by A F Kay
“Should I try and call Shelly?” Sift asked.
Ruwen almost said yes, but stopped himself. Instead of answering out loud, he used Chat. Shelly is like our Aspects. If they’re seen with us, gods will ask questions I can’t afford to answer.
“I figured,” Sift said out loud.
New Eiru’s army had pushed forward, forcing the enemy backward. Ruwen now stood at the bottom of a badly shaped “V.” Still, the elite squad didn’t move. It seemed their purpose was to keep Ruwen from moving forward. He didn’t know why that mattered, but it couldn’t be good.
Ruwen continued to channel Energy into Fresh Air, Gust, and Fallen Heroes, the three of them standing behind him like sentries. He confirmed Sift remained the target of his Bodyguard spell, channeled one hundred Energy into Melt, and moved forward. With the Quartermaster’s Yell buff, he only consumed seventy-three Energy per second, leaving him sixty-four if he needed it.
Ruwen strode toward the elite squad.
Hey You read the lips of the elite squad as they whispered to each other.
“Step masters,” the Rift Ghost said to her group.
“Clan?” the Echo Blade asked. “Offensive or defensive?”
“I can’t tell,” the Rift Ghost said.
The Echo Blade grunted. “How can you of all people not tell?”
“Use Say, only,” the Dust Reverend said. “He’s fluent in our language.”
The conversation stopped and Ruwen guessed “Say” was their equivalent of Chat.
Sift spoke to Ruwen in Chat. That woman with the daggers has Step training.
Ruwen studied her stance and noticed the excellent alignment of her feet and shoulders. He quickly triggered Analyze on each of the enemy and glanced at just the strengths and weaknesses. He already knew they were hostile.
Target: Rift Ghost
Strengths: Mobility, Burst Damage, Oxygen Independent
Weaknesses: Fire, Resistances
Target: Echo Blade
Strengths: Enhanced Haste, Ambidextrous, Oxygen Independent
Weaknesses: Fire, Weapon Dependent
Target: Crag Defender
Strengths: Elevated Resistances, Superior Durability, Oxygen Independent
Weaknesses: Fire, Mobility
Target: Quake Summoner
Strengths: Conjured Pets, Area Damage, Oxygen Independent
Weaknesses: Fire, Mana Dependent
Target: Dust Reverend
Strengths: Crowd Control, Healing, Oxygen Independent
Weaknesses: Fire, Physical Combat
The strengths and weaknesses weren’t the most helpful, but Ruwen hoped that as the fight progressed and he absorbed more information, the ability would return more specific information.
When Ruwen came within fifteen feet, the squad finally reacted. The Rift Ghost and Echo Blade moved back and a little behind the Crag Defender. The ground in front of the Quake Summoner glowed, and a second later a five-foot stone cat appeared. Not a cat, since its head looked like a demon with the curved horns of a ram. It pawed the ground, leaving deep furrows with its claws. Ruwen’s Perception called it a Summoned Cliff Tiger.
Ruwen sent the three Fallen Heroes around the right side of the enemy, tasking them with attacking the Healer and the Mage.
The Crag Defender slammed his tower shield into the ground and a stone shield shot forward toward Ruwen. If he leaped over the attack, it would strike those behind him. He didn’t have time for the one second cast of Dig, and only one other thing occurred to him.
Ruwen launched a Hardened Instability Rod he’d taken from Valora’s Dark Portal from his Void Band, striking the middle of the oncoming stone shield, and then assumed the most stable Bamboo Step.
The Hardened Instability Rod exploded just as the stone shield struck Ruwen. The weakened stone proved no match for his armored and buffed Gold Fortified body and exploded into hundreds of pieces, doing no damage to him.
The elite squad had used the time to move within ten feet of Ruwen. The three Fallen Heroes had reached the Dust Reverend and Quake Summoner, striking them with their Heavy Walking Sticks. An Energy shield pulsed into view whenever a staff struck, and the Healer and Mage ignored the three attackers. The Fallen Heroes were completely ineffective.
The Cliff Tiger jumped from the right side and Ruwen turned to face it. A twelve-foot bear struck the stone cat mid-leap, smashing it backward. The bear’s fur wasn’t black or brown but shifted in color to match the surrounding yellow-green grass, just like his mother’s armor had.
