Bonded Summoner

Book 4. Chapter 24: Unending Tide

Several minutes passed with the various armies killing the undead creatures and attacking the giant undead treants, branches, and blighters. The armies fought in formation, the many ballistas and ranged attackers continually shooting arrows and javelins at the many enemies.

The front lines had warriors wielding shields and supported by a back row of polearm weapons, the auril warriors fighting hard against the higher level undead creatures. Jake knew beastkin were gaining levels all across the battlefield, collecting the latent will of the undead and combining it with their life force in their pill-infused bodies.

Suddenly, something changed. The lake drained some, as dozens of vines and tendrils attached to the massive treant as it reached Ophelia and Fhesiahs army, and a malevolent energy entered them.

It bulked up significantly, and the three that were near were enhanced as well. The armys formations had already begun retreating, as the massive tree in the center shook, and a pulse from its roots echoed out.

Like the waves of the ocean, the murky water rose and drove forward. Many undead began to surge from under the murky water, as the roots and vines spawned many horrible creatures.

Fhesiahs voice sounded in his mind. [The tree Ophelia and I killed has respawned, starting to regrow.]

Ophelia and Fhesiah blazed off, to go eliminate the tree that had regrown. The tree would pull in miasma from the area, and the lake even appeared to surge upward instead of being lost with each moment.

The three massive trees would make the miasma in the area unending, releasing an unending tide of creatures if not eliminated.

Jake hopped up on Bloodberris back, and they moved to cover for Ophelia and Fhesiah while they were gone. They would rush to the tree, and eliminate it once more with flames of Hestia and dragon flames.

The murky water was now down by a third or more. Another third, and they may be able to walk through the remaining to assault the tree much more directly. Seamus and Ainora both kept on their light attacks, burning through the creatures and helping cover for Jake and Bloodberri while they were gone.

Tanda remained, to focus on her rampant growth and lock down her three treants. The largest one was still mostly locked down by Jakes frost, its march slow enough that it was easily avoided.

The massive enhanced treants now marched rapidly, the army not able to retreat fast enough while fighting off the various undead that attacked them. That was, until a golden veil from Jakes aura stretched over them. Immediately, creatures began exploding in flames and being knocked away with ease, their claws unable to meet shield or flesh without being blasted by protective flames.

Bloodberri barreled into one of the enhanced treants, knocking it back with her [Maul of Hestia-Echidna]. She knocked it directly into anothers path, and Jake prepared his massive nova of frost once more, centered on the empowered boss-level treant. It struck the three enhanced treants, and they fought against the effect with their black energies and various tendrils piercing through the frost.

Jakes gold-filled ice held on the smaller treants, but the boss-level one was merely slowed. That was enough for him, as Bloodberri slammed into the lumbering trees. His work done, he started deactivating [Monarch], to switch to [Unbound] for Ophelia to complete her spells.

At Ophelia and Fhesiahs side, they eventually arrived at the regrown tree as her state changed to [Unbound]. There were many enemies contesting them, but as they were flying, few could provide a challenge to the two as they worked on repeating their group spell from before.

The tree was still less than half of what it was originally and still growing. Blighters spawned and started creating blight and creep, quickly spreading across the dead jungle. It was pulling the blight from the area to both grow itself, and send some of it to the main tree to empower the boss-level treants.

Fhesiahs orb of flame slammed into the tree once more, the half-sized tree able to do little to defend itself with its much smaller branch-arms. Blighters hanging off of it melted as they wailed, the flames spreading around the tree.

The tree stopped growing as flames spread even to the blighted creep on the ground, the ravenous flames consuming everything in a cascade of fire.

The tree shrunk as it wailed, until whatever held the amalgamation of blighters and undead flesh together fell apart. Melting back into the stump, the flames went out with nothing left to consume.

On Jakes side, the empowered treants shrunk back to normal once more, and he saw that the lake had decreased significantly again.

It was just in time, as the empowered one had already broken out of its ice and was stomping toward them faster than something massive had any business to. After Jake had switched to unbound, he wasnt able to empower the golden effect any further.

