I was traversing the wilds back to Dusk Bane Outpost, the Jawbreaker Beast Hammer slung across my back, its bone head humming with qi. I had successfully opened my Meridians cultivating in the battle essence of Iron Spike Canyon. It was notable achievement as a half step cultivator, and the success of the training session was still fresh on my mind.
However, the suspicious humanoid tracks I'd found in the storm's wake still gnawed at me, the sweaty tang hinting at a pursuer—possibly Kael, the "shadow stalker" from the Hunters' Guild bounty board. A shadow stalker preying on new cultivators. The Beast Vein Continent had already pushed back with its qi-disrupting storm; now, it seemed, human threats were rising. A sharp cry cut through the dusk, followed by the crackle of static and a beastly snarl.
My heightened senses caught a familiar scent—frost and ozone, like a storm over snow.
It was Torren! I sprinted toward the sound, using a double jump from my mobility technique to clear a rocky ridge! The falling feather sigil flashed in my mind, my new lightning-laced affinity boosting my speed even further! Below, in a dusty clearing, Torren fought for his life.
His Storm fang Wolf bond was in full display: gray-blue fur cloaked his arms and shoulders, his slit pupils glinting, teeth lengthened into fangs! Cracks of pale energy spiderwebbed across his skin as he dodged a flurry of strikes, his movements sleek like a predator mid-sprint. His opponent was a lean figure cloaked in dark leathers, a curved blade flashing with qi-infused runes—likely Kael, the mercenary. Kael's strikes were precise, his steps light and deliberate, matching the tracks I had seen. "Hand over your core, pup," Kael hissed, his blade grazing Torren's arm, drawing blood.
"I don't flipping think so!" Torren snarled, unleashing a burst of icy wind from his palm! but Kael sidestepped, his blade slashing again. I didn't hesitate but leapt into the fray! I swung my Jawbreaker Beast Hammer with 750 kilograms of force! Its runes flaring. The strike aimed for Kael's flank, but the mercenary twisted, parrying with his blade.
FLASH!
Sparks flew as my lightning-laced scales shocked the air, forcing Kael back. "Torren, with me!" I shouted, channeling the Sacred Breath technique to steady my qi.
Torren nodded, his enhanced hearing catching the command amidst the chaos. Together, we pressed the attack—Torren's claws slashing with storm-like speed, my hammer strikes crackling with fire and electricity!
However, Kael was no ordinary foe. His qi surged, his blade weaving a defensive web that deflected Torren's icy palm blasts and my Hidden Dragon Palm, which unleashed a wind strike laced with a stunning jolt! The mercenary's eyes gleamed with malice. "Two cores for the price of one," he sneered, lunging at me.
I double-jumped, soaring over the blade, and countered with a palm strike, the wind and lightning grazing Kael's back!
''GAAAH!''
But Kael recovered quickly! And he was fast, his qi unnaturally sharp, likely boosted by stolen cores. A sudden tremor shook the clearing—not from I or Torren, the dragon had followed me! The genome dragons tail whipped up a cloud of dust, creating a dust screen of cover! Dust invaded my mouth and tongue, my ember coil senses catching a bitter, disruptive note, likely the storm's pollen.
The ground trembled, throwing Kael's balance for a heartbeat. Dust plumed in choking waves as the dragon's massive tail tore through the clearing. A low, volcanic growl rolled out, rattling my teeth.
Through the settling haze, a furnace-bright glow swelled. Then—FWOOM!—a torrent of fire blasted across the battlefield, carving a molten arc between Kael and us. The dragon didn't even aim for him—it just vented its fury at whatever stirred in its territory.
But the effect was perfect. The dust screen thickened, sparks whirling like fireflies in a storm. Kael hissed, retreating two steps, his sight and senses blunted. His blade cut the haze defensively, unsure of where the next strike would come.
"Now!" I barked, "make a run for it!" my hammer humming as I surged through the cover. Torren's frost aura snapped into a hard chill, ''We can't win this!'' His fur bristled, pale energy crackling. I nodded, my scales sparking erratically as the ember coil's predatory urge surged in me. One of the arcs hit Kael but he fought it back.
We needed to escape both Kael and the Dragon. I grabbed Torren's arm, channeling my cloud step technique for an air dash, pulling us both toward a narrow ravine.
Torren's Storm fang speed matched my own, our qi syncing as we weaved through boulders! Kael wasen't done yet a followed suit! All of us however were being pursued by the Dragon! Behind us another jet of flame erupted! Kael's swift viper bond flared as he dodged the torrent of flame. But the will of the continent intervened again! There was a Sudden gust of wind, heavy with that same qi-disrupting pollen, slowing him and the dragon, and giving I and Torren the edge to slip into the ravine's shadows.
Panting together we hid, "That's Kael," I whispered, tasting the sweaty tang of our pursuer. "He's hunting bonded cultivators." Torren's slit pupils narrowed, his fangs bared. "I heard his heartbeat—too steady for a normal man. He's dangerous." I gripped the hammer, the bounty board's warning echoing in my mind.
Thankfully Kael who now had the full attention of the genome dragon darted past our hiding spot in the shadowed alcove, followed by the heavy thumps of that highly territorial dragon.