Fortunately, Crow was inside the city. I told him about my plans, my findings and a way to expose Eterians. "That is great news. If we have a way to disperse that mist, Eterians will be vulnerable. As for the weapon and armour improvements, I will gather the people and tell them about it" he said. I nodded, and asked him about his arm. "I don't complain. It works fine, even though it's a bit disproportionate. That doesn't matter though, do you want me to go with you? You might need some backup there". I declined, "No, stay here. Besides, I need to deliver all that stuff to Grey Lizards first. While they work on improving your equipment, I will go to the Land of Mirages".
He nodded, and silence filled the air. "I'm still worried though. Eterians made no moves… This is bad" I said after a while. Crow replied, "I think that is actually great. We had the time to improve and reconstruct our walls. With the addition of Scorpions, we are much better prepared now. You also mentioned that Vanauts gave up for now, and will stay at the Ruins of Ravan. This is also great news, Boltier has nothing to worry about in such case".
I still felt uneasy, as if I forgot about something. "War is not that simple Crow. Eterians are no idiots. If they are taking their time, that can only mean they are planning something big. This might look like paranoia to you, but I'm alive thanks to that paranoia. Prepare for the worst case Crow. Don't, under any circumstances, drop your guard down". He agreed, before leaving to gather the other Shades. I decided to stay at his place. Harlin was supposed to meet me there.
Before Harlin came over, I saw Lira enter the room. "Came to visit me?" I asked. Her expression was no longer cold and hateful towards me. She replied, "I… I should apologize". I raised my hand to stop her. "No, don't. You're watching out for Crow, I appreciate that. Take care of him when I'm not around". She smiled, and nodded her head. "Since you are here, you can leave your stuff with me". She nodded again, and passed me her stuff. "I still can't believe you actually found them" she said.
I replied, "Well, I almost paid with my life for that… actually twice. Anyway, they will help us, but make sure no one else knows about it. We can't have everyone know about the Grey Lizards. They wish to stay hidden, and I promised to respect that wish". She nodded, and then left to do her own things. Harlin came not long after. I explained to him everything, just like I did to Crow. He was much more shocked compared to Crow.
"You really did find them? Damn" he said. "Yes, but no one is to find out their location. Don't spread that around, especially to Royals. I don't need them interfering". He nodded, "That I wouldn't do. Royals are rather greedy, and worry about themselves a lot. What you said to me in the past… You were a hundred percent right. As long as I'm useful to them, they will keep me. The moment my usefulness disappears, I will be abandoned".
"Yea, I only wished others realised that" I replied. "You mean Lazar, don't you? He always had his own ways of dealing with things. Since Mira died, he always tried to protect everything" he said. I asked, "Suly's mother?". Harlin continued, "Yea. Mira meant the world to him. He changed after she passed away. You see, Mira was really sick, just like Suly. The Grey Lizards had no cure, and having Suly was already dangerous for her. Yet she still chose to have her. Lazar never forgave himself for that, as if it was his fault Mira died. He still talks about you, you know? You changed his life in a way, and he never forgot about it. Him and Suly managed to repair their relationship, only thanks to you. It's just that sometimes your actions are extreme for him".
"Yea, not just for him Harlin. Not just for him…" I replied. "It's fine, we will work it out somehow. First, we need to take care of this war" he added. That was true. I had to stop this conflict. Whether we use overwhelming strength or strategy, the sooner this war ended, the better for everyone. We waited for a while longer, before Crow returned. "I gathered all the Shades, they are waiting downstairs. I told them you will improve their equipment, and although they seemed a bit suspicious, I managed to convince them".
I stood up while replying, "Good. After I collect that, I need to repair my own stuff, and meet with a few other people. Then I will be off to deliver all that stuff. It will take a while for everything to be improved for sure, but you should be alright with the new walls". I looked at them both, then continued. "Watch out, and don't let your guard down. I know you might be happy about this temporary peace, but I just feel it in my bones… Something is coming, I just don't know how big that will be".
They nodded, and followed me downstairs. Loads of Shades waited there already, I didn't need to tell them what to do, and simply took out one of my empty bags. "Guys, make sure you label your stuff somehow. When I bring it back, you might have a hard time finding your things". A lot of Shades smiled, while one of them said "We already did that". I smiled, and nodded as well. With that taken care of, I took the bag back to the training grounds of Lizards and Atols.
I had to take those three bags with me, and run back to the Grey Lizards. 'Boy… I so wish for that Formation, which transported me to and from the Grey Lizards' base' I thought. I then visited the smithy, and repaired my armour. They fortunately had Flash Blurite in stock, so I used it to repair and remodel some of the parts. Although the leg and arm guards looked almost the same, I added a few mobility improvements, as well as more metal to certain parts for better protection.
