My world-tree system-Chapter 79 - 78: Escape to Vollua

The battle erupted in a deafening tumult. The palace walls shook under the furious shouts of the dwarf warriors and the delirious laughter of Joker, who stood alone, erect and insolent at the center of the chaos. His wicked grin stretched to his pointed ears, lighting up his dark face like a pale moon in the darkness.

- Come and have some fun, my little dwarves!" shouted Joker, brandishing his open arms with disconcerting insolence. Show me what your sharp little toys are worth!

The dwarf guards charged at once, axes raised, determined to make this monster pay for every drop of blood spilled. Joker didn’t move an inch. He waited, calm, smiling, defiant, until the last second before impact. Then, with a barely perceptible gesture, he summoned a black wave that shot towards the warriors like an invisible blade.

The heads of the first dwarves literally exploded under the raw power of the attack, hurling shards of bone, flesh and brains at their horrified companions. Blood spurted out in thick torrents, coating walls and armor in scarlet rain. The decapitated bodies collapsed limply to the ground with a vile noise, convulsing briefly before becoming motionless.

Joker laughed a cruel, joyous laugh, his figure shrouded in a dark aura pulsating with sinister energy.

- So fragile! So pathetic! I expected much more from you, warriors of Eldorim! he shouted jubilantly.

- Don’t let him advance!" shouted Thorgrim in a hoarse voice trembling with rage and pain. Defend your ancestors! Defend your sacred land!

The dwarf king himself leapt forward, brandishing his massive axe in a powerful arc. But Joker, unperturbed, simply raised a hand and caught the blade in his bare palm, a satisfied smile distorting his dark features.

- Well done, Majesty," he said, gripping the blade effortlessly. You’re finally showing some courage...

Then, with a simple, sweeping gesture, he violently pushed Thorgrim back, sending him flying several meters backwards. The king collided heavily with a pillar, spitting blood in the process.

Foster and the others stood on guard, muscles tensed, eyes riveted on Joker. The Lord of the Apocalypse still wore that disturbing, arrogant smile. His mauve eyes shone with unhealthy excitement, devouring every moment of uncertainty and anxiety he provoked.

- You really are pathetic," said Joker, spreading his arms wide, his fingers twitching as if he were about to play a macabre melody. I think it’s time to spice things up a bit.

Foster felt an icy chill run down his spine as a dark, oppressive aura began to envelop Joker’s slender body.

The latter closed his eyes briefly, his smile becoming almost ecstatic, as if already savoring the terror to come.

Then he opened his eyes abruptly, raising his hands to the vaulted ceiling.

- Portal of the Abyss]!

Instantly, a black rift opened up before him, suspended in mid-air. A dark, viscous energy flowed from it, immediately filling the room with an intolerable sense of oppression. The silence, heavy with fear and anguish, was broken by an ominous, indistinct murmur, a sinister rustle announcing imminent horror.

- What the..." murmured Thorgrim, backing away slightly, his face hardened by worry.

The dwarf guards instinctively closed ranks around their king, brandishing their weapons firmly, their muscles tense with apprehension.

Then, all at once, the Obscurus burst out of the portal in a black, swarming wave. Monstrous creatures, barely discernible in the mass of shadows, with razor-sharp claws and gaping maws, swarmed towards them with frightening speed. Their terrifying, guttural screams filled the air with a hellish cacophony.

- Repel them!" shouted Thorgrim, his voice powerful but marked by visceral fear. Defend Eldorim to your last breath!

The dwarf warriors charged forward, their axes crashing down on the creatures with ferocious determination. But the Obscurus were numerous, far too numerous. They literally overwhelmed the dwarf ranks, crushing them with their sheer numbers and savagery.

Howls of pain soon ripped through the air, as limbs were torn off, throats slit, and armor ripped open by the merciless claws of these monsters. The dwarves’ blood flowed profusely, splattering the ground, trickling down the walls and staining the stones a dark red. Joker, for his part, contemplated the carnage with palpable joy, his eyes shining with sadistic pleasure.

Foster’s heart sank at the sight of the slaughter. His companions, Kassandra and Köflik, stood by him, tense, unable to avert their eyes from the horror unfolding before them. He clutched the jade egg tightly and raised his free hand, invoking his protective spell:

- Cocoon of the World Tree]!

Instantly, a silvery dome of vegetation enveloped his companions and several surviving dwarves, temporarily repelling the Obscurus who were beginning to pour into the room, summoned by Joker with a mad laugh.

The dark creatures descended on the soldiers with blind savagery, clawing and tearing mercilessly. Limbs were torn off, entrails spilled, faces reduced to charpies under the brutality of these soulless monsters. The screams of agony echoed with horror, mingling with Joker’s continuous laughter, euphoric at such gratuitous violence.

