Elijah slipped the crystalline leaf into his Ghoul-Hide Satchel and shook his head. The guide hadn’t been particularly informative, merely confirming what Dat had already told him. However, it had given him a little more insight into how everything was meant to work.

The ten challenges were not permanent obstacles. Instead, they would periodically repopulate, giving everyone the opportunity to earn their places. So, while it was comforting to know that he wouldn’t have to race against everyone else in order to get the most out of the Trial, it still struck him as contrived. Yet, the guide had made it clear that the challenges were based on the history of the host planet, so even with their manufactured nature, Elijah reasoned that, perhaps, some additional information could be gleaned from the details.

Because as he’d crossed the jungle and inspected the ruins, he had become increasingly interested in how a world could fall. The notion was so fascinating that he’d often found himself using his scouting expeditions as an excuse to inspect the ruins, all the while hoping he could gain some nugget of information that would make it all make sense.

He had yet to find anything of the sort, but there was a chance the challenges would provide where the ruins had not.

Most of the people who’d followed him to the Nexus Town had used the Branch to go home the moment they reached it. Elijah understood it, too. Not only were they traumatized by the trek across the jungle, but they’d also discovered that they were in no way prepared for what the Trial of Primacy entailed. A few had remained, though. Sanjay had decided to stick around, as had Venka, though the latter claimed he had no intention of venturing back out into the wilderness anytime soon.

Before he’d wandered off the explore the Nexus Town, Venka gave Elijah the details of the settlement where he lived. It was apparently nestled amongst the Himalayas – which were even larger and more imposing than they had been before Earth had been transformed – so Elijah wasn’t certain when he’d get the chance to visit. Pointedly, he did not reveal Ironshore’s location.

Once Elijah was alone, he set off in search of his friends. Atticus, Delilah, and Isaak had entered the Trial from Argos, while Kurik, Robolo, and Nia had come from Ironshore. Both groups had been accompanied by a few others Elijah didn’t know, and he hoped that everyone had survived.

However, after the first couple of hours, he found no trace of his friends, which definitely didn’t help his mood.

As he explored the Nexus Town, he saw that it followed many of the same architectural patterns he’d come to expect after his investigation of the ruins. Yet, there was something off about it, as well. It took him an embarrassingly long time to figure out that the issue was with how new everything was. Sure, it looked weathered, but it was more like set dressing than the true results of age and erosion. That suggested that the Nexus Town had been created specifically for the Trial.

On the other side of the Branch, a sprawling market had sprung up. There were only a couple hundred tents, but Elijah suspected that there would be far more in the near future. After all, five thousand humans had been offered the opportunity to enter the Trial of Primacy – not even considering the other races – so, even if many of them chose to return to Earth, there would still be a sizable population remaining. Many of those were likely to be non-combat classes who saw the Trial as a way to make money, advance their crafts, or to progress their classes.

While he walked around, Elijah saw merchants and crafters, as well as a few fighters who were looking to augment their arsenals. It made sense. Most people didn’t have access to the best craftsmanship, and given that the Trial only invited the highest level people, it stood to reason that the crafters who’d chosen to participate would be capable of producing high-tier wares. So, those fighters had chosen to take advantage of the opportunity so they could get things they couldn’t back on Earth.

Hopefully, everyone would find what they were looking for.

As Elijah was inspecting a Chandler’s wares, he felt two black-clad figures enter into range of One with Nature. It only took a moment for him to recognize that they were the Immortals Dat had described, especially when they swaggered up to a Cobbler’s tent and started to harass the poor woman.

There were a few fighters nearby, but they quickly vacated the area. Elijah wasn’t certain if that was due to fear or if they simply didn’t want to get involved with other people’s problems, but the moment one of them pulled a machete from his belt and started waving it around, Elijah knew he couldn’t afford not to step in.

But he didn’t intend to do so with his identity bare for anyone with the right skills to see. Instead, as he ducked into an alley, he activated his Ring of Anonymity, establishing his fake persona as a level sixty-one named Draconid. He hoped that anyone who inspected him would see that and assume he was a beast. Once he’d taken care of his identity, he used Shape of the Predator, then let Guise of the Unseen fall upon him.

Only then did Elijah leave the alley and stalk toward the pair of Immortals. He intended to put their name to the test.

After all, he had seen the entire exchange. They were bullies and petty criminals who would prey on anyone they deemed weaker. As far as he was concerned, they had no place in the Trial.

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Weaving through the sparse crowd wasn’t difficult, though Elijah did notice that a few of the stronger-looking people could clearly sense his presence. It wasn’t enough to put them on guard, but they knew something was amiss. So, he wasted no time in pushing through to his destination, not giving those people any time to figure things out.

As Dat had described, the two Immortals looked nearly identical, with pitch-black clothing and black, metallic masks that concealed any identifying features. Though, via One with Nature, Elijah could tell that one was male, while the other was female. Both had short hair beneath their demonic masks, and their features were similar enough to mark them as related, and perhaps of Middle Eastern descent. Brother and sister, perhaps. Otherwise, they were of average size.

Was that their origin, then? Maybe. Elijah would need to find other Immortals to be certain one way or another.

