Unbound

They trudged through the jungle, the Wyrmkin with their spiral necklaces leading the way. Beef still couldn't see the wards that supposedly hid their presence, but the occasional flash of Mana vapor caught his eye. Even if he hadn’t, Beef had decided the Kobolds were cool. Mostly, it just felt good to have someone from Earth to talk to. Archie was great, if grumpy most of the time, and Felix was awesome, but the Kobold brothers were more like Beef. He hadn't felt out of his depth once while chatting. It was nice.

"So how did you find us?" Kevin asked. “We mazed the jungles around here with really powerful spells. Like, I Tempered my Spirit with it at Master Tier. They should’ve kept you busy for hours."

Harn grunted, "You think we let our people wander around without guards in place?"

Archie frowned. "No way, I didn't see a single tail."

"No tail," Hallow agreed. "But I know Beef's location at all times, and many of my Bodies were with Harn at his camp."

"Huh, that is unnerving." Shadow peered at Beef's armor, and one of Hallow's eyes winked at him. "Living armor! It's cool, but—whoa.”

“Yeah, I know,” Beef said with pride. "She is cool.”

Harn sighed. "When you left the town and hared off into the woods, I assumed you got captured, so we headed down here." He shrugged. “I’m happy to be wrong, in this case.”

"I guess that's fine," Kevin said with a frown before muttering, "Even though we worked really hard on that spell."

"Your little army is useful, though," Shadow added. "Can they truly keep up with the Knights Adamant?"

Beef laughed. "What a silly question.”

“They'll be fine. Haven't seen these snake knights in action myself, but the scouts say they're strong, Adept Tier at least." Harn picked at his teeth. "Could be trouble for the rank and file."

"Oh." Beef scratched his head before catching sight of his own armored forearm, reunited with Hallow and the Risen. He was more than ready for a fight. "Well, I'll take care of him, then."

"Just you?" Shadow asked, and Beef didn't need Affinity to hear the skepticism.

Beef pushed out his chest. "I'm all we need."

"I like the confidence." Kevin slapped Beef on the knee, which was just as high as he could reach. "I'm ready to take them all down, plus the Overlord."

Harn grunted. "You sure you kids don't want to come with us now? Leave this Overlord to play in the mud alone?"

"No," Shadow said. "We told you before, and our answer hasn't changed. We're not leaving this jungle until the Overlord is dead."

Harn’s silence was telling, even to Beef. Archie shrugged. "I told him it was a stupid plan.”

“Did you explain what the threat is? The real threat?"

Beef scratched his neck. "We were getting around to it."

The Kobolds looked between them, curiously. "Real threat?"

"Long story short, kids, is that the gods want you for their very own special puppets. They're intent on hollowing you out and filling you with their Divine power.” Harn watched the Kobolds through the narrow slit in his helmet. “It ain’t a pretty process. We've faced someone like that before. There was barely anything left of her.”

Shadow stared incredulously between the three of them. “No way. That's—that's crazy. Too crazy to believe. Why would a bunch of gods want anything to do with us?”

“Because you're Unbound. You think a bunch of soldiers for the Twins showed up at your doorstep for fun?” Harn pointed at Shadow and then Kevin. “They're here for the two of you. Twins for twins. Makes sense to me. So we're going.”

“We're not!”

“And we’re not tussling with the gods or their lackeys. That's Felix's business. Not for us.”

“We don’t plan to let them use us."

“Good. Then we agree.”

Kevin shook his head. “We can't leave our friends to these raging assholes. We need to stop them now.”

“Being closer to their servants is a terrible idea."

Shadow snapped his fingers. "You said your boss was grabbing seats and seals, right? We know where the one for Jaast is."

"You didn't tell us that before," Archie accused.

"You didn't ask.”

Harn stopped walking, forcing the company to a halt. "Where is it?"

"The Poison Fields, where else? We found it during our fight against the bandit lords. We didn't know what it was at the time."

"Couldn't claim it, anyway," Kevin added. "System kept telling us we didn't have the Authority. I didn't know what that was back then."

"Well, that's awesome!” Beef rubbed his hands together excitedly. “Felix can claim it and take charge of the whole Territory! Once that's done, we can get rid of all the knights and the guilders way easier.” ꭆἁꞐọΒЕŠ

"We'd have to kill the knights to get into the Poison Fields," Archie pointed out.

"And that means we'd have to…what? Sit around and wait for your boss?" Shadow snorted. "No. The knights have been getting way more aggressive recently. I'm not letting them run amok in Morva and the other towns anymore. We stop them now. Then we’ll go with you."

Kevin nodded vigorously. "Your boss sounds cool, and I'm all for saving the world. But first we've got to save this part of it, you know?"

Harn took off his helmet. He was sweating…and smiling. His scarred face pulled at his cheeks in a way that was not pleasant. "Good to hear. I ain't one to leave business unfinished, either. Tell me everything you know about this Overlord."

