Chương 285: Survive

Seeing the gathered gyrmlings from quite a lot further away than his charge, Kite couldn't help but feel a powerful sense of nostalgia as he remembered some of his first outings with Uncle Walker, although with one distinct difference; there were at least double the numbers here in the forests south of Bastion than there had been in the area around Starberry Peak. This was the smallest pack of the ever-hungry bark eaters that Kite could sense, and there were still four of them.

But given the path of the still rather new iron-ranker at his side, Kite also suspected that four might almost be too few to provide an actual challenge.

"Can you sense them yet?" he asked Little Sun Sprite, who nodded.

"I… think so, Senior Brother. Four of them, no?" she asked after a moment of focus.

"That's correct, well done," Kite praised.

"And seeing that you have sensed them, they might have sensed you too already. While you have begun to practice modulating your own aura, many monsters are quite perceptive. But if you think through your plan properly, you will be victorious. And unlike me at your rank, you won't be alone either." Sprite nodded gravely, and even though Kite could sense her tension he could also sense her resolve.

She had been training and practicing for weeks now, after all, and said tension also bled away somewhat as the elven teenager ran her hands through the fur of the creature she sat upon.

"Come on then, Pom. Let us take our first steps towards the heavens," she whispered, a purr of agreement reverberating from the huge, golden cat that was Sprite's familiar. When he first heard the description, Kite had imagined something sleek and dangerous, not unlike the forest prowlers also common in most of northern Hua-Xi.

Instead, the summoning ritual had resulted in a feline with enough golden fur for it to have a soft, almost chunky-looking shape, complete with slightly narrowed eyes that seemed to constantly be smiling, much like he did even now as he turned towards Kite with clear intent.

"Good luck to you too, Pom," Kite said with a smile while acquiescing to the cuddle-greedy familiar's unspoken request.

"Together, may you both reach the heavens." Then the pair set off, showing that even while he might look round to the point of being cumbersome, the golden cat could move with nimble speed even while carrying Sprite atop his back. Through the trees ahead, Kite could see that the four gyrmlings had indeed noticed the approaching pair as the short and deformed, vaguely humanoid creatures turned their green, gooey heads towards them.

Bark flowed from the trees around them as they started covering themselves with their armor, now-clawed hands lifted menacingly. While this pack of gyrmlings was more threat to the local treelife than to people, the numbers that had started appearing in the forests were a definite sign of the impending surge, and even the otherwise rather placid beings would become a danger once enough of them went berserk. Kite followed in Sprite's wake, manipulating his aura so as to not be detected by the monsters.

Dragonfly was nearby too, of course, but had felt that Sprite might need a break from her after the intense weeks of training and that Kite's barriers would be a lot less disruptive an intervention than what she could make, should the new iron-ranker need saving. Seeing that the invaders would not back down, the four gyrmlings started trundling forwards towards the incoming charge, only for one of them to receive Sprite's opening shot.

"Dayspear!" A long spike of glowing energies that was the length of an arm shot from Sprite's open hand and pierced one of the gyrmlings, still roiling with power as the projectile remained lodged in the sizzling hole it had made through bark armor and monster both. This didn't dissuade the small pack though, who kept up their charge even as two more similar bolts struck them.

Then, just as it seemed that Sprite and Pom were about to crash into the group of monsters, the golden cat turned abruptly while a small sun appeared above them. Given its size, Kite could see that Sprite had used her growth spell on it right away, making it cast its potentially deadly radiance even further.

The gyrmlings started sizzling immediately, wobbling in clear frustration as the pair of dastardly invaders veered off from their charge, keeping the four in range of the constant burn of the sun spell as they skirted the edge of the clearing. Three glowing seeds appeared around Sprite a moment later, and soon after - just as the stumbling group had turned and therefore bunched up even closer together - she cast her next spell." Eye of the sun, open!"

One of the seeds was consumed in a flash just as a pillar of fire appeared above the struggling and now weakened group. The empowered spell washed over them, and then it was over as only half-charred pieces remained.

"Well, that went a lot smoother than my first time," Kite commented as he stepped into the clearing while regarding Sprite's work. Compared to Dragonfly, Sprite's sunfire spells seemed to do a lot less damage to the environment beyond her intended foes as only the last pillar of flame had left a charred mark on the ground of the clearing.

"How do you feel?"

"I… I did it!" Sprite exclaimed, before seeming to catch herself, straightening where she sat upon Pom.

"I mean… It felt like a skirmish approach would be best, Senior Brother Kite. The gyrmlings are relatively slow, and my spells should let me handle them without as much danger to Pom and myself."

"And in that you are correct," Kite agreed.

"How are your mana levels after such a display?"

"They…" Sprite began, feeling inwards.

"They are acceptable."

"And should other packs start streaming in towards this clearing, how many similar groups do you believe that you would be able to clear?"

