155 Panic
The elementals now had one motive, one drive left in them – revenge.
They didn’t care too much about their physical bodies, they could just get another – but the treants slain would never rise again, they were bound to the wood.
The nest spore was also something that took a lot of time and a lot of cooperation to construct.
The elementals weren’t foolish beings, but when they inhabited their wooden bodies, they became limited.
It was not like they were half-wood and half-elemental; in their wooden bodies, they were still 100% elemental, and at the same time, they were 100% wood – they simply didn’t have all the capabilities they would normally have while in their spirit forms, such as higher intelligence.
Still, their emotions would respond the same, and right now they felt rage.
Without warning, the elementals went for the closest targets they could find.
The wave of elementals crashed against the small group of young adventurers, tossing aside any self-preservation as they smashed against them.
“GRAAA!” Dan the axeman welcomed the wave of enemies with a roar.
“Uh, let’s switch out again” the glaive guy said, ruining the glorious atmosphere by hiding behind the mace-shield guy.
Anya had returned to her position on the right of Jay by now, and was already sending bolts across the field, ending the nestlings in one hit.
As for Peter the lanky bow guy… well… needless to say, he was out of the battle now.
The pain must have been too immense, as all he could do was shake helplessly after his body recovered. The traumatic stress event had ruined him, and he was out of action for now – perhaps even for the next few days, maybe even weeks… Well, who knows how long.
The guards expected him to start fighting again after a moment of shaking on the ground, but it turns out he simply couldn’t, so they brought him to the back of the field with them. Peter would just get in the way otherwise.
Thankfully there were no more treant hectopedes to deal with – just a massive swarm.
The real battle started with wooden barbed hooks, flying viciously across the battlefield. Most were blocked or parried – as for the ones which did land, they were immediately cut at the segmented vine cord.
Much more of these hooks were coming at them now since the nestling gatherers had all grouped up. They also seemed to be attacking faster – some of the adventurers watching correctly guessed that the elementals wanted revenge.
*Clangg~* *Thwong~* *Dung~*
The shields were doing an excellent job at blocking them before, but now, there were simply too many.
Many elementals were being slain but the battle only got more intense.
“Ahh!” The glaive guy grabbed his shoulder in pain, a hook penetrating deep into it.
“F-fuck, help!” he was slowly pulled into the swarm as he grabbed at the mace-shield guy in front of him.
“Hey, stop panicking!” the sabre girl yelled.
The glaive guy grabbed at the mace-shield guy, trying to push him into the swarm in a panic.
The mace-guy couldn’t turn around as he was busy blocking hooks left and right – and this was only made harder with the glaive-guy pushing him forward into the swarm.
He was like someone who couldn’t swim trying to push someone else under water so they could keep themselves afloat – it would only serve to drown both of them. Of course, the simple solution would be to trust the person who could swim, but panic had gotten the better of him, he couldn’t think clearly at all as he continued to push the mace-shield guy forward, and they were beginning to separate from the group.
Jay watched this and began to feel furious; it was a stressful situation made worse.
“Just let go of him so he can cut the cord!” he yelled out.
The glaive guy had no answer, his eyes were fixated on the hook in his shoulder and the nestling slowly reeling him in.
Jay decided that he had enough. He could have dashed in, he could have resolved the situation and bore the cost of this fool’s mistakes, taking pain and damage.
Of course, the sabre-girl and the dagger girl will have paid a small price too, taking some extra damage without Jay there.
Jay pitied the mace-wielder, but made a decision.
“Leave them, let them perish. They’re as good as dead!” he said loudly to the whole team – loud enough so that the mace guy could hear.
Paul watched on from behind with a sly smile.
Next, the mace guy stopped attacking and turned around – he took a few hits from the stick-balls for this, but it would be worth it. The mace-guy immediately shield-bashed the panickey glaive guy.
The glaive guys loose grasp on the mace-guy was released – of course, he still tried to claw onto him.
“Wh- what!?! HELP!” he glaive guy yelled. He looked at the mace-guy with utter terror and disbelief.
The mace guy gave him a bitter look as he calmly spartan-kicked him away.
“I could’ve helped if you cooperated.” He said coldly as he then proceeded to get back into formation.
Seeing this, Jay nodded with a sly smile “At least one of them will be saved” he thought.
The glaive guy couldn’t do anything but shriek as he pulled on the hook – only causing it to dig deeper into his flesh. The smaller elementals all had opportunities to pierce and poke him now too, he was now figuratively shitting himself.
“Heh. I see what you did there, good decision mate.” Paul said with an approving smile as he rushed past Jay to save the struggling adventurer.
Just to teach the glaive guy one final lesson, Paul stood next to him.
The glaive guy responded immediately trying to cling to Paul, still panicked even though Paul was as calm as ever.
“Just relax.” he calmly said, patting his shoulder.
“HELP! AH! HELP!” he shrieked.
The glaive guy was a complete mess, still pulling at the hook and now he was clinging onto Paul too.
Paul just stood there like an unmoving rock, he was too strong to let the glaive guy push or pull him.
Slowly, the glaive guy was pulled past him and soon lost his grip, all while Paul didn’t move at all.
Paul looked disappointed as he shook his head, bitterly watching the panicked adventurer being dragged deeper into the swarm.