Path of Dragons

As Elijah ran across the wall, he had to wonder why he always seemed to end up as bait. But he knew the answer. He was the fastest and most capable of adjustment, should the plan go awry. Even so, it wasn’t precisely enjoyable, knowing that one little mistake would see him overwhelmed by countless enemies who literally could not be killed.

Or maybe he was just worried about one foe in particular.

That woman-turned-monster was horrific, and in every way possible. Not only was she terrible to behold, but her mere presence prompted an existential crisis concerning the thin line between humanity and monsterhood. Her situation was unique, though Elijah couldn’t help but draw parallels with his own past. They’d both been digested by powerful beasts, after all. And he’d been changed, just like she had been, albeit in a different direction.

And then there was the fear.

It wasn’t often that Elijah found an enemy he simply could not fight. Even against the most powerful foes he’d encountered, he’d had at least a chance of winning. This time, though? He knew that if he faced off against Halima, he would be ripped to pieces. She was too strong. Too fast. Too durable, even without the immortality. Even escaping her pursuit had nearly seen his leg ripped off. And that encounter had only lasted a few seconds. What would happen if he actually stood his ground?

Nothing good.

And here he was, rushing through the Nexus Town on a mission to poke the proverbial bear. The only reason he thought the plan had a chance of success was because, the last time, Halima hadn’t shown up for a few minutes. If that pattern held, he’d be long gone by the time she responded to the threat.

They’d spent nearly two whole days helping Kurik set up his traps, but Elijah knew that none of them – even the one they’d deployed specifically to contain her – were remotely strong enough to stop Halima. The others didn’t quite believe his assessment of her power – he could see that much – but Elijah had seen it. He’d felt it. And he knew just how quickly she would rip through them all.

But their current plan was the best any of them could conjure, so there wasn’t much choice in the matter. If they wanted to rescue the captive non-combatants, it was the only way. So, Elijah steeled his resolve and continued on.

In the shape of the blight dragon, he raced along the walls, leaping from one to the next without ever touching the ground. All the while, he remained cloaked in the Guise of the Unseen, and along the way, he passed one Immortal after another as they patrolled the settlement. None felt even close to as powerful as Halima, but a few seemed to possess at least some strength. However, it was clear that they lacked awareness of their surroundings because they had no inkling that other Trial-takers had taken refuge in many of the nearby buildings. Elijah felt them via One with Nature, but he left them alone. They could possibly help in the coming conflict, but their assistance was not part of the plan.

And if everything went right, they wouldn’t be needed.

Elijah crossed the settlement, seeing the results of dozens of battles along the way. Some of the buildings – which had seemed so solid before – had fallen, while others bore huge cracks along their walls. It prompted thoughts about human nature and its propensity for destruction. They’d only been in the Trial for a few months, and yet, they’d already destroyed a good portion of the settlement they’d been granted.

Was that a sign of things to come? Would Earth share a similar fate?

It was an interesting – and troubling – question, but not one Elijah felt qualified to answer. Nor did he have time, because just as it crossed his mind, he arrived at the Immortals’ compound. To Elijah’s surprise, the walls that had been damaged during his distraction had been completely repaired. However, as expected, the number of guards had been increased. There were at least twenty Immortals – all seeming to be newly converted – patrolling the grounds, each one looking extremely wary.

Were they afraid of an outside threat? Or did they fear the monster in their midst? It was another good question, but as before, it was one that wouldn’t be soon answered. Perched on the roof of a neighboring building, Elijah took a deep breath, then transitioned into his human form. A second later, he cast Swarm. Then Calamity. And finally, he bombarded the compound with one cast of Storm’s Fury after another.

Powerful winds cut through the compound, slicing through some of the weaker Immortals. Blood flew, and the earth rumbled. At the same time, dozens of bolts of lightning descended from the sky, hitting seemingly at random as hundreds of glittering insects manifested in the Immortals’ midst.

Against any other foe, the onslaught would have been sufficient to kill at least a few of them. Yet, Elijah knew just how ineffective it would be against enemies who could not be slain. Even the ones who fell would soon rise again, stronger than before. He continued his magical assault until, at last, one of the more attentive guards recognized the source.

The figure pointed and screamed, and just like that, the chase began.

Even from the very beginning, Elijah had used his enemies’ aggression against them. He’d done so against the isopod back in the Sea of Sorrows, leading it into a trap of his own making, and he’d used a similar strategy against plenty of other enemies in the years since. So, he had no issue staying just ahead of the pursuing Immortals as he gradually made his way across the Nexus Town. Periodically, he circled back, just so he wouldn’t leave them behind.

Only a few weeks before, he wouldn’t have been capable of so much casting, but after having progressed his Mind cultivation, his Regeneration counted for more than ever before. The vortexes in each facet of his Mind had grown far stronger with his advancement to the Jade stage, and as a result, he could pull in more Ethera than he would have thought possible. Some of it got caught up in his Soul – the channels simply weren’t capable of handling quite that much energy – but the net result was still incredible.

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So, he had no issues with ethera as he continued to cast on the Immortals chasing him. As he ran, though, he kept one facet of his Mind on One with Nature as he searched for any sign of Halima joining the fight. If she did, he would need to take to the air and flee. Standing and fighting was not an option, especially without the benefit of Kurik’s traps, which he hoped could at least slow her down.

Given what he’d seen from her, it was a slim hope.

Thankfully, she didn’t appear, and Elijah made it to the first line of traps, which went off without a hitch. Behind him, Elijah sensed a half-dozen Immortals pass through what Kurik referred to as the immobilization zone. The moment they stepped into the traps’ effective radius, thick ropes of white lightning slammed into them. Their muscles seized, stopping them just long enough for the second part of the trap to activate.

