Chapter 111 - 111
The remaining days of the week flew by as we dedicated ourselves to training, although we did have to go on a quick hunt for more cores at one point, with more knowledge on the floor it was easier to locate the beasts with the right affinities, and instead of trying ot learn from the fights we killed them as quickly as possible then looted the cores.
With the elixir and the pills, our speed of growth had skyrocketed, and before I wouldn't have thought it possible to make such leaps in such a short amount of time but in just under three weeks we'd not only increased the density of our cores but also made it to the second level of infusion. Hopefully, by the end of the third week, we'd make it to the third level and the girls would increase the density of their cores. I would have to wait a little while for my own as going from Iron to steel was far harder than hydro to Iron.
The knowledge she'd taught us started to quickly show results as our grasp of patterns increased every day.
Zirani had shown me the affinity sets I would be using, and unlike the first time I'd tried to form the base or advanced sets, I had no problem. The affinity sets were made up of origin patterns grouped together for specific affinities and sometimes certain aspects of those affinities. Zirani had me learning five sets, far more than the others, but that made sense since the sheer variety of techniques one could accomplish with the nature affinity or the green as Zirani liked to put it.
Sandra's trouble and difficulty slowly faded with help from Zirani as the week went by. Most of her techniques had been simple and the others had been easy to do because of her bloodline, so she didn't have much experience with complex techniques. In fact, before the sets, the meditation technique was the hardest thing she'd ever done with her aether. Thankfully, Zirani was there to help and it was things like that which always reminded me of just how intelligent she was when it came to matter connecting the arcane.
She was a nature beast, yet she probably knew more about the other affinities than any masters in the plains, which wasn't as surprising as it might have been a few weeks ago. I'd seen what she could do and where she came from. The difference between the plains and the lands beyond the great scar was like heaven and earth. Two different worlds split apart by a great scar that had been carved into the land long ago. We'd never been taught where exactly the great scar had come from, only that it had formed after the calamity, and that it was what split the northern plains from the southern wilds and all the other lands that lay beyond, lands that I would hopefully see one day, sooner rather than later. I knew Zirani wanted to get across as soon as possible and once we left the tower, despite barely any time having passed by, we'd still only have a few months as the expedition would arrive at the end of the year, and we needed to make sure we were there. Zirani had made it clear we would never make it across on our own.
We didn't run into any more abominations during the week, which I was very thankful for. The encounter with the thing still haunted me, though not so much anymore.
"Are we done for the day?" I asked Zirani. There were two days of the week left and all three of us were on the cusp of making it two the third level. The girls had also mentioned that their cores would move up in density soon.
"We are," Zirani replied with a smile. "I think tomorrow will be our last day. You three are all close and after that, we can spend a day getting You and Sandra bonded, Aiden.
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.comSandra smiled eagerly. "I can't wait."
As we made out way up the treehouse I felt a prickling on the back of my neck and turned around just in time to see three Murwogs burst into the area around our tree. I immediately began to pull aether from my core while the others began to climb back down, and that's when I noticed it. The murwogs looked inquired and they had turned back to the direction they'd come from the moment they'd entered the clearing as though waiting for something, but what?
Forutanly, or unfortunately, I didn't have to wait long before my question was answered as an abomination, similar to the one we'd seen on the first floor, dragged itself into view.
"Oh come on," Sandra groaned.
Just like the first, it had no discernible feature, except a wide mouth, and was a blob shape with multiple long limbs that shot towards the murwogs. Two managed to dodge in time, but the third was caught and I held back a gag as the abomination split in half before shoving the murwog inside the gap, rather than its mouth. The morwog got one last croak out before being swallowed up by its flesh.
"Did, did that thing just eat it?" Misty asked, her eyes wide.
"Or absorb it," Zirani hissed as the abomination began to shift and change. It slowly began to shrink, and shrink, changing its shape to match the beats it had eaten just a few seconds ago, although with pale flesh instead of dark green and twice as large.
"That's not good," Sandra commented as she turned to me. "Do we fight?"
"Of course." My bark armor began to form around me. "We can't let this thing just roam about, especially not this close to our base. "Aim for its head like last time, if that doesn't work then go for the heart."
We jumped into the fray, and just in time as the pale murwog sprung towards the remaining two normal murwogs, with frightening speed, two limbs long limbs formin on its back and striking out, at both. THe murwogs were not fast enough to dodge and both were snatched up ab the neck.
I shot six impact seeds at the pale murwog just as two loud seeking cracks, sounded. It had snapped their necks like twigs which meant it was very strong.
The impact seeds struck true and sent it sprawling, which gave Misty enough time to close the gap, her claws formed and slicing down into its head. Its screech was cut off as dark blade-like tendrils, courtesy of Sandra, sliced through its head.
I expected that to be it, but it didn't fade and began to stir to move, its head reforming.
"The heart," I shouted as I formed a spike on one of my gaunlters.
The pale murwog lashed out a Misty who dodged nimbly while Sandra sent a flurry of dark blades at the abomination, attracting its attention, which was a good thing as it allowed me to run up behind it, and stab my spike into the center of its chest.
It froze, and let out one last screech before beginning to fade.
I let out a sigh. "I'm glad we're leaving soon, I don't want to know what would happen if one of these things got their hands on more than one beast."
Zirani looked troubled. "I didn't expect them to possess some form of assimilation, especially not like this, though it might make sense when we find out why the twin horn is making these things."
"Are we sure the treehouse is safe now?" Misty asked worriedly. "I don't like the idea of one of these things sneaking up on us."
"We'll be fine," Sandra reassured. "It's very far up, and Zirani set those detection and alarm enchantments up."
She had done it a few days ago while the three of us had been bathing. She didn't think anything would be able to get to us, but it was better to be safe than sorry, and it had only taken her a few minutes.
"Only two more days," I said as the last of the abomination faded into ash. "Then we leave."
I turned to Zirnai. "Is the next floor the last?"
She shrugged. "Most likely, though this tower isn't exactly normal so I could be wrong."
We pulled the cores from the dead murwogs then made our way up the treehouse, pulling the ladder up behind us as we did. I doubted the murwogs knew what it was, but no point in risking it. Those three had stumbled into our tree, which meant more could, and it was best if they didn't have an easy way up to our treehouse.
We had another dinner of fried chicken, which while amazing would get tiring if I made it the same every day so I was going to have to change up since a little variety never hurt. After the usual bath of pain and nightly meditation, I headed to bed, with all three, which while a surprise wasn't unwelcome.. It was clear that Misty was shaken, and Sandra didn't want to be left out, so we slept in a pile of tangled limbs that night.
Chapter 112
Zirani was right when she'd said we were close to getting to the third level of infusion as the next, an hour into our training, Misty's aether began to move and shift, signaling her imminent change. Unlike the moving up from the first to the second level, the jump to the third wasn't as quick, and Zirani had to stay by her side to make sure that everything went smoothly. The chances of something happening were low, as the process of moving up a level of infusion wasn't that risky or dangerous unless someone disturbed you, or you already had an existing problem with your aether.
Overall it took around ten minutes and like the previous jump from the first level to the second, there weren't any visible changes, though a quick test showed that she was far stronger and quicker now, more so than I'd expected. It seemed the Jump from the second level to the third granted more power and enhancements than the first to the second, which was definitely a good thing and while Misty sent off to do a little hunting in the nearby area, Sandra and I pushed ourselves harder, both wanting to get to the third level.
By the time Misty had returned we'd done just that, and both Sandra and I were celebrating, our jump, and while Zirani looked pleased, she gave the two girls a firm look. "You two still have to move a density stage before the end of this day, so I suggest you get back to training."
She turned to me. "As for you Aiden, well you can take over for Misty. We need a stockpile of cores just in case the next floor doesn't have any beasts matching to your affinities. Do you think you can handle it?"
I smiled, energy and excitement coursing through me. I was eager to test my new limits. "Of course, I won't venture far."
"Good, and don't get into any fights you're not positive you can win," She said in a serious tone. "I don't want to have to come to your rescue?"
"You do that," I said with a fake look of shock.
She rolled her eyes and waved a hand. "Go on. I'll send you a message through our bond when should you come back."
"Good luck ladies," I shouted to Misty and Sandra then I chose a direction and took off.
My legs pumped fast and hard, and I could practically feel my aether begging to be pulled and used for something. Unlike the previous times, I don't need to keep much of a close eye on the ground to make sure I didn't trip, or in front of myself so I didn't run into any tree or bush. My reflexes were much greater and even if I did, my body could easily take such a hit. In fact, now that I was at the third stage, my regeneration would be much greater, not to mention the fact I didn't need to eat food or drink water anymore. My body could survive on the ambient aether around me, and the aether zirani core produces, not that I was going to stop eating food. I had too many favorite dishes I liked and I was sure as hell going to gorge myself when I visited my aunt after I left this tower. There was no way I'd ever reject any of her food.
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.comThe vivid and bright colors of the floor seemed to stand out even more and in sharper detail, most likely due to my enchanted vision. It was that enchanted vision that allied me to spot a beast sleeping in a bush, its dark green body blending in. It was a hobgoblin, and I wouldn't have been able to sense it before with just my eyesight alone, but now I could clearly see the difference between the color of the bush and its darker skin.
Goblins were some of the most common beasts out there at the same level as grendels, they even had many different kinds. The hobgoblin was just a stronger variant of the normal goblin, which were usually three-foot-tall green-skinned humanoids. The normal goblins were all as dumb as dirt, but the other variants were not. The fact this goblin had chosen to sleep in a bush to camouflage itself proved that. Too bad for it, though, as before it could even make a move, I was upon it, a bark spike driving down into its head.
