The thing zipped across the ground far faster than the muddy ground should have allowed for. It charged directly at him and lowered a shoulder before suddenly vanishing in a flash. Right! Invisibility. Wonderful! That’s… Joe immediately dropped his head below his shield, turned sideways, and crouched, putting his entire strength and waist into supporting the shield while making sure that the shield covered the front leg decently well down past his knee. He then put his own shoulder into his own shield while ducking his head into his chest, ready to receive the things charge.
A massive clang erupted outward as Joe was slammed with a force that numbed Joe’s shoulder and left Joe sliding back from the strike a dozen meters or so. He struggled to maintain his balance, but was able to keep himself upright decently enough. CRAP! That… Joe popped his head up over the shield and stared around, eyes darting rapidly, but there was nothing visible. Invisibility! Options!... footprints!
His eyes darted down to look at the ground where he’d seen the thing standing. It was hard to notice anything at all, but there was nothing that he really saw, no movement, no suddenly appearing muddy footprints, nothing. His eyes darted everywhere but he found nothing. He quickly began emitting mana from his points but noticed nothing, his rear empty of any. Crap! Only backup for my rear!
Joe rapidly redeployed his points, having all of them spread around his waist staggered at differing alternating heights. He had enough to have a points surrounding him at about every two to three minutes on the clock, giving him three sixty degrees of feedback. Joe froze, keeping his shield tightly against his side, defending almost half of a side while keeping his head on a swivel. His eyes darted across the ground, searching for any clues for any movement, but he still found nothing. Where did he hit me?! Finding his original location was very easy. His eyes darted back to where his muddy trail from his slide through the mud started and he quickly searched for where the creature was standing. His eyes picked up on a set of prints very deep in the ground exactly where it should be from the slam into his shield.
Suddenly, a flickering shadow appeared on his right and sprinted towards him. Joe grimaced. He flicked his eyes to the shadow towards his right before looked back at the footprints in front of him. Teleportation? Only way… but… Joe felt himself struggling before quickly turning his body to take the incoming strike but made sure to keep his eyes on the footprints at the apex of his slide. It was awkward to look at the footprints while bringing his shield to bear against the striking shadow figure. Joe waited, keeping his focus on the shadow in his peripheral vision before suddenly bringing his spear in line with the shadows charge. Joe’s focus intensified. No change… still charging! What other… Joe rapidly increased the range of his mana points, sending the two closest ones directly into the path of the advancing shadow. The mana points went directly through the shadow and the mana stream coming to him remained uninterrupted. Not there. Then… but if it’s a magic attack?
Joe kept his orientation, keeping his shield between himself and the shadow, but now kept almost his entire focus on the footprints where the enemy stood. The slam that hit him this time was a shadow of its former energy. OK. Magic shadow attacks… gonna have to defend from those too, then? The shadow faded with the spear piercing it and Joe felt something hitting it, but Joe wasn’t able to really recognize what he’d struck. There was a hollowness to the strike, but it was still enough that Joe had to remain being concerned from being hit by it and couldn’t take the chance of taking a strike from the shadow construct.
His focus turned back to where he was now more certain where the creature was. He sent out his points even further and as they spread out further, the gaps became too great for him to really find the points useful and he frowned. That’s… oh, then… His mana points began orbiting around him, leaving a circle of mana impacting him at his waist. As soon as the mana point went behind where he was certain the creature was, the mana kept coming towards him and he frowned, quickly looking around once he realized the was nothing there. Suddenly, he froze, as a portion on his back left side lost feeling of any mana stream and he spun to where he felt the absence.
He faced towards where he detected the creature but found all his mana streams uninterrupted. He frowned. Where is it? Why… it was here but… Joe sped up the orbits of his mana points and in the middle of speeding up his mana point’s orbital speed he found a gap in the field of mana. He snapped his eyes to the gap. Gotta keep him in … In that moment, the epiphany slapped his mind and he reacted without thought. He sent five mana points to immediately orbit the figure and the mana points began rapidly orbiting around the figure and sprayed on the figure.
He turned himself to face where the figure was, placing his spear and shield in line with the empty hole in the mana sphere. The hole immediately began sliding to the left slowly and smoothly out of line from where it once stood. Joe pretended to keep his eyes on the original spot, not allowing his eye sight to follow the movement. He did breathe a small sigh of relief to see his mana points moving with the empty moving space. With that proof, Joe sighed and prepared. Right… come get some!
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
* * *
Gwenvair watched as the eccentric arrived in front of the shadow tide master, and she felt her heart clench, fear settling itself on her shoulders quite heavily. Kilniara shivered as well, and she knew she feared, too. Kilniara cuddled into her and Gwenvair found herself just as fearful, wrapping Kilniara into her arms. It was the arms of her mother slipping around both of them that gave them comfort, both slipping back to slide their heads into the crook of her mother’s arm.
“Shh. Trust him. He will do well.”
Gwenvair released a shuddering sigh, “A shadow tide master?”
Her mother looked down at her and smiled, “A city killer. A guardian city killer at that!”
Gwenvair looked up at her and smiled tremulously, unable to find the confidence she really needed.
