Chapter 401 - The Mistress of the Herd (Patreon)

Over the next few days, Zeke spent an inordinate amount of time testing his skills. He’d only had a few opportunities to familiarize himself with [Hell Geyser] back in the dungeon, and so, it wasn’t as ingrained in his fighting style as it probably should have been. So, during those few days, he truly put it through its paces. At the same time, he set about learning to control [Shifting Sands] as well.

The first was easy enough, and he found that using [Hell Geyser] came far more naturally to him than [Shifting Sands]. Perhaps it was down to his nature, which tended toward the destructive, but tearing the landscape apart with the former quickly became almost instinctual. But Zeke suspected that, while some of his difficulty was rooted in natural affinity, at good deal of his issues with [Shifting Sands] came down to the fact that it was much more complex. That, combined with the alien nature of what amounted to time dilation and shifting his state, meant that he needed a good deal of practice before he would feel completely comfortable with the skill.

Still, he endeavored to put the necessary time in, and he found that the skill featured a couple of quirks. First, he could control the distance as well as direction, though it took a bit of mental effort for the latter. Varying distance, by contrast, was easy enough, though getting things just right was a source of quite a bit of frustration, and Zeke found himself often over- or undershooting his intended targets.

The second thing he learned was that the skill was incredibly mana intensive. Activation carried only a small cost, but for every subjective second he maintained the ephemeral form that allowed him to sink into the earth, it cost exponentially more until it became untenable. In fact, that was the only real limit to how far the skill could take him. So far as Zeke could tell, he could keep going indefinitely, so long as he had enough mana.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t utilize outside sources. Not yet, at least. However, Eveline suggested that if he ever managed to evolve the skill, that might change. For his part, Zeke was satisfied with [Shifting Sands], though he was eager to explore different means of upgrade.

But that was true of all his skills.

Regardless, by the time those few days were up, Zeke felt that he was at least competent with his expanded capabilities. Time would tell if that assessment was realistic, though. In any case, only a few hours after he’d returned to the tower, he realized that the world hadn’t just stood around waiting for him to complete his training. Upon his return, he was greeted by a pair of kobold rangers and one of the spiritweavers subordinate to Kianma.

Zeke couldn’t remember her name, which, if he was honest, wasn’t terribly surprising. He had a bit of face blindness when it came to the reptilian kobolds. He could recognize a few individuals, but for the most part, they all looked very similar to his eye.

“I think that makes you racist,” Eveline remarked. “Or at least speces-ist. Is that a word? It feels like it should be a word.”

Zeke groaned inwardly, but he didn’t respond, aloud or in his head. If he did, it would just encourage her to keep going, and he wanted to focus on whatever reason the three kobolds had for meeting him in front of the tower’s gate.

The spiritweaver bowed and said, “Ak-toh.”

The two rangers echoed the motion, and Zeke wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground and reappear a hundred yards away. But he resisted the urge to use [Sinking Sands] as a means of escaping an awkward situation. Instead, he said, “No need for that. Just tell me what’s going on.”

“The centaurs have been spotted,” she said. Then, she gestured to one of the rangers, and she went on to explain – haltingly, either due to nervousness or lacking verbal ability – that a huge herd of centaurs were only about fifty miles away.

“How big of a group?”

“Many hundreds,” the ranger stated.

“Thousands,” supplied the spiritweaver, dipping her head. “Perhaps tens of thousands, Ak-toh. We think that it might be their entire nation, or at least one of their most powerful herds.”

Zeke ran his hand through his sweaty hair and glanced back toward the west. Somewhere out there were thousands of centaurs. He didn’t know precisely how powerful such a herd might be, but he felt confident that they were not to be taken lightly. He asked, “How long?”

“A day, at most,” the spiritweaver stated. “Perhaps much less, if they intend to push through the night.”

With a nod, Zeke said, “Then we need to be ready to greet them. Thank you for informing me. Where can I find Kianma and Silik?”

She replied, “In the Pillar.”

“The Pillar?”

She cocked her head to the side, then said, “Ah. You were not informed. The central building in the tower’s Residential District was renamed. We call it the Pillar.”

“Why?”

“Why would we not?”

Zeke had no answer for that, so he just nodded and extricated himself from the conversation. To his dismay, though, the spiritweaver followed him as he entered the tower and headed toward the Residential District. Thankfully, the pair of rangers – a male and female – immediately set off back into the Mukti Plains, presumably to keep tables on the oncoming herd of centaurs.

Upon reaching the Residential District, Zeke quickly saw why the Pillar had been so named.

“Appropriate,” said Eveline. “Really does look like a pillar, now. Very evocative.”

Zeke couldn’t disagree. Among the two-story buildings that comprised the bulk of the level, the tall Pillar looked particularly domineering as it loomed over the others at approximately five times the height of any other structure. In fact, at its peak, it was only a few feet below the ceiling.

In any case, Zeke hurried to the Pillar, where he quickly found that Kianma and Silik, along with Jasper and Eta, were already engaged in a meeting concerning the centaur herd. Zeke wasted no time before telling them what he expected, then heading back to the manor where he intended to don his nicest outfit.

Which wasn’t saying much, really. Never was that more obvious than when he looked in one of the mirrors and saw a slightly disheveled, muscular man in worn clothing staring back at him.

“You really should take better care of yourself,” Eveline remarked. “Maybe shave from time to time. Get a haircut…”

“Abby used to cut my hair,” he muttered.

“At least get a decent tailor. You have plenty of wealth, if you bother to actually sell some of your dragon’s hoard,” she said. “You don’t just represent yourself anymore. You’re the leader of an entire people, and you need to look the part.”

“You think I should just use the colossus form?” he asked. “It looks the same no matter what I’m wearing.”

“I think that’s probably for the best.”

