BOOK 9: CHAPTER 45: HELP

“This doesn’t look good,” Elijah said.

“It doesn’t matter how it looks,” Oscar responded. Elijah didn’t need Soul of the Wild to know that the man was incredibly tense. The same was true of the dogs, all of whom were laser focused on the sight before them.

It was a temple, but unlike any Elijah had ever seen before. Rather than looking like it had been built, the thing seemed as if it had been grown out of the nearby mountains and featured a host of colorful geodes as decorations. The pillars flanking the entrance were rough, reminding Elijah of natural rock formations, save for the uniformity of spacing. Even the dome was asymmetrical.

But he was far more concerned with the giants than with the temple itself.

Back in the Trial of Primacy, Elijah had dealt with fire giants, though those had felt very different from the ones standing before the temple. They were more refined, and the best analogy he could think of was that they were to the others he’d seen as humans were to their prehistorical predecessors.

Even that wasn’t a perfect comparison, though.

In any case, they emitted a sense of power that the wilder giants never had, and Elijah wasn’t eager to fight his way through them. However, he suspected that was the only way they would be allowed to enter the Primal Realm, which was where Escobar had been taken.

After studying it for a few more minutes, Elijah dragged Oscar back to a nearby cave. Once there, he said, “We should go back. We need more people. Those raiders –”

“No. They’re dead weight. And I don’t trust them.”

“What? Why?”

Oscar closed his fist. “They mistreat dogs.”

Then, he went on to explain – haltingly, at first, but more coherently as he went on – what he’d seen back in Bogotá. Most of the city treated the stray dogs with something akin to respect. Many of the residents fed the animals and accepted their presence. However, the raiders were not so kind.

“They killed them,” Oscar growled. “Two of them. I found the bodies.”

“You knew it was them?”

Oscar nodded. “I recognized the wounds. I heard them joking about it. I wanted to kill them. I should have. But…but my pack convinced me otherwise,” he revealed. He let out a sigh. “The people of Bogotá never accepted me, but they didn’t reject me either. That isn’t how it usually goes.”

Elijah frowned as he considered Oscar’s story. He wasn’t that familiar with the other man, but he knew enough to recognize that Oscar’s version of events didn’t always coincide with reality. He was a hermit who spent the vast majority of his time in the wilderness with a pack of dogs, and Elijah knew better than most how much isolation could affect a person’s mindset.

But that wasn’t the problem.

The real issue was that he completely believed Oscar’s interpretation of events. He hadn’t seen much of the raiders, but what he had seen back in Bogotá suggested a certain nonchalance towards life. They were the sorts of people who wouldn’t think twice about going out into the wilderness and grinding out a few levels on the local wildlife. So, killing a couple of stray dogs wasn’t unexpected from them.

So, he asked, “What about others? I have some friends who would help. You met Ron and Kurik, right? They’d come if I asked. And there are –”

“No time. Escobar has been gone for almost three weeks. It will take twice that long for anyone else to get out here. By then, he could be…by then, it could be too late.”

Once again, he was right. Not surprising, really. Oscar wasn’t unintelligent. However, it wasn’t what Elijah wanted to hear. The notion of going into that Primal Realm with only Oscar as support – it was not appealing, and it wasn’t difficult for him to imagine a repeat of the Chimeric Forge.

But then again, Oscar was his own group. With the dogs, he had just about every base covered, and he had proven time and time again that he was powerful in his own right. He could survive on his own.

He just needed a little help.

What’s more, it would allow Elijah to do what he did best – play the wildcard and adapt to the situation by using his versatility to their advantage.

“God, this is a bad idea,” he muttered to himself.

“I don’t see another option.”

One of the dogs barked in agreement.

“Do they understand us?” Elijah asked, glancing at Jackson.

“In their own way. Escobar is the best communicator, but the rest of the pack can listen to a conversation and get the general idea,” Oscar answered. Then, before Elijah could ask the obvious follow-up question, he added, “They can follow orders. We won’t slow you down.”

“I guess it’s decided, then. Now, how do we want to deal with all those giants?” Elijah asked.

Because that was a real problem. There were probably twenty giants down there, and for once, the two different types weren’t keen on fighting one another. Instead, they worked together to guard the temple. Sure, they kept to their respective sides, but they weren’t busy fighting each other.

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As it turned out, Oscar had been given the Tactician archetype for a reason, and he had a keen mind for strategy. Certainly, his plan wasn’t anything Elijah couldn’t have come up with on his own, but he did so without any hesitation.

So, it wasn’t long before Sophie attacked the fire giants, eliciting an immediate reaction. As she retreated into the surrounding hills, a handful of giants broke away to follow.

That was when Jackson went in from the other side, eliciting a similar reaction from the frost giants.

As soon as those two groups were out of the way, Elijah, Oscar, and the rest of his pack fell upon the remaining forces.

With Jackson and Sophie leading the other giants away, the role of the defender fell on Elijah. He hit the first clump of giants in the Shape of Thorn, using his vines, tail, and claws to inflict as much attention as possible in an effort to keep their attention. And it worked, too. Nearly a dozen giants collapsed onto his position, which was precisely what he’d been waiting on.

