“Remember,” Emberlyn cautioned, her flames burning dimmer in the pre-dawn gloom, “the canyon has its own rules. What appears safe might not be, and what seems dangerous is even more so than you might think.”
Justin nodded, tugging his top hat lower against a sudden gust of wind that issued from the canyon’s depths. “How far did you say you could guide us?”
“About five miles, to the old outpost. Beyond that...” She shrugged. “Beyond that, you’re in the deep canyon. Only the strongest of our warriors go there. I would accompany you, but it's too dangerous for me to go back alone."
“I understand,” Justin said. “Let’s move.”
They advanced into the chasm. The path here was well-trodden, clearly utilized by Fyrspawn for generations. Carved symbols were etched into the cliff walls, but most were faded by time. A couple of birds flew high overhead, but they were hidden almost as soon as Justin caught sight of them.
Atlas trudged beside Justin, his metallic head swiveling and scanning their surroundings. He was completely topped off, and Justin had paid Emberlyn for the only crystal she had. It would have to be enough until they reached the Aurora Caverns.
The five miles passed uneventfully. The canyon walls climbed higher as they progressed, the morning sun barely piercing the narrow fissure above.
“There,” Emberlyn pointed ahead to what initially resembled a pile of rubble. As they drew nearer, Justin discerned the remnants of deliberately placed stones.
It had once been a watchtower, nestled in a natural alcove in the canyon wall. Now, only the foundation remained intact, scattered stones demarcating where walls had stood. A few Fyrspawn symbols, carved deep into the rock, were still visible.
Emberlyn turned to him, her expression grave. “This is where I leave you, Justin.”
A pang of apprehension struck him, though he had anticipated this moment. “Any final advice?”
“Beyond what I’ve already shared?” She paused, considering. “Trust your instincts. And trust Atlas. His sensors might detect threats you miss. The canyon doesn’t just harbor monsters. It’s one of the few places where the old magic of Solanis still sings. If something feels wrong, it probably is.”
She reached into her pack and withdrew a small, crystalline orb, its surface etched with runes. “This is a shelter crystal. Very rare. Use it at the end of your journey in the canyon; you will need some rest before braving the desert. It will create a small safe zone for a time.”
Justin accepted the orb. He had never heard of such a thing, but he knew it was probably worth a fortune. “Thank you, Emberlyn. For everything.”
Her flames brightened for a moment. “It's the least I can do. When you find your friends, give them my greetings. It was an honor, Justin Talemaker.”
With that, she turned and began her trek back toward Charr. Justin watched until she disappeared around a bend, then faced Atlas.
“Well, buddy. Looks like it’s just us again.”
Atlas emitted an affirmative chirp, his drills extending slightly.
The two set off, proceeding deeper into the canyon. Almost as soon as they were past the watchtower, Justin felt a noticeable shift. The very air seemed thicker, charged with an unnerving energy that made his skin crawl. The path grew less distinct, fracturing into multiple routes that snaked between towering rock spires contorted into impossible shapes.
They walked for a good few hours with no resistance, but it always felt like they were being watched. The wind gusted intermittently, but other than that, the air was stifling.
As they rounded a bend, the wind once again picked up, and this time, it didn’t go away. The wind seemed to scream, possessing an almost discordant quality.
“That doesn’t sound promising,” he muttered, but it was Atlas’s sudden, sharp alert beep that seized his full attention.
The wind intensified, accompanied by a creeping sense of dread that seeped into his bones. Justin recognized the sensation instantly, having experienced it several times before: the Fear effect.
“Not today,” he stated firmly, switching his Affinity to Seraphis’s Clarity.
[Fear has been reversed by Seraphis’s Clarity!]
The invasive dread dissolved, replaced by a calm, analytical focus.
That’s when he saw it. An entity materialized within the windstorm, a living tornado composed of more than mere air. Dark energy writhed within its funnel, and debris—rocks, sand, and what might have been bones—spiraled in its vortex.
Screamwind
Rank: Guardian
Level: 20
Affinity: Air/Death
Atlas, immune to the creature’s psychological assault, immediately lowered his stance, drills extended. But Justin held up a hand, studying the entity carefully.
