The Highest Place Chapter 26: The One To Be Saved! (Patreon)

Duncan gazed ahead, his eyes drawn to toes capable of reshaping the very earth. He lifted his gaze to behold the towering form of a woman whose sheer size cast shadows over the land. Meeting the golden, luminescent eyes of the giant, Duncan felt a mixture of awe and trepidation.

"I don't seek conflict," he spoke, his voice barely a whisper against the vastness before him, where even the darkest clouds seemed to scatter at her presence.

"WHAT?" The thunderous voice of Laufey reverberated.

"Please," Duncan implored, his words swallowed by the expanse. "Just return Lyra."

"LYRA?" Laufey's irritation was palpable.

"Our friend!"

Duncan turned his head upon hearing a familiar voice. As Duncan glanced behind him, he saw Aric, Seraphina, and Gideon, steadfast and armed, prepared for battle.

"YOUR FRIEND?" Laufey's eyebrow arched in skepticism. Then, as if recollecting a distant memory, her gaze shifted to the diminutive figure of the human she had encountered earlier, a sly smile playing upon her lips at the sight of the powerless being.

"IS THIS THE LITTLE THING YOU WANTED TO SAVE?" Laufey's voice dripped with contempt as she poised her foot menacingly over Lyra.

"DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE YOU CAN?" she taunted, the movement of her toes a threatening dance over the defenseless woman.

With a sadistic grin, Laufey prepared to bring her foot down upon Lyra, oblivious to the faint green glow emanating from the shattered bones beneath her.

As the air crackled with energy, a towering pillar of green fire erupted from the ground, capturing the attention of all.

"What's happening?" Aric's voice betrayed his concern.

"Something malevolent," Duncan replied, his expression darkening with foreboding.

Laufey paused, her foot halting its descent as she observed the spectral display. Beside Lyra, injured and vulnerable, she watched as the pillar dissipated, revealing the ominous figure of the skeletal lich, clutching its dark staff with sinister intent.

"DO YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN COME INTO MY DOMAIN AND MAKE ME FEEL SO LOW?" The lich's voice echoed with a chilling mix of green and grey luminescence in its eyes. "DID YOU THINK THERE WOULD BE NO CONSEQUENCES?" it bellowed, its spectral form seething with anger.

Laufey remained silent, her gaze fixed on the diminutive lich hovering near her chest.

"STILL BEING AN ANNOYANCE," Laufey remarked, her voice tinged with disdain as she turned to face the menacing creature.

With a swift motion, the lich raised its staff, and a pallid light enveloped its ethereal form, casting an eerie glow over the scene.

Ancient magic circles pulsed around the lich's form, emanating a pale white and green light.

The wind roared with primal energy, and lightning pierced the darkened sky as a grotesque ball of flesh materialized before the lich's chest.

"DAMN YOU!" the creature spat, its voice reverberating with fury as the abhorrent mass expanded, sprouting miniature appendages. "I DAMN YOU ETERNALLY!" it screamed, unleashing its wrath upon the world.

"WHAT?!?" Laufey's booming voice echoed in disbelief as she raised both hands in a futile attempt to defend herself.

The fleshy monstrosity, with its tiny arms, seized hold of Laufey's massive limbs.

"AAAHHH!" Laufey's agonized cry pierced the air as her flesh seared upon contact with the immense mass.

The adventurers, along with Duncan, could only watch in horror as Laufey was ensnared by the hall of flesh, her struggles futile as the abomination consumed her colossal form.

"Now's my chance," Aric whispered, determination driving him forward.

"Aric, wait!" Seraphina's voice rang out, but Aric pressed on, his focus solely on reaching Lyra, injured and vulnerable on the ground.

With swift determination, Aric scooped Lyra into his arms, his resolve etched upon his face as he prepared to flee the scene.

"Damn that smell!" Gideon's voice cut through the chaos as the nauseating stench of the fleshy mass assaulted their senses, causing them to retch and shield their eyes.

As they stumbled towards safety, the Lich reveled in its victory, its laughter echoing through the forest as it watched Laufey succumb to the abomination's grasp.

"FINALLY IT'S OVER!" the Lich proclaimed triumphantly. "I HAVE WON!"

"Time to go!" Aric shouted, urging his comrades to move.

"GO?!!!" A thunderous voice boomed, halting them in their tracks as they looked up to see the grotesque mass of flesh looming above them.

The ball of flesh convulsed violently, swelling like an overfilled balloon.

"WHAT?" The Lich's voice rang out in confusion and shock.

"BOOM!" A deafening explosion ripped through the air, sending shockwaves reverberating throughout the area. The massive ball of flesh erupted, hurling slimy fragments toward the forest below, each one burning the ground and corroding organic matter upon impact.

The adventurers instinctively covered their heads as a hurricane of debris rained down from above, accompanied by the howling winds of the unleashed tempest. From amidst the chaos, the colossal form of Laufey emerged, breaking free from the clutches of the fleshly mound attempting to consume her.

Panic etched their faces as they watched the giantess hurtling towards them.

"Get back!" Aric's voice pierced through the chaos, filled with urgency.

With a thunderous roar, Laufey crashed to the ground, unleashing a cataclysmic shockwave that devastated the land. Trees were uprooted, and massive boulders and rocks were flung through the air, wreaking havoc upon the landscape and forever altering the terrain.

As the dust began to settle, the adventurers looked up in awe at the incomprehensible shadow looming beyond the dissipating clouds of debris.

With bated breath, they beheld the colossal figure of Laufey. Though her skin bore the scars of battle, it healed before their very eyes. Her massive form had swelled to an astounding height of 1000 feet, dominating the battlefield with her sheer presence.

Laufey, eyes closed, rose to her full stature, the earth trembling beneath her colossal frame. Slowly, she opened her eyes, twin beacons of blinding light, and fixed her gaze upon the Lich, who stood atop a small mountain barely reaching Laufey's knees.

Without uttering a word, Laufey turned her massive form towards the Lich. In a single, fluid motion, she extended her index finger, positioning it menacingly over the diminutive creature.

"IMPOSSIBLE..." the Lich stammered, its voice tinged with disbelief. "THIS SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE!" it shrieked in terror.

"DISAPPEAR!!!!" Laufey's command thundered across the battlefield, devoid of mercy. With unparalleled force, her colossal finger descended upon the Lich, cleaving through the mountain as if it were mere parchment, obliterating the malevolent creature without a second thought.