Its eyes shot open, only to fall lifeless seconds later, its body convulsing for a few moments as its life faded away. I might have felt sorry for it if I wasn't familiar with how their kind acted. Hobgoblins were one of few types of aether beasts in the plains that didn't always kill their prey. They regularly took human women with at least one core, and the reason was both simple and foul. Hobgoblins would breed with human women to spawn the lesser goblins or try to. It was very very rare that a human woman could actually give birth to a goblin but on rare occasions, it did happen, and it was this reason that had led to them being completely hunted down. There were probably few left in the northern plains, and wherever sight of one was caught, hunters and arcanists alike would flock to take care of it. That particular lesson back at the academy had been one of the more disturbing lessons we'd learned. Even I who loved learning about the arcane and aether beasts had wanted to skip the lesson once it had begun, though now that I had learned from Zirnai that the ambient aether in the plains was so bad, perhaps that was the reason human women rarely gave birth to goblins. If so then the trash aether in the plains wasn't completely bad.
The next few beasts went down with no trouble as my enhanced physical abilities proved too much for them, though I did skirt around a large pack of murwogs. I could take a few, maybe half dozen at my current strength, but fifteen was far too much. I'd never seen that many in one place, and the sight made me glad we were leaving soon. However slim, the thought of being woken up one night or disturbed while we were training by such a large group would be a problem. I problem we could deal with, but a problem nonetheless.
"Why are we even down here?" A male voice sounded from just up ahead and I froze in place.
"Ivan said we needed more cores, and this floor has the most beasts," another voice, gruffer than the first, replied. "So stop complaining and start collecting. I didn't bring you along to stand and watch while I did all the work."
"Whatever," the first voice said with a scoff. "This better be worth it."
I crouched and slowly crept closer and closer as I tried to puzzle out what I'd heard. The only other people besides myself and the girls that would be in this tower were the twin horn, and from the sounds of it, they'd come here from an upper floor to collect cores.
"Zirani," I said urgently. "Twin core arcanists to the south."
Her attention snapped to me as a flash of worry passed through our bond. "Are you ok? How many?"
"I'm fine," I replied as I drew close enough to make out two figures crouched over the bodies of a few murwogs. "There's two of them, and they're both second level, should I take them out?"
A pause. "You're at the third level and have an iron core so yes you should, but if you can keep one alive. We can question him."
"Got it."
I slowly and carefully pulled aether from my core, forming my bark armor around myself along with three impact seeds on both hands. If I wanted to take one alive then the best shot I had was to kill one as quickly as possible and then knock the other out. I had just the idea, though it was risky. Impact seeds were powerful but I was sure that a second-level arcanist could survive three if they hit nearby.
I spread my feet and got into a sprinting stance, ready to bolt towards them. I would need to aim carefully and make sure the impact seeds hit close enough that the arcanist to the left was stunned, but not dead, while the other to the right was hit with all three, sending him to the ground.
I took a steadying breath and sprung forward, using the aether burst technique to increase my speed as I shot my impact seeds. They struck the arcanist to the left closer than I wanted, but it did the job, and he was sent sprawling while the other was launched straight into a tree, further away from me. I should have guessed that would happen, but I had a solution. I formed a lashing vine and sent it to wrap around his leg. I pulled him towards me at the same time forming a bark spike on my left gantlet. He must have been dazed as he didn't react until my spike drove through his throat. He gurgled and his eyes cleared enough for me to see the shock and confusion there.
"What the fuck!"
I sense a burst of aether to my left incoming, and I ducked just in time to dodge a ball of solid earth.
"Who the hell are you!" The arcanist, an older-looking teen, shouted. "You killed Paul!"
He gathered aether around his hand, but I didn't let him finish his technique. With the difference in our speed, and skill, he stood little chance. My lashing vine wrapped around his throat, and I pulled him forwards, sending him stumbling, straight into my rising right knee which hit him square in the face. There was a crack as his nose was broken, but he couldn't scream as my vine was choking him. His face quickly grew purple but I didn't let up until he'd passed out.
"Done?" Zirani asked.
I let out a breath. "Done. I'm heading back now, what should I do with the other's body?"
"Leave it," Zirnai answered. "The beats will smell it and come to clean up."
I walked over and slung the passed-out arcanist over my shoulder. He felt light thanks to my enhanced strength, and I avoided any fights as I made my way back to the others, prisoner in tow.. This guy would be our ticket to finding out what the twin horn was doing, and hopefully, meant we wouldn't be walking in blind when we ran into them.
Chapter 113
"Please. I don't know anything, just let me go, and I swear I won't say anything."
I sighed and tugged on the vine leash that was wrapped around Hayden's throat. I'd found out his name shortly after he'd woken up, which had been only after a few minutes, which I should have known would happen. He was at the second level of infusion so he could take more than a normal human and recover faster. Luckily I'd managed to wrap a vine around his neck and after a quick show of power and a description of what had happened to his friend, he stopped struggling or at least trying to get away.
"Lower your voice," I hissed with a glare. "You'll attract beasts, and if we get mobbed ill leave you to their tender mercies."
He shut his mouth with a snap, but a moment later he was talking once again. I really should've gagged him.
"Are you going to kill me?"
"Most likely," I replied, and his face paled. "But whether or not it happens slowly and painfully or quickly and without pain, depends on your cooperation, and who knows maybe we'll let you go."
That was only partially true as I definitely wasn't going to be torturing him, but Zirani? She was over four hundred years old and had spent one hundred of those years as a powerful jungle queen, and she was still an aether beast. To me and the others, she was kind, loving, and caring, but to enemies, she held little care about them. If she thought inflicting some pain could make things safer for me, for us then I suspected she'd do, especially considering what the twin had horn had done and were doing.
"Please, I don't know anything, I'm just a servant," He begged.
I snorted and glanced over at his fine robes, inlaid with gold, not to mention the ornate dagger at his side and the spatial ring he'd had on, which I had taken.
"I recommended not lying when we start questioning you," I replied. "Especially not to my friend, she's far more deadly than I am."
"I don't want to die." His hands shook and he looked like he was about to cry. How had this guy gotten to the second level? Probably through his wealth.
"Most people don't want to die," I said angrily. "Do you think those people who you sacrificed in your fucking pointless war wanted to die, huh? Do you think the people you turned into abominations wanted to be turned into those… things. If you're expecting mercy or sympathy, then you're a fool. You'll get none from me and certainly not from my friends. We've all seen first hand, the pain and suffering the twin horn has brought about."
My hands were clenched into fists by the end of it, and Hayden was braced like he expected me to strike him, which I wasn't going to do. This idiot deserved death far more than any of the people the twin horn had condemned and killed, but first, we needed answers.
He remained silent the rest of the way until I got back to the treehouse.
All three ladies were waiting for me, and I immediately noticed the changes to Sandra and Misty's cores. They moved up a density stage, and though they were probably happy, it didn't show on their faces. They glared at Hayden and I had to push him forward to move as he was too busy staring at Zirani in shock. I'd forgotten about that since it had been so long since I'd seen other people. It had felt normal to have Zirani out at all times.
"So this is him." Zirani walked up to Hayden as I pushed him onto his knees. Her eyes held no warmth and little emotion. They were cold, and I felt a shiver run through me as she turned her eyes to me. "I'm going to question him, you and the others can watch, but it isn't going to be pretty if he doesn't want to talk."
As she spoke, a thorn formed on the tip of her right index finger, though it looked oddly shaped and large. I'd seen the design elsewhere before, and when it hit me, I felt a chill run down my spine. It was a thorn blade made for skinning. A flaying blade.
I looked over to Sandra and Misty who walked closer, and while Sandra seemed to understand what Zirani had just formed, Misty didn't so I sent her a quick message through our bond, and her already pale face became paler.
Just like the green, ZIrani had two sides. A rose with thorns.
Hayden's face had turned a sickly color. "P-please don't. I'll talk, I swear I'll talk."
"Good," Zirani replied, her voice ice cold. "It will save you a lot of trouble and pain."
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.comShe turned back to me with a raised eyebrow, a mental message coming in a second later. "You staying?"
"You think he won't talk?" I replied, a bit of worry leaking through our bond. Not for Hayden but for her.
Her eyes softened just a bit, and she sent back a wave of love along with a message. "I'm fine, Aiden, trust me. I've done things like this before, and while I don't enjoy it, if I need to hurt him to make our journey safer then I will. I'm not going to lose you or the others."
There was something else, another emotion entangled with the love. Fear, just a tinge, but it was there, and it took me a moment to figure out why. Our bond had wolves and was much deeper than simply speaking telepathically or sending feelings through the bond. I could sense what had brought the emotion on. She was scared that I would see her differently because of this.
"I won't," I replied mentally. "I've known you had this side, you told me yourself that nature is two sides. Your beautiful rose Zirani, but you've got a lot of thorns, thorns that won't harm me, not intentionally. I'll stay."
Relief washed through our bond and a tug of her lips told me she was holding back a smile. Sandra and Misty hadn't moved, so it was clear they were staying as well.
"Let's begin with a simple question," Zirani suggested. "Who are you and what connection do you have to the twin horn?"
"I'm Hayden Kurz, of the Kurz family," Hayden replied his eyes slowly moving from the thorn blade to Zirani's face, though he flinched when he met her cold gaze, quickly looking away. "I'm an upper disciple on the twin horn sect."
Zirani nodded and smiled, though it was feral and cold. "Good, next, why have the twin horn come here?"
He shrugged but quickly spoke up when Zirnai's hand twitched. "I don't know! They didn't tell us. Only the elders know. When they found out we'd lost the war, they said we had to use the tower, they kept spouting on about our great master and how we were to bring about his coming. P-please, I don't know, I just do what I'm told."
Great master? I glanced over to Misty and Sandra who looked baffled.
"So you know nothing, huh?" Zirani questioned, her right-hand twitching. "A shame."
Hayden's eyes snapped back to the thorn as Zirnai brought it up to her face to inspect. "Do you know what this is, Hayden? It's a blade designed for skinning animals, but, it's also surprisingly effective on people as well, dead… or alive."
Hayden looked like he was about to vomit, shit himself, and pass out all at the same time. He opened his mouth, probably to plead again, but a glare from Zirani stopped him.
