Chapter 92 Prelude to the second war (1/2)

Tiny and I continue to retreat back towards the nest as fast as we can. As we run I continuously attempt to draw out and shape mana, frequently stuffing it up and tangling my legs as we run.

This is so d.a.m.n difficult Gandalf! How did you perform so much magic on the back of the horse?!

I'm not sure if this will help anyone in anyway but I'm feeling desperate to get stronger. With only a day or two left until impending Armageddon I want to improve at something!

The entire conversation I had with Formo keeps running through my mind. So much new information to drop on a person! I feel like it'll take ages for me to be able to come through of all the gems my chatty new friend dropped in our brief exchange.

Tiny and I make it back to the open s.p.a.ce of the forest without incident, although I do trip a few times.

Even with my sub-brain a.s.sisting to draw the mana out of my core and direct it, to actually manage that process, seize the prepared mana before shaping it into the one of the many patterns that the skill inserted knowledge is telling me to use is exceedingly difficult.

However, I must practice!

Back to the nest Tiny! With all speed!

The forest is just as chaotic as it was when we left it a few hours ago, but we don't waste time trying to sneak through now. As we encounter creatures we simple continue running straight past them, leaving a trail of bewildered and confused beasts in our wake.

However, some give chase, bellowing out their challenge as they crash through the brush, snapping branches and crus.h.i.+ng the undergrowth beneath their feet.

If I'd not been distracted with mana shaping I might have antic.i.p.ated this, but there is no stopping now...

Stop chasing us you idiots! There's a thousand other monsters you could fight, why don't you just leave us alone? Can't you see we aren't interested? n.o.body likes a desperate monster!

It's no use however.

With their blood up, every monster is seeing red pretty much constantly right now and is isn't long before the one or two creatures tailing along behind us have attracted the attention of other nearby monsters.

Gradually more beasts emerge from the trees, chasing the tails of the monsters who are chasing Tiny and myself.

Of course, the increased ruckus only manages to draw yet more monsters out from between the trees and giant mushrooms. Soon a conga line of Bears, chimps, giant rabbits centipedes and other monsters I'd not yet seen has formed behind us.

Are you serious Gandalf!?

How stupid are you monsters?! I don't have time for this!

By the time we reach the ant hill there must be more than a hundred monsters that I can see behind us, all hurtling forward, ignoring the cavalcade of ravenous beasts behind, solely focused on the target in front of them.

I'm actually speechless.

Just how dumb can these beasts get?

All I wanted to do was get back quickly!

[Mana shaping has reached level 4]

Not now dammit!

As Tiny and I begin our sprint up the ant hill the guards take a look and the train of monsters behind us and immediately prepare to fight, one of them ducks into the nest, clearly going to summon reinforcements to deal with the threat.

Dang!

These guys couldn't just run away for once?

I'd been hoping we could just duck into the nest and leave these stupid monsters to battle it out amongst themselves whilst I tried to devise a save the colony from the deadly wave plan.