I’m sprinting through the craters of my arrow bombs, occasionally recruiting the dead to my side. I’m jumping, dodging, shadow phasing, and recruiting, working my way to the templars battling for the power of the cloud. The ground at this point is mostly sand, with barely a hint of the tall grass that was abundant before.
Though it still hasn’t risen above the mountains, eager morning light begins to dispel the lingering night. Not that it matters since I’m still surrounded by darkness. Pushing out my perception lets me feel through the darkness in a sense. Maybe it’s the faux warmth of the dawn’s first light, or maybe Goldi’s gem is getting overheated; whatever it is, I welcome it.
Monstrous green trolls with the skin of stone and wood cut into my path. For a moment, I consider claiming one for my growing army behind enemy lines. However, the storm cloud is pushing deeper into Goldi’s barrier. I put the trolls on the to-kill next list and dodge their feet as I run through their extended gaits. When the ground trembles from the trolls’ steps, I barely notice it. A herd of minotaur warriors blocks my path to the templars. I also ignore these bully fighters and quickly run through the gaps in their ranks.
I finally make it to the templars. I slow my pace, taking in a few breaths to clear my mind giving me a moment to examine the templars closer. Four templars are gathered on an earth bunker guarded by valkeers — the human-like harpy warriors.
Twelve valkeers stand guard, each wielding a heavy shield and axes. Though they have darkly feathered wings tucked close to their backs, none of the guardians are airborne. Half of the guards are earth guardians, while the remaining six are death, night, and life focused. It’s a solid mix of soldiers, and I’m glad I’m not trying to take them on. The guardians carefully watch the templars and the battle not far into the distance. A couple of the guardians stand nervously, their wings twitching in anticipation.
The four templars on top of the bunker look like a force of nature themselves. Whipy, the winged harpy, apparently also a valkeer, is the whip enthusiast I fought the other night. Missing from his armament is the pair of blazing whips he imparted to me when he passed back into shadow. However, now he is holding two segmented swords that are both long and thick. Whipy, unlike the other templars trying to control the cloud, is standing guard.
The two air wizards and water druids are wearing extravagant battle robes. One of the wizards is holding onto a gem while channeling air and lightning in his other hand. The other wizard has both hands up and is pushing out a hurricane force of energy. Gem, the gem-holding wizard, looks similar to the valkeers but has more prominent horns and a thick tail instead of wings.
The only dryad present is the water sorcerer. The light blue, elemental figure of a person is clutching a broken tree branch of a staff with both hands. All her energy is pouring into the staff, which directs power to the fleeting storm.
I take another deep breath. Twelve high-ranked guardian valkeers, which I’m not fighting, and four templars, which I am fighting… I got this. My shadow and death mana are still holding up strong. Death is as hungry as ever, lusting for more life to consume, while shadow shrouds me in a comforting soft cloak. I’m covered in my dark steel armor reinforced with death mana. Gloom covers my armor and keeps me easily connected to my shadow realm. I barely need to think about creating my shadow shroud with the robe equipped.
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Bo forms into my hand and I draw an arrow. My breathing steadies as I raise the bow and take aim. I stare down the arrow locking onto my target. I take one more breath. My heart slowly beats. The battles in the distance are silenced. I release my breath and drop my cover of shadow. The short distance between me and the templars only allows me to get two more rushed shots off before the first arrow explodes into the chest of the water sorcerer.
The dryad’s watery figure shatters into ice, the energy from the explosion shakes the bunker, and the wizards and Whipy are pushed off balance. My second arrow slams into the tailed wingless harpy piercing him in the heart. A small amount of mana explodes inside the valkur, and he falls off the bunker. The third arrow on course for the third wizard is knocked aside by Whipy, who’s overzealous in his efforts to recover.
The stone shield Whipy created to catch the arrow cracks from the impact but keep the arrow at bay. Then with monumental force, the heavy shield is thrown in my general direction. I’m already in shadow and on the move. The shield smashes near where I once was, crashing into the minotaur. Whipy calls forth more earth as his segmented swords take on a whip-like form. His guards ready their energy and search for me. Gem activates the gem in her hand to push against the storm while her newly free hand begins summoning lightning.
Whipy’s gaze is intense. His whip swords brandish in a flashy display of skill and precision while stone, sand, and trees lift into the air. I run about, popping out of shadow erratically to take shots at the wizard and Whipy. It doesn’t matter where I shoot from; even when I clear the swirling debris, Whipy’s whips always manage to intercept my arrows.
The valkeer scans his immediate surroundings, searching for my presence. I can feel his senses brushing into mine, probing for the truth. I keep weaving layers of images into my perception, blocking Whipy from locking onto me. Each probe is met with misinformation and confusion as I frantically dodge his guesses, accompanied by his lashing swords. We continue this dance for several breaths. He strikes randomly when not blocking my arrows, and I keep running and shooting.
Finally, Whipy catches my pattern and anticipates my next shot. His whips move to defend and strike. Both come up empty. From behind Whipy, I appear from my cover and drive my shadow blades deep into his back. Despite the fatal wound, the demon turns around, his swords swinging for my head. The successive cleave attack slices through my neck as I phase through shadow.
I made a mistake. Whipy seems to enchant all his weapons with the ability to attack through realms. I’m bleeding heavily at the neck and losing oxygen. The valkeer searches wildly for me as his footing falters. His sword whips lash in all directions. Sheer desperation and ferocity drive his dying attacks. The demon is determined to bring me down with him.
My mind is racing. I want to breathe to calm down, but my throat throbs in pain with each attempt. I need to cough to clear my lungs but can’t do so. With no attempt at subtly, I dump out all my spirit perception, hopefully masking my whereabouts. Whip blades pierce through at random, forcing me to dodge the attacks. While the blades aren’t posing a threat, they are stopping me from preventing myself from dying.