Chapter 81
The Perfect Plan
The group retreated from the fissure ridge, pulling back a 100 yards to a sheltered copse of high-altitude pines.
Far enough from the unpredictable patrols but still within visual range.
It didn't seem like living things strayed too close to the area, the piles of bleached bones down by the fissure showing the adaptation of the local wildlife.
Dan collapsed onto the pine needles, throwing his ruined club onto the ground with a grunt. George and Annette set to work on Jimmy, the combined power of Restoration and Stillness forcing fractures left by the kick to stabilize.
The others, physically drained but whole, gathered the remaining smoked meat and water.
"We will stop here," Dan stated, flexing his stiff fingers.
"No animals are approaching, and the elementals clearly won't leave the valley floor. We rest and regroup."
The discussion around the fire was tense but productive, starting with a review of the engagement.
"The good news," Jimmy coughed, having regained control of his breathing, "is that the Qi is excellent and exactly what we need. The bad news is we have no blunt instruments that will survive the fight."
Kim, now analyzing the dull brown gemstone they retrieved, nodded.
"Only once it was down were we safe. It's too powerful for you guys to risk taking hits...”
"My club is dead," Dan said grimly, hugging the splintered weapon to his chest.
"I felt like it was building a legend… I’m useless now."
“That’s not true bro… you’ve always been useless! Don’t worry, your little bro will save you–” Chris ducked the thrown rock, chuckling.
“Dan, we will have to postpone the funeral until later. Chris, you still have a Seed, get rekt noob. Now, as for planning.”
The brothers’ eyes widened in shock.
They shared a glance, vowing their revenge on their verbal antagonist.
"We aim for weak points," Jimmy projected a hologram of a generic elemental.
Looking up, he met the eyes of the group.
“The plan is simple. Draw one in, Kim will do her thing, trapping it. I will maintain my illusion, distracting it. At that point, Kim will fill any faults in its torso with high quality H20. Dan will then focus on freezing it as fast as possible.”
He paused to pull in air.
“Everyone else stays in the aura range to supply support. Mom, try to still the water, helping it to freeze. Simple. Any questions?”
Chris spoke up.
"Yeah, I got one. Did we really need that hologram for the plan or are you just trying to show off?"
Jimmy let the projection die out.
“Any other questions?”
Dan felt the sharp elbow from his brother, “Wha-oh. Yeah, uh, what the hell was that supposed to be, it looked like shit!”
The bodybuilder turned, feeling his siblings’ heated stare, “What!?”
Chris’ eyes were bare slivers under his furrowed brow, “That was the best you had!?”
“You put me on the spot! What do you want from me!?” Dan whispered back, glancing around at the snickering circle.
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A deep pit of exhaustion threatened to pull Chris into its depths.
“I can't keep living like this… we need to find Ken…”
Shining from a thorough cleaning, Jimmy placed the scratched glasses back on his face, “All done?”
Dan walked to the nearest cluster of pines and found a stout, thick branch.
"Yup. Sounds good. Let's get to it."
The Core of Elusive Light projected the shimmering, marionette ‘Jimmy’ just beyond the fissure.
The nearest six-foot force of nature, noticing the disturbance, lumbered towards the phantom meal.
It thundered closer, chasing the flicker of power.
Water flowed.
The ground turned to soup, it roared in surprise as it plopped into the mud.
Illusion ‘Jimmy’ danced just out of reach, distracting the creature's simple focus.
Kim moved in, finding a major structural seam—a crack in the creature's lower torso.
She concentrated, forcing a focused jet into the seam.
Dan followed, slamming his hefty log against the saturated crevice, improvised weapon creaking.
The Core of Heavy Frost flexed, shifting.
The elemental heaved, arm breaking free, stone shrieking in their ears.
‘Jimmy’ gyrated faster, “Put it down!"
Dan’s Domain flared.
His breath frosted the air, the pressure increasing.
Water slowed, crystals forming, blooming into shards of razor sharp ice.
Expanding with terrifying force.
CRACK-THWUMP.
Mineral bonds fractured, shattering like glass.
Rock and ice alike shot through the air, slicing into Dan’s frost laden legs.
Sentient rock crumbed into a pile of inert, steaming debris.
It was over.
Swift, clean, and silent save for the splitting stone.
Resource secured.
No casualties.
Acceptable Qi expenditure.
Checkmate.
Jimmy’s smile almost matched that of his illusions’.
Chris approached the debris, picking up the dull gemstone that was fully encased in ice. He frowned, turning it over in his hand.
"Perfect one-shot guys. Can I keep this to fuck with?"
Dan glanced at Jimmy, who gave a slight shrug.
"It's yours brother. But figure out how to make me a better weapon."
“Sure thing, brother, I'll just be your pocket crafter, I guess.” Chris’ sarcasm was light, too fixated on the frozen gemstone.
A spark of heat flickered in his Core, hungry, unfamiliar.
He grinned.
"Oh yeah… this is gonna be fun."
With pathways full but cores hungry, they retreated to the edge of the territory.
The Reserve unit, led by George, got to work.
Dead wood was piled up between crumbling pillars of stone, blocking off their small camp.
Plenty of gaps littered the makeshift ‘wall’.
George scratched at his salt and pepper stubble, “Son, how crazy are we getting here?”
Dan took in the preparations, shrugging.
“As long as it's good enough to deter a passing beast I would think… Jimmy?”
A tiny speck of light hovered above the archers’ palm, sparkling, holding him transfixed.
“Ji– Nevermind. Yeah it should be fine for now, we won't be fighting them here.”
They enjoyed a short reprieve.
George rolled another healing wave through Jimmy's ribs, the sharp burning causing the lean man to squirm silent agony.
Kim meditated, dead leaves tossed about her on the wind.
Chris fiddled with the gemstone, anxious, burning to get his hands on some more.
“So… Run that shit back?”
It was executed with cold, clinical precision.
The seven-foot elemental was baited with another ‘Jimmy’, wearing a ridiculously large horned Viking helmet.
Kim effortlessly trapped it, and the coordinated Frost-Flow attack shattered the rock in under ten seconds.
A clean kill, another gemstone.
Another avalanche of Qi, laden with the solidity of the earth.
Dan’s Domain swelled, ground trembling under the added weight.
The breeze slowed to a crawl around Annette, her foundations becoming etched in stone.
Chris twitched, sweat slicked, strong arms shaky from the strain.
The spark rumbled, burning ever hotter.
Humming, right on the edge.
I can’t wait to burst.
