Sealed in Steel [ Tank Litrpg ]

Ow, that kinda hurt, Elian thought, examining his palm with a bloody cut. The slash wasn't stronger than the power of his current Tribulation. Far from it. However, the force of the tremendous weight of the blade swung by Maveron's buffed strength was concentrated on an edge instead of spread over a wide area. There might be some enchantments improving its cutting power, too. This slice was the result.

If Elian had his mace equipped, there might not have been any wounds. But holding a mace in this tense situation would further aggravate it. Good thing was that being unarmed made him look intimidating.

Another Grovenian raised his sword wrapped in bloodred flames. Five fireballs formed around the blade.

Physical? Magical? Probably a mixture of both.

The Grovenian had a conflicted expression. His sword slightly wavered.

Elian didn't react even though he'd most likely get injured if the Grovenian chose to attack. He couldn't show weakness. Instead, he bowed to the Guardian Herbalist. No honorable warrior would attack a bowing guy. "I deeply apologize on behalf of the men of Golden Grove," he said loud enough for everyone to hear.

In the corner of his eye, Elian spotted the Grovenian with the flaming sword lowering it, confused at the situation. Elian was more than half sure this guy wouldn't attack because Maveron didn't want to hit Elian. Confidence was the key here.

Elian continued, "They are distressed for their town was attacked by the shadow beasts that they say lurk on this mountain."

"They were over there!" Maveron yelled, snapping out of his shock from getting blocked by Elian. "I saw—"

"Are there creatures made of shadows on this mountain?" Elian asked the Guardian Herbalist. He made it sound like he was again siding with the Grovenians.

"A number of them prowl hereabouts and thereabouts," the plant man in armor replied in a singsong voice.

"I knew it!" Maveron exclaimed. "You've sent them to attack our town! Many lives are—"

"We do not control the Lost Souls of the Forest!" the Guardian Herbalist suddenly boomed.

Everyone flinched in surprise. The Grovenians gripped their weapon tightly.

Elian held out his right arm and turned his back to them as he faced the Guardian Herbalist. This way, it looked like they were one group, though he was blocking them. And they wouldn't attack his back. Honor—they were going to uphold that despite having a mission to hunt down the shadow beasts. Elian gambled on it based on his interactions with them.

"Then why are those wretched creatures on this mountain?" Maveron asked.

"The Lost Souls come and go on this mountain," replied the Guardian Herbalist in his calm voice, "as do birds and the wind. The Lost Souls are forces of nature, unbridled, undirected by the mind and whims of others. We of this mountain are not responsible for the consequences of your crimes haunting you."

"Lost Souls of the Forest?" Elian repeated as he looked over his shoulder at Maveron. "So, you did cut down magical trees?"

"What if we did?" Maveron spat. "We use the resources around us just like everyone else. Not just humans. A small squirrel makes a hole in a tree its home without judgment. A wolf devours feldeers. If we talk of destroying the forest, Soulbasks turn entire hills into a smoldering baldness, as is their nature. Why are we punished while others are not? It is but human nature to build and expand."

"You simply reap the consequences of your actions," said the Guardian Herbalist.

"We accept that." Maveron began glowing red again. "And we fight those consequences. However, you damned Herbalists heal the injured shadow beasts limping to this mountain. They return to full health and attack us anew. You are complicit in the deaths in our town!"

"We heal all who come to us," the Guardian Herbalist replied. "From the slight rodent, to humans, to even greater creatures. We do not discriminate. Healing is our only aim. Though we may find you detestable, we do not attack."

"If that is so, then hinder us not from finishing our foes! Along with you, Penitent. Stand aside as well."

"What use are your dead bodies if the shadow beasts return to attack your town?" Elian countered. "Don't throw away your lives here. Let us meet with the Sabyn Twins to talk this out."

Elian stood straight and puffed out his chest as he paced between the two groups, making it clear he was drawing a line. Confidence and authority. He molded Aether shields with impressive designs, lining them up as a fence. The constructs were merely level eighteen and wouldn't stop anything the Grovenians could throw. But Elian hoped that their formidable appearances would be enough to bluff the Grovenians. The men of Golden Grove seemed too worked up to check the energies of the constructs.

Why were they so worked up? Why weren't they thinking rationally?

"They are affected by the Lost Souls," the Guardian Herbalist said with gentle laughter, somehow answering the question in Elian's mind. "In their battle against the beasts made of shadows, the negative energies have seeped into their flesh and affected their predisposition, making them not see reason."

