Chương 147: Book 3 Chapter 25 - That's Suicide

Once he improved the strength of his aura, developed a few more concepts, and solidified his new base as a tier 4, Jaden was sure this kind of fight wouldn't be an issue for him any longer. As he was now though, this felt like a struggle. If he took a few unlucky hits, the attackers might even overpower him. Luckily for Jaden, he wasn't alone. He was faster than Ben and Lily, and had arrived first, but was honestly just keeping the attackers occupied until the other two could catch up.

They arrived seconds after he stabbed the tier 2 in the shoulder, and the fight went from being somewhat difficult for Jaden, to being nearly impossible for the Silver Serpent Clan. Three on three, with Jaden already at tier 4, the attackers didn't stand a chance. He saw the look in their eyes as they realized it, the moment Ben and Lily showed up. Wide eyes filled with fear as mana that had been going toward attacks was rerouted into defensive shields and the group began retreating.

"Von, get up!" the group leader screamed at the tier 2.

"Fall back!" The tier 2 had been writhing on the ground in pain for the few seconds since he was struck. Seeing the Yountal reinforcements arrive, he scrambled to his feet and ran. Once he was moving, the others followed after him, throwing up hastily constructed mana shields behind them to cover their retreat. Jaden raised his hand to stop Ben and Lily from chasing after them.

"Let them go. The estate is safe, that's all that matters for now." Ben held his hand out and launched one final ice spike at the retreating attackers, but it impacted harmlessly against one of their mana shields. He frowned, clearly wishing it had done more, then shrugged. Lily scratched her nose.

"That didn't last long at all."

"I'm glad," Jaden said with a nod.

"They realized they were outmatched and left before anyone got killed." He sighed.

"I'll go report this to Ron and Gentry. You two keep an eye on the gate until I return." They bowed slightly in acceptance of the order. While Captain Soren still led the guard unit here in Easton, everyone leaned on Jaden's strength and expertise, especially in a situation like this. He ran for the house. While he didn't expect the attackers to come back anytime soon, it wouldn't hurt to get the word to Shian as quickly as possible.

* Kiara listened intently as Ron gave her the second-hand account of what had transpired in Easton, retold from what Jaden had relayed to him. Ron had come through the warp gate immediately after the attack in Easton, arriving only five minutes after Kiara had helped fend off the attack in Portish. It was as she had feared, they'd launched a coordinated attack on both estates at once, hoping to split their defenses and find a weakness. She was glad they'd decided to station Ben and Lily at Easton temporarily.

No one had died at either estate, but both properties had sustained damage to their structures. They might not be so lucky with the next attack, and Kiara was now sure that another attack would follow. When would it be? Tonight? Tomorrow? Living in that fear wasn't fair to anyone at either estate, and keeping her forces divided indefinitely was burdensome.

Ideally, the estate in Easton would live a fairly lowkey existence, somewhere safe for her parents and the others to live while managing the businesses in the city and the surrounding area. She would rather have her stronger retainers in Portish, rather than split between the two estates. The competition in Portish was more fierce, and having multiple tier 3s around would serve as a visible deterrent to potential aggressors. For that to happen, she needed to fix this situation with the Silver Serpent Clan.

Having someone out for House Yountal blood was bad for business, bad for morale, and honestly, likely fatal, considering who it was that was after them. She thanked Ron for the report, then went to find Dustin and Zoey. Once all three of them were sitting down, in a private room in one of the guest houses, she laid out her plan.

"We're in a pretty bad pickle. If we don't settle matters with the clan, everyone's life is in danger. I'll go speak with Elsa Undril personally, and see if we can come to some sort of agreement." Dustin's shocked face betrayed his nervousness about the idea, but Zoey beat him to the punch with her objections. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"That's suicide, Shian! What if she kills you on the spot?" Kiara smiled.

"You don't have any faith in me Zoey?" Zoey stared at her.

"She's a tier 5, Shian. Everyone in Portish has heard of Elsa Undril." Dustin nodded.

"We've filed reports with the city about the attacks, but we all know nothing will come of it. Even the count is scared of the Silver Serpent Clan, specifically because of Elsa. She has a reputation." Kiara looked at them both.

"I beat a tier 5 once already, Rekton." Zoey snorted.

"Rekton was a joke." She turned to Dustin apologetically.

"No offense, I know that was a stressful time for you." He waved away her apology good-naturedly.

