Chapter 155 - Tales of Progress V.
"We are so fucked…" I sigh in lament.
Not even in my wildest dreams would I've dared to think those fools can locate aether. Especially when they aren't even aware of what it is and how it works. In our case, however, the fact that they're able to perceive it is the absolute worst.
"They must be looking for the spirit and whoever stole it." Valka seems to have come to the same conclusion.
Except it wasn't stolen, and they won't find it by running around the city. Another spirit, however…
"We need to get you as far away from here as possible." I get fully dressed and prepare to set out.
For a random trapped creature of mana, I might've been a bit reluctant to risk my life and all that. But when it comes to Alwi and Valka – who'll no doubt protect her baby at all costs… That's a different story.
Looking for the other Fist members to hide behind their backs seems like a risky idea. If push came to shove, and anyone demanded Valka and her pet to be handed over… there's absolutely nothing we could do without exposing too much.
"Ready to escape the city once more?" I ask, swinging my backpack over my shoulder, containing the documents I stole and some essentials in case we need to survive in the wilds.
"Just like the good old times?" Val is visibly tense, her face showing worry that no single opponent can draw out. "This time I don't expect any backup."
"Neither did we the last time." I chuckle.
It'd be even better if we were able to keep our identities hidden. Which means… This poor bastard who barged in on us already saw too much.
Val reads my gaze and puts a hand on my shoulder. "We have to…" She sighs and leans down to the man. "And the fact that he's here means he knows enough and likely participated in the experiment."
True. This dense idiot is speaking a lot of uncomfortable truths today.
Seeing my reluctance, she does the unsavory part. With a gaze oozing determination, Valka raises her fist and brings it down like a hammer of retribution. Through the layer of ice, through the bones, and through the body…
The floor shakes and even cracks, but at least she was gracious enough to grant a swift, painless death.
"So, which way?" She asks, shaking the blood off her fist.
"Preferably away from the Harven Tower." I answer because I'm just as clueless as her.
Instead of walking through the building, I simply open up the wall and we hop out from the second floor. Speed is key, so we don't mess around long and start running down the road.
And yet I elect to move through the alleys.
Fights are still raging around every major point across the city. If I had to guess, some of the parties are after the knowledge cultivated in the towers. That's the greatest value this entire country possesses, and in the chaos, whoever stays out of the game leaves empty-handed.
"Can't you mask Alwi's presence or something?" Valka asks while we try to navigate.
She does have a point, albeit none of the know-how.
"No idea how to do that." And neither do I actually. "It's not that- Stop!"
We grind to a halt, and a wave of fire washes through the city just a few steps ahead of us. Unlike my flames that can, in the best case, melt stone, this power incinerated everything in its path.
The heat washes over me, however, it is the overabundance of fire mana that's making me nauseous. Too much power is being thrown around freely. My outstanding mana sensitivity can be a blessing, but right now I feel like I'm submerged in an unseen storm.
Things are escalating.
We have no choice but to either turn around completely or rush through the seething ground left in the wake of the inferno. And we're not exactly the cautious type.
After merely a split second of deliberation, I rush ahead. The air is boiling around me as if trying to suffocate and oppress anyone who steps upon it. Cooling it helps, yet the trails of steam rising in my wake will attract attention without a doubt.
Before I can react, Val lunges forward and raises an arm over me. A moment later, I'm staring at an arrow poking through her skin. She doesn't look for the attacker, nor allows me to raise defenses, and hurls me across the boiling patch by my collar.
While mid-air, I spot another batch of arrows already sailing where I stood. It's too late to deflect them – not that I expect Valka to die – but it is my holy duty to retaliate. And do so with burning passion.
Because those bastards, the fire mage, archer, and the wire slinging dude… I wouldn't hesitate to kill them even in front of their families.
The fires leaving my embrace convey those feelings properly. They turn from orange to seething white before leaving my range, and contain a bit of extra attention, disregarding any mana costs.
Fly, chase, burn!
Neither blocking nor avoiding these puppies will be an easy task. Alas, no matter how much I'd love to stay and watch – or better, keep firing until even their memories are burned away from this world – we have other priorities.
