Part of this may not strictly work with canon, but I had fun with it. Enjoy. Not to readers - all POV characters are Core Formation members.
[Interlude: Legatus]
"My skin has borne heaven's thunder
My fists tear the earth asunder
My steps traverse a thousand li
My will defies reality."
POV: Hemish of the Prithviraj Dynasty
It was a normal day in the Organ Meat Desert. The air was hot and dry. The sun was bright and draining. The qi in the air was so very thin. The earth had cracked from the heat and wasn't sand but just hard, hot earth. Truly the heavens had abandoned this sea of barbarians.
Yet, perhaps even such as them did not deserve to live under the threat of these demons of bronze. The cracks on the earth parted and he stretched his hands out after a night of rest. Then Hemish pulled himself out of the ground. He stretched as he stepped into the hard ground of the Third Sea and got ready for another day of hunting.
He remembered the first few times he came here. It was very easy in the beginning. Those monsters were still young and hadn't really understood how to survive. They had that strange inhuman discipline of course, but once you figured out the trick to break them it was pretty easy.
He'd heard that the devils who had reached Dharma Shaping were a more wily sort. They'd survived the hunt of his fellows for centuries and each had their own method of hiding. Hemish was looking forward to the hunt this time. It would be a true test of his newfound skills.
He grimaced as he walked. The ground was so hard and dry. Nothing like the qi-infused mud of his home. He put his hand on the ground and let his senses flow through it, trying to find something to put him in a good mood again.
Ahhhhh. Even in this forsaken land, the earth was still a source of comfort.
He didn't know how his fellows could bear it but he at least could draw comfort from the mines filled with spirit stones deep beneath the embrace of the earth. For a moment he reveled in that sense. He'd need to dig up more for the next night. He just couldn't rest without the qi being around him.
After a moment, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. That was enough time wasted. He needed to focus on the hunt. He'd already bet that he'd get at least three of his targets and at this point he'd found basically none. He'd have to work harder.
Once more, he let his senses flow through the earth. This time, rather than look deep he tried to focus as far as he could trying to find even a glimpse of a suitable target. He could sense a few of his juniors and a fair number of the lesser demons. No one that he was allowed to hunt unfortunately.
Hmmm. Wait, something felt off over there. It wasn't anything really, just another patch of the earth but his instincts drew him to it regardless. He'd long since learnt to heed heaven's whispers when they spoke into his ears. Perhaps it was nothing, but he'd have to take a closer look.
He took in a breath, out of habit rather than any real need and then he stamped on the ground in front of him. His strength rippled through it and turned it malleable. Then he began to rock his arms back and forth, pushing and pulling the earth to carry him to his destination.
Travelling atop a wave of earth wasn't very subtle but if it attracted enemy attention, that would only be a plus. He enjoyed the feeling of the wind on his face as he rushed towards his target. It would be nice to take to the air but dangerous here.
His feeling of contentment was replaced with annoyance as instead of wind, something else crashed into his face. It was solid but flimsy and he stopped his motion, realising that he'd also reached his target.
He looked around and frowned. It looked like a mortal village. A quick check didn't reveal any enemy qi so he turned to look at what had hit him. Oh, he'd smashed into some houses on the way. That was… bad.
He glanced around at the barbarian villagers who seemed to be keeping a good distance from him. One of them even had a glimmer of bronze to him which Hemish felt was such as waste. Perhaps he could train him for one of his juniors? He remembered doing that during his… second time, was it?
He shook his head and turned his attention away from that. The men and women were already looking at him warily and holding their children close but none of them were looking at him with horror or trying to attack him with vengeance. Good, that increased the chances that nobody had died in his previous blunder.
He quickly spared some attention to the wreckage to make sure that there weren't any bodies. Okay, that was good. One of the proctors was a rival of his father's and he really didn't want to give them an excuse to send him back this early.
Then he glanced at the other mortals around him. Well, it would have been a nuisance if he'd actually hurt those mortals, even if they had the blood of demons. He considered how best to deal with them. He needed something non-lethal to move them out of the way. Ah, that would work.
He flared his presence just enough that they couldn't bear it. There were a few tears and screams but it wasn't anything that they couldn't live through. Within moments, all the villagers had dropped to the ground. He took a moment to check over them. He didn't really deal with mortals very often so this trick didn't see much use.
