Chương 57: SAINT THORNE

Wilcris reacted by slamming his heavy sword's flat into the side of a tree, creating a deafening gong of metal on wood, forcing the nearest moose to flinch right. Lysle, nervous but sharp, instantly began weaving glowing orange threads of Flow, creating subtle, taut tripwires along the ground that snagged the hooves of the herd's middle rank, guiding their panicked trajectory.

Fenn, young and quiet, was already leaping upwards, scrambling into a low-hanging branch, his specialized hunting arrows already nocked, waiting to target anything that tried to break the planned containment route. Old Garret, leaning heavily on his staff, stood his ground near a cluster of large boulders. He focused his energy, creating a heavy, localized field of resistance—a spiritual bog that made the earth feel like mud to the hooves of the deer, slowing their relentless surge through the center.

As the herd thundered past the exposed clearing and into the funnel created by Wilcris and Lysle, a disturbing physical detail became apparent: a viscous, dark, black goo was secreting from the pores around the barbed horns and matted fur of the deer, leaving slick trails on the snapped wood.

"The goo!" Lysle yelled, his voice strained as he poured more Flow into his tripping threads which the liquid managed to degenerate.

"It's corrosive! Don't let it touch you!"

"What the Bloody Hell is going on!" Wilcris yelled as he struck one of the creatures with the flat of his sword, bringing it back on track. Roric glanced down as he ran, keeping pace just ahead of the lead beasts. He saw the upturned soil steaming where the black liquid had pooled. He instantly thought back to the Awakened Bear he had eliminated a week prior—the toxic, corrosive element in its spikes.' Is this sludge related? Is it what's driving them mad?'

He used a precisely timed blast of his own Flow to snap a small, clean branch from a pine, quickly cutting a small tuft of fur saturated with the black slime from a buck's leg with his axe tip. He wrapped the sticky, steaming sample carefully in a specialized oilcloth he kept in his belt pouch and secured it. This was now a contamination investigation, not just a containment drill. From a distant, triple-crowned pine tree, Elias and Jamie were hidden in the upper shadows, observing the terrifying scene.

"They move so fast," Jamie whispered, her blue eyes wide, fixed on her father's shadowy figure controlling the stampede. She still had a firm grip on Elias's arm, holding him steady on the high branch.

"Daddy is pushing them towards the North Valley choke point. But they're too fast; they'll reach the path before the others can reinforce the flanks." Elias focused on the operation underway. He was impressed by the synergy the Hunters showed, but also deeply troubled by Jamie's presence. He was pulled from his thoughts as Jamie suddenly channeled her Anti-Flow. The cool energy, which pulsed with rhythmic complexity, flowed through her boots.

She didn't jump, she simply stepped off the branch, pulling Elias with her. A sheet of crystallized, nearly invisible ice instantly manifested beneath her boots, extending out from the branch. They didn't fall; they began to slide down the vertical trunk in a silent, controlled descent, faster than gravity should allow. She was creating a smooth, near-frictionless Ice Path under her feet, using it to accelerate and keep up with the Hunters.

"Hold tight, Elias!" she commanded, her voice bright with adrenaline. Elias held on, startled by the sheer physical application of her power.

'Ice? Is her Trait elemental? But her Flow is wrong. It's fluctuating with every movement, yet maintaining harmony. It deals with the physical world, but it feels like the opposite of Flow. What is she, an Existential perhaps?' As they slid around the base of the tree and shot along the forest floor, now directly in pursuit of the thundering herd, he tried to subtly scan her spiritual structure, but her energy was like a rapidly rotating shield, preventing any clear reading.

She looked directly into his eyes, her expression knowing.

"Are you curious about my Trait, Elias?" she chuckled, a sound surprisingly light given the context.

"You're just as Daddy described." Elias looked away in a flash of embarrassment, his face heating slightly.

"I... I am not curious. We shouldn't be here."

"Yet here we are." Jamie refuted, her confidence absolute. She expertly navigated their Ice Path through the dense underbrush, sliding past trees and over roots until they were only a few hundred meters beside the rear guard of the herd. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Roric had reached the valley. He spun, waiting for the herd to close the gap before leaping high, a blur of muscle and Flow.

As the beasts charged into the containment area, he used a final, booming clap of his hands, sending a massive surge of sound echoing into the valley. The deer, already panicked, were thrown into disorientation by the sheer pressure wave, blowing them into the ravine.

"Now, Fenn!" Roric roared. From the trees above, Fenn the archer released a volley of Flow-tipped arrows not at the herd, but at the narrow, rocky outcrops on either side of the ravine, creating minor cave-ins that further choked the escape routes. Wilcris and Lysle rushed to the edge of the pit, using their respective Traits to rapidly heat and infuse the damp earth, creating slippery, muddy slopes on the interior walls to prevent the beasts from gaining purchase.

It was in this moment of collective exertion that Jamie and Elias arrived at the rim of the ravine, sliding to a stop just as Roric applied his abilities to contain the herd. Roric was a Saint and his Trait was 'The Lovers'.