'I just have to visit a few other guys, and I can be on my way' I thought. My first stop was the medical house, where the six Atols worked on perfecting their medicine or poison making. "How are you guys doing?" I asked. All of them told me about the improvements they made, as well as the state of various herbs. The rare herbs were growing well, but it would take more time for them to fully develop. This meant, none of them could be used yet. "Don't worry about it. When they are ready, store them for me". They agreed to do that, then returned to work.
I visited Ama too. She was enthusiastic about the new walls, and was preparing to repair the damaged buildings. "I have some more time now, since the walls are finished. If you need anything specific, let me know" she said. I didn't really need anything, and told her to focus on whatever she wanted. 'Although, there might be something' I thought. "Ama, can you build a basement… Or rather a shelter. In case we are attacked again, those who are not fit to fight, can take shelter under the ground. This could also serve as a place for treatment" I said.
She nodded, "That is not a bad idea. We can even go a step further, and connect the medical house to the basement. That way, we will have a supply of medicine to treat those in need". I nodded, but warned her. "Remember that there are sewers below Sedon. I'm not saying you can't use a part of that, but be sure that nothing gets obstructed". She nodded while telling me she knew.
I left her to do her work, and went back to the training area to pick up the bags. I could use my Storage Feather to some degree, but still wouldn't be able to fit everything. 'I guess I can fit some stuff there, it will always make it lighter. I will have to ask Grey Lizards about more of such items' I thought. With everything sorted and taken care of, I left the city and headed back to the wilderness.
2nd chapter of the week.
I made my way back to the Grey Lizards' base as quickly as I could. I also made sure no one followed me. When I arrived back at the location, I activated the Formations in order it was explained to me, and appeared inside their base. 'It took me a while to reach this place, with these bags full of stuff' I thought. Although I could carry that much, doing so for an extended period of time tired me out anyway.
Just as I was about to reach the open area, a Formation appeared out of nowhere, stopping me dead in tracks. "What the?" I asked myself. A familiar voice sounded in my ears. "You bastard! Let settle some scores, shall we?". I asked confused, "Alicia? What do you mean? What are you doing exactly?". She walked up to me, then replied in an angry tone. "You have no clue, do you? I almost died thanks to you!".
I was even more confused. "What the hell are you on about? We haven't seen each other for a long time. When did I want to kill you exactly?". She activated more Formations while replying, "You damned blocked! You almost destroyed me, with that fucking Varent! How are you going to pay me back for that? HUH!". My mind went blank for a while. I was only able to utter "Oh...".
"Don't "Oh" you fucking bastard! I almost died there. If not for the Formations protecting that place… Pay up". I replied, "Alicia, calm down. We can talk about it". She increased the pressure on the Formation, while I grunted. "Talk about it? TALK ABOUT IT!? I demand compensation, NOW!". I replied a bit angry, "What the hell do you want me to do!? You know damn well I have no money!". She activated more Formations. The pressure increased, and I dropped to my knees unable to stand up anymore. "You dare speak back to me?".
"Alicia! Stop it". The voice of the leader sounded from behind. "Shut up Tulin! This doesn't concern you". I could feel the rage building up inside me, but I suppressed it. "You are right, it's my fault. I can't turn back time anymore, what's done is done. I can only apologize". The force holding me in place stopped, and I was able to move again. Just as I stood up, Alicia's hand was already outstretched in a slapping motion. I could easily evade it, but I deserved to be slapped. "Pak"... "Ow!".
"What the hell are you made out of?", she asked while holding her hand. I didn't feel any pain, instead Alicia felt pain. I said, "I'm sorry. It was never my intention to bring you harm… I was being too reckless". She said, "Come, we will talk in private". Before I followed her though, I left the bags with the leader. "Those are the things, you can start working…". "I said follow me!" Alicia interrupted. I quickly followed her.
We entered one of the empty rooms, where she activated some sort of Formations. "Go on, how are you going to repay me?". I sat down while replying, "You know I don't have any money I can give you? Besides, money doesn't solve this... I can give you medicine. Not that I want this to happen again, but it's the most valuable thing I have with me". She stretched her hand out, while replying with two simple words. "Give me". I took out the Golden Iris from my Storage Feather, and passed it to her.
"This is improved medicine, that even Suly didn't get. It's the best thing I can create currently" I said. She looked at it suspiciously, as if I handed her something fake. "Seriously? You think I would give you something fake? After what happened to you? I can acknowledge my mistakes you know". I then added, "Only one other person in the world has this medicine. That is only because he provided the herbs for me". She hid the bottle, then said "Fine, I will forgive you".
She sat down as well, and stared at me. I wasn't sure what to say. The only thing that came to my mind was my weapon. "Do you have my…". She interrupted, "We can talk about it after I get some answers". I nodded in agreement. She said, "I'm aware why you destroyed Varent. I also find out about their cooperation with Eterians. That doesn't mean I approve of what you did". I replied, "Yea, you are not the only one who told me that". She nodded, "At least you understand. You did what you thought best, I can't fault that. I will only ask you to be careful, next time you want to pull something like that".
