Chapter 160 - Escalations (Patreon)

Oliviala Le’Cruex

“Hard to believe without seeing it, right?” The Captain who had escorted them from the desert city of Melathon to the edge of the Graymin Filth remarked. Spread out before their small group was an ocean of gray, rotting slime. Behind them, the rolling, sandy hills of the low desert stretched before smacking into the high walls of the nearby fortress city.

Not a single Graymin was in sight, leaving the festering wound upon the land eerily devoid of movement. The smell was exactly as Olive remembered; putrid meat left in the sunslight long enough to turn the stomach of the most hardened soldier. The strong desert winds blowing northward, toward the stain, did little to assuage the rumbling within her guts. The Fathers and Mother blasted heat upon the shifting sand beneath her feet, unfortunately unable to burn away the festering blight.

Suddenly, Olive lurched with a gasp when she spotted a hundred men and women in uniform, flames shooting from their hands in steady streams. She had been in a despondent, depressed daze since speaking with her Father but seeing the soldiers instantly snapped her from her melancholy. Hot, raging anger rose within her, instantly seeping through her muscles. “What are they doing?!” Olive turned on the captain who shrank back from her sudden fury. “Who gave them the order to waste their mana?” She demanded, her tone every centimeter the overbearing warrior-princess rumors painted her out to be.

“M-my apologies, Your Highness! Those orders must have come from General Reifvus.”

A calm and sensual voice cut into their conversation, “Take us to him, would you please, Captain Merris.” Princess Vironia flashed the captain a dazzling smile that caused the man to stutter. Olive clicked her tongue, annoyed that her father had insisted they travel with the snarky girl and her guards, especially right after giving her such devastating news. The mission he had assigned them was urgent, and the additional members had slowed them down significantly, only adding to her worries.

Captain Merris recovered, his face crimson as his fist smashed into his chest, “Yes, Your Highness. Right this way!” The man immediately set off down the sand dune toward a nearby camp, the royals, and their guards trailing behind him.

Princess Vironia snapped her fingers and one of her bodyguards thickened his aura enough for them to speak confidentially, “Oliviala, temper-temper. Must you scare the Captain so?” The wicked gleam in her eyes made it all too obvious her chastising was merely the newest tally on her mental scoreboard.

Olive ignored Vironia’s futile attempt to one-up her, “This is exactly the time to be angry. The Graymin are not gone, merely pulled back. Whatever they’re preparing for, it's going to be big. Wasting even a single iota of mana right now is beyond foolhardy.”

Vironia laughed lightly, her hand covering her mouth before her voice turned taunting, “Privy to the beast's machinations, are you? Don’t tell me this sudden font of knowledge comes from your vaunted prowess with divination. Should you really be… wasting mana on such a thing when the Graymin are coming?”

If she knew what I learned when I did, she wouldn’t be so carefree…

Olive reined her temper in, refusing to rise to the girl's taunt, “How can you not take this more seriously? Our parents even agreed to mobilize the Will-less, they wouldn’t do that if this situation was something to take lightly.”

Vironia shook her head sadly with an exasperated sigh, “I’m taking this plenty seriously, I’m here, aren’t I? Not all of us have infinite durability for stress like you brutish types. A little brevity does my body good.”

“If your enjoyment comes at the expense of making everyone around you miserable, perhaps you should stand to the side and let us brutish types take care of things until you’re needed.”

Damnit, I’m letting everything get to me! Eldest Brother, please be safe.

“So cruel,” Vironia held her hand to her chest with her mouth hanging open in faux hurt, “Don’t be like that, Oliviala. You know I’ll be useful. You really are far too touchy, my dear. If we’re going to be sister-wives, there’s no reason to start off on such unstable footing.”

Unwilling to tell her for the thirtieth time that neither of them stood a chance of attracting Jiran’s attention, Olive merely shook her head and hurried ahead. Cameron chose that moment to steer the conversation in a more constructive direction, “Why do you think the General is having them push back the filth? We were told his orders were to tighten the defenses of the city, what he’s doing is not helping that at all.”

“Hmm,” Vironia hummed sensually, the sound tickling the ears of the three men, “General Reifvus is known for his ambition. He’s one of the youngest Generals in the history of the empire and quite proud of that fact.”

Olive’s mouth distorted and she reared back as if smelling something vile, “Disgusting, to let ambition place an entire city in danger. I’ve never met the man, but if what you’re saying is true, I’ll not be letting him off easy.” Together, they hastened toward the largest tent that dominated the forward outpost of the thirty-second legion.

Olive threw the tent flap aside with her aura and stormed inside. Seven men and women hovered over a circular table with a gorgeously detailed map spread out before them. She powered through the auras in the tent, her voice full of determination and righteous vigor, “Explain this blatant disregard of your orders, General. I know for a fact you were instructed to solidify the city’s defenses. How exactly, does that include pushing the filth back so far at the expense of our soldiers' mana?”

