Chapter 486 - The Power of a Witchdoctor (Patreon)
Content
The treant was large.
But in his [Titan] form, Zeke was much larger. And considering that Voromir had grown to match his new stature, when the hammer dropped on the enormous creature, it shattered into kindling. Shards of wood rocketed off into the woods as blobs of sap covered the hammerâs head.
Zeke had always been strong. Even going back to the very beginning, when heâd awoken in that cave only to be attacked by juvenile trolls. And heâd grown much more powerful since that day, taking a huge leap upon ascension to the Eternal Realm. The step heâd taken by gaining his new [Titan] form was just as â or perhaps more â impactful. It was like his strength and endurance had doubled, with his other physical stats taking smaller but still impactful steps forward as well.
âTold you so,â said Eveline.
âWhat?â Zeke asked, whipping around to brace himself for another attack. Three more treants, each one just as large as the first, raced toward him, only to be met by a sweeping attack from his hammer. One managed to duck beneath the heavy blow, but the other two were sent flying off into the distance, broken and bleeding sticky sap. He followed the attack up with a momentous front kick that the remaining treant attempted to block. The creature was ill-suited to the task, though, and its arms were destroyed before Zekeâs metallic foot buried itself in the monsterâs chest. The momentum of the attack sent the creature to the ground, where Zekeâs stomp ended its life.
And then, the forest went quiet.
âI said I told you so.â
âNo â I heard that. But what are you talking about?â Zeke asked.
âAbout the level seventy-five skill evolution. I told you it would change everything. Itâs always a huge step forward,â she explained.
âWhat was yours?â he asked.
âA spell meant to charm my enemies,â she answered. âIts original form could only affect a single target, but in the evolved form, it could bespell more than a hundred.â
âThatâŠthatâs disturbing, Eveline,â Zeke admitted. Heâd known that her class had dealt with mental manipulation, but heâd rarely considered the implications of that. The notion that she could have controlled other people against their will was more than a little distressing.
âIt was still limited. It only lasted for a short time, and even then, I couldnât actually make them do anything. Instead, they sort of just stood there,â she stated with a wistful sigh. âIâd hoped to evolve it again, butâŠwell, that just wasnât my fate. Now, I donât even have any skills. Or a body. Sometimes, I question if Iâm even real. This could all just be a figment of my imagination. It does sound like a fairy tale. A beautiful princess, imprisoned against her will and rescued by aâŠwell, not a handsome prince, but byâŠaâŠwell, that doesnât really fit the analogy. If it was all a fantasy, I would have imagined you as much more handsome. And far more cooperative. So, I suppose thatâs evidence enough that this is real.â
âUnless your subconscious mind knew that was what you would assume,â Zeke suggested. âThen, it would imagine things like this so as to trick yourself.â
âI hate you.â
âIâm just sayingâŠâ
âDonât. Next time you feel like making me question my entire existence, just donât.â
Zeke was going to respond â after all, he rarely got the chance to tease Eveline to such an extent as to elicit a reaction â but before he could, Talia returned. She was covered in sticky sap that made her hair stick up in all directions, but she was unperturbed.
âI found it,â she said without preamble.
âReally? This isnât like the last time?â he asked. They had been searching for the ratongi tribe for what felt like weeks. In reality, it had only been a few days, but the nature of the jungle hadnât allowed them any rest, which made the task seem like it had taken much longer than it had.
The last time Zeke had referenced had occurred when Talia had pinpointed the location of a group of ratongi that they had both assumed was the one theyâd met before. However, they were quickly disabused of that notion when the monsters attacked them with a level of ferocity neither had expected. The monsters had lost, but when the dust had settled, it had become clear that they had found a completely different tribe. Once theyâd had a chance to inspect the corpses, the differences in their attire had become obvious.
âIt is not like last time,â said a stone-faced Talia. However, her tone told Zeke that the question had annoyed her. âI saw the witchdoctor.â
âOh.â
âWhat do you want to do?â Talia asked. âI think I can rush in and grab the witchdoctor before anyone can react.â
âWhat if it resists?â he asked.
âI will deal with it,â she answered without hesitation.