Okay. None of them were hurt, just various levels of incapacitated. They should mostly be fine but he'd have enough time to finish up his investigations here. Ignoring the few low moans around him, he closed his eyes once more and touched the earth with his hands. The first thing he did was check for any enemies but he couldn't sense any within range.
Feeling slightly disappointed, he decided to address that nagging feeling in the back of his mind. There it was. This close, he could see it much more clearly. There was something blocking his senses and making it seem like there was nothing out of the ordinary. Luckily, he was familiar with the soil here and specially attuned to the earth.
Hemish tried to keep a grin off of his face. He was actually excited here. This kind of defense wasn't something an ordinary expert could set up. It would have to be at least an incredibly talented devil of Chakra Opening or if he was lucky, one of Dharma Shaping.
He needed to be sure. He took a deep breath and raised his hands up, pulling the earth up along with him. Then he pushed his hands back down and the soil rippled as the raised earth slammed back into it. "
O earth, reveal your secrets."
The ground trembled beneath him and he could read those trembles to make out what had been hidden from him. As the image formed in his mind, he realised that he had found a hidden bunker. Further, he began to place pinpricks of qi hidden within that bunker. Excitedly, he began searching for a worthy opponent. No. No. No. No. Oh
yes.
Among the scurrying of their least, there was an unmistakable bronze presence with power comparable to his own. He grinned fully as the presence reacted to his probe and began to move straight up towards him. They were passing through the earth not by manipulating it but what felt like built in arrays.
Hemish looked around and grimaced. This wasn't any place for a battle. He spread his arms out and pushed the houses away to make space, taking care to carry the mortals away without harming them. He looked around at the open field he had created. A bit small but it was still much better.
At its current pace, the bronze demon would still take a second or two to reach him. He considered what to do that time. He couldn't think of any other preparations to make and he hurt the other ones down there but he could certainly blow open the bunker for his juniors.
Normally, he would feel like he was taking away his junior's glory but his own target was down there as well, even if they were moving up to face him. He brought his hands back to his sides and then pushed them upwards. "
O earth, unearth your treasures!" The qi he had infused to the earth surged upwards and as it did, the earth was pushed up with it.
It exploded outwards and into the air. Before he could finish the job, a bony hand burst out of the ground and wrapped around his leg. He slipped out of the hold and slipped back a short distance away with a grimace.
He'd just been interrupted. The job wasn't finished and he likely wouldn't be able to finish it before the battle was over. He thought that he would be able to sense his enemy but she was hard to read. He couldn't sense her movements as well as he should be able to through the earth. Relying on his eyesight, he focused on his attack.
He brought his fists together into the ground in an attempt to crush her before she stepped out, but as he watched his enemy - an old woman with wrinkled greenish-bronze skin pulled herself up and took to the air, not only protecting herself from the earth reaching high enough to evade the earth spike that followed after. Hemish frowned. She looked like she was about to fall dead but she'd still dodged his attacks.
Was this going to be one of those old but skilled types? Deciding not to take any chances, he smashed his fists towards her as she and sent a wave of earth towards her. As he had half-expected, the woman quickly vaulted over his attack and to his surprise, her age seemed to melt off of her as she soared towards him.
Her bronze took a gleaming shine and her body regained its youthful vigour. She screamed a battlecry while raising a fist to attack him. He moved to stop her but a sense of doom filled his body and froze him to the spot.
What? He just stood there, struggling to breathe and shake off the feeling of death upon him as the woman approached. A curse! He gritted his teeth and strengthened his Dao-heart to shake it off.
Shaken he raised a fist to defend as the woman closed in.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
POV: Wilhelmina Taurus
Wilhemina scowled as she felt the fool narrow in on her defences. Of course, she'd have the rotten luck of having an earth-controller with just enough experience in the trials to spot her camouflage somehow end up in the exact patch of earth where he could.
No, this wasn't bad luck. This had the touch of heaven's curse all over it, but it was sloppy like heaven didn't care if she actually survived or not. What was going on? She shook her head and focused on the moment.
Even if her opponent was a fool who she could sense coming a mile away, he was still a powerful enemy that she needed to survive somehow. As he arrived above her, she switched to the guise of the Mother and used her bloodline as a focus to tap into the senses of the few mortals related to her in the village above.
