Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends

Chapter 469: Anatalien

Conviction

|Greater Threat Sense| alerted her to the danger, with barely any advanced warning, but she reacted on instinct alone. The danger came a moment after her skill announced the threat.

|Greater Sky Evasion| twisted her around in a way that body couldn't move on its own. The Air and the Wind changed directions around her and shoved her body aside like a doll. A thin line of Wind shaped like a blade cut through the space where she used to be, gouging a line in the ground.

Before she could react something wrapped tightly around her ankle, then something stabbed into her calf and she grimaced as the piercing pain was replaced by what felt like lightning hitting entering her body. Her muscles spasmed and she thrashed as she was pulled.

She hit the ground hard, and was then dragged along. Her Qi was spent, the small amount that had regenerated was barely enough to shape a single technique, and not enough for it to be at full power.

Lightning still coursed through her body, but she gritted her teeth and pushed through it. Her muscles twitched, resisting the effects of the attack. She focused what little willpower she had left and twisted, calling the Wind to her with her skill. It surged around her, picked her up from the ground and she beat her wings, getting into the air just as she felt something pierce up through the ground and try to catch her.

She blinked furiously, trying to clear her blurry vision. She pulled on the chain as she rose higher, then reached down with her hand and pulled what felt like a spiked ball stuck into her calf out, then she unwound the chain.

Her threat skill alerted her again, and she twisted as a hammer came at her from above. With a beat of her wings and the assistance of the Wind, she turned, gained momentum and then kicked downward with her leg. She hit something that rang out like metal, and heard it impact the ground a moment later.

Wind currents around her fought her control, trying to shift as blades of shaped Wind Qi flew at her from the side. Tali weakened them with her skill, but wasn't able to evade all of them even with her evasion and air current sense. The blades hit her and didn't pierce through as they were weakened enough that her stats could protect her. But they sent her flying widely through the sky.

Smoke mixed with clouds gathered above her, she could feel it in the Sky, then it sparked, and Lightning blasted down, too fast for her to avoid. It hit her and the pain spread through all of her body sending her to the ground.

She hit it with her side, her wing caught beneath her. She felt the bones break and pierce the skin of her wing. She cried out in pain, then focused one her skill. She could barely see from the smoke, but the air currents around her told her where her opponents were, not that she had to aim. She used her will and with |Mine Are The Winds, And The Sky| a blast of Wind expanded outward from her position pushing back attacks that were coming her way.

It gave her enough time to stand up and pull the bone of her wing in place, her stats already healing the damage, albeit slowly.

She focused her will again, but before she could attack, someone rushed her, faster than she could react. A fist lashed out and hit her shoulder as she tried to evade, disrupting her will. She saw an armored figure, shaped like an antlered drake, with glowing symbols etched onto the armor and large feathered wings on his back. He attacked again with his other fist.

Tali sidestepped and blocked, her body protesting the effort. She kicked low, and her opponent raised his leg. She continued the spin and swung her arm in a backhanded attack to her opponent's head. He twisted out of the way, but she managed to graze the armor. Immediately she felt a pull on her body and a weakness spread through her. Before she could react, a fist landed in her stomach, doubling her over.

Anger filled her as another fist landed on her face, splitting her cheek open and breaking her teeth. She stumbled away, her body trembling from fury. She beat her wings getting some air and pulled the wind to her. She felt the chain come at her back and spun kicking the spiked ball away, sacrificing her foot in the process as it stabbed clean through. She steeled herself, and let the wind hit her wings, her injured wing protesting and the bone splintering again. The agony made her lose her vision for a moment, but the wind picked her up and carried her into the air.

The drake followed, his wings beating faster than hers. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to escape, but there was an entire fleet out there, they would come. Except... Sigmund had hidden them away, and she had no way of letting anyone know.

Before she could think of a way out, the drake caught up to her and began his assault. Symbols flashed over his fists as he struck and out and she crossed her arms to block. She took the hit on her forearms, and the symbol on his fist rippled. A wave of force expanded through her, shattering bones.

The agony made her black out, and what felt like a moment later, she was tumbling through the air, the ground coming up to her fast. She couldn't move, her body gave out, and she could only watch as vines exploded out of the ground and caught her. The pain finally overtook her, and darkness called. Her last thoughts were of Sigmund, and the knowledge that this was all her fault.

Kael walked over to where Tellisa Oakcalled gathered the Ruler of the Empty sky in her roots. She was injured, her body broken and battered, but she would live. High Rankers like her didn't die easily.

"Any signs of the others?" Kael asked, his eyes turning to glance at the areas of vast destruction nearby. The powers unleashed there rivaled or perhaps even exceeded those of the Reaction Engines. He shuddered to think what that could've done if used in a city, or against an army.

Yet, many had died here too, as a direct result of this battle. How many? Kael didn't know, but he knew that they shouldn't need to die for the vanity of those stronger than them.

Tellisa tilted her head and closed her eyes. He felt her Qi spread through the ground, tendrils of roots growing in all directions. "I sense no life anywhere nearby."

Kael grimaced, this wasn't what was supposed to happen. They had waited too long, but in his defense, he didn't think that they would be able to do so much in such a short amount of time. He should've known not to underestimate monsters by now.

He turned to Fethum and nodded toward the tied up woman in front of him. "Bind her," he said.

Fethum nodded and walked over, then started carving Runes into her skin, sealing her power and binding her, getting her ready for transport.

Kael looked at Maya and Exiled Shell. "Search the surrounding," he said. "Dead bodies might be useful to teacher as well."

He hoped that it would be enough. His teacher had requested at least two, and preferably those who had at least one tier 9 skill. He wanted to study them, and Kael knew that Ruler of the Empty Sky and the Voice fit that bill. They didn't fully meet the requirements of his code so that they could be killed, he knew that. He had noticed that Berion had some reservations, but ultimately, this battle should be enough to convince him. The battle against a dome was no place to settle petty grievances. Kael's reasoning was right, in the end. All of them were monsters, and they all had to be taken down.

Once he returned with the Ruler of the Empty Sky, the teacher would reward him. And Kael would finally be able to break the system that kept them all under the rule of those undeserving of it.