Treasures of the Lost World: A Men’s Adventure LitRPG, page 25
But the remaining two elementals pressed their attack. One launched everything it carried at Naomi's retreating form, while the other spun toward me with murderous intent.
I fired both mana pistols while swinging away, but the elemental followed, matching my speed as it prepared another projectile barrage. The chase carried us across the cavern, past the fire elemental battle where Kyrela and the drones were still locked in deadly combat.
A fire elemental noticed my passing and launched a flame beam at my swinging form. I released my hooks and dropped, the fire attack passing overhead close enough to singe my armor.
I hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact. The wind elemental that had been chasing me spun overhead, preparing to dive.
That's when Siobahn's turret fire found its mark. A concentrated burst of bullets and ice spells struck the wind elemental's core, shattering its structure completely. The creature dissolved into scattered debris that rained down around my position.
“Thanks for the save,” I said, firing new hooks toward the last wind elemental.
“Just doing my job,” Siobahn replied, already tracking toward the fire elemental battle.
The final wind elemental had cornered Naomi against a rock formation, preparing for a killing blow. She raised her staff desperately, wind magic spiraling around its crystal tip.
I reached the creature just as it launched its attack. Cyclone bit deep into its core while Naomi's wind blast struck from the opposite side. Caught between our combined assault, the elemental came apart in a shower of rocks and fading air currents.
“Wind elementals down,” I called out, landing beside Naomi to check for injuries.
“I'm all right,” she said, though I could see exhaustion in her posture. “Just winded. Those things were relentless.”
“Fire elementals next,” I said, surveying the ongoing battle between Kyrela, the drones, and their enemies.
Kyrela had managed to destroy three fire elementals with a combination of ice breath and frost grenades, but the remaining nine had adapted their tactics. They stayed mobile, never presenting easy targets, and coordinated their flame attacks to deny her safe positions.
Two elementals launched simultaneous fire beams at her current position. She flapped away, but appeared directly in the path of a third elemental's attack. Only a desperate ice barrier saved her from serious burns.
“They're predicting her movements,” Ava said, her remaining drones harassing the elementals from maximum range. “Learning her patterns.”
“Then we change the game,” I said, firing my hooks toward the battle. “All together. Naomi, can you disrupt their formation with wind magic?”
“Already on it,” she said, taking flight again despite her exhaustion.
We hit the fire elementals from three directions simultaneously. Naomi's wind magic struck their formation from above, pressure waves that scattered their careful positioning. I swung in from the left, Cyclone carving through flame bodies while my mechanical arms fired frost attacks. Turret fire from Siobahn tore through the air, forcing them to clump together for an AOE strike.
Kyrela struck from the right, her ice breath flash-freezing two elementals while Ava's drones provided covering fire from multiple angles.
The coordinated assault broke the fire elementals' formation. They scattered, each one fighting individually instead of as a coordinated unit. That made them vulnerable to our superior mobility and concentrated attacks.
I landed on one elemental's back, Cyclone carving through its golden bands while my mechanical arms fired point-blank frost shots into its core. The creature bucked and writhed, trying to dislodge me, but the damage was too severe. Its flame body dispersed in a shower of cooling embers.
Kyrela followed up with a frost grenade that caught two elementals in its blast radius. The crystalline explosion flash-froze their cores, making them easy targets for Naomi's follow-up wind attacks.
Vanessa rejoined the battle, swinging between the remaining elementals with renewed determination. Her claws found cores weakened by our assault, finishing wounded enemies that might have otherwise recovered.
Ava's drones pressed their advantage, concentrating fire on isolated targets. Without the protection of coordinated formation, the fire elementals fell quickly to sustained frost attacks.
The last fire elemental tried to retreat toward the earth elementals, seeking protection behind their massive forms. But Siobahn's turret fire caught it in the open, bullets and ice spells combining to shatter its core before it could reach safety.
