“Okay, so I really didn’t think this through,” Elijah muttered to himself once he was out of sight of the guards. Not only was he still wearing his suit, which he’d worn in an effort to impress the guild leaders, but he also lacked the time to truly investigate the situation. Especially if it was as dangerous as the others seemed to think it was.

With that in mind, Elijah shifted into the Shape of the Scourge, as much to protect his clothes as to use its abilities. The transformation came with an influx of power, sending his attributes soaring to new heights, as well as the ability to use Guise of the Unseen. He let the stealth ability conceal him only a moment later.

Once he became invisible, he took a look at his surroundings, but, for the first time in a long time, chose not to indulge his curiosity. His meeting with the guild wasn’t for a few more hours, but he didn’t want to chance damaging his suit. It probably would have been fine – if it hadn’t been destroyed by what he’d done after the pirate invasion of the grove, it wouldn’t be harmed by the bestial residents of Central Park – but he thought it was better to be safe than sorry.

After all, he hadn’t brought any other fancy clothes with him.

So, without further hesitation, he ran back toward the wall, and in a single leap, cleared it. There was a slight shimmer of ethera that accompanied his passage, but nothing tried to stop him. In moments, he’d torn off across the street. At top speed, he could more than keep up with the city’s cars, so he had no issue weaving in out of traffic.

Idly, he wondered what the city’s residents would think if they could perceive his presence. Doubtless, the sight of a ten-foot-long raptor-dragon would incite quite a lot of panic.

It only took a few moments for those thoughts to take a backseat to a realization – someone was following him. Three someones in fact, all riding motorcycles powered by ethera. And from what Elijah could tell, they all seemed reasonably powerful. Ascended, though not by a lot.

He turned, leaping to a skyscraper and running along its side. The form didn’t feature the same ability to stick to any surface characterized by the Shape of Venom, but sheer momentum meant that sprinting along the vertical surface wasn’t difficult. After only a second, he reached the end of the building and leaped, covering more than two-hundred feet in a single bound. When he hit the sidewalk on a perpendicular street, he’d left the motorcycles behind.

However, he quickly discovered that his opponents were far from unintelligent, because they’d created an impromptu roadblock that stretched across the street.

That was when Elijah got a good look at the pursuers. They wore NYPD uniforms of deep blue, with their badges proudly displayed. However, instead of carrying pistols on their hips, most were armed with stout cudgels and what looked like riot shields.

Not wanting to immediately resort to violence – or maybe because he very much did – he slowed to a stop, then let Shape of the Scourge fall away.

Striding forward confidently, he called out, “I’m going to guess this is for me. Can I help you gentlemen?”

“Stop right there!” shouted one of the men, drawing his club and holding his shield before him.

As Elijah did just that, the motorcycle riders pulled in behind him. All three carried versions of the rifles he’d seen back in Seattle. Annoying. Even more frustratingly, they didn’t hesitate to point those weapons in his direction.

“You really want to think about this before you do something stupid,” Elijah said in as calm a voice as he could manage. He had no real interest in killing anyone, but if they attacked him, he was more than willing to make certain that they paid the price. And his weapon of choice would be the most horrifying spell he could cast:

If there was one thing he could predict, it was that watching mushrooms explode from your coworkers’ body was enough to give anyone pause. If it came down to a fight, maybe that would tamp down on their aggression.

But Elijah wasn’t going to use it unless they continued to push.

Which, judging from their collective demeanor, seemed almost inevitable.

He held up his hands. “I’m not here to fight.”

“What are you?” the leader demanded. “How did you escape the park? Did you kill the hunter?”

“I’m just a guy. And all I did was jump over the wall. I never even saw a hunter. I was only inside for a grand total of two minutes.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“That territory is quarantined,” the man barked.

“Noted. I’ll keep my distance,” Elijah said, glancing back at the men with guns. They hadn’t lowered their weapons. Neither had the others relaxed. “We good here? Honest mistake. Won’t happen again.”

“You broke the law.”

“I mean, maybe? I don’t think so, though.”

Elijah kept the fact that he’d been allowed into the quarantined Central Park to himself. Something told him that those guards on duty had let him inside against protocol, and the last thing he wanted was for them to get into trouble. Sure, he’d bring it to light if it meant keeping him from having to kill everyone present, but until then, he’d leave it ambiguous.

Just as the cop said something else, Elijah felt another presence approaching with great speed. He didn’t even have a chance to brace himself before he felt a spearpoint at the small of his back. It shimmered with ethera, but pointedly, it did not even penetrate his jacket.

And it could have. Elijah could feel the power contained in that weapon. What’s more, it only took him a moment to recognize the wielder.

“Hello, Rakhan. Long time, no see,” Elijah said, breathing in the man’s distinctive smell. Like sandalwood and cloves. “You remember me, right? Elijah Hart.”

The police officers took a step back, and Elijah saw their faces go pale.

“Ah. The Druid,” the Sikh Hunter said. Pointedly, he didn’t remove the blade of his spear. “You have grown.”

“So have you,” Elijah acknowledged. The last time he’d seen Rakhan had been during the Summit back in Seattle. Since then, Elijah had gained close to sixty levels – a massive feat by anyone’s standards. By comparison, Rakhan hadn’t progressed nearly as much, but he had clearly ascended and gained quite a few levels on top of that. He was more powerful than guild raiders like Chelsea, which meant that he was an elite of the world. “Congratulations on your ascension.”