Truly, he was a bumbling buffoon who couldn't even see where he was going. What kind of a Core Formation expert crashed into a house? Luckily, he didn't hurt anyone though she did catch how he eyed her great-great-grandson. Even a touch of bronze was enough to tempt him. That would be useful.
He even helpfully flared his aura and let her get a proper read of it. Definitely earth though that was obvious but more interestingly, the image of the ground that came to mind oddly reminded her of musculature and the movement of the body. So he controlled the earth with his physical motions at least to some extent. That might be useful.
She winced as she felt his full aura and felt all of the mortals above collapse. That… she'd get him for that and maybe arrange a reward for the villagers going through all of that. At least, she confirmed that he wasn't willing to hurt mortals.
Taking a breath, she switched to the Crone. She felt her physical strength lessened and winced. She never liked taking this form but the insight it granted her was necessary for moments like these. She analysed the information that she had.
He was familiar enough with the third sea environment to see through her arrays which implied that he had come here multiple times. He wasn't taking things seriously, which meant that despite his strength he was new to his power.
Something told her that she wouldn't be able to face him in a head on assault and there were still some tricks that he hadn't revealed. She'd need a probing strike to tease out his secrets and then try and finish him off in a single attack. Just in case, she needed to-
She felt the earth shake and she felt the hunter's attention on her. She grimaced and looked around to the other members of her clan. There was Antonius and his injured father. Defenseless Corvina and so many others who weren't able to fight. Usually, her shelter was a safe haven for the talented of her family.
Given what he'd shown so far, he should be able to break through her arrays. If he revealed them to others, she wasn't sure if they could survive and she couldn't afford to let them die. She stepped up and activated the arrays designed to take her to the top. She would have to fight him and lead him away.
As she moved, she could feel him ready an attack. Was he attempting to slay her while she was still within his element or was he trying to reveal her shelter? Either way, she couldn't let him succeed. She moved in right below him and grabbed his leg. If she could touch his skin then some of her more powerful curses became viable.
Her hand wrapped around his leg and then she frowned. It had the shape of a heel but it felt more akin to pottery than skin. Whatever she was holding transformed into mud, allowing him to slip out of her hold. A sense of doom filled the earth around her and she realised that he was about to crush her.
Using all the strength of the crone's frame, she jumped up into the sky and managed to reach just high enough that a spike of earth just missed her. She breathed out as she landed, thanking the Imperator for the boost to insight the Crone afforded her. Then she took a moment to think over her opponent.
Now that she looked at him, he looked completely normal. But she remembered what she had felt before. An earthen armor? Likely capable of shifting its nature to best protect him. She wasn't sure that she could get past it with her combat strength.
Within moments, she formulated a plan. The fool in front of her was drawing up another earthen atack. Did he not have any variations? She analysed the flow of his qi and figured the height she'd need to be to dodge the attack. Then she cursed him.
The curse of death could stop a heart but it required a strong connection to the target and a strong emotion against them. She drew upon the outrage she felt from him attacking her family and though she lacked a connection, she used the Gift of the Crone to force it anyway.
It wouldn't be enough to hurt him, she thought but it might scare him enough to retreat and if not, it'd be one hell of a distraction. The moment she activated her curse, a wave of earth flowed towards her and she jumped over it, moving to attack him.
As she flew, she dropped the guise of the Crone and took upon the Mantle of the Maiden. She wouldn't last a second against this one with the crone's weakened body and she wouldn't have time to analyse his attack. The maiden had incredible strength and youthful vigour but it left her vulnerable mentally.
She doubted that would be a problem with the idiot in front of her. She raised a fist and feigned a warcry, hoping to make it seem like a physical assault. Then she changed her attack as the man faltered.
The curse of death had bypassed his physical armor and was already trying to halt his heart. In that moment of distraction, she stepped in with her thumbs extended aiming straight towards his eyes.
That would be the obvious weakpoint wouldn't it? She grinned in relish. Unfortunately, the boy recovered just enough to block his face with a hand. She turned the attack into an underhanded strike to his unprotected stomach instead.
Despite the strength of the Maiden, she was only able to crack his armor. If it wasn't for the bronze of her body also increasing with her strength, she would have hurt herself. As it is, she just barely jumped back as the armor became fluid like mud to manifest a spike to bind and hurt her.
