Realm Lord
Chapter 73: Closing In

Chapter 73: Closing In

The corrupted termites surged forward, a nightmarish tide of twisted chitin and malevolent hunger. They stampeded over each other like an undulating wall of carapaces, mandibles clicking in a horrifying cacophony that sent chills down Arthur’s spine. The ground beneath their feet shook vigorously, trembling as if the world itself was shuddering in fear of the monsters approaching them.

Aziel gulped audibly, his normally confident demeanor cracking as he took an instinctive step closer to Arthur. His voice carried a tremor that betrayed his rising panic.

"W-we should go... now."

Arthur stood frozen, his eyes wide and unblinking as he stared at the approaching horde. The monstrous insects’ bodies gleamed with an unnatural sheen under the pale light, their corrupted forms twisted into something that defied natural evolution. The sight was both terrifying and mesmerizing.

"Yeah," Arthur finally managed, the single word barely audible over the thunderous approach of countless termite feet.

Their moment of awestruck horror shattered like glass, and Arthur hurried to climb onto Aziel’s shoulder, his movements clumsy with urgency. A grimace crossed his face as he settled into position.

’God, this sucks,’ he thought bitterly.

Arthur didn’t have the fondest memories of riding on Aziel’s shoulder. Granted, they weren’t covered in water this time, nor was Aziel overcharged with energy, so Arthur wouldn’t experience too much pain—if any. But still, as he climbed onto his companion’s broad shoulder, the bad taste in his mouth grew more pronounced, memories of past discomfort surfacing unbidden.

"Where to?" Aziel asked, his voice steadying as lightning began to coil around his body in delicate, luminous threads that cast eerie shadows across his determined face.

Arthur thought for a moment, scanning their surroundings. The corrupted insects were covering the distance with alarming speed, their countless bodies flowing like a living river of destruction. He sighed heavily, resignation evident in every line of his face.

"Where else is there?... To the castle."

A grin spread across Aziel’s face, his eyes lighting up with the thrill of danger that always seemed to invigorate him.

"Hell yeah," he responded, tensing his muscles in preparation.

Right before the wave of raging termites reached them, their gnashing mandibles mere feet away, Aziel took a powerful step forward and bolted off in a trail of crackling blue sparks. The electrical energy surrounding him left a glowing path in their wake, the air sizzling.

Everything around them—the scattered bodies, stone, and the pursuing termites—turned into an indistinct blur as they raced toward the gates. The open archway leading to the small city surrounding the castle grew closer with each passing second, its stone walls promising hopeful safety from the corrupted swarm.

Arthur’s heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins as hope began to build inside him. The wind whipped past his face, carrying with it the sound of terror surrounding them.

’We’re gonna make it!’

But fate had other plans. Without warning, their moment of triumph came crashing down... literally.

A small crack suddenly opened up in the ground directly in their path. As Aziel ran over it, a termite, its mandibles gleaming like polished obsidian—burst from beneath the earth. It caught Aziel’s foot with its powerful pincer, the chitinous appendage slicing through his flesh.

Aziel’s momentum halted abruptly as he screamed in pain, the sound tearing from his throat in raw anguish. The sudden stop sent Arthur flying from his perch, tumbling through the air before hitting the ground with a bone-jarring impact that knocked the breath from his lungs.

Aziel collapsed, his leg trapped in the monster’s grip as he fell to the ground. The termite released his foot only to quickly crawl atop him, its segmented body moving with horrifying speed as it attempted to finish what it had started. Its mandibles snapped hungrily at Aziel’s face, seeking to tear flesh from bone.

With a desperate surge of strength, Aziel rolled over to face the bug and quickly stopped its pouncing pincers by grabbing the creature’s head with both hands. His muscles strained with the effort, veins standing out on his forearms as he fought to keep the deadly mandibles away from his throat.

"Little shit," he barely wheezed out, his face contorted with effort and pain.

Lightning coiled around his hands, intensifying until it enveloped both his fingers and the termite’s head in a brilliant corona of crackling energy. The electricity grew more violent, building to a blinding crescendo until, with a wet, sickening sound, the creature’s head exploded in a shower of black ichor.

The viscous fluid washed over Aziel in a nauseating wave, coating his face and torso in the foul-smelling substance. As the bug’s body went limp, he spat out the ichor that had gotten into his mouth, his expression twisting with disgust.

"Grossss," he muttered, wiping at his face with the back of his hand, only succeeding in smearing the black fluid further across his skin.

With effort, he pushed the heavy carcass off his chest. As he did, Arthur appeared above him, standing with an outstretched hand, his face tight with concern beneath the layer of dirt and sweat that covered it.

"You good?"

Aziel took the offered hand and grunted as Arthur pulled him to his feet. "Yeah."

"Alright, good," Arthur replied, words tumbling out in a rush of nervous energy. "Let’s get going before we become termite food."

Aziel giggled, seemingly recovered now that he was back on his feet. But his expression suddenly transformed, mirth giving way to grim realization as he attempted to put weight on his right foot—or tried to, before he almost collapsed and had to catch himself on Arthur’s shoulder.

His face said it all. Arthur’s eyes widened in horror as he looked down at Aziel’s foot, where a grotesque wound gaped open. To be honest, his foot was barely hanging on, connected by sinews and torn flesh that threatened to give way with each heartbeat.

Arthur looked back up at Aziel, his face ashen. "Shit... alright, we can still make it. We’re close to the city. We have to hurry."

Aziel nodded grimly and held tightly to Arthur as they took a step forward, then another, and another before their feet crossed paths, causing them to stumble and fall to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

’Shit, shit, shit!’ Arthur’s mind raced as he hurried to pull himself and Aziel back to their feet, panic lending him strength.

Glancing back, he saw the termites closing in fast, their countless bodies surging forward. The archway to safety was tantalizingly close, but Arthur wasn’t confident they would make it at their current pace.

Beside him, Aziel whimpered in pain, letting out hoarse breaths as blood seeped from his mangled foot, leaving a trail behind them.

"G-go without me," Aziel gasped, his face pale beneath the smears of black ichor.

Arthur stared at him in shock, disbelief written across his features. "What? No!"

Aziel snapped his head toward Arthur, his expression suddenly contorted with frustration and a desperate sort of resolve. "We won’t make it with you dragging me. You need to go, or we’ll both di—"

"I said no!" Arthur interrupted fiercely, his voice cracking with emotion.

Aziel recoiled briefly before the fight seemed to drain out of him. His frustration melted away, replaced by a grin that didn’t quite reach his pain-filled eyes.

"Then we better hurry."

Arthur nodded, determination hardening his features as they took another agonizingly slow step toward the archway. In the distance, the termites took ten more toward them, the gap closing with every passing second.