NOVEL NEXT 56 - Earth Spirit
En sighed as Div didn't answer. They'd have scars on their face now.
It was fine.
Maybe he could find a way to get rid of them once they evolved Sundered Mind and they went their separate ways.
At the moment, he had to focus on the three-legged derus. The beast had already forced him to drop his shield and sent Div to channel their cursed skill.
En couldn't let it get away with it.
"You're dead, damned chicken," he spat, staring down the relatively small monster.
The bird cocked its head, only frustrating En more.
He wanted to throw himself at the derus, impale it on his spear, be done with it—but Gennorina was still sitting behind him, trying to communicate with the earth spirit.
If he struck, he didn't think he would miss. But if he did, she would be exposed to retaliation from the derus.
Yet, if he didn't attack, the bird could use its Sense Weakness skill and, perhaps, bypass his defenses. It could go straight for Gennorina.
He couldn't see a safe path forward.
But he leaned toward attacking. En preferred being in control. If he failed, at least it would be on his own terms—not the chicken's.
With Blighted Passage, there was a chance he could reposition himself before the derus reached Gennorina.
En took a deep breath, stabilized his body, and, without warning, threw himself toward the derus.
Of course, the bird had been expecting this, and it stepped to the side, avoiding the spear strike. Then it charged toward the druid.
Why was this bird so intent on targeting Gennorina?
Nevertheless, En located a path in the fifth direction and used Blighted Passage to close the gap. His spear pierced the derus from behind, pinning it down to the floor.
It wasn't moving anymore.
With the rot-attuned mana that had seeped into it when it crashed into Div and En's shield and the added effect of Rotten Spear, the corpse rotted at a visible pace.
Just in time for Div to wake up.
Skill leveled up: Echoes of the Rot Heart Lv5 -> Lv6
[It had been a while since I used this skill. I almost forgot how bad it felt. Oh, you got the bird?]
(I did.)
[Those scars aren't so bad. When we're old enough, we can hide them under our beard.]
(This was unnecessary.)
[No way! We have to take advantage of the aretra. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to examine how the derus is rotting.]
En had no comeback. It was their agreement and he didn't want to turn back on it. Furthermore, Div learning more about Rot Magic would help with their evolution.
(Fine, it seems there is some synergy between the mana left behind by Rotten Shield and Rotten Spear.)
[Oh. Interesting. That explains why it's rotting so fast.]
It had barely been a few seconds but the derus' skin was already covered in black veins. Some parts were bulging, turning the scene grotesque. Then, it started squirming, writhing, the dead bird began to move on its own.
[Maggots… Where are they coming from?]
En had withdrawn, preferring shutting off his senses than having to endure the sight and the smells.
[And now fungus. It seems the more fungus there is, the fewer maggots there are.]
Minutes later, there were only bones left with a small amount of fungus.
[This was incredibly fast. We've grown a lot. Although I'm sure the humidity brought about by the constant rain helped a lot.]
(I don't want to know.)
Div and En returned to guarding Gennorina. After half an hour, she finally opened her eyes. They looked at her expectantly.
She smiled, "I did it!"
"You spoke with the earth spirit?"
"Yes," she said. "It's a bit slow, I think its perception of time is different than ours. But it was curious. I even got a level to my Nature Magic skill!"
"Congratulations!"
"What are those scars on your cheeks?!"
(Go on, explain, I'm watching.)
"The derus from earlier attacked us while you were talking with the spirit. It's fine."
"Are you sure? Where is the derus?"
"I killed it. My rot-attunement was very efficient when disposing of the evidence," Div said, leaving En flabbergasted.
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"Are you sure you're fine?" Gennorina asked. "We can go back and ask Vedovessa to check on you."
"Yes, I'm all good. So what did you talk about?"
"Oh, I just introduced myself. I was the first druid to notice it. A spirit living this close to the village, we want to foster a good relationship with it. In a few generations, it will be of great assistance to Camboaci."
"A few generations? How long is that? Twenty, Thirty years?" Div and En asked. It made sense, the spirit was still very weak, and it needed time to grow before it would be useful.
"Um, no. I'm talking about generations of Evolved Ranks. So maybe in two to three centuries. Then again, I'm more familiar with wood spirits, earth spirits might take longer to mature."
"Three centuries?!"
They struggled to grasp just how long that truly was. Everyone they knew would be long gone by then. Unless someone of his generation ascended. Maybe Uncle Basil would still be there. Still, even as an Ascended Rank, he would be old.
"Spirit lives are not measured on the same scales as ours," Gennorina explained. "The spirit of the wall of trees has been protecting Camboaci for more than a millennium."
"That's crazy… Kheiron's history isn't even half of that."
"Kheiron is a new settlement. Still in its second Ascended Rank generation. For reference, Brigaseta is the seventh ascended generation of the village."
"I didn't know Camboaci was this ancient… It doesn't look like it."
"Really?" Gennorina asked. "I guess that since everything is made of wood, it would look quite fresh. Buildings are at most a few decades old, frequently rebuilt."
"Anyway," Div and En said, "congratulations! This is a huge milestone for you!"
