Chapter 526: The Hunter Stalks
The Elders floated forward slowly. Owlhead and Shadowhound took the lead this time, putting their lives on the line for treasure. The remaining three Elders followed. Jack watched from a distance.
As their feet treaded on air, they cautiously surveyed the space ahead of them. The lotus bloomed—the dirt remained still, lifeless if not for their knowledge that it wasn’t.
The attack came without warning. A hand phased into reality, already formed and present, and dug for Owlhead. He crossed his arms to defend—a blast of psychic energy erupted, shaking the other monster. Its strike remained devastating. Owlhead flew back, through the other Elders, and barely managed to steady himself after a mile. A thin trail of blood flowed on his forehead—yet, he was okay.
“Lure it out!” he shouted.
The Elders fanned out, approaching the monster from different directions. A torrent of fire launched into it, followed by a claw swipe and what seemed like brown vomit. Shadowhound leapt at the enemy, blasting it with solid darkness.
All these attacks approached the lotus and disappeared as if crossing into a different reality. Energy rippled out. A bodiless moan echoed through space, an injured giant, as space around the lotus warped and collapsed. A new sight was revealed.
A whirlwind of dirt, floating around the pristine lotus and protecting it. It had been hidden in a space distortion before, its energy undetectable next to the treasure it protected, but it now lay bare for all to see. The many attacks had disturbed the monster, yet not broken it.
A second moan arose. The dirt covering the island took to the air, drawn towards the center of the whirlwind by an invisible force. More and more of it gathered, slowly coalescing into a humanoid shape.
The Elders wouldn’t let it finish transforming. They attacked again, blowing up the dirt as it began to gather. They couldn’t disperse it entirely though. A second hand appeared, slowly trailed by a forming arm, and joined the battle.