Maleen Vin Ra’s head turned toward the edge of the city, her large brown eyes piercing the gloom. Something was happening. The city had been largely quiet, only the occasional unenlightened. They had only encountered one other group of Eldari this far - a vicious looking group of hyenas from the lower reaches.
Most Eldari knew when coming across another that had maintained their true form without taking on human characteristics like she had, to not cause trouble. Not that Maleen liked playing the haughty, pure blood line persona, but she would do her part.
They thought that because her team had lost a member, the hyenas would toy with them, maybe extract some resources. It amused her how quick the Eldari were to turn on their own kind at the slightest hint of weakness. What an inherent failure, and likely the reason the Eldari still struggled against the fractured Allied Kingdoms. Maleen had left them twitching on the ground – trapped in a nightmare that would scar even the most hardened of warriors with just a flash of her eyes.
The only good thing that had come from the interaction was that Vellious seemed to respect her more afterward. The blood thirsty croc admired power above all else. Afterall, to most Eldari, might makes right. Unfortunately, the same sentiment couldn’t be said for Kilwin. The hippo was just as indifferent as he had been before. Maleen supposed that was better than outright insubordination.
They had been making their way toward the edge of the city and the countryside to the rolling hills of cornfields that surrounded the city. Vellious’s tracker was still active, though had grown much weaker in the past weeks.
They were just about to leave the city proper when a tremble shook the ground. It sounded like the very earth would implode. The next moment, a massive wall erupted in front of them and shot hundreds of feet into the air.
Vellious activated one of his new skills and lashed out at the wall as if by reflex, his arms turning a metallic silver as he slashed at the stone. It was an impressive ability, one that had allowed him to tear through almost any material, but his arm recoiled back upon contact with the stone wall. Not only that, but his arm faded to a dull grey before returning to normal. The wall turned the same silver as Vellious’s arm had been where he had hit it before returning to its original dull grey.
“What the hell is this.” Vellious said, his voice low and raspy. “We we’re getting so close to the human.”
“It would appear to be a wall.” Kilwin said, his tone with its normal undercurrent of sarcasm. He was also one who came from a pure blood line, and it often showed. “I know you swamp dwellers like to live in your squalor, but a little civilization would do you good.”
Vellious growled and turned toward the hippo. “I grow tired of your snarky remarks, Kilwin. Another word and I’ll break that staff in half and stick it up your ass.”
“Oh, another threat. Shocking. For a moment I thought you may just deliver a halfway descent retort. But alas your mind is about as sharp as that new skill of yours.”
Vellious lashed out at Kilwin, his arm turning back to the metallic silver as the very air seemed to be slashed open from his swing tearing through it. He connected with Kilwins side, whose bored expression never changed, Kilwin exploded in a plume of scalding water that drenched Vellious. His green and white scales hissed as the water burrowed in between them. As a croc, he was largely resistant to water-based skills, but the heat was a different story, and little red welts popped up over his scales.
“Juvenile as ever.” Kilwin said from a rooftop to their left.
Maleen had to give it to the hippo. His energy control was exquisite and that new skill of his would make him extremely difficult to pin down, but he was far too stubborn and lazy to care about anyone other than himself. She doubted Kilwin would even help if it came down to it. She hoped she would be able to keep them away from too much conflict, but it was inevitable in a trial such as this.
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“That’s enough, boys.” Maleen said, spreading her wings as invisible pulses of calming energy spread from her. Her new skill, [Elysian Whispers], was an emotional manipulation skill. One that she had decided not to inform the others of. It didn’t sound as flashy as Vellious’s or Kilwin’s skills, but she was extremely fond of it. She had found her illusions were much more potent when she could manipulate the emotional state of the target. Amplifying the result many folds and entrenching the target deeper. It was as if her illusions fed off the manipulated emotions, complementing each other perfectly.
Vellious shook his head and waved a dismissive hand at Kilwin who still looked as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“We need to focus on this human. The emergence of a soul skill will be of great import to the Grand Council.” Maleen continued. “If this boy truly possess one, we need to secure him. It is far more important that controlling this new Kingdom Rising.”
