Editing Kanimaeli - Spirit of Air (section)

==A Great Beast of Air Opposes Us==

The swirling sand briefly parted, and for a heart-stopping moment, I saw him – a dark figure with eyes burning like embers, staring directly at us. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the storm swallowed him whole again. My first instinct was to shield Pi, to keep him safe within my meager protection. But then, his face contorted in a furious red flush, and before I could react, he bolted. He charged headlong into the raging storm, directly towards the vanished figure.

As the wind momentarily subsided, four figures materialized between us and the tempest. Archers. This time, it was archers. Reacting instantly, I summoned a wall of wind with my fans, deflecting a couple of arrows that whistled towards Xlotl. He, in turn, twisted towards the two archers not shielded by my gust and unleashed a volley of icicle bolts, one of which struck true.

More arrows flew, one pinging harmlessly off Antinniera's armour. Pi was completely lost from sight now, swallowed by the storm. I hurled wind bolts at the same archer Xlotl had targeted, the impact rocking him back, but he stubbornly remained standing. Then, as suddenly as they appeared, the storm engulfed the archers again, leaving us guessing at their location.

A minute or two stretched into an eternity before they reappeared, this time scattered in different directions. Xlotl didn't hesitate, sending more icy projectiles into the injured foe, finally felling him. The sandstorm reformed rapidly, but I managed to unleash another barrage of wind bolts towards one of the remaining archers before they vanished again. I couldn't tell if they had any effect.

Then, a stroke of pure luck, a roar ripped through the storm – Pi! He had stumbled upon one of them. "Fight me!" he bellowed, his hammer connecting with a sickening thud. At the same moment, I felt Xlotl begin to falter, the scouring wind taking its toll. I reached out with Calm, a wave of soothing energy washing over him, bringing instant relief. Pi struck again, a whirlwind of motion, his hammer continuing its arc, culminating in a sudden, violent explosion of force. The blast momentarily tore a hole in the storm, revealing the shattered remains of his foe.

Again, we were enveloped by the swirling chaos, visibility zero. A cold dread gripped me; Pi's protection would surely be gone by now, and he was lost within the tempest. I renewed my protective ward on Xlotl, who confirmed my fears – he had no way of sensing Pi's location in this maelstrom.

Then, as abruptly as it began, the storm started to recede, the wind dying down. As the sand settled, a colossal shape emerged from what we believed to be the East – a dragon. It was easily thirty feet long, its wingspan a staggering fifty. Though its wings were tattered and holed, it still possessed a terrifying majesty.

I instinctively dropped to one knee, offering a gesture of welcome. But the dragon unleashed a torrent of tainted air from its maw, a blast like a concentrated sandstorm, accompanied by a guttural "Die!" The gritty blast slammed into us, raking Antinniera with its massive claws. Xlotl reacted quickly, his wand spitting a cone of frost at the dragon's rear, eliciting a roar of pain.

I threw up a protective barrier against Evil around our small group, even as Xlotl hurled a conjured knife of ice, drawing more of the beast's ire. The two remaining archers were now visible in the dissipating sand, and I made a desperate decision. I sprinted towards them, shouting that if we were close, perhaps the dragon would be less inclined to attack. The others seemed unconvinced. And then I saw it – a giant tortoise-like shape buried in the sand… could it be Pi?!

In a flash, the tortoise shimmered and resolved into Pi, standing tall in his human form, uttering a quick prayer. Simultaneously, Xlotl conjured several spectral spears that slammed into one of the dark elves just moments before his blade would have pierced me. Antinniera loosed arrows at the dragon, but they flew wide. The dragon seemed to be retreating. With the immediate threat lessened, Antinniera turned her attention to looting as Pi rushed to my side. I was bleeding, stabbed multiple times, but I managed to land a desperate punch, felling one of the dark elves.

Pi closed the distance to the last one, his hammer a blur, connecting with a brutal strike. The foe looked Pi directly in the eyes and spoke in a high-pitched screeching that sent shivers down my spine – I couldn't understand a word. Then, unbelievably, Pi seemed to draw upon some inner energy, healing some of his own wounds! I instinctively shifted into a defensive stance as Pi held up a hand, urging me to stay my blade. What in the world was happening?

"Antinniera is badly hurt!" Xlotl's voice called out from behind us, a stark reminder of our precarious situation. "Both of you!" The last dark elf took a step back, reaching into a pouch. He produced a yellow and white marble, dropped it to the ground, and a swirling portal of light ripped open in the sand. With a final, chilling glance, he and his fallen comrade tumbled through and vanished, leaving us battered and bewildered in the settling dust.

The words Pi spoke to the disappearing foe replayed in my mind. He claimed they shared the same lord – Lord Admir. An invitation to join him had been extended, but Pi, ever the pragmatist, offered healing in exchange for departure, an offer the foe accepted. Was it the same Lord Admir, or simply a shared name? Pi's observation that some of the other foes had steered clear of him gave me pause - who was an ally and who not?!