"Next question, what have your elders done to the tower?"
The twin horn arcanist swallowed, and he looked to contemplating something as if he was thinking of whether to speak or not. That decision was quickly made when his eyes once again found the thorn blade which Zirani was using to sharpen her left hand's fingernails.
"A ritual," Hayden said slowly. "They used some sort of ritual."
"What sort of ritual?" Zirani questioned, leaning into Hayden who moved his head back.
"They killed a dozen of the serva—"
"Slaves you mean," Sandra spat.
"Y-yes, the slaves," Hayden continued. "And they made two of those things."
"The abominations?" I asked.
Hayden shook his head. "They're all the failures. T-the successes are like, erm, balls of pale white flesh with streaks of shining white lights running through them. They used two of them and then called upon something, I-I'm not sure what, but after they were done the tower changed."
"What did they call upon?" Zirani asked, her eyes narrowing. "One of the vestiges?"
Hayden's eyes flew wide open. "You know about them?"
Zirnai ignored his question. "What did they call upon?"
"They didn't say a name, just a few titles. It wasn't a vestige, I think one of the titles was, err, the lost king? I don't remember much."
"Whats a vestige?" I asked Zirnai.
"A topic for another time," ZIrnai replied before focusing back on Hayden. "Where are the twin horn now and what are they doing?"
"They are the last floor, the one above us," Hayden answered, his voice full of fear. "P-please don't kill me, I can give you crystals, my family is wealthy in Orton, we even have—"
Zirani lashed out so quickly that Hayden didn't even have time to react or flinch. Her thorn struck his cheek, and in less than a few seconds, she'd flayed a piece of his skin off.
Hayden screamed and I pressed a hand to my nose, as I detected the smell of urine, and something else, even more unpleasant.
"Answer the question." Zirani didn't react to his screaming in any way. "What are they doing up there?"
It took Hayden a full minute to stop screaming and calm himself, and the only reason it was that fast was due to Zirani taking a threatening step towards him.
"They're getting ready for another ritual," Hayden shouted, wincing with every word as blood trickled down his left cheek. "They sent me and paul out here to collect cores just in case they got something wrong. They." Hayden panted. "They said we were going to bring our great master back."
"Is that what the flesh is for?" Zirani questioned.
Hayden nodded. "Yes, yes!"
"How close are they?" Misty asked, her eyes avoiding the grim-looking wound on the twin horn arcanists face.
"A few days?" Hayden answered.
Zirani asked him a few more questions, trying to get as much detail as possible, from how many of them there were, where they were located on the next floor, how powerful they were, and more.
When we were finally done, Zirnai smiled down at Hayden. "Well thank you for everything, Hayden. I will give you a swift death."
Before he could even open his mouth, Zirani's hand lashed out quickly, a large thin wood spike that, she'd formed only a moment ago, pierced through Hayden's chest and into his heart. The twin horn arcanist glanced down to his chest then back up to IZnria, his eyes full of shock and fear then ZInria pulled the spike out and he toppled sideways, dead.
"Well we've got a lot to think about," I noted. "But first let's get rid of this body, it stinks."
Sandra chuckled though I could tell it was forced. It had been rather pitiful to watch, and it was only knowing that he was an upper disciple of the twin horn that held back any guilt I could have felt. Even if he didn't know what was really going on, he'd probably harmed, hurt, and done worse to people because he could, and because of his wealth, and besides he'd gotten a quick death, which was more than could be said for most of the twin horn cannon fodder in the war. No, he didn't deserve mercy, nor any feelings of guilt.
We were still at war with the twin horn, and it wouldn't end until the four of us, finished it.
Chapter 114
"What do think this great master is?" Sandra asked as we sat in our dining room
After the interrogation, we'd taken the body a mile away from our treehouse, and then we'd simply dropped it somewhere. The smell would attract beasts, and they'd clean it up. It was that reason we didn't bury it close to the treehouse, the floor had plenty of two core beasts and their sense of smell was powerful enough that they'd be able to pick up the smell of a rotting body from a mile or two away, hell, they might have found our base if not for the aether wards Zirani had placed around the perimeter of our little area.
"Some sort of high power I assume," Zirani replied in a confused tone. "But I've never heard of someone with the title of lost king. It's rather…"
"Vague?" I suggested.
Zireani nodded. "Yes, vague."
"Whatever it was, I don't think its a good idea if they bring him back," Misty said. "That is what he said they were trying to do right?"
"I assume so," Zirani answered. "That's what the sacrifices were for, to create those masses of flesh he talked of. An ingredient needed for that ritual. I wonder…"
Her words trailed off, and a distant look came to her eyes.
"What is it?" I asked.
Zirani didn't answer for a moment, but then she shook her head as though trying to rid herself of a thought. "I've heard of rituals like this before, of people trying to place a soul into a new vessel."
"Like body swapping?" Sandra asked.
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.com"Sort of." Zirani sighed. "It usually never works, or if it does, the results are not what was expected. A person's soul is tied to their body in a very intimate way, they are linked and were quite literally made for each other. To try and tear that bond or even place a bodiless soul into a new vessel isn't an easy process. Only the most intelligent and well-versed arcanists could do such a thing, which makes me wonder how they got their hands on this sort of information. A soul transference or binding ritual is not some common knowledge, not even beyond the great scar."
"What if their great master told them?" I suggested. "Could he communicate with them?"
Ziraini frowned and then her eyes widened and she cursed under her breath. "Oh no."
"What?" Sandra looked puzzled. "What is it?"
"I should have guessed." Zirani shook her head. "The knowledge, the reasoning, the title they gave him. Great master."
She turned to Sandra. "What do you know about the history of the twin horn?"
Sandra frowned. "Not much. There a normal sect or were a normal sect before the war, arrogant, had a strict hierarchy."
"Where did they come from, who founded the sect?" Zirani questioned.
"No one knows," Sandra replied. "They just popped out of nowhere…"
It suddenly hit me, what Zirani was thinking. That this great master was the leader of the twin horn, not just some think they prayed two. From what I'd been told, the twin horn hadn't always been so bloodthirsty and greedy, and it's not like they'd tried to take the first tower close to Orton or Orton itself. It had been the moment this tower had appeared that they'd started a war, and while most thought it was for greed and money, what if it had been for another reason.
"You think this great master is behind everything?" I asked Zirani.
"It's just a hunch," Zirani replied, turning to Sandra. "We need to get the bonding between you and Aiden done now, even if you have to go into the night, and then we need to leave. Just as Misty said, we cannot let them go through with this ritual, whoever this great master is, its clear he's very knowledgeable and when it comes to the arcane, that usually also means that they are also very powerful."
"So what do we do for the rest of the day?" I asked. "Should we just go back to training?"
Zirani shook her head. "I need to get things ready for this bonding ritual. You three have accomplished the goals I've set, and while I might have said you could relax, now with this new information, I think it's best if we use all the time we can to prepare. I was planning on teaching you the basics of changing your aether and finally teaching you advanced techniques when we got to the next floor, including finally tapping into the spatial aspect we now have for new and existing techniques, Aiden, but it seems we're not going to get that chance just yet."
I held back my disappointment. I'd really been looking forward to learning new techniques, especially a movement technique and finally putting the warp seed to good use. Unlike Misty or Sandra I didn't have any sort of enhancement technique besides aether burst, which was only good for short boosts and couldn't be maintained for extended fights or periods of time. I couldn't wait until this business with the twin horn was done, and over. After that, we could take time to finish training and then head to border cities, after I visited my aunt of course.
"I want the three of you to experiment with modifying your already existing techniques, and adding new patterns to them." Zirani stood. "Don't push yourselves, or try and rush things, especially you Misty, you do have excellent regeneration, but I don't think you want to melt your face off do you?"
Misty blanched and shook her head. "No, definitely not."
"Far too pretty," I added with a smirk which earned me a playful smack on the arm from Misty.
It was a real shame that our training had once again been disrupted by the twin horn, but what could we do? We had to get rid of the twin horn once and for all, more so now than ever, with this new knowledge. If this great master was their leader then there was no way we could let come back.
That was another piece of information that would have baffled me a few weeks ago, but with everything I'd learned, learning that you could shove a soul into a new body, wasn't as shocking as it once might have been, though it did bring up plenty fo question in my mind. Were your cores and infusion level tied to your soul or would you have to start over again, and what exactly could you do with a soul. Zirani had talked about trapped souls so casually, was that something that people did beyond the great scar? More questions to add to the list for when we finally had some time to ourselves and weren't in such a rush.
As Zirani worked on getting the ritual ready, Sandra, Misty, and I worked on experimenting with our techniques. The first technique I tried to add things to was my lashing vine. While it has plenty of utility uses, it didn't have the same lethality as a bark spike, so I tried adding thorns along its length. Before the lessons and training from Zirani, it would have been impossible, but with my new understanding of patterns along with the base, advanced and affinity sets, it was far easier than I had thought. Since it was a simple addition, all it took was a few changes. I had options on how I wanted it to work. Did I want the thorns to form at the same time the vine initially did or after? What size and shape did I want them? I could have spent hours on it, but I didn't have hours so I went with simply shaped curved thorns that I could shrink into the vine at will so that If I simply wanted to grab something or cathing them without doing too much damage, then I could. Being able to switch from lethal to non-lethal had been a must
Sandra's first attempt at dark spears had been weeks ago on the first floor, and it had not worked out, but this time she got it in a matter of minutes, and happily tested it out, sending four long spears of darkness out at frightening speed.
Misty did something similar to Sandra. She changed her death ball into a slash like she'd done when she'd been fighting the bear. She could use it without the claws or with. She also tested out her screech, which had sent me and Sandra to the ground, and Zirani annoyingly shouting at her to warn them next time.
It was a shame we didn't have more time as there was a ton of possibilities I could think of for all my techniques, and I was eager to try and make some new techniques, though I followed Zirani's advice and kept back on that idea.
