Chapter 495 - The Tears of Vulcan (Patreon)

The Sixth Legion was the only intact fighting force after Teruo’s judgment had descended upon us all. Katerina’s quick thinking, combined with us having not released any lanterns, meant ‘only’ two spears had gone for the Legion. The combined Han forces had it much rougher.

Basically every single officer of theirs had been taken out, and each explosion of caustic Acid in the middle of their ranks and formations had further devastated their troops. Katerina immediately ordered the Legion to descend upon the frightened and scattered Han troops, and with nobody to properly take charge - their entire chain of command and then some being decapitated - along with a bloody Guardian ruining their day - morale quickly collapsed, the Han were routed, and Katerina was looking smug with an additional 40 levels under her belt from a single evening.

I would be too in her shoes.

Auri rejoined us soon after the rain ended, and I didn’t anticipate seeing Iona and the rest until the storm dispersed.

“Brrrpt! BRPT BRPT!” Auri had a lot of complaints about the ‘stupid rain coming out of nowhere’ and ‘looking before trying to kill a person’ and similar things.

They felt… hollow though. Without substance. Auri wasn’t spending her time looking around in every direction, trying to ‘subtly’ figure out how many people were looking at her and admiring her brrettiness. She was looking down at her feet, deep in contemplative thought.

I gently stroked her head with a single finger.

“Hey, I’m here if you want to talk.” I said.

Auri hopped a little closer to my cheek and nuzzled it.

“Brrrpt. Brpt?” She asked.

“Maybe wait until we’re back in the fort before classing up?”

“Dawn, a word.” Katerina flagged me down as the Han broke and we regrouped. I mentally cursed - how did Katerina know I was about to jump back to Shuixi and see what I could do?

The woman gestured, and one of her endless runners took off towards our fortress.

“Legata.” I saluted the woman who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

“I’m about to announce it to the rest of the Legion, but we’re leaving. Going home. Our reputation is going to be interesting from here on out, and we’re about to be in a world of hurt from every single force here. Ideally, you’d move with us, but I know you can’t resist going to Shuixi. Letting you know what the plans are, and what I need from you.”

The runner returned, and Katerina unfolded a map.

“We’re here.” She jabbed to a point in the western part of the Han empire. “Exterreri is here.”

Exterreri was fucking far.

“The plan right now is to march to Rolland, and negotiate with Count Peacevale.” Katerina traced a line going south, a little south-west, down to the nation that used to house the Valkyries.

“Countess.” I corrected, Katerina lifting an eyebrow at me. “The old Count died two years ago and his daughter took over. Iona’s from the area and keeps tabs on what’s going on.”

“Good intel. Countess then. I mean no disrespect requesting that you go on a courier mission, but you’re the fastest person in the army by far. I’m hoping you can get to our embassy in Lyon, and let them know what’s going on. They’ll be able to smooth the process, and prevent any diplomatic issues.” She said.

I interrupted.

“Wait, am I going as Sentinel Dawn or Legionnaire Bunny? Am I telling them about the Sixth Legion, or the Ironside Brigade?”

Katerina waved dismissively at that, then frowned as a noise squawked in her ear.

“No, no. Second cohort, pull back. Fort duty. Start securing our rear. Third, I need you going out to our flanks, I don’t like the look of that group over on the hill. Optio Maxlin, I need…”

The Legata spent a few minutes issuing orders before turning back to me.

“Apologies for taking your time like this Dawn, I know you’re eager to go. Enter the city as Bunny, or any other identity you care to take, and reveal yourself as Sentinel Dawn at the embassy.” She chuckled darkly. “What I’d give to see the looks on their faces when a Sentinel strolls in through the doors… Once you let them know what’s going on, let the [Diplomats] work their magic. Swing by when you’re done with Shuixi. I’ll have a letter for you to deliver when you get there. After that, please make your way back to the Sixth, unless the embassy has anything critical for you. Only thing I can imagine is having you personally visit the new Countess to soothe egos.”

I saluted my understanding, privately doubting that I’d be tapped for diplomatic missions.

