Pestilence: Rise Of The Pure Undead-Chapter 571: Steam

Three out of the four portals were encountering severe pushback from the people of the realm, by its wildlife, and even its plantlife, it seemed like there was nothing that wasn't willing to get in the way of the invasion by the undead.

The fourth portal had landed in luckier spot, a small grove within one of the denser and darker forests of this realm, near the edge but not too close, in proximity to small rocky biomes covered in warm ponds that exuded constant steam, region that was mostly populated by smaller beasts and more prominently, by the yrztuls, small, fennec fox-like animal, the colour of their fur varying strongly from one individual to another.

They had established themselves by taking root in a region without much ressources and other beasts, preferring to feast on fruits from the few trees that grew in this heated environment where one couldn't rely on sight due to the constant steam rising day and night.

The soldiers who emerged here were indeed fortunate, they had time to assess their surroundings and think about what to do unlike the rest who were thrown into immediate combat against overwhelming foes.

Quick on their feet, the soldiers, which were in starkly smaller committee than here than anywhere else, searched for a place to hide, the dozen or so of them were considered elite amongst the ranks of the living soldiers, the portal they emerged from began to shrivel up soon after the last of them passed through, leaving way to the only one that seemed to have a distinctive trait that wasn't just a different weapon, the Mort-Cross depicted over the part of his mask covering his mouth.

The portal was sucked into a small vial he carried.

"No time to waste, Venerable Loimos will have to act again if we fail" speaking grimly, like the general would give a single damn about having to stick his arm through a portal a second time, they all went on the move.

Having to move carefully and slowly despite their hastiness due to the treacherous terrain, what they were setting foot upon wasn't soil and grass but thick and crooked roots from the nearby trees, which were colourful but with bent trunks that were far from smooth.

Soon, they penetrated into a steam-filled area, which were plentiful within a wide radius.

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Only beasts with both magnificent hearing and ears adapted to handle the warm steam that thickly permeated the biome could truly thrive in here, which was something only the yrztul had achieved, they were free to move around within this intoxicatingly burning atmosphere.

The instant the soldiers stepped in, they began sweating heavily, coating the inside of their armour, but they didn't pay it any mind and marched through, once again having to go slowly lest they trip over a slightly protruding bit of stone or fell right into one of these warm ponds.

'Mmh… A place such as this one seems like the best bet to go unfound' the leader thought, not knowing nearly enough about the inner workings and biome-composition of the Emerald Realm to be fully certain of it, but a region shrouded in steam and much too warm to stay in on the regular seemed like a good enough bet, probably no one lived here and if anyone local came around, it would probably be to use one of the warm ponds, which he had to admit, seemed pretty comfortable.

Well, at least those that weren't clearly full of boiling water, that is, his undead rulers seemed to love all that was novel, perhaps that if he managed to secure a hideout, he would earn himself a position as a regional lord in this realm?

'Now… Let's focus on the mission first' he spotted a vast shape further through the steam, raising his fist to stop the soldiers behind him, the sound of bubbling water was loud, signalling to look out in case that shadowy silhouette meant danger, they carefully approached.

From the way they approached, the structure looked just like a stone formation that just happened to be rising up, circling around, however, they discovered that it was hollow, the gap to get from outside to inside though, was rather thin.

'Enemies are probably going to be showing up in the area soon… Better not gamble to find anything else more suitable' they were a bit pressed on time after all, with three other portals being flung away, it would be profoundly idiotic for no one to even think about checking them out.

"We'll be squeezing our way in… Who's the slimmest here?" asked the leader, someone raising their hand without doubt.

"I should fit through easily" said the soldier, a feminine voice.

"Then go ahead, you'll be helping pull in those who struggle"

Nodding, the soldier in white took off her chestplate as it would be getting in the way and did get through without surprising ease.

'Must be one of those from that island…' although multiple realms had been conquered and made into huge centers for raising and drafting soldiers, most contained humans of some variety, one had been filled with fat, blue-skinned beings and a few beastfolks of the heavier kinds.

Only the inhabitants of the island under Lord Ridfoirn's watch were known for being particularly nimble, but there were only a handful serving in the army at the moment.

The leader hadn't gotten time to know the soldiers under his command as they had been picked from various other units and handed out for him to lead.

Ignoring that for now, he ushered everyone else in, some getting through with minimal efforts, some having to be strongly pulled out the other way, and only once all others were in did the leader squeeze through the gap, his well-trained and tough body forcing him to force a bit, but he quickly went through.

Reaching the inside of this hollow rock formation, the inside was naturally dark, but not too much steam was seeping in, so the air was just that slight bit less suffocating.

"It extends a bit further down" remarked one of the soldiers, nothing deep enough to qualify as a cave, but that was a good thing nonetheless, the further hidden they were from the surface, the better it would be.

The leader moved quickly, releasing the portal for the vial once he reached the lowest point within this hollow space, him and his soldiers stepping right back through, now that they had what seemed to be a good hideout to remain at without being slaughtered, they had to further secure it.

Their mission, if they remained concealed long enough, would be changing as time went on.

With a safe place to test what worked, what worked with differences and what didn't function, the empire would be able to elaborate better means to deal with this realm, once that was done, they would have to take on a much more dangerous mission, however.

After emerging back into the underground, the sudden coldness made them shiver, the leader caught sight of General Loimos, graciously standing there like a statue that had been both petrified and frozen in time.

"It would seem that you have found a suitable area"

'Oh- Wait… Is he talking to me? I thought my heart stopped beating for a moment…'

"Sir, yes, Sir!"