Elijah could feel the captive crafters deep within the compound, but for now, he ignored them. Even if the ultimate goal was to free them, the others were in the middle of fighting one of the most terrifying foes he’d ever encountered, and the only way to stop her was to remove the head of the snake. So, he’d arranged his priorities according to urgency.
Normally, he would have slipped into the Shape of Venom and snuck in, but there were two problems with that. First, it was too slow. It was only a matter of time before the others were overwhelmed by Halima’s sheer power, which put him on the clock. There wasn’t time to slink through the compound. Second, he had a sneaking suspicion that Al-Abadi – or Abdul Nasir – knew he was coming.
So, he wasted no time on stealth. Instead, he shifted into his human form, stowed the Staff of the Serpent Healer in his Ghoul-Hide Satchel, and raced through the compound. Fortunately, it was a normal-sized building instead of an unending labyrinth of halls, so it only took him about thirty seconds before he arrived at his destination.
Without stopping, he rammed through the door, intending to hit Nasir hard and fast. But the second he crossed the threshold, Elijah stumbled and fell on his face as he was enveloped by pervasive weakness. All the ethera rushed out of his core, and his body felt like it had lost every point of his inflated attributes.
His chin hit the ground, then he skidded to a stop after only a few feet. That was when he felt a boot connect with his cheek, sending him flipping across the room until he hit the wall with a thud.
“Number one,” came a slightly accented voice as Elijah struggled to pick himself up. “In both the power and Primacy rankings. Still, you’re no match for proper preparation, are you? Did you truly believe that I would be undefended? That you could simply walk in here and kill me? Please. You insult me.”
Elijah pulled in as much ethera as his Jade Mind could handle, and for a second, the air trembled. The building shook, and he saw a series of artistic whorls on the walls light up with blue energy. Yet, as hard as he pulled, the ethera drained out of him just as quickly. It was like his Core had a hole in it, and no matter how much ethera he shoved into it, it had no ability to accumulate past a few drops.
“How?” he growled, pushing himself upright. Then, he shoved himself to his feet, his limbs heavy. A quick check of his status told him that his attributes had been more than halved. The difference was dramatic enough to make him feel even weaker than he actually was.
“There are advantages that come with controlling the most powerful crafters Earth could muster,” Nasir said. Elijah focused on the man. He was tall, with broad shoulders and the body of a swimmer.
“When you went to your barber, did you ask him for the Jafar special? Or was that just a happy accident?” Elijah asked, still pulling as much ethera into his Soul as he could manage. He wasn’t successful in giving himself any usable amount, but he hoped to overwhelm the enchantment governing the drain.
The man shook his head, a rueful smile playing across his face. “What do you hope to gain by insulting me?”
“Nothing. I genuinely wanted to know if you were trying to look like a cartoon villain. I mean, good job if that’s the case, but –”
The man darted forward, then buried his fist in Elijah’s stomach. If his attributes hadn’t been crippled, Elijah would have easily avoided the attack. But at less than half-power? He was entirely incapable of keeping up.
His back hit the wall with a thud, and he felt ribs break before he doubled over, gasping for breath.
“Pathetic,” said Nasir. “Is this the best Earth has to offer? You are too weak to –”
Elijah didn’t let the man finish. Instead, he erupted into a sudden uppercut that landed solidly on the man’s pointy-bearded chin. The blow hit with enough force to stagger Nasir, but only for a moment. More troublingly, Elijah’s hand felt on the verge of breaking.
“You talk too much,” he spat, raising his hands. It had been a while since he’d boxed, but he’d spent countless hours in the gym. So, he had no trouble falling back into his old habits.
Nasir cocked his head to the side, then rubbed his chin. He spat a glob of blood onto the floor before raising his own hands and saying, “You may regret asking for this.”
Then, he launched a blisteringly fast combination. Elijah’s instincts snapped into place, and he avoided the first two attacks. The third caught him on his raised forearm, hitting with enough force to push Elijah backward. He ignored the pain in his arm as he hammered a fist into Nasir’s midsection, then followed it up by stomping the man’s instep.
It would have gotten him disqualified from any boxing match, but there were no rules in the current conflict. So, after feeling delicate bones crunch beneath his stomping foot, Elijah threw himself forward in an attempted tackle. To his credit, Nasir’s reaction was perfect, and he avoided the tackle, ramming his elbow into Elijah’s back.
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That was when Elijah felt ethera swirl, and something sliced through the flesh of his shoulders. The cut went deep enough to hit the bone, sending blood to splatter across the floor. He lashed out, harnessing what Strength remained to push Nasir away.
When he got a little room, he saw that the man was holding a dagger composed of blue energy.
“So, that’s how it’s going to be?” Elijah asked, his back and shoulder in agony.
“Don’t confuse honor with your personal morality.”
“Is that how you see yourself? Forcing people into subjugation is honorable?” Elijah growled.