"I'm done," Zirnai announced, walking over to us.. "Now we just need to get the two of your ready and we can begin."
Chapter 115
Zirani led Sandra and me over to an intricately carved circle that looked somewhat familiar to the array on Misty's back, though far greater in detail and size. The outermost ring had smooth curves, jagged lines, and runes that seems to connect to form different patterns, while the middle ring seemed to be made up entirely of runes that made little no sense to me. There were a few I thought I recognized from classes from the academy, but I couldn't be sure. We hadn't learned much about runes, at least not in how to use them, and I hadn't really put any time into learning more about than after the academy, though with Zirani, I probably would eventually learn.
"So where we do stand?" Sandra asked, taking acre not step onto any of the carvings, even though they looked to be carved quite deep into the ground, at least a few inches.
"You see those two half circles," Zirani replied, pointing them out with a finger. "Each of you will stand in one when I tell you, ok?."
We both nodded and I inspected the half circles closely. Their ends were only inches apart from each other, and at a distance, it might have looked like just a normal circle. In any case, I assumed it had something to do with the bond, and how we would become one or something like that.
"Alright now, I'm going to teach a basic bonding pattern to the two of," Zirani said, and aether began to gather in her hands. "This is going to be harder than anything you've done before because we're going to be keeping the aether as it is when it's out instead of allowing it to form into something."
I frowned, trying to recall if I'd ever seen something like that. There was normally never a reason to keep aether unformed or as a pattern for long periods of time unless it was needed of course, at least that's what I'd been taught. Not only was it difficult to do since aether naturally wanted to become something else, but it also required a lot of focus to make sure the aether didn't disperse or form into something you didn't want.
An odd pattern began to form in Zirani's hands, outside her body, which was baffling and something I'd never witnessed before. Aether was easiest to control when in your body. When outside it was extremely difficult.
Sandra must have had the same worry. "Erm, Zirani are you sure we can do this? I've never formed a pattern outside my body."
"You won't be forming this outside your body, Just keeping part of it from dispersing. The majority of the pattern will be pushed inside you two, but not all." Zirani finished the pattern then presented it to us. "This is the patten that will link both of you. You will push it through your scar, and into the other person's at the same time. Te patterns will connect and merge naturally, and then I will activate the circle. Now, it's very important you do nothing while the ritual is taking place. Don't move, and don't mess with your aether. Just let things happen."
"Is it going to be painful?" I asked as I inspected the pattern. Now that it was finished, I could fully see its oddity. It was unlike any technique pattern I'd ever seen, and parts looked half-finished, which I guessed were the parts that would connect to Sandra's pattern. I could also see what she meant about certain parts remaining outside.
"It won't cause you any pain," Zirani said. "But it will be rather uncomfortable for the beginning phase."
I could deal with that, especially if there wouldn't be any pain involved, not that I couldn't if there was. I took two baths of pain every day after all.
"Now let's spend a few minutes practicing the pattern before we begin." Zirani shot both Sandra and me a serious look. "You don't want to mess this up as it could lead to severe mental injury. We're meddling with not just the mind, but also the soul, taking two on forging a link, a bond. There's going to be a point during the ritual where both of you will be left horribly exposed to mental manipulation and soul tampering, though you don't have to worry about anything from the outside causing you harm, this circle has many layers of protection, but if you get the patterns wrong, or disrupt things then you could end up braindead, or worse."
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.comWhat was worse than braindead, and if I hadn't been keen to practice before, I certainly was now. There was no way I was going to risk causing problems for not just me but also for Sandra, and she must have felt the same as she made no protests or even the slightest of complaints as we practiced forming the odd pattern. It might have taken us a long time a few weeks ago, but with Ziranis training, it took only around ten minutes before we could successfully form the pattern five times in a row.
"Misty i want you to keep watch on our surroundings," Zirani said. "Don't let anything disrupt the ritual."
The blonde nodded as death claws formed around her nails. She shot the three of us a danged smile. "I'll keep you two safe."
I returned the smile then side by the side with Sandra, took a seat in one of the half circles.
I calmed by breathing, and focused my mind on the task ahead, pushing everything else away.
Zirani's voice sounded soft as she knelt by the permitter of the outermost circle. "You can close your eyes if you wish, I found that helps beginners."
The beginner term stung a little even though I knew it was true, even so, I followed her advice and closed my eyes, happy that it did help me focus as there were no distractions in sight.
"Remember, remain still and do not do anything once the patterns merge into one," Zirani said. "Now rise your right palm, Aiden, and you, your left, Sandra. I'm going to cut a line across each, and the moment I'm done I want you to start forming the patterns."
I raised my right palm and a moment later I felt a stinging sensation as Zirani cut a line across my skin. It stung, but compared to bath and other painful moments in my life, it was nothing. My pain tolerance was high.
The moment I felt Zirani's blade, which I assumed was a thorn, leave my palm, I began to form the bonding pattern, taking great care in making sure it was as perfect as could be, and not rushing things or letting nerves get the better of me.
"Good, good," Zirani praised. "Now press tour plans together and remain still."
Despite having my eyes close my other sense were enhanced enough that I knew where Sandra's hand was, and I felt her smooth skin press against my own as our wounds touched, aligning perfectly.
Nothing happened for a long moment but then I sensed aether beginning to surge around us, the ring was been activated. An odd vibrating sensation began in my hand, and in what felt like less than a second, the pattern was out of my control, merging with Sandra's. I felt an odd pressure begin in my head, along with a numbing of all my other senses, apart from my arcane sense.
The bonding pattern continued to merge for a few seconds, and when it was complete, I felt the urge to gasp as it was single-handedly the most complex and intricate pattern I'd ever seen, on a level I could barely begin to grasp. I hadn't noticed before when I'd been practicing with it, but now that it was whole, I could see dozen of different working parts, along with other things I couldn't understand.
"Yes, just like that." Zirnai's voice sounded somewhat strained. She must have been using alot of aether.
My focus was snapped from her, however, when the pressure in my head spiked, and the bonding pattern fully merged and formed. I felt what could only be described as a stilling of every part of my body, and then I felt something within myself being touched, something I'd only felt twice before with Zirnai and Misty, but hadn't recognized then. This time, however, I knew it for what it was. My soul. My soul was singing? No, resonating with Sandra's which I had a vague sense of.
I remained in the state for what felt like an hour, through I was probably just a few minutes, until like a switch beginning flicked, things turned back on, my sense returned and the pressure was gone.
"We're done." I could hear the smile and relief in Zirani's voice, though it wasn't coming from my surroundings, but my head.
I opened my eyes and glanced around. "Zirani, are you back in your core?"
"Yes, that took a lot out of me," She explained in a faint and tired voice. "It went well though, but I'm going to need to rest for a few hours."
Her voice grew more and more distant until it vanished altogether, and through our bond, I could feel that she was now sleeping.
"Did it work?" Sandra questioned aloud as she glanced at the circle.
"Only one way to find out." I focused inwards and felt a grin spread across my face as I felt our bond. It was small and not as large or strong as Misty or Zirani's but I knew it would get there. I tried to send happiness through ur bond, and Sandra gasped. "I feel you."
She flung herself forward and embraced me in a hug, which I returned happily.
Footsteps sounded nearby and we both turned to see Misty walking over with a smile on her face, her death claws gone. "I'm guessing it worked."
Sandra hopped up and bawled the blonde over in a hug. "It did, it did."
Misty seemed shocked, but then she returned the embrace and smiled. I'd never seen Sandra act like this, but I liked it, seeing her smile and be happy.
They broke the hug a moment later, and Misty glanced around with a frown. "Where's Zirani?"
"Resting," I answered. "The ritual took a lot out of her, she'll be out for a few hours. In the meanwhile, I think we should get something to eat, and pack."
Despite wanting to rest and celebrate, I knew we couldn't, not yet.. We had to find the entrance to the next floor and put a stop to the twin horn before they could accomplish their goals and bring back their great master, whoever he was.
Chapter 116
We didn't have an hour to waste on me cooking some fried chicken so we settled with rations as we packed up everything into our storage devices. Hayden's ring was an expensive object because it held nearly three times the storage space my own ring held. His parents must have been rich indeed. As for the dagger, I placed it in my ring, though I doubted I'd ever use it. I had my glaive and my techniques.
"We should build a place like this if we ever settle down," Sandra said, a sad look in her eyes, and left the treehouse behind. I understood how she felt. Despite not having been here for long, it had felt like home, not just to me, but to all of us. It was simple, to say the least, but cozy and safe.
"If we do, I don't think it will be in the plains," I replied. After this whole debacle with the tower was over, we would most likely finish our training then take some time off before we headed over to the border cities to await the expedition, which was our ticket out of the plains.
"I never thought I'd ever cross it," Misty said, a far-away look in her eyes. "I always thought I'd follow in my father's footsteps. The great scar always seemed like more of a fantasy."
Her eyes lowered and I walked over to place a hand on her shoulder. "Your father may be gone, but we're here for you, as cliche as that sounds."
Just as my bond with Sandra and Zirnai had grown, so had my relationship with Misty. We'd been through a lot together, and rekindled an old friendship that had quickly turned into love, or the beginnings of love at least.
"He's right." Sandra. "You got us now blondy, for better and for worse."
Some of the sadness in Misty's eyes faded as she smirked at the dark-haired arcanist. "I'm assuming your worse and he's better?"
"Haha," Sandra replied dryly. "Let's get going, we need to find the entrance to the next floor."
Which was most likely near the center of the floor, which we hadn't really found when we'd scouted the place out, though I had a vague idea of where it was, mostly thanks to the glowing moss on the ceiling.
"I'll take the lead on this," I said. "I've got an idea of where it is."
During my time here, I'd noticed that the light above got brighter and brighter when in certain areas, and at first I'd hadn't paid much attention to it, but I had the sneaking suspicions, the closer you got to the center the brighter it was, the more glowing moss there was.
