Just as Alex expected, the stupid sky snake made him go all the way to its lair. It didn’t take nearly as much time as it had last time since he had taken the sand sailer once again. They hadn’t let him go the entire way with it, so he spent the last hour on foot. This was fine with Alex since he could really get himself in the zone. He was going to be facing off against not only the most powerful enemy he ever had, but likely the most powerful on the entire planet.
He was probably the only other contender for the title and he doubted he actually surpassed the creature. He did feel that his own strengths and advantages gave him an edge even if the Sand Drake did have a higher level than him. He had faced off against more powerful enemies before and prevailed, why not this time?
At least, that was what he kept telling himself. Each step felt heavier than the one before until he almost felt as if he was just shuffling.
“How did you feel when you went up against the Great One?” Alex asked Nagaar.
“I believe we have similar sentiments. I have seen the strength of the Sand Drake now, and it has grown much, but it was already extremely powerful before. I feel that the average strength of every being on this planet has grown significantly. The Great One still resides on the apex however. To face off against a foe so terrifying is just that—terrifying.”
“That wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. I was hoping you would tell me that I got this or that the Sand Drake was strong, but I am stronger.”
“Do you wish me to tell you lies? To sugarcoat the reality of the situation? You are going up against the bane of my existence. The fall of my entire race is directly related to the hubris I had in thinking I could defeat them. I would be doing you a disservice to tell you those things.”
Alex slumped. He had been moving at a crawl before, but he was at a complete stop now. He stood there, the wind passing him by as if taunting his stillness. Each grain of sand that rubbed past him was more grating than it should be.
“Why am I so worried? I’ve fought stuff before. Why is this one so hard for me? Why am I suddenly so anxious?” Alex asked himself more than anyone.
“It is one thing to fight when you have no other choice. Each fight you have had this far has been more of a reaction than a premeditated action. When an enemy attacks, you fight back. When a city is taken, you reclaim it. Sure, the Great One has attacked you in the past, but you are currently on the offensive. You are seeking this altercation out, not the other way around. You have had time to dwell on it. I had similar nerves each time before a battle. It does get easier with time.”
“That makes sense, but that begs the question, why am I even fighting it?”
“I believe I have the answer to that.”
Alex waited expectantly. When the snake didn’t say anything, he opened his mouth to speak. Suddenly, a fully formed Nagaar appeared in front of him. At least, it was the form of him. He was monochromatic made from just a shade Alex had grown to associate a lot with himself lately. It was the metallic black of the Eonsteel, a thin tendril snaked on the ground connecting the two of them. Before Alex could say anything, Nagaar spoke, putting his steely hand on Alex’s shoulder. Alex was too dumbfounded to even recoil at the touch. He just stood there mouth agape.
“You and I are not very different. You have to fight it because you have to know if you can. It would eat away at you just like it had did me. There is a reason why the Eonsteel bound itself to you. Did you think that you were the first to come seeking it? My tomb was no secret. Those ants can claim that they did not dare to step on such cursed stones, but on more than one occasion I felt their presence. They wished to take what did not belong to them, what was mine.”
He was now holding both of Alex’s shoulders forcing him to look deeply into his reptilian face.
“There is something you have that they did not. You see, the Eonsteel chooses those with the strength to endure its burden, the resolve to face the unknown. I believe this very reason is why you were chosen by the Forge as well.”
“Then how come I don’t feel very resolved right now?” he almost shouted.
“Having the resolve does not mean that you will not struggle. It only means that you will persevere. You will succeed where I failed, I can feel it in my soul.”
It was odd to Alex. Nagaar had never been supporting, ever. He had always gotten the impression the snake was entirely self serving in life and maybe even more so in his afterlife. Alex didn’t think for one second that had changed. He scrutinized the snake.
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“You just want to help me fight this thing don’t you?”
“More than you know,” Nagaar said instantly with a wide, predatory smile. His tongue flicked out as if trying to savor the moment.
Alex just smiled. The snake was still self serving, which was almost more relieving than what he had said to Alex. It had still helped his nerves however. He felt like the world had been lifted off his shoulders. Defeating the Great One didn’t seem so daunting anymore. He didn’t feel alone anymore. Nagaar was far from his first choice for a constant companion, but in this moment, he didn’t feel like he would rather have anyone else with him.
Alex reached out to grab both of the snake’s shoulders.
“Let’s take it down. Together.”