Val catches up shortly after I land in the safety of an alley. She looks like a proper pincushion, bleeding from many wounds, but doesn't seem too injured. Even her Blessing wasn't enough to stop the arrows, and every movement only makes the ones still stuck in her skin more bothersome, but we keep running.
"You think they're after us?" I ask, pulling an arrow from her bum.
"That's- Fuck, warn me the next time!" She hisses. "We're probably not the target, but could see them trying to come after us."
My fear exactly.
Needless to say, we don't stick around to find out. Val is perfectly able to heal while on the move, and unlike her, a single arrow is more than enough to take me out of the game. Especially now that the public might believe my uniqueness is no longer so unique.
Time does not keep a veil on that secret for long. Although, to my relief, only a familiar, masked face is on our tail, carried by wires latching onto everything like sentient spider webs. He likely didn't appreciate being kicked out of the tower…
"Do we fight him?" Valka seems willing to risk a deadly battle where even her Blessing won't be able to keep her from harm. She's determined, that one I can't deny…
But I don't like this.
"It's pointless. Even if we won by some miracle, that wouldn't change anything."
Unlike those stupid fairytale heroes who simply slay the biggest and baddest foe, and the flames consuming everything else just simply go out on their own. Problems are never so two-dimensional.
Another rumble shakes the city. Finding the cause of such a catastrophe isn't any challenge, however… The falling tower, not-too-far away, is more than enough hint. A fight, and a very heated one at that, with powerful forces at play.
"This way!" I make a snap decision and change course.
Valka doesn't raise any concerns. She might have an inkling of what I'm planning, and plays along no matter how dangerous it is. My judgment isn't always correct, but she trusts me, and that mutual feeling is more important than the odds playing in our favor.
Besides, I do want to kill the bastard aiming for our throats. Taking out a Shadow might be beyond our capabilities, but I'm not one to give in easily. Especially when the right tools are just around…
The part of the city we're traversing is still mostly intact, perhaps even hiding quite a few civilians, seeking refuge in the midst of all this chaos. Honestly, that's the only reason I'm not constantly tearing down buildings to slow down our chaser. Now I'm restricted to using the ground and ice, both easily cut through by those wires lashing out at us from time to time.
Val acts as a shield, and that's the only reason I still live. She didn't even hesitate to protect me, but those thin blades can bite even into her skin. Each slash only deepens my resolve to throw that man into the thick of it and spit after him.
From the fallen husk of a once mighty tower, a golem rises above the roofs, right before our eyes. Its hulking body soaks up damage almost endlessly, while throwing its weight around to cause further destruction. Lighting, fire, shadows reaching for the clouds as if trying to harm Solaire, and weapons swung with such ferocity that it makes the world howl in pain…
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"Don't stop!" I yell even if I probably don't need to.
Because I intend to go right through it.
Experienced fighters know how to asses risks. Identify, assess, probe… Those conditions are easy to accomplish when it comes to us, and none of them scream danger. And that's exactly why I leap into the crater at the foot of the stone giant without much fear.
Hellfire and arrows rain above our heads right away. From my estimate, we have five sides clashing here, one obviously from Mythralis, and I think I just saw a knight wearing Valerian colors… It's a hot mess.
Now that there aren't any civilians around – because anyone who failed to run is most likely long dead – I stomp and throw my arms up. In response, the ground rises and throws the two of us through the crater like skipping stones. I use explosions to bounce and keep moving while Val… She does literally bounce off the ground a few times.
But she can run fast enough, so I guess it's okay.
And I'm not done yet. The sparks pulsing around me receive a simple order while I turn mid-air and aim my hand towards the bastard who kept whipping my friend.
Kill!
Metal isn't the most fortunate element to pick against lightning, especially if all the wires converge in one spot. The discharge is followed by a deafening thunder, probably heard by everyone and foiling my initial idea of passing through quietly… Which is why I take off towards the enormous golem's legs.
I split off from Valka, throwing her a wink and igniting my wings. Not a moment after the initial explosion, the golem slams down at me, erradicating that general direction in its entirety. It's fist as thick as any building cracks the earth and sends shockwaves through the vicinity.
And riding that wave, I fly like a burning pebble, straight between its stubby legs. And leave a parting gift just for good measure. The spark of aether isn't aimed at the golem, nor does it have any of my mana around to imbue into.