When she had a moment to look back, the crack had sealed itself. The hunter's expression had turned furious in the aftermath of the exchange and she realised that he wasn't going to flee. The curse was still affecting him emotionally and he was clearly expecting more of the same but without the crone's boost and the advantage of surprise it wasn't going to be nearly as effective.
She jumped forward to attack and to her surprise, she narrowly avoided an earthen hand forming underneath her feet in an attempt to crush her. She grimaced at the loss of the Crone's insight and held up her arms to let several earthen spikes break against the rejuvenated bronze of her body.
He recovered enough to face her and while he could weather his weaker blows, he still clearly needed only one strong strike to end her. As he pulled back his fist to punch her, she decided not to face him head on and moved to the next part of her plan.
She simply changed her course entirely, instead of following through. She darted past his side and ran past him, hoping that in his current state he'd choose to follow rather than focus on her juniors. She grinned as he howled and stepped behind her.
She darted side to side, dodging disks of stone shot towards her and kept ahead of his waves of earth using her the speed granted to her by the Maiden. As she did so, she tried to recall the next step of her plan.
She'd expended her sneak attack and it wasn't likely to work now that he was wary of it. She couldn't think of any easy way to crack his armor so she needed to go to someone who actually could. She had run through what she remembered of the legion deployment patterns and the only ally who would both be a good match and was likely to help her was… she grimaced. It was Alcaeus.
He would have to do then.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
POV: Alcaeus the Strong
Despite the many atrocities taking place across the desert, it was a relatively good day to be out in the Organ Meat Desert. Alcaeus sighed and took to the air, swinging off of a tree to reach a raised hill he had identified many centuries ago.
It was a good spot where all of the local winds flowed. They brought him many of the smells and sounds in the area and let him identify any enemy presence nearby. He'd felt a battle heading towards him and he needed to be sure about what was coming towards him.
He knew many of his peers chose to fight with their legion, defend forts or just hide from the hunters but Alcaeus had preferred to strike out on his own ever since he was a youngster of the first heavenstage. His sharp senses let him keep a track of everyone around him and with his speed he could choose to engage as he wished.
There it was. He could feel the trembling of the earth. It was the movement of someone who was unmistakably an equal with a mastery of earth that far surpassed him. Still, he'd felt that already and it was actually easier to read that lower to the ground. Instead he focused on his ears.
There it was. To the north-east and several thousand li away, though closing quickly. The loudest sound was the shifting of the earth and the man who controlled it. His body moved strangely, like part of his strength came from something external. Some form of strength enhancement?
There was another sound hidden just under the man's. It was a simple runner's pace that conjured up old memories of a young woman he hadn't really spoken freely to in many centuries. He sighed and focused in the moment. It was Wilhelmina then.
Judging by how she was coming straight for him, she was purposely leading a hunter to him. Someone she couldn't handle? In any case, he couldn't ignore her plight. He took in a breath and smelt the scents from their battle.
The hunter stank of the fifth sea and had this particular image of mud and pottery. He also seemed to be filled with rage and had a sense of lingering dread. So he'd survived a curse from her then? That would make it easier to scare him away.
Wilhelmina had that familiar feeling of focus and annoyance. Alcaeus smiled at that. Right, then. He needed to move fast. He considered and discarded a few plans before deciding to attack him head on. If Wilhelmina had brought him here then she'd almost certainly tried the more obvious ploys.
Alcaeus jumped, taking to the air then he smashed his fists back to throw himself in the direction of the battle. For a moment, the wind surged in the air and then he smashed into the ground. As soon as he landed, he grasped the earth with his feet and used strength and qi to push him forward.
Thump.
The sound of his motion carried, clear to any who would care to listen.
Thump.
He earth cratered as he landed with his whole weight and he pushed himself back into the air without paying it any mind.
Thump.
The battle was in view. Both participants had stopped as they heard and felt his arrival. Wilhelmina gave him a look of annoyance that told him exactly what she thought of his arrival while the Fifth Sea Hunter looked at him warily.
As he came into view, the hunter smashed a fist into the ground and the earth rippled like water before extending into a stone spike that aimed straight towards him. Alcaeus smashed the air with his fists to change his trajectory and turned all of his force into a kick towards the hunter's belly.
The hunter twisted his heels and the earth rose to secure his feet. Then he bent down and dipped both of his hands into the earth and made a motion akin to splashing water in a pool. Instead of water however, two waves of earth rose to intercept Alcaeus' attack.