[You have gained one charge of Advantage.]
The Screamwind hurled a boulder at them with incredible force. Justin activated Gentleman’s Sidestep, evading the projectile as Atlas dashed right. More debris followed: a hail of rocks, sand, and a rusted spearhead, likely from an ancient Fyrspawn warrior. Justin dodged them all, aided by Elegance in Motion.
As he observed the creature’s movements, Justin noticed something. At the heart of the whirling mass, barely visible through the storm of debris, was a core of brilliant yet dark energy. That had to be its vulnerability.
The challenge was reaching it. The Screamwind maintained its distance, electing to keep throwing things at them. Just twenty seconds left to use his free Advantage.
Justin attempted to close the distance, but the wind increased, greatly slowing him while it launched another volley of projectiles. He was far too light to push against it.
Ten seconds on the Advantage. He had to hurry.
“Atlas! In front.”
Atlas pushed ahead, easily creating a lee for Justin to take advantage of. The Screamwind shifted focus, hurling debris at Atlas. Justin felt bad, but there was no other way. His companion just had to tank it.
Five seconds. He burned the Advantage charge, choosing Genteel Footwork. He launched himself over Atlas as fast as he could, leaning into the wind with his cane extended.
“Atlas, Drill Charge!”
Justin knelt as the construct pushed forward, almost losing his balance. But he couldn’t lose his balance now. The extra precision lent by Genteel Footwork was coming in clutch.
[You have performed a calculated risk with style! +1 Advantage.]
The Screamwind backed off, but not fast enough.
Patience, Justin thought. He’s in my sights.
Justin activated Poison Barb, recalling a classic from his gaming days. “You never should have come here!”
The wind howled in dismay, seeming to slow for a split second.
He unleashed Drake’s Breath. It was a direct hit on the core, freezing it solid. The wind immediately died, and Atlas slammed right into it, both drills extended.
Within seconds, the tornado collapsed into a much more solid, humanoid form, composed of crystallized wind and ice. The core, now visible as a glowing orb in its chest, pulsed erratically.
Justin activated both A Proper Sendoff and burned his new advantage charge for an extra 50% damage. He thrust his cane, shattering the energy core completely.
The Screamwind emitted one final, almost pitiful wail before collapsing into shards of ice and dissipating energy.
[You have gained 1,000 experience points. Your experienec stands at 13,875/29,000.]
As the dust settled, Justin caught his breath. Atlas looked a bit battered, his ether crystal blinking on his underside, but he was still moving.
“You good?”
Atlas gave a metallic whir, pointing with its drills down the canyon.
“Got it. The sooner we’re out of here, the better.”
They resumed their journey deeper into Karash Canyon. After another few hours of cautious progress, the canyon floor began to transform. What had been solid stone was now covered with a strange pink fungus with a spongy texture in places.
Justin was about to step onto what appeared to be a perfectly normal spot when something made him hesitate.
“Hold on, Atlas.”
He focused on his Ring of Hygiene, swapping for his Dapper Adventuring Set. The Adventurer’s Guile enchantment would be key going forward.
The outfit materialized around him, replacing his Founder’s Regalia.
[Danger lurks ahead.]
Justin nodded. That confirmed it. He’d have to pay very close attention to his own intuition going forward.
“Atlas, stay behind,” Justin said.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
The construct beeped its understanding.
He began placing a boot to his right, but he had a very bad feeling about it. He pulled back the foot, and the feeling dissipated.
He tried to place his foot to the left and didn’t get the same feeling.
“This way,” Justin directed, testing each step with care. The gear and his intuition guided him. He had no idea what he was actually avoiding, but he also didn’t want to find out.
Atlas followed his exact path, which was tricky considering his size. More than once, Justin heard the telltale squelch of the fungus around him. A quick glance revealed what seemed to be pink acid bubbling to the surface.
“Keep your cool,” Justin said.
[Danger lurks ahead.]
He came to a dead stop. He checked left, then right, for the right way forward.