“Fire and wind elementals eliminated,” I said, surveying our victory.
That's when the earth elementals reached us.
The massive creatures had been advancing steadily throughout our aerial battle, their boulder-sized fists crushing stone as they climbed over obstacles. Now they spread across the cavern floor like living siege engines, amber eyes burning with malevolent intelligence.
The nearest one swung at my position with casual power that made the air whistle. I fired both grappling hooks to escape, but the creature's reach was enormous. Its knuckles caught me square in the leg, sending me spinning through the air like a ragdoll.
The impact rattled my bones despite the Lunerium enhancement systems. Pain shot through my leg where the glancing blow had connected, and I could feel bruises forming beneath the armor. I shot out grappling hooks on instinct, shooting in all directions to try and catch myself before I slammed into a wall.
I caught myself just in time to see the elemental that had hit me almost reach my position - right before a burst of spells and gunfire from Siobahn slammed into it. The elemental’s rocky hide absorbed the worst of the damage, but the sheer number of strikes halted its forward momentum.
“New plan,” I said, once I had stabilized. “Don't let them touch you. At all.”
Kyrela dove from her perch near the cavern ceiling, enhanced dragonfire washing over an earth elemental's head. The flames burned white-hot thanks to her armor's amplification systems, turning stone red with heat. But the creature barely noticed, its massive hand swatting at her like she was an annoying insect.
She flapped away just as fingers the size of tree trunks closed on her position. The earth elemental's hand smashed against the cavern wall, leaving crater-sized dents in solid rock.
“They're tougher than expected,” she called out, breathing ice at another elemental's face.
The frost attack struck amber eyes, creating spiderweb cracks across their crystalline surfaces. The earth elemental staggered, its vision impaired, but it didn't fall. Instead, it began swinging its arms in wide arcs, turning the area around it into a no-go zone.
Ava's drones swarmed around the earth elementals, their combined firepower concentrating on joint locations and potential weak points. Frost attacks created thermal shock in stone surfaces while lightning strikes sought gaps in their construction.
But the damage was superficial. Each drone attack chipped away tiny fragments, like trying to carve a mountain with a chisel.
One earth elemental grew tired of the harassment and clapped its hands together, creating a shockwave that knocked three drones from the air. They crashed against the cavern walls, rotors shattered and systems sparking.
“Drone losses mounting,” Ava said. “These things are too durable for standard attacks.”
Vanessa swung between an earth elemental's legs, her claws scraping against stone that felt harder than steel. Sparks flew from the contact, but she left only shallow scratches on the creature's ankles.
The earth elemental reached down to swat her like an annoying insect. She grappled away just in time, but the creature's hand caught her grappling line. The hook tore free from its anchor point, sending her tumbling toward the ground.
She hit hard, armor clanging against stone. The earth elemental raised its foot to crush her, but she rolled desperately aside. The massive foot came down where she'd been lying, cracking the cavern floor with its impact.
“Vanessa!” I swung toward her position, but another earth elemental blocked my path.
Its fist swept through the air where I'd been swinging, missing by inches. The wind from its passage was enough to throw off my trajectory, sending me careening toward the cavern wall.
I hit stone hard, seeing stars as my armor absorbed the impact. Before I could recover, the earth elemental was advancing, both fists raised to pulverize me against the wall.
Naomi's wind magic struck the creature from behind, pressure waves that made it stumble forward off-balance. I grappled away as it crashed into the wall where I'd been lying, its impact sending cracks radiating through solid rock.
“Thanks,” I said, swinging toward safer territory. “These things are brutal in close combat.”
“Physical attacks aren't working,” Naomi said, dodging another sweeping grab. “We need a different approach.”
Siobahn's turret fire proved more effective than individual attacks, concentrated bursts of bullets and spells that actually managed to chip away larger fragments of stone. But even her sustained firepower only created cosmetic damage against their reinforced construction.
