Chapter 80 - Departure (Patreon)

“Alright, but I have a few conditions.” Jiran relented.

“Yes!” Mayalyn spun in a circle, pumping her fists into the air before shooting him a dazzling smile.

“You have to learn how to fight. I won’t feel comfortable leaving you alone without knowing you can take care of yourself. That means no complaining and no backing out, no matter how hard it gets.”

“Do you expect that to deter me? Because it is doing the exact opposite. Quickly, what are your other conditions?” Mayalyn’s ears flicked forward excitedly.

“Your skills are different from mine so I’ll need in-depth explanations on exactly what they do. As well as all of your attributes, everything. We’ll need to do a lot of experimentation to get the most out of your skills.”

“Are you trying to crack my core?! Stop teasing me already and tell me the real conditions!”

“My last condition is that I’m not taking you away from your family without their permission.”

She waved away his concern with a casual swipe of her hand, “Phaw, I am an adult. I can do as I please but I will certainly be telling them that we are leaving and why, though not where, for obvious reasons,” With the last of his concerns put to rest, she threw her arms around him in a quick hug before jumping back, her entire body vibrating.

She’s serious. She really wants to come with me. I was terrified of facing the red density alone, especially with how much worse I knew it was going to be this tier. Now I don’t have to. And she can watch my actions and emotions, instantly knowing if I’m starting to slip.

Jiran’s heart was hammering and he swallowed nervously, suddenly very aware of the proximity between him and the beautiful girl he would be traveling with for the foreseeable future. She picked up on his emotions straight away and her breath hitched as her pupils began to turn to slits.

“Well-no-time-to-waste-let’s-go!” Jiran high-tailed it out of the mural chamber, Mayalyn hot on his heels.

Her hand shot out and grabbed his shoulder with a feral growl. “Do. Not. Run.”

“Oh, yeah, forgot about that,” He slowed down and they walked hand in hand to where his aura found Mathra and Pepa helping another family get settled into one of the many small burrows.

The People were spread out through the vast cavern, making the space seem smaller than it was. Some slept, while others wandered aimlessly, their faces stricken with blank, staring eyes. The fresh reminder of the suffering around them crashed Jiran’s mood instantly. Mayalyn squeezed his hand and he noticed how she worried her lower lip with a deep frown.

Mayalyn called out to them, “Mathra, Pepa,” They turned toward Jiran and Mayalyn and then shared a knowing look. Without a word, Mathra hugged Mayalyn before kissing her cheeks and dragging her off to the side. Jiran was a little surprised when Pepa came in for a hug with a stony expression, but he accepted the embrace, giving as good as he got.

“It brings me great comfort that I do not feel the need to remind you to take care of her. It is all a father can ask for to see his daughter leave with a man who he knows can keep her safe. Thank you, Jiran of Feylon, for choosing our troublesome child,” His hard disposition melted instantly as he shot Jiran a trickster’s grin.

“Pepa!” Mayalyn and Mathra shouted in unison, causing the little man to jump and scurry behind Jiran.

“Thanks?” Jiran replied with uncertainty, unable to follow the man’s rapid shifts in demeanor.

Jiran could feel Pepa’s grin widening behind his back, “I hope you realize what you have signed up for. She does indeed take after her mother, if you know what I mean.” Hearing Pepa’s words, Mathra growled with her teeth bared. “Good luck!” He whispered in Jiran’s ear before running toward the stream of freshwater that trickled from the ceiling.

Mathra’s eyes snapped to his retreating form. Jiran watched with interest as her pupils slit exactly like a cat about to pounce on her prey. She quickly regained control with a shake of her head and turned back to Mayalyn with excited whispers.

This family is nuts. I can’t say I don’t like it though. Wish we had more time to spend with them before we leave. We just need to get stronger than the Aahmra then we can come back whenever. Besides, I need to fix their island. With a little tweaking, restoration should have no issues growing trees and fixing the soil. I’m coming for you alphas, and you are not going to enjoy our next meeting.

Since Mathra and Mayalyn were still having their private conversation, Jiran turned to the family who were settling into the nearby burrow. He recognized them, though didn’t know their names. “Do you need anything before I leave? Water? Food?”

“We are capable of caring for ourselves!” The father hissed while baring his teeth.

His mate stepped forward, blocking him from Jiran’s sight, “Apologies, Bohemra. We do not require your aid. We brought some supplies with us and we have the water from the stream. There is shelter from the elements here. Anything else that we need can be addressed once the Aahmra arrives.”

Bohemra? Is that something related to the Aahmra? I’ll have to ask Mayalyn.

“Okay. I understand. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“See to it that you do not intrude again. The People have no need for your help any longer,” The man grumped as he turned to face inside the hovel, clearly done with the conversation. The woman gave Jiran an apologetic smile before turning away as well.

I can’t imagine how hard this is for these people. There’s got to be something else I can do for them. They are going to need to hunt the area for food, maybe I can bring back some tier five meat for them. Oh crap! If they are out hunting, it's only a matter of time before they run into some imperials. That could get so bad so quickly. I need to figure out which noble owns these lands and figure out how to negotiate for the People to stay here without being killed or worse, captured and enslaved.

Once again, something I’m not strong enough to do. What noble would take me seriously when I’m basically a tier five with a stronger-than-usual aura. I really don’t have any time to waste.

