Chapter 116: Chapter 116

Belissar immediately focused on the entrance of the Tower…and found nothing. He frowned and then began to zip around the Tower with his Tower sight, but still he didn’t find anything. The karnuq weren’t present in his Tower at the time so he didn’t think there’d be any remnants, but still he searched. Not finding anything, he began to zoom out his Tower sight, hoping to catch sight of anything out of the ordinary, but as far as he could tell all was normal in his Tower.

And yet, he could still feel the Hunger. His heart began to pound.

Niobee zipped in front of him.

“Thanks, let me know if they find anything.”

He could see his bees stir and start to spread out through the Tower. Without any further options to check the Tower himself, Belissar tried to focus on the feeling in the Tower’s mana. He couldn’t find a shade anywhere in the Tower, but it was definitely touching the Tower’s mana so it had to be somewhere…

Belissar froze, and then his eyes opened wide. He realized…that the Tower’s mana was not limited to its own walls.

“Will you be able to assist?”

Chief Rohsuak shook her head.

“I have the power to attack but not to control the fires that would result. Burning down the forest would not count as our victory. If you can immobilize it I could concentrate my attack, but if I miss I will not have a second attempt.”

Metsaitti’s frown deepened.

“I…am not certain we will able to do that. Not without sacrifice.”

Chief Rohsuak narrowed her gaze as she glared out into the trees beyond.

“…we will do what we have to.”

Metsaitti slowly nodded and returned to the hunters. The karnuq stood scattered about, with spears and bows mostly carved from the bones of their prey, only a handful still holding the masterfully forged weapons of their forebearers. Chief Rohsuak’s shoulders sagged as she let out a sigh. They were a far cry from the war parties she had followed and then led in her youth.

They felt it before they heard it, the ground rumbling with each step it took. They heard trees crack and fall, and saw the rustling in the canopy. Many of the younger hunters began to fidget and gulp.

Metsaitti raised his spear, his voice stopping the hunters from shuffling back. As long as he stood, they would stay and fight. Chief Rohsuak could only hope he would not fall.

It was not pleasant for her to stand behind the lines, instead of in front of them.

And then, the shade burst from the trees, towering over even the karnuq hunters. It paused as it looked around. Then it let out a roar and began to dig into the ground.

At Metsaitti’s shout, the karnuq archers let their arrows fly. Their aim was true and the arrows sank deep into the monster.

It hardly seemed to notice.

The shade began to charge, shaking the very world around them as it smashed through the trees. Metsaitti took but one look at its building momentum before he made his call.

The karnuq hunters, prepared to stand their ground, paused at his cry. That moment of hesitation nearly cost their lives as they threw themselves out of the path of the monster. They hit the dirt, unable to launch any counter thrusts as the shade dug into the dirt, leaving huge furrows in the ground as it slid to a stop and prepared to charge once again.

Chief Rohsuak frowned as the monster began a second charge surprisingly quickly. Despite its bulk, it would not remain still long enough for her to target her spell. Worse…shades were inherently drawn to mana. It would notice once she began to gather hers…and she was not confident she could finish her attack before it could charge her down. How ironic that the Blazing Berserker would now find herself helpless in a fight, forced to conserve her strength until it was safe to unleash it.