It was a long distance to the Poison Fields, especially through the dark. The jungle kept trying to trip them up, mostly with giant flytrap flowers and treacherous cliffs that loomed beyond gnarled roots. Monsters crawled across their path quite a few times, though most were low-level creatures that even the weakest among them could have destroyed.

The problem, Beef discovered, was that killing a few monsters here and there would attract the attention of larger threats. The knights did that sort of thing, Shadow had explained to him, killing the biggest monsters they could find and leaving them to rot around the towns and their fortresses.

Beef had immediately asked what was the point of displaying the beasts, if bigger monsters came sniffing after the corpses. Turns out, it doesn’t matter much if you attract bigger monsters if you’re confident you can handle them. The stinking corpses diverted the weaker beasts regardless.

While their army could likely handle anything the wiles of Jaast could throw at them, it would have been a delay at best, and at worst, an indication of their approach. The Adamants had good eyes, apparently.

Plus, their army was huge. The Frost Giants alone stuck out like sore thumbs, even in the dark, their white beards glowing in the faint magelight. They all took up quite a bit of space in the dense jungle, but the Wyrmkin worked overtime to utilize their mazing amulets to keep the army hidden. It wasn't the same as Felix's Abyssal Skein, but it did the job.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

As they walked, the Kobolds gave them a rundown of everything Harn could drag out of them. Shadow, it turned out, was poison-attuned, designed to enhance his archery focus. His basic combat abilities were hitting hard from a distance, either killing his enemy in one shot or, failing that, poisoning the target so that they didn't last much longer. He could also layer afflictions on his arrows to increase damage and add Status Conditions, which Shadow apparently put to great use.

Kevin, on the other hand, was life-attuned, but he wasn't really concerned with healing. His attacks instead focused on binding, so that he could get in close for the kill with his chained sickle. He could summon dart flowers, vines, thorns, and even mushroom spores to render fields inhospitable to attackers. Together, they worked extremely well, their powers complementing one another. That made sense to Beef. They had been a two-man team since the very beginning, and there was a reason why they were already Master Tier.

The Wyrmkin, on the other hand, operated in squads. Roughly half of them followed Shadow's methods of ranged attacks, while the others were up-close melee fighters like Kevin. Their weaponry and Skills varied, though, as well as their attunement. Most had attuned to fire, water, or earth, and none were more advanced than Journeyman Tier. In a matchup of strength, they were left in the dust by the Legion, the giants, and the Dawnguard, let alone the Chanters.

Mauvim walked with them. She asked many questions of the two Kobolds, picking their brains about the jungle and what they had been doing since their arrival. Beef listened closely. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Chanters so much that he felt nervous around them now. He’d sorta made up with Isla, but the woman's overbearing attitude had left an impression of the Chanters that was tough to dismiss.

While Felix seemed to trust Zara, and Tzfell and Laur had earned Beef's respect, he didn't know how to feel about the old leader of the Chanters. She seemed kindly enough, but she always seemed like she was ‘working an angle,’ to borrow a phrase from Archie. He didn’t trust the lady either and kept his distance whenever she showed up.

Honestly, Beef figured he was just being pessimistic. The Continent had never really done a good job at rewarding optimism, but Beef figured he was due. The Chanters were after the same thing that they were: defeating the Ruin and keeping everyone safe. Until he saw otherwise, well, he'd try to figure out a way to trust them again.

Kevin and Shadow just about spilled their guts, though. Beef learned a bit about their life back on Earth, though they didn't speak much on it, only that they were big fans of skateboarding and soccer. Not something Beef had ever been really interested in. Kevin was the more athletic of the two, with Shadow spending most of his time playing video games.

Beef was sorely tempted to talk with the purple-black Kobold about SwordLore again, but he always worried that people would get annoyed at him. We can chat about that later. We’ve got time.

He focused instead on walking and keeping Fafnir from roaming off into the dark jungle. She was a handful, as usual. She had proven to be a very capable fighter, though, and was even able to listen to commands—when she wanted to, at least.

I think she’s gotten bigger.

Hallow rumbled against his chest. Yes, she has gained a slight amount of mass.Has she been eating?

Beef shrugged. I didn't see her eat anything. What would she eat, anyways? She's a Risen. They don't eat.

True, but she is not a normal Risen. A Hatchling, and the amount of Will she has, it's... She is something else. Try feeding her your necromantic Mana.

Beef did, pooling a trickle in his palm. Sure enough, Fafnir eagerly twisted her head toward the source, lapping it up out of his hand like a starving cat.

Huh, she likes it.

Eventually, the conversation with the Kobolds swung back around to the mission at hand. Their target was the fortress at the center of the Poison Fields. Like their own ruined hideout, this fortress was already there even when the bandit lords were running wild, and it even had some similar decorations. Dragons and those geist creatures were depicted there in statue and mural aplenty.

Shadow had apparently spoken to plenty of old folks in the neighboring towns about the place. The story goes that someone dug too deep and broke open a pocket of foul Mana, and the Poison Fields were born.

Shadow ducked under a low branch. "People say they've been like that since the beginning of time.”