Rumble
With that simple command, I send it flying towards the golem's feet, or rather, the ground beneath them.
What happens next, I'm unable to admire due to flying into something that shouldn't be there. A mage just like myself, dashing through the air. I bump into him, which sends us both spiraling towards the ground.
His face shows panic and utter disorder, and mine must be quite similar.
For a moment, sailing through the air and heading at a crumbling building at dangerous speeds… we just stare at each other. He's clearly fleeing, I'm clearly fleeing, and this is nothing more than an unfortunate coincidence.
But I've learned that hesitance is lethal.
Before he can make up his mind, I coat my palm in a blade-like layer of ice and shove it through his chest. It's an instinctual decision, faster than my conscious and pity. The blade cuts deep, and his eyes go wide with understanding.
In the last moment, I'm able to soften my impact with some wind and by molding the stones to be less solid, but it's still a hard slam. When my vision clears, I find myself kneeling over the dead body of the poor fellow.
"Fuck…" I mutter weakly.
I know he would've killed me if I gave him the chance, and I'm no longer at such odds with this whole murder thing… But this feels like it could've been avoided. Still, I don't regret my choice.
[Your group has triumphed over the enemy [Favored by the Storm - Lightning lvl 316] - [Rider of the Clear Sky - Air lvl 183].]
The least I can do is close his lightless eyes, and take the bag he's been clutching so firmly… This isn't technically stealing or grave robbery. It's my due for winning this split-second struggle for life.
"Eli!" Val soon catches up. Burnmarks and deep wounds mar her body, but she's still standing, and worrying about me.
"I'm good, keep going." I answer, even though that's a bit of a lie.
My left shoulder is dislocated, I might've cracked a rib, and I'm truly, really fucking tired. And sadly, the world has a nasty tendency of throwing shit at us in drowes.
"It's here! The Animus just spiked!" Someone calls out from the other side of the wall. "It's not the golem!"
I truly prayed that people sitting in a near sunless room, fiddling around with papers and wasting away for the slightest of discoveries, would move a little slower. We mages aren't the fastest things around…
Seven of them, all wearing robes humming with mana and adorned with inscriptions. Most likely, the pinnacle of equipment magic can create… Compared to them, we're dressed in rags.
"Hand it over!" One of them yells.
We're surrounded and held at spell-point. One wrong move and I doubt they'd be considerate enough to hurt us just a little. If only I had something their eyes wouldn't be able to pick up on…
"I don't know what you mean." I speak but remain motionless. "We can show you."
None of them has the slightest idea that the tiny metal bird perched on Valka's shoulder is what they're chasing.
They seem conflicted and hesitant, as one would expect from those rarely visiting battlefields. We receive and nod to proceed, while none of them release their spells or lower their guard.
And so we show what's in our bags. Not like those chunks of stone would've fit into them…
While they gawk, finding it hard to believe their eyes, I start wasting my mana like crazy. Aether is invisible to their eyes and nearly impossible to pick up on. I haven't figured out how yet if it can claim anyone else's magic, but disturbing it…
That's a whole other story.
The devices in their hands go mad, yet neither their eyes nor their Skills see anything. And when enough of the sparks fill the air to seem like a small cloud of stars, eating away at all present magic…
I jump into action.
I whip around my arms and lightning lashes out in an arc before anyone can blink. My step sends tremors through the ground, which responds by growing fangs and biting at those standing the closest.
And the aether… Since all the mages are holding onto their spells, it means they haven't yet defined their trajectory. Overwriting something is beyond me, but adding a new line to the matrix is… quite simple, really.
The magic gathered at their fingertips fires off at their colleagues, shoots at their feet, or blows up in their face. Meanwhile, I start massacring. Val also doesn't need to be told twice and grabs the closest confused mage by the throat, headbutting him senseless and using him as a human shield.
In mere minutes, not a single one is left. No witnesses.
"This can't go on…" I mutter, rummaging through corpse after corpse for some extra mana. "Val, come here!"
"But we gotta hurry!" She objects.
"Val, they will find us again. I wouldn't give up on chasing a spirit even if it took me across the continent." I raise my voice and stand up, right in her face. "Give me your bag!" I speak slowly and articulately.
