Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

"Weird," Caesar muttered to himself, nudging the corpse with his boot. "These demonic monsters are strange. No crystal cores, no magicite… completely useless aside from the body itself." He grunted, then pulled out a dimensional pouch and stuffed the hulking corpse inside before turning back toward Xylia.

"Just got word from Tangere. His scouts spotted some of your Wood Elves on the outer perimeter. Let's move."

Xylia nodded, not bothering to ask how Caesar had received the message. News that her people were alive was all that mattered.

Deep within the forest, on the farthest edge of the Plague-thralls' formation, a dozen Wood Elves leaped between the colossal trees. They were being hunted. The stench of their living flesh had drawn a pack of demonic monsters that pursued them like mad dogs.

"Captain, there's another large group of those passive demonic monsters ahead!" a scout called back, her voice tight with panic. "The ones that don't attack on sight. What are our orders?"

"Go around them! Avoid contact!"

It was a bizarre, desperate flight. The Wood Elves were not only evading the monsters hunting them, but also the ranks of Plague-thralls. To them, the shambling undead were just as much of a threat as the demons at their heels. So they ran, threading a needle between two armies.

But even elven stamina had its limits.

Inevitably, a few who had fallen behind were finally cornered. A pack of Red-Eyed Ghouls burst from the undergrowth, their claws scrabbling for purchase on the massive tree trunks. They swarmed upwards, slavering jaws snapping, towards the two exhausted Wood Elves who had stopped to catch their breath.

Suddenly, a volley of bolts whistled in from the trees ahead, punching through the lead Red-Eyed Ghoul and sending it tumbling back to the forest floor.

"Move, now! Don't stop!" a voice shouted from the distance.

The two exhausted elves looked at each other. In that shared glance, a grim smile passed between them, a silent understanding of what had to be done.

"Captain, you have to go!" one of them yelled. "We can't keep up! We'll cover your retreat!"

Slice! Slice!

Both elves drew their daggers and dragged the blades across their own forearms. The rich, coppery scent of fresh blood bloomed in the air, instantly distracting several of the Red-Eyed Ghouls that had started to pursue the main group. They turned, their crimson eyes locking on the new, easier prey.

"Get the others to safety, Captain! Live! Go, now!" The two warriors charged, meeting the swarm of Red-Eyed Ghouls in a desperate, final stand.

From the trees far ahead, a single, choked command was given. "Go!"

The fleeing Wood Elves didn't need to look back. They knew the fate of those who stayed behind. The sounds carried on the wind—the tearing of claws, the soul-shaking roars, and the wet, horrifying noises of chewing and swallowing.

Is there any way out for us? The question echoed in the mind of every survivor, a soul-crushing weight.

A short while later, Caesar and Xylia arrived at the scene with a small contingent of Wood Elf and Shield Warrior reinforcements. The air was thick with the stench of blood, but there wasn't a single body to be found.

"Looks like we were too late," Xylia said, her voice heavy. She leaped onto one of the giant trees and picked up a scrap of fabric woven from plant fibers. A piece of a sleeve. Her heart sank. Only Wood Elves wore clothes of this material.

"Captain," one of her scouts reported, his face grim as he presented his findings. "We found two crossbows and two standard-issue daggers." He pointed to an inscription on one of the hilts. "Based on the markings, they belonged to the Fifth Elder's squad."

"We…" Xylia started to say, but the words caught in her throat.

"This isn't the time for grief," Caesar cut in sharply, pointing deeper into the forest. "Your people are still alive, and they're just ahead." Before Xylia could fully process his words, he was already moving, a blur of motion disappearing into the trees.

A jolt of surprise and hope shot through her. "Stay with him!" she commanded her elves, immediately giving chase.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Tangere was taking a stroll. Unlike Caesar's frantic pursuit, Tangere moved through the woods with the easy confidence of a man walking through his own backyard. After sending Caesar the coordinates for the three locations where Wood Elf tracks had been spotted, he had wandered off to find some rare herbs for his plague cultivation vats.

He had just finished carefully harvesting a glowing magical plant when he paused, looking up. A frown creased his brow. So, they've finally noticed us.

Far in the distance, he could feel the arrogant, unrestrained aura of another lord. If he could sense his enemy, he knew the enemy could likely sense him.

"Fine," he muttered aloud. "Might as well go say hello. Let's see what the master of these demonic monsters is really made of."

With that thought, he launched himself into the air, rocketing towards the hostile presence.

Outside the Forest of Nature, in a trampled clearing, the Cyclops lord Hebika chuckled. Strewn around him were the forms of eight Wood Elf women. Their clothes were torn, their bodies still, their eyes vacant. They had been utterly broken.

Hebika thought with a disgusting surge of pride. Heh heh heh… perfect little broodmares. My offspring will grow strong inside you.

The Cyclopes' method of reproduction was horrifically cruel. Once violated, the Wood Elves lost all self-awareness. Their bodies, now little more than incubators, would instinctively begin to absorb elemental energy from the air to nourish the larval Cyclops within them.

And a Cyclops's seeding was always, one hundred percent, successful. After giving birth to one monster, the unfortunate Wood Elf's body would immediately begin the process anew, a tireless, mindless cycle of horrific incubation. For the Cyclopes, elves were the perfect vessel: long-lived, attuned to nature, and capable of surviving without food or water.

Suddenly, Hebika looked up, his single massive eye narrowing as he stared towards the Forest of Nature.

Heh heh heh… that old fool Rize was right. Something unexpected is happening in that forest. A Legendary-level powerhouse managed to evade the High Priestess's purge.

A wide, cruel grin split his face. Excellent. A Wood Elf lord as a vessel… just imagine the powerful children she could birth for me. Hahaha!

With a triumphant roar, the Cyclops lord Hebika leaped into the sky, streaking towards the presence he had just sensed.

Back at The Stillness, inside the fortress.

Orion stood on a balcony, gazing into the distance. By chance, he was looking in the exact direction Tangere was flying, the same direction from which Hebika was now approaching.

"Is there an enemy?"

It was his sister, Clymene, who spoke. Her own senses weren't as vast as Orion's; she couldn't yet feel the threat. But Orion had abruptly left his desk to stare intently at a single point on the horizon, and she knew what that meant.

"Yes," Orion confirmed, his voice calm and even. "A Cyclops. Legend-level, upper stage. It just appeared outside the Forest of Nature."

"Are they in danger?" Clymene asked, her voice laced with concern. They, of course, meant Tangere, Caesar, and Xylia.