Book 5: Chapter 25: The Protector

Book 5: Chapter 25: The Protector

A wraith bounced off Sadie’s ethereal barrier, its forward momentum sending it skipping off the surface. It landed just past her, and though the gangly creature was dazed, Elijah and his other companions recognized the danger it still represented. So, they all focused their fire – Dat with his crossbow, Kurik leaping onto the thing with his hatchets, and Elijah with a hastily cast Storm’s Fury.

Miraculously, the durable monster survived that first volley of attacks, but a second later, Kurik ended the wraith’s life by hacking through its spindly neck. No one could afford to rest, though. Not with hundreds more only a few feet away, held back by the earthworks they’d built as well as Sadie’s efforts.

The monsters could have easily leaped over the mounds of dirt. Yet, they were single-minded creatures who only had eyes for the four companions. And they seemingly were incapable of considering any other route but the straightest line. That meant rushing at Sadie in a frontal assault.

It was a fortunate weakness, though one of which they were all aware. That was the key to their strategy, after all. For all that they were incredibly dangerous, the wraiths lacked even the most basic animalistic cunning. They only knew how to attack, and usually in the most obvious way. Elijah’s plan aimed to take advantage of that.

After leading them to the cenote, where the bulk of the wraiths were still clashing with the aviaks, he’d led the remainder into a series of traps. Hundreds had already died, but there were dozens who’d made it through – likely through sheer luck – which put Elijah and the others in quite a precarious position. The only solution was to fight it out, and though they’d done everything they could to tip the odds in their favor, the reality was that any fight, no matter how well-prepared the battlefield, could go wrong at a moment’s notice.

If Sadie made a mistake, they would likely fall. If Elijah failed to heal, they would die. If Dat and Kurik employed the wrong skills at the wrong time, the group would be overwhelmed.

And if there was one thing Elijah knew, it was that no one was perfect. Everyone made mistakes – a truism that was even more appropriate in battle. The only solution was to work together. When one member faltered, everyone else needed to pick up the slack. That was how being part of a team worked.

Which was why Elijah had always preferred being alone. Even going back to when he was choosing athletic activities as a child, he had picked boxing, largely because it didn’t force him to rely on other people. Perhaps there was a reason he’d fared so well after being stranded alone on the island. He’d gone a bit weird, but most people would have descended into madness. But Elijah, as a habitual loner in the first place, took to it quite well.

Regardless, the fact remained that he was not well-suited to fighting alongside others. With every passing moment, he wanted to shift into one of his forms and take the battle to the wraiths. His every instinct screamed at him to abandon their makeshift fortification and fight the way he’d always fought. He could use hit-and-run tactics, whittling them down until there was nothing left.

If he’d been alone, that was precisely what he would have done. And if things got a little too hairy? He’d just fly away. Sure, he’d take some damage from the eagles – and maybe from the wind spirits – but that wouldn’t last long. And besides, that was what healing was for, wasn’t it?

But he’d committed to working with the others, and as much as he would’ve preferred to fight alone, he wouldn’t abandon them. So, with that in mind, Elijah cast Soothe on Sadie, then focused on running interference on the other monsters. To that end, he conjured a Swarm of biting insects that descended upon the horde of wraiths, where they delivered their dangerous afflictions. Ever since upgrading his Core – and finishing the Staff of the First Dragon – the spell had truly taken a step forward in terms of potency. It wasn’t enough to down the wraiths on its own, but it definitely slowed them down.

He kept Calamity in his back pocket, though. The spell still took a load of ethera, and he wanted to keep it in reserve until it could make the most difference.

Besides, it didn’t seem necessary.

With Sadie blocking the narrow gap between the two earthen bulwarks, the situation was well in hand. Every now and again, one would slip past her, but Elijah and the two others reacted to any such incursion with no small degree of alacrity. Dat acquitted himself well, cycling between using his crossbow and his long daggers, while Kurik performed admirably, considering that his class was mostly meant to focus on trapping his foes. Still, he managed to employ his skills to good effect, even throwing a couple of grenades he’d built himself. They weren’t really intended to do damage, but rather, they exploded into a mass of stick webbing that held the wraiths in place. The monsters could tear free, given enough time, but for the situation, the grenades were a perfect addition to the dwarf’s arsenal.

For his part, Elijah focused on healing. Sadie was well-armored, and she was extremely skilled with her sword. However, the wraiths were so numerous that some injuries were inevitable. That’s where Elijah stepped in, making liberal use of Soothe and Healing Rain. Only when Sadie took grievous wounds did he use the much more powerful – and costly – Nature’s Bloom.

It was not a sprint, after all. The battle was a marathon, and he knew that even with most facets of his Mind focusing on regenerating his ethera as quickly as possible, his Core would quickly run dry if he wasn’t careful.

Elijah aimed another instance of the spell, and when it hit, it did so with similar results. This one was less effective, which told Elijah something he’d suspected from the very beginning. The wraiths were unique in that they absorbed ethera, but he’d witnessed something else during his encounters with the creatures. They acclimated to any spells thrown their way, and eventually, with enough exposure, they would surely become immune. So far, it hadn’t been a problem, largely because no individual monster lasted long enough for it to matter. Yet, with Storm’s Fury lacking in the lethality department, the monsters were well equipped to resist its effects.

Which meant that he couldn’t just keep shocking them – not unless he was certain it would open them up for one of Sadie’s attacks. So, frustrated, he stepped forward, ready to use his attributes and his staff to fill in for the sidelined damage dealers.

It was an inelegant solution to the problem at hand, but as he brained one of the monsters that slipped past Sadie’s guard, he couldn’t argue with its effectiveness. Over the next half hour, he swung his staff like a club, only occasionally using spells like Storm’s Fury to supplement his damage. Meanwhile, he continued to heal – both Sadie and himself – as they incurred one injury after another.

But they held the line until, at last, Dat and Kurik had recovered enough to retake their own positions. That let Elijah take a step back and focus on healing. Pointedly, Sadie never stopped hacking and slashing, as she made copious use of her own abilities. They were meant mostly to protect her and others, and in that endeavor, they excelled. For offense, she relied on her glowing sword.

Elijah wasn’t certain if the illumination was the result of a spell or if the weapon itself was responsible, but whichever was the case, he couldn’t argue with its effectiveness.

So it went, and soon enough, minutes became hours, but still the monsters kept coming.

Until, at last, after nearly five hours of fighting, the last wraith fell.

The moment the threat had ended, Sadie looked around, panting and wild eyed. And once she was satisfied there were no more enemies, she collapsed into a heap.

Elijah rushed forward, casting Nature’s Bloom.

“She’s fine, bro” a panting Dat said. “She just pushed herself too far. Again. She’ll be okay in a few hours.”

No sooner had those words left the Witch Hunter’s mouth than the sound of a bird call swept across their defensive position. Then another came in answer, though the second was slightly different from the first.

“What was that, bro?” asked Dat, looking around, his eyes wide.

“I don’t know,” Kurik answered.

Before Elijah could say something similar, he felt something enter into range of One with Nature. It was only a few dozen feet away and coming fast. Then, a second something, even larger and more menacing, came from above. Elijah couldn’t react before an eagle – at least five times the size of any of the other monsters – burst through the trees, latched onto Sadie’s prone form, and launched itself back into the sky.

Elijah only took a moment to watch its path before he whipped around and said, “Hold the line. Something big is coming from that direction.”

After gesturing in the direction of the cenote, he initiated a transformation into Shape of the Sky, and as soon as his wings developed, he threw himself after Sadie.