She holds my gaze for a while before giving in. With haste, I move all my food and crucial survival gear over into her bag and all the unnecessary stuff into mine. She'll need it, and whatever we've looted might come in handy for me.
"Now go!" I return her stuff. "Leave the city and move as far as you can!"
"What are you talking about?" She whispers.
"I'll distract them." I answer with a shrug and begin destroying every locator device left.
"Alone, you can't-"
"And if they catch Alwi?" I throw her a cold look. This is not the time to be emotional. "I'll be fine even if they manage to capture me. And it's not like your task will be a walk in the park. Consider it like you owe me one, alright?"
I turn my back on her and form a powerful spark of aether. As long as my signal is stronger than the heart of that metal cutie, all the devices should be pointing my way. That's what cool aunts do.
"Good luck!" I take off before any more words could be exchanged.
With that said, I don't plan on taking on all this chaos here on my own. Locating and rejoining the delegation would all but guarantee my safety. I doubt many can rival Martha around here, much less the escort brought along by the crown prince.
Now to find them and survive this whole ordeal… Back where I came from.
Flying is still a death sentence in this cavalcade, so I'm left with more running. Almost as if Mom had somehow predicted this years ago…
The rampaging golem kneels over right in front of my eyes, its impact awakening an ungodly cloud of dust and debris. Diving headfirst into a blind field of carnage isn't the wisest, but I need the obscurity more than anyone.
Intentionally, I keep the particles close and my steps quiet as I dash through the crater. Aether keeps pulsing by my side, and even without Mana Perception, I can see the fighting silhouettes through the flashes of combat.
A tremor splits the earth at my feet, causing the ground to swallow whatever is unfortunate enough to tread upon these parts, but I stay a step ahead. Arrows, icicles, slashes of power, and whatever deadly machinations the fighters are willing to throw… Only luck and my intuition guide me through them.
Until I stumble across a shape I've hoped to never see again.
Missing an arm and part of his guts, the shadow is on its last leg. If not for the wires wrapped around his other arm, I wouldn't be able to tell due to all the blood and injuries. But he's still breathing, staring at me hatefully through those hazy eyes.
"Any last words?" I ask. It's evident he won't tell me anything of use, and I'm not keen on torture, not that it'd work.
"For the Cleansi-" He mutters, but I send an icicle through his throat before he can finish.
I don't want to hear it. And the last time a shadow uttered those words, it didn't end pretty.
Another one down, maybe earned me a level at max since he was already pretty much dead. But it felt surprisingly good. Alas, I need to keep moving if I don't want any fools to catch up to me once again.
Emerging from the settling cloud, I notice a quite promising sign of where to look. Frothing stormclouds occupy the skyline not too far, moving towards the… water, I think. My bet is on Martha, and by the looks of it, they're still close to the city center.
The city is already scarred almost beyond recognition, and after running a few more blocks, I finally find a quiet corner. From here on, and especially without Val, moving quietly is my best bet.
From my shadows, I pull out a String of Silence and a Rune of Darkness. Neither of them is omnipotent, or exquisitely made, but they'll aid my movement, even if it might cost me some of my speed.
Sneaky like a rat, I move through the narrow alleys and between the ruins of the once splendid capital. It didn't come close to Sereban, or even Granhall, but it definitely had its unique personality.
I peek around the next corner to find what I've hoped to come across. A mage is walking carefully, wearing the robes of Harven Tower and looking intently at something in his hand. If he's here, that means he isn't after Valka.
Dismissing my aether is an option here, but that might betray our ploy. Although I could think of other ways to mess with him…
Without revealing myself, I send the purple spark on a trip of its own. No instructions this time, no target or profound purpose. It simply floats towards the man, then above his head, and a little further down the alley.
"What the…" He spins around, likely questioning his life for a moment. As a simple lab guy, coming all the way out here, following a device that's messing with him…
I put a swift end to his confusion. Sneaking up to him is easy, and by the time he feels my touch on his neck, the zap has already knocked him unconscious. Swift, stylish. and without any unnecessary killing…
Surprisingly, nobody else obstructs my path on my way to the pulsing storm and dome of light slowly creeping across the main road. I wonder why…
And before I can even appear in their line of sight. "Show yourself! You have three seconds!"
The warning is for me, and I don't need to be told twice.