Fate of Mirithia [LitRPG, Isekai]

Meera spun her chakram on her finger in boredom as the sorceresses and Rehia talked about the details of the battle and their provisions. What had been destroyed, what the princess would need to procure from the capital, and other such things. Thankfully, their store of Health, Mana, and Stamina potions was okay, so Meera didn't care much about other things, as she didn't need them.

From a food standpoint, half their food stores had been frozen solid. Meryana was trying to melt the ice, but they weren't sure if it would be good enough to eat. Meera figured that if they were frozen, then it should be good enough once they melted them down. She didn't know why she was here for any of it. She could've been out there killing the remainder of the forces and reducing the enemy's forces, but now she was being overconfident. Her confidence had nearly cost her life when she went up against the Glacidrak.

She shuddered to think what would happen if the Heirarch brought that monster down from the glacier. She was just about to open up her notifications when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Rehia called.

A moment later, Kritha walked in with the old village leader, Ingdis. Thankfully, the older woman was fine. She had a bruise on her forehead, but that was the extent of the injuries she had taken. Though she did walk with a little limp that even her cane couldn't mask. Her anger rose almost immediately at the sorceress for not healing her, but it also subsided just as fast, as she figured there were others who needed more immediate attention.

"How are you, Ingidis?" Meera asked as she stood and went to her.

She gave a small smile. "How would you be when everyone you knew was dead and the home you've known for decades has been turned into a warzone?"

It was a jab to everyone present in the room, and aside from Meera, no one even had the decency to look away from the poor woman. Meera took her by the hand and activated Greater Vitalize.

"I can't bring back your loved ones or undo the damage that has been done to your village, but let me at least heal you," Meera said, guiding her to an empty.

By the time they reached the seat, her bruise was gone, as was her limp. She settled into the seat with a contented sigh, giving Meera a nod of thanks.

"If you can heal people, then what the hell are you doing here?" Kithra snapped. "People are dying out there. Sixteen of our sisters have died, many of whom could've been saved if we had another healer."

"Sixteen?" Rehia asked, turning her gaze towards Firaan. "You told me nine had died."

Firaan gave her the slippery smile of a snake. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, that was what I could ascertain at the moment. More must've succumbed to their injuries."

"So, now a third of us have perished," Rehia cried in exasperation. "Great. That is just great. We're dying by the minute while our enemy must already be preparing for another push, which will undoubtedly kill us off."

"Calm, Rehia," Meera said. "Panicking is not going to help us."

"Neither is talking to this grandmother."

"Yes, it will," Meera said. "You can thank Lorendor for leaving her alive because she can get us in touch with someone who can get us inside the walls."

That stumped everyone. She had asked for her to be brought in, but hadn't explained why.

Ingdis snorted. "If he will even come with all this mess you've stirred up."

"Oh, he will," Meera replied. "I'm sure he cannot resist this opportunity."

"Will you just tell us what you two are talking about?" Rehia practically cried. The deaths of so many sorceresses had clearly gotten to her. "Who will come?"

"Her grandson," Meera said. "Who just so happens to want to kill his dear old Hierarch, and with us to take the blame for it, he will most definitely come."

"Who's your grandson?" Duinith asked.

Firaan gave a little gasp and chuckled to herself. "Oh, this is rich. That reunion will be so fun."

Everyone frowned at her, except Meera, who scowled at the sorceress who liked to snoop around in people's heads.

She raised her hands. "I didn't look into your head. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. I'll still let you tell them. Don't want to steal your thunder."

Meera breathed out her anger and spoke. "Her grandson is Lainor, the cultist that infiltrated Akhessai in the body of a daughter of Aksha."

"What?" Kithra snapped. "He survived?"

Meera nodded. "Well, I might've had a hand in that, but yes, he survived."

"He defiled the body of one of our sisters, and you—"

"I did way more than defile the body of one fake sister," Meera interjected. "And you're working with me, aren't you?"

Kithra looked at Duinith for support when the older sorceress said nothing, Kithra huffed and stomped out of the room.

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"Get that one in line," Rehia ordered to no one in particular. "Go on, Meera."

So, Meera explained to them how she had met him when she was on the way back from the White Ember, and how he had expressed his desire to murder his dear leader.

"You had access to someone like that and you never mentioned it to me?" Rehia's voice was dripping with anger.

"Would you have trusted someone who had presented you to the dragons as the cause of all the dragon killing, which caused you to be on the run from them all over Wiryar forest. It's how I ended up at their dragon keep, and well, the rest you already know. I thought, as soon as I helped him kill the Hierarch, he was going to raise the alarm and proclaim me as the assassin. I don't even trust him now, but we have no choice. We need someone who can help us get inside."

"Not just that," Duinith added. "Even if we get inside, we don't have the numbers anymore to storm the Winter Spire. We haven't even defeated the bulk of their forces. By our old estimates, there must've been more than a thousand cultists spread throughout the worlds. Mark my words, they will be calling them all back now."

"One problem at a time," Meera replied. "How will we even get in touch with Lainor?"

