St Chaos Healer

The Mankerret Citadel is a fortified prison located in a remote area surrounded by hills and wild forests. Guarded by the imperial army's elite soldiers and a platoon of skilled mages, the Citadel is further protected by a lake teeming with flesh-eating piranhas. The only way in or out is via a heavily guarded bridge.

 

Despite its appearance as a prison, the interior of the Citadel resembles a luxury palace. The spacious rooms feature comfortable sofas and personal maids, and elite noblemen have access to jacuzzis and spas. Even lesser officials, such as regional lords, are housed in the cellar with soft beds, good food, and personal slaves.

 

These individuals were arrested under the orders of the Church of the Virtues, a powerful religious sect with global influence that even the kingdom's royal family could not ignore. However, the royal family is keen to maintain good relations with these influential figures without upsetting the Church. Thus, the Citadel of Mankerret was built—a luxurious prison where prisoners could live comfortably while preserving their allegiance to the royal family.

 

But at this moment, the Citadel had turned into a nightmare for all its inhabitants.

 

Former prisoners had morphed into grotesque, deformed trolls. Some had enormous muscular arms, others had disproportionately large heads, but all shared the same monstrous appearance. Their brains had been reduced to mush, and the only thing they knew was to kill anything in their path.

 

The imperial guards, soldiers from the imperial army known for their physical prowess, found themselves overwhelmed. Though they were formidable enough to subjugate any monster, these trolls were too powerful. The soldiers were being tossed around like mere toys.

 

Suddenly, an elderly officer took charge, barking orders with authority:

 

"Form a formation! Spearmen, take the vanguard! Archers fall back and aim for the heads. Mages provide long-range offensive spells. Any transmutant close-combat mages, aid the rest of my men!"

 

The guards quickly formed a defensive line, with mages supporting them. They stood as the last line of defense, blocking the only way out. If the trolls breached the stairs, they would reach the upper floors, where fat nobles and aristocrats with no fighting experience would be slaughtered.

 

The army of grotesque trolls charged toward the formation of guards, swinging their massive arms like battering rams.

 

"Incoming! Shields!" shouted the commander.

 

"Heavenly Blessing!" a mage chanted, casting a protective layer over every guard and mage in the formation.

 

"Ice walls!" another mage called out, creating a frosty barrier of ice.

 

The trolls burst through the ice wall, swinging their enormous arms at the guards. The shields gritted their teeth, absorbing the impact and pushing them backward. Some shields crumbled under the weight, killing a few guards, but most held their ground.

 

"Attack!" the commander ordered.

 

Spears pierced the trolls' vital areas through the gaps in the shields. A volley of arrows and spells from the mages and archers whittled down the trolls one by one.

 

As the trolls fell, their carcasses began to convulse.

 

"Dammit! They're about to explode again!" shouted one of the guards.

 

Suddenly, a woman from the back stepped forward.

 

"Leave it to me!"

 

She was an elite mage.

 

"Divine Spirit Possession, Mystic Mirror!" she intoned.

 

Her eyes shone brightly, and her body began to glow. She stretched her hand out toward the dead trolls, absorbing all the impact from their imminent explosions into a glowing, unstable white orb.

 

With a determined look, she flung the orb at a group of advancing trolls. The orb explodes upon impact, killing multiple trolls in a brilliant flash.

 

The guards and mages watched in awe as the trolls fell, their immediate threat neutralized. The woman stood tall, her glowing form gradually fading as the battlefield quieted. The elite mage had turned the tide, buying the defenders precious time.

 

Though the immediate threat was contained, the battle was far from over.

 

The defeated soldiers and mages below had been reanimated into trolls, now advancing toward the formation with renewed vigor. Nearly all the remaining soldiers and mages had been wiped out, and the remaining trolls began making their way toward the stairs, aiming to breach the defensive formation.

 

"Lifebloom!" a mage cast, summoning small orbs of mana that floated gently above the guards and healed their injuries.