The Cliff Tiger bit the bear in the neck and Clarysa’s Health dropped by twenty percent, confirming Ruwen’s guess. A heartbeat later, Hamma’s Mana dropped a fraction and Clarysa healed back to full.
Before Ruwen could fully grasp his mother’s shapeshifting, the Dust Reverend used a fist to touch his chest, mouth, and forehead. A second later, a wave of fear engulfed them. Ruwen’s buffed Mental Resistance, thanks in part to Rami’s Codex of Perception, had reached one hundred seventy-five percent, and the fear did nothing more than make his skin crawl. His team, though, didn’t have all his advantages. Even Sift, with his decreased Sifting ability, turned to flee.
Ruwen immediately channeled thirty Energy per second into the level twenty Warlord spell Warcry of Freedom, cleansing the fear and increasing everyone’s Mind Resistance by fifty percent. A five-minute counter started, letting him know how long until he could use the cleanse again. He continued to channel thirty Energy to the spell, so everyone kept the increased Mind Resistance.
I have lost contact with the Temple Guardians, Lir told Ruwen.
Send another one, more cautious this time, Ruwen said as he and Sift moved toward the Crag Defender.
There are no additional Temple Guardians, Lir said.
Chapter 72
With all the distraction of the attack, Ruwen realized his command earlier had lacked specifics. He’d told Lir to “Send the Temple Guardians to investigate the seismic activity.” And Lir had done exactly as asked.
Head sized chunks of semi-cooled lava slammed into the Crag Defender from Bliz’s Void Band, and the Fighter stepped backward to protect the Dust Reverend and Quake Summoner. The Rift Ghost moved to meet Sift, and the Echo Blade faced Ruwen. A glowing orange arrow shot from the Quake Summoner, flying between Sift and Ruwen, right at where Hamma stood.
Ruwen nervously glanced at the group portraits but only Tremine’s Mana dropped. Tremine had shielded Hamma, but it had cost him ten percent of his Mana.
Ruwen’s shadow lengthened as something bright ignited behind him. His shadow shifted as the source rose into the air, and a moment later Xavier floated past them thirty feet in the air, surrounded in a blue-white web of Energy. Fingers of Energy struck the ground and crawled their way erratically toward the elite squad.
The Quake Summoner slammed his hands together over his head and a stone bird appeared, its wingspan fifteen feet. Ruwen’s Perception called it a Summoned Cave Wyvern. It flapped its wings and flew at Xavier.
The Echo Blade stepped forward and attacked with a quick slice to the ribs, probing Ruwen’s reflexes. Ruwen slowed his response so the blade barely missed him. He didn’t want to reveal his true skills in case he needed to surprise his attacker later.
What options do we have to investigate? Ruwen asked Lir.
Ruwen moved to the right, pulling the Echo Blade away from Hamma and the group. Clarysa wrestled with the Cliff Tiger, and Ruwen tried not to worry about her. Sift traded blows with the Rift Ghost, who had definitely trained with a Step Clan. An aggressive one, too, he guessed, similar to the Viper Clan.
I have no additional methods to investigate, Lir said. The disturbance is approaching the Temple but is not yet close enough for my sensors to provide details. The vibrational masking is significantly interfering with my ability to view the area below New Eiru.
The unease in Ruwen’s stomach turned into a knot. The Echo Blade attacked again, doubling the speed from the last attack. She sliced at
Ruwen’s neck while stabbing at his groin.
Ruwen ducked under the neck attack and slapped the blade aimed at his crotch to the side. As the blade passed his hip, he placed his hands against it. Melt immediately began breaking down the sword’s durability. The Echo Blade jerked the weapon back and stepped away.
The Quake Summoner closed his eyes and looked up. Flakes of mica filled the air like snow. Both the Echo Blade and Rift Ghost jumped back toward their group. The Dust Reverend’s Mana dropped by seventy-five and the ground under Ruwen turned to liquid, causing him to sink. The Quake Summoner’s Mana dropped a hundred and the flakes of mica spun, rotating in ever-widening circles.