Jake was doing his best to restore his mana, as well as the girls. This was a marathon of a fight, and required them to expend a lot of it in short bursts while conserving it for a longer period.

Reviving that tree appeared to have a cost, and Jake didnt think the encounter gained anything from doing so, thanks to how quickly the tree was taken out.

Despite being controlled, the massive treant was now upon them. Bloodberri took the creatures focus by slamming her maul into it. Undead vines, made of flesh and tree alike, twisted and tried to spear at her, but her shifting dance as she swayed back and forth caused the blades on her armor to cut right through them.

Once again, Jake shifted his state to [Avenger]. He sent the blazing flame of his [Hearth Blade] through his spear, and sliced into the giant treant from Bloodberris back. Her tail twirled and spun as she spun her body and slammed her maul into the creature, and Jake hacked and pierced deeply into it as he rode her like a mounted combatant.

The flames would spread for a moment, but the black film would quickly snuff it out. Still, Jakes pierces and slashes filled with divine flames were powerful, the undead being the preferred foe of Hestias purifying flames. It appeared Jake and Bloodberri were pushing the treant to its limits of regeneration.

The creature then rooted itself into the ground, and started creating a large whip-like appendage out of its arm. It swung its whip in a wide arc, and actually smacked nearly a dozen shield-wielding beastkin on the sidelines of their fight, before Bloodberri blocked it with her maul. It retracted the appendage, just before Bloodberri surged forward with a [Maul of Hestia-Echidna].

The whiplike appendage coiled into a shield as Bloodberri slammed into it, but the resulting explosion of holy light and dark energy engulfed the shield and a part of what remained of its arm.

Bloodberri swayed and coiled her tail once more, and surged forward once again. Holding onto the handles on Bloodberris armor, Jake leaned and stabbed forward over her to stab deep into the creatures chest, as Blood wrenched away the vines that aimed to stop Jakes spear with her maul.

He pushed as much of his hearths flames through his spear, the creature being cooked from the inside, before withdrawing his spear. The creature swung with its other arm, and Bloodberri backed away as the undead flesh knit itself and covered the hole. The treant drunkenly staggered, Jake able to tell that what he did was not easy to shrug off, even with its ridiculous healing.

Tandas side was still holding up, with Seamus and Ainora keeping the people protected. Their brilliant light pushed back and harmed the undead, allowing the warriors to keep themselves out of harms way.

Ophelia and Fhesiah arrived with Jake and Bloodberri, moving fast through the air, and Jake decided he would give one more push to try to take down one of the annoying creatures. He let Fhesiah build up her flame once more, as the four of them cut and burned into the creature.

Ophelias spear ripped large rents into the creature as [Avenger] and Jakes aura aided by sending flames into it, as Fhesiah slashed it with her claw and sent flames at it with her fan and torch. Bloodberri slammed into it with her maul, and Jake slashed at it with his [Hearth Blade]. The black film could hardly keep up, as Fhesiah wrestled control of the flames and enhanced them with her Qi.

When it was time for Bloodberris next [Maul of Hestia-Echidna], Jake leaped from Bloodberris back, landing on the ground. She surged forward to land her blow, and he formed the runes along with Fhesiah and Ophelia, arriving at his sides. They created their massive spear of flames, Fhesiah injecting her inviolable Dao of fire.

Bloodberri glowing both white and black slammed into the creatures chest, creating a massive hole in it as it wailed. The spear of flames then pierced deep inside the creature and exploded into it, the flames ravenously consuming its undead tree-flesh.

The four of them continued to slice and pierce into it, until eventually the creature dispersed like the rest. Immediately, the lake drained a large amount, as dozens, or hundreds of root and vines formed into another further into the lake. Thankfully, with it further back, it would take even longer to arrive at the front lines.

Morwens voice sounded over the voice communication headsets once more, Im impressed you were able to take out of the larger ones, in all my time that hadnt happened until the blighted water had run out. Still, pacing yourselves would be prudent. Unless you can repeat that feat four more times or so, and have enough left over to take on the boss?