'The Lovers' thematically embodied bond, duality, attraction, and emotional resonance and so while a person of this Trait would have the same abilities as that of others with the same trait, the mindset and understanding of it would determine how it was manifested and how one could advance and gain an understanding of a newer aspect of its thematic concept gaining that ability. His First Resonant was the ability to observe the Bonds that existed between people.

His Second resonant allowed him to manipulate the pre-existing bonds between individuals which he used to create agitation within the herd and stop them from moving. His third resonant was the ability to create bonds between individuals and even objects and influence them as he saw fit. This manifested as silver threads of Flow that sought out targets within range and bound them together.

He used this to link the souls of all the Awakened Moose in a cluster, linking their life force and movement as if they were "Lovers." With this, any damage, emotional state, or physical action taken by one target echoes partially to the others bound to them. For instance if one beast moved, the others would be dragged along, mirroring or resisting in equal measure. If one is harmed, the others would feel echoes of the pain, discouraging rash attacks or breakaways.

If one attempted to flee, the bond snaps back violently or restricts movement like an elastic cord. The bond could be anchored to the ground, buildings, or he himself, effectively immobilizing large groups through networked tethers. As a saint he could casually affect entire cities if he wanted to. Roric used his ability to bind the herd to the ground freezing them in place. With how aggressive these deer were, he knew that they would try to break free.

Luckily, Bonds could be detonated if needed, causing sympathetic spiritual shock or burning Soul damage based on the intensity of their resistance. One unfortunate buck made itself an example of this and the whole herd suffered as a result. Elias who had been oserving from a distance was full of awe.

'So this is the power of a Saint.'

"Daddy's amazing, isnt he?" Jamie asked with pride. Elias was so captivated that he could only respond "Uh-huh."'' He's amazing." Jamie said in admiration as her father and the other regrouped. Elias wanted to knowwhat would hapen next but heard the birds chirping and looked up. The moon, which had been his only clock, was dipping dangerously low toward the horizon. His crystallized clone core had probably dissolved by then.

He had witnessed a Saint at work and helped contain a major threat, but his goal—the Iron Forest—was now impossible to reach without being detained. His mission was a failure.

'Damn.' He rose to leave.

"I have to go back now."''Why?''"Its almost time for my bed.. ahem, time for me to get up." Jamie tilted her head.

"But you're already up though."

"Yeah well... it was nice meeting you." Before she could say anything Elias sped off, launching himself into a controlled, high-speed glide toward Blackhaven.

"I'll come with you!" Jamie called out. Elias didn't wait. He shot across the uneven forest floor, his body enveloped in the seamless bubble of Acceleration parameters. He assumed Jamie would follow for a short distance before branching off to the Hunter Outpost. He focused on maintaining maximum, silent velocity, the cool night air whipping around the perimeter of his Flow bubble. He glanced behind him, expecting to see her falter as the terrain grew rougher.

Instead, she was right there, sliding beside him on a continuous, shimmering ribbon of ice beneath her boots. She moved effortlessly, her movements perfectly smooth, requiring minimal energy expenditure. Elias was a bit annoyed by how casually she was keeping up but kept quite.

"Don't you need to go back to the Outpost?" Elias asked after they passed the Outpost without her showing signs of stopping. Jamie laughed.

"I was supposed to wait there, but that's boring. I came out to find a Whisperfur Squirrel. The fur is the softest in the forest, but I think the Imbued one you met earlier had its fur completely hardened, sadly." She paused, still gliding beside him.

"Daddy's busy now. You're heading to the Keep, so I'm heading to the Keep." Elias was too exhausted to argue. He resigned himself to the fact that he was stuck with the Saint's daughter.

'Whatever" The journey was shared in silence, broken only by the continuous hiss of Jamie's ice path. They passed the silent city walls, sped through the dark streets of Blackhaven, and traversed the dusty road back toward the Keep. At that time, there weren't a lot of people. Elias spread the Conncealmet still and Jamie drew closer to be under its effect. They finally reached the thick stone doors of the Keep and entered as stealthily as he had left.

Once back in his Elias sighed, dropping all his Resonant, leaving him feeling profoundly heavy and tired. The clone he had made was somehow still manifested in his bed but, instantly dissolved back into inert Flow with a mental command. Jamie who was about to ask about the existence of two of him gasped, her eyes flying open. She looked from the empty space beside him to his face.

"What was that? What just happened?" Elias just yawned.

"Nothing. I'm going to sleep." He staggered toward his massive bed and fell onto the mattress. The world was spinning—the sheer fatigue of a failed, highly taxing mission. He didn't even lift his head to remove his boots or his mother's coat. Jamie, watched him collapse, his breath deep and instant, his eyes closed before his head found the pillow.

She observed him for a few moments, then quietly shed her leather vest and boots, climbed onto the bed, and nestled herself beside the deeply sleeping boy, her hand resting over his heart. Within moments, the little Thorne was also asleep.