Chapter 282 - One with the Winds of Essence

This was a fun one :)

Hump gazed into the pit. He couldn’t possibly count the number of undead monsters down there, faintly illuminated by the light of magic radiating the lich’s apprentices as they worked their spell.

“Can you do it?” Finnian asked Ashera. “More importantly, can you do it before the lich and her army stop you?”

Ashera shook her head. “Not me.” Her gaze fell on Hump. “I am the strongest amongst us, and the one with the most chance of holding the lich back. The task of bringing the roof down must fall to our wizard.”

“You want me to do it?” Hump asked, shocked that she thought he was the best choice for such a monumental task.

“I heard you brought down half of a mountain before. A few layers of stone shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Hump frowned at that. “I collapsed a tunnel. The mountain was part of a chain reaction completely outside of my control.”

“Modesty isn’t what we need right now,” Ashera said earnestly. “Either you think you can do it, in which case we move forward with this plan, or you don’t, and we find another way.”

“You expect the wizard to do this alone?” Finnian asked.

“There are no expectations here,” Ashera said. “I need a realistic answer from you Hump, because while you work on the roof the rest of us will be fighting to keep the enemy back. There won’t be a back up plan if it fails.”

“This is madness,” Finnian said.

“He can do it,” Celaine said confidently.

“We’ll need a little madness today,” Ashera said. “We cannot win here alone. By collapsing the roof, not only will it lay waste to the army below, but the dragon keepers can reach us.”

Hump ignored them, instead turning his gaze to the roof where the smaller of the two white stones glowed softly. Using its light, Hump scanned the roof, wondering if Ashera’s idea was even possible. Celaine’s confidence was nice and all, but there was a logistical issue here that he had to figure out.

He supposed there were similarities to the tunnel, and the cavern roof covered a much larger area and had no obvious supports. With sixty feet of rock, dirt, and a city resting atop it, triggering a collapse didn’t seem impossible. Especially if they could locate some weakness in the structure. Other than that, he had the transmitter stones that Higri had provided him before this mission safely stowed in his pouch. All he’d need to do was carve the spell formations into the roof and activate them from afar.

Yet ignoring the feasibility of the spell, there was an even bigger problem.

“The moment we start trying something, the lich’s forces won’t ignore us,” Hump said.

“Then we’ll need to do it fast,” Ashera said. “Can you do it?”

Hump thought for a moment longer, trying to think of any other solutions, but he could sense the strength below. He could see it. A head on fight would only end in failure. If they brought the roof down, not only would it be a devastating blow against her forces, but it would also allow the dragon keepers to reach them.

“I think I can do it,” Hump said. “I’ll need to reach the roof obviously. Last time, I created a chain of Rockslide spell formations and then activated them from beyond the tunnel using a transmitter stone. I’ve got the stones. All I need to do is create the formations around the rim of the roof.”

“So you will need steady footing?” Ashera asked.

Hump nodded.

“I can get you up there and create a platform for you to stand on,” Ashera said. “Once in position, how long do you need?”

“Last time it took two hours.”

Ashera frowned at that. Her eyes shimmered with Spirit Sight and she cast her gaze down. “We may be able to buy you twenty minutes. Possibly less. Will it be enough?”

“Twenty…” Hump stared at her, then the roof.

“Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect,” Ashera said. “It just has to be enough.”

“I can probably create four spell formations in that time. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether that’s enough.”

“Alternatively we could go back,” Finnian said. “Regroup with Keeper Yunillia and reach Ado and the other keepers over by that arena. Then we come back here together.”

“Whatever spell they are wielding down there, it is building,” Ashera said. “Time is not on our side, but Lady Owalyn is. Cast your spells, Wizard Humphrey. Listen to the spirit of the land as Ado has taught you, and let the winds of essence flow through you. Now’s the time to have a little faith.”

“Faith’s never worked for me,” Hump said. “But get me up there, and I’ll trust to what I know.”

“As long as it gets the task done. Celaine, you’re the weakest amongst us. I want you to stick at Hump’s side and assist him however you can. The rest of you, hold this level. I shall join you once Humphrey is set up.” Her eyes fell on Aurora, who waited patiently behind them in the tunnel. “You, my dear, I want to remain hidden. Save your strength for when we need it.”

