2989 Life from Death (Part 1)
Strider's bloodline ability gave his body and the ground he stood upon the same electrical charge while his destination bore the opposite charge.
This way, the repulsive and attractive forces would respectively push and pull him toward his destination with pinpoint accuracy. Thanks to their combined effect he reached a speed on par with a Raiju at full speed but with smaller and more precise movements.
Even the closed space of the caves wasn't an issue since unlike Bytra the Zouwu did not need to generate an electromagnetic rail, only jump points. The charged areas also acted as magnetic locks, giving Strider solid footing on the walls and ceiling as if he were standing on the ground.
His father had manufactured his armor and blades to boost his abilities further, building different electrical changes in different pieces so that the various parts of the armor moved along with him.
Their combined effect balanced Strider's steps and absorbed part of the strain from exceeding his natural speed.
The blades attracted each other when he needed to block, forming a single wall.
When he attacked, instead, they formed electric arcs that struck at the enemies even after the passage of the first sword, creating an opening for a counter and tracing a path that the second sword could follow in a split second.
'Not bad at all.' Lith thought, holding a breath of Origin Flames ready to be emitted from all over his body, just in case. 'I wonder how powerful Strider would become were he to master earth and air Void Magic.'
Unbeknownst to Lith and heavily implied by his paranoia, the Zouwu shared such thoughts which were among the many reasons for his resentment toward the Tiamat.
In the space of two heartbeats, all the undead bats were on the ground, and this time for good. They had been shredded in so many pieces that the biggest was the size of a single human phalanx.
"Is everybody okay? Did I miss one?" The Zouwu asked.
"Yes and no." Rhuta said. "You killed all the bats and we are alive, but we are not fine. Look carefully."
He showed Strider his still-bleeding arm.
"Why aren't you healing it?"
"That's the point. I've been using light fusion since before the bats attacked us the first time yet the wounds aren't closing." Rhuta replied.
***
The necromantic speel had traveled through the underground flow of world energy of the Garden, just like Ryka's and Rhuta's blood. The life essence was carried by vein-like tubes coming out of the ceiling of the throne room and converging in an ancient bronze basin at the right side of the throne.
Back when the Garden accepted pilgrims seeking the Great Mother's blessing, the Groundkeeper would fill the basin with water and use it to wash his hands and eyes before meeting a supplicant.
It was a symbolic gesture to move on from the results of the previous judgments and listen to the newcomer with a fresh, unbiased mind.
Now, however, the basin had a whole different purpose.
Maergron stirred the pool of fresh blood, splitting it based on the person it belonged to. Then, he cupped his hands and sipped the blood on the right side.
"A human. What a waste." There were no bloodline abilities, no noteworthy spells engraved in Rutha's life essence. "Fuck! An enforcer of the Council. If he's here for me this could mean trouble."
There wasn't enough to read the human's memories, only a few bits of feelings and emotions.
Maergron then drank the green blood of Ryka, gulping it with satisfaction.
"Yes! A Titania!" His muscles swelled and bulged with might. "This can be useful later. She works for the Council too and she's… In love with some sort of humanoid tiger? Who cares?"
The shadow apprentice could glimpse into the mind of those whose blood he tasted, but what he would learn was up to chance.
"I don't know what's worse. If wasting time and resources to prepare a second wave to deal with a bunch of unknown intruders or the fact that I can't stop talking to myself!" Maergron said and he was right on both accounts.
The hunters were getting closer to their prey while guilt and isolation were creeping in his mind, slowly twisting it into madness.
***
The situation was so weird that the group of Awakened used a spell to light the tunnel ahead of them as bright as day even if it meant exposing their presence. After what had happened, they weren't sure it would matter anyway.
"Shit, I hadn't noticed because it barely stings but it's the same for my wounds." The Titania pointed at her still-bleeding feet that were filled with bite marks from the undead carpet.
"How is this possible?" Azhom the Lich said. "Lesser undead can only draw power in two ways: either from their creator or their victims. The bats were newborns and there was no one but us here.
"It means that one of us is a traitor. That or there might be some truth in the stories about the Garden." Both hypotheses were preposterous but only one was plausible.
The members of the Hand of Fate looked at each other with distrust, especially at the Lich. She was immune to such creatures and as an undead, Azhom was familiar with all kinds of Necromantic spells.
"No, there's actually a third possibility and I can prove it." Xenagrosh said.
No one suspected the Eldritches because if they wanted to wipe out the unit, they would have done it the moment they were in an isolated area.
Creatures like that had already proven that with their overwhelming power, they had no need for subterfuge.
"Look here." She showed her left forearm where small holes in the Bookwyrm armor were still visible. Black blood dripped from her flesh, sizzling upon hitting the ground like a powerful acid.
"What's there to look?" Strider's lips curled up in a grimace of disgust.
"Boss, use your head!" Unanna said. "If one of us was powering those bats, then how could our minions do something we ourselves can't? It proves there's no traitor."
"It's more than that." The Shadow Dragon nodded, silently scolding the Zouwu who inwardly cursed himself for the umpteenth time that day. "Those things bit through Bytra's Bookwyrm armor, pierced my flesh, and drew my blood.
"All these things are supposed to be impossible. I'm an Eldritch. I feed upon everything, undead included. My Abomination Touch is stronger than the life-draining abilities of any undead.
"The bats were supposed to be consumed by my Eldritch half upon contact, yet they resisted long enough to harm me. On top of that, they left something in my wounds that's keeping them open."
The Awakened tried to use Life Vision and regretted it immediately. The world energy of the Garden blinded them like they had stared into a stroboscopic light.
"Let me help." Bytra took quick note of the dimensional coordinates of the place and Warped them outside.
***
"What the fuck?" Maergron was flabbergasted. "You can't Warp outside. I can't Warp outside without the Ears' help. The energy of this place messes with space!"
He had no idea what Chaos Steps was so he decided to put even more effort into the next wave.