"Remember there's probably going to be strong beasts around the entrance, so stay alert," I reminded.
I was confident in our ability to deal with any problem we came across, but due to our time constraints and task, I would prefer if we avoided fights and not wasted any time.
I lead the three of us through the floor, using the moss overhead as a guide, and after two hours of sprinting, which didn't leave me feeling tired thanks to my enhancements, we came across our first beast in the form of a large wood giant, or at least that's what it seemed like. It was vaguely shaped like a man with tree trunks for legs, and branches sprouted all over its body. The same glowing bliss moss that lit the land also covered parts of the wood giant. It was around fifteen feet tall, but its size wasn't what worried me. Atop its branches were smaller beasts with beaks that looked like thin, razors sharp blades. There were at least two dozen on the giant, which was stronger than the bear Misty had fought. Its cores blazed, and it had an aether aura around it, which only beasts and arcanists above a certain threshold could have.
"We're not fighting that are we?" Sandra asked. "Those birds look like trouble, not to mention the ent."
"Ent?" I asked. "Is that what it's called.
"Yeah, I heard some are peaceful." Sandra frowned. "Though, I don't know if that's true or not."
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.com"I think it's best we don't fight," Misty suggested. "If those birds swarm us at the same time the ent attack it will be trouble. I think we'd win, but not without some injury."
We took the safe option and snuck around the ent, taking care to be as quiet as possible until we were well away from it, however, just when we thought we were safe, a beast or pack of beasts shot out from around us. At first, I thought they were just Murwogs, but on closer inspection, I realized these were bigger and had blotches of brown spot on their dark green skin along with tiny blunt horns, that looked more comical than intimidating.
"Should we run?" Sandra asked, her cloak forming around her, as dark smoke began to waft from her body, followed a moment later by shadowy tendrils. That must have cost a decent amount of aether, but then I remembered that she'd moved up a density stage, so she probably had far more aether to work with.
"No, we fight."
If these things were faster than the Murwoigs, then only Sandra and Misty would be able to outrun them since they both had movement techniques, unlike me. Damn the twin horn for interrupting our training.
Misty's death claws form before she shouted a warning. "Cover your eyes."
I barely managed to form two pieces of wood over my ears before Misty opened her mouth, and let out her sonic screech, which I heard even through the wood, though it was dulled enough that it caused no pain or discomfort. Sandra had her hands over her ears and was shooting a slight glare at the blonde, her teeth gritted.
"Give us more time to get ready," Sandra said. "I barely covered my ears in time."
Misty shot Sandra an apologetic shrug before she dashed at the stunned Murwogs. I sprung into motion a moment behind her, and two bark spikes formed on my gauntlets as I neared two of the greater Murwogs, at least that's what I guessed they were. Their skin proved thicker than their weaker counterparts but nowhere near strong enough to stop an aether-formed bark spike. Both murwogs fell to the ground as I tore my weapons-free, sprays of blood panting he nearby by ground.
Misty had already taken out two and was facing off against another while Sandra was weaving through a trio while her tendrils sliced them into bloody ribbons. Before her recent power increases she would never have been able to maintain her dark tendrils and cloak at the same time for this long while using other techniques, but now she could and with her increased speed and strength, the murwogs stood no chance, even though they were quite fast.
Before long, the last of them fell.
"Do we take their cores?" Misty asked. "They could come in handy."
I thought it over for a moment. "Five minutes, five minutes to get as many s we can then we leave."
The process of getting a core wasn't as easy as it sounded, due to the fact one had to be careful not to break it, and of course tear through a body, which wasn't pleasant at all, especially not for beasts of a larger size like these greater murwogs, not to mention the stench. I hadn't thought they could smell any worse, but I was proven wrong as I had to form a wooden peg for my nose as I worked.
In the end, we managed to get them all, mostly thanks to Misty's death claws which rotted away flesh at a rapid pace. We would most likely either sell the cors or keep them for other things like the enchantments Zirnai had made for our tubs. There was also the fact that Zirnai was a fountain of knowledge and with her alchemic abilities we could become the richest people in the plains, and that was just with her alchemy. Things like the sky boat, well those would sell for a lot.
"How much longer?" Sandra asked impatiently. "We've been going this way for four hours."
"Nothing, we're here," I replied with a smile as we broke out of the forested area, and a wide-open circle of blowing grass, which at its center, held the gate to the next floor. I had for a moment been afraid that I'd been wrong about my guess, but then I'd spotted a large mass of glowing moss in the distance shining, which I could now see was shining down upon the gate and the open area around it, as though a beacon.
"This is it," I started to say, but was interrupted.
"Indeed it is," A calm voice sounded as a middle-aged man in an ornate twin horn robe stepped out from behind the gate, his two cores surging with aether.
The twin horn elder smiled. "Aiden Hawke, we finally meet."
"Oh fuck."
This was not good, not in the slightest, especially since Zirani was still out and none of us had ever faced someone with two cores, let alone at the fourth stage of infusion as this elder was.
"I'm glad I managed to catch you before you crossed the gate." The elder smiled. "I must say it's rather impressive just how far you've come in such a short amount of time."
I blinked in surprise unsure of what he meant. It sounded like he was talking about our power growth, but how would he know about that, unless he'd heard about me before entering the tower.
"Though with the jungle queen in your hold, it's not surprising." His orange eyes, which looked distinctly unnatural flashed with greed. "A prize, a great prize indeed."
I tried to suppress my shock, but some of it must have shown as the elder's smile grew. Knowing about me beforehand I could understand, but Zirani? I hadn't told anyone but Misty and Sandra about her, that I was certain of, so how exactly did he know? Had he been watching us? I hadn't noticed him or his cores until he'd revelaed himself, which meant he had a way of masking his power so he could very well have been watching us.
He sighed as he read my confused gaze. "If you must know, my master informed me of your unique gifts and abilities."
"Your great master?" Sandra questioned, only a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"So you've heard of him," The elder replied. "From the disciple you took hostage, I assume. A foolish thing to think that we did not keep trackers on them, nor to think that a being as powerful as our master could not see his servants."
So Zirani had been right then, the mastermind behind the twin horn was this great master, and he must have been powerful indeed if he could do such things without even having a body.
I calmed my racing heart, and steadied myself, preparing to pull aether from my core as I sent a message to Misty and a burst of emotion to Sandra. A simple message for Misty to get ready, and a burst of anticipation for Sandra. I didn't know what our chances against this elder would be, but there was no way this wasn't going to end up in a fight. We sure as hell weren't going to be running or surrendering.
"Must you." The elder shook his head. "If you come quietly, I will make sure the melding process is painless."
I didn't reply, instead, forming bark armor around myself, along with three impact seeds on both hands. I saw from the corner of my eyes, Misty death claws from as did Sandra's cloak and tendrils.
The elder face's screwed up in annoyance. "Very well then. I was told to bring you three in alive, but I suppose half-alive will so."
"You ready?" I asked my two friends, feeling a surge of adrenaline shoot through me as the fire aether began to surge around the elder.
Misty nodded, while Sandra tried to grin confidently.
The world seemed to quiet as I locked eyes with the elder, my violet orbs matching his fiery eyes. This was unlike anything I'd ever faced, even against the moss troll or the army, I hadn't felt like this. This wasn't a beast or something we could best with simple brute force. This was a twin horn elder, and one that was close to this great master, which had most likely afforded more knowledge and power than others. That much was obvious from everything he knew and the way his aether was forming around him. It was unlike the crude use I'd seen in the other twin horn members and was greater than any of the steel heart elders.
I launched my seeds at the elder as the three of us burst forwards, Misty taking the lead with her enhanced speed.
This was going to be the fight of our lives, a true test of just how far we'd grown, and I was determined to see us as the victories.
Chapter 117
The elder dodged all three of the impact seeds with relative ease, his smile still plastered on his face as flame kindled around the others, burning them to ash before they could get to him, which offered Misty no help or opening as she closed the distance between her and the elder, her claws swiping, and missing the agile twin horn arcanists, which left me stunned for a moment. I'd never seen anyone dodge Misty so casually.
"You are as fast as I was told," The elder noted, his voice calm, as though he weren't in the middle of a battle. "But not fast enough I'm afraid."
His hand lashed out, a palm pressing against Misty's chest. For a split second, nothing happened, but then the elder's hand flashed with a burst of orange light, and Misty was sent flying back straight into a tree, cracks appearing on the bark.
I stopped myself from changing my direction and going to check on her. I needed to stay in the fight, and there was no way that would put Misty out of commission. She had the greatest regeneration out of all of us.
By this point, Sandra was upon him and a flurry of daggers flew as tendrils shot towards the elder, but the elder showed no signs of worry as a new pattern was formed at a speed far greater than I'd ever seen. Just when it looked like the daggers of darkness would strike him, a blazing inferno formed around him, spinning violently. Sandra barely managed to twist out of the way to dodge the end of a collision with the flame, but that left her open to an overhead strike that sent her crashing into the ground.
"An interesting bloodline," The elder mused. "But your use of it is lackluster and disappointing."
I felt my blood boil and rage simmer within me as I formed two thorn vines.
"Oh, did I strike a nerve?" The elder chuckled. "Don't worry you will all be together soon when you are melded."
My two lashing vines flew out and attempted to wrap around him, but the blazing inferno was too great, and my techniques turned to ash in seconds under the intense heat. I grit my teeth and tried to think of something. This was not a good matchup for me, not in my current state. His fire could eat through any of my techniques. I didn't have Zirani's skill or her wide variety of knowledge when it came to the green. He hadn't even shown his other affinity, not to mention the fact he looked like he wasn't even winded. Was this really the difference between first core and second core or was there something else at play?
Seconds passed as I tried to think of something, and just when it looked like he was about to approach me, a line of red and black shot forth from his left, and I turned to see Misty back on her feet, looking perfectly fine and without injury.
"Ah, I forget you're a vampire aren't you." The elder sighed. "My apologies."
