《Heart of a Dungeon》Chapter 18: Assault
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I realised something as I was waiting, I forgot to send my moles along with the assault force. Better late than never, I ordered them to create a bigger network of tunnels beneath the camp, with small potholes as traps, also extending in a perimeter around the camp in case the filth would try to escape, which was a given.
The bustling noise in the tunnels was a stark contrast to the almost death like silence in the camp, as if they were aware of what was to come. However, it was irrelevant if they did, since none of them would have the capabilities of stopping my slaughter.
It seemed as if they were on a night watch, a proper time to strike. After issuing a command to locate the priest first, I sent the attack order.
The earth made to move as if it was skin with bugs crawling under it, the moves showing, bobbling out, which it all basically was. The screams started, first it was surprise, being disturbed during their watches and sleep, then it became horror as the first bugs move from the skin of earth into the skin of flesh, crawling once more deep inside.
The small tents, fitting up to four people, were neatly arranged in a circle with an opening both facing the centre as well as the outside. It would’ve been to prevent becoming night blinded if one had to get up quickly, however this was useless as most tents just collapsed due to the shift in weight and the tunnels undermining them.
It was saddening to see that none of them broke anything, but a laugh of glee escaped when the moles bore their claws into flesh for the first time, getting them to taste blood at last.
None of the adventures that were trying to don their armour proved to be any kind of resistance. The hornets just striking their fingers, neck, arms, everything exposed, just like the worms would tunnel through the feet in a spiral going through the legs further upwards. The fools trying to use cloth to swat down were only marginally more successful.
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No, the only danger to my beloved creatures were those disgusting mages, having access to wide spells. The first one to cause damage ignited the tent he was in by accident, killing his companions, as well as a couple hundred of my minions, while he himself stayed safe.
A mage that looked to be part of the watch seemed to be preparing a more less friendly fire spell, thus I sent some of the hiveworms in aiming for him. Bigger, stronger, they would be able to not only pain the threat, but disrupt his casting as well.
Bullet ants latched themselves on, ripping piece of flesh from the mage as a hiveworm wrapped itself around the left leg of the mage, to contract himself. The shin shot through the skin, along with a scream perforating the air in a similar way.
The open wound was immediately infested by mutaworms forcing themselves further inside, the first wave of the spell of cold extinguishing within mere feet from the mage, and weakened enough to only kill tens instead of hundreds.
The blood of insects, moles and filth gradually soaked the earth, creating more of a mudpool than the previous grassland, the crunching of bones being broken and chitin being trampled creating another layer of sound to the screaming, ripping of flesh, the mumbles of mages and the pure delight of laughter.
Finally realising the futility of attacking anything smaller than a hand, swords and daggers started to find moles and hiveworms with an increasing rate of accuracy, being the threat to their only hope of defense, yet at the same time the first straggler was heard to be running away, only to yelp out as he tripped into one of the potholes.
Every orifice was quickly intruded upon by the widows, perhaps even creating another widow depending on the brood stove. A warm body, broken, unable to move, yet able to feel everything before the brain shut down.
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There was some yelling about how it was supposed to be impossible for my creatures to get out, in between the screaming of pain and despair, yet it was promptly ignored as I found my soon to be priest.
The total of tents amounted to fifteen, and counting from the one closest to my entrance, he was in the seventh one towards the left. He too had come out of his tent, yet stood fazed in front of the opening at camp side, the slaughter and shock too much to handle.
The art of stupidity as one of the others from the tent pulled him back, away from the fight only eared my ire. Sending a command to a group of moles and hiveworms to chase after them, lead by the Worm queen.
I would not let him escape, any other could stir slowly in his own blood to choke on, but this one should be caught.
Still more of my minions crawled out of the pits of heaven into heavenly pits of flesh, finding purchase for their claws, stingers and eggs in marrow, soft eye tissue and yummy liver.
Occasionally a mage was able to pull of a spell, only to die even quicker to the focused onslaught he attracted. Slowly the screaming turned into a constant whimpering, and more focus came upon the chase of the priest.
The potholes and collapsing tunnels did a proper job of slowing this escaping party down, as the Worm queen led the charge, gaining on them. The other pursuers didn’t truly gain distance, but they didn’t lose it either.
Using mana as fuel to spur my queen forward, along with a swarm of hornets to molest every other except the priest, there was once more the pleasurable sound of pain. One of the other escapees had been stung, his wounds rotting away, leaving gashes in his neck, on his calves, his hands and a nice see through hole in his cheek.
Left behind by the remaining two, them even trying to speed up, the piece of flesh cried sweet tears. Brimming with pleasure at the sight, yet feeling a unsatable hate, my queen received another burst of mana, finally making her able to wrap herself around the right leg of my priest.
There was a moment of hesitation of the last runner as he heard the yelp and see his companion fall, yet in the end it was only more fuel to run away.
Sending a couple hornets after him, my focus was fully on my target. Moths arrived, spreading their poison to paralyze him as the hiveworms started to arrive as well, slowly wrapping themselves around my priest, and they started to drag him towards me.
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