General Reifvus was a massive, heavily muscled man with a cleft chin and long sideburns. His nostrils flared and his jaw clamped shut as he spun around to find out who would dare disrespect him in front of his subordinates. The medals on his uniform swayed as his eyes bored into Olive, “Who-Your Imperial Highness, Oliviala. A pleasure to finally meet you,” He bit off his scathing remark, his clenched jaw working side to side as his gaze roamed over the two guards, Cameron, and Vironia—who waved her fingers at him with a cheerful smile.

After explosively releasing his held breath, General Reifvus responded in a more respectful tone, “What better way to protect Melathon than retaking Fort Virindar? I’ve received reports that her walls are nearly intact. At our current speed, we’ll have a much more defensible forward outpost within the moon.”

Olive’s eyes flashed with fury so pure that it seeped into her aura. The space around them turned a shade red and the mana-enhanced cloth walls began to vibrate as pressure far greater than a tier five should be able to exhibit pressed down on all the officer's shoulders. Her voice was low and laced with unmasked threat, “You’d take your soldiers to a broken wall with unpowered formations, surrounded on all sides by the filth? Who gives a shrelk’s ass if you can burn a narrow path there when the Graymin will instantly have you surrounded upon their return? Call off this treasonous endeavor, immediately!”

Ugh, now I’m even cursing like Jiran. I have to—

Suddenly, a group of five people teleported inside the tent. One of their auras crashed down around them, cutting off any further berating. A mature man with curly blond hair wearing a black suit of armor began to clap. Each time his palms came together, a resounding smack sent the sand beneath their feet vibrating. Every single person in the tent recognized him instantly. The officers, including the General, fell to one knee, bowing their heads low.

The man’s eyes were locked onto Olive who trembled at the sight of him, tears spilling down her cheeks. He took a measured step toward her, his warm voice filling the small tent, “Well said, Oliviala. Agh!”

“Eldest Brother!” Olive leaped at him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing until his armor creaked in protest. “Thank the Mother you’re alive. Father told me you were probably dead! I’m so glad you’re safe. W-what happened? Why haven’t you reported?”

Every ear in the room pricked up attentively. They all knew Prince Ardon and his party were supposed to be ranging the northern mountains, stopping any tier nine Graymin from invading the empire. The man’s smile broadened, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He affectionately patted Olive’s hair and wiped away her tears with a gloved finger, “You’ve grown. It’s barely been two moons and you’re two tiers matured. When was your tiering? I wasn't informed of the ceremony. Look at you, the spitting image of Mother. Ahem,” He cleared his throat and gently moved the sniffling Olive to the side so he could fully face General Reifvus, “General, withdraw your troops to Melathon. The Graymin have not retreated in the slightest. Their forces gather like never before. They will be upon us before First Father’s light graces the morn.”

“Alor!” General Reifvus smashed a fist to his chest and stood, already heading for the tent flap before the sound finished reverberating through Ardon’s tier nine aura.

Olive searched her brother’s expression, finding something there she couldn’t put her finger on, and it sent a chill through her bones, “Why do you look like that? What else did you see? Tell me,” Despite the fear beginning to choke her guts, her voice was firm.

Prince Ardon caught her gaze, Manasight causing his blue eyes to turn bright as he divined her mana, quietly judging the girl that he knew to be much younger than she appeared, “You’ve really grown, haven’t you? I’m so proud of you, my darling sister. I’m glad I got to see you become this strong, before the end.” His voice cracked and moisture built at the edges of his eyes, the sight causing Olive’s fear to escalate far higher than before.

Jiran of Madra

“Here, try to push your mana into this,” Jiran pulled the crystal he had taken from Sanctuary out of his pocket and handed it to Lulu.

“A-ah, h-how do I do that?”

“Your mana is the energy inside you that connects with the song. Will that energy into the crystal.”

Lulu bit her lip nervously before nodding slowly and closing her eyes. Mana Omnis observed her mana struggle to move through the layers of her body. Jiran’s mana, which had been inside of her blocking her connection to her skill, helped pull her energy in the right direction but the moment it reached her skin, it stopped, refusing to budge another millimeter. After a few more seconds of struggling, Lulu’s shoulders sagged.

Jiran took the crystal back and before she could apologize, he patted her hair in the way she liked so much, “Looks like you don’t have a skill that allows unaspected mana to move beyond your skin. Don’t worry, that’s completely normal. Each species is unique and has skills that work slightly differently. For instance, you have no issue projecting mana outward through song, unfortunately, this crystal doesn’t work that way. I’ve got a backup plan though, it’ll just be a little less comfortable. When Niya arrives, tell everyone to cooperate with her and that whatever she does is part of my plan.”

Lulu nodded firmly, sending leaves scattering down her slender frame, “Yes, Jiran.”

“Here,” The elders’ heartwoods floated down to land on the ground. Jiran used Mana Confluence to transform a layer of dirt into a square cloth that he wrapped around them, “I’ll leave these with you, take care of them for me.”

