Samantha flew all around the Ancient Drake’s den but saw no sign of its presence. Searching outside the cave and in the forest nearby also failed to yield any information about where the rift guardian could be. Not wanting to keep her audience waiting too long, she canceled her projection and stood from her seated position.
“I don’t see it anywhere.” she reported with a shake of her head.
“Hmmm…” Fara hummed, absently twisting a stray lock of hair between her fingers, “That’s unfortunate.”
“Should we wait to leave until I can find it?” Samantha asked.
“No, this is still more information than we normally have approaching a new rift. You can just keep checking on it periodically as we travel. It’s probably hunting and will be back before long.”
“Do you think maybe it’s gone into the rift?”
A round of chuckles emerged from the small crowd at her question. Seeing Samantha’s confusion, Fara explained with a light laugh of her own, “Spirit beasts cannot cross the threshold between rift and reality without being bonded to a cultivator. So, we don’t have to worry about that.” After a brief pause, Fara turned to the group and cleared her throat to quiet any lingering laughter, “Alright delvers, you heard her! However, we can’t spend all day waiting for our quarry to show itself. Gather your supplies, say your goodbyes, and be on the boat in five!”
The 10 cultivators dutifully dispersed, many exchanging farewells with loved ones a short distance away before making their way to the long, narrow ship tied to the river dock. Samantha had no one she particularly cared to speak with before leaving, so she double checked her and Silas’s gear instead.
She patted down the inner pockets of her now somewhat-ragged stealth armor to confirm the potions and healing items she had stashed there were still in place. The weeks of training had worn the material thinner in some spots, but it was still the best option she had. While she could’ve bought a fresh set of armor from the guild shops, they didn’t offer much better protection and she’d have to give up the stealth enhancements her current set possessed. She switched her attention to Silas’s makeshift vest and checked each pocket was filled with the appropriate herb or pill. She still hadn’t commissioned a new vest for the Wolpertinger yet, but he’d been making due with her handmade substitute well enough that she wasn’t too concerned about it.
As she was briefly looking over her weapons and the contents of her enchanted pack—now devoid of any sentimental items in case something went wrong within the rift—Harper came up to her while holding hands with a man who looked to be in his late 20’s.
“Sam! This is Cole, the elusive husband I’ve been telling you about. Cole, this is Sam.” Harper introduced them cheerfully.
“So, you’re the one telling her all the fantastical tales of the first floor?” Cole asked, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly.
Samantha gave a polite bow, acknowledging the High Bronze’s superior rank, “I don’t know about ‘fantastical’. The stories all seemed pretty normal to me.”
“You’re too modest.” Cole insisted, “Lush greenery as far as the eye could see? Tall mountains covered in… what was the word again?” he turned his head towards Harper.
“Snow!” she replied excitedly.
“Ah, yes! Snow. Frozen puffs of fallen rain? What a concept!” he said with an appreciative nod, “You’ll have to tell me something she doesn’t know about yet so I can hold it over her when we return. I can finally get her back for all the times she left me in suspense.”
Harper gave him an over-exaggerated look of betrayal, “Sam would never do that to me.” She focused an intense stare on Samantha, “Right?”
Wanting to get in on the fun, Samantha replied, “Never!”. Then, she gave an obvious, conspiratorial wink towards Cole.
The three of them laughed, and Harper gave Cole a big hug. Suddenly somber, she said, “I’ll miss you. Take care, okay?”
Cole returned Harper’s embrace, “Don’t worry, we’ll have two Silvers with us. That old, dusty lizard won’t stand a chance. And, given how sturdy I’ve heard Sam is, I can always use her as a shield if I need to!”
“Rude!” Samantha complained jokingly, trying to lighten the mood as well.
“Be the best human shield you can, Sam! I’m counting on you.” Harper smiled as she spoke, but still looked to be nearly on the brink of tears.
Taking a quick glance around, the others who were still saying goodbye to loved ones also seemed to be subdued and somber. Many wore grim expressions, and only a scant few individuals seemed wholly optimistic.
Cole gave Harper a final squeeze and a kiss before breaking away. He patted Samantha on the shoulder, “Come on, let’s get going. Our five minutes are almost up, and everyone follows an unspoken agreement that whoever is late gets ruthlessly teased the whole way there.”