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.comThe way he was talking and acting was really getting to me. He was treating us like we weren't a threat, which perhaps we weren't. I tried to shake that thought away and focused back on the fight.
"Misty together!"
She nodded and I used a burst of aether t increase my speed as I formed small bark spikes on my knuckles instead of the usual larger spikes.
"A fist fight?" The elder questioned with a smirk. "Fine, I shall humor you, and demonstrate just how outmatched you are. My master has granted me much power, far beyond that of a normal arcanist at my level."
I didn't have time to think on his words as Misty and I struck out, my right fist aiming for his chest while Misty swiped at his face, her claws extended sleight, and for a second I thought she'd get him, but then an orange glow surrounded him as flame kindled in his eyes.
He leaned back from Misty slash at the same time blocking my fist with a forearm. Before I could even have time to counter or back off, he kicked at my legs with such force that I barely managed to remain standing, not that it did me any good, as he ducked, struck Misty in the chest, and then used that motion to kick me once more. I managed to get a leg up in time, but my whole body shook with the pain as I blocked the kick.
Misty's eyes were now glowing red, and I could tell the beast was beginning to strain at its leash, wanting to come out. Her fangs had elongated, and she charged back at the elder who simply smiled, awaiting her. I sent my support and strength through our bond to help her gain as much control as she could.
I attempted to get back on my feet, but a casual flick of his fingers sent a ball of fire launching towards me at high speeds, I managed to connect my bark-covered hands and form a bark shield just in time, but even so, the force of the impact sent me flying, as the heat seared my skin, even beneath the bark armor.
Pain racked my body, and my ears rang as attempted to get up and failed, falling on my hands and knees, panting with breath. I still had plenty of aether left, but for the life of me, I could not think of what to do. I had no special techniques to use, and it was clear he outmatched me in close-quarters combat, not with skill, but with sheer speed and strength. That kick to my leg had felt like I was being hit with a boulder, and if not for my bark armor, I was certain my bone would have broken. I was reminded of his earlier statement, and how his master had increased his power. How the hell were we meant to beat him?
"Aiden!"
My head shot up at the sound of Sandra's voice. She looked bruised but other than that she looked ready to continue.
"We need to fight together, we can't just go at him one at a time!" She said, her eyes locked on my own as the elder and Misty fought. I glanced over to see that despite her increased speed, she still hadn't managed to get a solid hit in on the elder.
I checked out bond and cursed. The inner beast was fully attempting to break free, and she was barely managing to hold it back.
"At the same time then," I said to Sandra. "You hit him with as many ranged attacks as you can while I move into back up Misty."
I didn't have time to think up a better plan, certainly not with Misty's life potentially on the line, though from what he'd said, it seemed he wanted to bring us all in alive, or half-alive as he'd stated.
I got back to my feet and used some aether to repair the damage to my armor as I tried to circle behind the elder. He was currently occupied with Misty who seemed to be matching his speed now, and as I approached, I saw one of her claws graze his face leaving a scratch, though the rotting effect didn't occur, instead the small wound lit up with flame and seared shut. Great, he had healing abilities as well. Just how much power had this great master given him?
"Now!" I shouted as I sent two impact seeds at his back, one for his head, and the other to the ground near his feet. If I couldn't hit him, then maybe I could at least get him off balance. My plan seemed to work as he dodged the first, but stumbled as the other struck true, the impact putting him off-kilter, and allowing Misty to carve out a small piece of flesh from his shoulder. The wound seared shut instantly, but his calm mask had fallen.
"You damn bitc—"
His words were cut off as a dark spear struck his leg, not piercing through fully, but deep enough to cause pain. I took the chance and struck him at the center of his back, using a large burst of aether to increase my speed and strength. There was a quiet crack, followed by a pained gurnt. I smiled. Maybe we could beat him if we just worked together, and planned out our attacks as much as we could. He was strong, but it was clear he could focus on everything and if Miyt just kept up with him then we could provide each other opportunities to land a hit, and all we'd need I one decisive hit.
I attempted a follow-up strike to the back of his head, but the inferno of flame formed around him ocean more, burning the dark spear embedded in his leg, away. I shield myself with my hands as I leapt back. Misty wasn't so fortunate as she had been the closest and she hissed in pain as she was burned, but she managed to get away before she could be fully engulfed.
"You think a few lucky blows will do?" The elder's voice had lost its calm tone, and now sounded far more like what I expected of a twin horn arcanist. Pride, and arrogance. "I was willing to humor you, but now I see that the three of you are bad sport so I will put an end to these childish games."
His right leg burst into a bright orange flow and kicked up, shooting into the sky, flame still burning around him. Once he was over thirty feet in the air, the inferno vanished, but to my surprise, he didn't fall. "I did not expect to have to use my second affinity, but I've grown tired of this. You will fall now!"
"Ger ready!" I warned as the glow around him began to intensify. I had no clue what was about to happen, but if he'd been holding back then there was no way this would be good.
Orange glow kindled into white-hot flame that covered him from head to toe and the heat was so strong that sweat began to form on me rapidly. The elder's eyes glowed, and he angled his body so his head was facing the ground, and almost as if gravity was affecting him once more, he began to fall, far faster than normal, the bright white glow intensifying. He looked like a shooting star about to collide with the earth.
The three of us had retreated to the tree line as this pint. With our armor and the tree as shielding, I was sure we could survive the strike, especially since he wasn't aiming at us.
That assumption proved very wrong as the elder struck the ground, and the world went white.
Chapter 118
Zirani had not expected to wake up to this, to find Aiden, Misty, and Sandra half-dead, with severe injuries and depleted aether reserves. She had been confident that they could handle themselves against anything that came their way as they made it to the entrance to the next floor, but apparently not, as seconds after she'd been woken by the large burst of pain and shock from her bonded she had sensed another presence, far stronger than should naturally exist on this tower floor. It was an arcanist, a two-core arcanist at the fourth level of infusion to be exact, though the power of his aether spoke to something more. There was a foreign presence that had latched itself onto him, deep within his soul, like a parasite that had been welcomed.
She tried to send a message to her bonded, but it was no use. He was covered in severe burns and had a few broken bones, not to mention a mild concussion. Whatever the arcanists had done, it must have been quite the attack, not just because of the injuries, but the surroundings. She didn't need to use Aiden's eyes to look, not that she could, since they were closed, her arcane senses were far beyond that of Aidens, and she was able to see the fire aether covering the nearby land, and hints of gravity aether. No wonder they hadn't stood a chance. The twin horn arcanist's power alone was dangerous, but with a combination like fire and gravity, it was even more deadly.
For a few seconds, she contemplated what to do, even though she already knew what she had to do. Aiden would not be waking up, nor would the others. Misty had amazing regeneration for her current level, but she looked in even worse condition to Aiden.
Ever since they'd bonded, Zirani had been adjusting constantly, going from a powerful jungle queen to the partner of a newly made arcanist. It had been hard at first, though she'd tried. She knew, however, that her lack of experience had shown as she'd treated him like a lesser at times. It had changed of course, as they'd gotten to know each other, and now she was truly thankful they'd met. They were partners and lovers know, something she hadn't ever expected, not from a human at least, but perhaps it had been due to the fact that they'd been so close at all times. She'd never allowed any as close as Aiden, no male at least. She'd never revealed insecurities to anyone before but her mother.
Things had changed which was why she was certain that Aiden would understand what she was about to do.
Their bond gave Aiden far more power over her than it did for her over him, not that she needed power over him, not anymore. In normal circumstances, she would have to ask and explain to Aiden and even then it would be a difficult process as no one willingly gives over control of their body, but with Aiden passed out and confused, she knew she could do it, and what choice did she have. If she didn't act then they would all be taken, and most likely turned into one of those flesh abominations, which was something she had no desire to let happen.
"A shame I lost my temper. I..."
The enemy's voice sounded apologetic and annoyed, but Zirani ignored him for the most part, focusing on the bond with Aiden. It was wide open as it always was. Aiden had never realized that the trust they had was special. Most people with mental links never kept them open at all times, in the courts it would be suicide both for position and power. It wasn't like life in the plains or so she surmised. Things over here weren't as cutthroat and while power mattered it wasn't the end all be all as it was beyond the great scar. She had never understood, but having spent so much time here she now understood why they called it peaceful lands. Compared to the raging ocean that her lands were, the plains were a serene and placid lake.
She focused and began forming a complex and intricate pattern as she gathered all that she was. If their bond had been only mental then this would have been far harder and most likely wouldn't work at least not in the desired way, but their souls were bonded, at a level far deeper than most ever did thanks to Aiden's archvein bloodline.
She released the pattern and allowed it to form. In an instant, she felt a stretching sensation and she allowed herself to merge with Aiden in a way that normally would not be possible. the pattern she was using was a modified version of a traditional pattern, due to the fact that she was Aiden's aether beast and not some human friend.
To her relief, it worked perfectly, and like donning a set of armor, she felt a wash of sensations and feelings. Pain, burning pain, numbness, and lingering emotions of regret, anger, and self-loathing. Anger bubbled within her, and she took a deep breath as she let the technique finish.
The town horn arcanist was still talking, with other voices, it seemed, so she needed to hurry. The moment the technique was done she pushed herself to her feet, not needing to use her hands or anything but a slight excursion of aether. Their core didn't have much left so she would need to do something she hadn't done in a long time, not since she'd left her aunt's court.
The voices quieted and Zirani moved her eyes across the first core disciple until she got to what she assumed was the elder, the one who hurt her friend and love. She met his bright orange orbs with Aiden's violets eyes.
"Still awake?" The elder said with a raised eyebrow. "I was sure that would have put you out. I can see why my master has taken a liking to you, but please don't struggle. You could not best me with your friends, what makes you think you could…"
His words trailed off as Zirani began to pull most of her remaining aether into a complex and wide pattern that she let flow into the ground like roots reaching out and encompassing the nearby green. Her days in the court of thorns had taught her much. Their techniques were banned in the verdant court, mostly because of their darker nature, which she had never understood. It wasn't like it was unnatural and the green court often spouted just how wide the green was, yet they could never accept the teachings of the dark court. Well, she had, she'd left to learn, and though she had returned, by that point she'd learn most of what she needed.