Well, no. The way my luck went, I would be tapped, but I’d do my best to sneak out of it, mostly by mentioning that I was so terrible at social events that I’d formerly been banned from participating, nevermind for something as delicate as this.

I spread my wings and zipped off to Shuixi.

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Fucking Teruo and his FUCKING CLOUD COVER!

[Wheel of Sun and Moon] was my big ‘major healing’ skill, and missing it meant I’d needed to either manually touch people, or use [Imbue]. Given the scale of the devastation and the sheer amount burnt down, it wasn’t like there were triage centers or really anything left easily accessible. Just piles of coal on top of fallen timbers burying people alive.

The vast majority of the city had been burned to the ground, a pile of cold coals. A few buildings here and there still stood, flame and burn marks scarring their visages.

Iona had joined me, the need to help people from disaster her overwhelming imperative. We barely traded three words beyond ‘I love you’, but the two of us worked in comfortable tandem, always staying near one another. Fenrir and Nina stayed up high in the stupid fucking annoying stormclouds, the kitsune trying to improve her incoming class quality.

It didn’t apply as much for Fenrir. He was a wyvern, on his own path, and was dutifully working on blizzards and snowstorms. Sure, it might help a little, but only technically.

Iona used [Grasp of the Moon] and heaved, muscles bulging as she moved half a charred house, her skill keeping the structure together. I zipped in, picking up a girl and her loyal dog, healing both with a thought.

Melted metal-skin was nasty.

I dropped them off and flew off before they could say a word, flying in a quick circle around the block we were currently working on. Iona put the frame of the house back down, more intent on saving the next person, knowing that rebuilding would be a lifetime’s worth of work. Face burns, arm burns, back burns, burns and lung damage from smoke inhalation were the order of the day.

The smell of burnt timber with a hint of pork threatened my stomach, redoubling my resolve to never, ever eat bacon again.

By the time I swooped back around to Iona again, she was at another building, lifting the remains up. This time though, there were no survivors.

The anguished wails would’ve haunted me if it wasn’t the all-encompassing cacophony to the entire event.

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“Congratulations.” Iona’s exhausted voice betrayed none of the excitement of her words. I tilted my head in confusion.

“On…?” We were halfway through the city, and I was needing to range further and further out to find people to help. My job here was almost done, at which point I’d need to swing back and act as a [Courier] for the Sixth.

“Your level. You hit it.” Iona told me.

My eyes widened in realization as I checked my notifications, scrolling all the way to the last one instead of getting the usual compressed view. I’d started the siege of Shuixi at 735, and now…

[*ding!* Congratulations! [The Dawn Sentinel] has leveled up to level 767 -> 768 +3 Dexterity, +24 Speed, +24 Vitality, +170 Mana, +170 Mana Regen, +48 Magic Power, +48 Magic Control from your Class per level! +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Speed, +1 Vitality, +1 Mana, +1 Mana Regeneration, +1 Magic Power, +1 Magic Control for being Chimera (Elvenoid)! +1 Mana, +1 Mana Regen from your Element per level!]

I wanted to jump and shout and scream for joy. But this wasn’t the time. Save people now, celebrate later. There was a reason I checked on notifications after, not during.

It was undeniably exciting though, a feverous bubbling that started in my stomach, a kaleidoscope of butterflies dancing in my guts.

I’d done it! I’d crossed the great gap between 256 and 768. I firmly shunted the part of me that wanted to babble with excitement and speculate wildly into a [Parallel Thought], letting part of my mind go nuts.

“Hey Elaine, can you do me a big favor?” Iona asked while casually benching a bridge.

“Uh, sure, what’s up?” I said, slightly distracted by the notification and the thousands of ramifications and implications.

“Can you class up while I’m around? You’re impossible to surprise otherwise with your sensory skill, and I’ve got a big one for you.”

What did she - oh.

OH!

I thought I knew exactly what surprise she wanted to spring on me! I wasn’t ready! I had my own surprise I wanted to spring on her! Or at least at the same time!

