Pantheon Online

Chapter 142 - Skourj

Exile hesitated as he glanced over the options. 'It needs to be powerful enough to kill those troops but not so strong that my own followers can't take care of it.' Exile hummed as he immediately decided that he would not choose Toxic. 'All of these choices are nasty in their own way...'

That left him with Mankiller, Ironhide, Regeneration and Frenzy. 'Ironhide and Regeneration together would be a nightmare. It would be better if those NPCs can weaken it for my people to reduce the casualties. So that means it has to be Mankiller, Ironhide and Frenzy for the final choices.'

Exile sighed as he thought about how nasty even those powers sounded. The bear would be more powerful against humans. Its fur would be the equivalent of wearing armour all over its body. Plus, it would not stop until everyone who injured it would be dead. He made his final choices and waited for the effects to happen.

The bear let out a heart-piercing cry as its figure was covered in a deep purple glow. The creature stood up on its hind legs and Exile watched it grow. By the time it was finished, it stood at roughly twelve feet tall. As the glow dissipated, Exile shook his head at what it had become. Its fur had taken on a metallic sheen to its black colour. The whites of its eyes had turned crimson, and it salivated at the mouth. 

[Please name this Mythological cursed beast...]

"I created it to be a scourge on those enemies. I'm not great with names... So let us just go with Skourj." Exile chuckled to himself. He imagined it being pronounced as Scourge, but he figured that the NPCs would warp it somehow when they said it. 

[You have created the Mythological beast Skourj...]

Exile waited with a patient expression to see what the creature would do. He was especially interested to see if it would talk, just like Skovi. However, Skourj let out a deafening roar before taking off in the direction of the warriors, who were giving chase to the bear. Completely unaware that they were about to face something far worse than what they intended.

Exile decided to follow after his new creation to see how it would deal with the situation. That way, he could give advice to whomever he wanted to kill it. 'It's fast...' Exile frowned when he noticed that Skourj was managing to keep pace with himself. 'It seems like it has gained some power that equals mine. Similar to Skovi. I guess that comes from the fact I created it. But that could be a problem on its own.'

The voices of the warriors could be heard clearly at that point, and Skourj adjusted its course to intercept them. Exile's eyes narrowed as he spotted the first warrior through the trees, but the man disappeared in a fine red mist as Skourj slammed into him at high speed. Utter chaos ensued after that event.

The warriors were confused by what they had just seen. One moment their comrade was there searching with them, and the next he was turned into a pulp as a hulking black metallic beast stood in his place. One of the others who came to his senses faster than the others let out a cry as he charged forward with his axe.

The others who saw this snapped back to reality. Their faces bore a grim look about them as they let out shouts of their own and charged at Skourj. The great bear roared as it rose onto its hind legs, making those warriors feel incredibly insignificant against its display. The first axe struck at Skourj's leg, and a metallic sound rang out. The warrior appeared confused as his weapon rebounded without leaving a scratch on the bear.

Some of the other warriors noticed that strange scene and paused. Just in time to see Skourj snort before swiping at the warrior who attacked it. The swipe held so much power that the man's torso went flying while he blinked a few times. The legs that were left behind fell into the snow and dyed it a deep red.

'This is going to be a massacre...' Exile sighed as he stood at a distance and watched Skourj rampage amongst the enemies. 'He's too strong for them... This doesn't look good.' Exile began to wonder if he should have removed both Regeneration and Ironhide from the equation. At least if he had chosen Toxic instead, there would still be a chance to kill the beast.

Exile shook his head sadly as bodies began to pile up in different states of dismemberment. Anyone who tried to flee drew Skourj's attention to themselves. Skourj seemed adamant that nobody would get away from it. This left the warriors feeling helpless as all of their attacks bounced off of the metallic fur.

'I've created a real monster here... Maybe this was not a good idea after all. How am I supposed to create a hero with this?' The warriors' numbers were dwindling now. To Exile's eyes, it appeared that more than half of the encampment had come after this bear. 'At least it should be weak enough now for Harik's troops to clear it.'

Exile decided he had seen enough of the slaughter. It was clear that nobody would survive. The best he could do now was advise Harik to avoid this area with Skourj roaming the lands. However, that was when he noticed something strange. Skourj had dropped to all fours and was mid charge when a warrior tried to pierce it with his spear. The tip was aimed at Skourj's left eye, but the bear turned its head at the last second and a screeching sound echoed through the forest as the tip ran across the bear's fur.

'That's right! The eyes are soft and not protected by its fur!' Exile let out a grin, but he knew it would still be difficult. It seemed that Skourj was aware of its own weakness and made the effort to avoid taking any damage where there was no fur. Like its mouth, nose, eyes, and inside its ears.

'It'll take a miracle to kill it.' Exile chuckled. 'But that's something I can provide...'

Now that he knew how to defeat the horror that he had released on the land, Exile turned and left the area. His mind raced as he thought about suitable candidates to turn into his own hero in the mortal realms. 'I shouldn't place all my eggs in the same basket... So that takes Ania out of the equation. Which leaves Harik and Bjorn...'

'Harik will eventually have to rule, meaning that he'll be stuck dealing with a lot of issues most of the time...' A smile swept across Exile's face as he was left with only one option that he was happy to give this opportunity to. 'Bjorn's a bit crazy, but that should help him with this. He's probably the only one mad enough to even try to take it down.'

'Hm, should I tell him it's a trial to prove his worth? That's bound to get him excited.' exile shook his head as he considered ways to manipulate Bjorn into doing what he wanted. 'There'll have to be witnesses as well. What's a hero without someone to spread the word of his deeds?'

'Plus, it'll make for a good scene during the streams. It should get some exposure for us. I didn't see any comments mentioning any parts where another hero had appeared... But it's not like I could go through everything.' Exile frowned slightly as he considered another issue. 'How do I explain the beast to Bjorn? He's bound to ask how it was created. Actually, scrap that. He seems to know a fair bit about the gods of this world. So he might even realise it's been cursed by me. I need a good story for it...'

Exile hummed as he thought about a number of options to explain it. But he needed something that the Skardians as a people could accept. 'It has to be in line with their beliefs. They seem to be focused on things like honour and glory for warriors.'

A savage smile crept across his face as he hit on a suitable reason. One that he was sure that Bjorn could accept and would seem like he had done something reasonable by cursing it. 'That's right, I can outright explain that I created it and it's now his trial to defeat it. By doing so, he'll prove himself worthy of my blessing.'

Exile spent the rest of his journey back to Eraldsfen in quiet contemplation as he fine-tuned the details in his mind. Suddenly, he realised that he seemed to be forgetting something. That was when he heard an annoyed snort come from behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted Skovi trailing after him. Just a short distance behind.

An apologetic smile crossed Exile's face as Eraldsfen came into view. 'Let's get this show on the road...