The Godsfall Chronicles

Book 7, Chapter 50 - Ant Soldiers

Standing on the shoulders of a sand giant as it charged across the desert was certainly a… unique experience .

The beast continued to pick up speed, the earth shook beneath its feet . With a dominating presence, energy poured off the behemoth as it ran . In its wake a huge dust storm formed, but not only that . Gusts of grit gathered together into an army of smaller golems that ran with their towering general .

Abaddon was a mighty demon . Although he did not have the t.i.tle of Elder, his powers could not be discounted . He was a level above human Master Demonhunters, especially when in his preferred environment . He summoned an army to fight for them as the small group bore down on Kesjir .

They were coming prepared because Cloudhawk knew what they were walking into . Kesjir was Belial’s stronghold .

In order to more efficiently search for the divine seed left by the G.o.ds, Belial had built himself a secret crew . With the sandstorm concealing Kesjir under his control, the demon expertly manipulated it to allow only his airs.h.i.+ps to pa.s.s . In this way, step by step, his posse grew .

After centuries, Belial had forged all sorts of channels through Stormford’s society . He used them to siphon materials from the Elysian land which he used to create relics . These relics he used in his own defense and also to create his secret desert paradise .

The demons’ greatest artisan was not a t.i.tle lightly given .

Belial wasn’t at the peak of the elder hierarchy, but he was in the top ten . He earned that place not just from his combat prowess but from his many other skills . His valuable abilities went far beyond what typical Elders could provide .

His aid was worth more than an entire army . If Cloudhawk wanted to smoke him out of his hole, then he had to take Kesjir .

But Belial was as strong as a Supreme, maybe even stronger . Cloudhawk had to be wary . If even the slightest opportunity was given to this crafty devil, he would flee . Time was of the essence .

The Kesjir oasis was nestled in mountainous terrain . Nothing about it caught the eye: From a distance, up close and from above it looked like any other stretch of mountains . But hidden in the valleys and below were fertile lands, fed by clean rivers . So though on the surface it seemed as barren as anywhere else, closer inspection revealed ribbons of vibrant, vital green . Surely the product of Belial’s work .

All manner of dangers were littered near Kesjir . Their dramatic approach was sure to capture the attention of deadly beasts and indeed whirlpools began to appear in the desert sands nearby . Creatures drilled to the surface before the sand giant .

Jara was already so frightened by this circ.u.mstances that his legs could hardly move . When he saw the whirlpools, however, his breath caught in his throat . “f.u.c.k! Sand demons!”

All the monsters in this area were brought here by Belial, hand-picked for being the more ferocious fiends of the desert . Already possessed of terrible strength, the demon Elder further enhanced their bodies to give them all sorts of extra abilities .

These were not typical mutant creatures . They had become what old legends called the demons of the sands .

A four-headed snake wrapped in black fog appeared in the behemoth’s path . Harsh sun glinted off scales with a metallic l.u.s.ter . This king of beasts had its teeth and skull altered .

“Arrghho! Ha.s.sss!” The four heads roared and spit, each one different . Fire, acid, poison, lightning . A storm of different powers was belched at the sand giant . Under the formidible attack a fifth of Abaddon’s sandy sh.e.l.l was destroyed .

However, the behemoth was not a living creature and could not be so easily destroyed . No matter how many times it was blasted apart, whipping sands made it whole . Although the four-headed beast was strong, it did not possess the ability to stop the giant .

But more creatures were burrowing to the surface . Giant scorpions, skittering ants . There was no way of telling what other nightmares lurked beneath the surface .

Belial had modified them all . They no longer needed food or water and gained sustenance through other means . This stopped them from killing each other for survival . Judging by the extend of these mutations, Belial had a terrible talent for genetics . But war had come to his doorstep and he would have to leave his mountain stronghold eventually .

Cloudhawk drew G.o.dslayer and with one swipe carved across ten thousand meters of desert . The brilliant burst of power whistled across the landscape like an unstoppable tornado . The four-headed snake was caught in its path and torn to pieces, falling in b.l.o.o.d.y chunks like rain .

Jara was dumbstruck .  That… that is no earthly power!

Cloudhawk called out over the roar of the storm . “Belial! Show yourself! You can’t hide any longer!”

There was no answer from Kesjir, meanwhile more and more creatures closed in on all sides . Endless attacks of all sorts tried to slow their advance . In response the behemoth formed a sword of yellow grit two hundred meters high and hacked it toward the swarm . Ignoring the encroaching attacks, Abaddon slammed into them .

Wherever they pa.s.sed, a deluge of innards and shattered carapace was left behind . With its two sandy hands on its blade, the giant swung with wild abandon while closing in on the mountains .  SLAM! The weapon struck a protective enchantment barring pa.s.sage into Kesjir . The field s.h.i.+mmered but did not give, a demon Elder’s defenses were strong . Abaddon alone couldn’t open a path .

They were being overwhelmed by creatures, each wave stronger than the last . A bird wreathed in lava swooped down from above, the air around it hot enough to melt steel . Seething talons were aimed at the giant .

It was Frost de Winter who answered . Ashfall appeared from within his cloak and he leaped into the air . With a thrust of his right arm, the bird reeled back from a spear in its chest .

A burst of energy followed . The dripping fires around the creature’s body withered as though someone had poured a bucket over it . Ice appeared on its surface and crept across the body as, with a lamenting cry, it fell toward the ground . When it struck the bird shattered into countless chunks of ice .

Back atop the behemoth, Autumn put her flute to her mouth and summoned a tone . It tolled in the minds of the creature like a deafening call .

All around the beasts froze in place . Autumn’s power reigned them in like a giant hand holding them fast . However, she found that she could not dominate them entirely . They were already under the yolk of another .

“The demon Elder refuses to open the door for us, eh?” Cloudhawk shouted the challenge toward the mountains and got silence in response .

Abaddon, piloting the behemoth from within, continued to hack at the enchantment with its sword . Each blow was enough to cleave mountains and with every one came a storm of sand . The protective light was quickly dimming .

At this rate it would only be a matter of time before they broke through . But what if their target got away? Belial had tampered with the flows of s.p.a.ce here, preventing Cloudhawk from teleporting inside . Direct fury was their best bet .

“Abaddon, Frost, Autumn – if we strike together we can break the s.h.i.+eld down . ”

Individually, the four commanded frightening power . Together they were the stuff of nightmares . Nothing could stand in their way . The strength of Belials were limited, no matter how mighty his tools . So, with a deafening roar, a breach was carved in the enchantment .

Cloudhawk and his party forced their way into Kesjir . The moment they stepped foot within, countless dark figures began to approach . Surprise crept into the wastelander’s face when he saw them . Were they . . ? Yes . Ants! Thousands upon thousands of them .

Each one was as big as a horse and were covered in thick plates of dark red . They covered the mountain sides like an avalanche . Some even had creatures clinging to their backs – no, not creatures, humans! 

Ant… soldiers? 

Cloudhawk looked out over the siege but could find no sign of Belial .

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