The small surge of excitement at such a momentous event quickly died to my all-consuming apathy. I needed a break. A long break. One where, once I was done, I could be surprised and horrified by life again. I needed a mango. And a massage. And a long break of lazing around.

When I got home, after doing what I needed to do, I was going to spend a week in bed doing nothing but reading. I was going to be the laziest Sentinel that ever existed. I wouldn’t even walk to the bathroom, I’d just [Blink] over there instead.

I knew Auri mentioned wanting to class up. As soon as I was done helping her with that, I had some errands that needed to get done.

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Interlude - Auri.

Flowers!

Glorious flowers!

Flowers everywhere!

The happy-fire-dreamland was a wonderful place. All the flowers, just for me!

Reds were the dominant color, yes! Just as things should be! Red was so good, there were two types of reds!

Dark grey here, dark grey there, ugly color!

Deep reds, little specs of black and brown! Red was good.

Yellows, blues, and whites were scattered through the field, giving more color to the wonderful tapestry that was the world of my soul.

Elaine’s words! Happy-fire-dreamland was just as good of a word!

Fun now! Serious thinking later!

I zipped from flower to flower, not-me flying right beside me. Just exploring! Fun to see!

I knew more now! Fire and Inferno! Ash and Storm! Lava and Radiance! All good things. Nectar here! Nectar there! Nectar everywhere, in all the pretty colors of the rainbow!

Except black. Ewwww, black was an ugly color. Strong though.

I zipped, I zoomed, I had my fun.

I knew a hard thought was coming.

“Brrrpt.” I sighed, landing on a random flower. White, Storm element. Light green nectar, all about tornadoes. Could do fun things mixing in flames with tornadoes! Gigantic pillar of destructive flames!

Destructive flames.

I had flown away from my thoughts, feelings, and problems long enough. Like Elaine said, I had to stop running, and confront my problems.

A problem I couldn’t just burn away. I wanted to burn it away, make the mean thoughts turn into flames, but that wouldn’t fix the problem.

Fire was The Best Thing Ever.

Yes.

That was still true.

But… Fire could also be a terrible, terrible force of destruction and ruin. Uncontrolled fire killed indiscriminately. It was the final flare of someone’s life.

Oh!

Important!

Sometimes, Bad Guys had to be burned.

Yes.

That was still true.

Fire destroyed.

I was careful what I burned. I had complete control over what my fire did.

Just because I had good control, didn’t mean everyone else did.

And when it went out of control…

When it consumed indiscriminately like in Shuixi…

That was Bad.

Very Bad.

Fire was beautiful. An elemental waltz of heat and light. The spark in the night, bringing warmth, fighting back the darkness. The art of the ephemeral, painting crimson and golds on the great canvas of night. The inviting glow of the hearth, the promise of food from the oven, the blaze that emboldened freedom.

It was a force of transformation, of rebirth. Metals were forged, goods were baked, lands rejuvenated. It cleansed and renewed, the start, middle, and end of the great cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Fire was the very essence of change, the raw power of the elements at play. A primal spectacle. It was the stars in the sky, nay, it was the very sun itself!

It also killed, maimed, and destroyed without thought or care.

That… was bad.

I didn’t want ordinary people to die by fire. I wanted them to embrace it! To love the flame as I did! People dancing with fire was far preferable to them burning in it. Burning was once, a dance was eternal.

Fire in small, controlled amounts, carefully given a task, was ideal. It was worth considering what would be destroyed and transformed by flames before I used them.

Yes.

There we go!

Perfect!

I’d have to tell Elaine about my today - no, tomorrow - level Auri-thinking. She’d laugh at the joke!

Now!

What to pick as a class?

How far did I want to go? Not-me was very helpful! I had to pick a level 8 class. I could also pick a 32, 128, and even 256 class! Yes! Lots of banked experience! Not enough for my third to get 768… but my main could!

Each flower had ghostly images of more flowers I could pick off that one, and each of the ghostly maybe-flowers had their own!

What to pick as an element?