"You are a fool," It was Aiden's voice, but different as though her own was speaking over it. "You're arrogance will be the death of you."
The trees, grass, and all other plant life began to wither as Ziraani drained their lifeforce and aether from them. She felt them die, but she shed no tear as she had the first few times. She remembered the beating her aunt had given her when she'd dared shed tears in front of others. Power and life surged through her, through Aiden's body, and her core was full in seconds then bursting at the seams. Still, she did not stop. Taking the still coming aether and weaving it into patterns which she sent back into the ground.
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.com"What are you…" The elder's eyes had widened with shock and fear. "It's you! The jungle queen."
Zirnai ignored him as armor of wood, a charred black in color formed over Aiden's body, intricate symbols, and swirls covering it, along with thorns and spikes that added a sinister cast to the armor. Bitterblack armor or Igni armor as some preferred to call it.
"You cannot beat me,'" The elder hissed. "No matter what you are, you do not have enough power. Your just a single core!"
Zirani used three fingers and drew them down the helmet creating opening for her eyes. "A single core? You speak so highly of your master, yet it seems he has failed you."
The withered plant life around her gave way to scarlet roses and black igni roots which shot up from the ground. A single blade of yellow grass spouted in front of her and extended until it reached her head, changing its shape until it was a long spear and blade, as hard and sharp as any steel. It parted from the ground and she spun it around so fast it was nothing but a blur before bringing it up to point it at the elder.
"Here my words filth, I am Zirani Atmore, daughter to queen Atmora, and niece to queen Zafira. Lady of thorns and verdant princess, jungle queen and blade of Kyorlin, granddaughter of Yggdrasil."
Aether had begun to surge around the elder, and Zirnai scoffed. His patterns while better than any she'd seen in plains were far too basic and crude to pose any threat to her.
"So your master has granted you knowledge?" She smiled coldly. "He must not hold you in favor, for it is nowhere near enough to defeat me."
Streaks of yellow bioelectricity began to appear around her blade as she walked towards the elder at a sedate pace.
"Burn!" The elder shouted as two balls of fire, larger than Aiden's body shot towards her. At the same time, she felt him trying to form a pattern to weigh her down and lock her in place.
"To slow." She took a single step and was before him. He didn't even have time to blink before she brought her blade down from overhead to take his left arm, and then up and rising to take his right. He had panicked, and like a fool had not used any enhancement techniques or even considered that she would be so fast.
He screamed but she did not move as flame burst to life and blazed around him. Her igni armor protected from any of the weak flame and heat. To her surprise, however, when the flame dispersed he had new arms, though a pale white in color, similar to that of the abominations she'd seen.
He must have taken her curious glance for fear as he grinned. "A gift from my master, you lowly beast, now die!"
She suppressed a sigh and dodged his strikes, one after the other. He had no skill and was trying to rely on his sheer speed and brute strength, which was useless. She had formed a number of enhancement techniques when she'd been absorbing aether from the green around her.
'If the arms won't work then perhaps the head will.'
She waited for him to overextend once more, which he did in a foolish way. He was still trying to form patterns but every time he got close she just disrupted them with a burst of her own aether. It was a beginner technique, but apparently not one he knew how to block. Her blade came around in a blur of motion and the look of frustration and anger was still clear on his face as his head flew from his body.
With a single thought, one of the igni roots extended and morphed into a hand to catch it. She waited but the head did not grow back, instead, the body toppled over.
"Impressive."
Ziraini frowned and turned to the voice, which was coming from the head. "Still alive?"
The head smiled. "No, he's dead."
'He? Oh, then this must be…'
"The great master I assume?" Zirani questioned in a cold voice.
"Indeed," he replied in an excited tone, and to her shock, the body jumped to its feet and bowed. "A pleasure."
The voice had changed. It was smooth yet had a nails on chalk quality to it. A normal person might have not have been able to pick it up, but with her senses it was clear. He was masking his true voice.
"I must say, I did not expect this outcome." The head sighed. "I knew you'd show yourself, but I had no clue you were this powerful. A shame, say, why don't you join me, not as melded or stock, but as a partner, I could use a servant like you."
"And what of Aiden." There was no way she was ever going to be joining him, but any information she could get would be useful.
"I need the boy," The head said with a vicious and eager smile. "His body is… perfect. His true bloodline remains dormant, but its power calls to me. The seals placed upon him are strong, but I can destroy them easily enough given time."
Now that was something she hadn't known. "Seals?"
The head quirked an eyebrow. "You don't know, do you?"
He burst out into uproarious laughter, even the body shook. "Oh this is brilliant, and here I was thinking you'd chosen him because of it, oh you are in for a surprise, or you would be if I wasn't going to take him from you."
Zirani gave the head a cold smile. "You won't be taking anything from me. He is mine as I am his, and we'll be putting a stop to your resurrection soon enough."
The eyes grew cold. "We shall see, jungle queen, or is it princess now? Such an odd—"
Zirani didn't let him finish and brought her blade around to slice his head in two then four, and then six just to be sure. Even so, the voice echoed around her for a few more seconds before it faded along with the pieces of the head and the body which turned into white ash.
"I await our proper meeting. Do not keep me waiting."
Zirani sighed as she glanced at her surroundings. The disciples had retreated into the gate and while she wanted to follow, she had more important things to do. Misty and Sandra needed to be healed as did Aiden's body, properly at least. The life force had done well, but it had been a rushed job.
As she got to work, she couldn't help but wonder at just what this great master was because she had a feeling they might be finding out very soon.
Chapter 119
My head was pounding when I awoke to the feeling of a soft material brushing the right side of my face. I blinked open my eyes and for a long moment I tried to process where I was and how I'd gotten here, then it hit me like a flood and I shot up, my eyes glancing around for the elder, except he was nowhere to be found.
"Zirani he's awake!"
I looked over to my right to see Sandra smiling down at me. She looked fine, uninjured, just like I was. I looked down and frowned at the lack of burns or bruises that the elder had given me. Hadn't we just been in a fight a moment ago? The elder had been charging up an attack and then everything had just gone white.
The sound of footsteps made me tear my gaze away from Sandra and to Zirani who was walking up with a bowl of something in her hands. "Here eat this, slowly."
I took the proffered bowl and gave her a questioning look. "What happened? Did we win?"
I didn't remember anything after the elder's last attack. Just the flash of white and then silence before waking up now.
Zirani sighed and sat down next to the moss bed I was on, which she had most likely made. "You three lost. That last attack of his put you three out while waking me up. I… I was the one who took care of him."
It was then that I noticed my surroundings and the lack of grass and plant life. Instead, black roots that looked like they'd been burned and scarlet flowers covered the ground. It looked rather sinister like the aftermath of a battle. The gate was in the same palace it had been, but no elder was to be seen, which meant Zirnai must be telling the truth. Anger rushed through me, not at Zirani, but at myself for being unable to beat the elder. We'd been outmatched and though it had seemed we were doing well at the end, apparently, that had just been him holding back.
"How did you do it?" I asked. The elder had not been a weak opponent and I didn't think ZIrani could fight that well in her manifested form, not to mention I'd use a fair bit of aether before I'd fallen.
A flash of fear and nervousness crossed her eyes, and she looked away.
"Zirani, what did you do?" I looked over to Sandra who just shrugged. "I'm not going to be angry. You just saved all our lives, I just want to know how."
"I took control of your body, Aiden," Zirani explained, her eyes still not meeting mine.
Control over my body? I hadn't even known such a thing was possible, although we were bonded and she had tons of knowledge so I shouldn't have been too surprised, but why was she so scared. I mean, yes, I wasn't a fan of my body being taken over, but considering the alternative had been death or whatever the twin horn had planned, I had no reason to really be angry. Apart from the fact she could have told me beforehand just in case something like this happened, which it had.
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.com"Zirani I'm not mad," I said, reaching out and taking one of her hands in my own. "I won't lie and say it perfectly ok with it, but you saved our lives. I wish you would've told me about that before, but that's hindsight. Is that all? Did you do this?"
I waved at our surroundings and got a nod from her.
"Can you teach me?"
She snorted and a smirk broke through. "Eventually yes."
"How did you have enough aether?" Sandra asked. "This entire place is covered in nature aether, so much of it. There's no way it all came from your core."
"It didn't," Zirani replied, a distant look appearing in her eyes. "I used a technique to drain the aether and lifeforce from the green around me."
I blinked. "That's possible?"
That sounded like an extremely useful and powerful technique to have, being able to refill you aether. Zirani must have understood the look in my eyes and read my thoughts as she shot me a serious look. "The technique is powerful, but it's also very dangerous. Your essentially killing the green around you. The verdant court forbids any use of it and many other similar techniques."
"Then where did you learn it?" Misty asked as she approached with two bowls, handing one to Sandra who nodded gratefully.
"I learned it from my aunt's people." Zirani sighed. "At the court of thorns. A darker reflection to the verdant court, but that's a topic for another time. We need to get going. That elder had been given power by his master who had latched on his soul. I spoke to it before I destroyed the elder's body."
Zirani gave us a quick explanation of what had occurred, and I marveled at just how much she's done with my body. I could do that if I had the skills and knowledge and it made me wonder just what she could do if she was at her former power' She'd beaten the elder when she was at a severe disadvantage and she'd done it with ease.
"Seals?" I questioned when she spoke about what this great master had said.
Zirani shrugged. "Truthfully, I'm unsure as to what he was referring to. I haven't noticed any aether seals within you, though a thorough check wouldn't be a bad idea. He seemed to have a very great interest in you, specifically your body and bloodlines."
Just what I needed to hear. A powerful being of unknown origin wanted my body for heaven knew what, and had apparently said I had another bloodline, which was sealed away.
