Published at 16th of February 2024 2:22 pm

Chapter 60. Pursuit Of Power

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“Why did you agree to Wilson coming along?” Lillin asked once, sure they were alone.

“Because he was going to accompany us either way,” Nox answered. “I’d rather appear willing than guilty.”

“Now it's going to get difficult for us to find the boss and devour him. I could’ve received a nice boost, and you’d also get a push to journeyman.”

“It’s not too late for that. We can always find a way for you to consume the Rift Lord’s essence. The others need to be distracted. Ernest likely wants body parts to add to his physiology, too.”

“That man is full of beastly bits. I want to peel off his armor and study him.”

“No.” Nox’s tone turned cold for a second.

“Don’t worry. I know better than that. He’s a useful companion.”

“We’re not messing around with anyone from the university, even if they aren’t useful. Delay feeding on humans until after the semester."

“That’s not what I meant,” Lillin replied. “My physiology is adaptable, but the chances of rejecting alien entities are high.”

“I might’ve been six, but I remember how sick you were after—” He paused, looking his friend up and down. Nox hadn’t disassociated the mimic and human half in a long time. “—you became Lillin Grey. Mou was sure you were going to die.”

Lillin shuddered. “I hate that I can dream now. Nightmares of that time still haunt me. Moving from a wooden shell to a human one hurt and changed me more than I thought possible. There were times I regretted it.”

“You were essentially a newborn. Neither of us knew any better. I wanted to make your mother pay for killing Baba, and you wanted to be free of her control. Either way—”

“No.” Lillin cut him off. “I don’t want to eat Ernest. Michelle has done something interesting and impossible by stitching parts of different origins into one body. Most mimics can and, at some point, attempt to do that. More than often, it results in our physiology rejecting the alien essence and merging the flesh with our biomass. I want to know what makes Ernest unique. Either he or Michelle did something to overcome the limitation. If I can emulate their efforts, it means I can make a Rift Lord’s organs my own. This might give me new powers.”

“You’re not going to poke around inside Ernest or talk to Michelle about this,” Nox told her.

“What if they figure out what I am? They might understand—”

“Even if they do, we’re not telling them that you devour Rift Lords to grow stronger. Someone might link that to devouring mages to become more human and develop a mana system. It’ll be the first place their heads go.”

“Fine.” The word came out like a whiny child. She sighed, and the two continued delving deeper into the city.

Annabelle’s probes came more frequently than when Nox was alone. He guessed Ernest’s presence made her uncomfortable. He wouldn’t have left the pair alone if not for Wilson's presence. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ernest. The giant man’s mannerisms would be unnerving for most. After almost two decades of living with Lillin, he didn’t have the same qualms about him.

The occasional intact sculpture and wall carving reminded Nox of paintings and art from beyond the Sapphire Straits. He recalled studying art depicting the grand temples and stone cities decorated with greenery and vibrant colors. Pretty birds flew in the sky, and the people appeared happier than the folk of Golden Isles. He’d read about their powerful sense of community and family and often wished to explore his paternal ancestor’s origins.

For the time being, he looked back at the tales revolving around the asuras. They were the demons of the Southern continent mythos. The humanoid entities had intelligence comparable to that of ordinary humans and followed a warmongering lifestyle. They left death and destruction wherever they went. The militaristic society came with a similar hierarchical rule, and the creatures grew significantly stronger with each rank. Nox guessed the creatures they had just fought stood on the ladder's bottom rung.

Artist depictions of more powerful specimens featured giant figures with several pairs of arms. They wielded martial weapons, artifacts, and magic simultaneously. Most stories about the creatures spoke of them wielding fire or lightning. Some Shaped and Manipulated earth, too. If the rift’s inhabitants were more bestial in nature, predicting their powers would’ve been easier. Now, Nox didn’t know what to expect, and that worried him more.

Even though he didn’t use ordinary arrows, Nox had brought a three-quarters-full quiver with him. He Shaped several arrowheads into full-length projectiles. Sonic, gravity, and acid arrows formed the bulk of his arsenal. He also used the last of his frost and fire essence, ending up with two of each. Finally, he used string to tie Trap Foam and smoke pellets to the ordinary arrows. The pair found another patrol not long after he finished.

The chain of Fae Fire essence glass proved useful. Nox threw it across their path before looking for a decent vantage point. Meanwhile, Lillin found a hiding place near the trap. Once the creature’s reached the chain, she triggered it with a quick cast of Galvanising Touch. Since she only supplemented her gravity and spatial magic with Haste, Lillin didn’t mind picking up the cantrip since it meant she could also trigger his essence glass creations.

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Pink flames sprouted from the chain and climbed the asuras’ dark, hairy legs. They recoiled, swatting at them and yelling. Unlike enemies they had encountered before, the illusory fire didn’t confuse them for long. The largest of them all barked at the others, and the chaos calmed. They were in the midst of drawing their weapons when Lillin descended on them.

Since she didn’t need to worry about damaging Ernest, Lillin conjured a trio of eye-ball-sized gravity spheres. They spiraled into the middle of the group and struck the largest of the asura. Bones crunched. Hide Ripped. Flesh Tore. Stomachs Churned. Nox knew Lillin’s spells had grown devastating since her ascension. The Manipulation planet enhanced by Victor’s magic had increased the range and control over her conjurations. It was his first time seeing the extent of her destructive power.