They met in the middle and the earth shattered into gravel. Alcaeus used the backward force to spin in the air and grab two fistfuls of them which he crushed into rocks. Then he kicked the air to speed through another rotation before the hunter could react and threw the rocks in his hands with all the force he could muster.
The hunter grabbed both rocks out the air and spun with the force while the earth binding his feet moved with him. He threw the stones back but Alcaeus was already gone. He smashed the air to move to another angle and then just as the hunter was distracted with his throws, he kicked off of the air into a punch before he could intercept with an earthen attack.
Rather than attack, the hunter held up his hands to protect his face and Alcaeus heard the whisper of a mantra as he flew close. "
O earth, become my body." In the minute span of time before he made contact, an armor of mud was revealed on his body which expanded into thick plates.
Then Alcaeus' attack struck him straight in his crossed hands and the plates upon them shattered and then began to regrow before the attack was even over. Before he could take advantage of the weakness, the hunter countered with a spiked knee strike that he shattered when Alcaeus clocked it with his own knee strike.
The armor began to regrow there as well and attempted to bind Alcaeus while healing. Seeing that he was disadvantaged there, Alcaeus chose to retreat. He kicks the hunter's belly, not expecting it to do any damage but using it as a springboard to escape back into the air. As he flipped and moved to land, the hunter began to laugh out loud.
As soon as the legate touched the earth, the hunter twitched his foot forward and Alcaeus felt the ground under him turn to slippery mud that rendered him unbalanced. Then the hunter turned the twitch into a full kick and an entire set of spikes rose from the earth mirroring that motion.
Alcaeus grimaced as the attack came towards him. Rather than use his unbalanced feet, he punched the air and escaped to air once more. It took him a moment to readjust after which he had to narrowly dodge a few disks of stone that curved towards him.
Though they seemed to adjust in the air and were accompanied by spikes by the hunter on the ground, Alcaeus found it simple to smash them out of the sky and keep to the air while away from the hunter's reach.
Once the hunter realised that he wasn't coming down soon and that he couldn't hit Alcaeus while he was in the air, he paused in his attack and just frowned warily. Alcaeus also took the moment to consider his own options.
While the exchange had been taking place, Wilhelmina had switched back to her Crone guise and was analysing the fight. For a moment, Alcaeus considered if he could come up with a way to win without relying on her insight.
He could use the air to attack but the force wouldn't be enough to hurt the hunter. He also couldn't stay up in the air forever, he'd tire eventually. Barring a change in the environment or a lucky break, there wasn't much he could do. Holds meant that the hunter could trap with the armor and hits meant that he'd just regenerate.
He could either rely on catching the enemy off guard or he'd have to fall back on
that technique. For a moment, he considered his own weaknesses and his eyes widened. The hunter must have had the same thought because his head immediately snapped towards Wilhelmina.
Alcaeus grimaced as the hunter grinned and angled his body just so to show where he was targeting. Then he pushed, shoving the biggest wave of seismic force he'd generated so far right towards his fellow legate. Wilhelmina didn't bother to dodge, she just looked at him with annoyance despite the attack rippling towards her.
Alcaeus
moved, reaching Wilhelmina's side before the attack could. He hammered into the ground and didn't hold back any force as it cratered, pushing back both the seismic wave and any other attack that the hunter might employ.
Then he extended his hands outwards and Wilhelmina landed lightly into them, having already jumped just high enough to be safe from his force. Before the hunter could do something else, he held her tight and took to the air while carrying her in his arms.
"Need any help?" She asked casually, as Alcaeus focused on dodging or deflecting all of the hunter's frustrated strikes.
"I thought-" He paused to grab a stone disk with his toes to throw back. "-you came-" He kicked higher to dodge a stone spear. "-all this way-" He kicked the air to create a pressure wave that deflected a series of attacks. "-to ask for my help?" He rushed to finish before any other attacks could interrupt him.
Wilhelmina raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, this isn't going to work." She replied, extending her hand towards his. "Connect with me?"
Alcaeus nodded, being familiar with the Labyrinthian connection arts. She put her hand close to his wrist and a thread of bronze that had been wrapped into a band extended outwards. It wrapped around his hand instead and he felt a mental connection extend between them.
If you had mastered more than the bare minimum of the Labyrinthian Thread, He remarked,
you wouldn't have so much trouble with him. His thoughts travelled to her instantly and he was glad that he had mastered at least the basics himself when he studied with their clan.