Ingdis coughed. "There's a grove, where he used to play as a kid. Whenever I need to meet with him, I would go there and light a bonfire. He would eventually show up on my doorstep a few days later."

Rehia frowned. "Does he have a magical connection to this grove?"

"No, it's just that this grove is sacred and close to the home of the cultists. The smoke rising from there can be easily seen from the Spire."

Rehia nodded. "Meera, will you take dear Ingdis and light this grove on fire. Sorry, I mean just a healthy bonfire going, so that no one in the Spire misses it."

Meera stood to leave and slid the icy heart of the dragon over to Firaan. "Make sure Ilona gets this. Maybe it'll help."

Ingdis gasped. "Is this from the dragon?"

Meera gave her a slow nod. "You know these runes?"

"I might, but…" She shook her head. "Lainor might know them better."

"Then let's go, give your grandson a long-awaited call."

***

Meera flew low to the treeline while holding onto the frail form of Ingdis. She didn't weigh much at all, but still, she had activated Druvis Might, for she didn't want to drop her by accident. At her age, she wouldn't survive the fall. She kept her vision trained on the forest floor below for any cultists that might be lurking, but she hadn't seen any. That could be because they had retreated through the other side of the woods. Still, she wasn't letting her guard down any time soon.

Something Duinith had said had struck home with her. Even if Lainor didn't end up betraying them and showed them a way to the Spire, they still didn't have the forces to storm the place. If the Cult really did have a thousand members, then they could not go up against that number with barely thirty sorceresses.

Then there was the problem of the Hierarch himself. No one even knew how strong the man was. If he were as strong as Meera thought he was, then that would be another battle that would push her to the edge.

Take your own advice—one thing at a time.

"There." Ingdis pointed slightly to their right.

Meera saw the clearing, and she was right, they were close to the Spire, but not close enough that this place would warrant a patrol. But that might've changed after Meera attacked their compound.

She did a sweep of the clearing, making sure no hidden enemies were waiting for her, and only when she was satisfied did she bring them down. They were in a clearing with rocks outlining a path that led to a beautifully carved, but weathered rock, which depicted a woman, petting what looked like a small Kyldar. There were other rocks carved in the shapes of different animals set around her statue.

"Who is she?" Meera asked.

"That is Vashira, the goddess of the Wild," Ingdis replied. "All wild places and the creatures living in them, whether they be the smallest critter to the mighty Kyldars. They all fall under her purview. She is also, if you can believe it, the original god of the Varsha empire. Before they were an empire and, in their hubris, started worshipping men."

Hearing the goddess's name again made her think of the time she had spent with Dara in the Rawaki jungle. After all, his sect was appointed by the same goddess to watch over the wild places of the world.

"Vashira…Varsha…Did they derive their name from the goddess?" Meera asked.

The older woman shrugged, but it was another who replied.

"That is correct, Reverent Lady," Lainor said, stepping out from behind a tree.

Meera squinted her eyes. "Where did you come from?"

And more importantly, why didn't I see you before?

That question unnerved her more. This could mean that the Frostweavers had skills to hide themselves in plain sight. That could spell doom for her, since they were basically in an active warzone.

"I was just waiting for you here?" Lainor motioned to the tree. "After that battle, I knew you would come for me, eventually."

"I didn't know the Frostweavers had illusion skills to mask themselves," Meera stated casually, even if she wanted to know the answer to that question badly.

Lainor smiled. "Most don't, but then I like to consider myself special, for I have some gifts that most others don't."

He strode forward without a care in the world, as if he had come here to meet an old friend. This bothered Meera. His new skill, which could hide him, and this attitude towards her. She used Identify on him again.

[Frostweaver – Level 501]

He had leveled up a little since the last time she saw him, but it wasn't that great of a jump. She could still take him, if it came to it. But something was up with him. He wore the standard white uniform of the cultists, but his left hand was gloved. She probed deep with her Essence abilities, and she saw something quite peculiar. Either something was wrong with his Mana, or he had two different kinds—one icy blue in color and the other volcanic red. The red one was mostly pooled around his left arm and right leg.

He was the first person that she had seen who had two colors of Mana. Do they come from two sources?

She had parted ways with him long before she became an Ascendant, so she couldn't rightly say if he was like this before. Besides, he was in Aksha's body back on Gethys. She was sure Aksha didn't have such a fiery tinge to her Mana, but she would be sure to survey her daughters' Mana when she got back.

"Well, if you're here waiting for us, then you must know why we're here?" Meera asked.

"Of course, I do," he replied, but he held up a finger, and walked over to his grandmother and gave her a tight hug. "When I heard what had happened to the village, I thought I had lost you. I came to check on you, but there were so many of the sorceresses about that I couldn't risk being seen."

"I'm okay, son. They took care of me well enough," Ingdis said. "But how have you been?"

"I'm okay. Just plotting the downfall of the Cult, you know that sort of thing."

The older woman smiled and shook her head. "Finally, you see things for what they are."

"I finally do, Grandma." Then he looked at Meera and smiled. "I hear you're having trouble getting through a pesky wall."

"Your grandmother said you can help with the runes."

"Ah, yes, let's go unveil the mystery of the runes."