The fungus at least was coming to an end, and despite seeming close, it took another half hour before Justin and Atlas had safely cleared the obstacle. Justin had never been happier to be on solid ground.
“Let’s move on.”
It was well into the afternoon now, and despite his ring, Justin was feeling the heat of the canyon. He considered withdrawing Atlas, but Emberlyn had been wise to mention his sensors might be key. He checked the construct's ether levels, finding that they had dipped to 180/400. If there was another fight, they’d be in dire straits.
Justin used up the rest of his half crystal on Atlas, which was just enough to recharge him to 380/400. It would have to be enough.
They gained a bit of distance from the fungus, and things were starting to look a bit more familiar. Justin didn’t think they had been through this particular section of the canyon, but the landscape was similar to what he had seen that first day in the canyon. They couldn’t be too far from the cave they had originally sheltered in.
Justin switched back to his Founders' Regalia since the bonuses were a bit better. Every spare attribute point mattered, plus the Cock of the Walk enchantment made his Dandy's Swagger stun most common-ranked enemies, while the Gentleman's Resolve allowed him to break free of the Stun effect once per hour.
He was just beginning to feel a measure of confidence when Atlas suddenly emitted a sharp alarm beep, his drills extending to full combat readiness.
High above, silhouetted against the narrow ribbon of sky visible between the canyon walls, three shapes circled like vultures.
But these were not scavenger birds.
These were red-scaled wyverns, the same kind Justin and Lila had spied below the bridge on the way to Pyrelight. And they had just spotted the two travelers below.
The fire wyverns descended with terrifying grace, their red scales gleaming like polished metal in the filtered sunlight, letting out high screeches. Each was roughly the size of a large horse, built for speed and agility rather than brute force. Their wings beat steadily as they circled, scrutinizing their prey with intelligent eyes.
All three had the same level and rank.
Karash Fire Wyvern
Level: 22
Rank: Elite
Affinity: Fire
Three Level 22 elites. Even with Atlas, this was going to be a tough encounter, and since they were elite, his Cock of the Walk enchantment wasn't a guaranteed stun when using Dandy's Swagger.
[You have gained one charge of Advantage.]
The first wyvern, perhaps younger or more aggressive than its companions, broke formation and dove directly at them. Justin barely had time to assess the threat before it opened its maw and unleashed a concentrated torrent of flame.
He switched to Vorthak’s Flame instantly, which was enough of a defense as he activated Gentleman’s Sidestep to avoid the brunt of the attack. The wyvern, seemingly surprised by its attack’s failure, swooped low. Too low.
Justin burned his Advantage on Genteel Footwork and swiftly pointed his cane, unleashing Drake’s Breath into the creature’s path. The cone of freezing energy caught the wyvern’s wings, ice spreading across the delicate flight membranes. With a surprised shriek, it tumbled to the ground, skidding across the stone.
[You have performed a calculated risk with style! +1 Advantage.]
Atlas was upon it immediately, his drills spinning as he leaped onto the grounded wyvern.
The creature thrashed desperately, its frozen wings rendering flight impossible, and it had no hope of breaking free against the much heavier construct. Within moments, Atlas had dispatched it.
“One down,” Justin muttered, but his satisfaction vanished as he looked up at the remaining two.
These wyverns had apparently learned from their companion’s demise. They stayed well out of his Drake’s Breath range, circling higher and more cautiously, their movements becoming coordinated and deliberate.
Then they struck.
One wyvern swept in from the left while the other attacked from the right, both breathing plumes of fire. Justin activated Upper Hand, feeling the surge as four charges of Advantage flooded his system.
[The Upper Hand activated. Four charges of Advantage gained. You now have five charges of Advantage.]
This also refreshed his Advantage timer back to one minute.
He immediately spent one charge to refresh Genteel Footwork. The enhanced agility allowed him to dodge the first fire blast with room to spare, rolling behind a large boulder.
But both monsters had shifted their attention to Atlas, apparently recognizing the construct as the less mobile threat. Atlas attempted to dodge, but his design prioritized strength and durability over evasion. A spout of flame caught him on the side, unleashing a hiss of steam.