Jake sighed. They wouldnt be able to do that, probably more than one more time, without significant rest in between. Still, he opted for him to ride Bloodberris back and the four to converge on a target, now that the battlefield had mostly evened out.

The lake was receding, and the beastkin were truly used to their combat with the undead. They kited the lumbering treants with ease, their target selection allowing them to cut down and weaken the more dangerous enemies like T-rexes or bone golems as they approached.

Flyers roamed the battlefield as units, raining down attacks and clearing flanks, along with defeating blighters up in the trees. The ballistas continued to shoot fiery bolts into the branches and base of the tree, spreading fire that kept the blighters busy spreading their fumes to put them out, rather than attacking the armies.

The few druids, paladins, and priestesses were able to add their own special attacks as well. Auras protected, holy light was imbued, and heals flew around the battlefield, keeping few from dying to attacks.

Jakes party made a concerted effort against the giant treant on Hearthtribes side, doing what they could to conserve and restore their mana. The lake continued to shrink, until he thought they could walk to nearly a two-thirds of the way toward the tree.

It was at that point, that the treant in front of them was empowered. A wave of the miasmic water billowed out, releasing many additional enemies against all three armies, forcing them to focus on the new enemies.

The boss-level treant grew larger and filled with energy, before surging powerfully at Bloodberri. She met it with a hard swing of her weight-enhanced maul, slowing the main body. Large vines whipped and slammed into her, managing to actually knock her back and away. Bones creaked as she grunted in pain.

Jake struggled to hang on to his carriage, but he formed runes to launch a spear of ice powered by [Avenger] at it. These were enhanced by his covenant, having seen Bloodberri harmed, the ice increasing in size and biting cold.

It pierced into the creature and frost spread. This did little but slow the creature down, but that was his goal in the first place. Ophelia and Fhesiah both took quick, powerful swings at the creature and cut into it, as they flew away toward their goal of taking down the tree once more.

Seamus and Ainora both cut into the creature with their poleaxe and claws as they rounded on it, their auras of light blazing into the undead tree. It whipped and swung at them, but they bobbed and weaved away as Bloodberri slammed into its back that was turned with her light and dark empowered maul.

Jake sliced through its leg near its knee with his [Hearth Blade], causing the creature to stumble as its flesh was healed, and quickly reconnected.

Whips lashed out into both Ainora and Seamus, sending both of them flying away. Tanda struck into it with her bow, sending powerful attacks that took chunks out of the creature and slowing it down. Explosive wolf bites struck with each attack, her having saved up her auril and gathered it.

Tanda still tried with her deathbloom, but the blooms were quickly taken out once more. Jake signaled to Blood to make her spear of ice and join it with Jakes runes. They hadnt truly practiced the attack, but he would make it work thanks to their mental communication.

He added his runes to hers, able to feel out through their bond her attack. He smoothed out the runes and made it work as the large spear of frost was created, and shot at the massive treant.

It was large enough to knock the treant back, the frost rapidly spreading and locking down one of the creatures legs and much of the vines on it. Ainora and Seamus both cut into the areas still moving, and Berri slammed her maul into the undead monsters arm.

They kept the creature from moving and taking out the army, until the empowerment of it was removed. Fhesiah and Ophelia were successful on their side, and Jake noticed the lake had lowered by a significant amount once more.

When Ophelia and Fhesiah returned, they took out the boss-level treant once more with their coordinated attack. The lake receded even further, and the large creature was recreated even further away. Jake had their armies begin their march across the lake, taking down the blighters in the trees and vines.

They now had a faster path across the lake to Morwens army side, the path across the inner area shorter. Enemies still waded across the ground, but with the bowl shape of the lake, his people now had the high ground as they pushed forward.

Jake drank mana water from atop Bloodberri, doing his best to restore himself. Fhesiah too, focused on restoring herself, absorbing Qi crystals as this marathon of a fight continued. He watched as the other armies worked to kill the undead, his army having a much easier time of it thanks to his Aura.