She let out a soft grunt and Ashera smiled.

“May Owalyn guide you all.”

With everyone ready, it was time to move out. Nascal, Finnian, and Varesha remained behind in the tunnel. Their role was to hold back any undead that came up to meet them and keep the tunnel clear. They would need to retreat to it once Hump was ready to set off his formations.

For Hump and Celaine, it wasn’t so pleasant. The stone ledge they were standing on only covered about half the distance to the top of the cavern. They followed Ashera up, coming to the end far too quickly. After that, it was down to the former dragon keeper to forge their path.

Her power appeared gradually. At first, faint bronze tendrils rose from her body like thin snakes, whipping and writhing until they made contact with the cavern wall. They seeped in, the essence growing thicker, until the stone itself took on a bronze sheen as if they’d uncovered a vein of gold. It filled the gaps and crevices, lightening them up as her power dug deeper. Then, with complete confidence, Ashera stepped out into the open.

A stone step extended from the wall right beneath her foot. It was perfectly smooth and flat. The bronze sheen was gone from it leaving it entirely grey. She continued upward, walking as if the ground were already there, the stone forming to meet her every time.

Hump wasn’t so confident. He cast his eyes downward, peering through the gap between where the stone ledge ended and Ashera’s first step began. It was a long way down, and if he fell, only undead monsters would be there to catch him.

They must have sensed her power by now, yet the chanting continued. A Chosen of Owalyn walked through the air directly overhead, and their spell was still more important. Hump’s eyes went to the lich and her still form. Her presence was terrifying even now. He half expected her to open her eyes and stare straight at him, but she didn’t. Could that mean she still wasn’t at full strength? Were her apprentices in the process of bringing her back to her physical form, or was the magic for something else?

“Come on,” Celaine whispered back to him. She moved on gracefully ahead, completely undisturbed by the fall if they missed their step or Ashera’s blessing failed.

It was strange how riding with dragons was such a joy, yet this first step terrified him.

Hump took a breath and cleared his mind. Don’t look down. One step at a time, Hump. That’s all you need to do.

The second step was no less terrifying. He steadied himself on his staff on each of Ashera’s steps. Beneath him, the great expanse was impossible to avoid. He could make out the flames of the lich’s power in the eyes of the monsters still dormant beneath him.

Step by step, they climbed higher. The light of the white stone shone brighter until Hump could see clearly.

When they reached the roof, Ashera expanded the final stone step into a large platform. Hump placed his left hand against the wall and forced himself to look up. His stomach churned at the open air to his right.

Just don’t trip, he told himself.

He studied the roof, searching for cracks, support points, or any weaknesses that he could target. It was barely a foot over his head, and well within reach of his staff.

“Here,” Ashera said. She placed her palm against the stone, leaving a bronze handprint. Essence steamed from the surface. “There is a fracture not far above us that reaches most of the way to the surface.”

“You can see it?” Hump asked.

“I can sense it,” she said, already moving onward. “Work your spell while I continue building the platform. I’ll mark the other targets as I go. From here on out, the spell formations are your goal. Trust us to defend you and focus on your task.”

“Understood,” Hump said.

Her blessing seemed similar to Tremor Sense—a Tier 1 spell that gave the wielder a sense of the land and anything moving upon it, but this was far more powerful.

“What do you want from me?” Celaine asked.

Ashera didn’t turn back, the stone platform continuing to expand at her feet. “Guard duty. And make sure the wizard doesn't fall.”

Celaine snorted, casting a smirk back at him. “I’ll do what I can.”

He watched for a moment as Ashera continued to move ahead of them, Hump’s nerves building at what he was about to attempt. This was a big spell, and he didn’t have much time, not to mention he was in enemy territory.

He glanced at Celaine who was looking at the roof nervously. He knew she didn’t like being underground and they were purposely trying to bring the roof down.

“You alright?” he asked.

“Whether I’m alright or not doesn’t matter. It needs to be done.”

Hump nodded and then took a breath. “I’m going to be completely out of it while I focus on this. If you need me, shout.”

She smiled. “If it was anyone else, I’d be worried.”

Hump smiled back, though he felt far less confident in himself. He decided not to voice that part.

Celaine must have noticed something on his face as she awkwardly patted his arm, holding it for just a second. “You’ve got this, Hump.”