The Grovenians did look like they had been battling enemies, given their damaged armor. They lacked wagons for supplies or carriages carrying their town leaders for peace talks, if that was truly their intention. Elian surmised that the Grovenians had been chasing and fighting shadow beasts all the way from Golden Grove, finally reaching Sabyn Mountain. That was where they thought to enlist the help of a Penitent to be their tank when fighting the inhabitants of the mountain.

"I'll show you reason!" Maveron shouted.

Elian noticed an unnatural glint in Maveron's eye, and the faintest wisp of a shadow slithered out of his mouth. Almost unnoticeable, but the other Grovenians also oozed a dark miasma, reminding Elian of the Dark Forest. He didn't notice the sensation before because he didn't stay long with their group other than during meals. And if he had felt it, he must've dismissed it as the leftover effects of what Thalman did to him.

"Maveron Gustall of Golden Grove," Elian raised his hands. "Calm down. We're surrounded."

It was true. One moment, it was only a lone Guardian Herbalist; the next, there were seven more that appeared around them. Plant behemoths rose out of the ground. Even the trees were moving closer, hemming them in. The ground grumbled and shifted; something awfully large roamed beneath the soil, threatening to surface if need be. Was it some kind of land whale that could swallow all of them?

"This is the time to fight!" said Maveron. "Grovenians, steel yourselves! We will—"

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"Quiet!" Elian yelled. Maveron leveled his sword at him. Elian opened his arms and presented his chest. "I've told you that Penitents are built for defense. None of you can harm me," he lied as smoothly as he could. "Go on, try." Please don't try.

Silence. Everyone looked at each other. The Guardian Herbalists were unmoving like trees, and so were their gigantic minions. The wind stilled.

Thankfully, none of the Grovenians called Elian's bluff.

Why would they think he was lying? He was a Penitent who did Tribulations without wearing armor. He had the stone band of the Temples of Tribulation. And, they had just witnessed him catch Maveron's sword with his bare hand.

But this wouldn't last long. Elian had to act fast before they changed their minds.

He stepped toward Maveron. "If peace is impossible to attain, I'll go with you to Golden Grove and defend your town." Another impulsive act on his part, but he really didn't know what else could make Maveron back down.

Maveron nodded. "Keep your word this time."

"I've done my job protecting you," Elian said. "We're not decomposing in the ground as food for these trees, are we?"

"I suppose not." Maveron's red glow disappeared, and he sheathed his sword.

The other Grovenians began to dispel their enchantments and power down. The Guardian Herbalists and their humongous pets returned to the ground, and all the other places took their places once again. The burned and cut-down trees slowly regenerated.

"The original plan, the one you hired me to accompany you for," Elian said, "let's stick to that. We'll go to the Sabyn Twins. We also need help for your, uh, condition. All of you."

"We're fine," Maveron growled.

"No, you're not," Elian said, returning to the stairs and beckoning them to follow. Gideon was ahead of them, hiding behind a tree during the commotion. "I've felt the effect of negative energies myself. I was cured quickly, so it didn't have any lasting effects on me. You've been fighting shadow beasts for a month. Suffered injuries to boot, like the slash on your arm. No wonder you and your men were affected by their negative energies."

"Our battles weren't long." Maveron climbed the stairs beside Elian. "A shadow beast or two or three each night. They were more of an annoyance at the start. Just jarlion-sized beasts we could shoot from above our walls. The waves of attacks increased over the days, weeks. Stronger monsters. They even struck during the daytime. A few people died on their way to and from our town.

A week ago, a group of shadow beasts, more numerous and larger than any we have faced, attacked at midnight. It was during this big battle that many of us were injured… and died. I suppose the negative energies entered our system and festered for the past several days. I admit that I hadn't been feeling well."

"A week ago, was it? That big attack?" Elian had a bad feeling about it.

"Yes. The gate was torn asunder, our walls laid to waste. Many lives were lost to this attack."

"I can understand your anger. But can we circle back to the magical trees you cut down? Let's think of ways to talk this out with the Sabyn Twins. They might not control the shadow beasts, but they can probably advise us on what to do."

"The magical trees were in the territory of my cousin, Lord Gustall," Maveron said. "He rightfully claims them. Now, if the Sabyn Twins, the Sabyn Herbalists, the animals and plants do not recognize his authority, I can understand that. Why would they care about the laws of men? However, the fact remained that the magical trees were within our reach, and we claimed them for our use."

