Chapter 69 - Adventure Awaits (Patreon)

The week flew by in a flash. Jiran spent every waking minute reinforcing the channel in his chest by combining it with other nearby channels. Despite knowing the Aahmra’s task was a waste of time, he endeavored to use his aura for every minor task throughout each day.

Afternoons were spent locked in the bunker with Mayalyn. They chose a new volume of the Maker’s work to read each day, which usually resulted in heated debates about his theories and always devolved into more kissing.

At the end of his allotted time, the Aahmra called Jiran into his dojo. He arrived floating on a platform of aura, ready for whatever the codger threw at him next.

"You have made no progress! You have failed.”

"I have done my best but I don’t know what I lack, Master Aahmra."

"You lack conviction. You lack belief. Your heart holds many doubts. You see mana and aura as different, do you not?"

Here we go. The conversation we could have had a week ago.

"They are different to me, yes. Aura is natural, while mana is not."

"You believe mana to be unnatural? Your people are certainly strange to hold such beliefs. That is beside the point.

It is true that mana and aura are different. You agree with this, yet you understand little of what those differences are. Aura without mana is nothing. Do you think that makes mana superior? You say mana is unnatural but in your heart, you believe it to be superior.

"Tell me, Jiran of Feylon, why do you believe something that you claim is unnatural to be greater than aura?"

Is that true? Do I believe magic is stronger? Is it just because it's magic?

Jiran flexed and concentrated the aura around his right hand while he created a Coating around his left. He smashed them together, knowing before they even met, which he thought was superior.

The coating prevailed, easily crushing his aura.

"Now you know what you lack. Our training is complete. Tomorrow you will fulfill your end of the bargain."

That’s it. Really?

Quest accepted!

[Hide and seek] Reactivate the density absorber node at the designated coordinates

Finally! Sus timing there, system. Where have you been for the last two weeks, huh?

"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Master Aahmra," Jiran bowed, meaning every word.

He taught me a ton about my aura, invited me into his home, and treated me fairly. I hope he isn’t heading out tomorrow only to get himself killed.

Nah, who am I kidding, this guy is a monster. No way some random tier fives bring him down.

The old mouse closed his eyes in meditation, which Jiran assumed was his dismissal. He left the dojo and hopped into the air for a clear view of where the quest marker was pointing.

Directly in the middle of the mountain. Because where else would it be?

His feet took him to the bunker. She was waiting for him outside. Her usual smile evaporated the moment she was within the range of his aura.

“What happened? I have never seen you look so serious, Jiran of Felyon.”

“The Aahmra said my training is done. He’s ready to leave for the empire tomorrow morning. I’ll be back after I drop them off but I won't be coming back to Azurlight right away. Do you remember when we first met?”

“It was a most memorable day,” She tapped the spot on his chest where she stabbed him during their first meeting.

“I asked you about the location of something that looked like the portal we used to reach the empire. Well, I know where it is now. I’ll be heading there before I return.”

“Your words say one thing but your eyes say another. You are saying goodbye because you do not think you will be coming back,” Her tail began to twitch as her back stiffened.

“I never said that. I'm just about to go do something dangerous. If I don't die, I'll be back.”

“Are those words meant to comfort me?! You are a fool and an idiot! Will you at least tell me where you are going and why you must do this thing you say is dangerous?”

Oof, if she thinks I’m an idiot before knowing, it’s about to be a lot worse.

“I’m going because someone asked me to turn something on, some kind of node, whatever that is. Nothing she's asked me to do has ever been simple though, so I’m prepared for the worst.”

Mayalyn’s eyes narrowed dangerously and for a moment, he thought she would lash out at him. Instead, she took a deep breath before sliding into his arms and hugging him tightly.

“You better not die. Please,” She whispered.

“I’ll do my best. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, okay? You trying to follow me is a great way to get us both killed,” He could feel her face scrunch up and she pulled back from his chest to look up at him.

“Why would I do that? Do I look as foolish as you?”

He released a bark of laughter before flicking his eyes to the side, toward two people hiding behind a nearby cart.

“Is that your parents over there?”

Upon being discovered, the tiger and mouse immediately ducked out of sight before running away into the deepening shadows of the evening.

“Why are they running?” Jiran wondered aloud.

“They do not wish to scare you away. Apparently, I am a lost cause and will never find another man if you do not work out,” She rolled her eyes dramatically, eliciting a chuckle from Jiran.

“Well, on that note, I’m going to get some sleep. Tomorrow is probably going to be one of those days that feels like it lasts forever.”

She rose to her tippy toes and gave him a chaste peck on the lips.

