BOOK 11: CHAPTER 49: THE RED MARSH

“I have to admit – that went better than expected,” Elijah remarked, looking down at the rapidly rotting troll. Even with half its flesh having turned into a decaying slurry that mingled with the massive pool of congealing blood beneath it, the thing was huge. His previous assessment that it was at least twice his height had been a slight underestimation. If it was less than fifteen feet from heel to head, Elijah would have been immensely surprised.

What was not surprising was how rapidly the thing had turned to rot. Only an hour had passed, and already, it was well on its way to becoming fertilizer. Most of its equipment had rusted as well, proving that troll armor was definitely not meant to last. The only survivor was a single sword, which looked as good as new.

Ivin had claimed it, though mostly because, of the army’s elites, he was the only sword wielder that didn’t have better. For all that they did many things very well – like organization and architecture – the illythiri lagged far behind some of Earth’s elite crafters. To most people that wouldn’t be evident, but Carmen had revealed that information with no small degree of professional glee.

She liked being at the top. No matter what else she said, most of her self-worth was wrapped up in being the best Blacksmith around. Was that healthy? Probably not. But everyone needed a purpose, and Carmen had found hers.

Of course, she also enjoyed whacking her enemies with that oversized hammer of hers, so maybe she had plenty of purpose to sustain her. Elijah could relate.

Carmen herself stood next to him, frowning at the waste of all that material. “Such a shame they did that to good metal,” she muttered. “I understand the reasoning. You don’t want to provide gear for your enemies. But a corrosion enchantment tied to the binding? It makes me sick seeing that kind of thing.”

“Well, you should be able to take out your frustrations when you get inside,” Elijah said, no small degree of bitterness in his tone. He might’ve made peace with the idea of letting them go in without him, but that didn’t mean he was particularly happy about it.

“Don’t do that.”

“What?” Elijah asked.

“Sulk. People are always watching,” she stated. “If they see you moping around, they’ll infer the wrong sorts of things.”

Elijah glanced around, and sure enough, there were a few members of the army watching him. They pretended otherwise, but they weren’t particularly subtle about their observation.

“Fine.”

“And for your information, I don’t intend to fight in there,” she said.

“What? Really?”

“Of course not. I know my place, and that’s in a forge. Once we get ourselves set up, I’ll have my hands full repairing gear and using whatever we find in there,” she answered. “Besides, I don’t really fit into the army’s normal structure. I should be fighting with the Iron Legion, but –”

“The what?”

“Iron Legion. That’s what the ones from Ironshore are calling themselves. You know, iron because of Ironshore and –”

“I get it,” he said.

“Then why did you ask?”

Elijah just sighed, which elicited a small smile from his sister-in-law. If nothing else, she’d always be there to take the wind out of his sails.

“Seriously, though – they have their formations and strategies. Meanwhile, I’m better when I have a little room to move,” she said, rolling her shoulders a bit. It wasn’t easy to see under the set of heavy armor she wore, but the effect was still obvious. “Not saying I won’t fight if it comes to it, but it’s better to let the combatants do the killing while I just make the gear. Same as any other Tradesman.”

“You’re not like other Tradesman, and you know it.”

Her smile broadened. “You say all the nicest things to me,” she said in a saccharine voice.

“Ugh.”

With that, Elijah left Carmen to herself. She had things to do, and he’d just get in the way. It had nothing at all to do with the fact that she rarely let a chance to tease him pass her by.

Over the next hour or so, the army completed their preparations to go inside. Gear was checked and double-checked. The last of the healing completed. And the Explorers returned from their gathering expedition. For all they knew, they wouldn’t get another chance to forage inside, so they wanted to take what they could get. In service of that, they’d picked the cavern and the surrounding caves clean of mushrooms, edible moss, and any small animals they could easily down.

It wouldn’t add much to their stores, but if things got as bad as everyone knew they could, they’d be thankful for whatever food they could find.

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Finally, they approached the jagged pillar in the distance. It was even larger up close than it appeared to be from afar, and it loomed with such presence as to make it seem even bigger than it really was. It reminded Elijah a bit of the Washington monument, though that was probably just because of its rough shape. Even with all the jagged protrusions, he could recognize an obelisk when he saw one.

Elijah, Sadie, and Ivin approached the gate together. It was made of dark iron, polished as smooth as glass and emanating an aura of hunger that took even Elijah aback.

“If it immediately transports me inside, don’t hesitate to follow,” Sadie said, glancing back at the others. “We don’t know what’s on the other side, and there’s every chance we’ll be thrown right into battle.”

Finally, Sadie laid her hand on it, but nothing happened.

“The Red Marsh,” she said at last. She looked at Ivin, then said, “Swamp protocol, then. No limits on numbers.”

Over the course of their trek through the Hollow Depths, the army had encountered a wide variety of biomes ranging from deserts to rainforests. However, the most prevalent were the swamps. And they were difficult enough to traverse that the army had been forced to create specific strategies for survival. Fortunately, the frequency with which they’d been forced to adapt to such environments meant that they knew precisely what to do.

