Chapter 49: Unconventional Methods.
Boooooooom
The frozen earth turned scalding hot as the ice and snow evaporated in an instant, then the earth hardened and burst into little fragments that spread out like a landslide.
A thick pillar of fire shot out from the barrel of the weapon and penetrated deep into the hardened ground, the shockwave tore through the camp and ripped the fleeing Eidolons.
A thick cloud of black smoke slowly rose into the air, blending with a whirling black cloud that developed above the camp.
Kilometers away, atop the wooden gate of the human encampment, a man wearing a blue fitted suit, with a haircut that seemed suspiciously recent for someone that has been trapped in the tower for half a year. Vincent of the round table smirked ambiguously as he admired the thick cloud of smoke.
Meanwhile, Damien remained fixed to the weapon as he innocently stared at the carnage below.
"Shit".
He cursed before running back toward the crates at the rear of the weapon. He spotted a catapult that had somehow survived the blast and immediately ran toward it. After pulling back the launching arm, Damien climbed into the bucket before using his axe to trigger the release mechanism.
The violent force almost tore Damien’s arms from their sockets as the catapult hurled him high into the air. The freezing wind battered his face while the devastated Eidolon camp rapidly shrank beneath him.
His body continued rising higher and higher until it eventually reached its peak.
For a brief moment, Damien simply floated there.
The frozen wasteland stretched endlessly beneath him, while the distant human encampment looked no larger than a speck.
"Hmm, in hindsight. this escape plan feels somewhat incomplete".
Damien’s body tipped forward before plummeting toward the frozen earth at an alarming speed.
"This really makes a man wonder about the afterlife. Well, technically I’m already living mine, but that’s beside the point. Will I actually survive this?"
...
Back at the Eidolon camp.
The enormous pile of shattered metal suddenly shifted before a massive clawed hand burst through the rubble. The Chief violently forced itself free, chunks of broken metal sliding from its scorched body as it climbed onto the ruined remains of the camp.
Not far away, the Priest dragged itself out from beneath the ground, coughing violently before collapsing onto one knee.
For several long seconds, neither of them spoke.
The Chief simply stared at the devastation, the camp no longer resembled an army, burning debris littered the frozen ground.
The surviving Eidolons wandered aimlessly through the smoke, many carrying the wounded while others desperately searched beneath the rubble for signs of life.
"Eight hundred and seventy-one dead."
The Eidolon Chief forced the words out through hot, laboured breaths. His Awakened Ability, Dominion, allowed him not only to command his fellow Eidolons but also to grant them basic intelligence.
Without his influence, they were no different from wild beasts, the Priest included. Every death echoed back to him through Dominion, each one fuelling his rage a thousandfold.
The Chief already hated the creatures that called themselves humans, but now, that hatred had deepened. More than anything else, he hated the Wretched King.
The Priest slowly raised his head.
"Chief, what should we do? The damage is beyond anything we could have foreseen, our siege weapons are almost all destroyed, our dead..."
It paused slightly. The Priest knew full well the Chief was already aware of the casualties. Dominion had told him everything he needed to know, the moment each Eidolon fell in his presence.
"Should we retreat for now?"
The Chief remained silent for a long while. The logistics required to carry out a campaign of this magnitude were enormous, yet against all odds, he had accomplished it.
He had gathered an army, marched them across the frozen wasteland, and endured weeks of dwindling supplies, all for one purpose, to eradicate the human infection festering within his territory. And yet, somehow, the humans had found a way to shatter every one of his plans.
The Chief despised everything about them.
So how could he simply give up?
"No... We nurse our wounded until they can fight again, then we continue our march. If they tried to stop us, then we must have found the direction of their hideout. Go and reorganise our supplies, send out hunting parties, we will need the extra food, and prepare the ancient weapon. We will blast it in that direction until we hit something that screams".
The Priest instinctively followed the Chief’s finger. It was pointing toward the same direction Damien had catapulted himself, and more importantly, the general location of the human encampment.
...
A heavy thud echoed across the frozen wasteland as Damien’s body slammed into the hardened snow, leaving behind a shallow crater before everything fell deathly silent.
His body was twisted unnaturally, like a marionette that has been tangled in a box.
"Awwwwwwwww...
God this hurt so much, Damien. Why do you like doing this to yourself? From now on, cut your losses in ways that don’t hurt".
Koff!
Black blood stained Damien’s shirt as one of his eyes bulged outwards, each time he tried to breath, a low guttural sound echoed from his chest.
"Well there goes the diaphragm, and the kidneys, lungs. At least the heart seems to be working just fine".
Koff!
A large mouthful of blood erupted from Damien’s mouth and ears.
"I spoke too soon".
Damien’s eyes remained open, although he wasn’t conscious. It was only after a day that one of his irises suddenly moved to the side.
Koff!
"I can’t remain here for too long, Chiefty will definitely try something, I’m pretty sure he has almost lost his mind from anger at this point"
Thick black miasma gradually began to disperse around Damien, the next moment a figure with the horns of an antler, the face of a ram, the eyes of a goat and the claws of a beast that shouldn’t exist emerged.
Priesty stood motionless.
"Would you stop spacing out and come carry me back to camp".