"So the reason that the barrier of Emerald City fell was because these guys tweaked with it, to be able to infiltrate Emerald City with these augmented troops," Adam came to the ward in just the right time to hear the end of Tano'Mol's explanation.
"How do you know that?" he exclaimed, asking the goat about what the demon had spent the last half hour explaining. The demon's goat eyes squinted at the governor in disdain. "You would have known if you had let me finish earlier!" Tano'Mol blamed him for cutting him off some time earlier, when he just returned from his exploration.
After Adam apologized profusely, the goat forgave him enough to give him a short run down. Judging by the documents the demon had stolen from the various laboratories and offices, this place had been studying the victims of the cybernetic experimentation, to turn the technology into a weapon.
Learning from technologies like the cyber worms and something like a cybernetic virus, these people began augmenting their own soldiers, effectively creating artificial traits and skills. The goal was the same, all power hungry people pursued, super soldiers. An easy way to build a strong force.
The goal? Taking control of Emerald City, that was shared among several big corporations at the time. However, by tweaking with the shield setting, to allow their augmented soldiers entry into emerald city, they had also allowed the infected beasts and victims to enter the city, causing its doom.
Adam was nodding along, as he listened to the goat's summery of the situation. This all made sense and served only to make him even angrier. he didn't care for the trashy leadership of the city, or the goons that served them, but most people in that city had simply tried to keep their miserable lives one way or the other, surviving in a world that had fallen. they didn't deserve dying for such a vain reason.
Suddenly, a series of small explosions rattle the mountain base, and a cloud of dust and smoke clash against the barrier protecting the ward. Many jumped at the sounds, but not everyone was surprised. It had been just a matter of time before the remnants of Emerald City were going to blow their way through the makeshift barriers.
"Tano, activate the formation," Adam ordered him. They had always expected that they would have to fight their way out after securing the captives. They had not come down here unprepared. The whole mountain was surrounded by the demon magic circle he set up in advance, which would curse anyone not marked as an ally. This was why it was important to secure the captives first.
"What are you doing?" Beth asked curious, when she saw the demon start chanting cryptic phrases upon Adam's command. Meg Huffin and the captives that regained a clear mind also listened with interest.
"We had Tano set up a large scale magic circle before attacking this place, to curse the enemy," Mike explained, while he and his party got ready to defend the sole entrance to the ward, the exact reason the decided to stay here .
Whether it was because the construction was rushed or for their own strategic purposes, there was only one entrance to the ward and the prison beyond it. This allowed them to set up their defensive stand and assemble the captives in this place.
"Oh, what does it do to them?" Meg asked, suddenly excited. Although this place had not been the worst experience for her, she knew what they did and didn't wish them anything good.
"Just the light Curse of Burden and Sluggishness. I didn't have the materials to set up anything proper at this size spontaneously," the goat answered her question after finishing his chants.
"They will have a 10-15% slow debuff, their stamina will run out a little quicker, and they are 5% more prone to miss their attack and make mistakes when casting," the demon explained the curse.
"That...isn't as much as I expected," Meg said, a little disappointed.
"You try to set a magic circle the size of a small mountain with next to know materials. Let's see how much you manage to accomplish. I will wait," the demon challenged her with a snort. The impact of magic on the shield protecting the sort of aula brought a quick end to their bickering.
A big group of guards was charging down the hallway, ready to tear down their defenses and cull the revolt. It seemed like they had used their time wisely and assembled their soldiers while Mike and Adam were busy assembling and treating the captives.
The time to fight had finally begun. Beth, Adam, his men, Megan, and various captives had been looking forward to this, however, the ones taking the stage now were the people from Minas Mar. With an earth-shattering force, Tekar rammed his bulwark into the ground and erected an immovable shield several times sturdier than Lynri's.
To his left and right stood Ray and Shay. Like a tank with two turrets, the two started firing skills down the hallway while hiding behind Tekar's impenetrable defense. With no allies in the way, the two released a terrifying combination of powers, that made Adam swallow.
Shay shot a flood of water from his hand down the hallway, ripping some of the guards ranging between lv.70 and 80 from their feet. as the were struggling to get up or walk against the current it suddenly froze solid. Many were stuck in place by the ice.
Any skills and weapons the guards managed to fire at the casters were blocked by Tekar's shield. The massive man simply stood there, while the spells, projectiles, beams, and explosives couldn't even put a dent in his defense.
A few managed to release themselves quickly, but it was too late. They were defenseless when Ray released a wave of wailing darkness that washed over them. At first, it didn't seem to have any effect at all, but then the men started touching their faces. Rubbing at first, then scratching with more and more force, then the screams began.
"Get it out!" "I can feel them crawling under my skin!" "Get them out!" "Make it stop!" "No, spare me!""Take them out! Take them out!""Please!" "Oh god!" they started screeching in panic, crying and wailing in pain as they began ripping their own skin from their face in an attempt to release themselves from the invisible bugs inside them.
"Stop scratching! Get it together! It's just a trick! You-Urb!" Some managed to free themselves from the wicked curse, but there was nothing they could do for their comrades, trapped in a hell, were critters crawled under their skin, eating their way through their body.
The ones that escaped the curse quickly fell silent as spheres of water enclosed their heads and instantly froze solid. Shay was not cruel, he had no intention to have them drown, so he used the power of Olaf, granted by his bracelet, to freeze them to death in an instant.
Adam watched the whole show with his lip pressed together tightly. Maybe it was better if Mike didn't help them. How were they supposed to get their revenge if Minas Mar simply wiped everyone out before they could?
"Mike, can I leave the Vanguard to you? I will do the rear guard and make sure nobody comes up from behind," Adam suggested to Mike, as the hallway was quickly cleared. Although covered in bodies, none of them stood in their way anymore.
"Are you sure?" Mike asked, surprised at the governor's sudden request.
"You are the only one I can trust to take the lead," Adam assured him. And while Mike would bring out the captives, Adam and his "rear guard" intended to make sure nobody would follow them. Or rather, nobody could follow them. Yes, they would make it 100% sure.