The mica, magically hardened and sharp as a razor, tore into Ruwen’s armor, but didn’t penetrate his skin. The Health of Hamma, Tremine, and Sift all dropped. Ruwen’s did too as Bodyguard transferred sixty percent of Sift’s damage to Ruwen. Tremine’s Mana dropped by half and a wave of cold Energy exploded from the Mage, causing the flakes of mica to stop spinning and fall. Ruwen pulled his feet free of the ground.
Ruwen’s Perception found Lylan behind the three Fallen Heroes, who continued to pound on the Energy shield. Lylan used Blink to bypass the Energy shield and appeared behind the Dust Reverend and Quake Summoner. Ruwen recognized the dagger she held in her hand. The Bone Sculptor had stabbed Ruwen with that Grounding Stake, causing his Energy consumption to increase tenfold and Mana costs to double.
Lylan slammed the Grounding Stake into the back of the Quake Summoner and then leaped forward toward the safety of their group. The Crag Guardian struck his shield with his sword, but the metallic bang sounded distorted. Lylan slowed in midair, as if trapped in honey. The Crag Guardian swung his sword, slashing Lylan across the back. A heartbeat later, the spell that had slowed Lylan disappeared, and she flew forward. She landed face first on the ground, blood soaking her back.
Sift jumped to Lylan and faced the elite squad, guarding her. Hamma’s Mana dropped by twenty percent and everyone’s Health ticked upward. Hamma cast another Heal, and Lylan’s Health bar turned from yellow to green.
The Dust Reverend laughed, pulled the blade from the back of the Quake Summoner, and tossed it back to Lylan. “You forgot something.”
Xavier still fought the Cave Wyvern above them. The stone dragon’s wings and body were filled with charred holes, but it still flew and fought. Clarysa had ripped one of the Cliff Tiger’s legs off, but it seemed unaffected, while his mom’s Health bar hovered around sixty percent.
Objective complete, Elder Vachyl said in Chat.
Ruwen glanced in the distance behind the elite squad. The enemy army had been pushed past the tents. The tents and their contents lay strewn in pieces. They’d done it.
While everyone’s Health had recovered, Hamma and Tremine had used over half their Mana. They had Mana potions, but the problem was the elite squad stood unharmed with full bars of Health and Mana. Ruwen and his team wouldn’t win a prolonged battle with this group. As soon as Tremine’s Mana ran out, they would be at the mercy of the Dust Reverend and Quake Summoner.
Ruwen felt more confident about defeating the Fighters. The Crag Defender had some incredible defensive magic, but Ruwen and Sift could overcome that. The problem remained the magic users. His Fallen Heroes had been beating against the protective shield this entire time, and the shield appeared undamaged.
Ruwen contemplated calling all the eighty plus level warriors to his location and killing this squad. But something was happening under New Eiru, and they’d finished their objective here. This squad didn’t matter any longer, especially when New Eiru might be in danger. It was time to go back home.
Initiate homecoming, Ruwen said to Elder Vachyl in Chat.
Regroup, Ruwen said in his Chat. The revival baths are destroyed, and we’re headed home.
Colyn kneeled and lifted Lylan to her feet as Sift protected them. Xavier and Clarysa, back in her human form, returned to the group and Ruwen stepped backward.
“Going somewhere?” the Dust Reverend asked. He turned to the Quake Summoner. “Trigger it.”
The Quake Summoner pulled a small square rune stone from his Dimensional Belt. It glowed so brightly Ruwen squinted. Without any fanfare, the Mage squeezed the stone, crushing it and releasing the light.
In the distance, near the destroyed tents, a corresponding bright flash appeared, only much larger. A moment later, the ground around them rose. In seconds, thirty-foot walls encased them in a hundred-foot square.
Ruwen and his team now stood alone with the elite squad. Survey and Stone Echo showed him these hundred foot squares now filled the depression, separating both armies into small chunks.
Why had they trapped their own army too?
I believe the disturbance is within one thousand feet of New Eiru, Lir said.
That seemed impossibly close. They’d confirmed before they’d left that nothing was within twenty-five hundred feet. Nothing moved that fast underground.
And this squad only cared about delaying the army’s return. These walls could be broken, but it would take time.
“This was a distraction,” Ruwen said.
The Dust Reverend smiled.
“What are you planning?” Ruwen asked.
The Dust Reverend’s smile turned into a grin. “Your eternal destruction.”
