Elydes-Chapter 315: Last Stands (2)

Chapter 315 - Last Stands (Part 2)

An eerie silence clung to the woods. Plumes of mist swirled over dead bodies and fallen birches, seemingly fleeing the raven-haired woman.

Kai stood frozen in her crimson gaze. Heartbeats and Hallowed Intuition drummed in his head. Desperation and fear. He should run, yet it felt pointless.

We’re so fucked…

His long-bladed spear was no more useful than a stick. There was no escaping, not from a green individual. The primordial terror of a mouse looking up the fangs of a basilisk rushed through him.

"Who are you?” His voice came out strangled, surprised he managed to speak at all. A silly question, the best his blank mind could conjure.

Think. We must get away.

Blood-color lips curved into a smile. “Don’t you know already?” she said with a velvety voice. The trim of her black dress fluttered.“You’ve been snooping into my affairs for a while.”

She was the death of any hope for victory.

“I…” Kai gulped, taking a step back—the cold air heavy in his lungs. Rain’s presence moved with him. He prayed the siren had a solution, but didn’t dare turn his attention to ask.

“You’re the praetor,” he muttered when the silence stretched too long.

The name mentioned by the cultists with fear and reverence; the title of the man aboard the Intrepid. Why couldn’t there be just one of those monsters?

“Abyssi Praetor is indeed one of my names.” The woman walked over a cultist’s corpse as if it were part of the sparse terrain. “I like smart boys. Just call me Aela. Formalities are so stuffy in casual settings.”

“I—yes…” Kai wet his lips. His mind stuttered to process her words. What in the world had she said? He inched back bit by bit, scared to run and scared of the shortening distance between them.

Was there anywhere he could run? Mana Observer brushed the shore of the island, over a hundred meters back. Could he reach it? Would this psycho bitch be slower in the water? Was getting devoured by a lake monster preferable?

Say something dammit!

“You—What do you want from us?”

Something smarter, idiot brain!

Kai cleared his throat. “You must have abducted over a hundred people. What are you trying to create?” Mutilated bodies, ink and jagged runes flashed in his mind. The variety of horrors he glimpsed in the sealed chambers was staggering.

Say anything. Buy time.

“Human beings can’t carry enchantments on their bodies.” He tried assuming an academic cadence, as if his words were more than theories pieced together in the moment. “Even if you somehow manage to align the flows. Static runes conflict with the changing mana in our channels. Either the victim dies or they destroy the engraving. It’s senseless.”

Aela halted her walk, eyes narrowing.

Fuck. Did I push the bullshit too far?

Instead of anger, her face lit up like a person finding one more chocolate in a supposedly empty bag. “Aren’t you full of surprises? You’ve studied Dissonance Theory.”

Uh… What?

Kai nodded tersely. “Just the broad strokes. It’s basic knowledge.”

“Well, it certainly should be,” she said, laying her fingers on a fallen trunk. The wood cracked and splintered as she shoved it out of her path. “The injection of foreign mana into human bodies is such an understudied field of research. There is so much potential hidden in our flesh. If you just squeeze it out.”

Her hand closed on empty air with an ecstatic smile. “You needn’t worry. I’ll show you what we’ve achieved. All our progress.” She licked her lips. “You are the perfect materials to display my research. Young, healthy test subjects react best to the engraving. And at Yellow… Mhmm… You’ll be surprised how much your bodies can adapt.”

Crazy bitch.

His skin crawled under her gaze. Kai jerked to create more distance when his heel caught on a root, making him fall backwards. He landed on his tailbone and elbows—the pain barely registered.

“Careful.” Rain’s outstretched hand pulled him to his feet, voice low and tense.

Kai gulped and rubbed his sweaty palms on his shirt. He picked up the silver spear, glad to have something to hold. Perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut. Their slow retreat brought them eighty meters from the shores, still too far when a madwoman watched you as if you were her favorite treat.

“Don’t be scared,” Aela raised a hand to cover a laugh as she stalked toward them. “I’ll personally see you reach your full potential. Let me show you the Abyssal shores. You won’t regret it, Mat.”

My name’s not Mat. Well… kind of.

Kai retreated into the untouched woods, the white birch pillars in the mist. Weeds brushed on his ankles, wetting the frayed trim of his trousers with icy dew.

Each second Aela played with him, he closed the distance to the lake. If she thought repeating the name Caeli reported would intimidate him, it had the opposite effect.

You don’t know shit about who I am.

She might be a green monster, but she wasn’t all-knowing. And—hopefully—not all-powerful either.

He might coax a fish to swallow him if he reached the shore. Better his body rest in the stomach of a beast than with a psycho. Fate owed him that.

Rain might survive…

Even gravely injured, Kai couldn’t think of anyone better to defy expectations. And any chance was better than being captured alive.

“Let’s end this game while I’m still in a good mood.” Aela stopped smiling—her tone demanding obedience. “Come now. I promise you won’t like it if I chase you. Your friend can barely stand. And I won’t let a stupid fish ruin such precious materials.”

Dammit.