In any case, he wasn’t there to play detective with their genealogy. Instead, he only needed to solve the problem. And with the female Immortal erratically waving her knife around, Elijah would need to act soon, or things would get bloody.

So, without further ado, Elijah embraced Predator Strike. Then, for good measure, he used Venom Strike, too.

He pounced.

Since his core advancement, Elijah’s draconid form had grown by at least ten percent. So, when he pounced on the comparatively small woman, his jaws completely enveloped her skull. He bit down, his long incisors piercing through the bone with a disgustingly wet crunch. Then, the pressure of his bite shattered her head altogether. Brain and other viscera splattered his tongue, but by that point, Elijah had moved far past any disgust he might’ve once felt.

Instead, he focused on the next move.

To his credit, the shocked Immortal reacted quickly, and for a brief moment, ethera swirled. But Elijah was too fast. Having once again embraced Venom Strike, he lashed out with his claws, raking them across the black-clad man’s chest. The Immortal went tumbling backward through the flimsy wall of the tent, taking the cloth with him.

The Cobbler screamed.

The man thrashed about, crying in pain as he tangled himself in the tent. It collapsed, and Elijah pounced once again. His claws arced out. Once. Twice. Three times. Each attack eviscerated the Immortal, eliciting renewed cries of agony.

But before Elijah could finish the man off, he felt a dozen powerful fighters descending upon the area.

It was time to go.

So, he ripped his way through what remained of the tent, then raced away, leaving a few splatters of blood to mark his passage. Even that ceased after only a few more feet, and Elijah ducked into an alley. After another fifteen feet, he turned again. Then again, as soon as he could. Before long, he’d left the budding market – and his stalkers – behind.

The moment he felt that he was safe from pursuit, he shifted back into his human form and deactivated his Ring of Anonymity. To completely overcome any suspicion, Elijah took another few seconds to summon Healing Rain and use his soap to wash the blood from his mouth and hands.

It was just after he’d finished that job that a few fighters with decent levels under their belts thundered into the alley, weapons bared. “You there – did you see a reptilian monster?!” the first demanded.

Elijah shrugged. “Nothing came this way,” he said.

“What are you doing here?” asked the second. He carried an axe and looked like he knew how to use it. Still, Elijah was far from frightened of the man, who seemed more lumberjack than combatant.

“Exploring,” Elijah answered. “This architecture is fascinating. Did you notice the Mayan influences? And some of the friezes tell a story that I think will be incredibly impactful on the –”

“Friezes? What are you talking about? There’s a monster on the loose, man!”

“That doesn’t make any sense. This place is supposed to be safe, right?” Elijah pointed out. “Are you sure you weren’t seeing things? I had a friend who ate some magic mushrooms in college. He spent the next forty-eight hours convinced he was being chased by a demon. Well, a succubus, I guess, but that’s a demon, right? Anyway, as it turned out, it was just his girlfriend. And he was running through the quad naked when she found him. A chase ensued and…well, never mind that. My point is that people often think they see things that aren’t really there. Like you and your monsters. You didn’t eat any bad mushrooms, did you?

“Because I’ll tell you right now – you should not eat anything from that jungle without proper inspection,” Elijah went on. “I counted forty-seven poisonous varieties of fungi, and that was just in the time it took me to get here. Fascinating subjects that –”

“What the hell are you talking about?” demanded the lumberjack.

“Mushrooms, man. Were you not listening at all?” Elijah said with enthusiasm. “Look – I’m not saying don’t eat them. I’m definitely the last guy to tell anyone what kind of drugs to take. But I am saying that you should use caution. So, just show me what you took, and I’ll tell you if you should immediately seek healing. Hint – you probably should, though. You’re looking a little pale.”

“W-what?”

Elijah sighed. “Confusion. That’s the first sign that you took something toxic. Here, let me get my kit out…”

With that, Elijah started pulling things out of his satchel. He only got the second item – which was a bar of soap – out before the first fighter said, “This guy’s insane. Come on, Josh. The trail’s getting cold.”

“But he said I look pale. What if I did eat something toxic?”

“You probably did,” Elijah said. “Do you feel nauseous? Do you remember your name? Do you see any fiendishly attractive succubi around?”

“Uh…I think I’m a little nauseous.”

“Oh, it’s not good. Not good at all. Better get you all sorted out. I have to warn you, though, flushing your system won’t be pleasant. You’re going to be leaking at both ends. But it’s all for the best. I have just the thing to –”

“You’re fine, Josh!” said the first fighter. “Come on!”

“But –”

“Now.”

Then, he dragged the lumberjack away. Josh certainly didn’t seem eager to go. Regardless, Elijah’s strategy of confusion had worked like a charm, though he suspected that if he kept it up, he might develop a bit of a reputation.

Whatever the case, he was more concerned with two things. First, he’d clearly gotten away with the attack, which was the more pleasant of the two. Second – and far more distressingly – he hadn’t gotten any experience. That meant one of two things. Either killing the Immortals didn’t garner any rewards. Or more likely, Elijah hadn’t killed either of the two he’d attacked.

And considering that he’d crushed the female Immortal’s skull in his jaws, that was an incredibly disturbing thing to consider.