Chapter 105: Ashes of Atlanta

Torren gave orders, and the team improvised, working with them. "Yes boss!" At some point, all of them started calling him this. Actively engaged in a high-speed race to Atlanta on a military truck, that was constantly being besieged by Behemorphs, both land and aerial who were eager to gulp them up, Torren could only grimace in annoyance. He didn’t have the leisure to snap at them for calling him boss. He was too busy keeping them alive. With the introduction of Clayton’s Aphid Network, everything became easier. And with Torren’s plan, with each member of the team understanding their role in the high-speed race to perfection, they survived. They fought. They hunted. They killed. And Clayton’s army grew, 1 additional Behemorph at a time. Watching the Aphid Network swell, Kaelin never stopped bragging and yelling. Somehow, even in this desperate situation, the carefree scout was still having the time of his life. Even as he was delivering himself straight into the jaws of a Luminous Seed rank Verdant Lord, he was still enjoying himself. Clayton could not help stealing glances at him at times. ’How does he do it?’ He thought. Their presence did calm him down though. On one hand, his Hive-Sight told him of just how close his Rootsite was to being claimed by Korrath, including the dire state of his Verdant Lord form. Fueled by spite though, the big bad bastard kept on going. He kept on fighting against a Verdant Lord a whole rank above him. With the team’s presence, their jokes, their teasing, and Torren’s orders, Clayton managed to keep his mind free of worries and focused on the goal. ’C’mon!’ ... Day 4, Forgotten Atlanta Expanse. The journey took far longer than expected due to the constant interference on the Behemorph-infested route back to Atlanta. And yet, here they were. VROOM! The Mycoglyph-powered military truck roared into the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse, its engine’s bellow echoing through a ruined cityscape of vine-choked skyscrapers and pulsing, vein-like streets, warped by the Earthcore Nexus’s relentless hum. Clayton gripped the wheel, his Shedskin cloaking his Verdant Lord aura as tattered rags, Regalia of the Verdant Warden in bow form beside him, Thornshade Dagger humming at his hip, venom-coated and stealth-enhancing. Clayton’s eyes were red, filled with bloodlust, and focus. He had been driving for 4 days! Yes, they had some rest at night, and also because of the fear of running into nocturnal Behemorphs, knowing just how menacing they could be. Still, driving for 4 days straight was not for the weak. Clayton was tired, both physically and mentally despite his enhanced physique as an Initiate Ember Awakened. And yet, the fire never left his eyes. It burned even brighter now that he finally arrived. BZZZ! His Architect Aspect burned, Hive-Sight revealing the Rootsite’s dire state: a fungal fortress crumbling under Korrath’s biomechanical onslaught. Only three Spore Plague Lords stood, their spore clouds thinning as Initiate Ember drones; thorned metal constructs with glowing Emberflame cores tore through Mycoglyph-etched walls. It was a miracle that any minion still stood at all after 4 days. If it was any other person, he would have long given up on the invasion after 4 days of relentless attack without success. But not Korrath, not the Verdant Lord of New Chicago. Besides, close to the full force of the Verdant Lord was already here. Unlike Clayton who returned from the Genesis trials and came into his role as a Verdant Lord just recently, Korrath had been a Verdant Lord for decades. He may not have an Architect rank Aspect, but his personal power as a Luminous Seed Behemorph was devastating. But that was not the most terrifying factor about him, the terrifying factor was his Luminous Seed rank Aspect that enabled him to create machines, bio-mechanical horrors. Before the Genesis trials took him, Korrath was a synthetic biologist. His career pushed him to a path of studying, designing, and building new biological systems, including those with mechanical components. Growing up in a world already ravaged by Genesis corruption, his profession was a common one. So, when the Genesis Protocols took him, put him through the trial, and brought him back as an Awakened warrior with an Aspect uniquely suited to his passion, Korrath was like a fish in water. For years after coming back from the Genesis Protocols, he locked himself inside an old hospital lab in New Chicago where he experimented with his Aspect. Korrath experimented by creating an army... his bio-mechanical army. And now, this army was in the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse. The fortifications that