chapter 6:
Into the City
The orc kingdom burned. Wan Jie stood atop a mountain of corpses and wreckage, viewing the fruits of his unrestrained efforts. Massive craters now scarred the land where he unleashed his most destructive techniques. Rivers ran green and red with blood. The stench of death choked the air.
This still only scratched the surface of his current power, but wanton destruction eventually lost its thrill. Wan Jie turned his gaze eastward, toward the sprawling capital city of the elven kingdom deep within the ancient forests.
Different possibilities awaited there. The elves were masters of magic and relic forging far beyond human craftsmanship. He could appropriate their treasures and discoveries for his own ends. Few defenses would bar his entry now; not even their vaunted wards had ever braced for one such as him.
Crossing the continents no longer required tedious travel on foot or horseback either. With a thought, Wan Jie invoked his Code Manipulator ability to open an interspatial portal directly into the elven capital city.
Stepping through, he found himself amidst soaring spires and open communal spaces filled with graceful architecture and gardens. The elven inhabitants milled about peacefully on their daily business, woven clothing and garments fluttering as they moved.
None noticed Wan Jie's sudden arrival in their midst, his portal unseen and unfelt by their senses. But he of course perceived all with his heightened faculties. His gaze swept over the city, analyzing weaknesses and taking stock of valuable resources to appropriate.
The elves relied heavily on wards and detection spells for their first line of defense rather than brute fortifications. Attuning his qi sense, Wan Jie assessed the thaumic web blanketing the capital. Impressively complex with many layered redundancies, but still vulnerable.
With a bit of creative code editing, Wan Jie stealthily introduced flaws in select wards allowing him to move unimpeded to any location. The elves continued their peaceful daily business, unaware their supposedly impermeable defenses now had gaps. Arrogance made them complacent.
Keepings his presence veiled for now, Wan Jie explored the soaring spires housing repositories of arcane lore and relic forges churning out powerful magic items. Every discovery only made him crave seizing this city and its resources for himself, though patience was still prudent.
He carefully selected a few rare tomes on spatial manipulation and etheric harmonics to copy for his own research. Marvels of elven mastery open for the taking, yet they hoarded it shamefully to themselves. Wan Jie almost pitied them for not putting their works to proper use before his coming.
Night gradually fell over the forest capital, the streets emptying and lights dimming as its inhabitants retired. But Wan Jie remained alert and restless. Deliberately sabotaging critical wards, he opened fatal breaches in the city's defenses. External threats both mundane and mystic would soon take notice.
As he finished his work, Wan Jie paused, sword drawn and poised. Something approached with speed and purpose from the forest beyond. He slipped into the shadows between structures, masking his presence as he observed.
A lone cloaked figure dropped down from the trees and hurried stealthily across the open gardens toward the towering library at the city's heart. A thief here to claim restricted knowledge while the elves slept, unaware their safeguards were now mere illusion.
Wan Jie followed, curiosity piqued. The interloper moved with practiced skill, bypassing external guards and internal arcane locks to reach the deepest forbidden archives barred from all save the highest elders. Whoever they were, this was no simple opportunistic bandit.
Slipping into the vaulted records hall behind the thief, Wan Jie watched them scan through indices, swiftly locating and extracting a thick, ornate volume. Ancient elvish script adorned its surface - likely a relic of their gods or primordial days.
Before the thief could flee with their prize, Wan Jie surged forward, sword tip coming to rest before their hood's shadowy opening. "None leave here with such rare treasures unless I allow it. But you have talent...identify yourself."
The figure hesitated briefly before lowering their hood, revealing a striking elven woman's face framed by long dark hair. Her amber eyes stared back unflinching. "I am Syla. And I do what is necessary for the salvation of us all."
Wan Jie tilted his head. "Riddles will gain you only a quick death. Speak plainly your purpose." He pressed the blade closer, drawing a bead of blood from her pale throat. But her gaze remained steely.
"This world is dying. I aim to unlock the old magicks to restore the balance before all is lost. But foolish tradition bars the way." Syla gestured contemptuously back at the archives. "I do what I must for the greater good, even if it means sacrilege."
Interesting...desperation drove her to bold action where others stagnated weakly under old restrictions. Wan Jie saw useful potential in this one. Staying his sword, he stepped back and gave an appraising look. "Very well Syla. I will allow you to take what is required."
Surprise flashed across her face. She had steeled herself for conflict and death. But she gave a wary nod before turning to depart with the liberated text. This night's strange encounter left her with much to contemplate.
Wan Jie watched Syla disappear into the darkened streets. He too now had additional threads to weave into his plans. But first, the wards continued deteriorating. Soon this complacent city would face cataclysm.
Settling in to observe high atop a tower, Wan Jie focused his augmented senses outward toward the surrounding forests. The darkness teemed with mindless hungry things drawn by the decaying wards, monstrosities usually kept safely at bay. Now they crept ever closer, urged on by his manipulations.
Howls and skittering arose as the first vile creatures broke through at the city's perimeter. Their malformed shapes flitted between the trees, diseased eyes reflecting the ambient lights. The elven wards shuddered and warped dangerously, like a ruptured dam about to burst.
With his bird's eye view, Wan Jie watched the horrors infiltrate the outer streets in growing numbers. They defiled and ravaged all in their path, innocent lives snuffed out violently. Intoxicating chaos to behold, but only the prelude. The true cataclysm reached its tipping point as the wards groaned their death rattle.
In mere moments, the elven capital's defenses completely unraveled with a psychic scream audible for miles. The floodgates collapsed. A devouring tide of abominations poured through from the endless forests beyond, an ocean of fangs and claws hungry for sweet elven blood.
High overhead, Wan Jie observed the carnage begin impassively. No atrocity or act of destruction could shock his numbed soul anymore. He simply analyzed for any openings of advantage the chaos might bring. In time, the city would be his.