Not needing to be told twice, Samantha put her pack back on, scooped Silas up and placed him on her shoulders, and started heading over to the boat. Once everyone was boarded, the ship was untied from the dock and two group members stationed themselves at the rear next to two water wheels. The wheels were mounted to opposite sides of the boat, and each had a vertical metal pole installed nearby. The poles were engraved in a similar way to casters, and when the cultivators grabbed the metal the symbols across it lit up with qi. The wheels quickly began turning and propelling the ship forward along the river.
At the front of the boat sat Fara, and in the middle of the boat was the man who she’d called in yesterday to look at Samantha’s contract. As Fara unveiled her killing intent so that it covered and extended past their vessel, the Low Silver man pushed out his aura in a protective sphere around Samantha and the rest of the Bronzes. Shielded from negative effects from Fara’s spiritual assault, the group glided quickly along the waters as lesser spirit beasts fled or outright died from the intensity of it.
Dozens of fish bobbed up all around their ship and were swiftly left behind by the speeding boat. Seeing one that was familiar within reach, Samantha plucked it from the water’s surface and stared at it with interest. The Winged Snapper was most certainly dead, but in pristine condition. After pulling the Rank 1-Low core free from its carcass, she gave the remains to Silas as a snack. It was hard to believe that these creatures had terrorized her group on the butte, yet seemed to be nothing more than pests to this elite group. Less than pests, perhaps, since they were dying in droves without ever having the opportunity to strike.
Two sharp claps from Fara pulled Samantha out of her thoughts.
“Okay everyone, I know this is a normal day for us career Delvers but for the sake of our guest–” Fara gestured to Samantha, “--let me reiterate some important procedures.”
“Boo!” Cole heckled, then gave Samantha a wink. He was promptly hit in the back of the head with a dead fish .
“Shut up, Cole!” the woman who had thrown it from behind him said.
Fara rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored the pair, “New rifts and first delves into them are unpredictable, highly dangerous, and…” she paused for effect, “...extremely rewarding.”
The group cheered in unison.
“Now, there is the small issue of the rift guardian, but that’s why both myself and Walter are here as primary combatants. Given his fighting experience and elevated rank, he will be serving as my second in command for this delve and will take the lead should anything happen to me.”
The grizzled-looking Low Silver nodded and received several pats on the back from the guildmates surrounding him.
Fara continued, “Fortunately for us, Samantha has provided some information as to what kind of guardian we’ll be facing. Our enemy today is an Ancient Cliff Drake of unknown rank that possesses a poisonous breath attack. Its size is comparable to a Mature Cliff Drake, however its scales are white and it likely possesses at least one ability we haven’t seen in younger members of its species.”
Fara gestured to the two men powering the water wheels, “Joel and Gabe will handle protecting us from gas attacks with their wind-based arts, so make sure you’re within 50 feet of one of them at all times. Do not, however, cluster so close together that you make your entire group an easy target. We’ll form into two combat groups upon landing ashore near the lair. Samantha, since you’re the most vulnerable person here, you’ll be in my group. So long as you stay behind me and follow my instructions you’ll come out of this fine.”
Cole gave Samantha a thumbs up, “Hey, looks like I’ll be able to use you as a shield after all! I’m in Fara’s group too.”
Fara narrowed her eyes, “Not until she’s made herself useful as a scout, Cole.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Cole gave her a sheepish smile.
“Speaking of which, I expect hourly reports on the results of your scrying. If we can locate it before we arrive, that will be a great advantage for us. If not, we’ll need to do things the old-fashioned way.” Samantha signaled her agreement and Fara finished up her spiel. “At the rate we’re going, we have about six hours until we can land near the den. From the river’s edge it’ll be another 8 miles of hiking and a pinch of climbing to reach our destination. Stay alert and aware of your surroundings, and call out if you see something approaching that my killing intent hasn’t warded off.”
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Samantha canceled her projection art for the fifth time in as many hours to give her report to the group. She had expanded her search radius for the Ancient Cliff Drake considerably, but still was unable to find it. It wasn’t in any of the nearby gaps or crevices that were large enough to fit it. It hadn’t climbed the cliff wall or journeyed into the desert. It wasn’t in the forest or getting a drink of water near the river. It was just… gone.
After telling Fara her findings–or lack thereof–Samantha could see the woman begin to show hints of worry.
“Strange. Guardians don’t usually keep so far from their rift for long stretches. I thought it would’ve at least shown signs of returning by now. How much further exactly until we reach a good landing point?”