“Goodbye, Jiran. I will be busy working on the voltree charger so I doubt I will even notice your absence.”

You are so freaking amazing, Maymay.

He kissed her forehead, which for some reason made her blush deeply.

“Goodbye, Mayalyn. I’ll try to remember you during all the excitement of my adventure.”

Her jaw jutted forward and the claws tipping her small hands extended.

Jiran beat a hasty retreat.

Mayalyn Aloyhee

Mayalyn traced the spot on her forehead where she could still feel his lips pressing against her skin.

He has yet to discover I can feel his emotions through his aura. How can one so gifted be so dense? Mathra was right, his aura is powerful, but also a weakness. It is truly an unfair advantage for me.

Mayalyn’s smile widened as she remembered the first time she discovered how his emotions shuddered when she simply maintained eye contact. Even more than kissing, there was something about her eyes that he could not get enough of. When his emotions ran amok it always made her core thrum in the most delightful ways.

She shook her head to clear the thoughts and focused on what was important.

I do not know who this ‘she’ is that he mentioned, but his apathy toward her was clear. Whatever koroko nonsense she put him up to, it will no doubt cause trouble. If the legends are consistent on one point, it is that a koroko is incapable of doing anything without bringing misfortune onto those around them. I must be prepared, we must all be prepared.

Thoughts of what was to come sparked a realization that caused her to rub her temples.

He is probably about to rush off into danger with nothing but the clothes on his back. Truly, he is far too dense. Well, I would be a fool myself to allow a perfect opportunity to slip through my fingers. What better way to make sure he thinks of me while he is gone than to send him with a little reminder.

She turned towards her home and the well-stocked kitchen within, her mother’s name on her lips.

“Mathra!”

Jiran of Feylon

The next morning, he woke up to find a large satchel stuffed with fruits and vegetables. It had a little note on it with his name in her handwriting. With a huge smile, he slung the strap over his shoulder and headed to the estate courtyard.

Jiran didn’t recognize a single one of the hunters that were waiting for him. All nine were grizzled and scarred with auras that snarled at each other as they vied for dominance. The courtyard air felt crowded despite there only being eleven people present. Not a single one of them acknowledged his presence as they stood before the Aahmra.

All tier five. The strongest of the town. They should be fine in the empire’s wilds so long as they don’t piss off a noble. Samris would eat this entire group for breakfast.

“Today, we free ourselves. Honesty, integrity, and trust,” They echoed the Aahmra’s salute before turning to Jiran in unison.

The Aahmra nodded and Jiran leaped into the air. The hunters shouldered their bulging packs and flew after him under the power of their auras.

They landed at the edge of the jungle and ran on foot through the trees. They each activated their obfuscations to blend into the foliage around them. Even with careful movements, they were all faster than him with attributes two tiers above his.

One of them ran beside him and let out a yawn while looking down from the corner of his eye.

Hey, I’m not the one too scared to fly, buddy.

“I’ll meet you at the place known as the mettlerise,” Jiran whispered knowing they would easily hear him with their enhanced senses.

Coating. Light Manipulation.

Jiran vanished from sight as light bent around him. He then pulled himself into the air with his manabody.

Gas Manipulation, True Origin of Fire.

The bubble of aura he formed around himself blocked the sound of the hydrogen that rocketed him forward, leaving the hunters in his dust.

                                             . . .

They arrived soon after him. A few berries from his backpack were more than enough to regenerate the lost mana. Jiran smiled, remembering Mayalyn complaining about how often she had to eat them.

The hunter who gave Jiran the snide look now wore a deep frown as he breathed heavily. Jiran nodded and the Aahmra covered them in his aura while Jiran spoke.

“The platform up there with a pedestal is how we are going to travel to my home.”

Every hunter spoke their dissent simultaneously.

“No! That is sacrilege.”

“We must not allow an outsider to scale the rise!”

“Ancestors protect.”

“Silence, fools. Our ways are about to change forever. This is nothing,” The Aahmra’s voice was a whip that instantly subdued their objections.

“Try not to draw any attention when you see the portal. It’s a bit shocking at first. When I point to you, you will see it appear, go through quickly. The other side is a dark cave.”

“Enough talking, we are not children.”

There’s always one in every group.

Jiran gave him the stink-eye before moving to the next point he desperately needed to get across to them before they traveled to the empire.

“The most important thing to remember is that my people, the imperials, will try to kill you if you are seen. Do not be seen. Some of my people are above the ninth tier, you do not wish to draw their ire.”

“Do not kill any imperials under any circumstances. Is this understood?!” The Aahmra hissed with his teeth bared.

