Fate of Mirithia [LitRPG, Isekai]

Meera found Lainor in his grandmother's hut. They both were conversing about benign things, though there was a tinge of worry in his grandmother's voice. It was hard to pin it down, but she was clearly worried about something, and then Meera remembered the look that she had given her as she left the princess's council room. There was definitely something she wanted to say, but didn't want to or couldn't in front of all those sorceresses.

Meera also wanted to see the older woman before she left. To clear up any doubts, hear her side of the story as well, and make sure she didn't miss anything. After all, she was going into the lion's den; it was best to go prepared.

Meera knocked on the door, and their conversation stopped. She had lowered her level again for this conversation. After all, she didn't want to raise any eyebrows.

Lainor opened the door with a big smile. "Ah, Meera, just who I was expecting. So, they decided to send you with me, eh?"

"Not quite," Meera replied. "That would depend on our conversation."

"Of course, come in, I'll answer all of your questions. After all, I don't want you to think that I'm leading you into danger without preparations."

Meera entered the small hut and found Ingdis sitting on a cot. She gave Meera a small smile but didn't say anything in the form of a greeting. There was a sadness on her face that was hard to read. Lainor motioned to a rickety chair, and Meera took a seat.

"I'll get straight to it," she said. "If you are thinking of betraying me, you'll be the first to die."

"Oh, don't I know that. But truly my intentions are pure," he said. "I do want to see that man killed. After I returned from Gethys, I was all but cast aside. After years of serving him loyally, he tossed me to the dogs as if I were nothing but a slave who hadn't fulfilled his wishes. I lost so much on Gethys. I went through unimaginable torture at the hands of that wretched woman. Well, you saw my condition when you found me in those dungeons. I will be eternally grateful to you for what you did for me. If it weren't for you, I would be dead by now. My corpse would probably have been rotting in the pile of stones that used to be Akhsessai. I know I led you straight to Tigris, the last time we tried something like this. But this time will be different. This time, we will cut off the head of the cult together."

Meera was quiet for a long moment as she pondered his words. She had said to the princess and the sorceresses that she would do this, but Lainor didn't know that. Besides, she didn't know what dangers lay ahead and what sort of protections were at the Spire.

"Fine, but this time, you will divulge everything beforehand," Meera said. "I want to know everything about the Spire. What sort of protection does the Hierarch have? How many cultists are in the Spire right now? How thick is the ice that makes up the Spire's walls? And the most important, when and how will we kill your dear leader?"

Lainor smiled. "That's all. Don't worry, by the time I'm done, you will know how many times the Hierarch goes to relieve himself and where."

"Before you begin, do you love your grandmother?"

He frowned slightly, not knowing where Meera was headed with this. "Of course, I do."

"Good. Then I ought to tell you that I've told the princess to put a guard around your grandmother's hut. That if I don't return in three days, then they will kill her."

His eyes widened. "But what if you're caught and don't return on time?"

"Then her death will be on your head, as it was your shitty plan that brought about my capture. Don't worry, if your plan is as solid as you seem to think, then we'll kill Elrasil and be back before breakfast."

All of a sudden, the cultist wasn't so confident anymore. He looked between Meera and her grandmother, and his gaze rested on her for a long while. Meera had done nothing of the sort, and she would never do anything like this. But he didn't know that. This was only a deterrent to make sure that he didn't get thoughts of betraying Meera after the deed was done.

"Fine," Lainor said through gritted teeth. "Have it your way."

Then over the next half hour, he explained everything to Meera. Which route they would be taking to the Spire, how they will gain entry, and what sort of a disguise Meera would need. Even the excuses to go up to the higher levels of the Spire. What kind of guards should they expect? He even went as far as to create a map of the complex with his ice and show her the least patrolled route, the troop placement behind the wall, the armory, and even other things she didn't need to know. He even gave her a uniform that would need to be resized to her measurements, but she denied, saying that she would take care of her own disguise. He only shrugged to that, leaving it to Meera.

After everything was said and done, Meera was about to head out the door, but Ingdis spoke up for the first time since Meera had entered her hut.

"Meera, could we talk alone?" she said, making both Lainor and Meera frown at her.

"Sure," Meera said, after a moment.

Lainor looked between the two women and then walked out of the hut without a word, but with a look of warning to Meera that he was just outside the hut.

Meera went to he older woman, and sat on the floor before her. She spoke in a hushed whisper, in case Lainor was listening in, which he most probably was. "That part about sorceresses killing you if I didn't return was a lie. No one will harm you whether I return or not."