The sand finally settled, revealing the vast, open desert stretching endlessly in all directions. After healing the worst of our wounds, we continued our trek east, the cloaks gifted by the Kohnen proving invaluable and transforming the harsh environment into something almost pleasant to traverse. Unrecognisable creatures still drifted in the air above, but the desert floor remained devoid of visible life.

We pressed on through the remainder of the day and well into the night. As darkness deepened, small, scurrying creatures began to emerge from the sand, moving erratically around us, though none seemed immediately threatening. Xlotl had been giving us some shade with his wings, but now turned invisible, content to follow behind. He thrived in the heat but detested the cold.

We finally halted to rest, Pi and I taking the first watch. Pi shifted into a magnificent tawny owl, his silent flight tracing circles above us. We remained wrapped in our cloaks, a defence against the growing chill of the desert night. The silence held until the first hint of dawn painted the eastern sky. Then, as suddenly as they appeared, all the insects vanished back into the sand. Almost simultaneously, a flicker at the edge of my vision – something like a mirage, an insectoid humanoid figure that materialised and then was gone in the blink of an eye. I questioned Pi, but he had seen nothing. The air grew calmer, and I began to slip into a meditative state.

The rest left me feeling renewed, and as the others stirred, I recounted my fleeting vision to Xlotl. He studied the empty horizon while Pi rested, and the cloak provided me a welcome shield again. I remained watchful, and started to notice a strange mist forming, not like water vapor but like fine grit suspended in the air, slowly thickening, making the air unnaturally still. "Death is coming!" I warned the others, but still leaving Pi undisturbed in his rest.

Instinctively, I called upon Calm to shield against the encroaching sense of Evil. Antinniera thought she could hear faint chanting, as if some unseen force was weaving dweomer. I tried to ignite my fire stick with Antinniera's flint and steel, but no spark would catch. The Air itself felt heavy, resistant to my will. I moved through my forms, searching for purpose, and for a fleeting moment I almost felt the Air stir, but it was immediately smothered by the oppressive, earthy stillness. Utterly frustrating. Pi, when he awoke, attempted to conjure water as usual, but only managed to produce damp clay or thick mud.

Xlotl called upon the Creator, and water did indeed form, although it was murky and tinged with sediment. I quickly filled my empty waterskins, trusting Pi’s assessment that it was safe enough, despite the grit. We continued to move, our senses on high alert, wary of the unnatural air and whatever might lurk within it. Twelve long hours we pressed on, but the air remained stagnant and lifeless, the rising sun a pale, diffuse glow. Our visibility was limited to about a mile.

The strange light compelled Xlotl to check the compass. I directed wind bolts towards it, their power significantly diminished by the oppressive atmosphere, but it was just enough to activate the artifact. Xlotl confirmed we were still heading in the right direction. We continued for a couple more hours and then, abruptly, we emerged into clear air. Before us lay a towering mountain range, a mere five miles distant, its peaks impossibly high, sloping away to the left and right.

The most striking sight, though, was a colossal, swirling column of fire and air, like a tornado frozen in place. Behind us, the air remained thick with that earthy contamination, but it now felt like a distinct curtain, separating us from what we had just endured. This towering inferno, despite its spiraling appearance, remained rooted unnervingly in place and silent, at least at this distance. This, we surmised, was likely the prison of the antithesis of Artemis.

We decided to rest first, allowing our senses to recover, and then re-checked the compass. It still pointed towards the "firenado," with a slight upward tilt. We began to move towards the spectacle, keeping about a mile to the south of its center. The compass definitely seemed to be guiding us past the phenomenon and into the mountains beyond. Even at this distance, we could feel the heat radiating from the column, yet the silence remained unnerving. Antinniera, drawn by curiosity, strayed closer than the rest of us, a look of almost blissful warmth spreading across her face.

"Antinniera, no!" I called out, a sense of urgency gripping me. Temple teachings flashed in my mind – such radiant energy was dangerous. She refused to heed my warning. Then, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. Reacting instantly, I channeled the air to move quickly to her side, striking her with my closed fans. I knew it wouldn't harm her in her current state, but it would keep her alive. I managed to drag her away from the column, and slowly she regained consciousness, claiming to feel fantastic. I wasn't even sure she fully grasped the danger she had been in.

Pi soared above us, transformed into a majestic mountain eagle, as Antinniera and I trudged behind him, the invisible Xlotl trailing somewhere in the sparse air. The peaks around us rose high, a bleak grey and utterly lifeless. Other creatures, mere specks against the distant sky, wheeled far above, keeping their distance.

Then, without warning, the air failed Pi. He plummeted, a feathered stone, towards the unforgiving ground. Just before impact, he managed to summon a thick bush beneath him, and a desperate surge of air caught his wings, breaking his fall. He had dropped a terrifying distance. We scrambled forward, finding him severely hurt, a bit dazed, and already back in human form, trying to push himself upright. I reached out with my mind, mending the worst of his wounds as he gasped an explanation: the air felt normal, but it simply wouldn't sustain him aloft anymore.

The air here was truly lifeless, utterly devoid of spirit or spirits. It wasn't the chill of death, but an unnerving emptiness, a complete absence of movement or sensation. I had never encountered air so utterly still. We pressed on, half-climbing over jagged, coarse rock that cut at our hands with every touch. Strange, unnaturally circular caves, about ten feet across, pockmarked the mountainside. We were almost constantly within sight of at least one of them.