Shush. She replied.
Tactical assessment. What did you see?
Combat-oriented Earth User. He began, which filled her with annoyance. He grinned at her.
I need to mention even the obvious, don't I? Anyway, he has sensory advantages on the ground which is why he was so effective when I first landed. He also has two layers of armor, if I'm not mistaken?
An armor akin to porcelain that mimics his skin and a secondary mud armor he uses to soften blows. She replied.
The mud can regenerate as long as he's touching the ground and I suspect the porcelain can as well, just more slowly.
Alcaeus nodded as he dodged a stone spear.
That's why he's rooted himself to the ground. He noticed. It was something that had stood out to him.
Right now, it's a stalemate but I suspect he has the advantage.
The earth rejuvenates him. She agreed.
While you keep getting tired. We need to end this quickly.
Why can't we just escape? Alcaeus asked. She'd gone to the trouble of leading the hunter to him which implied that she couldn't have just ditched him.
He knows the location of my hiding spot. It has many of mine and a few of yours too. She answered.
We can't afford him returning there.
Yes, I don't think they would be able to retreat properly. He said, frowning as he recalled the ones he had placed there.
You know the only way I have to decisively end the fight.
I'd rather you not use that technique. She replied.
It's not something you can use freely and this seems like it's purpose-built to get you to use it.
What are you talking about? He asked curiously.
Have you Seen something?
Maybe. We'll talk after the fight. She said quickly.
Can you win without using your technique?
If I can get him off the ground. He answered.
If not, it's either my technique or a retreat and attacking when he's vulnerable.
How long do you need to prepare your technique?
At least three free seconds, He said.
Longer if I have to activate it while dodging. You can hold him off for that long?
If you give me a second to prepare I can, She confirmed.
This was too risky to try by myself but if I do well, you might not even need to use your technique.
Alcaeus considered what her options were.
Ah. I see what you are planning. You do that, it'll give me time to try some other tactics I had in mind.
Wait, what- Alcaeus didn't wait for her to finish as he tossed her into the air and away from any of the hunter's strikes. Then he looked down at the enemy and considered what strategies he could try. He still had a few more tricks up his sleeves.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
POV: Hemish of the Prithviraj Dynasty
Hemish scowled with frustration as the two demons continued to dodge his strikes. Two of his prey were just out of reach and he couldn't get at them. He'd hoped to get vengeance on the female demon for giving him almost literally a heart attack and then she had led him to her ally.
He'd cheered up then, thinking that the heavens were finally on his side but after a few exchanges it had simply resulted in this stalemate. He couldn't think of any way to fight them and looking at the male's speed, they could escape anytime they wanted.
Suddenly, the male demon tossed the female into the air beyond his reach. As the female screamed something vulgar in their barbarian tongue, the male turned his attention towards him. Hemish frowned but prepared himself. What were they plotting?
Before he could react, the male demon moved to attack as he had done the first time. The air burst as it struggled to contain his speed and the demon surged towards him with an extended foot.
Hemish summoned a wall of earth to block it and there was a boom in response as the demon changed it's direction, crashing next to the wall and then rushing towards him directly. As soon as he touched the ground however, Hemish became aware of his every movement. He wasn't like the female who had methods to obscure herself. Everything he did was open to Hemish.
The demon was going to rush him, he realised. It took him a moment to raise a blade of earth in his path not only to hurt him but to slow him down. The demon reoriented once more, sliding past his spike and getting close enough that Hemish couldn't resort to earthen barriers.
He summoned his secondary armor, drawing strength from the earth to directly bear the hit. Any attack only damaged his armor and any damage on the armor healed as long as he touched the earth. He grunted as a strike hit his arm directly but he bore it.
Then before he could do anything else, his foe jumped back from the hit and suddenly, he flipped back and targeted his hands again. Hemish froze not expecting the sudden assault and raised his hands to defend realising only too late that the armor in his hand was still too weak.
His foe was trying to target the same spots in his armor, hoping to depend on pure strength and speed to breakthrough. Hemish softened part of the earth at his feet, letting the assault push him down rather than damage his inner armor. There were several assaults but his enemy couldn't do anything as he redirected the force into the earth.