They each nodded vigorously and the bunnyman gulped before suddenly smiling at Jiran like a favored nephew.

“Let’s go.”

Like the professionals they appeared to be, the hunters jumped through the portal without any hesitation. It cost Jiran an extra three percent of his mana for each person who passed through. After they were all on the other side, he followed and the portal closed behind him.

He wasted no time guiding them to the surface. Once there, they watched the skies with nervous eyes.

“There are no alphas or betas in the empire. The skies are safe here.”

His words held no sway over a lifetime of fear, so he shrugged and took to the skies. They followed him, staying low to the ground as they headed southwest to the forest where he had saved the civilians from the tier five tree-beast.

“This forest has several tier five beasts. There may be sixes here as well. I honestly don’t know. I’m heading back to Azurlight, when should I return to bring you back?”

“Three months. We will meet you here at that time.”

“Three months. Best of luck to you.” Jiran nodded and then departed after watching them fade into the woods.

His trip back to the Jeweled Isles was short and sweet. He stopped for a moment to enjoy the high-density air and then took to the skies while observing the map he had filled out over the last couple weeks and his shiny new quest marker.

Suddenly, his entire body shivered with the anticipation of a new adventure. New sights, smells, and sounds awaited him. Just what was inside this massive mountain that was so important to Madra? He didn’t know, but he couldn’t wait another minute to find out.

How do I get in there? From the top?

A thunderous roar shook the air and Jiran's head snapped up to see a massive flying lizard descend on a group of betas. The large birds panicked and scattered in every direction but a blast of force knocked a dozen of them out of the sky

[???] (Tier ?) ???

A dragon?! No, more of a wyvern. Thank the fathers. Still, that thing is no joke. I can’t even tell what tier it is.

Every tier is a doubling in attributes and concentration, at just tier seven, the beast's attributes would be upwards of 1280 per stat. Not to mention its 64 concentration which worked as a multiplier to all attributes. Compared to Jiran’s 60 attributes per stat and 6 concentration, he knew there was absolutely no chance he could even scratch it.

Well, I’m not going up there with those things flying around. Guess I'm digging my way in.

Jiran started his task at an elevation two-hundred meters below the marker. A spike of Coating burrowed four meters into the hard rock, directly toward the marker, with relative ease. Metal Manipulation then turned a three-meter cylinder around the spike into gravel that flowed out of the new hole in the side of the mountain.

Once the gravel fell free, Jiran moved to the end of the cylinder and repeated the process. Because he was digging up toward the marker, the loose rocks trickled out of his tunnel to fall down the mountainside without him having to shovel it out of his way.

He kept up his tunneling for hours. Each use of Metal Manipulation burned two percent of his mana. It took roughly thirty seconds for the gravel to fall out of his way so he was able to keep track of his time and distance with some basic math. He conserved mana by staying in the dark and using his manabody to sense the world around him.

After what he estimated was twenty hours and nearly fifteen kilometers, he finally saw something through his aura that wasn’t just more rock.

Coating + 2

Metal Manipulation + 4

Open air, or at least a cave of some kind. Better prepare first.

Jiran sat down and ate the last of the food Mayalyn packed for him while mumbling what felt like the hundredth 'thank you.'

With topped off mana, a stomach full of density, and a clear mind, he burrowed the last few meters and stepped into a narrow cavern. It was roughly nine meters tall and fairly straight. There were no stalagmites or stalactites that he could see and the walls were relatively smooth for a natural cave.

I think this is called a lava tube. Well, since it’s Madra, this could be from a massive worm eating its way through the mountain.

Either way, it’s headed in the right direction so I might as well take the easy route instead of going all the way back out to replenish my food.

After moving forward through the tunnel for over an hour, he was able to get a rough idea of his remaining distance by standing next to one wall and then the other while staring at the marker.

Not much further, half a kilometer maybe.

Foresight tingled in his neck, giving him the first warning that something dangerous was approaching. A moment later he felt the rock beneath his feet begin to rumble. He was already in motion, having come up with a plan for beast attacks while burrowing into the mountain.

Jiran threw himself against the wall and turned a section the size of his body just soft enough that he could push into it. He then reformed it back to the way it was, encasing himself in a coffin of rock.

He drew his manabody into himself, knowing that higher-tier beasts could sense the energies, and prayed that whatever was coming wouldn’t be able to detect him.

Something incredibly heavy and fast rumbled its way past his hiding spot. He couldn’t see it in the darkness but the little holes he left for his eyes caught a glimpse of floating letters. Jiran ignored everything but the tier, wanting to know what he was up against.

[???] (Tier 6) ???

Identify + 1

Tier six?! Is this entire mountain a death trap!