CH224 Ather’s Perspective

“Ather, it’s begun, we need to start making our way to the beach,” Felth said as he rushed to where the demigod was laying, Dres in tow behind them.

Even if it was early, with just how many adventurers were there he couldn’t feel a sense of urgency, especially when his role wasn’t to fight head-on the way a man should, but instead being stuck at the edge of town in case any of them made their way back from where they’d been lured.

It was with that attitude that he leisurely walked the streets as the townsfolk rushed to evacuate, able to see some of the leviathans off in the distance as he went. He couldn’t help but find his role to be a humiliation, but he knew it reassured the townsfolk which was why he was forced into it. As worshipers of a god of earth and the spear the entire priesthood available would be with him, but counting the monster heads in the distance he doubted they’d need it, it looked like all that had been prophesied were occupied, a fact that led to the argument he got to walk into as he arrived.

“What do you mean stay here?” A large man covered in thick white fur yelled out. “Look what they’re up against. Some of those things aren’t juveniles any way you look at it, we need to be fighting with them while we can, not stuck here waiting for them to get wiped out!”

He seemed to speak for all of the adventurers who’d been told to stay behind, but the head priest he was yelling at wouldn’t back down. “They have their job and you all have yours. We need to look out for the town, you all won’t be able to make a difference out there anyway so trust in your companions and we can all go home happy after.”

What he didn’t say, what Ather himself was unaware of, was that they were there for one very specific goal, protecting him. As strong as he was, he was prone to overestimating himself and nobody, neither the priests nor the higher-ups at the adventurers guild, wanted to see such a precious resource killed when the war could be so close. The problem was that it was the strongest of each guild who’d been left behind, and given that things were clearly worse than any had foreseen when accepting the order from their guild masters, none wanted to stay back and watch those they knew die.

Ather himself was fully prepared to start arguing on the man’s behalf as well, not out of the same concern he felt, but seeing it as an excuse to get exactly what he wanted, the thrill of real battle, not to be stuck on the sidelines to act as reassurance for any from his town without the sense to leave when they should have. The only thing that stopped him from that act was a powerful roar, shaking the ground beneath him and pulling everyone’s eyes from the distant battle back to the ocean, seeing ten shapes begin to rise from their depths. He didn’t know why they were so battered and bruised, with scales and flesh missing while blood poured down their face. He didn’t care. All that mattered was that ten leviathans were coming, and they seemed to be going to them instead of joining the rest of their kind.

He couldn’t stop the smile from stretching across his face as he felt the panic in those around him. They had never expected to come up against almost as many as had been prophesied, and were likely feeling the same way the adventurers in the middle of battle felt; afraid. He though, was different, he was better. As far as he was concerned this was a gift to show his strength and power, to present what it meant to be the son of Eneth, and as the priests tried to figure out how to handle the unforeseen event as the adventurers got themselves ready for battle he ignored them all and charged forward, spear in hand.

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Ignorant of any swearing in the background he rushed towards his foes, the only thing overtaking him being the spells of the mages, fire flying to sear exposed flesh, water freezing at their feet as they went, and the first target of his attack being engulfed in a dark haze.

Ignoring it, he threw himself at the beast, using all of the power that came with his high strength and agility to run up its back as it weakly tried to throw him off. Its slick scales gave him trouble as he ran, but he did his best to stay on until he made it to the beast’s neck, climbing up it while coating himself and his weapon in his awakened earth augmentation as he got to its face, plunged the spear into its eye until his arm entered its depths as well.