Elian gave Maveron an empathetic nod. "And then, the Lost Souls of the Forest spoken of by the Guardian Herbalist emerged?"

"They did, yes. But they were quite harmless." Maveron shrugged. "Pesky entities that plagued those who came near. Vengeful spirits, they were not. Nuisance that we could avoid."

"How did they become so big then?" Elian asked, suspecting the answer.

Maveron pointed at him. "You should know the answer, Penitent."

I was right. "The Dark Forest," Elian said. "Golden Grove is south of there. The Lost Souls didn't stay by the stump of their magical trees. They went to the Dark Forest and fed on the negative energies." Somehow, Thalman affected another place. "The Lost Souls mutated into shadow beasts there…"

"That is the result of our investigations. It is hard to track those foul entities, I tell you."

Foul entities? That was like getting angry at vengeful spirits for being vengeful. They were that way because of their violent deaths. There really wasn't any way of cutting down a tree not being violent. Unfortunately for the Grovenians, the magical trees had enough life force to spawn entities. Worse, they were near the Dark Forest. And the worst thing was, Thalman left the Forbidden Temple.

Before leaving the Temples of Tribulation, Elian went around saying goodbye to those he knew, including some of the hunters frequenting the Dark Forest. They told him that the oppressive miasma was dissipating and the ferocious beast inside was leaving. Perhaps that included the shadow beasts. Much stronger than when they were mere Lost Souls, the shadow beasts went to the Golden Grove for their revenge—this was the huge attack that killed many townspeople.

What happened in the original timeline?

Possible that Thalman also found a way to escape his prison. Could also be that the Magistrate eventually came to know of the Giant Invasion and decided to turn Thalman into a weapon, as was the plan of the priests now. And so, the shadow beasts left to destroy Hinter's town.

More people have already died. Elian froze.

His meeting with the Hundred-Armed Magistrate resulted in a series of events that led to Thalman's escape. That already caused a lot of deaths during the riots. And then, Thalman's absence in the Dark Forest resulted in the shadow beasts' massive attack on Golden Grove. Maveron mentioned that many people had died. Elian could no longer save them.

Hinter wasn't among them. But still.

Many were casualties of his action. He couldn't undo their deaths.

"Penitent?" Maveron asked. He had dropped the adjective 'esteemed' when addressing Elian after their little fight. "Is anything the matter?"

"No-nothing." Elian continued walking, pushing away the thought that there were people he couldn't save.

There were no more incidents in the few hours it took them to reach the mountain peak.

Elian whistled at the view. "Beautiful." The whole side of the mountain sparkled like a prism in the afternoon sun. The magnificent sight drove away the depressive thoughts gnawing on his mind. "I guess we'll have to sleep on this mountain later? It'd be nighttime during our descent."

"We'll stay at the garden by the Herbalist Lodges," Gideon said. "They'll share their food with us, I heard. Though we are also free to continue down the mountain, we cannot get past the barriers that are erected at night."

"It'll be good to talk with the Sabyn Herbalists." Elian looked left. "Here's one coming over. Oh, it's Abbomyr."

"This way to the Sabyn Twins," Abbomyr told Maveron.

"Do we bring our weapons?" Maveron asked, probably trying to look respectful in front of an actual deity.

"Bring them or leave them, it's your choice."

The Grovenians chose to leave their weapons with the Guardian Herbalist standing outside the garden of the Sabyn Twins. This garden was different from the previous one Elian had toured. Dark, with tall hedges, it was like a maze, quite different from the rest of the mountain, which looked like paradise. In the middle of it was a circular clearing with a bed of flowers where two children made of plants sat.

"Greetings, humans," said the boy. "Welcome to my humble abode on this mortal plane."

"Oh, there are many of them," the girl said as she began pointing at each one of the Grovenians. "Do each of you have a plight for us to hear?"

"I can speak for all of us," Maveron said as he approached the flowers.

"Speak, then," said the twins in unison.

Maveron narrated what happened to Golden Grove and that the injured shadow beasts were healing on this mountain to attack their town again. "If your Divinity could stay these beasts. We understand that we have caused great damage to magical trees. We are willing to meet your demands for—"

"If you vanquish the Lost Souls," said the boy. "Then they'll be laid to rest."

"That is all there is to it," the girl said. "Down the stairs you go."