Chapter 73
We’re doing this the hard way, Ruwen said in Chat.
As if you knew another way, Sift replied.
Ruwen continued. Bliz, see what you can do about these walls. We need to retreat. Everyone but Sift and Xavier stay behind Colyn. Let’s try to conserve Hamma’s Mana. Tremine, don’t protect Sift and me. I want to see how we handle their spells. Xavier, do what you can from above.
Then Ruwen spoke privately to Hamma. How heavy is Smash?
Hamma had bonded to a Carnage Golem they’d found in the loot they’d taken from the Plague Siren’s lair in the Spirit Realm. By speaking its name, Smash, she’d became its new master. Sift had insulted the thumb sized figure, and the golem had taken a dislike to Sift.
Twelve pounds, Hamma said.
Hamma was the only one safe from the Carnage Golem, and Ruwen had wanted to use Sow Seed to telekinetically guide the tiny golem behind the Crag Defender. But Sow Seed only worked on one-pound items at his current level. He’d have to do something more drastic. Sift had insulted the tiny golem the last time they’d used it, and Ruwen guessed Smash would attack Sift. He wanted the Crag Defender to be in the way when Smash chased Sift, hopefully taking the brunt of Smash’s anger.
The elite squad made no attempt to fight, happy to waste as much time here as possible. For now, they only wanted to keep everyone from returning to the city.
I’m coming to get Smash, Ruwen told Hamma.
Ruwen turned and found a crowd of people behind their group.
Bliz had produced thirty golems from his Void Band. They had no facial features, and their heads came to a point. Each had six arms and as Ruwen watched, the hands all morphed into pickaxes. They broke into three groups of ten, and each group walked toward a different wall. Bliz sprinted toward the rear wall, easily outpacing his plodding golems.
Ruwen strode to Hamma, and she handed him the two-inch figure. He immediately dropped it in his Void Band and returned to the front. Using his Void Band, he could launch Smash fast enough to make sure it got behind the enemy.
When I tell you, yell his name, Ruwen told Hamma in Chat.
Ruwen stepped up next to Sift. “Is the Step fighter any good?”
Sift nodded. “I’ve seen her fight before. The hair gives her away, and she’s on a Step tournament team. I showed Io, and he agrees.”
“Can you beat her?” Ruwen asked.
“Please, give your Sisen some credit.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I’m fairly sure. Her lack of Fortification puts her at a disadvantage,” Sift said, sounding almost sad.
Ruwen glanced at Sift. “Are you fanboying over th
e assassin that’s trying to kill us?”
Sift shrugged. “I’ve never met a Step fighter from the tournaments before. She studied Scorpion Clan Steps in the southern desert. I love that style.”
“How about you get her autograph another time, and today you just kill her.”
“Fine,” Sift said.
Ruwen felt bad for not warning Sift that Smash would shortly be trying to kill him. If things worked out like Ruwen expected, the Carnage Golem would find the Crag Defender first. Plus, Sift kind of deserved it.
Ruwen strode toward the enemy thirty feet away.
“You are a slow learner,” the Dust Reverend said. “Can’t you see your situation is hopeless.”
“I recognize it,” Ruwen said. “I see it a lot.”
Get ready, Ruwen told Hamma. And Heal him as much as you can to keep him big.
Ruwen decided to use thirty Energy to fire the Carnage Golem, scared that not using enough would cause the figurine to just plop out. He opened his Void Band a couple inches and aimed at the area between the Crag Defender and the Echo Blade. When he’d closed to within fifteen feet of the elite squad, he fired the Carnage Golem out of his Void Band. Now! Ruwen said to Hamma using Chat.
“Smash!” Hamma screamed.
A loud thump filled the air and the shield around the Dust Reverend and Quake Summoner flashed brightly. Ruwen congratulated himself for getting the golem into the enemy lines and glanced over at Sift, who stood ten feet to Ruwen’s right. He almost felt guilty.
Ruwen refocused on the two-inch golem and watched Smash stand and stagger a bit. Maybe Ruwen had shot him a little too hard. The little guy looked dazed. After another heartbeat, the golem slammed his tiny fists together and grew. In moments, the two-inch golem had grown to thirty feet. Ruwen smiled behind his Overseer’s Cowl, proud his plan had worked so well.
