CHPT 427: Strategic Intimidation

Another rainforest. Tangents tended to hold geographical similarity to the world outside, and since they were still within Camaco's waters, it made sense. But at the same time, Tangents were fundamentally different from their outside world counterparts. As Claude landed on the wet grass grounds inside with the boat smashing into the earth behind him, he wondered what was different about this Tangent. Where it was hidden.

Was it inside the massive magical aloe leaf bushes with their glowing slime? Or the mist laden grass that ran for miles underneath the covering of tropical trees and fog thick enough to make the sky look close enough to grab? Maybe it was found in the hooting and hollering creatures in the tree's that welcomed their entrance. Wherever it was, he'd find it.

"Plan?" Ursula said as he walked over to the group. They stood between two large tree's in the shadows beneath. The green world beyond seemed endless, not only in sight and sound, but in smell.

"It's a horde. The plan is to slaughter everything as efficiently as possible and stay near escape points. Don't get locked into anything where the swarm can take you. And..... never split up." Claude explained.

"So no caves, no deep waters, no dug outs." Ursula followed along as quick as ever as the world around her swayed and wiggled in the wind.

"Exactly." Claude explained. "Cassidy and Ma, keep an eye out for Shaman's. Frosty, Ursula and I will keep the numbers down on the ground."

Cassidy smiled, "Fair enough, par--"

FWOO!

Before he could finish speaking, Claude lunged at him in a green eyed blur. The Hunter was so taken by surprise he didn't move as the Lupine Alpha shoved him aside and threw out his right hand as if to reach for something in the trees ahead.

Black fiery smoke burst from the tattooing in his hand, gaining shape and form as it bulleted through the forest canopy, it's wolfish head with six eyes snarling all the way like a spectral predator on the hunt. Whatever it searched for was found as something hidden in the trees in the distance screamed from blood filled lungs.

"AAAHHHH--"

CRNCH!

[+130 EXP]

The black snaking smoke slithered back into his hand. Cassidy stood by watching, still adjusting as the shadowy wolves head returned with a Goblin held by the throat. Dozens of bite marks lined it's green skinned body and oozed with dark blood. The rest of the amalgamated Phantom Wolves sunk back into his hand, leaving the Goblin in Claude's grip.

It was taller than the usual stock of Goblins he was used to. Almost the height of the average man at five foot six.... but considerably slimmer. Malnourished in form and covered in feline printed furs and feathers. Just like the Zombies. The Goblin also had tools. One of which being a crudely made sort of scope from a hollowed-out branch and clear transparent flat gem wedged into the end.

"Some sort of scout..... if there's variation there's structure. Maybe beyond just Shamans. I don't know. We go as we planned anyway." Claude said before dropping the Goblin near the boat.

"How did you hear it...? I didn't catch a thing." Ursula said with confusion.

Claude shrugged, "You're still learning how to look beyond your eyes. And I didn't hear it..." Claude said as he looked down at his bare feet touching the earth, "I saw it."

"Neat trick." Cassidy commented.

Before anyone could say anything more, they all silenced. Ursula's thick calloused hand landed on his shoulder.

The floor was shaking. Hell, even the tree's were shaking. If he focused, he could even hear their slobbering screams and chants in the far distance. Beyond the scope of his Natural Vision and sensory focused state.

"[That scream. It seems the scout was also an alarm of sorts.]" Arne commented.

"Yep. The Horde is coming." Claude spoke into the silence as he unsheathed his spears.

The sheer number required to make the forest shake at their approach..... especially when one considered their lacking physical structure. This would be a wild ride.

"[No hesitating.]" Arne reminded him.

Claude kicked it into high gear immediately, "Cassidy--"

The Hunter was already gone. Somewhere loading up his Autobow from a vantage point that couldn't be seen with human eyes. Ma flew and dashed through the trees singing of oncoming deaths in large swaths.... violence woven into each inhumanly spoken lyric and tone. As beautifully dark as ever.

Ursula readied herself beside him and Frosty. The floor was already beginning to freeze over.

"I have an idea." Claude said, "Don't come until I give the signal."

Without saying anything more he took off, leaving Ursula with Frosty.

"WHAT SIGNAL???"

"You'll know." He replied through their link as he disappeared deeper into the rainforest.