As we ascended, we began to spot flying creatures above us, perhaps a couple of hundred yards away now. Was this an exclusion zone, designed to trap the Lord of Air? If so, did we need to venture into the mountain itself? Reluctant as I was to suggest it, I voiced my concern. Xlotl, however, preferred to climb above this lifeless zone first, hoping to commune with spirits and gain some understanding of what awaited us.

We continued warily, aware that an attack might be imminent once we reached a certain height. Pi suddenly noticed something glinting and veered off to the side. I followed, curious. It was another circular opening, but this one was covered by a perfectly polished, black glass plug. It bore an unsettling resemblance to the ones we'd seen in the Sanctuary Temple and near Artemis – "Stay away!" I hissed, backing away. But Pi stood mesmerized, staring intently at the disc. Antinniera had to physically pull him back, breaking him from his trance.

Xlotl moved on a little further, seeking the freedom of the living air, while we waited, keeping at least fifty feet from the glass disc. Above us, Xlotl clearly saw both Strax and dark elves riding their mounts, circling ominously.

Pi uttered a prayer. The plan was audacious, and frankly, terrifying: sacrifice me again! I would have to step out of this zone of dead air so that I could summon air for the compass that Xlotl held aloft with his mind. Antinniera, with a flourish, conjured a dancing pattern of lights above my head as I neared the boundary, and I knew I was clear once my fans snapped open.

Xlotl materialized, moving forward so I could see the compass. I instantly invoked Calm, protecting myself from any incoming arrows, and channeled air into the compass. It pointed directly back towards the black glass disc. Well, that was just great! I jogged back down, hoping the protection would hold. Just then, birds began to dive towards us, and two elves leapt off their mounts at the last minute, landing in front of Pi.

Pi reacted with a swing of his hammer that exploded with force, sending pebbles scattering and somehow making the elf look even angrier. Their blades danced in the lifeless air, but Pi, with surprising agility, managed to avoid any damage. Antinniera moved up to assist him, landing a solid hit on the other attacker. I started to run forward, but then the realization hit me: the air wouldn't move for me here. I was utterly useless!

Another pair of elves landed, advancing on Xlotl. He attempted to cast a spell, but nothing happened – it seemed all elemental forces were suppressed in this zone! Pi struck again, this time without the explosion, but still staggering his foe backward slightly. Meanwhile, Antinniera expertly deflected an attack with her buckler. Pi swung once more, and this time, his hammer crushed the foe's head, leaving him a bloody mess on the ground.

I sprinted past, swinging my fists ineffectually at one of Xlotl's attackers. He sliced me with one of his swords, but I pushed through, reaching the live air and turning to face him. Pi, however, was already upon him, smacking him with his hammer, though it wasn't enough to fell him.

Xlotl bit one of the elves, and wrapped the other, the one Pi and I had attacked, with his tail. The one he bit turned a strange, sickly color and collapsed. Antinniera, with a fierce cry, cut her foe down, then continued to hack at his lifeless body in a fit of rage.

With only the constrained elf remaining, I moved back and watched as Xlotl commanded him to drop his weapons, which he did. Xlotl then told him to speak to Pi. He questioned him about the disc, but he claimed ignorance, instead blaming us for approaching the Queen's court unbidden. He called Pi brother, sensing his essence was linked to Lord Admir. How were these two so different and yet so close in their nature?

Xlotl began dragging him towards the disc. The elf identified it as a portal but insisted that he had nothing to do with it. Xlotl set him down when Pi asked if he could be released, and the elf stepped onto the disc and muttered an incantation. The black glass shimmered, turning a mottled green, and he fell through it, the disc immediately reverting to its polished black. It was certainly a portal, then.

Was water the sanctuary that the Air Lord had fled to? Xlotl urged us to gather around the edge of the disc as he prepared to summon water. Pi and I were wary, but Antinniera and the others looked on with open curiosity. Xlotl successfully conjured the water – a significant breakthrough, as it was the only element we had managed to manipulate in this strange place. The water was absorbed, and the disc transformed into a shimmering pool of liquid.

Xlotl plunged his head in and vanished. With little hesitation, I tumbled backward into it, and Pi, with a decisive leap, followed. Antinniera, although we were not there to see it, bombed in as if it were a pool to have fun in! We landed in a vast, calm sea, as if we had only fallen a short distance. With my ring, I quickly rose to the surface; Pi transformed into a massive fish, gliding effortlessly in the water; Xlotl already seemed perfectly comfortable; but Antinniera was working hard just to stay afloat.

I scanned the horizon, seeing nothing but open water in every direction, and the sky above was clear. Xlotl swam quickly towards Antinniera to assist her but had landed quite some distance away. Pi, meanwhile, was darting around, clearly enjoying his new form. Seeing Antinniera's struggle, I moved to her side and took her halberd to ease her burden. Xlotl then managed to get her onto his back, and once she was stable, I returned her weapon.

Where were we... and where were we supposed to be?!