Chapter 451 - A Risky Plan Is Formed

It was never something he had an easy time doing, that being putting down an animal, but there was a limit to the mercy he could exhibit. 

That limit was the bared fangs of the sable, large feline that possessed a size that doubled that of a normal lion. The savage, merciless eyes of a predator that watched him told him all that he needed to know about the intentions of the beast. 

It wasn't holding its ground or simply acting territorial, it was scouting out a meal. 

As it stepped closer with its paws sinking into the mud below, he moved back with minimal movement and sound in an effort to prevent it from suddenly launching into a spastic assault. 

"Rrrrghh…" 

Its growls continued, growing louder and more aggressive with hisses pairing with its bare, large fangs. 

In his hands, he squeezed the handle of his blade, accepting full well that it would have to taste blood again. 

"Just back off, kitty…" He whispered to it. 

It stood there for a moment, eyeing him as its tail swayed in the rainfall, keeping its head low but its sharp eyes locked onto him as the percussion of its predatory instincts continued to sound out. 

Both fell to a still as the precipitation moved between the two. 

Come on. Just move along, he thought. 

Unleashing into a sudden sprint as it howled out, the giant, sleek cat of black fur launched towards him with its claws sprung and its teeth aimed at his jugular. 

--But, he was ready. 

Landing behind him with a harsh fall into the mud, the feline let out a low, weak growl as its blood mixed with the dark, brown water beneath it. 

It was a swift, decisive strike, aimed to end his target with minimal pain. 

He only looked back briefly as the sight of the struggling feline as its life poured away was an image he'd rather not let burn into his mind. 

It always comes to this in Purgatory. I don't know why I expect it to be different, he thought. 

Letting out a sigh, he continued on his way as his damp tufts hung down, somewhat obscuring his left eye and hanging over the eye-patch covering his right. 

With the increase in magic-formed explosions becoming more frequent, he hastened his step as he found himself north of the walls. 

Utilizing "Heighten" to amplify his vision specifically, he saw a glimpse at the forces that occupied the outskirts of the northern wall. 

In addition to the original squadron of four mages he saw when atop the battlement, their numbers of mages had increased threefold, and the footsoldiers hiding away in the foliage were even more plentiful. 

Not good...if they're gathering near the front, that means the abyppo units are growing closer. They know the walls will fall soon, he thought. 

From the distance he stood, he was far enough for his steps not to be heard, granted he took care not to stomp around in the loose mud. 

He could still hear it from his position on the jungle ground; the screams of the Velren soldiers atop the wall as they were battered by the repeated blasts of fiery magic by the Stormfallen. 

Around the walls, clouds of smoke and steam formed from the volatile flames that erupted in the aftermath of the flung magic, mixing with the falling rain. 

His step came to a sudden stop as he winced, his legs seizing beneath him from the abrasive jolt of agony shooting through his body. 

"Grhh…!" He winced, holding the patch over his right eye. 

Not again...He thought. 

Though it originated from his covered, accursed eye, the pain stretched itself through his entire nervous system; etching within body a paralyzing agony that forced him to lean against the nearest tree for support. 

Sweat evacuated from his stressed pores as he huffed and puffed, finding little respite from the pain as it took control of his body. 

It seemed to become more frequent for him; starting off as a once-a-day burst of revolting pain, then becoming every twelve hours, but now it felt almost bi-hourly that the grandiose fits would come from his eye. 

Being on the receiving end of the jolting agony, it seized his muscles, causing them to convulse and cramp as his already sore body ached vigorously with a pain that burrowed into the marrow of his bones. 

Just bear with it. Just three...three more days...bear with it, he told himself. 

As he looked down at his hand, he could see the paleness of his complexion bolden as his veins displayed a worrisome black. 

In his reawakening with newfound vigor, he had momentarily forgotten the pain that naturally plagued his mind; a reminder that came harshly. 

Naturally, tears escaped from his left eye from the innate reaction of the gripping pain; all he could do was clench his fists and teeth in an attempt to stifle the pain, waiting it out by the tree, amidst the storm befalling the malicious jungle. 

Even more so, it was a reminder of the events of the near past. Images of the revolting, laughing man returned to his head, forcing him to remember the gruesome events that transpired right before his eyes, and the torture etched into his flesh. 

"No…" He whimpered quietly, slumping against the damp bark of the tree. 

