Elemental Blitz

18

Rael walked through the wilderness, the trees whispering secrets as the wind carried with it the scents of life and decay. His eyes gleamed with a quiet intensity as the Shadow fed him information through the world around him. It had become his network—birds, animals, insects, even the shifting leaves. Nothing could hide from him.

The next target on his list was close, one of the Azure Sky’smddle level leaders. But before he could close in on them, he had caught wind of another plan—over a hundred bounty hunters had been sent to deal with him. They called themselves the Jagged Band, renowned for their ruthlessness and diverse elemental abilities. This group wasn’t like the usual cannon fodder thrown his way. These were supposed to be the best of the best.

The idea almost made Rael laugh.

“They’re trying so hard,” he said to himself, his grin widening. “But they don’t understand—they’re already dead.”

He continued walking, feeling the Jagged Band closing in. They thought they were hunters, but Rael knew better. He was the predator, and they were walking straight into his trap. The forest around him was quiet, the stillness only broken by the occasional rustling of leaves as the breeze brushed through.

They’ll try to surround you, the Shadow whispered. They’ll use their elemental abilities to try to overwhelm you.

Rael nodded. “I know. But I’m not in the mood for a direct confrontation today. I think I’ll sit back and watch them die.”

The Shadow’s presence hummed in agreement. Let’s make it… entertaining.

Rael stopped by a small clearing. He snapped his fingers, and a campfire sprang to life, crackling with warmth as the flames flickered. He casually sat down, pulling out some rations from his pack and preparing to cook. He wasn’t in any rush. The Jagged Band would arrive soon enough.

But he wouldn’t be greeting them.

With another wave of his hand, Rael summoned his Elemental Blitz. This time, he crafted them into the shape of lions—massive, majestic constructs made from stone, fire, wind, and shadow. Their glowing eyes flickered with a terrifying hunger, and their elemental forms crackled with destructive energy. Each lion was twice the size of a horse, their growls rumbling through the air as they prowled around him.

“Go,” Rael commanded. “Tear them apart.”

The pride of lions bolted into the forest, their movements silent despite their size, blending into the shadows and the trees. Rael leaned back, enjoying the warmth of his fire, casually preparing his meal as he connected his senses to the eyes of his creations.

Through the lions, he saw them—the Jagged Band, scattered throughout the forest, moving with precision. Some were cloaked in water magic, others manipulating fire, air, or earth. They thought they were being stealthy, but Rael saw everything. He felt the thrum of their energy, the cocky certainty of their impending victory. It made him laugh softly.

“Idiots.”

The first hunter never saw it coming.

One of Rael’s stone lions pounced from the shadows, its massive jaws clamping down on the man before he could even react. His scream was cut short as the lion crushed him with a sickening crunch, the hunter’s elemental barrier shattering like glass. Blood splattered across the forest floor as the lion disappeared into the shadows again, leaving nothing but a mangled corpse behind.

Elsewhere, a group of three hunters—one wielding fire, another air, and the last water—moved cautiously, their elemental abilities swirling around them in protective circles. They had heard the scream and were on high alert.

“What the hell was that?” the fire mage whispered, his hands glowing with barely contained flames.

“Shut up and stay sharp,” the leader, an air mage, hissed. “It’s him. Rael’s got something out here.”

“Oh, it’s me, alright,” Rael muttered under his breath, watching through the eyes of his lions. He tore into a piece of roasted meat, barely glancing at the c*****e his creations were causing.

One of the lions, made entirely of swirling wind and shadow, circled the hunters, moving too fast for them to track. The air mage whipped around, trying to focus his energy on the swirling figure, but it was too late. The lion lunged, tearing through his air barrier like it was nothing and ripping his throat out in a single, brutal motion. Blood sprayed in a wide arc as the other two hunters screamed in horror.

The water mage tried to summon a protective wave, but a second lion—this one made of fire and lightning—slammed into him, its burning claws searing through the water magic like a knife through butter. The mage didn’t even have time to scream before he was reduced to ash.

The fire mage turned to run, but the stone lion blocked his path, its glowing eyes locked on him. With a single swipe, it crushed the hunter beneath its paws, leaving nothing but a bloody smear on the ground.

Rael smirked, taking another bite of his meal. “Well, this is fun.”

Across the forest, the Jagged Band fell one by one. They tried to fight back, unleashing their most powerful elemental abilities, but it didn’t matter. Rael’s lions tore through them with a terrifying efficiency, their elemental forms too powerful and too swift for the hunters to counter.

Rael watched through their eyes, barely paying attention to the c*****e. At one point, a particularly brave earth mage attempted to shield himself by raising massive walls of rock, but the stone lion simply crashed through it, pulverizing the mage beneath the rubble.

“Come on,” Rael muttered, bored. “Is this the best they’ve got?”

As he chewed his food, he saw the last of the Jagged Band, a group of six, trying to regroup. Their leader, a tall woman covered in glowing runes, was barking orders at them, rallying her troops for a final stand.

“Form a circle! We hold here!” she shouted, her voice shaking with fear.

Rael watched with mild interest as his lions circled them, the glowing eyes of his constructs reflecting in the terrified faces of the hunters.

He could feel the desperation in the air.

With a snap of his fingers, Rael commanded his lions to attack. They moved as one, a blur of elemental destruction, tearing into the remaining hunters with ruthless efficiency. Screams filled the air as blood splattered across the forest floor. It was over in seconds.

Rael leaned back, finishing his meal as the last of the Jagged Band was torn apart. The forest was silent once more, the only sound the crackling of his campfire.

“Well,” Rael said, wiping his hands on his tunic. “That was entertaining.”

You enjoyed it, the Shadow whispered.

Rael grinned. “They’ll keep coming, won’t they?”

Of course, the Shadow replied. But it’s more fun this way.

Rael stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and began walking away from the fire. He snuffed it out by simply blowing softly into the wind. His lions, their job done, dissolved into the night, leaving only c*****e behind. Rael has the Shadow send a group of monkeys to gather any coins and other small valuables for him from the corpses. Revenge isn't cheap and Rael is still decent enough to pay for his food and supplies, even if the gold he uses comes from those to dumb to know when they are throwing rocks at a storm.