The neighboring asura lost chunks of flesh and suffered broken limbs. Much like the first group, the asura’s formation fell apart once their leader died. Nox only used mana arrows surrounded by spiraling crystals. Now that Nox had his Shaping planet, they were more just gravel-like chunks. He sharpened the crystal shards into serrated spikes. It cost Nox an extra unit of mana, but he deemed it worthwhile.

Gravity Spiral significantly drained Lillin’s new star. Her Manipulation planet didn’t cover the revolutions around an invisible focal point. She relied on intent-driven casting for the spell, and it taxed her mentally. As a result, Lillin had no choice but to retreat, and Nox unleashed his attack.

Even though Nox created his arrow out of nothing but mana, it successfully ripped through his target with no trouble. The projectile Ratra’s Bow made resembled solid, luminous glass. The asura was still struggling to regain its balance after the effects of the Gravity Spiral. It had no chance of dodging the following crystal spikes. They had no trouble slicing skin and rending flesh. The creature standing to its left faced a similar fate. Instead of the arrow, it was crystal spikes that shredded their torso.

Nox’s second arrow missed its mark, but the arrows successfully removed an arm. The creature screamed, raised its axe, and charged at Lillin. Since there were no witnesses, she didn’t bother preparing a new spell. Her delving outfit left her midriff exposed. It opened into an ugly maw, making her abdomen balloon five times its size. Terror filled the asura’s as it attempted to skid to a halt, but it was too late. Lillin devoured the creature.

Two of the three remaining asuras fled while Lillin’s tongue grabbed the other. It desperately hacked at the appendage while she reeled it in. Meanwhile, Nox unleashed two more arrows. He successfully slew only one fleeing beast. The other dove into a hole and disappeared.

“Annabelle,” Nox said, hoping the woman would sense him through her contact spell. “We just took out another patrol. It was larger and had a larger commander. Be careful.”

Nox got no reply.

“What’s wrong?” Lillin asked.

“Has she checked in with you recently?”

Lillin shook her head. “We may have strayed too far.”

“Or they got caught up with an even bigger group. Let's go find her.”

“I know you like Annabelle, but it might be best if we go ahead without them and find the boss. If you don’t want to see me feasting in front of them, this is the way.” Lillin grabbed Nox’s arm as he started toward the parallel street on the other side of the ruins. “She’ll be fine as long as Wilson is with her.”

“That’s not how a party works, Lillin,” Nox said. “We’re not using them to get through an expedition. These people are our friends and companions. If I want to take down Sundarshahar, I need people that’ll stick by me. Abandoning them to their fates while I go seeking power won’t get me there sooner.” He attempted to pry himself free of her hold but failed. Lillin only showed her mimic strength when they were alone, or his life was in danger. “Do you understand that?”

Lillin glared at him. He didn’t back down. Nox stared back into his eyes, unblinking. She eventually released him, and they raced towards the street together. The pair covered half the distance to their destination before they heard the sound of battle. Metal weapons clashed, stones shattered, and explosions roared in the distance. His friends were locked in action, and by the sounds of it, they were combatting a much larger force. They lagged far behind Nox and Lillin’s position.

“We moved too fast,” Nox commented.

“Or someone escaped them and brought back reinforcements.”

Before Nox could pick up the pace, Lillin stopped him. She pointed down a narrow lane bordered by trees. The canopy hung thick overhead, blocking all sunlight. Visibility dropped swiftly further from the entrance until they could see nothing at all.

“That’s the way to the boss,” Lillin said. “I can sense it. We’re going to help them. Then send them on a wild goose chase. You and I are going in there alone.”

“Are you mad—”

“What good is hoarding essence? We can take them alone. I have biomass to spare. Let me be the vanguard. You rip them to pieces.”

Nox shrugged off Lillin’s hold successfully—she didn’t use the same iron hold as last time. He took a long swig from his flask and broke into a sprint as each brew kicked in one after another. It took a handful of minutes before they reached the battle.

Scores of asura flooded the street. Many were as big as the commander they had just fought, and some were even bigger. If that wasn’t bad enough, a dozen stood on the crumbling roofs, showering Ernest with arrows. If not for the effects of Sniper’s Eye, finding Annabelle in the masses would’ve been impossible. She danced with her spear, keeping attackers at bay, while Wilson fought beside her using a roundshield and shortsword. Over a dozen asura stood around him, frozen in place.

Countless cuts marked his sleeves and coat. However, little blood stained the fabric. The horde of Asura pushed them back with every passing second. However, the frozen specimens caught blades, maces, and spears, giving them cover. They were fine but on the back foot. An archway stood behind them, and the pair were retreating toward it.

“Help Ernest!” Annabelle’s voice screamed in their heads. She and Wilson were going to make it. Nox doubted it would be the same for the vanguard. It wouldn’t be long before he got overwhelmed.

“Annabelle will be fine,” Nox said. “Let’s help the big guy.”

“Then the pair raced into the fray.”

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