“Target their eyes,” I called out, remembering how the cracks had affected the one Kyrela had struck. “It's the only thing that seems to hurt them.”
Kyrela switched tactics immediately, her frost pistols tracking toward glowing targets. Ice bolts struck amber crystals with sharp cracks, each impact dimming the elemental's vision slightly.
But aiming for such small targets while avoiding massive swinging fists was nearly impossible. Most shots went wide, striking stone hide that absorbed the impacts without effect.
One earth elemental cornered Kyrela against a rock formation, both hands reaching to crush her. She flew away, but her path directly in front of another creature's swinging fist.
The impact caught her full in the chest, launching her across the cavern like a thrown stone. She hit the far wall hard enough to crack stone, her armor sparked and systems flickering.
“Kyrela!” I swung toward her position, but she was already moving.
“I'm fine,” she said, though her voice carried pain. “Just need to be more careful about where I’m moving.”
The earth elementals were learning our patterns, just like the fire elementals had. They began coordinating their movements, cutting off escape routes and forcing us into increasingly dangerous positions.
Two creatures worked together to corner Naomi against the cavern wall, their massive forms blocking every escape route. She channeled wind magic desperately, but pressure waves that could knock down trees barely made the earth elementals sway.
One reached for her with boulder-sized fingers. She ducked under the grab, but the second elemental was already swinging from the other direction.
I reached them just in time, Cyclone carving into the second creature's wrist as it grabbed for Naomi. The chainsaw teeth screamed against stone, throwing sparks as they bit into the elemental's arm.
The creature roared and backhanded me away from its position. I flew through the air, hitting a stalactite formation hard enough to see stars.
“This is taking too long,” Vanessa said, swinging away from a creature that had learned to anticipate her grappling hook trajectories. “We're wearing ourselves out while they're barely scratched.”
She was right. Despite all our attacks, the earth elementals remained almost undamaged. We'd cracked a few eyes, chipped some stone fragments, but nothing that significantly reduced their combat effectiveness.
Siobahn's steady turret fire continued wearing down their outer layers, her persistent attacks slowly exposing more vulnerable internal structures. But even with her support, the battle felt like trying to demolish a fortress with garden tools.
That's when the new enemy appeared.
A figure emerged from the tunnel depths, moving with purpose toward our chaotic battle. At first glance, it seemed humanoid. Two arms, two legs, a recognizable silhouette. But as it drew closer, details became horrifyingly clear.
Its body was pure darkness given form, shadow made solid and shaped into predatory grace. No features marked its face, just an empty void where eyes and mouth should be.
Around the shadow figure, elements swirled in a miniature storm. Fire spiraled up its left arm while ice crystallized along its right. Wind currents lifted it slightly above the ground, while chunks of stone orbited its torso like deadly satellites.
The creature moved faster than the earth elementals, faster than anything had a right to move. It flowed across the cavern floor like liquid night, elements dancing around its form in patterns that hurt to watch.
“New contact,” Siobahn called out, swiveling her turret toward the approaching threat.
Before her bullet could reach the creature, it raised its hand in a lazy gesture. A wall of stone erupted from the ground, her attacks bouncing off it. Beyond that, it ignored her attacks - the blockage took as much effort for it as swatting a fly. Its attention was fixed on something specific.
On me.
The empty void of its face turned in my direction, and I felt recognition pass between us like a cold wind. This thing knew who I was. It had come here specifically to find me.
I released my grappling hooks and dropped toward the cavern floor, Cyclone materializing in my hand as I prepared to meet whatever this creature had planned.
The shadow figure broke into a run, elements swirling faster around its form as it charged directly toward my position.
Chapter 27
The shadow creature closed the distance between us faster than anything I'd ever seen move. One moment it was across the cavern, the next it was sliding to a stop just outside Cyclone's reach, elements swirling around its dark form like a living storm.
