Tyrants of Earth - The Legend of Artigan

If there was a mistake in Mahjit’s threat assessment report, it was that he had underestimated just how quickly the flesh titan could learn.

At first it stumbled, unused to the open space. For a moment, it gave observing adventurers hope. The first shaking step made them believe that maybe, it wasn’t designed to travel quickly. It would make sense, how could such an impossibly dangerous creature—

Then it took another step. This time more confident, then another. It kept speeding up.

Finally the Flesh Titan was running like a sprinter in a mad dash.

Right towards the largest group of Unwanted.

He may have been wrong, but Mahjit had planned for the worst case scenario. He had split up the Unwanted into multiple groups—and while all of them were running towards Gravenmarch, plenty of them were taking a detour. Like the current group going particularly slower than the rest.

Bait.

The oldest of the Unwanted. He had asked Shara for volunteers and they had come along, accepting the requests of their queen.

It was a bastard move.

Mahjit would stand before trial and accept punishment. Perhaps they’d suspend his adventurer’s license over this.

He’d still make the same choice every time.

“You should get out of here. Yes?”

One of the older Unwanted grinned at him with that too large smile. It was interesting, many of the older Unwanted had a good sense of gallows humor.

Mahjit smiled back and shook his head ruefully.

“I was too afraid to fight once before. Never again. Is everyone ready?”

The Unwanted simply gave him a grin of someone that knew they were going to die. These were some of the best of the best of the Unwanted. The ones that understood their magic the most. The ones that were barely affected by the call of the abyss—it was what Mahjit was calling the memetic effect that the Flesh Titan seemed to have on the Unwanted.

It was almost upon them. Great stomps shaking the ground for miles around. It really was just a little too big for fourthers like him.

“On my mark!” He shouted. “Three—”

A hundred Unwanted dug their hands into the ground. Their long arms sinking deep into the earth. Mahjit had made a miscalculation in the timing. The Flesh Titan wasn’t slowing at all.

“NOW!”

Then they heaved it all up. Churning the earth in a great linked casting. With Mahjit in the center, pushing his skill as much as it could handle, keeping the magic linked.