 

“Heavenly blessing,” another spell was cast on the formation. This new layer also prevented the larvae from penetrating their bodies.

The trolls continued to clash with the formation. The ice walls diminished the force of their blows, and the shields absorbed the remaining impact. Guards with shields and swords thrust through the gaps, while archers and mages unleashed a barrage of long-range attacks to dispatch the remaining trolls.

The elite mage with the special technique absorbed the explosions of the dead trolls, reflecting their impact back at the remaining enemies. Slowly but steadily, the number of trolls dwindled.

The morale of the defenders surged, their spirits buoyed by the signs of victory amidst the chaos.

In a shadowed corner, two figures observed the battle.

Damien watched the defensive formation with a mixture of admiration and disdain. “Look at that,” he said, his voice filled with awe. “An experienced group of warriors, adeptly handling my trolls. They could have been famous adventurers, earning glory, rather than being reduced to mere lap dogs for the kingdom.”

His expression darkened, his eyes narrowing with cold resolve. “It’s a shame, but they have to be eliminated.”

Benjamin, wide-eyed and trembling, glanced nervously at Damien. "At this rate, we'll be the ones to get eliminated."

Damien turned to Benjamin with a calm, confident demeanor. "Stop worrying, young lad. I just need to give them a shake, and their formation will crumble like a house of cards."

Stepping out from the shadows, Damien approached the nearby trolls. The trolls, mindless and focused on their targets, paid no attention to Damien’s presence.

"These should be good enough," Damien muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, the defensive formation was still locked in a fierce battle with the troll army. Despite the elite mage’s efforts to reflect the explosions, the onslaught was overwhelming. The defenders were taking heavy damage, and the healer was struggling to keep up.

"Alright! Now would be a good time to take the battle pills!" the commander ordered.

The imperial guards reached into their pockets and pulled out vials containing magic pills crafted by high mage alchemists. Swallowing the pills, the soldiers entered a berserk state. Their strength increased dramatically, and they stopped feeling pain. The formation began pushing back the trolls with renewed vigor.

The battle pills were a recent innovation, capable of turning even a normal human into a superhuman for a short period. However, the pills were expensive, difficult to produce, and had severe drawbacks after use. The guards' eyes turned bloodshot as they fiercely pushed back the trolls.

"Let's show these mages what the imperial guards are capable of!" shouted the commander, boosting everyone’s morale.

Even the mages were amazed by the display.

"Is that so? We mages can't let them steal the limelight, can we?" one mage exclaimed.

"Yeah!" shouted the rest of the mages in sync.

The next moment, an archer shouted, "Incoming!"

A nearby mage was quick to react, "Ice wall!"

"Heaven’s Bless-"

A massive projectile blasted through the ice walls, speeding toward the shields. A row of shielders was wiped out as the projectile barreled through the defenses, narrowly missing the mages and archers who ducked and moved out of its way. The projectile finally landed across a wall and split into three parts. It all happened so instantly that everyone was in shock.

The formation had collapsed, leaving a gap where the shields were missing. The trolls quickly marched toward the broken line.

"Quick, reform the formation!" shouted the commander.

The surviving guards scrambled to remake the formation.

"Wait! Those things are trolls!" shouted one of the mages.

The projectile was a small group of trolls balled together and hurled by Damien, who now stood smugly with his oversized grotesque arm, proud of his throw.

The mages finally realized that three trolls had reached behind them.

"Shit! First clear these guys out!"

"Wait, that troll is already-"

One of the trolls, significantly damaged from colliding with the ice wall, staggered a few steps toward the formation and collapsed.

"Watch out!"

The dead troll exploded, taking out the remaining mages and archers in the back. The remains splattered against the walls and the surviving comrades. Seeing this, the morale of the remaining soldiers plummeted instantly.

With a fierce army of trolls in the front and two injured trolls behind them, the only people left were the shield guards armed with spears and swords and the elite mage who could reflect the blasts.