Kai stilled; Rain mimicked him behind. Hallowed Intuition hissed he wouldn’t be getting another step. Seventy meters separated them from the lake and ten from the praetor. He could reach the lake in less than four seconds, but doubted it’d be that easy.

It’s this or nothing.

He turned to grab Rain’s arm and met his gaze. “Do you trust me?”

Rain weighed him. Despite the bruised face and blood crusted on his white hair, he looked serene. “I do.”

“Then you can put these away.” Kai gestured to the silver spear and trident. Weapons would only slow them, and his spatial closet was too short. freēwēbnovel.com

Both arms disappeared in the siren’s shell bracelet.

Aela showed no surprise, looking pleased. “I knew you were smart boys. Now, come—”

Water motes surged up his arm. Kai flung his arm, casting a hail of ice shards and icicles. Mana flooded into his muscles, joined to the waning power of the elixirs. He threw Rain on his shoulder and stomped on the ground at full Strength to sprint.

I can do—

“Pointless.” The praetor clicked her tongue.

Before crossing the halfway mark, the wave of ice evaporated into wisps of Darkness. The ice spears and bladed streams Rain cast behind reached a meter further before also fizzling into smoke.

“And that explains what happened to my subordinates. Impressive skills for your age.” Aela mused dryly. “But you’ll regret wasting my time.”

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Her incandescent presence blazed through his senses, faster than what Mana Observer could follow.

Kai discarded casting spells and sent more mana into Body Augmentation. His legs were still extended in his first leap when Aela appeared at his back, her aura pressing down on him.

Fucking monster.

The chasm at higher grades was too wide. Kai tightened his arms around Rain and focused on the only power that could save him.

Please work.

Grasping the knowledge in his mind, Kai fixed the coordinates and channeled Space mana through the skill written in his channels.

The misty woods turned hazy, and his vision shifted with a glimmer. Kai stared at a leafy gray shrub before him, meters from his original position, away from Aela’s clutches.

He had maintained his momentum through Spatial Shift. His boot stomped on a root, luckily angled to push him in the right direction without tripping.

It worked!

The euphoric thrill washed away his fear. “Rain—”

“I’m… fine.” His cargo slapped his back, perhaps a little peeved. “Run!”

C’mon, you’ve still got your extremities.

Thank Zervathi, Spatial Shift worked with a passenger and consumed a fraction of his freeform spell in mana. Kai reoriented himself in his new position. He had blinked on a diagonal to use a tree for cover—any instant gained was valuable.

Aela stood still, her hand raised where they disappeared.

"An artifact? No, that was a spatial skill…” Her voice echoed with surprise and… delight. A laugh confirmed that deranged impression. “Truly wonderful materials!”

Stay back!

Fifty meters left to the shore and twenty to the praetor. The lead he gained evaporated when she moved.

Kai threw an arm back to cast Water Cannon. The compressed orb flew in the trajectory of her charge, hoping his initial spells had lowered her guard. It reached nearer than any attack before being devoured by an invisible force.

Dammit.

Her clawed fingers reached towards his back.

Kai was about to forcefully recast Spatial Shift when the blinding presence lost her momentum and nearly tripped on the underbrush.

What—

“Gravity tricks too,” Aela hissed. Darkness mana burst around her figure. Weeds withered into nothingness as she stomped at them with unimpeded speed. “You two never stop to surprise. Why don’t you understand it’s useless!”

“She’s shielded.” Rain tapped his back. “Prepare.”

Before Kai could ask for clarification, strange mana motes tickled his skin. His stride flew over the grass where it was supposed to land and his stomach lurched.

Waiiit!

As if the pull of the world weakened and tilted forward, he accelerated. A low branch scraped a bloody line on his shoulder. Icy wind lashed his face.

Kai narrowly avoided slamming into the tree, scrambling to adapt. The woods flashed past him, faster than he ever moved in his life—yet it wasn’t enough.

“Uhh, you made me almost sweat.” Aela appeared in the path ahead of them, arms wide as if to offer a hug.

Their combined aces amounted to a game for her.

Kai could see the arc of their leap careened toward her, powerless to change course mid-flight. But even if it was helpless, he wouldn’t give up.

I’m not done yet.

Pushing through any resistance, iridescent motes streamed through the channels that spanned his body.

Aela’s blood-red lips cruelly curved.

About to slam into her, his vision shifted. His boot hit the ground past her, muscles burning to push him into another stride. The woods had opened into a field of weeds, still shrouded in mist—less than thirty meters from shore.

I—

A wave of burning pain submerged his relief. It felt like his mana veins had been scraped raw with sandpaper—the price to recast Spatial Shift without rest.

“I’ll get you to the water.” Kai forced his legs to keep steady and tightened his hold on Rain. “You can still escape.”

“Mhmm… A chill swim will do nicely to wash off the sweat.” Aela mused behind them. “I didn’t think you could recast that skill. Color me surprised.”

Fuck you.

Her presence blurred toward them. He had been a fool to think he could outrun her in the water, but maybe Rain could.

Hallowed Intuition whispered the praetor was upon them—time was up.

Kai gritted his teeth and sent more mana into the skill.