I swung the chainsaw in a wide arc, but the creature flowed backward like liquid shadow. Fire erupted from its left hand, a concentrated beam that forced me to dive sideways. The flame attack scorched stone where I'd been standing, leaving a glowing crater in the cavern floor.
“Elemental Avatar,” I said, naming the thing as I rolled back to my feet.
Ice shards materialized around the Avatar's right hand, launching toward me in a deadly barrage. I fired my grappling hooks toward the ceiling, pulling myself up and away as frozen projectiles shattered against stone below.
But the Avatar wasn't finished. Wind magic caught my grappling lines, twisting them into knots that sent me spinning out of control. I crashed into a rock formation, armor clanging against stone as I fought to regain my balance.
The creature pressed its advantage immediately. Earth magic rumbled through the cavern floor, stone spikes erupting beneath my position. I threw myself sideways, feeling one spike graze my armor as I barely escaped being impaled.
“Michael!” Kyrela's voice carried across the battlefield. “I'm coming!”
She dove toward our fight, but the Avatar raised its hand without looking. A wall of solid stone erupted between us, cutting off her approach. Her dragonfire washed over the barrier harmlessly, leaving her trapped on the wrong side.
“Stay with the earth elementals,” I called out, dodging another ice barrage. “I've got this.”
It was a boast, and we both knew it. This thing was stronger than anything I'd faced alone. But dividing our forces wouldn't help, the earth elementals were still dangerous, and someone needed to destroy them.
I just had to keep this thing focused on me.
The Avatar flowed forward, darkness rippling around its form. Fire spiraled up its left arm while ice crystallized along its right. Wind currents lifted it slightly off the ground, making its movements eerily silent.
I met its charge with Cyclone roaring, the chainsaw's teeth spinning at maximum speed. The Avatar brought up both hands, fire and ice meeting in a wall of steam that obscured my vision.
I cut through the steam cloud, following the sound of wind magic. Cyclone connected with something solid in the Avatar’s torso and the chainsaw bit deep. Dark energy sprayed from the wound like blood, and the creature's form wavered.
But even as I watched, the wound began closing. Darkness flowed back together, sealing the cut as if it had never existed. The Avatar backhand me across the jaw, shadow-solid fist connecting with my helmet hard enough to rattle my teeth.
I staggered backward, shaking off the impact. The Avatar's face remained a featureless void, but somehow I could feel its satisfaction at landing the blow.
Behind the stone wall, I heard Kyrela's frustrated roar. “Michael! The barrier won't break!”
“Keep fighting!” I said, firing my mechanical arms' mana pistols at the Avatar. Ice and lightning bolts struck its torso, causing its form to flicker but not disperse. “I'll handle this thing!”
The Avatar gestured, and chunks of stone tore themselves from the cavern walls. The rocks orbited its body like satellites, then launched toward me in a coordinated barrage.
I grappled upward, hooks carrying me toward the ceiling as stone projectiles shattered against the cavern floor. But the Avatar's wind magic followed me, pressure waves that sent me spinning through the air like a leaf in a hurricane.
I crashed into a stalactite formation, pain shooting through my ribs despite the armor's protection. The Avatar was already moving, fire gathering in its hands as it prepared another attack.
That's when Ava's drones arrived.
Six combat units swarmed around the Avatar's position, their mana pistols firing in coordinated bursts. The creature ignored them completely, focused entirely on me as fire erupted from its hands.
I rolled away from the flame beam, using the distraction to close distance. Cyclone swept toward the Avatar's legs, but it leaped over the attack with inhuman grace. Wind magic carried it higher, positioning it above my head for a diving strike.
I fired both grappling hooks straight up, catching the creature around its torso. The lines went taut, and I triggered the retraction system, pulling myself up to meet its descent.
We collided midair, Cyclone carving into the Avatar's chest while its fists pounded against my armor. Dark energy splashed across my visor as the chainsaw teeth found their mark, but again the wound began healing immediately.