“Of course I do,” Hump said, clenching his fist around his staff.

All this self-doubt would do his magic no good. He had done it before and he’d do it again. With no time to waste, he got to work. The first step was to wield Transform Earth to carve the necessary runes into the surface of the roof. He threw himself into the spell, bronze light bubbling in his staff’s focus as he etched the markings into the stone as if working with a stick in soft clay. In his left hand, the spell formation was open in his book. Rockslide wasn’t perfect for the job, but he’d make it work.

Below, the sound of fighting began. It rose to him in a cacophony of cackling cries and shrieks. More than anything, he sensed the essence of death approaching from below.

He let it fall from his mind and threw it to the river, letting his mind sink into the waves as he forced himself to focus entirely. He had his task. This was all he could do to help them survive right now.

Twenty minutes, four formations. That was the goal.

The echoes of power exploded beneath him. He repeated the mantra in his mind to help him focus. The River and Waves flowed through his body, and every distraction went to them. There was only him and the stone.

Bronze filled his vision as mark after mark appeared on the roof before his staff, carved with Transform Earth. With each stroke, the stone responded eagerly, absorbing his intent and holding it. As he gave into the flow, Hump sensed the ageless, endless intent of the earth touching his own. He saw it with his Spirit Sight—a great, unending body of will that neither man nor time could influence. That was how Hump had to be right now. While battle raged around him, he was stone. A rock unweathered by wind or storm.

He watched as essence gently tremored before him, shifting slowly like sand in the wind. The stone itself an unmoving wall that could crush everything. All had come from it, and one day all would return to it. As he watched the trembling sands of essence before him, Hump’s mind shifted. The River and Waves became clearer, his essence flowed smoother, and his mind emptied.

No longer did Hump stare at an impossible task. All this time, he’d looked at the roof as an obstacle he had to overcome and had missed that there was no place better suited for him. locked in this place surrounded by earth and stone, Hump saw the winds of essence for what they truly were. They were the way of the world. The intent that lived in everything around him.

In this place of ancient stone, it was as if time had stopped. The world stood still and waited for him, moving to his whim.

Hump lost himself to the task. He didn’t know when it happened, but soon, he was no longer forcing the marks upon the roof. The stone deformed willingly, his staff drifting through it as easily as water. Each rune he carved was filled with power far beyond what he gave it, as if it was siphoned from the stone around him.

Bliss spread through Hump at the sensation. There was only himself and the earth, a dance of intent and essence. It flowed through Hump with such ease, it was as if he were breathing properly for the first time. Where his mind willed it, the stone obeyed, and power answered his call. His staff flowed through the stone with perfect precision. His runes were filled with intent so clear and concise; it seemed that the roof of the cavern was ready to fall already. It was only a matter of time. A case of absolution.

Soon, he moved onto the next formation, and then the next, until all four spell formations were radiating that same intent. It was only then that Hump broke from his trance. He stared up at his work, the bronze carvings perfect in every way. Finally, Hump understood what Ado had been trying to teach him. This was what it meant to become one with the winds of essence—to connect with the spirit of the earth. It was not just to take them for his own desires, but to give himself over to its intent and let it flow through him.

It was then he sensed the change within him. For months, he’d meditated on the River and Waves, slowly filling his Spirit Well with more essence. Progress had been slow before, but now… he was at a precipice. It pulsed within his core, radiating power unlike before.

In his excitement, he turned to Celaine with a grin, only to realise she was loosing her arrows at something beneath them. It was then Hump remembered where they were. His Spirit Well would have to wait.

Looking down at the expanse below, Hump’s heart hammered once more as he took in the sight of the undead coming for them. They charged over each other in a crazed rampage, racing up the stone ledge walkway to reach them. Down below, Ashera held the line with the other Chosen, Aurora standing behind them just outside of the tunnel, unleashing fire where she had to.

“Are you done?” Celaine asked, a note of surprise in her voice.

“Pretty much. There’s one last thing.” He reached into his pouch, searching for one of the transmitter stones and finding it.

“It’s not even been ten minutes.”

“Really?” Hump asked. “It felt like much longer.”

Quickly, Hump placed the transmitter stone into the core formation, sealing it in with stone, a sense of complete confidence coming over him.

“Now I’m done.”