âI love the confidence,â Eveline stated. âBut I think your demeanor is rubbing off on your companion.â
âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â Zeke asked inwardly.
âYou charge first, think later.â
âI think.â
âSometimes. After the fact.â
âAgree to disagree,â he muttered. Then, aloud, he said, âLet me get into position, first. Thereâs a good chance that things are going to change the moment you make contact. Something like that room outside the gate or the roc.â
âThat makes sense,â Talia said. âHow long do you need?â She looked up at him. âAnd are you going to remain in that form? It is not good for sneaking.â
That was the truth. At more than twenty feet tall â he couldnât be certain of the exact measurements â it was large enough and shiny enough that there was precisely zero chance of him going unnoticed, so long as he remained in his [Titan] form. Still, he was hesitant to let it fall away.
âAw â you like your new toy,â Eveline said with a chuckle.
That was enough to cut through any hesitation Zeke held in his heart. So, he let the form fall away, returning to his normal stature. Still, in his own skin, he felt more vulnerable than ever before.
Once Zeke had let [Titan] fall away, he proceeded in the direction Talia had indicated. For a few miles, he found himself wondering if heâd misunderstood her directions, but eventually, he reached an open area characterized by more ruins. In the center of those ruins was a large ziggurat, atop which was a giant pagoda. Surrounding the ziggurat were hundreds of ratongi, each one armed with great, knobby clubs and wearing hardened leather armor.
âLooks like we were expected,â came Taliaâs voice as she slowed to a stop. âThe plan does not seem viable.â
Zeke shook his head. He hadnât wanted to kill the creatures. After all, it hadnât been that long ago that theyâd tried to help Talia and him. However, he expected that the witchdoctor would refuse to give up their staff, which was the only way to progress past the gate. Already, Zeke had attempted to climb the mountain in other places, but heâd been rebuffed by a force similar to the one that had kept him from bypassing the obstacles in the centaurâs dungeon.
The message was clear. He had to play by the dungeonâs rules, or he had no chance of emerging victorious.
âI think we should at least give them a chance to surrender,â Zeke said. He didnât feel bad about the prospect of killing the ratongi, but he didnât relish it, either. Perhaps his previous thoughts about the morality of what heâd become hadnât quite faded from his mind.
âThat is not tactically sound,â said Talia.
âAt least sheâs thinking logically,â muttered Eveline. She was privy to Zekeâs thoughts, so she knew just how inflexible he was on the subject. âBut go ahead. Try to reason with the monsters. Iâm sure thatâll go very well.â
Zeke rolled his eyes at her. Then, he said to Talia, âItâs fine. If they attack, Iâll just use [Titan].â
âYouâre not invulnerable in that form,â Eveline reminded him.
âI know,â Zeke responded inwardly. âBut itâll be fine. These guys didnât seem that strong before.â
After discussing it with Talia a little more, establishing her role in the fight to come, Zeke stepped forward. The moment he did, the ratongi closed ranks and pointed their clubs at him. Meanwhile, the witchdoctor and the chief faced him from their spots halfway up the ziggurat. Only when Zeke drew within a couple hundred feet did the scent of blood and death hit him.
âOh, thatâs not good,â Evelien said.
Zeke ignored her. Instead, he squinted at the structure, finally noticing that the sides had been stained red. He slowed to a stop when he saw the results of [Inspect], though:
Ratongi Chief â Level 74
Then:
Ratongi Witchdoctor â Level 77
Zeke used the ability again, getting the same results. It didnât make sense. The last time heâd encountered the tribe, the chief and witchdoctor had both been in their mid-sixties. There was no way theyâd managed to progress ten or more levels in the space of a couple of weeks.
âI think I know whatâs going on,â Eveline said. âSacrifices.â
âIs that possible?â Zeke asked, focusing on the bloodstains marring the zigguratâs sides. âCan people level via sacrifice?â
From what Zeke understood, the Framework took into account things like difficulty before rewarding kill energy. Sacrifices didnât seem like a viable option, and even if they were, there werenât enough ratongi in the area to fuel those kinds of gains. It would have taken tens of thousands of rat-people for the chief and witchdoctor to have progressed that many levels.
Zeke stepped forward.
