Editing Kanimaeli - Spirit of Air (section)

==The Heart of Air in the Mountain==

Armed with this newfound understanding, Xlotl, with his unique grasp of creation, conjured a portal. We leaped through, tumbling into a vast cavern, easily two hundred feet high and several hundred feet in length and breadth. The rock was dark and unforgiving. Three ten-foot-high mounds dotted the floor, each guarded by four dark elves, swords drawn and ready. In the opposite direction, a massive cave mouth spilled daylight into the cavern, our only source of illumination. More elves were arrayed around that exit, and giant birds, some a hundred feet up, perched ominously along the cave's edges.

A distant storm raged outside, its fury palpable even within the cave. The air inside, however, was a nightmare – wild and chaotic, as if driven mad. It defied all logic, swirling erratically, fighting against itself. A couple of elves near the entrance shouted something we didn't understand, and as the portal shimmered and closed behind us, some of the others began to close in.

"Are we planning to leave?!" I bellowed, already moving towards the exit. Xlotl ascended into the chaotic air, fighting its maddening currents, yet somehow remaining invisible. His voice echoed through Antinniera's mind, telling her to warn us: he was going to try and clear an exit.

I called upon the Air to carry me towards the entrance... and it moved me further and faster than I had ever expected! This, of course, made me the immediate target for the guards there, who were now drawing their bows. Massive birds, too, began their descent towards us. Antinniera, true to form, initiated the violence, burying two arrows in one of the elves.

I tried to maintain my speed, but suddenly found the Air itself fighting against me, slowing me to a mere jog. That was all the time one of the huge birds needed to close the distance. It swooped, but didn't manage to grasp me, and I lashed out with Storm, slicing at its underside. Antinniera dropped another elf with a well-placed arrow, still moving relentlessly towards the exit. Then, new threats emerged: forms like stones and pebbles from the cave floor, whipped up into the Air and given animate form, about five feet high, lumbering towards us.

Xlotl suddenly noticed a sharp drop in temperature as he neared the cave mouth. He materialized, launching a volley of icicles towards the approaching foes, but the chaotic Air stripped some of their power in mid-flight. Antinniera finished off one of the weakened elves with another arrow. An arrow pinged harmlessly off Antinniera's armour, and more flew around us. Storm instinctively moved, deflecting one that was heading directly for me. Xlotl, however, was struck. The second volley caught me, but also, to my relief, one of the foes near me.

Xlotl moved swiftly to the side and vanished again. One of the Air and Earth forms collapsed, but the other kept moving – the very Air was fighting itself in here! I screamed at the giant bird, calling it a traitor, but it had sworn loyalty to the Queen. I slashed one of the two elves that had closed on me, but I was trapped; there was no escape now. Antinniera put another arrow into an elf. Pi, for the first time in this fight, engaged, connecting with a powerful hammer swing. Antinniera dispatched yet another elf with an arrow. I laid into the one I had slashed, eventually dropping him with a combined strike of Storm and Calm.

Antinniera bravely clambered onto one of the dead birds, hoping to escape the barrage of flying stones. One shot towards me, but lost its energy and fell harmlessly to the floor as soon as it made contact. I slashed the other dark elf, but a few birds circled ominously above me. Xlotl appeared right next to one of the archers, assaulting him with his mind. One archer looked utterly furious, the other terrified. Antinniera shot another bird out of the sky. Pi landed another devastating hammer blow, and there was a small explosion, leaving another elf dead and Pi staggering slightly from the recoil.

A bird dived at Pi, but he met it with a powerful hammer swing that sent it careening away. The Earth thing near Antinniera dissipated, freeing her to move again. My remaining elf opponent was inflicting damage with his sword, and I knew I had to act fast. I slashed him back, but he stubbornly remained standing. Pi then arrived to 'help'! He hit the elf, but still, he didn't fall! Antinniera shot down two more birds before moving forward again.

Finally, I managed to land two decisive hits with my fans, and the elf crumpled to the ground. I sprinted towards the cave entrance, not daring to use the Air this time, the chaotic currents too unpredictable. Pi followed closely behind me. We watched as a bird overhead swooped towards Antinniera. Suddenly, Xlotl sent a barrage of spears flying from nowhere, impaling the bird and sending it tumbling to the floor in a crumpled heap. Antinniera, however, was struck by an arrow in return.

Xlotl got airborne again, launching icicles towards one of the birds. This time, to my astonishment, they grew in size as they flew, clubbing the bird completely out of the sky. Antinniera put another arrow into the last archer nearby, but was hit in return. I shaped the Air into wind bolts against the nearest archer, but the chaotic air sapped their energy, and they failed to deliver a killing blow.