Samantha pointed in the general direction of the den, “The rift is just over there. I could see our boat approaching from the cave’s entrance. We could probably go ashore anywhere around here and it’d be close enough. I did see a good sandbar another mile or so ahead, so maybe there?”
Fara considered it for a moment and then spoke to the group at large, “Listen up! We’ll be landing in a few minutes, so shake out any stiffness or complacency that you may have gathered up on this lovely little boat ride and–”
Fara abruptly cut off her speech as a large flock of frantically cawing birds flew up from the canopy. The quiet sounds of cracking wood and crunching underbrush growing nearer soon followed. Everyone in the boat started readying their weapons as Samantha pulled out Nethershot.
“Silas, fly up and see if you can get a visual for me. Stay high out of range.” Samantha said aloud for the benefit of the group. Silas–who still perched on her head and shoulders–used [Leap] to quickly gain height, then started flying.
“Towards shore or away?” one of the men powering the water wheels asked simultaneously.
“Full speed towards shore. We don’t want to be caught fighting while confined to the boat or in water.” Fara commanded.
The wheels practically blurred as their rotation speed dramatically increased. The boat lurched for a moment until it nearly skipped across the surface like an expertly thrown stone. The distance between them and the shoreline hundreds of feet away rapidly shrunk.
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Dravyk the Unseen waited with irritation as the presence of the interloper circled overhead yet again. Though he could not see the intruder, he knew its essence. It had dared to try and glimpse into his soul–the epitome of arrogance. He despised the way its feeble touch sought to challenge his might. He hated the way that it left the taste of bitter partings and longing in its wake as it passed. Despicably weak creature. Undeniably human.
He knew it would return with others of its kind. They always did. No matter how many he killed, no matter how strong the warriors he felled, they always sent more. There was no end to their persistent need to die under his claws or between his teeth. It seemed even this far from their crowded, reeking dens they continued to pursue him.
Exhausting.
Dravyk had felt them coming for miles now. How could he not? The strongest among them made no attempts to hide. They announced their arrival with displays of spiritual dominance that lacked beauty or subtlety. For all their self-deceptive illusions of grandeur and superiority, they were some of the ugliest, most pitiful vermin. If only they embraced the truth they might make themselves more like himself.
Invisible.
Perfect.
He sensed the interloper departing and felt his rage boiling up again.
No, not perfect… Not anymore. The invader had seen his true form and lived. Impossible. Unforgivable. He could not be perfect again until it was dead.
He knew his patience would prevail once more, and he would soon reap his due reward. He stalked his way through the forest and towards the shore to meet his most hated foe. They were more numerous than he, and two were particularly strong, but he knew what to do. Flawed creatures such as they were easy to hunt once scattered. Such was his specialty, so he need not fear.
Sensing it was time, he summoned energy into his powerful limbs and charged towards the shore. He increased his speed the closer he got to the water, ignoring small saplings as he effortlessly plowed through them. When he emerged from the treeline he saw his prey clustered together on a small craft, desperately rushing towards the sands before he could take advantage of their foolishness. Alas, it was too late.
Though they looked in his direction and shot burning beams of light towards him, he knew it was only due to the sound of his travel and the churning of the earth beneath him. He was Dravyk the Unseen. He was invisible. And he would be perfect again soon.
He used [Pounce] to launch his sizable body high into the air. The humans continued to shoot where he used to be, never once looking upwards towards his true position. As he descended upon their wooden construction, he aimed for the exact center where most of the humans were huddled together. Right before impact, he let out his fiercest roar.
The sounds of shattering wood and screams of panic delighted him.
He hardly met any resistance as the structure crumbled beneath him, and he quickly transitioned his movement to mimic his aquatic relatives. Using his long tail to propel him and pressing his limbs close to his body, he easily glided through the water and circled back around towards the surprised group. Wanting to ensure that none could find footing above him, he attacked with [Spiritual Miasma: Blast of Decay]. He knew this poison would rise through the water and settle across the river's surface like fog, causing any who passed through it or sought a breath of air to suffer its effects.
While they were still confused and disorganized, he took this opportunity to confront the group’s most powerful member. Feeling its energy aggressively pressing outwards in all directions, it didn’t take long to locate it. Not wanting to give it a chance to do harm, he sought first to prevent it from using abilities. He remembered more powerful humans were usually more resistant to his airborne poisons, so directly introducing it would be the most efficient.