As they watched, Joe had stopped and stood in front of the tide master. He stayed there and Gwenvair grew confused.
“What’s he doing?”
Her mother looked at Gwenvair then back to the eccentric, “I am… uncertain.”
Her mother focused on Joe, bringing out a farseer, then frowned with some consternation, “He’s speaking!”
“Speaking? To who?”
“The tide master!”
Gwenvair stared at her mother, “Wha… Why?!”
“I don’t… shhh… let me focus.”
Gwenviare quieted, remaining silent as her mother tensely followed carefully after the eccentric’s conversation. Shortly after, the tide master charged the eccentric and the battle began, the eccentric hit so hard that he flew back dozens of paces. Despite the charge, the eccentric maintained his feet while sliding across the ground. He then froze as the shadow magic came into play, the tide master disappearing into the shadows. The eccentric proved himself the consummate warrior as he didn’t panic, taking in his surroundings carefully. For several moments, he remained still, the battle frozen in a moment of waiting.
Abruptly, the shadow warrior appeared to the eccentric’s right and charged directly for the eccentric. Gwenvair felt her body clench while Kilniara yelped in surprise. Even as she clenched, the eccentric quickly turned to the shadow’s attack, bracing for it as he brought his spear to bear on the attack. Her mother tensed, gasping.
“No!”
Gwenvair’s fear spiked. If mother’s afraid… But then her fear settled, replaced by confusion. He’s not looking at it?
The eccentric took the strike of the shadow attack, defending it easily even as he speared the shadow creature. It vanished, like all shadow attacks did, as quickly as it came but Joe did not move at all but to turn back to his original position. He stayed like this for a good time, frozen for several moments before he suddenly spinning to his rear. Gwenvair felt her fear climbing as she saw him fall for the shadow’s deceptions, the fear taking hold and driving the victim mad as they desperately sought the enemy. She kept herself controlled, but feared the worst.
The eccentric was frozen once more, this time facing the direction he’d leapt towards. He remained in place but then began walking forward confidently, as if engaging an enemy for battle. He stepped forward cautiously before suddenly stabbing with his spear. Gwenvair struggled to keep her tears in but then blinked in some surprise when he quickly brought his shield up to block. The strike rang out strong upon the eccentric’s shield and her gasp matched the others on the wall and her mother’s.
“How does he see it?”
Her mother’s grip on her shoulder suddenly clenching hard. Her mother did not respond, but her shock and excitement was easily felt through her trembling hand.
The eccen… no… Joe! Joe stepped forward, thrusting with his spear once more and took another attack to his shield. Joe battled cautiously, single thrusts then a retreat while blocking the counterstrike. The fight continued this way for several tense exchanges when several of the elites on the wall exclaimed in surprise. Her mother shivered, gasping.
“He struck! He struck true!”
Gwenvair’s smile was still stifled by a subtle overwhelming fear, but hope began to rise.
Joe continued his cautious strikes upon the shadow master, the fight obviously in his favor as he continued engaging the shadow warrior so well and even began to fight more easily and react with more effortlessness with each passing moment. No matter how the tide master turned or how it attempted to disappear, Joe somehow always turned to face it and knew exactly how to engage it, his spear strikes and defenses growing ever more confident. How can he see it? How does he know where it is?
The tide master suddenly screamed in rage, his shadow veil erupting outward as it discarded its stealth. It stared at Joe for a few moments then began to attack Joe with passionate rage. Its strikes were wild and without any control. It struck with almost every limb and appeared to be wielding some kind of one handed weapon in its right hand. Despite all that, Joe was able to protect himself, not a single strike touching him. Joe was somehow able to use both his spear and shield, even his legs, to defend and block. The strikes came hard and fast yet Joe began to find his rhythm, his movements flowing with such power and precision that Gwenvair found her breath catching. The tide master was a blur of motion impossible to follow. Joe’s movements seemed sublime, his legs positioned with perfect movement, his spear was always held before… Suddenly, she stopped with shock. How do I see Joe’s movements! How!!
“Mother! I can see his movements. I can see him!”
Her mother breathed, softly, “I as well!”
Kilniara glanced up at them, “Seeing him is unusual? I can see his movements pretty well.”
Gwenvair looked at Kilniara with shock, “You can see him as well?”
Kilniara nodded.
Gwenvair looked back at Joe, “Then keep watching him! Study the dao! Learn as much as you can.”
Kilniara frowned at that, “But we saw him with the city killer easily? Why not watch then?”
Her mother as the Matriarch scoffed, “You saw him slaughter a beast. Here he is fighting with actual combat capabilities, not simply skinning a cowed and pained monster.”
Kilniara nodded and bowed to the Matriarch before quickly turning to watch Joe avidly, “Thank you for teaching me, Matriarch.”
Gwenvair hid her smile when she saw her own mother smile in return to Kilniara’s sudden turn, “It is easy enough to teach you, child. Watch well.”
Everyone fell silent and turned to watching Joe carefully. The whole wall fell silent and everyone watched with avid appreciation. Is he… are we… he’s showing us the dao?
* * *