The grassy field warped and shifted. Pebbles crunched beneath his feet. The clear lake waters gleamed just a little further.

His tenuous smile contorted into a grimace—pain ruptured his body. He was burning alive. Flames engulfed and seared his channels.

A raw, guttural scream tore from his throat. Tears clouded his eyes. Kai wished to crumple to the ground to lie unmoving. His chest heaved, steps staggering. A huff of icy air brought a thin wave of relief to his lungs—even advancing grades was nothing compared to this.

The Lake of Myst opened just ahead. Still too far.

“Now. Don’t be silly.” Aela’s voice slid between his muddling thoughts, a dagger to sever his hesitation. “You’re harming yourself for nothing. Don’t ruin those beautiful channels.”

She stood beside with a gust, head tilted in disapproval.

No…

Rain whispered something in his ear, but he couldn’t hear. His legs held no more strength, and the praetor was too close.

Just… one more…

Wading among his waning lucidity, Kai thrust more mana into his scorched channels.

His vision hazed and shifted. One. Last. Time.

Cold water wrapped his ankles. His sight darkened at the edges. Before the backlash robbed him of his will, Kai flexed his remaining Strength to throw Rain into the lake.

The dousing plunge reached him with a reignited wave of pain, too much for his mind to bear or even comprehend.

His last glimmers of consciousness yielded him to darkness.

~~~

Aela watched the white-haired boy plunge into the frigid lake. The spray of droplets arched and fizzled on her Nightfall Cloak without touching the hem of her dress.

Closer to the shore, the tanned boy flopped into the shallow waters—unconscious.

Three times…

Healing his channels to a useful state was going to be a pain, but she had been too fascinated to stop him. Someone had to be a particular breed of crazy to overstrain their skill not once but three times. And while their channels were so fresh from advancing too.

The ignorance of youth was like the endless Abyss, always revealing new depths.

It rarely happened that she found herself surprised. Today, it happened several times within the same hour.

A fruitful trip—at least for her own amusement.

She would have to rerun background checks on both boys; the reports she got were grossly incomplete. They couldn’t be anyone too important. The really bothersome patrician houses would never let their heir scamper around unprotected.

Maybe a fallen family…

Aela sighed lightly. Her head pounded at the mess left to clean.

Still, the losses were negligible. They had gotten what they needed from Limgrell. With the Republic’s dogs nosing into their affairs, it was a matter of weeks before they had to close operations.

Best not let them drown.

The younger material floated face down in the lake. He was the ideal subject to showcase her research leading into the next phase—a gift spit out of the Abyss.

“An amusing boy.” Aela strolled into the lake, molding the Nightfall Cloak over her clothes to remain dry.

She hadn’t seen someone in such denial of hard realities since her foolish sister’s passing.

Was he just pretending to be smart?

To throw his half-dead companion into the lake and faint on the spot. Was he actually hoping to get devoured by a beast? It felt a little offensive. If he had so little regard for himself, he was better off offering his body to her.

Dark Eminence dissuaded any creature from swimming near the island. Both materials were safely within range. Only one being could pose a challenge to her here, and that thing never left the mists at the heart of the lake.

Perhaps she should send a vaguely taunting report to Zaln. That muscle-head always looked for excuses to swing his big sword.

We will soon leave this outpost anyway.

Aela bent to pick up her first material. Her hand was about to close on his ankle when the boy slipped underwater, swiftly moving offshore.

Her eyes widened in the umpteenth shock of the day. She took an instant to spot the streams dragging the body, seamlessly woven with the mana of the lake.

How?

Aela flared Dark Eminence through her aura, sure no beast had snuck up on her. Was there even one capable of such exquisite magic?

Her senses tore through the lake for the culprit who dared defy her. There was nothing. The only relevant presences were her, and the two boys ready for harvest.

Her brows creased. The aura of the second boy was strange. It was always unusually bright for his grade, but now the difference was too stark to attribute to some elixir. The luminous channels revealed mesmerizing patterns she had never encountered.

What are you—

A soft humming carried over the plumes of mist. Faint verses of heart-wrenching beauty like the lullaby her nanny used to sing. Tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill after years of drought.

Aela leaned into the lake, desperate to hear more. The water reached her sides before she realized she had moved. A shadow shifted within the mist, if only she could—

Fear seized her guts with an icy grip.

She leaped out of the lake with the full might of Darkstride and retreated another step for good measure. It couldn’t be, yet the song seeping into her memories said otherwise.

We’re deep inland. It can’t—

Common sense didn’t always apply. Aela cast a wave of Darkness to thin the fog and squinted to see.

The figure of a young man rose over the surface. Short snowy hair reflected a blue hue. His sculpted features and unblemished skin made her want to stare longer until she met his eyes. Dark gold and silver melted in his gaze, a burst of color amidst the paleness that seemed to behold her soul.

That’s…

The face was subtly different and free of any injury. Aela almost didn’t recognize the boy who plunged into the lake. A shimmering tail breached the surface at his back as if to taunt her.

His pointed smile made her heart flutter and then wrench back in fear.

No, no, no…

Following a siren in the water that was worse than madness— They needed to leave. Immediately.