Xlotl flew up to the nearest bird, grabbing it with his tail and dragging it to the ground. He followed up with a vicious bite, inflicting more damage. Pi was caught by one of the remaining stone forms, pummeled by flying debris. Antinniera, with a scream of fury, finally killed the archer I'd damaged with her halberd, cutting into him with savage anger.

Pi smacked a piece of the rubble monster away, but it remained animated. His second strike, however, drained all energy from it, and it finally collapsed into an inert pile of stones. The chaos continued. I didn't hesitate, sending wind bolts screaming into the nearest giant bird. It plummeted, a feathered meteor, crashing into the ground with a sickening thud. Xlotl, bless his serpentine speed, just managed to slide out of the way before it collided with him. "The outside is too dangerous!" Antinniera screamed, her voice raw with exertion. "Which way should we go?" It had to be one of the basalt columns with those unsettling black, polished discs. Xlotl, having seen them best, directed us: "Away and to the right from the cave entrance!"

Xlotl sent ice shards flying at one of the elves, but the chaotic Air seemed to diminish their power, striking less potently than usual. An enraged elf, his bow now a crude club, charged Pi, attempting to pummel him, but failed miserably. I tried to help Pi, but he hardly needed it. He smashed the foe with his hammer, a resounding blow. Yet, the rage consuming the elf lent him unnatural strength, and he simply shrugged off the impact. Antinniera, ever precise, put an arrow into the last bird, dropping it instantly. Xlotl, however, was struck several times by arrow fire and looked visibly hurt. He took to the Air, turning invisible as he did so.

I slashed Pi's attacker. The elf ignored the bleeding, but I followed up with a deep cut using Storm. As he diverted his attention to this new threat, Pi pressed his advantage, landing a finishing blow to his chin, felling him. Antinniera put an arrow into one of the other elves; it struck well but didn't fell him, though she took a glancing blow in return. She retaliated with another good hit.

We began to move across the vast cavern, arrows whistling through the air around us. More whirling stony forms erupted from the ground, fortuitously deflecting some of the enemy's arrow fire. Antinniera, quick as always, sprinted towards the edge of the cave, climbing onto a high ledge to escape the manifesting stone creatures.

The maddened Air seemed to conspire, helping one of the rock forms to rush a good hundred yards to engage Pi. The one nearest me, however, was held back by the Air – it seemed to be protecting me for now. Pi, undaunted, struck at his new threat, taking a significant chunk out of it.

I tried to summon an Air spirit to aid us, but it appeared awkwardly, resembling the very stone creatures we were fighting. Pi, understandably, assumed it was another threat and whacked it, leaving it half diminished. "Leave it be!" I shouted. Meanwhile, Antinniera loosed more arrows, one finding its mark.

Xlotl, unseen, perched above the polished black portal, which he now saw rippling like liquid. I was struck by glancing blows from more arrow fire, but Antinniera loosed a spectacular shot at long range, expertly killing one of the elves who had been engaging me. One still remained, though.

Pi moved forward, taking an arrow to his arm. I moved in behind him, my new, struggling Air Spirit trying to keep pace. Pi, ever gracious, used his staff to heal me, undoing much of the arrow wounds and rekindling my determination. Antinniera continued to support us, hitting again with two more arrows. The remaining foe was bleeding and hurt, but stubbornly still standing.

I tried to tell the archer to stop, to leave us be, but he answered by putting another arrow into me. That, then, was his choice - death. I was hardened to it now. We charged forward and my Air Spirit, surprisingly, got there first, pummeling the foe to the floor, unmoving. I thanked my new ally, then ceremonially bid him farewell and committed him back to the Air before walking away, allowing him to dissipate.

We moved towards the basalt pillar at the edge of the cave, seeing the two elves guarding it raise their bows. One was suddenly attacked, however, as Xlotl appeared, wrapping his coils around the unlucky foe and then biting him. The elf went limp. Xlotl closed on the other guard, but was slashed with a sword and left looking decidedly unwell.

Pi closed in to help, but Xlotl got the first hit, biting his attacker. The elf, though, kept fighting. I closed slightly and then sent Wind Bolts flying into the foe. On the last strike, he fell, which was a great relief. Xlotl examined the basalt pillar, confirming it appeared natural, and not carved. I joined him and felt the unnatural tug compelling me to dive into it, which thankfully I was able to resist. We needed to choose where to go first!