Finally, the elite mage stepped forward and glanced down, where she saw Damien who was rather impressed by himself. Seeing the big grotesque oversized arm, she understood that he was the man behind all this ruckus.

"We have to get rid of that man! He’s the root of all this mess," said the elite mage, her eyes filled with determination to kill Damien.

The commander nodded his head. "Well, if you can just try to hold it a bit longer, reinforcements would arrive anytime now. We’ll handle the trolls, you just try to keep that man occupied. Just don’t die on my watch now."

The elite mage nodded. "I don’t plan to. I have my daughter’s birthday next week, and I finally took a paid leave to celebrate with her. I ain’t dying here."

"Let’s give them hell!" the commander shouted.

The next instant, all the guards dropped their shields and fiercely leaped at the trolls. In berserk mode, the guards moved quickly and fiercely, easily maneuvering through the trolls' attacks and counter attacking them.

Blood, guts, and explosions filled the corridors as the battle intensified. Meanwhile, the elite mage began chanting a spell. Her eyes glowed, and a surge of mana surrounded her. In the next instant, ethereal floating mirrors popped up around the corridors, surrounding the trolls and Damien.

Damien quickly stopped goofing around and turned serious as he observed the mirrors. He knew he should be careful.

“Hey, young lad, quickly hide in a safe spot,” Damien warned. “Finally, things are getting exciting!”

Damien cracked his knuckles and approached the stairs with determined strides. The elite mage, sensing the danger, focused her mana intensely on her spell. 

“Cascade!” she called out, directing a powerful beam of light from her fingertip. The beam shot toward one of the mirrors, slicing through nearby trolls with precision. It reflected off the mirrors, creating a deadly chain reaction. Each reflection added to the beam’s power, cutting through trolls and redirecting to new targets. The beam continued its path of destruction, tearing through the horde.

As the trolls died, they exploded, and the mirrors absorbed the resulting orbs of energy. The elite mage, straining with the effort, controlled the unstable orbs, directing them toward Damien. Her eyes glowed fiercely, and her nose bled from the exertion.

Damien’s demeanor changed instantly as he saw the white floating orbs. He had already seen the power of the white orbs as it had wiped out his own trolls before.

Damien backed away and dodged the orbs with swift, graceful movements. His body shifted and stretched, evading the white orbs that chased him. It was almost like the orbs themselves were alive like flies chasing after him.

Meanwhile, the elite mage quickly directed the bouncing light beam from her mirrors toward Damien. The beam pierced his shoulder and leg, causing him to lose his balance. That’s when the orbs reached Damien and detonated with a massive explosion.

A big fiery blast erupted with Damien at the center. The remaining trolls nearby perished in the explosion, and the guards took cover to avoid being thrown by the blast force. Benjamin scrambled back downstairs, hiding behind a door for protection. The elite mage’s floating mirrors shattered in the explosion, and she coughed up blood, but a satisfied smile remained on her face.

As the smoke cleared, the scene revealed a charred troll embracing a gravely wounded Damien. The troll disintegrated into dust, leaving Damien severely injured but still alive. His body began to heal at an alarming rate, with missing flesh and burn marks rapidly regenerating.

“Now that was dangerous. I almost met my lord there,” Damien said with a grim smile as his face and body began to heal without the aid of any spells.

“He used the trolls as a shield! Fine, let’s see if you can survive my next spell,” shouted the determined elite mage.

The elite mage began chanting another spell. She knew she had to finish this quickly before he could recover.

“I’ve seen enough,” Damien muttered a chant under his breath, his voice barely audible. “Fleshweaver.”

The nearby guts and flesh of soldiers and trolls came to life, moving and congealing into a long, fleshy chain that slithered under the guards, reaching toward the elite mage.

Before the guards and the elite mage could react, long protruding spikes emerged from the fleshy chain, piercing the guards. The spikes narrowly missed the elite mage’s head, injuring her shoulder instead.

The spikes quickly disintegrate as they appear.

