Savage Awakening 441. The Second Challenge (II)

3 hours until the Second Challenge…

Tyler and Becca were on the case. Behind them, on a giant split-screen, were all of Earth’s top Rankers. There was Eze polishing his gauntlets and Vanessa testing blizzard portals.

At the center of it all was Zane, sitting there chewing some leftover cookies. Evan had left him a fresh batch—Evan had some time to bake during the lulls. Rocky road flavor—quite good.

He was just considering what it’d be like to finally wield his new powers against a worthy enemy when—
“Hello, hello!”

There—waving amiably a few feet off—was a little man in a giant overcoat. He had an amulet mic, notepad, and a distinguished mustache. That mustache gave a friendly twitch.

Zane blinked. “Hey there.”

“I go by Brom Bigelow, Professor and Chief Historian at the Dragonspire Academy.” He came up and offered his hand, which Zane shook, a tad bewildered.

“You might also know me for my bestselling Lives of Salazar in 7 volumes, Lives of Shen in 9 volumes, and of course the Lives of Aiwe in 12 volumes—available at any reputable bookstore.” The Professor paused—but seeing Zane’s blank look, moved right along. “Now—you might be wondering what I’m doing out here.”

“Yeah.”

“A fair question! At the moment, I’m here in my capacity as a freelance field reporter for your World Ranker Network,” Brom said. “I’m alsoworking on an account of your time here.”

He held up a thick leather notebook.

“…Why?”

“Why? Good sir—this knowledge will be preserved for generations—at any reputable bookstore.” Brom shook his head. “They must know a man such as Zane once existed! Of course, I’d offer a generous cut of the proceedings—here. Let me give you a sample.”

He opened the notebook. There was a picture showing Zane’s side profile staring down an army.

‘Never before in the history of man had a Minor God faced down such a formidable foe… but the handsome and valiant Zane showed no fear. He faced that army with steely eyes and fire in his heart! “Though the threat may be great,” growled Zane, “I, the greatest and biggest of the earthlings, must do my duty.” And having said so—filled with newfound determination—determination to defend home and country, to defend his lovely girlfriend and affable friends—he rose before that tidal wave, which would have inspired the most wretched misery in any lesser man! And wrought devastation upon that army fit to strike fear into the heart of Malzareth itself—’

It went on like this for quite a while.

Zane was speechless.

“You can expect more prose of this sort,” said Brom proudly. He gave Zane a pat. “Rest assured, good sir—your story’s in good hands.”

“…Right.”

Brom saw the baffled look on his face. “Not to worry! I’ll send over a copy once it’s done. If it meets your standards, and we come to the right split, it would be my honor to make it the official authorized biography of Zane. If not—that’s alright, too. I don’t do it for the money, good sir.”

Brom puffed up.

“…As long as I don’t have to do anything.” He decided he didn’t have a strong opinion on it, one way or another. The fellow seemed harmless enough—if a bit odd.

Pleased, the Professor fished out a pin from one of his upper pockets. “This is a Sight Pin, good sir—it’ll help the rest of us keep up with your progress. My colleagues—not to mention the folks back at home—would be quite heartened to see your performance in that Event Challenge, I’m sure. What do you say?”

That, he was down for. “Sure.”

He hadn’t expected it, but it did warm him to hear Earth-folk were taking strength in him, or choosing to fight because of him. Zane himself didn’t tend to look to other men for that—he found it in himself, usually. So he’d somewhat underestimated how much this morale thing helped folks.

He tacked it onto his shorts.

“Excellent!” The Professor’s mustache quivered with joy. “This is the start of a beautiful thing, Zane Walker! I can just feel it. You take care.”

With that, he ambled off.

***

…Anyway.

Zane’s mind quickly turned to the coming battle. He couldn’t think of much else as the clock ticked down.

2 hours…

1 hour…

30 minutes…

His heart beat faster and faster.

Until—

Event challenge has begun

Time limit: 6 hours

The portal opened right in front of him.

Zane stepped through with confidence.

His feet thudded into soft sands. For a second, he thought he was in another desert.

Then he heard the water.

Still waters stretching far into the distance… he looked around, blinking.

It seemed to be some kind of tropical island—the kind untouched by man; there was something wild, prehistoric about the place. Trees towered proudly, every shade of lush green. The place was swamped with essence—so dense that taking a breath felt like taking in a Heaven-grade stone.

Just an extremely high-quality place.

Even the tree trunks here had the consistency of Heaven-grade steel.

It spoke to the caliber of the creatures—the Monsters—he’d find here.

He didn’t have to go far to feel them.