She took a step toward him, her fingers lightly brushing his forearm before she pulled away, “May you return to our shade safely.”

Jiran smiled, touched by the care in her song, “You stay safe as well. Bye, Lulu,” Then, he was gone, racing above the treetops to the east in search of Niya and Mayalyn. Before he found them, he pulled at the gateway to his soul, releasing a drop of Madra’s mana and trying to force it into the crystal.

[Error: Incompatible Power Source Detected]

Figures. Nothing’s ever easy, is it?

He found a small clearing and threw away Madra’s volatile mana. It hissed and popped as it sank into the ground, eating everything it touched. After taking to the skies again, he spotted a streamer of black smoke rising into the air and headed toward it. Mayalyn was standing over the corpse of a furry, six-legged beast while Niya was spraying a jet of water from her hand, putting out the fire responsible for the smoke. Nearby, another six corpses of the same type of beast were torn to shreds. Jiran was tempted to pull the dissipating mana from them, but knowing it would make him sick, he restrained himself.

Niya clicked her tongue when she saw him, “Didn’t trust us to take care of a few weaklings?”

Mayalyn walked over and wrapped him in a hug which he happily returned, “That’s not it at all, there’s been a change of plans. A lot happened in the last hour,” Jiran told them about the deal he offered the Forkara leaders and everything that happened with the harmony, elders, and finally, meeting the original Timberling. While he was explaining, he picked up two small rocks and once more used Mana Confluence, converting them to hollowed-out metal blocks. He pushed his mana and aura inside them. The energies were like oil and water, unmixing but complimenting each other as they smoothly flowed into the squares through a small recess that only opened when a button was depressed.

“So that’s why it suddenly got so dark. Dang, wish I had seen her,” Niya pursed her lips petulantly, her shoulders slumping in disappointment.

“I assume you have a plan, my Aahjiran. How can I help?” Her warmth pressed into his side, and knowing they might not get another chance for a while, he basked in the affection.

The corner of Jiran’s mouth lifted in a smirk, “I do indeed. Here, take these,” He handed one of the new formation blocks to each of them. “Stuffed the last of my mana in them, about forty percent for each of you. If you push the button, you’ll be able to access it. Niya, yours is unaspected, so all you have to do is use Mana Transference to claim it. Mayalyn, yours is lightning aspected. It might come out a little fast, you probably shouldn’t use it until your Enhancing is almost empty.”

“M’kay,” Mayalyn nodded, the excited gleam in her eyes letting him know she definitely wouldn’t be waiting that long to try it out.

While they both turned the blocks in their hands, examining the smooth surfaces and pressable button, Jiran pulled one of the tier five corpses to himself and began tearing it apart, swallowing down the raw meat which rapidly dissolved into density. Mayalyn’s jaw fell open and her pupils turned to slits as the raw blood flowed down his chin. She took a deep breath, spinning around to look the other way.

Niya did the same, though for entirely different reasons as she made a gagging sound, “Gross! At least cook it first, you freak!”

“No time, every minute counts.”

Niya frowned, “You think this King might already be attacking the empire?”

“If not now, then soon. But we can’t leave yet. Rushing off to the front lines without being prepared is the worst thing we could do. I’ll know more about the timing and situation in general when I can talk to Daughter, but that won't be until tonight. In the meantime: Mayalyn, can you circle the valley and make sure no beasts make it past the hunters? The Timberlings are going to be gathering in the center of the valley, keep them safe for me until I’m back. Niya, will you go to where they’re gathering and fill this up as much as you can,” Jiran handed her the Sanctuary crystal.

She looked between the crystal and him in confusion for a second before understanding struck. Her mouth fell open, only to quickly turn into a wicked grin that revealed her teeth, “Yeah, I can do that. You’re a tricky bastard, you know that?”

“I knew you’d like my plan. Go easy on them, they don’t react well when they don’t have any mana left.”

“I know,” She rolled her eyes.

She must have drained someone when she was escorting Lulu around to gather the matrons, figures.

Jiran continued, making eye contact with both of them in turn, deepening his voice to impress how important his next words were, “I’ll be back as soon as I can, stay safe, and watch out for any tier seven Forkara. After offering only a select few of them a way to ascend, the rest should be drawn to the Land of the Lost. Especially the ones I excluded should show up to try and stop their enemies from growing more powerful than them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they send a few tier fives or sixes to take captives as leverage to force my cooperation, though.”

Sparks danced across Mayalyn’s skin and her claws extended from flexed, shaking fingers, “They are welcome to try.”

“Yeah, whatever she said,” Niya’s lips pulled back in a snarl as she clenched her fist around the crystal.

After one last quick hug to them both, Jiran lifted himself into the air, flying backward, “Make sure to wear your armor, vacation’s officially over,” Then, he turned and raced out of the valley toward the Land of the Lost.