Mathra appeared before him, disrupting his thoughts. She threw her arms around him and Jiran awkwardly hugged her back. When he went to step away, she didn’t let him go and instead leaned toward his ear. Pepa may not have said it, so I will for the both of us, “Keep her safe, or I will kill you in your sleep,” She pulled away with a bright smile before speaking at a normal volume. “I understand you are in a hurry, so I will not demand you teach me as you promised. When you bring my daughter back to me stronger than ever, I will expect her to pass along the knowledge in your stead.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Jiran nodded, determined to do just that. “Before we go, I need to make sure you know not to antagonize any of the imperials you might find. Some of my people are above the ninth tier; they’re unlikely to waste their mana fighting you with the Graymin in the north. Still, there are plenty of tier five and six imperials. They’ll assume your beasts and will probably attack on sight. If possible, stay hidden. I have some ideas on how I can help, but it’s going to take me some time to figure things out. Stay safe.”

“Thank you for the warning. I will make sure your words are heard. I will see you soon, Jiran of Feylon.”

She gave her daughter one more hug before holding her at arm's length by her shoulders. “I love you and I am proud of you, my little Maymay. Now, I think I hear your father scampering about,” Then she was off, tearing through the cavern while jumping over the sleeping forms of the People while Mayalyn facepalmed with a groan.

. . .

On the surface, Mayalyn fidgeted while staring up at the open skies. Despite her obvious discomfort, she didn’t waste her mana with an obfuscation. Jiran basked in First Father’s heat with his face lifted and eyes closed.

Days of digging that tunnel without any sunshine after spending so long on a tropical island affected me more than I realized. This feels amazing.

Jiran activated his map, added Mayalyn to his party, and lifted her into the air before blasting toward the southeast, where he knew there would be plenty of tier five beasts. A few minutes into their flight, Mayalyn’s silence drew his attention. He pulled her closer and sealed them away from the wind.

“What’s wrong?”

“I could not tell her. I tried but I could not form the words. I should have told her. I do not like leaving without them knowing that our home's destruction was my fault.”

“What are you talking about? I’m the one that made the mountain erupt.”

Mayalyn shook her head, “I am the one who withheld that you were the koroko. I am the one who assumed the Aahmra was the catastrophe you were meant to stop and I am the one who told you to go to the node. You do not get to take this blame, it is mine to hold!”

“I was there for every part of what happened and I agreed with you every step of the way. It wasn’t just you. Besides, Madra gave me the quest to go before I ever arrived and I was planning to find the node from the start. You, nor anyone else, are responsible for my actions, Mayalyn.”

Her eyes lit up as her slumped back stiffened. “That is right! Madra sent you herself. She has been seeking aid and you are the one who gave it to her. Do you honestly believe that someone else would not have eventually come to do the same? How can we possibly place blame upon ourselves for this?”

“As if I could brush off my mistakes so easily. People died because of me. All of you lost your homes and now you’re refugees in a country that would as soon kill you as take a risk you might turn out to be dangerous. No, even if it would be easy to place all the blame on Madra, it was my choices every step of the way that led to where we are now.”

Mayalyn rolled her eyes, “Obviously! That is not my point. Already, we are on a mission to ascend so we are powerful enough to correct our future mistakes before things get out of hand again. Who are we to say we should have known better or done better. All anyone can do is learn from their mistakes and move forward. My point is that the Great Mother’s needs should be put above our own, for without her, we are but dust. Saving her builds far more karma than we lost from any mistakes we may have made.”

“You know about Karma? Oh, the Maker, of course. And I know you’re right. We both screwed up, but we did the best we could with the information we had at the time. What I can’t get over is that I chose not to ascend before going to your island. I know if I was stronger, they would have lived.”

“You are bartering yourself poorly, Jiran of Feylon. You chose to stay, you could have run after the node and easily saved yourself. But you came back for us, for me. Be at ease, we will atone for their deaths together, in the future, by saving far more than were lost.” Her arms wrapped tightly around him in the silence that followed. Jiran breathed deeply, drawing in the scent of her hair and allowing it to ease the tension in his chest.

After flying for nearly an hour, Jiran found a huge fruit tree. He pulled two dozen of the large, ripe fruits down and they sat in the natural grass to eat. Mayalyn poked him in the side and spoke after swallowing around a blissful moan. “What a strange fruit! It is nearly as sweet as a borrusberry but has a very unique texture. Now, are you ready to tell me where we are going?”

“Sure. It’s called the Outlands. From the rumors I heard growing up, it's a mostly barren strip of land to the southeast just before the undead wastes with plenty of tier five beasts. It used to be a really popular hunting ground for fifth tier ascenders. At some point, a tier eight undead escaped the wastes and killed a bunch of nobles who happened to be there. Since then, it’s apparently not used by anyone except the voicers from Sanctis who come to cull the beast population once a year after swarming season.”

“I see,” Mayalyn’s eyes were on the ground as she idly took another bite of her fruit.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, everything is fine. It is only that I know so little of the empire and now I am living in it. Your home is so large, so foreign. I have wished so many times since we met to learn more, but I know you do not like to speak of it.”

“What? That’s not true, I’d be happy to tell you about the empire. Oh, I guess I have always dodged your questions before, huh?”

“Wait, you mean to say you were only teasing me this time?! Jiiiiiiiiran,” One of her eyes twitched as her claws flexed out of their sheaths. A second later, she pounced with the roar of a lioness.