Book 2, Chapter 8 (Patreon)

The shimmering air hung in front of him. A warning that only a fool would enter. Stepping through into the devastated zone. The air scorched his lungs, forcing him to breathe in through his nose. Next time a wet cloth across the face would be a bare minimum. While breathing was still uncomfortable, the ice trick worked. It let him function despite the oppressive conditions. The plan was to circle around the devastation zone, staying within the zone but ready to run immediately if any lizards noticed him.

Around him there were no signs of life, though what looked like recent scorch marks littered the ground. A hellscape in another language. Obsessive, heat, ash and wanton destruction. Sometimes the scorch marks were darker imprints in the ash, and other times they manifested as gouges in the rock and still other times as smooth expanses of melted rock. It was like every now and again a lizard would come along and randomly start burning the surrounding space. There were scorch marks criss crossing older versions.

Looking carefully around for hidden enemies, there were no lizards visible. This close to town he was uncomfortable penetrating further in case his actions would stir up the proverbial hornet's nest. Instead, he started traveling parallel to the boundary using a quick walk and a step whenever he was fully charged and shadows presented themselves. The shadow cover was patchy, so most of the time he ducked out of the lizard zone to walk beside the abandoned and often broken homes to utilise his steps more effectively.

After about a minute in the zone, the temperature would get to him. Retreat and the moment he stepped outside, he went from hot and uncomfortable to cold and wet. The ice melted into the armour and the clothes underneath, leaving him a soggy mess. The heat would get too much before all the water had evaporated away, and so he felt it when he stepped outside. Ignoring the alternating discomfort he continued along the boundary looping towards the river. Stealth was second nature at this point. The civilised zone was over five minutes' walk away and anything could be in the surrounding houses so every step was measured and every random sound noted.

A couple of hundred meters later geographic presented him with a choice. The lizard territory had been shadowing the road in a mostly straight line with a slightly parabolic arc. The road bent and the lizard's territory kept going on its previous trajectory. It went straight through the houses. Just ahead of him he could see shattered remains on one side of the line and then half a house on the other side. A brick house so the flames had not spread. It was a hard line transition from burnt wasteland to the greenery of suburban backyards, fences, house fragments.

Follow the road or pick a path along the lizard boundary?

Scanning the wasteland. It was still disappointingly empty. He had been hoping to run into an enemy by now. There was no movement apart from ash swirled with a wind gust. Looking at the broken backyards. Once more there was no movement, and he doubted anything was stupid enough to make a home next to the lizards. The road curled away to the right. With stealth either direction would be self. The road would probably result in monster fights. He was far enough outside the patrolled area that there would be creatures out there and if he noticed them, then he would fight them.

I am not here for random monster fights.

Not the road, then. Stick next to the lizards, hoping at least one would reveal itself. Picking a path along the edge of the zone was dangerous. After all, each house was a separate threat and when he entered a new backyard, there was always the chance of surprising something nasty. On the other side, straying into the lizard territory represented its own danger with their ability to emerge from hidden borrows. For each transition he needed to watch closely, splitting attention between random surprise monster and an angry salamander emerging. Road, Lizard. Road.

Part of him screamed at him for his stupidity. As a result, part of him was ignored. Re-established his ice barrier and stepped back into the oppressive heat. It was hot and dry and it still hurt to breathe. Even the t-shirt across his mount was only partially effective. Ignoring that and then shadow stepped deeper into the territory. After that he walked slowly and carefully along the boundary towards the river.

A lizard burst out of the ground two meters in front of him. It was so close he could have thrust his spear into it. Fight or flight? Logically, a quick kill was ideal. Instead, panic engulfed him.

Fleeing.

One shadow step. Distorting the natural motion so that he landed facing the lizard. Instinctively launching an ice missile and then three more shadow steps till he was crouching in a random kitchen. The lizard died with barely any squealing. Eyes glancing around, planning the exit route. A shadow step would take him into the sitting room at the front of the house. Then he could throw himself through the front window and flee properly. With the armour there were still six shadow steps available, so getting away should be easy.

A fire dome as large as a small house bloomed into existence in front of him. It was over thirty meters away and from this distance he could see and hear it but not feel it. This response was the reason he had run.

Maybe he should not be ignoring it when parts of him screamed at him not to do something.

The interface was snarling at him, apparently in complete agreement that he was an arse hat.

The escape route was available, so there was an opportunity to get some of his hunting in.  Nocking his bow. The lizards were contained, if they became threatening safety was a skip and hop away. When they dropped the dome, he could get some shots in. Use his range advantage to claim some skills. The fire dome fizzled away to nothing. Starting at the top, the structure thinned and then it cascaded down till it was just a shadowy image in his vision. The bow was ready, but there was nothing there. Not even the lizard he had killed. Its body was gone too.

Damn. Nothing.

There was a scratching noise behind him. Switched to his spear and rotated to face into the broken house. Looking at the sitting room towards his escape bolt hole. A snout with vicious long teeth was pressed up against the window, sniffing aggressively.

Woyeck

A solitary animal with poor vision and an enhanced sense of smell and hearing. Fights using all 6 limbs. All limbs are multi-jointed with four joints allowing them to move either in a traditional gallop or fluidly like an Octopus. Will eat anything but prefer meat. Strong affinity to magic and will often specialise into one affinity and usually demonstrates strong healing.

This woyeck was physically weaker than him, but possessed extremely strong Earth magic. Inherent healing level was only slightly less than egger cough slug

The creature’s head resembled a horse's head if a horse came with tiny eyes and elongated teeth. Shivering. The nostrils were flaring rapidly and horsey ears twitching like it was listening and drilling in on his breathing. One of its arms raised and flexed in a weird way as it felt out the window. A large claw came out of hand and with a tiny flick it smacked against the corner glass pane. Earth magic infused that tiny claw. The pane shattered like it had been hit by a bullet.