“Thank you. Your strength is impressive as well. I nearly failed to sense your presence when you entered the park.”

“You’re the hunter they hired,” Elijah reasoned.

“I am. The wildlife in the park is elusive at the best of times, but of late, they have been acting…odd. Aggressive. The authorities were forced to quarantine the area, but when that did not work, they requested my help.”

“Odd, how?” asked Elijah. “Also, do you mind removing your spear from my back? This is my only suit.”

“It is a nice suit,” Rakhan remarked, pulling away. Elijah turned to face the man, and he saw that he looked very much the same as he had back in Seattle. His dastar was blue, though it looked a bit more threadbare than before. He also wore chainmail armor that shimmered with ethera, though it didn’t rustle at all when he moved.

The man planted the butt of his spear in the street, then raised two fingers to his brow in salute. “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa,” he said.

After the initial meeting with Rakhan, Elijah had sought out information on Sikhs, just in case he encountered the hunter again. Now that he had, he knew precisely how to respond to the traditional greeting. “Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,” he intoned.

Roughly speaking, the exchange was meant both as a greeting and an acknowledgement that all strength, identity, and victory came from a higher power. For a Sikh like Rakhan, that higher power was God. For Elijah, it meant something else. Perhaps the system. Or the World Tree. Or nature itself. He hadn’t ruled out the existence of God, either. The fact was that he didn’t know one way or another, and after everything he’d seen, he couldn’t in good faith discount any possibility.

In any case, the exchange wasn’t meant as a declaration of faith. Not for him, at least. Rather, he just wanted to show his respect for Rakhan.

For his part, the Hunter grinned broadly and asked, “Would you like to assist in the hunt? Your spear would be welcome.”

“I don’t carry a spear,” Elijah said. Though, after a second, he summoned his scythe. “I guess this is kind of spear-like, though. A bendy spear, maybe. In any case, before I do anything, I need to meet with the guild leaders. I have a meeting in about four hours. But after that? Sure. I’d love to help.”

“Fantastic!” Rakhan declared, clapping Elijah on the shoulder. “I will prepare! Come to the gate when you are done. Then, we shall hunt!”

Elijah couldn’t help but grin at the hunter’s enthusiasm. However, he did have a question. “Why the quarantine? I get trying to keep the animals at bay, but…”

“There is a disease in the park. I have yet to trace it to its origin. The numbers are too great, and the creatures too powerful. When they escape, they spread the taint. We cannot let it free,” Rakhan answered, suddenly solemn.

“I see,” Elijah said. Then, he nodded toward the cops. “What about them?”

“I shall deal with them. Go. You must keep your appointment.”

Elijah was certain that the guild leaders would wait for him, but he got the feeling that, for Rakhan, the notion of tardiness was anathema. So, Elijah told the man that he’d return when he was finished, then set off in the appropriate direction. When he reached them, the police parted, eager to get out of his way.

Obviously, they’d recognized his name.

Sometimes, notoriety was frustrating, but at other times, it could be a blessing. Whatever the case, it wasn’t long before he’d left the odd scene behind and progressed into the densely packed city. Soon, he was following the flow of pedestrians just like he was a normal person, albeit one in an eye-catching that drew the attention of everyone he passed.

At least he’d remembered to store his scythe. Otherwise, he might’ve caused a panic.

As it was, it was still almost an hour before he finally reached his destination. And when he did, he couldn’t deny that he was more than a little impressed.

The square stretched out before him, at least half a mile across and lined with dozens of buildings. At each corner stood enormous skyscrapers, each one exemplifying different architectural ideals. The one to the north was brutalist in style, rising a hundred stories like a great and enduring monolith.

Its opposite to the south couldn’t have been more different. Like an ancient and classical temple, it lorded over everything in its purview. Marble columns, gleaming white surfaces, and an open, airy layout made it look like the home of a pantheon of gods. A modern Olympus, its summit wreathed in white clouds and casting the entire area in its benevolent aura.

To the west was its dark counterpart. Spires and steeples, stained glass and arches – it was a gothic masterpiece of looming, baroque perfection. Like a cathedral to darkness and detail, it clashed with everything else in the area, as if to proclaim its differences for all the world to see.

And then, finally, to the east was a monstrosity of shiny steel and sleek glass. A minimalist aesthetic if ever there was one, the only contrast to modern architectural sensibilities was the fact that it looked like it had been twisted into shape, creating an optical illusion that could easily give a person a headache.

Clearly, magic had been used in each building’s construction.

But Elijah’s eyes inevitably settled on the square’s other major structure. In the very center of the plaza was a domed building. It wasn’t nearly as large as the skyscrapers at the corners, but it radiated a sense of importance. Part of that was the place of prominence it occupied, but it was also due to the structure itself, which borrowed quite a bit from art deco sensibilities.

Mostly, though, it was the ethera it radiated, marking it as a powerful building that could very nearly rival the Temple of Virtue in Argos. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make it stand out.

It was also where Elijah was headed.

So, he stepped forward and into the square, ready for whatever came next.