Suddenly, the demon wrapped its hands around his stomach and planted his feet on the ground. Hemish realised that it was attempting to uproot him from the earth. He growled and strengthened his connection to the ground. Then he wrapped his hands around him in turn and tried to trap him into the earth.
Before he could accomplish much, the demon shattered the binds he had created around him and retreated. Hemish grimaced. So it had some ability to affect the earth in the same way it affected the air.
He raised his hand to grasp for the demon as he took to the sky and the earth extended as well, forming hands to grab him. Though they touched him, by the time they did so they were too far from the ground for him to gather much strength and they shattered with a single motion.
Hemish growled in frustration but before he could send out a follow-up strike as useless as that might be, his attention was drawn to a powerful force from above. He looked up to see the female demon, strong in the form of youth. Black cursed lines extended across her body and her power… it was overwhelming.
He knew he couldn't win and for a moment, he considered retreating. It was obvious what was happening here. The woman had already demonstrated a skilled but weak old form and an unskilled but strong young form. This must be what happened when she combined the two. He didn't know what risks the form had, but he knew that he wasn't powerful enough to defeat it.
It was so strong… so strong… How strong was it? He frowned as he realised that he couldn't estimate her strength more than 'much stronger than him'. He growled at that and the ready explanation that his mind had presented to him. There was only one explanation: Maya - illusion.
He fired a disk of stone at her and the woman dodged, her power and shape returning to that of the old woman he had seen before. As she landed on the ground, he summoned a wave of earth towards her to end her before she could interfere even more.
The she-demon just grinned at him and then he felt another surge of power. Suddenly, the male demon crashed in front of her as he had done before but rather than dodge, he smashed his fist on the earth and the force of the blow cancelled out his own wave of earth. What? Was this another illusion?
His senses told him the answer. He could feel a rapidly mounting power rise within the male. He was holding a spirit stone - far more powerful than either of them should be able to use - likely summoned from a storage ring. Despite that, he was using it and absorbing all of the power into his chakra system.
If his power kept increasing… Hemish moved, stamping his leg forward and riding forth on a wave of earth. The demon just grinned and jumped, taking to the sky with his ally. The demon stamped the air and in a burst of air and flames, disappeared into the distance. Within moments, he returned with a crash and Hemish could see the qi being infused into his body release in sparks of lightning, unable to be contained within the body.
Hemish realised he had no response to the increase in his power. He needed to retreat or at least change his tactics. "O earth, protect me." He punched the earth and let a dome of stone rise to protect him. Then he punched into them and twisted, letting them draw from the strength of his armor and recover from damage.
Just in time, he felt the entire dome tremble as the demon made its first attack. Then another, and another and another and another. Hemish trembled as he felt the demon not hit the dome but crush through it, taking up any space the earth could fill. Then once he had a strong grip, he ripped it apart.
Hemish looked into the eyes of the demon, blood-shot with power. As his hands reached towards him, his thoughts still considered tactics. How this must be a sacrificial technique that would damage his body, how he just had to survive long enough…
As the asura finally reached towards him, Hemish broke his token with a thought. There was no way he was going to risk facing
that he realised. He felt the familiar pull of being drawn towards his home and he gladly escaped into the Fifth Sea and to safety.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
POV: Wilhelmina Taurus
It took Wilhelmina several minutes to return to the site of the battle. She had to choose between the Crone's insight to understand what she sensed better or the Maiden's strength in order to actually reach faster. In the end, she chose speed but that still gave her enough time to think about the battle as she rushed towards the battle.
Already, the chase and the battle itself was taking a toll. Her illusion had been sloppy - that was the most obvious result. She was far too heavy-handed with it and that ended up tipping off the enemy. If she had more time to work on it… but there was no point in making excuses now.
She had hoped to get rid of him without sacrificing something permanent but that didn't work out. As it was, Alcaeus' technique would be rendered unusable for the duration of the trials which was dangerous especially with this sense of doom that she was sensing in the air.
She grimaced as she came upon Alcaeus' collapsed form. His body was damaged from taking in qi. As she had expected. The Inversion of World and Body was a technique that only worked due to his Dao of Self-Mastery. The concept was simple - draw in immense amounts of qi during battle and use it to gain incredible but temporary power.
With his Dao, he could keep his body working despite the damage done by the technique making it practical if also dangerous. They had never really tested how far it could go - especially if he was willing to give his life. She stopped and knelt before him, switching to the Crone to examine him.