"Are you sure he wasn't talking about the archvein bloodline?" I questioned, and Zinrai shook his head much to my dismay.
"That bloodline isn't sealed. You used it on me, remember."
I had known that, but I just wanted to make sure since the idea of this thing, whatever it was, wanting my body was not a pleasant thought, nor was the fact that he wanted to meld Sandra and Misty, which I assumed meant turning them into one of those things. That thought alone was enough to make me both disgusted and pissed off. As if I'd allow that to happen. Another wave of anger hit me. How could I protect them or stop something like that when I couldn't even beat the elder.
"Don't think like that," Zirnai said vehemently, her hand grasping my shoulder to turn me towards her. Her hands cupped my face. "You could not have won that fight, Aiden, nor should you think that every fight is winnable as you are. If the elder had not been powered up by his master then I have no doubt you three would have won. That emotion you're feeling, use it as sunlight for the growing seed inside yourself, to push yourself harder, to get stronger."
She smiled warmly and I felt my body relax somewhat.
"The same goes for you two." Zirani took her hands away and turned to the others. "Don't let this get you down, and don't wallow in self-pity of loathing. Now, finish up the food, it has some herbs that should help with your recovery. Then we head out. We can't let this false king gain a psychical body, certainly not here in the plains. With his knowledge and abilities, I don't think there's anyone who could stand against him."
Which meant if we failed here then my friends and aunt were as good as dead.
I hungrily finished up the soup which tasted very odd but helped my mind greatly as the pounding slowly subsided. Misty had to drink from me after she was done as she needed to replenish some of her power, but I didn't mind. Physically I felt fine, which ZIrnai had said was due to the healing potions she'd made when we first arrived here, a few techniques, and the influx of life force. I had a bit of knowledge on life force that I'd learned from my aunt but not much. I knew it was like blood except for the soul rather than the body.
"If you two are done, I think we should go," Sandra said.
Misty tore away from me, her eyes glowing red. "Thanks, Aiden."
"Your welcome," I replied as I stretched my neck. It always felt a bit sore when she was done, but nothing too painful. I turned to Zirani who nodded and together we all walked forward and grasped hands as we'd done twice before.
I felt nervous as we approached the gate, but a reassuring squeeze from Zirani helped me push the anxiety and fear away, replacing it with determination to see this through and finally put an end to the twin horn.
"On my mark, three, two, one!"
For what was probably the last time in this tower, we jumped through a gateway, towards the final destination and goal of this mission, of this war.
To end the twin horn.
Chapter 120
"Attack!"
The first thing I saw when I exited the portal onto the last floor was a twin horn disciple charging at me, his fist encased in fire. Not far from him were at least three others who had locked onto my friends and were either charging at them or preparing techniques. Against any normal arcanists at their level, they might have stood a chance, but we'd discussed this possibility, and we were at the third level with not only denser cores but a far greater understanding of the arcane thanks to Zirani's teaching.
We let go of each other's hands and I smiled as dodged a flaming right hook and countered with a bark faulty to his chin, a spike piercing through his flesh and straight into his brain. It was a simple pattern that I'd used before and acted much like a piston. The spike would form and then punch out at a high velocity, easily punching through the skin and flesh of second-level arcanists whose aether manipulation was like that of a child's now that I knew what proper aether manipulation looked like due to Zirani's teachings.
By the time he slumped to the ground, the others had finished off their opponents, though Zirnai had kept her's alive, though what looked like an injection of some sort of liquid. A long green needle had formed and extended from her index finger and had pierced into the arcanist's neck, most likely injecting some sort of paralytic substance, at least that's what it seemed like form the way the arcanist was stood, frozen and unable to move, his eyes wide with terror,
Misty had decapitated her opponent, while Sandra's looked like a pincushion, several dark daggers sticking out of him. The fights hadn't even lasted ten seconds. These guys were definitely just the usual twin horn disciples and not like the elder whod been boosted by his great master, though that begged the question.
"Why the hell were they here?" I asked as I walked over to stand next to Zirani.
"To try and catch us offguards," Sandra answered.
"But if their great master knows about us and how strong we are, then why send people as weak as this." I frowned. "It doesn't make sense."
"We can ask him," Zirani said, her eyes locked onto the motionless arcanists. "I know you can talk, so don't try and play stupid. Why were you here?"
The twin horn arcanist, a middle-aged woman, looked terrified. "W-we were told to guard the gate and to kill anything that came through."
"Is that it?" Zirani questioned, her eyes growing cold. "If your lying then I suggest you stop now, or else your death will be quite slow and agonizing."
I knew she was telling the truth as well, and I didn't have much of a problem with it. All the arcanists we'd just killed had been wearing robes similar to Hayden's, rich and fine-looking. These had not been slaves or servants. They'd been proper disples, the people using the slaves and servants. Just like for Hayden, they'd get no mercy or sympathy from me.
"Well?" Misty prompted.
The twin horn arcanist opened her mouth but before she could utter anything, it snapped shut, and her flesh began to bubble, and send.
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.com"What the…"
My words trailed off as her skin began to glow a sickly shade of yellow, and I glanced over to Zirani whose eyes were wide. A moment later the other corpses began to act simialry.
"Run!"
I suddenly sensed it, the large buildup of aether within the female arcanist, forming into a pattern, which I guessed did one thing. Explode.
I bloated away alongside the others, and just in time as the pattern formed and the girl detonated, a large wave of force spread in all directions, and I was flung off my feet as it hit me. I got a face full of sand, but luckily no more than that.
A human bomb really? The town horn really was willing to do anything to achieve their goals.
I spat out the sand, which looked far redder than any sand I'd ever seen, In fact, it was similar to the color of blood, just darker. I lifted my head and for the first got a proper look at the floor. At this point I was even shocked as I gazed out at the literal crimson desert that stretched out before me, dunes scatted around, blown about by the wind. In all honesty, it wasn't as odd as the others, though it looked far more sinister. The only thing I could notice was different was the color of the sand. There were no structures, or at least that's what I thought at first until I turned to my left and spotted a large tower in the distance, that looked similar to an aether tower, though smaller.
"They turned their own arcanists into bombs?" Sandra asked in disbelief as she brushed sand off her robes.
"Considering everything else, I don't things it's that surprising," Misty replied, brushing sand out of her hair.
"It was definitely him." Zirani turned her gaze to the distant tower. "That pattern was far beyond anything something from the plains could create and I've seen smiler patterns before."
"So he was trying to kill us with trick then?" I asked, confused. "Didn't you say he wanted me alive?"
"I doubt he thought it would kill us," Zirani replied. "And even if we'd been up close it wouldn't have. At most, we'd get a few broken bones. It was more likely that it was meant to weaken us or slow us down. He talked big when we spoke, but he knows if we get to his servants before they bring him back then he's essentially—"
"Screwed," Sandra finished, and Zirani nodded.
"Pretty much."
That made me feel a bit better, knowing that we wouldn't have to deal with this thing if we put a stop to the twin horns' ritual before they could bring him back? Or whatever they were trying to do. They hadn't clarified if it was a human or a beast or something else and it certainly could be. I hadn't even known about beasts like Zirnai or vampires a few months ago.
I turned to Zirani. "What's the plan, Should we just approach it head-on, or sneak."
She looked around and a sneer formed on her lips. "I'm not sure if this lost king planned it out, but do you think it's possible to sneak in here."
She waved a hand to the desert. "There are quite literally no shadowed areas, apart from the dunes, which are few and far between."
"We could wait till night," Sandra began but ZInrai curt her off.
"If there is a night?" Zirani replied. "And can we afford to wait that long? No, our only option is to approach head-on."
I sighed. "They're all going to be there you know, the remaining members of the twin horn."
Zirani walked over and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "And I'm positive we can handle it. The elder you fought had been enhanced greatly by his master, and many of them will no doubt be taking part in the ritual. All we need to do is cause enough chaos to disrupt it."
I tried to smile, but my concern must have shown, and Zirani must have been reading my thoughts as she gave me a look of understanding. "I know you don't like the thought of having to hand your body over to me again, but if need be you must be willing. What I did against the elder was to save your life and I will do it again even if you hate me for it. I will not let you die."
I shook my head. It wasn't that just that.
I knew what she was saying was right and that I shouldn't be feeling this way, but the way she'd so easily beaten the elder with my powers had left me feeling lesser, and wondering what was the point of me fighting if she could do it so much better.
A firm hand grasped my chin and ZIrnai tuned me to look into her furious eyes. "Don't you dare think like that, Aiden. You are not lesser, not in the slightest. I am four hundred years old, Aiden. I have said this before, and I will say it again. Stop comparing yourself to me in such a way. I am powerful, but you could be so much more. You have three other potential affinities to gain, and your growth and increases in power will surpass my own at the same time taking our core to new levels of power, our core, not mine, ours because the moment I agreed to bond with you it became ours, and just as you are mine, I am yours."
Her voice was full of fury, and I'd rarely seen her like this before, but her words struck true, and I lowered my head in shame.
She pulled my gaze back up to her own, her eyes softer this time. "We are in this together Aiden, not just me and you but them aswell"
Zirani let go of my face and marched up the others who'd been watching silently. "I know you two feel a similar way, and I hope you were listening to my words as well. I don't want any of you thinking like that and comparing yourselves to me. You've three have done so much in just a few months and come so far. Don't let your doubts or stupid and unfair comparisons devalue what you've done."
Both Sandra and Misty nodded, looking firmly chastised.
"Good, now we best be on our way, we've wasted enough time as it is." Zirnai turned to look out at the tower. "We can speak and plan on the way there, now come on!"
The aether beast ran down the dune we were on, and a moment later the rest of us followed. I felt better as I followed my bonded beast, like a weight had been taken off my chest. Zirani was correct. I needed to stop thinking such useless thoughts, especially when they did nothing but cause me grief.. I needed to focus on the now, and get ready to face whatever the twin horn had waiting for us.