The witchdoctor gestured with its staff, and it erupted into bright, green light. A moment later, a hundred tendrils of power reached out, slamming into the horde of surrounding ratongi. Each one those snaking tentacles of power hit dropped dead a moment later, and the light returned to the witchdoctor.
âUhâŠEzekielâŠâ
âWhat?â
âUse [Inspect] again.â
He did:
Ratongi Withdoctor â Level 79
âWhat theâŠâ
The creatureâs staff once again blazed with power, and another hundred ratongi warriors fell a second later. When Zeke inspected the monster again, it had gained an additional two levels. Whatâs more, it had begun to glow with that same green power.
âYou should not let it sacrifice any others,â Eveline advised. âEspecially theâŠohâŠthatâs not good.â
Zeke couldnât help but agree, especially as he watched the witchdoctor slam its hand into the chiefâs chest, shout something unintelligible, and withdraw its beating heart. The bloody mass of muscle glowed with enough green power that Zeke felt like he was looking at a miniature sun. Then, the witchdoctor bit into it like an apple.
With grim resignation, Zeke once again inspected the creature:
Ratongi Witchdoctor â Level 83
âThis is really, really bad.â
âI know,â Zeke muttered. Heâd already infused the rune for [Titan] with enough mana to activate the skill. However, even as he grew, adopting the metallic shape, he heard the ratongi witchdoctor let out a massive screech before sending a thousand tendrils of power to slam into the remaining warriors. A moment later, those same tendrils returned, pushing the monster past level eighty-five. It kept rising until, finally, it settled at eighty-seven. That was only two levels shy of the goliathan.
âIt looks like youâre going to have a chance to put that new form through its paces,â Eveline said. âGood luck. Please donât die to a rat-monster.â
Before Zeke could muster a response, the witchdoctor disappeared. A second passed. Then another. Finally, after the third second, a giant claw made of mud, blood, and shiny trinkets erupted from the ground beneath Zekeâs feet. He tried to react, but the thingâs talons closed around him before he could move. Suddenly, he was surrounded by suffocating earth, with thousands of tiny metal trinkets digging into his skin.
Then, it dragged him under the ground.
Zeke embraced [Shifting Sands], trying to escape the skillâs grasp, but despite his efforts, he found himself incapable of moving through the surrounding earth. Instead, he remained trapped in the skillâs grip, a situation that lasted past the point where [Shifting Sands] forcefully deactivated.
So, Zeke countered it by embracing his twin domains. The moment he used the second, [Aura of Desolation], the claw shook. A second later, the metal trinkets started to melt beneath the onslaught of fiery corruption. That loosening grip gave Zeke the room he needed to bring his immense strength to bear. He burst free, ripping and tearing at the earth until, at last, he shoved his way back to the surface.
By that point, Talia had entered the battle. She had found the witchdoctorâs position, and she was currently circling the creature, darting in every so often as she tried to whittle it down. Meanwhile, a dozen other giant claws closed on the area, slowly crawling across the ground, using their fingers as legs until they reached the site of the battle.
Talia clearly recognized the danger, and she darted away.
Thatâs when Zeke arrived, swinging Voromir with all his might. The hands rose to meet the heavy blow, but they shattered before his herculean strength. However, when he finally carved a path through the disembodied claws, he saw that the ratongi witchdoctor had once again disappeared.
Furious and frustrated, Zeke whirled around, searching for a target for his ire. None were apparent.
Until he saw the fallen ratongi warriors.
At first, Zeke didnât know what to make of the green auras that suddenly enveloped the corpses. However, that only lasted until spectral facsimiles of the creatures erupted from the bodies and leaped at him.
Zeke swept his hammer out, but the weapon swept through the incorporeal figures without harming them. Then, they were upon him, leaping atop his shoulders and sinking insubstantial claws into his body.
Zeke roared, trying to rip them free, but because of their intangible nature, he couldnât grab hold of them. Meanwhile, he felt his strength draining with every passing second. With hundreds having already latched on â and with hundreds more on their way â Zeke felt panic rising in his heart.
How could he fight them if he couldnât even touch them?
That question loomed large in his mind as he felt himself growing weaker by the moment. But he didnât have any answers.