"No offense taken, you're absolutely right. Rekton reached tier 5 with the help of many potions and spiritual treasures, not because he put in the work himself. While there's no such thing as a weak tier 5, Rekton is weak for a tier 5. The very low end of the curve, I would say.

"My father doesn't use Rekton for his strength, but instead because he's good at what he does, which is finding people. Besides, not many people can honestly stand up to Rekton's strength, regardless of how he stacks up against other tier 5s." Zoey nodded in agreement.

"I think I would have lost that fight." Dustin gestured to Zoey as he leveled a stare at Kiara.

"Exactly. Rekton is weak for a tier 5, and still strong enough to beat Zoey, who is remarkably strong for a tier 3. Elsa is at the other end of that curve, extraordinarily strong for a tier 5. Her strength is renowned." Kiara knew they were right. Even Victor was scared of the woman, she had simply been trying to boost their spirits a bit. Seems like that plan had backfired.

"Well, do either of you see any other viable paths out of this situation?" she asked, looking at each of them in turn. Their gazes fell to the floor, and they spent close to a full minute in silence, brooding over possible ideas. Finally, Dustin spoke up with a sigh.

"I think you're right, this is the best path forward. Also, I'm proud of you for seeking a non-violent solution for once. We're just worried about your safety." Kiara smiled at him.

"Thanks, Dustin, that means a lot. And for the record, if I was strong enough to stand up to Elsa, I wouldn't be looking at a peaceful solution… just saying." Dustin winced at the admission, but nodded. He knew how she was. She hated bullies, and Elsa was being a bully. She was throwing her weight around because either no one was strong enough to do anything about it, or they didn't have the guts to stand up to her.

"I'm going to the clan's headquarters here in Portish today," Kiara announced, earning looks of resigned acceptance from both Dustin and Zoey.

"If I'm not back by tomorrow, go tell Victor everything that's happened, and see if he's willing to come look for me. If not, or if even he doesn't come back, get everyone out." They looked at her in confusion for a moment, but then realization made their eyes go wide.

"Everyone," she continued.

"Take everyone from both here and Easton through the warp gates to Lakeshire, before Elsa comes knocking. If she kills me, she'll kill anyone she finds here. Once you're on the other side, disable the warp gate in Lakeshire to keep anyone from following you through." Dustin's eyes brightened.

"That's an alternative! Why don't we all just go to Lakeshire right now?" Kiara shook her head.

"Only if it becomes absolutely necessary. Uprooting everyone's lives would be hard on so many people. I should at least try talking to her first." The gravity of the situation settled on the room, and shoulders slumped from the weight. Eventually, Zoey nodded, then stood and pulled Kiara to her feet, wrapping her in a warm embrace.

"Be careful, please?" Kiara nodded into her shoulder.

"I'll do my best." Dustin hugged her as well, once Zoey pulled away.

"Don't die on us, Shian. I know you've always got a trick up your sleeve, so if it comes down to it, use whatever tricks you have left." He pulled back and locked eyes with her.

"I mean it. If things go south, get out of there. Come to Lakeshire with everyone else. We'll go on the run if we need to." Kiara smiled at them both. She felt loved and wanted, and it felt nice. Plus, she did, in fact, have more tricks up her sleeve. She checked that her [Talisman of Temporal Acceleration] and [Talisman of Temporal Deceleration] were both safely in her soul space, smiling at the comfort they provided. If all else failed, Dustin was right.

She could activate the [Talisman of Temporal Deceleration], trapping Elsa inside, almost freezing time inside the bubble. By the time the effect ended, everyone outside the bubble would have lived a full hour, which would give Dustin time to evacuate both estates. Kiara had an intuitive understanding that she could activate the talismans from a distance, as long as she could sense them with [Magical Sense 4].

That meant she could toss the talisman to Elsa, remaining outside the twenty foot diameter of the bubble herself, then activate it from afar. That fact alone gave her confidence she otherwise wouldn't have had. That confidence in having an escape hatch also kept her from going to Easton first to say goodbye to her parents. She was sure she would be back by tonight, even if it meant she had to use a talisman to get out of there alive.

Saying goodbye to anyone felt unnecessary, and somewhat counterproductive to her mental state. Her instructions to ask Victor for help if she didn't make it back was honestly just an additional failsafe, juuuust in case. She didn't expect it to come to that.