She caressed Meera's cheek in a grandmotherly gesture. "I know, lass. I was never worried about that. But don't you worry, I will play the part of a worried old woman well enough so that Lainor knows what is at stake should he betray you. No, the reason I wished to speak with you was that something is up with Lainor. I'm not certain what, but I felt it after he returned from Gethys. He paid me a visit, and his arm and leg weren't working properly. They hung limp, as if the limbs were dead. He was aggravated, frustrated, and angry that no amount of healing was working. But now that I see him, he is totally fine. If the cult succeeded in healing him, I cannot say…"

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"And if they did, then why is he trying to kill their leader?" Meera worded out her thoughts.

She nodded. "That was my first thought as well. Please be careful, lass."

Meera gripped her hand and squeezed it tightly. "I will and thank you for this information. I'll get the truth out of him."

With that, Meera left the hut and found Lainor standing with crossed arms and leaning against the hut.

He gave Meera a discerning look. "What did she say?"

"She just wanted to wish me well. I'm going to get my disguise on. We still have a few hours until nightfall. I'll see you back here when I'm ready."

***

Meera sat in the princess's dining room as some young-looking sorceress did her best to make it look like Meera had barely survived the battle with the sorceresses. That was what the cover was going to be. Meera would pretend to be an injured Frostweaver needing immediate medical attention.

While the sorceress worked, Meera checked her notifications.

*ding!*

[You have killed 33 Frostweavers – Level 410 - 504]

*ding!*

[You have killed Glacier Dragon – Level 781]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. The Mirrorborn Slayer has gained 21 levels and reached Level 667. You have been awarded 63 stat points]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirror Affinity (III) has gained 5 levels and reached Mirror Affinity (IV) – Level 3. Mirror Affinity will provide a boost of 8% for every level henceforth for all your mirror skills. Your conjured mirrors will have a 50% chance of reflecting your enemy's attacks back at them. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 24% boost.]

Meera wanted to rip her hair out at the lowered boost in attack. The only reason she didn't was because of the fifty percent chance of reflecting the attacks on her enemies. That was beyond good. She drew a heavy breath and continued.

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirrorbound Sight (III) has gained 6 levels and reached Level 54]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirror Tower Shield (III) has gained 4 levels and reached Level 9]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Greater Vitalize (III) has gained 7 levels and reached Level 39]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirror Bolt (II) has gained 10 levels and reached Level 40]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirror's Wrath (II) has gained 4 levels and reached Level 86]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Druvis Might (II) has gained 4 levels and reached Level 63]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Spectral Dominion (II) has gained 3 levels and reached Level 62]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Death Mark (II) has gained 6 levels and reached Level 32]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirror Shard Fury (III) has gained 3 levels and reached Level 4]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Quaking Fist (IV) has gained 1 level and reached Level 97]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Shadowflame Devastation (II) has gained 4 levels and reached Level 8]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Greater Vitalize (III) has gained 5 levels and reached Level 37]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Corrupting Hex (I) has gained 6 levels and reached Level 80]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Bastian Strength (II) has gained 5 levels and reached Level 49]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Wild Instincts (II) has gained 3 levels and reached Level 23]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Alpha Aura (I) has gained 6 levels and reached Level 41]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Haunting Presence (I) has gained 9 levels and reached Level 38]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Spectral Dominion (II) has gained 2 levels and reached Level 61]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Shadow Affinity (III) has gained 2 levels and reached Level 4. All of your shadow-based attacks will get a 24% boost]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Spectral Resilience (III) has gained 4 levels and reached Level 6]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Iron Skin (II) has gained 5 levels and reached Level 87]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Accelerated Healing (II) has gained 6 levels and reached Level 33]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Volatility (I) has gained 3 levels and reached Level 75]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Cryoward (II) has gained 3 levels and reached Level 94]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Power Affinity (II) has gained 2 levels and reached Level 80. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 160% boost]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Armor of Mirrors has gained 7 levels and reached Level 296]

She noticed that she had gained more levels than she usually would. It took her only a moment to answer that puzzle. It was because of all the dead and their residual raw essence that their bodies had been bleeding into the air. She didn't want to say that she was glad for people dying, but she was thankful for the extra experience. Next came her favorite part, but all this was expected. She hoped to gain new skills or ones that would complement some of her existing ones.

After wasting a long time, she found nothing. It was the usual plethora of ice skills that she had seen before—Ice Ball, Frozen Cleaver, Ice Lance, Exploding Spear, Icy Roots, Hailstorm, etc. Basically, she had seen them all before, and there was nothing that she figured would work with her other skills. However, she wondered what would be the result if she merged the Galacial Calamity skill with Heaven's Storm. But she left that for another time.

"You're all set," said the sorceress.

Meera nodded her thanks. Time to put the Hierarch into a deep slumber.