“No!”
Justin sprinted toward Atlas, but the wyverns were faster, swooping in from opposite sides. By the time he reached his companion, one of the wyverns had already struck Atlas’s other side. The construct swiveled to and fro, clearly struggling, sparks flying from damaged components.
Justin positioned himself between Atlas and the wyverns, but it was a desperate, likely futile gesture. The creatures were simply too fast, too agile. They would dart in from one side, force him to reposition, then immediately attack from the opposite direction. Every attempt to reach them with his cane fell short as they were already gone, and Drake’s Breath was still on cooldown.
Justin popped off a Dandy’s Swagger while they were still in motion and close, but it didn't have the stunning effect he was fishing for.
Justin realized, with a sinking feeling, that fast aerial attackers were something of a weakness for him. Without Eldrin or Lila, he was quickly learning how much he had leaned on them to deal with ranged threats.
Justin burned a charge to refresh his Drake’s Breath, not sure if it would work since it was weapon enchantment and not an actual skill. To his surprise, it did, but it went off a second too soon, forcing the wyverns to turn away for another pass.
[Four charges of Advantage remaining.]
He spent another charge on Genteel Footwork, striving to maintain his enhanced speed.
[Three charges of Advantage remaining.]
Thirty seconds were left on his last three charges.
Justin started using Dazzling Display, but somehow, the wyverns recognized the threat. Instantly, they switched course, aiming for him. Justin abandoned the move.
[Dazzling Display failed.]
Failed? Did that mean it could no longer be used?
Justin had no time to consider this. He quickly burned another Advantage and fired his Drake’s Breath. He caught one of the wyverns on the leg, but it wasn’t enough to stop it. The second wyvern unleashed a second blast of fire along Atlas’s back.
[Two charges of Advantage remaining.]
As both monsters wheeled away, Atlas’s movements grew sluggish. He wouldn’t last much longer.
Desperation drove Justin to attempt a risky maneuver. He opened his arms, activating Dandy's Swagger, now off cooldown, and inviting the wyverns to attack him.
Thankfully, they went for the taunt and were attacking one after another rather than in tandem.
Perfect.
Just as the first wyvern was about to strike, Justin activated Gentleman’s sidestep to reposition, aiming his dodge to go into the second wyvern swooping down.
It worked. He extended his cane, catching it on its underbelly and drawing black blood. It screeched.
[You have performed a calculated risk with style! +1 Advantage.]
[Three charges of Advantage remaining.]
The added Advantage reset the timer, which had been seconds away from expiring.
But even with that, this was a losing battle. The wyverns were too intelligent, too coordinated. They knew to maintain their distance, and their aerial superiority was overwhelming. The injured wyvern was hardly slowed down.
That was when Justin realized a way he might turn this around. The canyon wall. In his desperation to protect Atlas, he’d been thinking like the wyverns, focused on speed and agility.
But the wyverns’ greatest strength was also their limitation. To maintain their speed in the confined space, they followed predictable flight paths, using the same approach vectors to avoid colliding with the narrow canyon walls.
If they fought with the wall to their backs, it shut down a lot of the monsters' options.
“Atlas,” he called out, “move to the canyon wall. I’ll guard your back."
The construct, damaged but still functional, half-limped, half-scuttled toward the canyon wall. Now, they could only be attacked from one angle, and their backs would be protected. Justin positioned himself in front, even as the wyverns once again coordinated their assault, one from each side, as before.
Justin waited, refreshing his speed boot from Genteel Footwork. He could see sparks erupting and smoke rising from multiple damaged points on Atlas. He wasn’t quite ready to return Atlas to the ring because then Justin would be on his own, and there was no way he would make it to a cave or shelter in time before the wyverns took him down. Yes, he had ten seconds of immunity with the Sapphire Star, but even that wouldn’t be enough; the wyverns could easily dodge whatever retaliatory strike he had.
In short, this had to work.
Justin waited until the wyverns had fully committed to their attack vectors.
