Arthur had always scratched his head over why Elias—the runt of the litter, green as a fresh sprout—snagged the Crystal Spire crown.
Elias had the 411, buried deep in the tower's hush-hush vault. Spire's true sauce? A bespoke spell-sling: Foresight & Echo.
Old Master's fade-out left two rookies in the know: Elias, and his wanderlust Uncle Silas.
Forked roads, devil's choice.
Silas? Echo trail—ear-drill deluxe. Catch earth's burp-whispers, and voila: enemy sneaker-count from horizon's edge, eyes zipped.
Elias? Foresight flow. Peep-game maxed: dust-boogie in sun-stabs, smoke-spiral riddles, pond-ripple whodunits. Nail the trigger in every glitch.
Steam-trick right now? Blaring alarms, quiet as a crypt.
Gatecrasher crashed the crib.
That's his ace—why he could split from Arthur solo. Radar? Bulletproof bouncer.
Zero lag. Elias ghosted kitchen-ward. Study-straight, solo-lamp honey-drip. One knuckle-knock, crisp.
Arthur peeped from his scroll, grin budding—nuked at Elias's deadpan. Diaper-buddies; tells hit like neon signs.
Elias desk-plop. "Grub's hot," he drawled, smooth as oil. "Dig in." Peepers ping sword-lounge—the casual chuck from earlier.
Arthur's lip-curl ghosted back, knife-edged. Book-snap, rise, blade-snag like oh-yeah-left-that.
Kitchen convoy, flank-to-flank.
Hearth-hunch, Elias lid-pop. Elven Grain? Bloomed fat purple pearls, tease-scent coy.
Fire-fizzle lull, Elias lip-murm: "Pugh called it. Fangers crashed."
Arthur's suck-in snagged. "Track? We slipped in slick. Snitch?"
"Nope, brain-fart's mine." Elias jaw-clench. "Idiot play." Chin-nod pot-dip, gold-ladle bowl-bound.
Arthur synced flash. Shy whiff? Human-sniff nope, but fang-bait bullseye. Elias, big-dick energy on his kit, blanked real heat nose-hunting bunker-burg deep.
Hook-set—they're chum.
Elias chill-scoop? Unkinked Arthur's twist. Bro no-sweat. Still, spine-ice prickled. Fang-mug? Rookie hour. Pad-still? Strangle-slow.
"Down low," Elias breath-whis. Then, pep-rally: "Hit this!"
Ladle-jab, sticky pearls pend.
Arthur's pump jack-rabbited. Neck-prickle? Storm-static. Hover-hunch, loft-lurk. Bro-trust. Lean-lap.
Nail-head. Beam-squatter.
Coily slink unspooled gloom. Top-slice slimed down, hag-bloat twist. Serpent skull-split, flake-face lady—slit-eyes, locks lash-vine. Maw-gape: needle-chompers, fork-flick tongue.
Flake-talons flank-sprout, throat-ghost.
Claws skin-kiss, penny-rott nostril-flood—
CLANG!
Elias plate-flip bowl-cap. Ladle? Shiv-snap—ceiling-blitz.
CRACK! Dome-scoop cave.
Grip-chuck, shoulder-snag whirl-dodge, tar-plop rain.
Arthur lag-frame when Elias yoink-sword numb-fish. Silver-streak up-hack.
SQUELCH.
Gore-spray. Bean-lop, pot-splash sizzle. Torso-twitch, sack-deflate mega-coil, rafter-rag.
Elias? Roll-mode. Blade-up, wall-pounce.
CRASH!
Plaster-nuke, boot-quake. Peek: scaly dome-dude strike-coil. Crimson diag-slash gut. Tick? Bi-flop.
No gasp. Elias spin-sun, roof-hurl.
"Peel!"
Blade shingle-punch, shard-shower.
Hush. Tar-leak fresh moonroof.
THUD. THUD.
Dude-splits splat. Third brute—steel-domed—roof-ruin, quake-crash.
Elias stroll-yank, wrist-whip.
SHINK.
Arthur jolt as steel slot-home sheath. Blade-grin-beast-stare.
Air? Dust-throat, blood-zap reek. Gulp? Grit.
"Clean sweep. Trio tick—for now," Elias bowl-grab. "Jump-scare my bad. Quick-kill, low-profile. Low-rent. Half-bake. Breeze." Bowl-wag. "Munch?"
Arthur pins? Glue. Fang-stare? First blood. Swag? Smoke. No bro-shake spot.
"Fang mug-shot? VIP tour," he scraped, nosy cos over nope-rope.
"Rock it." Elias shrug-bowl tuck-door-dip.
Stoop-hit when CRACK! rear-boom, timber-tidal.
Whirl—pale-punch. Arthur? In-deep. Kitchen? Flop-town.
Bowl-dump, grain-dirt firework. Elias dust-blur dive. Lamp-shard black-void. Hearth-brand torch-snag.
Haze-stab: beam-bury Arthur.
"Arthur!" Scram-shout, crack-panic.
Groan-mush crush-mound.
Heave-flip. Arthur sprawl, talc-bomb, mug wrench-hurt. Arm pin-elbow, crimson sleeve-bud.
"Chill, bonehead," Elias husk-shake silk.
Fingers zip—pin-seal bleed, zap-ache. Pouch-pill jaw-jam, splinter-stake mangle-sling.
Cradle-lift. No camp—doc-dash, now-now.
Turn-bail? Weak snag tunic. Arthur half-fade, good-wave study. Rasp-plea.
"Basket… core… no-dump."
Elias freeze-blue curse streak. Study-sprint, basket-back sling.
Arthur bundle, load cinch, no jamb-jam. Run-ramp vault-leap—wall-clear one-shot, night-gulp.