29 The Array Tower Challenge: Surviving the Battles!

Smash! Yun was sent flying through the air and smashed into a thick tree trunk, leaving a deep splintered divot on the tree. Thanks to her cultivation at the Neidan Forging level her body was strong and supported by her Physical Qi, but this blow still disoriented her and left her in great pain. Sliding down to the ground ten feet below, she landed roughly in a crouch with a pained grunt before standing up a few moments later. She looked up just in time to see the uninjured Volvaka rushing towards her, and he closed in past her striking distance before she could even think to swing. Quickly she brought her spear up, swinging it full circle and using the back end to strike his bracer, driving the force of the assault away from her body, then she twisted the spear around and took a short range jab at his knee with the penetrating spike on the end of the spear.

Splat. The spear butt penetrated flesh and drove deep into the joint, rupturing tendons and nearly incapacitating the warrior as she twisted and pulled her flanged spike out, causing much greater internal damage. Quickly taking advantage of this, Yun retreated around to the side of the tree, out of reach of the warrior who no longer had full use of his leg. Looking for the other warrior, she was him proceeding towards her quickly, but nowhere near as fast as before, while dripping blood from his wounds. Swinging his one good claw at her, he tried to directly rip open her shoulder. Dodging this blow, Yun swept her spear between his legs and sliced open the back of his knee on the same side as the incapacitated arm, causing even more blood to flow down as well as rendering that leg nearly useless. With both opponents unable to travel, Yun stepped in, just outside their range, and stabbed them both under the chin, eliminating them.

As her spear entered the brain of the first warrior she gave it a slight twist, destroying all the soft tissues, and was prepared to pull it out when his body shattered into a dense black fog and dissipated. With shock in her eyes she stepped back a few paces before recovering enough to take the other warrior out as well. Quickly, she left the area to recuperate. It seemed obvious to her that the piercing hiss she heard before they attacked was some sort of signal telling others where she was.

Hours later Yun had managed to scurry her way up a rather dense tree and find a nook where many branches met that created a hidden cradle space. She sat down in this space and used some of her minor healing pills to start recovering from her painful learning experience. Just from what she could tell she had cracked or broken at least half of the ribs on one side, as well as fractured a few on the other side from the impact with the tree.

Two days later Yun finally left her hideaway in the tree feeling rested and restored. The long period of time gave her a chance to heal, but also ensured that whoever had come to track the sound would likely have given up on not finding her for more than a day.

Beginning her journey to discover the path to the next stage, Yun began to move quickly around the edges of the region, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Twice more she encountered pairs of Volvaka, but equipped with the knowledge she now had they were not a major threat. She suffered some very minor wounds, not even enough to require treatment.

After more than five days passed, she finally found a stair that disappeared into the cliff, winding a circular path upwards. She decided to take a rest and recover to her peak nearby. Of course, this would turn out to be a painful decision.

Late at night, while resting, Yun once again heard the screeching, piercing hiss of the Volvaka Fire-Eaters. This time, though, there were more than two or three of them. As she cleared her head from the fog of sleep and the disorientation of the screech she began to get a very bad feeling creeping up her spine, raising her hackles.

Trusting her gut, she launched herself from her nestle in the tree and grasped a branch of the neighboring tree, swinging herself up onto the branch in a crouch. Looking back at where she had been, she was astounded to see a smoldering flame illuminating a pair of eyes staring at her. Slowly she began to see more little wisps of flame flickering and illuminating reptilian faces.

There were an unknown number of Fire-Eaters surrounding the tree she was standing on. A few of them were even in the tree with her, trying to drive her to the ground. Evading another assault, this time by a thrown piece of wood, Yun traversed the small copse of trees towards the stairs before she finally was forced to the ground near a group of warriors. There were a few Volvaka between her and the exit to the next level, and she knew that there was no way out but to fight at least some of them.

Driving forwards, Yun fought desperately to create space enough that she could get past, but these warriors knew better than to give her that chance. They continued to strike out with anything they could to keep her here and give the mob behind her time to arrive. Desperate, Yun began to strike harder and faster, but could not get through this purely defensive fighting style from these three.

Slowly, once again, the fire and lightning began to gather and form behind her. This time the Battle Aura never reached full condensation, instead it was like two halos, one fire and one lightning stepping out behind her. These two rings of elemental energy sat behind each shoulder, creating illumination in the area, but also creating more power in her attacks. While the flame energy was almost negligible against these reptilians that lived near lava and breathed fire, the lightning began to show its power over time.

Each strike blocked or received by these foes would pulse electricity through their bodies, disrupting their nervous systems and preventing them from moving as they wished. As the charge built up in their bodies they struggled more and more to fight against her, things began to change in their surroundings. Soon the warriors from the forest would arrive and attack from her back, driving her to her death in a pincer. But before they could arrive an arc of lightning appeared to connect between her and one of the three Volvaka just after she struck him. That bolt stunned him immediately, and nearly made him collapse entirely. Taking advantage of this, Yun suppressed her surprise and took the chance to stab him in the chest by sliding her blade under the stacked plates.

Again the body dissipated, and she turned to the other two and struck out at them more ferociously. The bolt of lightning seemed to have renewed some of her energy, like it was a charge returning to her body from the enemy. A few more hits on the other two and suddenly another arc of lightning reached out and stopped the second one, she again quickly dispatched him and turned to the third, who by now was moving much more sluggishly, and within just a few exchanges he also was dead. Using this renewed energy she bolted forward just in time to avoid an attack from behind.

Not knowing what had truly happened, Yun dashed into the stairs and climbed them quickly.