- Thorgrim!" Foster shouted through the chaos, his voice charged with urgency. We’ve got to go, now! We can’t defend Eldorim anymore!

Thorgrim, painfully on his feet, his face stained with blood and dust, stared hard at him.

- Never! Never! I won’t run away!" he spat in fury. I won’t let my kingdom, my heritage, fall into the hands of these monsters!

Foster tried to insist, a growing panic creeping into his voice:

- Thorgrim, listen to me! He won’t stop until you do! Your men will all die if you don’t leave with us. Your people need you to survive!

Thorgrim gritted his teeth, his fists clenching violently on his axe. All around him, death spread indiscriminately, Obscurus cutting guards to bloody shreds.

- No..." breathed Thorgrim, his voice trembling with despair and rage. I can’t abandon Eldorim. My people will never forgive me...

- They’ll never forgive you if you die here!" cut in Foster, his eyes shining with determination and pain. Let them sacrifice themselves so that you can live! It’s the only chance of saving your kingdom in the long term!

The king’s eyes suddenly filled with silent tears. He looked around him, seeing his warriors falling one after the other into the clutches of the Obscurus, dying heroically to protect their land.

Finally, reluctantly, Thorgrim nodded with unspeakable pain in his voice:

- Very well, Foster... I’m with you. But I’ll never forget this sacrifice.

The dwarf king gave a quick order to his surviving men:

- Warriors of Eldorim! Defend this palace with your blood and honor! May the ancestors welcome you as heroes!

The surviving warriors responded with a vibrant cry, fierce determination burning in their eyes. They charged the Obscurus with desperate bravery, knowing full well that they were headed for certain death, but determined to sell their skins dearly.

Foster, his teeth clenched in anger and sadness, led Thorgrim and his companions to one of the corridors leading to the secret exits of the underground galleries.

- Go on, don’t look back!" shouted Foster, turning one last time to Joker, who waved his hand mockingly.

- See you soon, Foster! Joker shouted with delight, his laughter echoing like a sinister promise in the carnage-stained room.

- Take cover!" he shouted, summoning an immense fireball which he hurled violently towards the ceiling.

The explosion instantly set the air ablaze, causing a massive landslide that buried the tunnel behind them with a deafening crash. The passageway was blocked, burying both the Obscurus and the mutilated bodies of Eldorim’s last defenders.

In the darkness of the now silent tomb, Foster, Thorgrim and the few survivors slowly began their retreat towards Vollua, haunted by the muffled screams of those they had been forced to abandon.

- We can’t hold out much longer! Foster shouted.

Foster led the way, his hand clutching the jade egg he pressed to his chest. Each step echoed strangely in the dark tunnels, and only the dim light of the torches held by the surviving dwarf guards illuminated their path. Faces were pale, scarred by the horror of what they’d just been through, but everyone knew they didn’t have the luxury of stopping now.

- By the ancestors," breathed Thorgrim in a tired but firm voice, "I never thought I’d have to abandon Eldorim like this...

Foster gave him a sympathetic look, sensing in the dwarf king’s tone all the pain of having to leave his kingdom and his warriors behind.

- I’m sorry, Thorgrim. But you made the right choice. As long as you live, there’s hope for your people.

Thorgrim grunted weakly, nodding slowly without answering further. His silence weighed heavily, expressing better than words the extent of his grief and pent-up anger.

The tunnels seemed endless, narrow and oppressive. Moisture oozed from the cold walls, the uneven floor making each step difficult. From time to time, a strange, almost spectral echo echoed in the depths, adding to the anguish hanging over the group.

After long minutes of silent running, the tunnels became narrower and more oppressive. Heat and humidity seemed to increase, making the air difficult to breathe. Foster squinted, feeling his heart quicken as he recognized the sinister outlines of the gnarled, aggressive black roots protruding from the rock walls.

- We’ll soon reach the surface," he murmured to Thorgrim. Prepare yourselves.

Thorgrim nodded gravely, turning to his surviving guards with a hard, resolute expression:

- Keep your weapons ready, boys. We don’t know what’s waiting for us up there.

Moments later, they finally emerged to the surface, emerging painfully from the dark tunnel into a pale light filtered through the dense canopy of this cursed forest. Immediately, Foster felt an unhealthy pressure pressing down on him.

Opposite them stood the dark tree that had attacked them earlier, its twisted roots sprouting from the ground like motionless snakes awaiting their prey. The whole group froze in place, fear knotting their stomachs as they recalled the horror of their previous experience.

Thorgrim then shouted something in dwarf language and the tree suddenly stilled.

- What have you done? asked Köflik.

- This tree has been our guardian for hundreds of years, of course I know how to calm it down. Thorin replied.

- Of course you do.

- Off to Vollua!" said Foster, once the surprise had worn off.

No sooner had he said these words than an earthquake shook the plain.

- Shit, let’s hurry up!