powerful, but my cultivation counters yours. Do your worst, spirit of the forest."

Parley finished, Governor Marsh and the Dryad shot into the air, where they engaged in a battle far beyond what mere mortals could comprehend. Out of consideration for the demons and humans below, the shockwaves were contained.

"Soldiers, assemble!" yelled Commander Ven as demons began pouring forth through the gap. "Adventurers, support!"

Gareth ushered them toward the formation of soldiers, but they were stopped by Stephan's sister, Haley. "A team of five heroes has no business in an army formation," said Haley. "Each of you is theoretically capable of taking down a two-star demon, so we'll have you focus on those instead."

"Do you mean to have us go outside the walls like the other bone-forging experts?" asked Gareth. Over a dozen powerful auras had already hopped off the walls to engage in battle with the enemy's elites. The Vice Guild Master of the Mages Guild and the Librarian of the Mages Guild also stood atop the breached wall, unleashing deadly magics upon the enemy horde.

Haley snorted. "You are heroes, not bone-forging cultivators. You wouldn't last two minutes out there. No, I have a much more important job for you all. It'll become apparent soon enough."

A dreadful silence spread out across the southern outpost. Powerful mana signatures erupted where stakes had shot out of the ground, destroying fortifications. The masses of broken wood twisted as life energy animated them to create lumbering tree constructs that began attacking their surroundings indiscriminately.

Five more heroes ran up to where Sorin's team was gathered and joined them. Among them were Barbara and Nale, as well as three other heroes Sorin had yet to meet. But they glowed with silver light and an energy signature that exceeded their realms, making it clear that none of them were to be underestimated.

"Stephan, your team will head east," said Haley. "Barbara, you'll lead these other four west. Your missions are to take out as many treants as pop up." Commands issued, she disappeared into the shadows.