Chapter 64 - The Battle For Chateau Meso Part 2 (1/2)

Ben gripped the steering wheel tightly.

The sight of the titan had given him shivers down his spine. Luckily, it had moved back a moment after looking at the allies before the thick mist had moved further out from the Chateau and enveloped the allies, making it more difficult to see what was happening.

From what Ben had seen of the bridge and the gate, there was enough space for the van to make it through, so he slowly pressed the gas and kept his speed low. The enemies started running towards him but were run over, while the ones behind were knocked over into the fast-moving torrent of the river.

Ben activated the [Kunai Outburst] skill when two small chained blades were launched from the front of the van with their aim being automatic. Two enemies were reeled towards the van like fish on a pole a few seconds later before they hit the bull bar. Suddenly, Ben activated the [Exponential Mass] skill to blast them ahead, causing them to knock on the other enemies at the gate like bowling pins before he drove through.

[+960XP. +24MP.]

Hauxwell and Le’Vieux raced in, hacking and slashing like madmen at any enemies who stood in their way, with the knights following in their steps. The mages started casting spells and pushing the dark mist away.

When the mist cleared, it revealed a giant mess of mangled bodies piled atop one another, taller than the palisades constituting the Titan's structure. It had a human shape, albeit very large beyond what constituted morbid obesity, and caused it to be stuck in a seated position. Its head turned to face Ben and the allies while the rest of its body moved slowly and sluggishly.

It didn’t take long before all the smaller enemies had been dealt with, and Jerry started shooting the titan in the face with exploding fire arrows. They looked like they didn’t even cause an inkling of damage from the lack of reaction.

Ben was confused by the Titan's behavior; since arriving in the courtyard, it hadn’t attacked them or even given them a second thought. It felt like they were insignificant, like how little bigs are to humans.

Jerry shrugged before looking at one of his enchanted arrows confusedly. “What in the hell? I’ve never seen that one happen before.”

Hauxwell slapped Jerry on the shoulder. “Don’t you remember my lessons about using your head and thinking about what enemies you are facing before pulling your quick bowstring?”

Le’Vieux coughed and cleared his throat. “Alright, our conventional weapons won't work against that giant thing. While it’s still passive like that, we should figure out how to defeat it.” He motioned for the others to huddle around before they began discussing.

Ben used the time to step away and close his eyes in deep meditation. The energy radiating off the titan was colossal, many times more than Sudfields', and it made it feel like some kind of gigantic powerplant generating an obscene amount of magic. It didn’t feel like the energy would be used for offensive purposes but rather something else entirely.

Hmm, that seems odd.

Ben was curious about what was happening and decided to investigate. The entire area, including most of the courtyard, was fuzzy and distorted, similar to how it had looked when he had observed Sudfield during the battle for Robynhill. Sometime later, after checking everywhere, he noticed a singular thread that led toward the main archway into the Chateau and down some stairs.

Where does that lead?

Ben jumped out of meditation and stood before marching ahead, startling the others and giving him a funny look.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Le’Vieux asked while scrunching up his forehead.

Ben pointed to where he had seen the thread. “This giant thing is generating a giant amount of magic. I can’t sense any ill will from its demeanor, so it looks like it will use it for ulterior motives. I discovered one thread connected to it originating beyond there and down some stairs.”

Alfred and Hauxwell appeared to have closed their eyes briefly before confirming the information.

Le’Vieux nodded before turning to his knights and mages. “Keep this area clear from the mist and form defensive formations near the main gate. I don’t trust this, so keep your eyes peeled for danger. Hauxwell, Jerry, and Quicksilver, you’re with me and Ben. Let’s see what’s going on down there.”

The stairs led to an area built into the chateau's foundations. It consisted mostly of tunnels and small storage areas where countless crates and barrels filled with long-decayed goods were kept. The stench down there got more unbearable the further they moved, and before long, the walls and floor started to become covered in the usual thick, slimy tar. Some areas were hard to navigate due to how thick the disgusting matter had gotten before they finally reached an area that resembled a dungeon where countless human bodies filled the cells.

Moving his torch around for a closer look, Le’Vieux muttered. “These people are all buried under that slime and still alive.” Turning to Quicksilver, he asked, “Have you seen this thing before?”

“They did this with many of our people in one of our settlements on the northern edge of this island. We had to burn the entire area down to ash. I would suggest you also do the same here.” Quicksilver replied.

Suddenly, one of the bodies on the far end bellowed a wet, chesty cough that sounded full of phlegm. It sounded like he was trying to mouth some words but failed miserably.

Le’Vieux motioned everyone to move there. When he got there, he moved his torch closer to the body that was almost fully submerged in the goo, with only some parts of the face showing. Le’Vieux looked like he had seen a ghost as his torch began to shake before he muttered in shock, “What in the hell is this?”

Hauxwell moved in for a closer glance before shaking his head in disbelief. He turned around with his mouth wide open and was about to say something when he was interrupted.

“The Duke of Meso.” Jerry blurted. “I don’t think anyone would have thought he would still be alive after all that’s happened.” Turning to Le’Vieux, “Shouldn’t we be giving him a health potion or something?”

Note from Author

Part 2 dropping tomorrow :)

I'll be honest this part of the story I'm finding difficult to write. I think it's one of my weak points writing book endings and wrapping things up. Any feedback is welcome so I can make improvements to myself :)