Chapter 59
Lilith turned to Giles in disbelief.
"You're serious?"
His expression didn't change. "I can use my spatial talent to swap the dragon claw with an object in my possession. I've already measured the distance. It's just barely within range."
Lilith nodded slowly. She had known Giles possessed a space-based Talent, but she had never imagined it could be used quite like this.
"A direct swap, no restrictions?"
"Not entirely," Giles said. "I need an inanimate object to trade for it, and I can't directly target a living creature."
Simple enough. The dungeon was almost unnaturally clean, with little loose debris worth using, but Lilith carried plenty of items in her spatial ring. Giles could substitute nearly anything for the claw and pull the relic straight into his hands.
Their position made the plan even more tempting.
They were high above the battlefield, closer to the spatial gateway than anyone below.
The moment Giles completed the exchange, Lilith could carry him through the portal and escape.
If they moved fast enough, the Elite-ranked leaders might not even have time to react.
For the first time, stealing the dragon claw looked genuinely possible.
Lilith had written off the relic earlier because the competition was too strong; she'd been more interested in harvesting corpses than risking her life for the treasure itself. Now the situation had changed.
"My Lord, should we try it?" Giles asked. "No one has claimed the claw yet. Once an Elite takes hold of it, I won't be able to make the exchange."
That was the greatest limitation of his spatial replacement.
The Talent treated anything physically holding the target as part of the same object—if someone grabbed the dragon claw, Giles's spell would be forced to pull them along with the relic.
And the ability would fail outright if that living creature was stronger than he was.
As long as the claw hung suspended above the monument, he could take it. The moment an Elite-ranked leader secured it, the opportunity would vanish.
Even so, Lilith shook her head. "Not yet. It's too dangerous."
Every Elite below was still near full strength.
If she stole the relic now, all of them would turn on her at once, and she had no illusions about surviving a coordinated pursuit by several Elite-ranked enemies.
Their best option hadn't changed: wait until the native factions crippled one another, then take the risk once their ability to retaliate had been ground down.
Giles considered that and nodded. "You're right."
...
On the far side of the enormous chamber, White Hart remained hidden behind her Lord Talent.
She had seen everything below. She had also noticed Lilith watching from across the pit.
White Hart found herself wedged between equally terrible options. Moving forward would expose her to the native factions; retreating offered no clear path to safety. All she could do was stay hidden and pray no one found her.
"So those three weren't exaggerating," she muttered. "And that woman wants the relic too."
She searched desperately for a way out, but every possibility ended badly.
She had already reported what happened in the Frostlands to Hydra.
The Beastkin Alliance leader had immediately offered to bring reinforcements, but White Hart turned her down.
Everyone inside the Frostlands had been dragged into this strange dungeon—even if Hydra led the rest of the Alliance into the region, she would have no way to find her.
"I need an opening."
White Hart looked up at the white ripples spreading across the spatial gateway overhead. It was probably the dungeon's exit.
Probably wasn't good enough. Stepping through the portal might save her—or drop her straight into another trap. She refused to risk revealing herself until someone else passed through and proved the gateway was safe.
Ideally, the battle would end before her concealment failed. Once the surviving factions left, she could slip out behind them without drawing attention.
"I just need to last that long."
Her concealment Talent was exceptionally powerful—powerful enough that even Lilith had failed to detect her.
But that strength came with two limitations: she couldn't move while maintaining the effect, and it ran on a strict time limit.
The moment the duration expired, every powerful creature in the pit would sense her at once.
If that happened, she would have no choice but to rush the gateway and take her chances.
...
Below, the Goblins' advance had forced the other factions to respond.
With both of their strongest combatants moving at once, the Goblins became the first faction to make a serious bid for the dragon claw—and that created an immediate crisis.
Once an Elite-ranked leader secured the relic, they could reach the spatial gateway above in seconds.
Anyone who followed would lose precious moments to the disorientation of teleportation, letting the first traveler stretch their lead.
And every faction had staged forces throughout the Frostlands before entering the dungeon; if someone escaped with the claw, recovering it afterward would be far harder.
Lucian broke off his attack on Fenrir the moment he saw the Goblins advancing and turned toward the relic.
The pressure on Fenrir eased. Fueled by rage, the Werewolf leader had edged slightly ahead of Rimefang in strength. He unleashed a full-force strike, drove the Frost Sabertooth back, and charged after Lucian.
"We work together," Fenrir shouted hoarsely. "Kill the Goblins first!"
Of the four factions, the Goblins posed the greatest threat.
They had mobilized nearly their entire race, brought a massive army, and fielded two combatants whose combined strength reached Elite Rank.
If the others let them advance uncontested, the dragon claw would inevitably fall into Goblin hands.
Lucian gave no answer, but Fenrir knew the Vampires well enough to read his silence as agreement. He charged toward the Goblin Chieftain, leaving the Archpriest to Lucian.
Rimefang cut him off again before he got far.
The Goblins and Frost Sabertooths were smart enough to see the alliance forming against them—and more importantly, Rimefang had never cared about the dragon claw. His objective hadn't changed.
He pointed at Fenrir and roared to the Goblins, "Help me wipe out the Werewolves, and I'll help you secure the relic!"
"Agreed!" the Goblin Chieftain answered without hesitation.
The four factions split into two temporary alliances on the spot.