Each jolt of pain reminded him of the cuffs that clung to his wrists, each wave of it forced into his mind the lamentation of that day, and each moment rekindled the simultaneous hatred and despair he tried to bury within the pits of his being. 

With the cold rain descending onto his face, trailing down his pale skin as he sat there, agonized and plagued by the scars of the past, he eventually rediscovered the strength to slowly lift himself. 

Standing on wobbly legs with feet cut, cold, and caked in the elements of the jungle, he huffed out as he began to walk forward once more. 

This is what "strength" is, right? I'm not giving up...I'm moving forward, so this is the price I have to pay. 

I never knew it could hurt so much to be strong, he thought, but...being a good person is even more difficult. 

The silver-lining he found to his episode of pain was that it brought him back to a forcibly relaxed state afterwards, making him more aware of his surroundings and more susceptible to small, minimal sounds or movements around him. 

After his encounter with the black-furred feline, he realized he didn't need to just evade the posted members of the Stormfallen, but the inhabitants of the rainy jungle, as well. 

Luckily, foliage that surpassed his height was abundant in the fantastical, vibrant region, allowing him to quietly travel around the goblins. 

Murmurs of the hidden goblins could be heard, forcing him to broaden his destination just a bit as he went around more carefully, keeping himself low as he walked through the rain-slick, towering grass. 

Thud. Thud. Thud. 

He came to a stop as tremors that sounded off like momentary earthquakes travelled through the soil. 

After freezing in place, he realized quickly that what he heard wasn't the jungle itself shaking from a natural disaster, but the footsteps of something massive--or more accurately, multiple of something massive. 

Is that it? He thought. 

Peeking through the blades of thick grass that attempted to cling to one another in the rain, he looked past the assortment of trees as he caught a glimpse of the tremors' origin. 

Plowing through the jungle slowly, unleashing bellowing roars from their gargantuan mouths, a pair of bulbous behemoths walked through the mud-laden land. Like hammers to an anvil, their hooves crashed into the mud with each step forward, splashing the mud onto the surrounding cedar. 

Hippos? No...abyppoes! Those things are massive...I guess it makes sense if they're capable of destroying those walls, he thought. 

Atop the backs of the massive, black-hided creatures rode pairs of Stormfallen riders, who directed the abyppoes with chain-whips. 

At every step, the Stormfallen riders cracked the metallic whips, reeling deep, bellowing roars from the tainted hippo-relatives as they marched forward like sentient boulders of flesh. The falling rain trailed the round sides of the abyppoes, running along their scarred hide that was etched by the harsh, chain whips. 

He stayed hidden within the foliage, roughly ten meters from their position after sneaking just a bit closer. 

Seeing them up close...I didn't actually think of how I'd go about taking these things down. They must weigh at least a few tons--no, that's underselling it, isn't it? Ten tons? They're like tiny mountains, he thought. 

Even though the colossal footsteps of the abyppoes muffled most noise he could make, he opted to remain minimal in his movements as the abyppo riders weren't alone. Escorting the duo of behemoths, lumbering, fully-armored hobgoblins marched with battle-axes in hand. 

...I don't think there's any getting around the cavalry here, if I intend to take out the abyppoes, that is, he thought. 

There were at least two dozen that followed the abyppoes, but standing at the very back of the incoming forces was a Stormfallen that stood out completely. 

It was a goblin, no mistake, even though it wore full-body, sleek armor of black-steel, but it had a similar physique to the likes of an adult human male. Unlike a hobgoblin that possessed a bulbous body and usually a hunchback, the peculiar goblin was proportioned similar to an athlete. Flowing from his back, an amber cape fluttered behind the marching, unique goblin. 

That one looks like trouble. I wonder...could that be the "champion" that Rohan was talking about? He thought. 

Either way, he kept to his undetected position within the trailside foliage, moving along slowly. He was only a meter away from the marching hobgoblins, but their eyes were set on the northern walls of Umber Cloud, but he didn't take his eyes off of them. 

Even in the chilly weather that came with the misty rainfall, he became accustomed to walking barefoot in the paramount nature, keeping his sword held tightly in his grip. 

I don't know why I was expecting the abyppoes to be alone, but I think Rohan could've been a bit more informative...this is a tall order. There isn't much of an option to "just eliminate the abyppoes" with this many Stormfallen around. I could try something--it'll be risky as hell, but if I can pull it off....He thought.