Morwens army had its large Bone King, and this had no problem sending the large treants packing. It would cut large swathes of flesh away, and kick them hard enough to send them flying through the air. The limbs of the large treants couldnt pierce its thick bones.

Jake was more than impressed with Morwens armys capabilities, having learned that they had defended their world for decades before finally winning and defeating Tartarus. Thanks to their long life spans as undead, they had gained significant experience.

He was thankful that, combined with their new administrator clan of Eternum, he now didnt feel like the blind leading the blind. His people would now have an advantage in knowledge over even worlds like Ariminum, for their Tier.

He was sure that a Tier 2 world would have much higher expertise, being far more desirable. But for a Tier 1 world, Highlands was now ahead of the average.

The fight continued, the armies creeping closer. Jake stayed as [Avenger], allowing his allies to increase their offense, focusing on recovery. Ophelia and Fhesiah rushed off to take out Morwens treant respawn, having no issues accomplishing this once again. However, Fhesiah was close to her limit with her spirit.

[I have added too much of my Dao enhancing my attacks. I have mostly recovered my Qi, but my mind and spirit are tired.]

Unfortunately, Jake didnt have a way of helping her with that. There might be some crystals that would recover her soul, but they were well beyond their Tier or pricing for now. He knew this would happen, but took it as a necessary usage.

If Fhesiah and Ophelia werent able to take out the respawned trees quickly, it would have been a rush with dozens of allies to them to make a similar impact, hurting their front lines capability.

Many more would have died. Some had still fallen despite this, but they were few. Jake thought Bloodberri should be able to resurrect all of them this time, unless the final battle was significantly different.

As they fought to the center, Jake thought about this odd challenge. This siege against this odd lake was really one where you needed more endurance than the unliving. Either you overwhelmed the opposition, or you were overwhelmed instead.

Jake wondered if they would have been successful attacking this HQ first or not. In some ways, this city was easier to attack. But it was like it was designed for being faced with a massive army, while the other was far more limited in how many you could bring to the assault, having to march through the city in a predefined path.

They reached the base of the tree, within range to land some attacks on it if they tried. The massive tree appeared gnarled and rotted, having carvings of vile horrors depicted on its wood. It emanated an unholy aura, powerful enough that Jake questioned if they had weakened it at all.

Despite knowing what was supposed to be next, Jake was shocked as the tree shifted. Sections of the tree twisted in on itself, the entire tree churning. Roots pierced up from the ground, and branches twisted from above, forming three massive figures.

The massive tree had shrunk and dwindled, but still remained a large, looming figure. It was no longer a skyscraper the size of a city block, but was instead down to the size of the previous tower they fought in front of.

It still had the umbilical-cord like vines heading into the three figures, but they were what appeared to be some kind of Centaur-warriors. They had large double-sided glaives or staves, and the carvings of horrors depicted on the tree had passed on to them.

Roots spiked up and established a large fence or arena around the tree. There were three separate gates leading in, and each had a counter above. Some special characters were drawn, letting the armies know the rules: only 40 could enter into each gate at once. A counter of how many had entered was above, and the rules said that when combatants died inside, they could be replaced.

The three armies lined up on their respective enemy. The tank for Morwens army was going to be the Bone King, and Bloodberri was going to take care of the one in front of Jakes army. Ophelia was going to tank the final one in the center, as they knew the next stage of the encounter would lead to that one becoming more challenging.

There were other strategies for this encounter, but Jake had opted to go with front-loading their capability. Only the best fighters would enter, and the hope was to keep deaths to a minimum.

The best warriors on all three sides entered, the count reaching forty on all sides. Jake was disappointed that Ainora and Kevin each took up a half slot, but knew they were completely worth it. The Bone King had somehow taken up five slots, Jake guessing the construct the work of many of Morwens priestesses.

Jake, Tanda, and Bloodberri took more than one slot as well, Jake and Tanda taking up five slots. Bloodberri was a surprise at three, perhaps because they couldnt call their goddess yet.

Health bars appeared above the enemies, and the fight began.

[Encounter Begun. Defeat 3 Undead Briarwood Warriors for Victory.]

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