Chương 51

The final day before the grand attempt shuddered and collapsed into a murky night. As he walked across the darkened ridgeline, Leonard Pawnce comforted himself. There are people out there who fear me. My family's power, my own ruthlessness. So why-"Drop my balls into the wound," Leo spluttered as he tripped over a rock. Melly chortled. His bad mood deepened. Three weeks ago, if the Architect had informed Leo that his two least favorite people would be at Peakhold, he would never have come.

Albion was Machiavellian, but he was predictable. But the individual who arrived last night- He turned to Melly.

"No matter what she says, don't take it personally."

"I won't." Melly yawned.

"But if you really feared being reprimanded so much, I would try to have fewer flaws." At the front of the tent, Leo blew out a slow breath. Then he spoke in a loud voice.

"It's me. I'm outside-""Who else would it be? Do you think I'm deaf enough not to hear you stomping up?" A grumpy voice boomed.

"Alright, come inside. Let me see you.' Leo walked inside. A chubby, twenty-something woman sat on a plush fur chair made of ermine and otter. She was wrapped in a bearskin. Her beady eyes traveled up and down Leo's body. He shifted from one foot to the other. Her mouth quirked.

"What?"

"What?" Leo blurted out. The woman shook her head.

"Are you an owl? Make some tea." Leo nodded without thinking. He busied himself throughout the tent. Setting aside the leaves, starting a small fire outside and bringing the fire to a boil, hurrying back and forth, finding the cups (even though they were not in the spot she swore they were). All the while, the woman kept up a constant commentary.

"How long has the water been boiling?"

"Don't add it so fast! Those are delicate leaves."

"Wipe your feet off before you come back inside! You are tracking mud everywhere." Leo just kept nodding.

"Of course, Odyssey." Leo trampled on his own pride. His family name and money meant nothing here. Which, in a way, was why he put up with the barrage of grievances thrown against him. He was just a boy to her. This was Odyssey Rote, the woman hired eight years ago to be a tutor for the youngest and most trouble-making son in the family. While the money she had received for this had softened her edges, Odyssey's eyes were still sharp.

And in his heart, Leo knew Odyssey by another, secret title: the woman he would someday marry. He just hadn't worked up the nerve to bring it up yet. Both settled down with their tea while Melly yawned and found another chair in the corner of the tent. The two stared at each other, Odyssey skeptical, Leo yearning and fearful. Odyssey lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. Leo braced himself for more criticism on the quality of the tea, but instead, she said.

"So. You are back to hanging around with that… boy."

"Albion?" Leo's lips twitched. I wish I wasn't.

"What, you think it's funny? Bah, you just- anytime life is going well for you, you insist on getting in your own way." Odyssey grumbled.

"Albion is selfish. But unlike you, he has some real capital to rely upon." Leo shifted in his seat. But Odyssey knew him too well; She could read his tells.

"What, you think that little amount of money you've scraped together matters? Sure, Melly here is talented, but your other subordinates are just leeches."

"Why are you here, then?" Leo said. Odyssey frowned.

"Your name is on the list. You are going to Ascend inside of a Rift. As part of a grand ritual, to deplete the rising energy density and stop a Riftbreak? Architect's farts. I think this is what they call a 'cry for help'."

"I'll be fine." Leo lifted his chin.

"There are teams of other Conduits-""Are they really going to help?" Odyssey pursed her lips.

"When a thousand geo-3s rush toward the defensive fortifications, are those other Conduits going to hold?"

"Their teammates will also be Ascending, so-""Is it really so hard to admit you need me?" Odyssey smacked her lips. Leo shrugged.

"I'm just worried about you. It's been a while since you've-" Odyssey flicked a wrist. A loud clang in front of Leo's face made him flinch back; Melly stood in front of him, sword drawn, having knocked a dagger out of the air.

"Worried about me." Odyssey snorted.

"You are such a child." If Melly hadn't moved, would Odyssey have wounded me? Leo wondered. He opened his mouth, but shouts in the distance made him pause. He raised his head, his expression becoming serious.

"A commotion now?"

"Are you surprised? Seriously, you are just too naive." Odyssey shook her head.

"What did you think desperate Conduits were going to do when they weren't chosen? People can't handle the hope. It's too addicting. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Now they are probably taking matters into their own hands."

As soon as Kirk stepped through the rift, his Ancient Beast hissed in unease. After a tumbling moment, his feet touched down on the rocky ground. He stood only a short distance below the fortifications. He narrowed his eyes. Below, the mist layer exploded. Geo-3s slobbered and rushed out. Kirk bounced up the slope, his pulse racing; there were too many geos to count quickly, let alone for him to handle alone. A group of Conduits congregated right in front of the fortifications.

As Kirk hurried up, with a twenty-meter head start on the geos, he heard their argument. A tall woman in a long cloak frowned around.

"Why should we be involved? Isn't he a member of the Sea Snakes Troop?" A muscular man in leather armor flushed.

"Marlon was strictly forbidden from this. He has forsaken his vows. Yet considering the number of geos approaching is still manageable-""If we protect him now, won't that just encourage others?" The woman snapped back.

"Soon, we will have a half dozen Ascensions, and the response from the geos will not be manageable."

"That might even be better," The man replied.