He felt his mouth water as [Spiritual Venom] filled it and coated his teeth. Swimming up from under it, he tried to latch on to a flailing limb but was thwarted. The small human was faster than he thought, and it struck him on the snout as it pushed itself out of his bite path.
But, no matter.
As he passed by, he used [Tail Whip] to slap the human upwards out of the water and into his waiting miasma. With it out of the fight for a few seconds, he shifted his attention to eliminate some of the weaker beings nearby. Some had already succumbed to his poison and were sinking to the bottom of the river, but a few struggled under the surface to prolong their lives. They swam towards the shore in hopes that solid ground would save them.
A firm [Chomp] ended that endeavor swiftly enough.
The fight dragged on longer than he expected, and he received more injuries than he would have liked. The strong human was stubbornly sturdy, even as he filled it with crippling toxins. It bought enough time for some of its fellows to reach the shore and flee towards their den, but he would have no trouble hunting them down shortly. He knew their essences, now. They would not escape him.
He gathered the bodies he’d earned in his mouth and piled them along the shore. Before he left to pursue the others, he needed to ensure his feast was secured from scavengers. His heart leapt with joy to count the interloper among the corpses. It was right and just that it suffered the consequences of its hubris. After two trips to pile the bodies in the safety of his den, he followed the taste of despair and fear to locate those that had escaped. If he didn’t kill them now, they would just come back with others of their kind. They always did.
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“It’s leaving! Hurry, before it comes back!” Silas informed Samantha.
Samantha poured qi into [Flawless Healing Touch] as fast as she could, trying to close some of her most vicious wounds. She was covered head-to-toe in punctures and lacerations, and many bones suffered from breaks or fractures. Perhaps she had been imagining it, but it felt like the beast had been particularly vengeful towards her once it had gotten ahold of her. It had shook, smashed, and bit her long after she’d lost her life.
The most shocking part of the fight–apart from how catastrophically wrong it had gone–was that she had not once spotted the Ancient Cliff Drake. It was completely invisible to her visual and spiritual senses, with not even the slightest distortion to cue her into its position. She could only vaguely guess at its location from sounds or changes in the environment, but it was like death itself in the water. Its movements were disguised by the waves such that she didn’t know she was under attack until she was already dead.
After the initial blow that sent her and everyone else into the river, she was stunned and disoriented. While trying to get her bearings, Silas warned her that the drake had coated the river’s surface in poison gas, so she determined trying to swim to shore was her best chance at survival. As tempting as trying to use [Jackalope of All Trades] to transport herself to Silas was, it wasn’t a true teleport. Her body still moved through the path to Silas, thus she would still be forced to pass through the damaging poison. Given how the poison had crippled her ability to use any arts the last time she was affected, she didn’t want to risk being disabled mid-transport and trapped in an even worse position.
Before she had made significant progress, she found herself in pain and being dragged down to the bottom of the river bed. Even enhancing her entire body with [Indomitable Body] couldn’t save her from being crushed to death near-instantly.
Samantha nearly emptied her qi pool repairing the damage that was done to her, but it was just enough to get her back on her feet. Returning her soul to her body, she pushed her way out from the delvers piled on top of and around her. She screamed in pain as her injured form protested each movement and blood spurted out from re-opening wounds. After freeing herself, she couldn’t help but kneel on the floor for a moment and pant. She felt so weak.
An angry roar in the distance caused her hair to stand on end, and Silas reached out to her in a panic, “It’s coming back! It’s going right for the den.”
Samantha took stock of her condition. She was in no condition to run or fight. Her pack, her supplies, and her weapons were all lost to the river at the moment, and none of the bodies near her had anything usable on them. There wasn’t even a pocket knife she could rely on. There was only one option open to her.
“Silas, come here! We’re headed into the rift!”
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Dravyk rushed back in disbelief.
How? HOW? The interloper was dead. There was no way it survived. And yet… its essence. Its essence told a different story.
It was impossible, but he had to confirm for himself. It was worth giving up on his present hunt for now.
He climbed up the cliffside and squeezed his way in through the crack leading into his cave. Its stench was everywhere. Vibrant. Defiant. Alive.
He searched his prizes and counted them, and did not see it among them. He followed its lingering scent right up to the rift where it promptly vanished. It was gone.
He let out a cry of fury the likes of which shook the very stone around him.
His perfection was lost once more, but not forever. Patience would reward him, as it always did. Once it emerged, he would know. Next time, he would make sure he fully consumed it. There would be no doubt as to its fate, then.