Still, there were more than a few groans as the orders went out.

Healers and Tacticians worked together to shield the soldiers from biting insects, while Explorers enacted abilities that would protect everyone from the environment. Meanwhile, everyone traded their leather boots out for waterproof waders that went up to their hips.

Elijah didn’t blame them. Swamps were, even at the best of times, frustrating to traverse. At worst, they were pits of deadly disease and venomous predators. Of course, he usually didn’t have to worry about such things. His scales were very well-adapted to swamp life, and predators mostly left him alone.

In his mind, it was just further evidence that he should’ve been going inside.

But he didn’t say as much. He’d already voiced his objections, and continuing to do so – even when he knew he was right – would only serve to drive a wedge between Sadie and him. Their relationship was strong, but he knew better than to test its foundations by continuing a fruitless argument.

So, he watched as everyone prepared. It only took about ten minutes, so soon enough, the first squad was ready to enter the Red Marsh. They weren’t exactly elites, but they weren’t far off, either. Plus, they had Helen with them, and her class would enable them to remain almost entirely undetected.

It reminded Elijah of Zhang Yue, though Helen was admittedly far higher level than the Explorer from Hong Kong.

Without further hesitation, all six simultaneously laid their hands on the gate. And then, with a surge of ethera, they were gone, soon to be replaced by another squad. Then another. Over and over, they went, hopefully establishing a beachhead on the other side.

All in all, it took more than an hour before the army was inside. Sadie and Elijah’s friends were the last.

“I guess this is it,” Elijah said. “One last offer – let me come in with you. I know I can make a difference.”

“I know you can too,” Sadie admitted. “But the world can’t afford for us to concentrate on one realm at a time. We have to split up. You know I’m right.”

Elijah thought that was debatable, but he didn’t want to sully their partying with an extension of an argument that had already been settled. So, he just said, “Be careful, then.”

“We ain’t the ones meant to be careful. We got a whole army ‘round us,” Kurik interjected, pushing past them. “You’re the one goin’ into a Primal Realm alone. If anybody needs to remember to take care, it’s you. Especially with the way you get into trouble.”

“What? I don’t get into trouble.”

“You got sucked into a Primal Realm.”

“Could’ve happened to anybody.”

“You also almost died like a dozen times in the Trial of Primacy,” Sadie pointed out.

“We all almost died,” Elijah said.

“Oh, I wasn’t counting when we were fighting through the challenges. This is just when you went off exploring on your own.”

“I get curious,” Elijah muttered.

“And –”

Elijah cut Carmen off before she could add to the dogpile. “I get it.”

Oscar, who’d mostly remained silent, said, “You also went into the Elemental Maelstrom alone where your body was ripped apart as you attempted to cultivate your soul.”

“I get it!” Elijah hissed. Then, he added in a low voice, “But it worked, didn’t it?”

Escobar barked in agreement, which didn’t make Elijah feel any better. If that little maniac agreed with him, then maybe he needed to rethink his life choices.

What he really wanted to say was that whether or not they thought he was reckless or crazy, that was probably the only reason he’d even consider going into a Primal Realm alone. Sane people just wouldn’t go down that road.

In fact, sanity wasn’t really conducive to becoming an elite in the first place. As far as Elijah was concerned, everyone there – including those people in the army – had psychological issues. Otherwise, they’d be back home doing something more peaceful.

But then again, the world needed Elijah’s brand of crazy, didn’t it? That was their only chance of surviving the threat of excisement.

“Seriously. I get it. I’ll be careful,” Elijah assured them all.

Then, one by one, he said his goodbyes. The kiss he shared with Sadie was fairly chaste by their standards, but she tended to get uncomfortable with public displays of affection. So, he reined it in.

When he got to Miguel, he put his hands on his nephew’s shoulders and said, “Remember not to go too crazy in there. Primal Realms are opportunities for advancement, but they’re also deadly places that aren’t meant to be underestimated. This is going to be a lot more difficult than the Chimeric Forge. You’re going to need every ounce of power and cunning you’ve got. Use it to take care of your mom.”

“I will.”

“Do I get a pep talk?” asked Kurik.

“Shut up.”

“Bah. I was hopin’ to be inspired.”

“Don’t die.”

“That’s the good stuff,” Kurik deadpanned.

The others got more of the same from Elijah until it was clear that there was nothing left to say. So, it was with a heavy heart that he watched them all place their hands – or paws, in the instance of Oscar’s pack – on the gate.

“I love you,” Sadie said.

Then, everyone was whisked away to the Blood Marsh. Elijah had never even gotten the opportunity to return her profession of love with his own.

Suddenly, Elijah felt very much alone. For a moment, he just looked around the cavern, and he briefly considered going against his companions’ wishes and entering the Red Marsh anyway. Once inside, they’d have to work with him.

But aside from angering Sadie, it would also work against their plans. Because at the end of the day, she was right. The world wouldn’t survive unless they split up. There just wasn’t enough time to concentrate their forces in one place.

So, it was with some regret that he activated Roots of the World Tree and returned to the Hartwood Grove.