"If several do it at once, whatever ritual the Albions use to prevent pollution-""That is such tripe." The women's eyes blazed. Kirk, panting slightly, reached the edge of the group.

"You would let the man die to prove a point?" Everyone turned and looked at him. Their eyes widened. A small woman, next to the tall one in the cloak, squeaked.

"Young Master Albion…!" Kirk looked briefly past the group. A young man with long hair knelt on the ground as the surrounding energy began to swirl and concentrate on his body. The winds of Ascension stirred Kirk's hair. In such a dangerous location, he made the leap between one Tier and the next. Only from Tier 0 to Tier I. That's why only about a hundred geos. Kirk observed. Then he pivoted around.

"Let's protect him. A good warm-up for tomorrow."

"An appetizer of sleep deprivation," The tall woman muttered. But the group of Conduits followed Kirk's direction. As the geos closed the last bit of distance, they released echoing snarls. Kirk drew his Larian Saber. He released a long breath, feeling the slight ache of exhaustion- the news of someone forcing their way into the Rift had woken him from sleep. And the Troop Leader was right-- it wasn't fair, and now, to cover for this young man's selfishness, he would exhaust himself before the process even started.

Yet Kirk refused to humor the other option, leaving the young man to die. His lips started moving; he conjured four Ember I Runes and held them around his body. His Bestial Senses hummed; too many geos were rushing toward him. So many that, as they were rushing up, it was difficult to see the group's end. At five meters, he unleashed his Runes. The powerful fists of fire exploded, causing the four front runners of the geos to stumble.

Two ravenous fellows leapt over their wounded comrades to continue forward, but were met by Kirk's second two Ember Is. His armband buzzed. Your Feat Runic Bombardment has gained a ✷!

"Fire!" The tall woman shouted. Arrows whispered through the air and thunked into flesh. Bolts of various energies rained down, clipping and tearing flesh. Kirk's Bestial Senses I shuddered; in a larger battle, the information it could receive was almost distracting. Yet only a small percentage of Conduits had ranged means at Tier I or II. So after the volley, the melee began. Kirk stepped forward and chopped. Was it excitement? The ache of exhaustion from interrupted sleep?

When he chopped, it wasn't a perfect slash. He didn't slice a geo down the middle. He just cleaved a third of the monster off, allowing the remnants to seize and twitch on the ground as he moved past it. Adjusting the heavy saber into a horizontal position, Kirk tightened his grip on the handle. As several more geos bounded toward him, he swept out with the dark blade. The tip clipped one geo, chopped off the head of the second, and hacked through the leg of the third.

Yet no sooner had the blow finished, with several geos put out of commission, than another geo launched itself at Kirk's chest. Grimacing, Kirk brought his saber across his body. The geo slammed into the weapon and rebounded. Kirk stumbled back several steps. Claws on stone, roars, calls for assistance-- at some point, the tumult became almost numbing. In his ears, Kirk's own breathing became louder and louder. Another geo snapped at him from the side, but an arrow drilled through the side of its head.

It made a wet smack when it hit the stone ground. Which gave Kirk just enough time to ready the Larian Saber again and cut when that first geo righted itself and tried again. Kirk's breathing was heavy. He pivoted, dodged a leap, and then chopped. His fingers tightened again on the hilt, correcting as his target dodged. He spun around, but his aching arms couldn't get the saber high enough in time. The sweep cut through a geo's front legs.

Kirk stumbled back several steps and chanted the syllables of another Ember, but his heavy breathing meant he messed up. The Rune he conjured was wan and dim. It still exploded on a geo's face. Another Conduit stepped in front, raising a shield and a short sword.

"Take a moment to catch your breath, Young Master Albion." Weirdly, Kirk's first response was shock. How did you get so close to me? His second response was unwillingness. Yet as he sucked in heavy breaths, his sphere of awareness slowly expanding, the press and violence clanging, he acknowledged the help and took a step back. Kirk blinked sweat away from his eyes. At a certain scale, a battle becomes overwhelming. Gradually, the slight tremor in his arms faded. He looked down and grimaced.

In fights like these, exhaustion is the real enemy. Kirk observed the methodical movements of his allies. Energy swirled above, drawing the geo-3s that hadn't crashed against the small arc to circle around and head toward the edge. Yet even with Kirk's sharpened senses, he could only catch glimpses of them. That's why the fortifications will be so important, he took another calming breath. We have a better perspective, higher up. Kirk shook his head, pushing away the distractions.

With the few moments to gather himself, he could chant out the syllables to Ember I without missing a beat. He fired the Runes as soon as they formed, blasting at the geos that tried to circle and avoid the front. Nearby, despite her initial reticence, the cloaked woman now barked out orders, arranging all of the Conduits in the defense. Kirk considered her for a moment, watching the way she moved some Conduits forward and back.

As he watched, it was hard to glean any information from the clash of bodies, the screams, the sprays of blood. Or rather, the surface information was too overwhelming: the noise, the blood, the struggle. Yet that woman watched with narrowed eyes, not just seeing the fighting, but the pattern beyond it.

"Someday, I'll be able to do that too," Kirk spoke quietly to himself. Then he rolled his shoulders and hefted the Larian Saber. After firing out four more Ember Is, blasting open a hole in the geos, he waded forward, intent on finishing off their foes.