"Thank you," she said, her smile not leaving her face. "I can't wait to tell my parents. And Brigaseta. Keep it a secret for me, okay? I want to surprise them!"
While they discussed Gennorina's achievement, the three-minded duo continued exploring the forest in search of things to practice Inspect and Conceal on.
"Diven," Gennorina said, as they walked through the woods. "I heard that there were a lot of Ascended Ranks in your city. Is that true?"
"There must be about fifty, maybe sixty?" Div and En said. "Why?"
"How is it possible?"
"I don't know. Why don't more people ascend here?"
[Right—why is that?]
It didn't make sense. The population of Camboaci was lower than that of Kheiron. However, if one considered only the Leios clan, there were definitely more people in the village. Yet, there was only Brigaseta at the Ascended Rank, compared to the sixteen elders Div and En knew about in the clan.
"Did you know any of them?" Gennorina asked.
"My grandparents are Ascended Ranks, but they hate me. My uncle is slated to ascend too."
"Why do they hate you?"
"They were dissatisfied with my mother's bloodline. My old clan is famed for their sun-attuned magic while she awakened with a Sunset bloodline…"
"That's not a good reason to reject you…"
"Well, with my own cursed bloodline, you can guess what happened."
"And your uncle?" She asked.
"He's the one who took me here. I have mixed feelings about him."
"I see. And your parents? How did they handle it?"
"I don't know. They disappeared after my awakening," Div and En said. "Part of me thinks they abandoned me, another that they ran into trouble."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's just how it is," Div and En sighed. "Don't worry about it."
"I should introduce you to my parents," Gennorina offered. "They're not Ascended Ranks, but who knows? Maybe someday they'll ascend."
"Sure," Div and En said. "I watched them fight during the dark days. They were impressive."
"I'm annoyed I couldn't see anything. But that's what being a druid gets you."
They kept exploring the forest for the rest of the afternoon, talking about this and that. Gennorina was curious about life in Kheiron while Div was interested in her druidic magic. En was more than happy to talk about their old home.
At the end of the day, before the sky started growing dark, they circled back to the clearing where Vedovessa was waiting. The eleven groups of students slowly trickled in.
Vedovessa didn't seem worried at all that one of the group was late. En shared with Div that he suspected she had been keeping an eye on everyone. There was no way the teacher would let her student wander the forest unprotected. Not when they were normally forbidden from leaving the walls of the village.
"How did you go?" Segorix asked them, his chest visibly swelling from pride.
"Not bad, we both got a level in Conceal," Gennorina said, leaving out her encounter with the earth spirit.
"Not bad," Segorix said, smiling. "Not bad at all. But it looks like we are in the lead. Right, Lug, Ambisena?"
"We leveled up Conceal and Inspect!" Ambisena proclaimed. "We'll be the first to complete our facet!"
"It's not over!" Gennorina said. "Diven, we need to work harder."
Div and En agreed, but they weren't too worried about competing. They had finished a lot of facets already.
"I won," Lugsellos said, so softly that they almost didn't hear him.
"What did you say, Lug?" Segorix asked.
"I said," Lugsellos repeated, stronger this time. "I won. I already completed the Facet of the Veil."
"What? How?" Ambisena asked, her eyes wide.
"I practiced more diligently than you."
"But…"
"So I won," Lugsellos repeated.
Ambisena, Segorix, and Gennorina deflated. Even Div and En were feeling competitive.
"Well done, Lugsellos," Div and En said. "You really taught us a lesson."
Lugsellos smiled at them, "Anytime, Diven."
"Alright," Vedovessa said, raising her voice. "Everyone is there, so we will return to the village.
"We will repeat this exercise every day until you've all completed your Facet of the Veil. Those like Lugsellos who are done in advance can use the aretras to work on their other skills. So work hard!"
The teacher led the class back to the wall of trees. Once they arrived, the trees parted to let them inside the village. Then, they walked all the way to the school where they returned the weapons they borrowed in the morning.
As they were about to leave, Vedovessa asked for Div and En to stay behind.
Alone in the classroom with the teacher, Div and En wondered what she wanted.
"You're going to talk to Theaphilia today," he said in a tone that made clear it was an order.
"What?"
"I overheard you talking to Gennorina. You're going to go fetch the journals and talk to Theaphilia. Now."
"I was going to," Div and En said, defending themselves. "I didn't make the connection before today."
"I was only a kid when Theaphilia first came to Camboaci. It was more than 75 years ago," Vedovessa said. "She has come and gone many times over the years, but twenty years ago, she settled here permanently. She's given up hope, Diven."
"I…"
"She will appreciate you bringing her closure."
"I understand," Div and En said.
"Sorry if I seem forceful. But I have to insist, you have to do it now."
"Yes, teacher. I'm going now," they said. They had been scared of Theaphilia's reaction, but since they realized her relationship with Cassandra, they were always going to tell her.
"And Diven," Vedovessa called, as they turned toward the door.
"Yes?"
"It's not just Theaphilia you need to be honest with. Div, En, I'm sure Thea already warned you, but hiding yourself like this… It won't end well—for you, your friends, or Gennorina."
Div and En paused for a second. Then, they started walking again. First, they had to deal with Theaphilia.