***THREE HOURS EARLIER***
"MOTHERFUCKING THAIDS! I WOULD STILL BE ON VACATION IF IT WEREN'T FOR THEM!" Jacob said to his teammate Andrea. They were currently joining the second brigade in a very dangerous mission.
The higher-ups reported the presence of a dangerous beast inside the horde, a deviant Blirdoth. Since a company had been enough to kill an Hekratinl, they thought that by employing a brigade, they would have been able to kill this creature. Despite its strength, they hoped the extra manpower would be enough to take it down.
They chose some of the most promising soldiers inside the army to deal with it, and they were now going out of the city to search for it and hopefully separate it from the horde. "Yeah, I know, but we can do nothing about it…"
The soldiers knew the wilderness was full of dangers, but they were ready to face them head-on. They had been trained to handle the most challenging assignments, and this was no exception. In the meantime, their team captain, Francis Bisk, was talking to the other two members, explaining to them what they would do during this mission. "Is everything clear?" asked the team captain. "Yes, sir," the two replied in unison.
"Good. We will probably be out of the city for a long time; have you said goodbye to your loved ones? That could have been the last time you saw them…" Bisk asked.
"Yes, sir." "Good, let's go now…"
Then, the team captain, Francis Bisk, told his people to move. They left the army barracks and got into an SUV. They didn't have a lot of provisions, as the brigade's logistics team would take care of everything.
However, they were trained to hunt and gather stuff in case something terrible happened. Like many teams joining this brigade, this particular one was specialized; they were all highly trained to fight thaids in the wilderness and would be part of the main company that would later fight against the Blirdoth's variant.
The team comprised five soldiers, three of whom were ranged soldiers, while the remaining two were melee ones. They were captain Francis Bisk, with an arrow conjuring brain crystal power; Jacob Rodriguez, with a spear conjuring brain crystal power and an adept spearman; Andrea Costa, who had the ability to summon hyenas; a swordsman named Azelia Black; and Lastly, a woman with a water bending brain crystal power, Miranda Morin, Emma's sister.
The group drove the SUV inside the city and then reached the east gate, where they joined the other brigade. The usual scenery in front of the eastern gate was profoundly changed. There were mechas, vehicles, cannons, and various artillery types waiting for the horde to come.
This high number of people and weapons impressed not only the five but even the other soldiers that were going out to hunt the thaid. At that moment, Bisk's team was called by the brigadier general tasked with commanding the team.
"Bisk," he said. "I want you to scout ahead; once we reach the horde or encounter stray thaids, tell me immediately."
"Yes, sir," Bisk replied. He then went to his team members and told them about their new job. The team members nodded in agreement and prepared themselves for the task ahead.
The group then sped toward the forest at great speed. At the moment, Azelia was driving while the others kept their attention on the surroundings.
"Where was the horde last spotted?" asked Azelia to the captain.
"Go toward the east; you will see once we get there…" In the previous months, the city had been frequently attacked by thaids. The scientists assumed that the initial assaults, like the densophs' one during the past month, happened because the monsters were fleeing the Heniate's parasites.
However, attacks persisted, and it appeared that parasitized monsters were responsible for most of the attacks. While they were speeding outside the barriers, in front of the vast clear space surrounding them, the group looked at the consequences of the various monsters' invasions. The ground was littered with holes and pits due to the soldiers' attacks and the artillery weapon, and countless beast remains could be seen scattered on the ground.
There were even some thaids eating the flesh of the creatures, and some were even using the hollow skulls for nesting. The number of beasts amassed at the hundred-thousand mark; this spoke volumes about the incoming horde.
If such a large number of monsters had already attacked the city, Bisk didn't want to imagine how big the horde was. Bisk led the group forward, keeping a watchful eye for any signs of danger. As Bisk moved ahead, he carefully scanned the area for any signs of the horde or stray thaids. After a while, he noticed some tracks in the distance and signaled to the rest of the team. The team members quickly followed Bisk toward the tracks, aware that danger could be lurking around every corner.
The group sped forward and started traveling; they did so for several hundred kilometers until they arrived near the horde. They actually went behind them, keeping their distance and avoiding being spotted.
As soon as they arrived behind the horde, around the place where the Blirdoth was last seen, they followed some tracks to reach that place. Still, once they arrived, they saw a chilling scene: the creatures joining the horde had left footprints everywhere, but the number of tracks was much higher than what they had previously found. There were literally millions of prints on the ground, which was completely ruined and devastated. Countless trees were on the ground, and some of them had withered. Bisk continued to lead the group forward, keeping a watchful eye for any signs of danger. Despite the tension in the air, the team remained focused and ready for anything that might come their way.
"The Blirdoth…" Andrea, the summoner, said. "Indeed." Captain Bisk replied. The group knew what the Blirdoth was capable of, and they knew it was due to them that the Flora died.
"I didn't expect something like this…" Jacob replied with a look of disbelief.
The group was essentially looking at a massive corridor inside the forest, created by the horde, with countless withered trees on the ground.
"The Blirdoth was probably the last to follow…" "Right," Bisk said. The group then spent the rest of the time searching for the creature.
The rest of the brigade was a couple of kilometers behind but close enough to join the fight as soon as Bisk's team found the creature. Soon, they arrived in a huge round zone with nothing but fallen trees. The captain then started to talk.
"According to the HQ, this is where the beasts have last been spotted. The group was left speechless, as the size of the devastation around here was dreadful. There wasn't anything alive in sight. The group stopped in the middle of the place and got off the SUV.
Captain Bisk then started looking at the ground. He grabbed a handful of dirt and started smelling it. Bisk was an expert hunter who frequently killed normal Blirdoths; he could distinguish their smell from the other thaids.
Then the captain pressed his hands on the ground and released mana; so many small wriggling creatures came out of the earth. They were the Heniate's parasites. Immediately, the team members became scared; they didn't want to risk being infected by them and ending up part of the horde. "Don't worry.
Unless you eat them, they will not be able to infect you," Bisk said. The other man nodded and heaved a sigh of relief.
"Let's inspect the place… there must be some trace who can tell us where the monster is…" the captain said, looking at the ground. Soon, every person present did his job, using devices and inspecting the ground to search for clues that could lead them to the Blirdoth. They searched everywhere.
"Captain, there is something I do not get," Jacob said, "Why are we looking at this place instead of going directly to the horde? Isn't it likely the Blirdoth is there?" he asked. Bisk looked at him with a severe face, and then he said, "The Heniate is directly controlling the Blirdoth; it looks like it is its avatar. We are essentially searching for a sentient beast…"
"The avatar?" Jacob asked.
"Indeed. The Heniate does control the monsters under its command, which is true, but not directly. It can directly control only some of the monsters it subjugates, and we believe that the Blirdoth is one of them…"
The team kept searching, and soon they gathered to talk about what they found, but what Andrea found gave them hope.
"I found Blirdoth's tracks," he said. The group rushed to inspect the beast's tracks where Andrea found them.
Bisk agreed with his assessment—it really was the Blirdoth's tracks. "You are right; these are its tracks…" he said. "Contact the brigadier general.
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