Echoterra: Rise of the Verdant King
Chapter 100: Purge of the forgotten

Chapter 100: Purge of the forgotten

Forgotten Atlanta Expanse...

The anchor of Clayton’s Rootsite had seen terrible encounters.

From Ironblood Remnants trying to wipe him off the face of the Earth, to Verdant Apostates who tried their best to grind him to dust, to Verdant Warden rank Behemorphs, to even literal bombs that left his city quaking.

The Forgotten Atlanta Expanse survived all of that.

And yet, now, it was under a new form of attack.

A new form of attack that went straight for the center and nexus of the ruined city, the Rootsite of the new Verdant Lord inhabiting the city.

The Rootsite, a fungal fortress of pulsing vines and Mycoglyph-etched spires in the heart of the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse shuddered under a biomechanical onslaught.

Clayton’s Verdant Lord form towered 10 meters, a colossus of thorned green flesh, pulsing roots, and glowing Embers, its Architect Aspect blazing.

It may be just Initiate Ember rank, but it clearly didn’t seem like it as the might this green colossus exuded felt deep and ancient... unfathomable.

His eyes, twin emerald voids, scanned the horizon as the enemy, a biomechanical horror of chrome-plated vines, whirring servos, and molten Embers unleashed his purge.

DING!

The system lit up with a new notification.

~----~

[Your Rootsite is under attack!]

[WARNING! Your Rootsite is in danger!]

[You have been attacked by Korrath, the Verdant Lord of New Chicago!]

~----~

Well, that explained it.

Since his humanoid form was gone on a lengthy journey to Africa, intending to learn more about the world and find answers, Clayton’s Verdant Lord form and the Rootsite had come under attack more than once.

But it was never something that he couldn’t defeat. Even if he couldn’t defeat it, with Veil of Verdant Shroud, he always managed to hide.

But not this time. Not from this.

Korrath already set his sights on him, and no amount of hiding was going to protect him this time.

Clayton was pretty sure that this Verdant Lord was ready to raze the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse to the ground if that was what it took to kill him.

Clayton was not surprised by a Verdant Lord attacking him, what he didn’t expect was the timing.

During the 3 months he spent after killing the Plague Sovereign, Clayton learned a lot of things in Verdis Hold, and one of the things he learned was about Verdant Lords, their true nature and their powers.

Verdant Lords could grow their own powers by defeating other Verdant Lords.

The moment his Rootsite came under attack and Clayton saw the system notification, he understood.

’This is the main quest of Trial 2, right?’

’But against a Luminous Seed Verdant Lord,’ he gnashed his teeth indignantly. ’Is that not a bit too much even for my standards?’

The invasion already started.

The Earthcore Nexus roared, its pulse fueling the chaos.

The Verdant Lord form was not without protection though.

Ten Aphid Network minions, five Spore Plague Lords (hulking fungal brutes, spore clouds erupting) and five Thornweave Sentinels (lithe, thorned stalkers) defended the Rootsite.

Clayton left with majority of his Aphid Network on his journey to boost his Genesis Embers tally from their random hunts, but he didn’t let excitement push him to leave his Rootsite undefended.

The first of Korrath’s forces, twenty Initiate Ember drones (6-meter constructs of thorned metal, pulsing with Emberflame Aspects), swarmed, their blades screeching, vines lashing.

Clayton had no idea how this guy was able to give his artificial constructs Aspects, something that was supposed to be exclusive to Awakened, but he was clearly no ordinary man.

Heck, he was no ordinary Verdant Lord.

And this was who Clayton had to survive to complete Trial 2.

"F*ck!" He cursed but coming from his Verdant Lord form, it felt like the brutal rumbling of thunder.

The defense of the Rootsite started immediately.

Clayton’s Core Maw erupted, roots bursting from the earth, crushing two drones, their circuits sparking in molten ash.

A Spore Plague Lord spewed corrosive spores, melting a drone’s frame, but a counterattack severed its arm, fungal blood oozing.

A Thornweave Sentinel darted, thorns piercing a drone’s core, only to be impaled by another’s blade.

Clayton roared, roots impaling a drone, even as venom from his Thornshade claw disrupted its Emberflame.

The brain of the green colossus churned, trying to identify the Aspect of the enemy Verdant Lord, while also making calculations.

The Rootsite’s walls cracked, Mycoglyphs flaring as drones tore through.

Clayton’s calculations were complete.

With the current size of the invasion army, if there was no significant reinforcement immediately, he estimated days before collapse.

Without reinforcement on his side though, the Rootsite was doomed.

If Korrath thought taking him off the face of the Earth was going to be an easy task, think again, he didn’t survive 300 years in Echoterra only to die on his first year back on Earth.

They were currently playing a game of delicate balance.

Whose reinforcement would arrive first?

Besides, Clayton was wary of letting the enemy himself get too close. Against a normal Luminous Seed Awakened, he could afford to be reckless.

But against a Luminous Seed Verdant Lord?

He would be a fool to underestimate him.

This was why he played it safe.

A drone’s laser seared his flank, Embers flaring to heal him, but three Spore Plague Lords fell, their spores fading.

Korrath’s distant pulse mocked him, sensing his Trial survivor essence.

DING!

~----~

[Enemies Defeated: 5 Initiate Ember Drones]

[Aphid Network Losses: 3 Spore Plague Lords]

[Genesis Embers Acquired: 30 (Rootsite Kills)]

[Genesis Embers Total: 4,556/6,000]

[Aspect Strain: Critical]

~----~

...

At the Scorchpaths Outskirts, Clayton cloaked in Shedskin as tattered rags, Regalia in bow form, Thornshade at his hip staggered, Hive-Sight flooding with visions of the Rootsite’s purge.

His teammates gathered around him, their Mycoglyph-etched pagers flickering as they waited for him to explain.

Clayton took a deep breath.

"My Rootsite’s under attack," he growled, eyes distant. "Korrath, a Verdant Lord from New Chicago. Biomechanical bastard’s purging Atlanta".

"Days till it falls. I have means of defending my territory in place".

"But," Clayton’s eyes flickered in desperation. "They need reinforcements as soon as possible, or I’ll lose everything!"

"It took us 60 days to come here, how?!" His tone showed his desperation.

Torren gripped his Pyreaxe.

Veyra responded.