Weak but conscious. "How are you doing, Alcaeus?" She asked, frowning.
He laughed and that laughter turned into a cough as he turned to look at her. "I've had worse," He replied matter-of-factly. "As you very well know."
She sighed and rolled her eyes. If he could make jokes then he would be fine. "What is your plan now? With that hunter gone, it should be safe for you to hide out at my shelter." She offered though she knew very well that he wouldn't take it.
"There is a cache nearby," He explained, forcing himself up. She knelt down and offered him her shoulder. "Set up by the Archigetes before. It should have something for me to recover."
"And he told you about it?" She asked with a frown. She hadn't even known there were caches. She shifted to the Maiden to better hold him up.
"He didn't tell me personally, but it was made known to a few legates." Alcaeus replied, smiling at her annoyance. That only annoyed her more. "If you were in charge of the clan, would
you give yourself that information?"
She didn't answer the question. She knew she'd be tempted to use some of them for her family. "I'll take you to it," She said instead, before moving on to the topic that had been on her mind.
He smiled and gave her the directions. For easy travel, she picked him up on her back and began to run. "Thanks, Wilhelmina." He whispered to her as they travelled, in a way that she remembered from so long ago. She was glad that he couldn't see the slight blush on her cheeks. Damn the maiden's mental weakness.
As they ran, her thoughts returned to the sense of doom that she had been feeling hanging about in the air. Originally, she had thought that it was just the lack of preparation this time around but now it began to fill her with suspicion. "How powerful do you think you could get with your technique if you were allowed to get as strong as you wanted?" She asked him as they ran.
"It's hard to say," He replied, his tone curious. "I might even be able to make a difference in a battle of nascent souls if I had a Supreme Grade Spirit Stone and was willing to die in the attempt."
That phrasing… it couldn't be.
"What's wrong?" He asked her, seeming to sense the shift in her demeanour.
"It's nothing," She replied quickly. "Just a thought that's unlikely to-"
That's when it happened, as if in answer. A bell. A fourth bell.
"Oh." She realised that her realisation was out loud. She realised that she had stopped in her tracks as a fourth bell - an unknown pattern - shrieked in her blood. She felt Alcaeus react behind her.
"Oh." He reacted, his voice holding the same sense of realisation that she might have had. She moved, rushing towards the cache hoping it had what they needed and that they found it fast enough to make a difference.
Was this the source of the doom? Was this what heaven planned? It was too much. They weren't ready to lose another Nascent Soul. Not so soon. She needed to do something. Her family would be slaughtered.
"Wilhelmina." She ignored him, switching to crone to sharpen her senses. There needed to be a way out of this somehow. There had to be! She stumbled, unable to carry the weight on her back with her now frail from.
"
Wilhelmina." She felt Alcaeus on top of her, forcing himself to move despite the damage to his body. He kept her pinned down in order to make sure that she couldn't move. "You need to calm down and stop panicking."
"How can I stop panicking?" She asked him, hoping he would have a solution when she didn't. "We just survived a battle and now this? How will we manage to survive this or what comes after?"
"I don't know," He replied after a moment. "But panicking won't help. The only way to get through this is if we stay calm and work together."
Together… together… "Alcaeus, that's brilliant." She told him, shifting to her Maiden guise and struggling to push him off. "We need something that can make a difference in a fight between nascent souls and I've just figured out how we can do that."
He must have heard the change in her tone, because he let her get up and then they were seated across each other under the desert sun. "What do you mean?" He asked with a frown.
"You of all people should get this," She replied, rolling her eyes. "Isn't this basically your thing now?"
Alcaeus frowned, thinking over her words and then his expression sharpened. "You are thinking of getting the other Legates together and using formations?" He realised.
Wilhelmina nodded. "Several of the current batch of legates trace a relation to me," She told him with a grin she hadn't had since the first realm." I should be able to get a message to them and with a little bit of luck, it might even be feasible."
Alcaeus nodded grimly. "Then we have a glimmer of hope," He replied. "Take me to the caches. The Archigetes may well come for them and if we can find what we need for me to help as well, we might actually have a glimmer of hope."
Wilhelmina paused. A part of her didn't want him to use a technique that might risk his life but no. There was no place for such sentimentality. She just nodded in agreement.
With newfound determination, they took off at a steady pace.