Some fragments pricked into his face and hands where he was standing five meters away. The tiny stinging pains broke him out of his stupor. Need to run. A shadow step away, back into lizard territory. Through only the very edge of it. Standing between two deadly predators. Walking a tightrope were a single misstep was oblivion. Forcing imagination back to the moment. Flights of fantasy served nothing. Grabbing a sulfuric acid / anti inherent healing potion with the Woyeck’s healing. The healing needed to be suppressed or he would just waste his magic.

Another pane of glass shattered in the window. The Woyeck was coming. Throwing the potion with his wind magic guiding its journey.

The earth in the kitchen, the exact spot he had just vacated, erupted with an earth spike that was six times more powerful than his own. Another shadow step. Standing still was death. Magic focus was watching the ground. At least he should get enough warning. Another step. Within the neighbour's house and outside the lizard boundary. Though a single step would take him back to within it.

Four and a half shadows steps left.

The Alpha transition had wrecked the fence and walls. The Woyeck effortlessly flowed through the broken window and was charging through the exposed kitchen, taking a hard right to head straight towards the new position. His shadow steps which usually bought time as the creatures reorientated had not delayed the Woyeck for even a moment. The creature knew exactly where he was. As it moved through the sitting room, the potion splashed across its neck. Adrian smiled internally.

Take that. Your end is coming.

To his surprise, his bow was back into his hand and the arrow knocked and ready to fire. The memory stone drilled good habitats into him and so stuff happened subconsciously. The creature was coming too fast for anything fancy, so he fired the arrow at little more than half of full strength. There was no force behind it as it was only ever intended as a distraction. The Woyeck heard, saw or sensed the arrow cutting through the air. It distorted its body, using a weird twisting motion to somersault away from the arrow. Its previous pot belly was now on its back acting as a hump and its face was upside down, the long teeth at the top of its snout looked far more threatening than its previous horse head orientation. Now it looked like it was made of teeth. The arrow had delayed it, but only momentarily in its new configuration it continued to speed towards him.

Not waiting to see anymore. Two more shadow steps to get away, this time pushing them to the maximum distance. Despite the risk, he still felt in control. The potions would work and eventually his magic or archery would be the difference. When he had time to look backwards, the arrow had actually hit the monster. It had only clipped one of the Woyeck’s back limbs doing little direct damage, but any hit was enough to trigger the mind spike effect. The animal fell, clutching its head as the legendary bow's special ability went to work. Thinking about legendary bows, another arrow was ready to go. This time it was a full draw, and it hit harder, slapping into the creature's center of mass. Confusion seemed to take hold this time.

Another shadow step

One, almost two left.

Chest was heaving. Two back yards over and a couple meters inside the wasteland. Standing in a collapsed dining room. Two chairs were still intact, but the other chairs had been reduced to kinderling. The large single piece of wood that had been tabletop had signs of scorch marks on it with its legs sheared away, presumably because of some heavy force hitting it.

Flames exploded between him and woyeck. Heat assaulted him a moment later the spot he had fired the second arrow from was in flames.

Oh shit.

Multiple enemies. Out in the wasteland and there were over forty lizards crowding the space. The closest was less than twenty meters away. The dining room was from a corner house. There was a street nearby. One shadow step to under a tree on the curb. It felt like he had just completed a two hundred meter sprint and now he needed to keep going. Breaths were tearing in and out of his chest, even with the armour bonuses he was not sure he could do another shadow step. Sixty meters from the woyeck through he could no longer see it and thirty meters from the nearest lizard. There might be others closer and out of sight. There was a choice to run or counter attack. Baiting the lizards had proven to be difficult. It was worth the gamble. He could ignore the woyeck as hopefully the lizards would take care of it, if it decided to follow him. Hands blurring as he grabbed an arrow, put it on the bow and drew it back to fire before releasing smoothly. It was all a single practised movement.

Thawk, Thawk, Thawk, Thawk. Less than four seconds and four arrows. Enough time had passed. A shadow step was available that would disable him. Another step. Thawk, Thawk. The first four arrows instantly killed three salamanders and another crouched as the mind spike hit it. Then domes of fire exploded out turning the last two arrows into cinders. Fire erupted all over the place but luckily there was nothing near him. Backing away ready to shoot if he saw an opportunity or if the lizards tried to attack him.

The Woyeck still impacted by confusion charged towards lizards. Big spikes slammed up under the slinking lizards; eight of them were left dead or broken. It seemed to be able to see through the flashing flames. Another earth spike flashed up taking out the next two closest lizards. Then the lizards struck back. Fire curling like whips flashed around the creature. Its momentum stopped and it started smoking but even as it did another three earth spikes were unleashed. Then it collapsed as a fire whip burnt straight through it decapitating it. At least fifteen more lizards were dead.

While continuing to back up he kept firing arrows as the domes had collapsed. Bringing death to the milling lizards from afar. Four more succumbed. Suddenly there were no more targets just retreating fire domes. They had broken and run the destruction too much even for them. Standing with his back against a tree, stasis and fade switching in. The bow was held in his hands ready to be unleashed on anything that moved. Wait a minute for shadow step to regenerate then loot. Nothing stirred as he watched. Then with his reserve replenished and using all of his skill he crept up to the edge of the wasteland. Abandoning the attempt to acquire the flame sprout technique was the safe option.

Possibly the lizards were too powerful for him, however not growing, stagnating would also end in defeat. After all there would be other Birds out there and he needed to be strong enough to meet them.  Get to Melbourne and when he got there be strong enough to protect the family. The devastation zone was right in front of him. Not a single lizard had left the area and there were over twenty bodies to loot.