With each blurring step he made, the vibrations grew until it was a quaking sensation that heralded the Goblin Horde's arrival. It was primal, it was violent. It was vicious. That was the beauty of charges. The more he spoke with Cassidy about concepts, tactics and strategies the more he realized how brainless and impractical charges were. Until they weren't. Like now. The intimidation drawn from a good charge couldn't go unnoticed. It bolstered Claude's nerves beyond what they already were.

He couldn't have that. He needed to even the playing field.

After a few hundred feet of travel he'd abandoned running with the activation of his (Partial Embrace) Transformation Skill. He moved more comfortably on Lupine legs as he leaped and bounded through the trees, swinging on branch and vine along the way until he found himself approaching his destination.

He could hear their breaths between screams..... the clank of their armor, the foul smell of greed and body odor wafting from their verdant skin. And as he jumped from the dense wave of rainforest woodland crowding him, he found them. Hundreds... Some tall, others short and overweight as they rode the backs of varying subspecies of Dire Rats like battle stallions. Behind them, the rainforest was wiped away due to their numbers trampling through the forest. They were ready for war.

How about a jumpscare?

Claude squatted down on the branch as he watched them approach. He focused, remembering the trigger to his transformation-- the feeling that came every full moon. The bubbling of the muscles, the absorption of Wild Magic the transformation as a whole.

He couldn't yet manage it full on. But he'd shifted partially. And with that, there was only one more step.

Claude leaned into the oncoming horde and sucked in all the air he could with his growing set of lungs. They were no more than forty feet away. He could feel the ambient Wild Magic being pulled into his muscles all the same as he activated his skill, (Sonic Howl).

Suddenly the quaking rumble of the rainforest was the least of their worries as his roaring howls split eardrums, sloshed ponds and sent their Dire Rat mounts into a feral frenzy that sent them squealing and chomping at anything around them.

Chaos was born in an instant. Not just because of the sudden sound, but because of it's likeness.

Lupine really was a fitting name.

Wolf-like.

And if Claude knew one thing, it was that Goblins were terrified of Wolves. Something learned through time. Through Orcs that were known to enslave Goblins on the outside.... and in Tangents on rare occasions. Being the slave of an Orc was a fate worse than death, and when a Goblin attempted to flee, it was the Orc's PitWolves that hunted them down.

Claude had made their ranks relive an ancestral trauma with a single earsplitting howl. Not a direct attack, but it hurt them nonetheless.

He watched on as the horde lost cohesion. Massive Rat monsters with sharpened fangs and horned helmets ripped through Goblins as if they were made of wet mud slapped over bone. More fearful Goblins ran rampid, trampling over each other as they tried to run to the center.

"[Watch closely. Ask yourself why they are running in, instead of away.]" Arne commented.

Claude focused his vision and watched for what he could amidst the madness. More were coming and beginning to push the horde forward.

Despite this he could see a standout figure in the center of the charge, riding a quadrupedal creature covered in something. The Goblin wore a cloak of spotted fur and crow feathers and held a staff made of somethings spine. The creature screamed of Goblin Shaman to an almost comedic level.

"Target found."

Originally it was Cassidy and Ma's job... but he had a shot. No risks.

He waited in the chaos.

He waited. For her.

"RAAAAAAAAGH!" Ursula's roar emerged from below him as she jumped toward the horde and landed with a Glacial Smash that split the tree's and sent groups of Goblins tumbling through their ranks with broken and frostbitten limbs.

Now.

Claude threw out his Malevolence Tether, willing it's end to shape into a blade. It sunk into the Shaman's chest before the silver and green glowing blade shifted into a hook.

The Shaman screeched as Claude yanked it so hard it's cloak was left standing where it once was for a few seconds.

After a few seconds, he caught the Goblin by the throat and smashed it's face into the tree until portions of it's brain leaked down the brown bark like sludge.

[+100 EXP]

Claude viewed the Goblin once in confusion.

"Less experience..... no feeling of corruption sewn into the nature around us."

"[It's a bloody phony. That's new.... then again I was never much of a Goblin expert.]" Arne commented.

That meant a Shaman was still out there. That also meant there was something else they were running to.

Claude suddenly remembered the creature it was riding. He scanned the horde once again... nothing.

Nothing but Ursula and Frosty against the Goblins.

"Shit!" Claude growled before jumping from the tree and enter the madness.