Chaos Order Outpost

"Tear them apart!" Agamios roared as the Longman tribe burst through the walls and made a beeline for the prisoned chief.

"Stop there!" Several sentries shouted as the remaining five hundred or so monsters left in the camp clashed against the centaurs led by a marilith and a dire ape. Dire apes were 8-foot-fall ape-like creatures with four arms, two massive upper arms, and slightly smaller lower arms.

The sentries utilized [Levitate] to gain a height advantage over the battle, then proceeded to bombard the invaders with fireballs and ice spike projectiles, without care for the monsters caught in the chaos. Evidently, the Chaos Order acolytes and priests stationed in this outpost consisted solely of mages.

"Die!" Agamios roared as he burst through the flames and caved in a direwolf's skull with a single punch. He flipped the corpse around and used it as a club to smash in the heads of surrounding monsters. Blood and flesh exploded around the one-man battering ram as he continued his charge unhindered.

"That's as far as you go!" A priest roared as he cast [Flame Tornado]. A thick flaming pillar rose from the ground and zipped toward the centaur general with the marilith close behind for insurance.

Agamios' gaze narrowed as he charged into the pillar.

Boom!

The flame pillar exploded the second Agamios made contact and burned everything within five meters.

The acolyte laughed and ridiculed, "Foolish be—"

"Die." Agamios' deep voice interrupted the acolyte as he emerged from the explosion unscathed with a ki manifestation of a four-meter-tall centaur monster surrounding him. Before the acolyte could recover from the shock, Agamios' ki manifestation roared as it grabbed the stunned marilith's head.

Agamios' rage-filled eyes looked up into the marilith's as a sneer curled up his lips, "I just need to make you bleed enough."

"No, wait!" several acolytes cried with panic-laden voices. The marilith's importance could not be understated!

Agamios ignored their cries. "Isn't that right, Kashi." The centaur let out a ghastly grin as his ki manifestation ripped off the marilith's head.

"You will pay for that!" The acolytes roared as they charged up a massive spell to eradicate the general.

Puchi!

A spear suddenly stabbed through an acolyte at this critical juncture. The hidden strike blasted a bow sized hole through the man's chest, leaving no illusions to his survival. The acolytes froze as they watched the spear zip through the air into the hand of a distinct looking centaur.

The spear had barely settled in Darian's hand before he once again launched it at the hovering acolytes. Vwhoosh! The spear blasted through the night like a shooting star and exploded through the heart of a hovering priest. The priest's eyes widened in shock as he wondered why his mana shield had failed.

Darian's gaze hardened as the weapon once again returned to his grasp. "You will pay for your crimes!" Darian cried as he readied himself for another throw.

Whoosh!

Darian gaped, shocked as the sentries rapidly descended to the ground. The mages did not fancy remaining a sitting duck for the angry centaur. Hence they grudgingly traded their aerial superiority for their lives.

"Good work kid!" Agamios praised as he stormed through the monster army. The pressure on the centaurs had significantly reduced as the mages lost clear sight lines to their targets.

Unfortunately, the Chaos Order was not one to roll over and lie down. The mages immediately switched to buff and guerilla tactics, increasing the abilities of the monsters on their side, while seeking out opportunities to fire missiles and restraining spells at the centaurs.

ROOOAR!

A loud roar burst through the battleground, and Agamios' eyes narrowed as he watched a centaur get pummeled to death by the enraged dire ape. "Foul beast!" The general roared as he burst through the battlefield. He grabbed a random wolf and flung it at the ape to catch its attention.

The dire ape punched the thrown direwolf. The beast exploded on impact, sending blood splattering across the ground. The ape, however, did not appear to care, as it roared then charged at Agamios, likewise sending everything in its path flying.

"Run!"

"Clear a path!"

Warriors on both sides shouted as they got out the way of these forces of nature.

"Die!"

ROAR!

The calamities clashed in an explosion of rage and bloodlust.

BOOM!

A massive shockwave blasted outward, knocking several weak individuals off their feet. The shockwave was so powerful, it spread far beyond the confines of the battlefield.

Off in the distance, Kashi, Larsial, and Shadow paused as a strong wind blew past them. Kashi looked over his shoulder at the battlefield and frowned, "Let's be quick. People are depending on us."

With those words, the trio blended into the night and dashed toward the pit. They did not encounter much opposition during their run as most sentries had been attracted to the battle. What little they met were silently and efficiently dispatched.

Shortly after that, the pit came into view. Kashi, Shadow, and Larsial gaped in shock at the massive black hole. Now that they were this close, even Shadow and Larsial who were less mana-sensitive than Kashi felt goosebumps shoot up all over their skins. They felt like they were gazing upon the origin of everything evil and impure in the world.

"Over there," Shadow prompted, and both Kashi and Lunette followed his finger to see a white-haired, old man stood at the mouth of the pit with a clear orb in his right hand and a magic staff in his left. The six foot six old man, who looked to be in his late sixties, retained the body shape of a peak thirty-year-old. He was dressed in green cotton pants and donned a loose jacket made from leaves.

Kashi visibly cringed, instantly recognizing the outfit. The all green, plant-based clothing, going as far as to make pauldrons out of wood bark. These, plus the staff, and the minimalistic outfit usually pointed to one class. Druids.

Druids shared a mixed reputation in Destia. On the one hand, their ability to tame and communicate with beasts, coupled with their comprehensive knowledge of all things plant related could mean the difference between life and death for an adventuring party.

On the other hand, druids were often known to force their 'balance' ideals onto others. They believed humes should not hunt beasts, as they could not do so without destroying the world's ecological balance. Instead, they thought humes should seek to live among animals as equals and adopt a vegetarian life.