Clayton invested time and effort in building and integrating into his Rootsite to defend it months ago was the only reason why the Rootsite and his Verdant Lord body still stood. Bio-mechanical horrors flooded the streets of the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse, attacking not just the Rootsite, but any Behemorph in sight. Afterall, by bringing in such an invasive army, Korrath wasn’t just provoking Clayton and his Rootsite, he was provoking the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse as a whole. And the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse did not include just Clayton, but the dozens if not hundreds of Behemorphs that took this expanse as their home, including the old and ancient Luminous Seed powerhouses. These Genesis-corrupted monsters were forced out of their hideouts and enclaves, clashing furiously against the invading force of bio-mechanical horrors. This was one of the main reason why Clayton’s Verdant Lord body was still alive. The city itself was fighting for him. Against an external invading force, the city finally aligned with their regional Verdant Lord to protect their territory. It was brutal. It was chaotic. It was crazy. Even the weak Behemorphs, the Initiate Ember goons didn’t run, nor did they start a stampede in fear. Against the horrors brought by Korrath, the Verdant Lord of New Chicago, they recklessly threw themselves in to fight for their home. Clayton kept no information from his teammates as they approached the city. He told them everything he could see with his Hive-Sight, keeping them up to date. This was why they were not rattled once the military truck barged into the chaotic city filled with blood, flesh, and the sound of battle. A Luminous Seed Nexusborn Ravager, a 20-meter horror of molten vines and a pulsing Nexus core, loomed, guided by Korrath’s distant will. This gigantean horror was the leader of the army. Korrath himself? He was nowhere to be seen. His army fought on his behalf. The Aphid Network, now 30 minions, those of them that left with Clayton and he subordinated on the way back barged into the wave of bio-mechanical horrors without hesitation, starting a brutal melee. Behind them... Clayton’s voice was raw. "My Rootsite is this way!" "It’s on its last legs". He briefly glanced at his teammates one last time. "Remember the plan?" "Yes". They responded. "The enemy is too strong. We alone can’t resist him". "The situation in the city is chaotic. Behemorphs are fighting bio-mechanical horrors. It’s the only reason why my other half is still alive, but also, it’s an opportunity for us to prevail". "I need reinforcement. I need more minions". "So, while the battle rages on, I’ll subdue more Behemorphs for my Network. In a chaotic battlefield like this one, they won’t be prepared for a mind attack". "I can suppress their will". "Luminous Seed ones are tough, but I can do it". He met Torren’s gaze. "We hit hard, save what’s left". Torren nodded, Pyreaxe ready. "We’re with you. Veyra, Kaelin, remember to target drone cores. Precision wins against these bio-mechanic constructs". "Soren and I will flank the Ravager, joints and neck". "Lorn, shields and heals". "Clayton, your Network leads the charge". Clayton’s trust burned bright. "For the Rootsite!" His network already led the charge. Now, it was their turn. Torren, Clayton, Veyra, Lorn, Kaelin, and Soren braced in the truck as it rushed in behind the Aphid Network, their Mycoglyph-etched pagers flaring, then... BOOM! The truck crashed into the first wall of bio-mechanical constructs. And then... all hell broke loose. The truck stopped near the Rootsite’s shattered perimeter, ash swirling. Korrath’s forces surged, Initiate and Luminous Seed bio-mechanic constructs quickly noticing the new arrivals and rushing at them to gobble them up. Not just bio-mechanic constructs though, now up close, Clayton noticed details he failed to notice through Hive-Sight since. Korrath didn’t just have himself and his army of bio-mechanic constructs. This was a deep entrenched Verdant Lord who built his power for decades. Korrath also had an army of mercenaries. It was only now that Clayton noticed them. The mercenaries fought, unleashing their myriad Aspects on the resisting horde of Behemorphs that defended the city. Clayton leapt out of the truck, Regalia already firing root arrows. BAM! BAM! He shredded a drone’s core. At the same time that his body moved, his mind also did, plunging into a mind battle as Aphid Network linked to two Initiate Ember Behemorphs nearby, suppressing their wills through sheer willpower. They lost the mind battle immediately, taking his Aphid Network from 30 to 32. His minions erupted. BZZZ! It was chaos.