There… was more to life than just Fire and Inferno, and between [Phoenix of the Divine Flame] and [Fireborn Immortal of the Resplendent Eruption], I was set. I could burn anything I wanted. Conjure any flame, burn any magic.

I could destroy at will.

I could barely create.

Baking was deeply satisfying. A way to give back, a way to belong, be a member of society. Far more than just sitting around looking brrretty, it made me more.

Creation wasn’t quite as nice as burning things, but not everything in the world could be burning.

Storm.

TOO MUCH WATER!!!!

Ash.

The aftermath of destruction.

Radiance.

Speed and light! Nothing solid.

Steam.

No. Water.

Stupid wet elements! Why did so many fire combinations have wet elements!?

Lava.

Yesss… why not Lava?

I’d been playing with melting rocks, seeing if I could create anything new. Throwing them around when I needed mass. Flying under the Tears of Vulcan, and witnessing the massive eruptions.

“Can you get me an arrangement of Lava flowers?” I asked not-Auri.

“Brrrpt!” She answered, and a ceramic vase popped up in front of me, filled with an artful arrangement of flowers, echoing ghosts of potential paths behind each of them.

I dismissed the ones with white, pink, red, yellow, and orange nectar. Too bad! Not good enough! Too many choices!

Three flowers were left behind, and thousands of ghostly options floated as potential and possibilities.

Time to be smart!

I could pick it now, or, I could be a smart birdbrain and study them. Study like Elaine studies things! Then see the bestest option, and work towards it! Do lots and lots of things relating to it, to make the nectar inside even sweeter!

No, no, no, maybe, no, no - yes.

The path was clear! The option the best!

I would take [Molten Mythwing - Lava] at level 8 with its super tasty dark green nectar, and work super duper hard on it, then at 256, become a [Pyroclastic Sovereign - Lava].

“Brrrpt?” Not-me asked, wanting to know if I had picked out a class. Reminding me that I needed to burn the flower to make my class selection.

I shook my head at her. No, burning the flower here was a waste. Yes, it was the happy-fire-dreamland, not a real place, but I knew better now. Flowers were too pretty to burn. A fleeting moment of enjoyment for myself, then nobody else could enjoy them.

Not-Auri couldn’t enjoy it when I wasn’t around. It was only one flower in a field of thousands, but it was too much.

No.

I gently leaned forward and plucked the flower with my beak.

[Name: Aoife Auri Stentor]

[Race: Phoenix]

[Age: 10]

[Mana: 663,333/663,333]

[Mana Regeneration: 663,333]

Stats

[Free Stats: 0]

[Strength: 30]

[Dexterity: 84,291]

[Vitality: 90,916]

[Speed: 90,916]

[Mana: 663,333]

[Mana Regeneration: 663,333]

[Magic Power: 580,441]

[Magic Control: 580,441]

[Class 1: [Phoenix of the Divine Flame - Inferno: Lv 768]]

[Inferno Authority: 768]

[Phoenix Rebirth: 5]

[Inferno Manipulation: 768]

[Inferno Conjuration: 768]

[True Flames: 768]

[Burn Magic: 768]

[Domain of Fire: 768]

[Auri's Meteor Storm: 768]

[Class 2: [Fireborn Immortal of the Resplendent Eruption - Inferno: Lv 740]]

[See Magic: 740]

[Immolate: 740]

[Everything Burns: 740]

[Clinging Flames: 740]

[Burning Orbs: 740]

[Mage Hand: 740]

[I am the Brrrettiest: 740]

[Flame Selection: 740]

[Class 3: [Molten Mythwing - Lava: Lv 32 ]]

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General Skills

[Phoenix's Perfection: 768]

[Incandescence: 546]

[Adorable: 325]

[Precocious: 500]

[Companion Bond between Auri and Elaine: 503]

[Flying: 611]

[Preening: 733]

[Baking: 380]

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AN: Because it's going to be asked, Auri has JUST selected her class with enough banked exp to instantly get it to 32, but hasn't had time yet to select which skills she's taking. Hence the selected class, empty skillslots.