He let loose with bestial scream, activating an oft-ignored ability:

Debilitating Roar

Let out an enraged bellow that sends all nearby targets fleeing in fear, decreasing their damage by 15%. Increases caster’s footspeed by 10%. Only usable when caster is under the influence of Shape of Thorn (or its evolutions). Duration based on Ethera attribute. Current: 18.6 seconds. Resistance based on target’s Constitution attribute.

The giants’ eyes widened in terror, and they shook in fear as the ability’s effect overcame their minds. In the space of a second, they’d turned to run. At that point, the pack fell upon them.

Oscar led the way, hacking into joints and vulnerable areas with his handaxes, while Freddy lanced in, nipping at ankles and hamstrings. At the same time, Ray and Maymay cast one spell after another, each one meant to weaken their massive foes. Elijah saw the giants stagger as they were driven to flee.

But it wouldn’t last long.

Elijah leaped upon a fire giants’ back, biting and clawing as he ripped into the back of its thick neck. Each bite sent flames coursing into his mouth, but he didn’t let it dissuade him from continuing his attacks. His tail lanced out, stabbing into the creature over and over like the needle of a sewing machine. Boiling blood flew with every puncture, and then, Elijah bit through the thing’s spine, and it fell limp.

He jumped free, then used Bestial Charge to ram into another giant. The impact sent the creature flying backward into one of the temple pillars. It hit with a massive shockwave, causing a shower of stone and crystal to explode into the air.

By that point, Oscar and the pack had already downed their first target and moved onto the next, viciously tearing into the thing with the ferocity of rabid animals. Elijah threw himself at the next group in an effort to cause as much damage as possible in the few seconds left on Debilitating Roar.

Together, Elijah and the pack managed to down two more giants before the effect wore off. That was when he activated Thornbound Legion, conjuring a swarm of tiny mites that leaped free of his body and burrowed into the remaining giants. The affliction they inflicted upon the creatures slowed and weakened them, combining with Ray and Maymay’s spells to induce an intense lethargy that made even basic movements a chore.

The group finished them off less than a minute later, felling the giants without issue.

Unfortunately, they only had a few seconds to rest before Jackson and Sophie returned. Elijah’s heart jumped into his throat as one of the giants caught up to Jackson. The thing’s hand dipped low, its massive fist connecting with the rottweiler-mix’s ribs.

Jackson activated some ability, conjuring a thin shield of ethera, but the giant’s blow, driven by its immense strength, shattered that plane of magic. The fist slammed into the dog’s side, launching him across the terrain. He bounced three times before coming to a rest.

“No!” Oscar shouted, embracing some ability. He staggered upon its release, sending an immensely powerful wave of energy out to envelop the dog. Before Elijah’s eyes, he saw Jackson’s caved-in side mend. Bones popped back into place and blood retracted into his furry body. In the space of a second, he was entirely whole.

The dog leaped to his feet with a growl, then threw himself back into battle.

By that point, Elijah was already rushing forward to meet the charge. Without Debilitating Roar, he had only one option to keep the creatures controlled. So, he activated Domain of Vines, and then, seeing that it wouldn’t be enough, used Unchecked Growth.

Thorny vines and roots burst free of the earth, wrapping around the creatures and holding them in place. Elijah directed them to squeeze the giants to death, but they just weren’t strong enough to do so. The best they could do was to hinder their movement and keep them from targeting the dogs.

Elijah hit the frontmost giants with a shoulder charge.

Then, he went wild.

The giant tried to fight back. It attempted to use multiple ice-based abilities. But no matter what it tried, Elijah was far too powerful – especially with his Regeneration boosted so thoroughly – to be deterred. That giant went down without issue, and Elijah threw himself at the next.

Oscar and the dogs hit a second later, and together, they overwhelmed the hindered giants. They didn’t do so unscathed, though. Both Jackson and Sophie took damage, but Oscar kept them on their feet. None of his abilities were quite as effective as the one he’d used on Jackson, but they were enough to stave off the minor injuries they sustained.

The real stars were Ray and Maymay. The two dogs worked tirelessly to depower every giant there, and their efforts made a noticeable difference. Elijah appreciated that once Domain of Vines ran its course. Without their spells, it would have been a much closer fight.

But in the back of his mind, he knew the truth. These giants were strong enough to kill Oscar, but they’d have struggled to finish Elijah off. Sure, it would have taken some time for him to kill them. Days of hit-and-run attacks, probably. But he could have made it work, nonetheless.

That was the thing about his recent improvements. Oscar was clearly powerful. Maybe even the second-highest-level on Earth. But Elijah had something like thirty levels on him and quite a lead in cultivation as well.

Still, he was impressed with the teamwork displayed by the pack. Maybe they could use that to their advantage.

Whatever the case, once the giants were down, they only spent half an hour healing the wounds they’d sustained before setting their sights on the temple. It was an imposing and foreboding structure, made even more so by what it represented.

Primal Realms were powerfully dangerous places, and the second they stepped inside, they’d have no choice but to see it through to the end.

But if they wanted to rescue Escobar, there was no other option but to head inside.

“Are you ready for this?” Elijah asked.

One of the dogs barked enthusiastically while Oscar just nodded, saying, “We are.”

Without further discussion, they stepped forward, mounted the steps, and headed into the temple.