I agreed, "You are right. That is why I want to end this war". She asked, "How will you end it?". I shook my head, "I don't know yet. There's been enough bloodshed. If I can expose Eterians, they might stop waging that war". She asked surprised, "So you want a peaceful solution?". I sighed, "I'm no longer able to distinguish who is right, and who is wrong. Why do Eterians fight? Why did Humans destroy Bramans? Why Furians joined the war? All of that is unknown to me. Vanauts are misunderstood, Golems were sick of life, Atols always chose to help out and do whatever was right… It makes me think we are the bad guys here".
She replied, "You wouldn't be wrong". I asked confused, "Do you know something?". She laid back in her chair while replying, "In a way. I chose to live outside, because I could gather information. Lizards are blind Nex, they chase after power. They are the ones who want to own North. Voltars were always annoying and arrogant. The Formations and whatnot inside their cities… Why do you think they wanted for those buildings to float? So they can look at other from above. Shades have their own internal struggle. They might be treating each other well now, but that wasn't the case before the war. A dog eat dog world, if you know what I mean".
I nodded, "I'm aware of those things. But I still don't know the reason for this war". She replied, "Because you don't know about the past. I don't know much either, but I managed to figure some things out. Humans were never saints Nex, but Bramans were even worse". I asked, "What do you mean?". She continued, "You know about Hydra right?". I nodded, while she said "Then you should know one of the theories behind it". I asked, "Are you saying that Bramans really had something to do with Hydra?".
She nodded, "That is what I believe. I'm not completely sure, but it seems probable to me. If Hydra is here due to Bramans, there is no wonder why Humans would want to exterminate them". I asked, "Didn't Hatmandor deal with Hydra?". She replied, "Yes they did. But as you saw yourself, they didn't destroy it. You ever wondered why?". I asked, "Because Hydra was too strong for them?". She replied, "That could be one explanation. Another would be… They wanted to use it themselves if such need arose".
I asked, "What about Eterians and Furians then?". She replied, "Eterians were weaker than Bramans. No, I shall put it differently. Eterians couldn't manipulate Bramans, their illusions and charms simply didn't work on them… At least according to the stuff I unearthed. Bramans were fighting a losing war against Humans, it's not true that Eterians stayed out of it during that time". 'Humans always told me we were betrayed, does that refer to that then?' I asked myself.
She continued, "As for Furians? You are mistaken. They are not fighting willingly". I already suspected that Eterians manipulated Furians in a way. She confirmed my suspicion. I said, "I kind of expected that. I also figured out, how they could control them. Eterians have access to special poison. A poison that seals Auras. Furians have Auras too right?". She nodded, "That is true. If such poison was used, they would be better able to control the whole Furian population. I didn't hear about this poison though, but it seems you are quite sure". I replied, "But that is present, what about the past?".
She said, "Look at Lizards. The Royals manipulated the whole race into believing we betrayed them. Couldn't Eterians do the same to Furians. Convince them that Humans are their enemies. There will be those who don't believe it, just like there are Lizards who don't believe Royals. But Eterians can easily control that, and that they did for a very long time. A lot of that is speculation, as I don't have concrete proof. Yet it just fits together, doesn't it?".
It did fit together, but I wasn't sure why the war started in the first place. I asked, "Couldn't Eterians slowly overtake the whole North? Why wage a war? Why do such a thing? Revenge? Showing off?". She shook her head, "That I don't know. It's weird to me as well. If Eterians slowly manipulated the higher standing people, and controlled everything from the shadows… It would be possible. Somehow, it seems to me they are rushing. As if they have very little time". It kind of looked that way. 'At the beginning, they wanted to overtake everything quietly, but then they changed into frontal attacks. It does feel like they are running out of time, but what exactly is rushing them?' I asked myself.
Alicia said, "The Land of Mirages is the answer. You wanted to disperse the mist, if we can achieve that, we might be able to learn a few more things". I nodded, "Yes, I will go back to check the mist out. I also brought equipment from Sedon. As long as we have means of defending, we should be alright… So what about my weapon?". She sighed, "It's not done yet… In a way. The weapon is finished, but I still need to do all the Formations… If not for...". I stopped her, "I get it, it's my fault. You don't need excuses really, I will wait. I asked because I'm curious". She added, "It will be done. You will get your armour with the weapon when they are ready. Find out what that mist is about, then return here". I nodded and left the place.
3rd chapter of the week. Another music chapter for p.atreons, so you will get it in about two weeks time :D There will be more music chapters, as I liked the idea of doing that. Although, it would be better if I actually did it from the beginning. Oh well.
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