----------------------------------------
They stood at the top of the cliff side, looking down in their prey. The Sand Drake had already nestled in to rest. Alex had been debating how he was going to tackle this beast. He needed to somehow keep it on the ground. He feared that if it were able to get in the air, it would only be a matter of time before he got himself killed. That kind of mobility was kind of a cheat. Alex could kind of fly, but it wasn’t even close to the level of the Sand Drake. It had been born to rule the skies.
The question now was how to keep it on the ground. It’s not like he could ask it nicely to fight fair and if the roles were reversed, Alex would definitely use every advantage he could. Why should he expect any less from the beast?
No, Alex would use every advantage he had and currently, his advantage was the element of surprise. That, and he had the high ground. He wasn’t a military expert, but he did know, high ground equals victory. His first attack would decide much of how the rest of the fight went. So, his first target would obviously be the wings. He assumed that the wings would be much weaker than the rest of its armored body and Nagaar had confirmed this theory. It was how they had dealt with them. Fire up nets to entangle them and then shred their wings to ribbons. Once they knew they couldn’t fly away, they would finish the job.
And so, Alex started his attack. He charged up as much thermal energy as he could into his palms. He had a decent amount of energy stored up thanks to his new energy batteries. This meant that he didn’t need to worry about reserving anything during his initial salvo. He would still be able to and some extra sauce to his attacks. He would also recover anything he lost pretty quickly since the Sand Drake would probably not be too happy to have his wings destroyed.
Only once the energy had started to feel like it would incinerate his own hands did Alex release it. It fired out much brighter than anything he had launched before. He could feel his skin blistering around the death ray, but kept forcing it out. Each hand had been aimed at a wing. Once the projectiles connected with flesh, he started to move his hands around hoping to inflict as much damage as possible. He felt like a wrathful god with a magnifying glass burning the ants of the world below him.
When the Great One roared, he felt more like an ant than a god. Smoke rose in the air filling Alex’s nostrils with a putrid scent of burning flesh. Through the smoke, Alex could see that he hadn’t punched through the wings yet, but he kept trying. He kept trying until its tail whipped through the air, smashing into the cliff side just below his feet. The ground crumbled below him, and before he knew it, he was tumbling to the ground.
Rocks slammed all around him, burying themselves in the ground. A particularly large rock landed just inches from Alex’s head. He quickly jumped to his feet. A heavy beat of wings drew his attention. At first, Alex was concerned, but after a few more powerful strokes from the Sand Drake, Alex knew his initial attack had been successful.
The Sand Drake’s wings started to fray and tear. Each rending was followed by a shriek that threatened to blow out Alex’s eardrums. He had successfully weakened the fleshy membrane enough, and the Sand Drake had finished the job.
Now unable to fly, the Great One didn’t seem so great to Alex. Now, it was only an incredibly powerful land based creature.
Ok. One obstacle out of the way. At least it isn’t going to flying away. Who am I kidding? It wasn’t ever going to fly away, it was just going to get altitude to make killing me that much easier. So, at least now it will have to work harder to kill me.
With steps that shook the ground, it lumbered toward Alex. He could feel a rattling in the beast’s throat and immediately grew concerned. He hadn’t seen in action personally yet, but from Nagaar’s vision, he knew what was about to come. He dove quickly behind a large boulder, throwing up additional Eonsteel walls as protection.
It reared its head back and began to spew its superheated breath. The breath was mixed with sand. It wasn’t a fiery attack like dragons from mythology, but more like an air attack. Alex could feel the heat all around him. He looked over and could see the edges of another nearby boulder turning bright red. Small pieces started to liquefy.
Just as Alex was beginning to feel as though the heat would be too much to bear, it stopped. He didn’t know how frequently the creature could muster up that attack, but he needed to act.
He channeled energy into his palms and jumped out from behind his cover. Two blast of light shot straight for the Sand Drake’s face. One collided into its jaw while the other managed to hit right next to its left eye. When the attack dissipated, he could see that it had barely left a mark. The only effect Alex could visibly see was a slight discoloration where they had struck.
The Great One growled and moved to smash Alex with one of its massive claws. He dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the tip of its sharpened claw. He propelled himself upward with a quick thermal blast, aimed for the creature’s head. Once he was face to face with it, Alex pushed as much energy he could into an empowered right hook. The beast was slightly knocked off balance, but was able to send a backhand in Alex’s direction which sent him flying into the cave wall.
Alex crashed into rock, leaving a hole in the wall. Before he could react, the Sand Drake was already on top of him. It pulled him free of the rock and held him up, just inches from a toothy maw.