Zeke nodded, agreeing. Though he did resolve to do something about the decrepit state of his wardrobe. At no point had he paid much attention to his clothing – discounting when he’d worn armor. It had never seemed all that important, and so long as everything was clean, he was fine. But now? He realized that Eveline was completely right in her assertion that he needed to think about how his appearance reflected on the people who’d chosen to follow him.

For now, though, his colossus form would have to do.

“Use the unattuned version,” Eveline suggested. “It looks more regal. The earthen version is a bit too rough, and I think you should leave the demonic version for your immediate enemies.”

Zeke couldn’t argue with that assessment. So, without further hesitation, he embraced [Triune Colossus], fueling it with his unattuned mana. He watched his reflection transform from a tall, athletic man who desperately needed to spend more time grooming himself into a towering behemoth of silvery metal.

“Has the form changed?” he asked. Indeed, he’d not had much opportunity to really examine his colossal forms. “I remember it being more…rugged before.”

“How should I know?” she asked. “I’m using your senses.”

“Fair enough,” Zeke said. In any case, the colossal form was impressive. “Kind of has a Silver Surfer vibe to it. Just a little more jagged.”

“I don’t what that means, but I can already tell I don’t like it.”

“Well, back on my planet, we had these things called comic books, and –”

“I don’t want to know.”

“But –”

Eveline closed herself off from further conversation. It was the mental equivalent of walking away, so Zeke got the hint. He could’ve pushed through, but he didn’t want to be rude. In any case, he was content to just admire what he was convinced was a slightly different version of the unattuned colossal form.

His shoulders were jagged with dark crystals, but the bulk of his body was made of silvery metal. However, unlike the aforementioned superhero, it wasn’t really sleek. Instead, his muscles were blocky, like a crudely formed statue. In any case, it was an intimidating look, and what’s more, he could maintain it almost indefinitely.

The same could be said for the earthen version, though only if he was in contact with the ground. As for the demonic form, he wasn’t sure where the limits lay, except that he knew that if he kept it going for too long, the corrosion of demonic mana would eat him alive.

No – the unattuned version was better, for now.

Once Zeke was satisfied with his appearance, he set off across the manor’s grounds, then, headed through the teleportation portal to the Entry Hall. There, he ignored the statues dotting the wide plaza on his way through the gates. Upon reaching the plains, he took a moment to use [Colossal Legion], and was soon joined by his three golems. They’d had plenty of time to regenerate, so they were pristine and shone in the failing light of dusk.

Zeke looked around, seeing that, while he was cleaning up, the kobolds had engaged in a mass exodus from the tower. More than a thousand were already outside, and more were streaming out with every passing minute. It was an impressive sight, and one Zeke took a moment to appreciate before locating his companions.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find them, and once he did, he strode through the mass of loitering kobolds; they parted before him, many muttering, “Ak-toh” as he passed. Aside from nodding every so often, Zeke ignored them.

Zeke greeted the others, noting that Pudge and Sasha had shown up as well. For some reason, the former dire bear looked anxious and ill at ease. But Zeke didn’t have time to ask about it before one of the rangers raced forward, telling everyone that the centaurs were almost upon them.

“So much for a day,” Zeke muttered. It seemed that the centaurs were capable of moving much more quickly than the rangers or that spiritweaver had anticipated.

In any case, the kobolds continued to exit the tower until there were thousands arrayed to either side of the gate. In the meantime, Zeke, his golems, and all of the most powerful members of the budding community hosted within the tower took their place at the center. There, they waited patiently.

Soon after, Zeke saw a plume of dust in the distance that eventually resolved into a blob of darkness on the horizon. Even as the sun set, the centaurs arrived to find the tower’s ready and waiting. Lit by hundreds of torches and a dozen huge bonfires, and with Zeke and his gleaming bronze golems at the center, they must have made for an impressive sight.

The centaurs pulled to a stop almost forty yards away. A few kicked their forehooves, giving Zeke the impression that they were on the verge of charging. The moment one of them twitched the wrong way, he intended to put [Hell Geyser] to good use.

But to his surprise, after only a few moments, the masses parted, and a trio of huge centaurs – they were at least a foot taller and much broader than the others – trotted forward. The centermost wore an elaborate headdress that resembled an eagle, while the two to the side carried long lances that had feathers tied along their length.

Zeke didn’t need to use [Inspect] to know that he was looking at the Mistress of the Herd, though he still used the skill out of habit:

Rasa Tamaki – Level 70

“Impressive,” Eveline said. “I think you could take her, though. Maybe not her friends, though.”

Indeed, the two other centaurs flanking her were even higher level, with one at level seventy-two, and the other having reached the lofty height of level seventy-four. He didn’t get the chance to [Inspect] any of the others before Rasa Tamaki stopped only ten feet from him.

“Greetings, Lord of the Crimson Tower,” she said, her voice low but unmistakably feminine. “I have come to propose an alliance between our people.”

Zeke and the others had discussed the possibility of an alliance, so he’d already prepared a response. “What are your terms?”

“Mutual defense. You may remain here unmolested, provided that you and yours do not spread,” she said. “We will shield you from harm, and in return, you will lend your strength to our war against our most hated foes.”

“And who are they?” Zeke asked.

“The giants. They descend from their mountains, raid our camps, then retreat where we cannot follow. Help us to right this wrong, and the Herd will forever be your ally.”

Zeke nodded, but he wasn’t about to agree without discussing things with his people. So, he said, “Give us time to discuss this amongst ourselves. You may camp nearby, but the moment I sense any hostility, we will respond in force.”

Rasa didn’t like that – after all, the Mukti Plains were considered her peoples’ land – but she didn’t respond negatively. Instead, she merely inclined her head, then led her people away.

Once they were gone, Zeke asked, “So, what do we think?”