“Bastard!” shouted the frustrated mage as it tried to close the bleeding on her shoulder. The guards were also injured and their speed was reduced greatly. They still couldn’t feel pain but the after-effects of the pills were slowly fading out by now.

Damien smirked, his eyes reflecting the grotesque creation’s malevolence.
“That was great, you guys survived yet again? You guys will make a strong troll soon enough.”

As Damien slowly got up, the sound of metal clanking came from behind the elite mage from above. Damien’s smile finally disappeared.

Footsteps approached, accompanied by the unmistakable clank of armor. The reinforcements arrived in force—a platoon of imperial guards and mages descended upon the scene from above, their presence an imposing sight.

The commander’s voice rang out, “Let’s regroup with the mage!”

The remaining soldiers swiftly fell back, forming a protective perimeter around the elite mage. Her eyes widened in relief and exhaustion as she saw the reinforcements charging down the stairs.

Despite her injuries, the mage managed a weary smile. “Reinforcements are finally here!”

She then turned to look at a particular female mage and exclaimed,
“Sasha, you could have come a bit earlier, you know!”

A dozen imperial guards and half a dozen mages had appeared, including the mage’s friend Sasha. But as they approached, something seemed off. The elite mage noticed the odd behavior.

“Guys, slow down!” shouted one of the guards, his voice filled with alarm. The mage noticed something was off as well, but it was already too late. 

In an instant, the guards and mages dropped their weapons. Swords and shields clattered to the ground, and even the mages let their staff fall. Their bodies began to swell grotesquely, armor straining against the expanding limbs. Their heads grew monstrous proportions. The reality of their transformation dawned on the remaining survivors, leaving them pale and almost breathless.

The so-called reinforcements had turned into an army of trolls, rushing straight at the remaining survivors. The elite mage watched in horror as Sasha, now a hideous monster, swung her massive arms, hurling bodies like ragdolls. The remaining guards, their strength from the battle pills depleted, cowered in fear as they saw their comrades being stomped and devoured by the trolls.

The commander, refusing to yield, shouted, “Stand your ground everyone!” He fought fiercely, slashing at a nearby troll and kicking its body away from his men. But soon, a troll bear-hugged him from behind, crushing him with brutal force. The commander’s blood seeped through the gaps in his armor as he was squeezed to death.

The elite mage, grievously injured, lay on the stairs. Her arm was shattered, ribs punctured, and jaw broken. Bleeding profusely, she was overwhelmed by her friend’s monstrous transformation. As she lost consciousness, memories of her daughter filled her mind—the times she had raised her, the promise of celebrating her birthday together. ‘I am sorry…’ she thought as she took her last breath, filled with regret.

Sasha, now a troll, began feasting on her lifeless body. “Stop!” Damien commanded, his voice cold and commanding. “Stop feasting on potential new recruits! Especially those who survived for so long! I have other plans for these guys.” 

Fully recovered from his injuries, Damien cracked his neck and joints casually. “But that was a sight to see! Watching them lose their only glimmer of hope. Truly exciting, wasn’t it?” He turned around, looking for Benjamin. “Uh, where is the young one?”

Benjamin was nowhere to be seen. Damien sighed, “I guess he hid back in his cellar~ anyway, go fetch him.” One of the trolls lumbered into the cellar and dragged out a protesting Benjamin.

“Hey! Put me down already!” Ben shouted, wriggling free.

Damien, meanwhile, approached the corpses of the fallen guards and the elite mage. He stabbed his finger into their heads, placing special worms he had prepared. The corpses began to convulse violently as the worms worked.

“Alright, leave him be,” Damien commanded as the troll released Benjamin, who let out a sigh of relief.

Benjamin looked around at the bloodshed, his face reflecting a mix of horror and resignation. “So, is it finally over?”

“No, we’re just getting started!” Damien said with a playful smile. “Let’s head up for now. Hopefully, my partner has taken care of that warden by now.”