Three dense hotspots showed up in Great Sage Mind.

First—not far from him, just a few dozen miles off, in the deep forest—was a glut of True God aura. He saw wooden watchtowers peeking over the treeline—shadows milled beneath… stone walls fringed the place. Some kind of fort?

Then, on the other side of the island, there looked to be cliffs of coal and obsidian. He could just make out the vague outline of towers perched on those cliffs. A second fort.

The last of the hotspots was the greatest of them by far. It rose from the heart of the island.

An active volcano that struck up deep into the cloud layer, belching Corruption-filled smoke… High walls and turrets lined the mouth of that volcano, all blackened stone and flowing lava. A castle that dominated the peak.

That volcano…

As he investigated it, he felt an enormous presence pulsing through it. A presence like nothing he’d ever fought…

It was waiting for him.

The closer he looked, the more dangerous this place seemed.

Even that first fort—the fort in the forest—was chock-full of aura… he probed a little closer.

Tier 7 True Gods. Seven, maybe eight—and more early True Gods backing them up. By far the most he’d ever felt in one place.

That was just the first fort.

The one on the cliffs had aura more than twice as thick.

Then there was the volcano…

He cracked his neck. Grinned.

It looked like he had a real challenge on his hands.

Objective: Castle crash.

Destroy every fort on challenge island by slaying the Boss within.

Time remaining: 5 hours, 58 minutes

Reward based on performance

Simple enough.

He figured he’d start at the easiest and work his way up.

He made for the forest fort first.

He didn’t need to go very far.

He’d noticed the Monsters—but it seemed they’d noticed him too.

A horde was closing in fast, trampling the trees as it came… in seconds they burst onto the sands, hissing and shrieking.

Flame Hobgoblin (Monster Prince)

Essence Level 632

Flame Hobgoblin (Monster Prince)

Essence Level 635

Ice Hobgoblin (Monster Prince)

Essence Level 639

Thunder Hobgoblin (Monster Prince)

Essence Level 635

Four Tier 7 True Gods. Each wielding a feathered spear. Their speartips rained with their elements. Flames leaped off one; hail shed off another; stones quaked off a third—all stained deep with Corruption.

Distortion Fields stacked heavy with the force of each element. Dark blizzard, inferno, landslide Realities merging into each other, imposing brutal Laws—Laws of melting, and slowness, and freeze, and instability, over and over…

All that advanced on Zane’s position.

If this was a week ago, he might’ve felt that.

But now…

He unleashed his domain too. And Red Giant came to fight.

Red Giant seared through the pure white of Destruction. The color of nothing.

The instant it made contact with those Distortion Fields, there was a great tearing sound, a great shredding, like those True Gods were feeding their Fields into a meat grinder.

The Hobgoblins hissed, forced out more essence—but it was no use.

Red Giant had broken their power over him. He stood there, unflinching—and it was the Hobgoblins who had to stop short and feel the weight of slight suppression. Feel the heat coming at them, laced with the light of Destruction…

Red eyes bulged at him. They screeched—looked at each other, uncertain.

Then those eyes narrowed.

One by one, they attacked.

It was their last mistake.

***

“FourTier 7 True Gods?” Brom was in a state. “We’ve seen Zane dispatch two at a time—a good fight, but a comfortable one. Four, on the other hand… now there’s a test. Do you know what the great Salazar would say at this?”

“‘The battle reveals the heart?’” guessed Becca.

Brom blinked. “How’d you know?”

Becca looked a tad awkward. “Professor… you said that phrase the last time you were on.”

A pause. “Also the time before.”

“Ah. Hmm.” He harrumphed. “Well—in any case!” Brom carried on entirely unruffled. “What does that phrase mean, good madam? It means that one’s true self only reveals itself under pressure—the stuff that makes a man!”

He leaned in as the Hobgoblins drew close.

“It isremarkable Zane’s got to this point,” he said. “Leonidas the Conqueror—the greatest talent of the 7th Cycle—among the greatest of the dragon princes—when he was peak Minor God, he could easily dispatch hordes of Tier 7 True Gods. The sort Zane faces now. Though it took a hundred years of meditating in the sacred temple of Xolo, bathing in reverse scale blood, to achieve it!”

Brom’s mustache quivered with great anticipation.

“I expect if Zane has the talent I think he does—we might well see the same feat by the end of this War.”

Tyler and Becca blinked at each other. In the meantime, the Professor took out his notebook, ready to scribble. “For now—staying above Critical Health—there’s a good goal! It will take some strategizing, mind you, but I’ve got faith in the man.”

Then Zane attacked.