During King's Journey, a civil war once broke out between a druid faction and a Summoned guild. After that war, many players began to playfully refer to druids as the PETA of the gaming world. A stigma also began to float around that only two kinds of druids existed on the continent: A sane druid, or a bat-shit insane druid. There was no middle ground between the two.

Kashi, personally, did not buy into that stigma, as Razznik had run into quite a few druids during his many adventures. Just like with any other group, most druids he met minded their own business and lived peaceful lives. Unfortunately, the loud minority who forced their ideas down the throats of everyone else had ruined their reputation.

'Hmm?' Kashi's attention was drawn to the orb in the old man's hand as dark aura from the pit poured into it. He then watched as the old man took out a vial from his satchel and poured the solution within onto the orb. To Kashi's surprise, the darkness in the orb began to show signs of clearing. Unfortunately, the progress stopped moments later, and the orb turned black as night.

The druid frowned and crushed the orb in a vice grip, then looked in the direction of Kashi with a sneer, "You have come this far. Why do you still hide?"

Shadow and Larsial's gazes turned pensive. The fact that the druid had spotted them was proof enough that he was nothing to scoff at. Kashi, meanwhile issued a lazy smile as he emerged from the trees with the assassins in tow.

The druid's brows furrowed as he examined Kashi. He waited until the daeben stopped a few feet from him and muttered, "You appear familiar. Who are you?"

"Kashi of the Hopeful Maggots," Kashi introduced himself, then his partners, "He is called Shadow, and she is Larsial." The daeben looked at the druid and questioned, "And you are?"

"Rayatha Thorn," the druid replied in a flat tone. Recognition flashed in his eyes. "Kashi, you say? The Order has spoken much about you." Rayatha regarded the daeben with cold eyes. "Are you here to kill me, young man?"

"That remains to be seen," Kashi replied with a light shrug. He pointed at the pit and asked, "What are you trying to accomplish here?"

"Why, is that not obvious?" Rayatha questioned in an incredulous tone.

"Humor me," Kashi replied.

Rayatha glanced at the roiling, cursed aura billowing from the pit then back at the daeben. "I am working on a cure for the Blight."

Kashi's brow rose. This time, it was his turn to give the druid an incredulous gaze. "You are joking right?"

Rayatha's eyes narrowed. "Do you find this funny? This is my life's work."

"Wait, you are serious," Kashi stated in shock. "Have you looked at the forest? How is that curing the Blight? You've been spreading it! And what does hunting the centaurs have to do with your cure?"

Rayatha's eyes shone with the excitement of a scientist who finally found a student. "Do you not find it fascinating? The Blight has existed in this forest for countless years alongside the centaurs, yet they are completely immune to its effects."

"The Blight does not affect humes," Kashi countered. "At least, it shouldn't."

"The Blight does not have an immediate effect on humes yes," Rayatha confirmed with a nod. "But, it does if exposed long enough, over generations. There is a reason centaurs are the only sentient civilization left within this forest. The rest either perished or ran away over time as the effects worsened. Something within the centaur's bloodline holds the cure," Rayatha said as he looked at the pit. " And, I am very close to figuring it out."

"What does that have to do with massacring the centaurs?" Larsial questioned.

Rayatha turned to her and explained, "One cannot run tests without a few test subjects."

"You're wiping out the entire tribe," Kashi countered. "What about that says few?"

"The entire tribe?" Rayatha blinked as if trying to recall something. "Is there something I forgot?" He muttered something under his breath, then looked up at the daeben. "Oh, yes. I remember now. The Order did request something to that effect. They have supported my research for several years. I lent the Order my army in return."

Kashi frowned. "You keep saying 'them.' Are you not a member?"

"Yes, I am," Rayatha murmured. "Something called Primate, I believe."

Kashi's expression instantly turned severe. 'Primate.' That was the same level as Ruse, and Kashi could tell this man was much stronger than the flame mage. Furthermore, druids rarely used flame spells because of its destructive nature, which denied the daeben that natural superiority.

This would not be an easy fight.

However, before the battle began, Kashi intended to squeeze as much as he could from the druid. The daeben folded his arms and studied the druid. "Why does the Chaos Order want to kill off the centaurs?"

"That I do not know," Rayatha replied and shook his head. "You must question the daeben for the specifics," The druid patiently explained then stretched his hand toward Kashi. "Now you know the whole truth. What will it be? Will you walk away, and let me complete this cure that will save billions for several generations to come, or die here?"

"That is a generous offer," Kashi said as he walked to the pit's edge. "Unfortunately, I must refuse."

"Do not step in there," Rayatha softly warned. "The Blight is too concentrated. You will instantly perish."

Kashi looked at the druid and shook his head. "I do not know what to think about you right now. You do not look murderous, but you do not hold lives in any regard." Kashi shrugged and let out a sigh. "I suppose I shall chalk it up to the eccentric nature of a mad scientist."

Rayatha's eyes narrowed. "Mad?"

Kashi ignored the druid's rebuke and called out to his team. "Shadow, Larsial, capture him. I'll decide what to do with him after I put an end to this."

"What?"

Neither Shadow, Larsial nor Rayatha fully processed the daeben's words by the time he jumped into the pit.

"Kashi!" Shadow shouted. However, a split second later, he stared, mouth agape when Kashi's skin lit up with a soft green glow. The daeben turned around and flashed a salute before dropping into the pit.

"Impossible!" Rayatha yelled, breaking his calm demeanor for the first time as he watched the daeben descend into the pit. He glared at Shadow and Larsial with greed and excitement in his eyes, "You will tell me everything!"

"I refuse," Shadow stated as he dropped into a battle stance.

"Oh, we will certainly talk," Larsial taunted as she drew her daggers. "But only after you've been taken down a notch."

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