“Gravity Trap,” Kurik had explained. “Anything with less than two-hundred Strength won’t be able to move through it. Won’t kill ‘em, mind you, but it’ll stop ‘em cold. Only problem is that it takes it a coupla seconds to activate.”

Elijah felt the Immortals fall. Beneath their feet, the stone street cracked. Bones snapped, and their flesh purpled. It was as if they’d been flattened by an invisible boulder.

Then, the third and final part of the trap activated.

Thick ropes of ethera lashed out from the modules hidden in the walls, wrapping around the prone Immortals and draining their energy. That would keep them from activating any skills or casting any spells.

It was meant to be a fool-proof system of traps with multiple methods of dealing with enemies, and it showed just how terrifying a Sapper could be. If Elijah was hit with those traps, he would be entirely at the trap-layer’s mercy. However, he felt that his powerful cultivation would make a difference, and with his Jade Mind, he expected that he could outpace the drain.

Hopefully, he would never be forced to put that to the test.

But for now, he needed to leave the captive group behind and lead the others to the next trap. So, he set off, and over the next fifteen minutes, the plan went perfectly. Four more groups were trapped, and Elijah began to think that everything would work out.

Then, disaster struck in the form of a horribly scarred monster.

Halima had finally arrived.

Elijah barely had a second between when he sensed her enter into range of One with Nature and when she smashed through one of the walls. Doing so shattered one of the trap nodules, but the Gravity Trap was still strong enough to keep the other Immortals down. Elijah knew that if he allowed her to continue her rampage, she would ruin everything.

It was a good thing that they had a plan for her as well. And although Elijah questioned whether or not it would work, he didn’t have any other means of dealing with the monster. He could have run, but then what?

No – they needed to deal with her, even if it was only temporarily.

So, it was with a deep sense of foreboding that Elijah aimed a Storm’s Fury at the figure. Even as lightning lashed down from the sky, he turned and ran. This time, he transformed into Shape of the Guardian. If she caught him – and there was a good chance that she would – it was the only way he stood any chance of surviving her fury.

He leaped, bounding across the rooftops, and behind him, Halima let out a furious scream as she followed. She was stronger than him. Faster. More dexterous. But Elijah had the benefit of knowing which way he was going, which gave him a slight advantage that he hoped would be enough to see him through.

Besides, he only had a few blocks to go.

But even with that short distance to cover, Halima very nearly caught him. She closed with frightening speed, but just as she came within a dozen feet, another of Kurik’s traps activated. Lightning flashed out, briefly stunning her, and Elijah felt the ambient ethera tremble violently as the gravity field slammed Halima to the ground. The street cratered, and the nearby walls crumbled. But to Elijah’s eternal surprise, it worked.

Halima let out another frustrated roar as she attempted to climb to her feet. It was ineffective. The trap held.

All of Kurik’s traps were fueled by the power crystals they’d gathered in the junkyard, and the one holding Halima down drew its energy from the largest one they’d taken from the center. It held an unfathomable amount of ethera, to the point where Kurik was certain that it would remain effective even against someone with physical attributes in the three-hundreds.

At least for a while. He was cagey about how long it would hold against such a powerful opponent, but that was largely due to simple inexperience. Kurik was a great source of information, but much of his knowledge was second-hand or based on myths and legends. It was often helpful, but sometimes, it was important to remember that the dwarf was a member of an exiled clan on a backwater planet. He didn’t know everything.

Regardless, Elijah was happy to see that the trap worked against the powerful Immortal. He leaped away, landing where his companions had set up a defensive position.

“Told ya it would work,” Kurik said with a satisfied expression playing across his face. “She’ll…”

“What?” Elijah asked.

He didn’t need to hear an answer, because a moment later, Halima let out another roar and broke free of the trap. She was more than a hundred yards away, but Elijah felt the ripples in the ambient ethera just as clearly as if he’d been standing next to her. A moment later, the sound of a collapsing building announced that she was on her way. She didn’t bother going around or over the obstacles. Instead, she simply crashed through them.

“Activate the other traps!” Sadie shouted, stepping forward as the rumbling came closer.

“On it!” Kurik responded.

Dat disappeared. Oscar and his dogs spread out. Ron took a position at the back, and Benedict looked down from the roof of a nearby building. They’d only been in place for a few seconds before Halima burst through a nearby building and rammed into Sadie.

Her personal shield flashed, and it was effective enough to absorb some of the shoulder tackle’s momentum. Still, she skidded backward a few yards before she skidded to a stop. That was when everyone opened up on the monstrous woman.

“Go!” Sadie shouted, narrowly avoiding one of Halima’s arcing swords. “There’s only one way to end this!”

Elijah knew what he had to do. They’d discussed it as a possibility. Still, he didn’t like the notion of abandoning his companions. But he was the only one who had the skills to do what needed to be done.

So, pushing his frustrations aside, he shifted into Shape of the Sky and launched himself into the air. The battle raged below, but ignored it, instead focusing on the task he’d taken upon himself. He flew, his great wings beating with more power than ever before, as he cut across the settlement. A few moments later, he crashed into the mostly abandoned compound, then cast his senses out to locate the man who’d instigated it all.

It didn’t take long for One with Nature to pinpoint the location of Al-Abadi. The man was in the center of the compound, enjoying a cup of tea as if nothing was amiss. That he wasn’t even alarmed was a shocking turn of events, but Elijah intended to show him the error of his ways.

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