"Most people around here can't read, though, so take that into consideration," Kevin added.

Some of the oldest folks said the noxious soup was what powered such excellent reagents for the Essence Draughts. The Fellwin Flower and the Fellwin Root were the two components of the special draughts, and both only grew in the Poison Fields.

“They’re like water lilies.” Shadow gestured as if describing something the size of his torso. “This big at the smallest. The prisoners are forced to harvest dozens per day, or else they’re beaten ruthlessly. Even if they avoid the beatings and meet their quotas, however, the Poison Fields kill them, anyway. Few survive a week on the fields. No one has survived more than a month.”

Archie grimaced. "Cheery.”

By the time dawn's first rays split the sky, they had reached their destination. The jungle parted before them, and Harn softly called for a halt. As their column of soldiers came to a rustling stop at the edges of a cliff, he made a handsign to either side of himself. Scouts, dressed in mottled leathers, spread out like shadows, slipping through the twilight without a sound.

Beef stepped up beside Harn and stared out over the infamous Poison Fields. They were everything the brothers had promised: a fetid expanse of stunted trees, knee-deep waters, and steaming fumes visible to the naked eye. Mana swirled in the depths, like a sheen of oil that refused to stay still, adding a sparkle to the water that, instead of making them seem magical, made them almost too foul to look at.

Flatboats were spread out among the stunted trees, filled with too many people dressed in rags and wearing inscribed breathing masks over their noses and mouths. Beef could see the closest of them, and they looked pale and sickly, their arms shaking as tears poured from their eyes and across their masks. A pilot at the back used a long pole to push them along while everyone else busied themselves pulling glowing fronds from the water with their bare hands.

“This is awful,” he said, voice barely above a whisper.

Shadow leaned close. "We gotta be careful. The water is filled with sinkholes and uncertain footing, not to mention how nasty it is."

Harn grunted. "Poison and acid, you said?"

"Yeah. It'll burn any exposed skin, and the fumes are foul. It'll deal pure damage to your Health, plus an affliction called Swamp Lung that lasts for a long time, unless you can get it treated. Even Adept Tiers are susceptible to it unless you've got a strong Body.”

“Of course, the Adamants are protected. They got those blue shields on them, and their snakes seem made for the poison. I've spotted them rolling around in it sometimes when they're not all armored up like pigs in mud.” Kevin scowled. “I think they're immune to it."

Beef could see some of the Adamants now, slithering across the top of the water with ease. They moved slowly, pausing every once in a while to watch the flatboats and the prisoners within.

At the center of the Poison Fields, visible from their little ridge, was a distant collection of stone walls that rose up on a little island.

"That's the fortress you mentioned?"

"Yeah, the Overlord's Manor, they call it."

"Looks more like a burnt-out apartment building," Archie noted. "Is there no gate on those walls? And no roof?"

"They don't need either. Who's stupid enough to charge across the Poison Fields and attack them?" Kevin said with a grin. "Except us, of course."

Beef grinned right back.

Kevin was a bit wrong, though, because Beef clocked an addition at the center of the manor. "What's the point of that tower there?"

"That’s where Zennic lives."

A massive, fortified tower rose from the ruin's center. It was made of roughly quarried stone and held together with mortar that looked like mud. Windows dotted it, each of them layered with glass, though the bottom didn't seem to have any. It also didn't seem to have an entrance. Beef couldn't be sure, though. His view was blocked by the outer walls.

What he did see, however, were cages. Rows upon rows of the black iron prisons were bolted to the stone so that they formed a nest of gruesome trophies. They were all occupied, but none of the occupants were moving.

Shadow scowled when Beef pointed it out. "Anything that dies in the fields gets put on display. Prisoners, wandering beasts, snooping thieves. It’s a show of strength to the monsters and anyone who wanders through these jungles.”

“Gross.”

“Yeah.” Shadow pointed at the tower again. “The Overlord is definitely inside that thing, and the Seal is there, too. Probably why they built that thing in the first place."

"You think they claimed it already?" Beef asked.

"No. We'd be dead if they had any idea about what they're sittin’ on." Harn sat back, resting against a knotted tree trunk. "Take a few minutes, everyone. Rest up. We'll put together a plan when the scouts return."

Beef licked his lips, and Hallow buzzed against his chest. Are you all right?

I'm scared. He looked around himself, passing his eyes over the Wyrmkin and their own soldiers. A few Legionnaires saluted him when they noticed his attention. This is going to be really dangerous.

Fafnir perked up, as if sensing Beef's thoughts, and crawled out of the scooped-out nest Hallow had laid in his shoulder armor. Her wedge-like head tilted curiously as her bright green eyes took in the Poison Fields.

"Maybe you should stay behind, little one," he muttered.

Fafnir spun her head toward him so fast Beef could almost hear her indignation. She made a small squawk and dug her claws into his crystalline armor.

She doesn't like that idea.

"Yeah, I see that," Beef sighed. "You're all with me, then?"

Always, Beef. We are one.