He used the rest of his Advantage to reset his cooldowns and went right into Dandy’s Swagger again to gain their attention with a cane twirl, and wasted no time going into Dazzling Display.
It worked. Both wyverns angled toward him, but they weren’t in as straight a line as he had hoped. He waited until one was close enough to be in striking distance, dodging with Gentleman’s Sidestep—not toward the side, but a short distance away while still being in their flight path.
He performed an adroit roll, coming out of it to still face the wyverns, now perfectly aligned, one after the other.
[Dazzling Display failed.]
But it didn’t matter. Justin unleashed his Drake’s Breath.
The cone of freezing energy caught both wyverns flawlessly. Ice spread across four wings, and both creatures crashed to the canyon floor with twin shrieks of surprise and pain.
[You have performed a calculated risk with style! +1 Advantage.]
[You have demonstrated tactical brilliance! +1 Advantage.]
[Two charges of Advantage remaining.]
Justin and Atlas moved as one. Despite his broken components, Atlas managed to pin one wyvern while Justin attacked the other with his cane, activating both Proper Sendoff and boosting his damage by 50% with an Advantage charge.
The monster went down with a shriek.
[A Proper Sendoff has been refreshed.]
Justin disposed of the other, still pinned under Atlas’s legs, also boosting his strength to finish the job quickly.
[You have gained 2,700 experience points. Your experience stands at 16,575/29,000.]
Justin rushed to Atlas, his hands running over the damaged plating. The construct had seen better days for sure, and this was the closest it had ever been to being completely out of commission. Its energy levels were remarkably low, below 100.
“Come on,” Justin muttered, rummaging through his pack. “Where is it?”
He searched for his last ether crystal, the one gained from Emberlyn. He’d been saving it, but assessing Atlas’s condition, there was no other choice. The construct’s head drooped, his red glowing eyes dimming toward shutdown.
Justin pressed the crystal against Atlas’s core. Blue energy flowed into the construct. Atlas’s systems hummed louder than normal, then gradually fell silent.
But his ether crystal remained on, pulsing with blue energy, while that light spread and covered his entire frame.
“Atlas?” Justin called, but the construct didn’t respond. He was perfectly still, like a statue.
“Some sort of repair mode, maybe,” Justin said. “This is the first time you’ve really taken a big hit, huh?”
Atlas didn't respond. It would take time, but it seemed Atlas was essentially in stasis until the process concluded.
“You did good, buddy,” he said. “We have to figure out how to handle the fast ones better, huh?”
There was nothing left but to return him to his ring. He’d have to go the rest of his way on his own. Perhaps find that cave and use Emberlyn’s shelter crystal. He would definitely need it, given Atlas’s condition.
It took three hours of arduous travel, looking over his shoulder every few seconds, before he finally spotted the familiar opening.
Once inside, Justin did a quick check of the shallow cave, finding that he was truly alone. From here, he could find his way back to the gate, especially with the Sapphire Star.
Justin retrieved Atlas from the ring; he wasn’t sure if it would continue to heal inside it or not. The construct was still in his strange stasis, surrounded by a bluish aura. Checking Atlas’s interface, Justin could see its ether energy levels steadily ticking down. The magic of the crystal was hopefully repairing the construct’s systems.
He just had to hope some juice was left by the time the process was finished.
As night descended on Karash Canyon, Justin built a small fire. He didn’t have Eldrin’s skills, but he had watched the Ranger enough to have a firm grasp of the process, and there was actually still some old desert scrub gathered for a low enough flame.
Justin got out Emberlyn’s shelter crystal, activating it with a mental push. A greenish aura surrounded him and Atlas, expanding to the entirety of the cave.
[You are now in a safe zone. This safe zone will expire in eight hours.]
Eight hours. Not as much time as Justin wanted, but it would have to do.
He settled in for the night after eating a quick meal from his pack. Tomorrow, assuming Atlas had recovered, they would make the final push to the gate. Tonight, he would have to hope this “safe zone” thing worked as advertised.
He stared into the darkness beyond the cave entrance for a few minutes, cane in hand, until he finally fell asleep.