The Inner Odyssey

Chapter 54 Stalemate

Celeste sat cross-legged on the ground, motionless, behind the ranks of the Ember Clan and Paladins.

The latter two sent wave after wave of fire. It was as if they sought to drown the vast army under an ocean of flame.

In response, ice fulgurated within the horde, offsetting the heat and dowsing any flame.

So far, both sides remained in a stalemate.

However...

Celeste felt that would soon change.

Whether that would be a good thing for the humans, she did not know.

What she did know, however...

Was that Alden was out there battling, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

A seed of unease bloomed in her heart.

She felt very uncomfortable just sitting here, protected from the mighty army. Celeste also hated the anxiety and trepidation clashing within her - any second now, Alden could potentially meet his end.

Celeste despised being useless.

Maybe that was just a byproduct of her wanting to live up to the expectations of others as a Chosen of the Divine Sovereign. Or maybe it was a desire not to be left behind.

Either way, the feeling was not very nice.

Shifting her gaze, the young lady stared at the little phoenix nestled in her arms. Ignia was very still. It was as if she was paying attention to something with bated breath.

Celeste was thankful to have the baby bird by her side. If not for her, then she would have long since dashed into the horde, consequences be damned.

As it was, though...

Celeste now had an indicator telling her whether Alden was alive. The fact that Ignia remained stationary was a good sign - it meant that her love was not in any sort of danger. Just then, as if she had jinxed fate, the little bird flinched slightly.

Her heart dropped.

'Al!'

Alden's sword swiftly crumbled.

Meanwhile, the frozen shield erected by his corrupted opponent remained, repaired as soon as the tenebrous energy made any sort of headway.

The young man sensed the Dark Elf had flooded the slate with a startling volume of magic. At the back of his mind, Alden realised that he was hopelessly outmatched against his foe in terms of how much mana the each had at their disposal.

'Blasted Asterons!'

Things only got worse for Alden.

The [Shield] he thought was impenetrable suddenly cracked, now visible to the naked eye under the effects of the Dark Elf's ice. Before he could supply the barrier with more mana, it crumbled under the gelid force of the creature's attack, ethereal pale blue shards dissipating within the thin mist.

Alden gritted his teeth, shifting his neck as he used [Haste] once again. The Dark Elf's icy claws whistled inches from his cloak. He retaliated with a spinning kick augmented with mana to the creature's midsection. The corrupted creature blocked with another slate.

Alden clicked his tongue.

Once both his feet had returned to the ground, he hurriedly retreated a couple of paces, opting to give himself a little space. The Dark Elf just stared at him with what appeared to be amusement in its gaze.

He gritted his teeth harder.

It was well known that fighting a sentient creature was much more difficult than fighting a rabid Defiled. Alden knew that, of course. But even knowing that and experiencing it first hand, did nothing to ease his current predicament.

His opponent was stronger than him. They were also very crafty and insidious. Luckily for Alden, it seemed the gulf between them was not too large for he could still react to the Dark Elf's movements and even counter-attack on occasion.

Alden sighed.

Only now, faced with a much more dangerous and cunning threat, did he begin to miss his encounters with the more simple-minded abominations.

'What a crazy thought.'

He laughed lightly to himself.

Then, his expression hardened.

One way or another Alden would have to take this Dark Elf down. He refused to believe that it was impossible.

Alden's mind sharpened.

'Let's do this!'