“I think it is necessary. People are incapable of acting according to their own ultimate benefit. Their actions are short-sighed. Their goals are selfish. I am working to unite everyone under the same banner. And what’s more, I offer a solution to the most eternal of fears. No more death. Can you imagine? We could be a true force in this multi-verse!” he shouted. Then, in a quieter voice, he added, “But I admit, that is only a secondary concern.”
“And your primary goal?”
“Power,” he said. “Pure and simple. I am here for me. I will not be ruled by some alien force. I will not be talked down to by those idiots who rush into towers as if they’re in a competition to see who can die more quickly. Selfish, I know, but I am only human.”
Elijah’s fist tightened and he ground his teeth together. He’d held out hope that the man was simply insane, but now, he knew the truth. He was just selfish, and he’d been given the power to act on the self-interest. And even though Elijah had made plenty of self-interested decisions in the past, he could not condone robbing people of their self-determination.
It didn’t matter, though. Elijah just wanted to keep the man occupied so that he could work on a plan to escape the enchantment. The door had shut behind him, and it glistened with a blue shield, so he knew he couldn’t simply run away. What’s more, even if he could, there was no way that the leader of the Immortals would allow him to do so.
No – the only option was to stay and fight while he searched for a solution.
So, he once again raised his fists and advanced. Nasir did the same, armed with that ethereal dagger. No matter what else happened, Elijah knew that he was in for a good deal of pain. He could only hope he was equipped to endure what was coming.
* * *
Sadie swung her sword, clipping the monster’s knee. It roared, but gave no other sign that it had been injured. Sadie refused to think of the detestable creature in human terms. It was a monster, though and through, and her every instinct screamed at her to end its pitiful life.
To that end, she used Blade of the Avenger, catching the monster before it could recover from the slight stumble. But to Sadie’s horror, her most powerful attack glanced off the creature’s torso, ripping through its black outfit, but otherwise doing no harm. It did reveal the mass of scar tissue beneath, though, and Sadie was beset by a wave of nausea as she considered how much pain the creature had been forced to endure.
At her hands.
Certainly, Elijah had done the deed. He’d fed the woman to the beast. But Sadie had approved. She was culpable for what had happened. She was responsible for its creation. Now, she only wanted to right that wrong and rid the world of her mistake. However, as she’d just proven, she was entirely incapable of harming it.
Suddenly, Dat appeared behind the creature, using his Miracle and ramming a dagger of pure light into the monster’s back. That did some damage, and for a moment, Sadie hoped that the attack would prove effective enough to end the threat. The monster fell, blood spurting from its back as the others piled on.
The demon and his imps threw a barrage of spells at the powerful Immortal, and her clothes burst into flame. Her body followed suit, blistering grotesquely. At the same time, Kurik raised his bow and sent one arrow after another to slam into the burning figure. His trap was still active, which was probably the only reason they hadn’t immediately died. But the additional damage he could add was miniscule in comparison to what the others could bring to bear.
Even Ron cast his lone offensive spell, pummeling the Immortal with balls of kinetic force. Against most creatures, each of those attacks would become an effective stun, but against this monster, they were entirely ineffective.
Sadie shouted, “Don’t waste your ethera! Just focus on healing!”
Ron complied with her order, and Sadie stepped forward. She aimed another Blade of the Avenger at the monster, and this time, it sliced into its leg. It was barely a flesh wound, but she figured that every little bit would count. Maybe it would add up, and while they knew the monster was unkillable, Sadie also knew that the resurrection wouldn’t be immediate. Keeping that creature down, even for a few minutes, would hopefully give Elijah enough time to slay its master.
Sadie swung her sword, but by that point, the monster had flown into a rage. It took her attack on a raised forearm, then punched Sadie in the chest. Her armor – already damaged – crumpled, and her sternum broke as she rocketed backward to hit a building with enough force that she punched right through the wall. A heal hit her, mending her cracked sternum, and she leaped to her feet just in time to see that the monster had latched its gaze onto Ron.
Even as it threw itself across the intervening distance, Ron took a step back and used his offensive spell. The ball of kinetic force did nothing, and Sadie dashed through the broken wall, intent on saving the man.
But she knew she would be too late.
Just before the creature reached the Healer, a black blur flashed across Sadie’s vision. The monster went through the next building like it was paper, but through the cloud of dust, Sadie saw that Ron had avoided its charge. Benedict had come out of nowhere, tackling the man out of the monster’s path.
Sadie didn’t have time to wrap her mind around that. Instead, she dashed toward the stunned monster and brought her sword down on its back with every ounce of Strength she could muster.
And she managed to draw a trickle of blood before the creature backhanded her. Once again, she was sent flying through the air until she hit the ground in a graceless roll. Another heal washed over her, and she forced herself to her feet just in time to use Bulwark of the Faithful.
The monster hit her again, shattering Sadie’s personal shield in a single blow. However, when it burst, she received an influx of attributes that she hoped would allow her to stand toe-to-toe with the creature.
But even as she ducked beneath another attack, she knew any defense would be short-lived. The only hope was for Elijah to accomplish his task. Only then would they stand a chance of putting the monster down.