The words actually got a stir from Kilwin. It was a calculated risk on Maleen’s part to que them in. At least in part. She needed them to see the importance of getting to the boy, even if it was for different reasons.
Her ancestor had warned her this was a possibility. The Kingdom Rising had been too sudden, the signs of emergence showing only over a span of years and not decades. She had to confirm if it was true or not. Soul skills didn’t appear in just anyone. They weren’t random.
The individual had to be of split descent. A mixture of two opposing forces. They were a fulcrum, or sorts. A turning of the cosmic calendar into a new day of Primordial Energy. The last being with a soul skill had remolded the very galaxy they lived in. If this boy had such potential, he couldn’t be left to chance, not with the Afflicters return.
“How can we be so sure he even has one? Afterall, Vellious is not the most astute of characters.” Kilwin said.
“Don’t start with me again, hippo.” Vellious said. “I know what I heard. Even the Primal Converter wouldn’t work on him. An object crafted by Anu Rah. Would you dare to question that such an object had failed?”
Kilwin seeded the point. “Still doesn’t explain how you were able to capture the boy so easily. Someone of this import should be much more well prepared. He should be a scion of a sect or at least a generational talent. Even more so, why would someone with something so important be sent to a trial like this? You made him out as a scared child.”
Maleen hadn’t understood it either. She also knew enough about Primordial Energy to realize that there was far more she didn’t understand. It often seemed that way in the world. Those who knew the least were the most confident in their narrow view of the world. Their understanding so shallow that they couldn’t fathom the depths that lurked below.
“The mere mention is enough that it is worth pursuing.” She eventually said.
Above them, the sky darkened as thousands of bids and creatures flew over the wall and poured into the city. They ranged from small average birds to clearly Primordial Energy infused creatures, some as large as a house. The air vibrated with the beating of their wings.
A few of the creatures descended toward her team. Vellious burst upward, his powerful tail propelling him into the sky as he swiped at multiple beasts with his metallic claws, splitting them in two with one slash. A sphinx landed by Kilwin, its mouth opened wide as torrents of green smoke poured from its mouth to envelop him.
Kilwin had found multiple tier 4 skill crystals by scavenging through the buildings, filling all of his skill spots except for his domain ability and had accrued an extremely formidable skill set. He of course had not shared the crystals with his team.
A bubble of water enveloped Kilwin that acted as a shield. It absorbed the incoming damage that then cycled around his body in the swirling bubble of water. Maleen could see everything with her domain ability, [The All-Seeing Eye]. She watched as Kilwin fed energy into the shield and combined it with a healing ability. The shield amplified the damage it had absorbed, and it was further multiplied through the healing ability he poured into the shield. Small bullets of water exploded outward toward the sphinx from the rotating vortex around Kilwin, tearing through its skin and leaving it riddled with sizzling holes. A moment later the sphinx was dissipating into little motes of black Primordial Energy.
Kilwin conjured his pool of Primordial Energy and sat back as if he was lounging and wasn’t just attacked. He truly was a terrifying talent even when taking things with such indifference. She couldn’t imagine what he would be like when pushed.
Maleen raised her wings again, sending pulses into the sky above when Vellious had landed once more. Any creature that came within hundred feet squealed and rapidly beat their wings, rushing to get deeper into the city. She had essentially created a zone of terror, any being that entered would naturally feel their innate fear skyrocket and self-preservation would take over.
“That was fun while it lasted.” Vellious murmured.
“You shouldn’t take joy in killing our unenlightened brethren.” Maleen scolded.
Vellious snorted. “They are as much brethren to us as we are to the humans. We are nothing alike.”
Most Eldari shared the same sentiment. How could they possibly be similar to these mindless creatures who clearly had no more intelligence than their primal instinct to survive. The Eldari were more. They were civilized. But still Maleen noticed the primal instincts ruling them instead of the intelligence they so often liked to boast. It was a miserable failing of her people, one only amplified by the Afflicter.
They sat in silence for a few minutes as the sky calmed. Vellious cocked his head and turned toward the massive wall once more. He looked to the right and up slightly, turning his head slowly as if tracking something on the other side of the wall.
“What is it?” Maleen asked.
“It appears the boy is coming to us.”