"I… Two? Three?" Sprite mused, a bit uncertain. They had been working hard to help her get a feel for her mana levels and how far they lasted, even having her deplete herself to the point of unconsciousness during training, but Kite knew the import of practical experience here as he had used the lack of such awareness against his foes many a time during his career.

"I suppose we shall find out then, as I can sense plenty that have picked up this little struggle and the demise of their kin. Gyrmlings are rather vengeful for their kin, after all. See how long you can last, and make your retreat when you feel that you are at your limit," Kite said cheerfully before retreating back among the trees.

"Wait, wha-" was all that Sprite could manage before she apparently picked up on the incoming monsters herself. Kite was proud that she didn't freeze for too long however, setting off atop Pom to try to do as instructed. There were plenty of flashes of light in the forest that day as Sprite did her best to fend off the numerous monsters. One group fell, and then another after some struggle.

The third was caught in an opportunistic pillar of flames, but it was as Sprite attempted a fourth that she misjudged her spell as mana-deprivation no doubt started clouding her senses somewhat. Wobbling in her seat, Sprite did direct Pom to start a retreat, but this time the sudden shift was too much for her to handle, which left her falling to the ground and rolling across the gnarly roots of the forest floor.

Before Pom could turn and aid his summoner, one of the gyrmlings reached her and raked its claws over Sprite's raised arms. The elf teenager bit back a whimper, but still managed to try and kick out to unbalance the monster, only for her foot to meet the unyielding force of Heaven-and-Void Warding that likewise left the creature flail impotently at the other side of the barrier before sensing Kite's slightly unveiled aura that caused it to wildly flee along with its kin.

"Three and… I'll be generous and say a half," Kite noted as he knelt beside Sprite and wrapped an arm around the shoulders of the shaken girl whose pain was only now truly starting to sink in.

"I apologize for not stepping in before the strike, but that would not have been a kindness to you in the long run." Sprite managed a nod in response as she accepted a healing pill Kite offered her, relaxing further as its warmth started knitting her injuries together. While only superficial, Kite remembered his own first encounters with such pain and what it could teach. Odd, to now be so inured to the sensations. Perhaps there was some more to ponder when it came to River and her unpleasant god.

"Now, would you mind sharing your thoughts on this first true trial of yours," Kite asked after waiting patiently a while for the elf girl to calm down.

"I… didn't… keep… track of my m- m- mana," Sprite managed through ragged breaths as the tension started leaving her. As if on cue, Pom also chose that moment to come over and lay his big, fluffy head in her lap, Sprite starting to stroke his supremely soft fur.

"Indeed. What would you have done if I had not been here to step in after you fell? If that kick had landed as planned?"

"I- I," she began, but paused and took a long breath.

"I would have tried to use the kick to create a moment to find my feet and for Pom to reach me. Try to make some kind of retreat," she finished, looking at Kite.

"What should I have done instead, Senior Brother?"

"In that situation and with your power set? Honestly, it was a decent plan with what you had available. You would probably have escaped with your life too unless your were really unfortunate, but that's because your foes were gyrmlings. Plenty of other monsters around here would be a lot harder to disengage from, so the best solution would indeed have been to manage your mana so as to not end up there in the first place," Kite lectured, albeit gently as Sprite wilted slightly.

"Hindsight is a cruel teacher though, and not always fair. We are having you practice for a reason, after all. Can you stand?"

"Y-yes, Senior Brother," Sprite said, as usual rising on her own even though she did accept Pom leaning close for her to use as support.

"Good. Recuperate for half an hour and practice your aura senses before you take this," Kite said, handing the girl a mana recovery pill.

"Then we'll see how you do in your second attempt."

"W-wait, again?" Sprite asked, trepidation clear in her voice.

"Still plenty of gyrmlings left in these woods, and with the upcoming surge we shall have fewer opportunities for rest than we'd like," Kite confirmed.

"And besides, there are worse opportunities in an adventurer's life than the chance for direct retribution." Hiding a smile as his words had the intended effect, Kite once more let himself fade into the background while staying nearby to watch over the student of his wife, the fires of determination flickering ever brighter in the aura of the young elf.

"I thank you for your assistance in tempering my path," two voices intoned in unison as Soul and Impeccable Silver Edge bowed to one another, having finished yet another bout of spars and practices in a series that had now stretched long into the late summer night. It was now late enough that even the most devout of Soul's followers beneath silver rank had chosen to retire, leaving only a smattering of silvers sitting around the arena.

Silver had once felt concerned by their presences for reasons that remained quite complicated and hard to admit even to himself, but in the year that had passed with those people coming and going in a steady stream as Soul's reputation grew, he had found his peace with it.

That some people were drawn to such a magnificent being such as Soul as only natural, after all, especially once Silver had discovered that he felt a distinct kind of kinship with many of them in the way that beholding the celestine had shaken their world and convictions in one way or another. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"Silver, you lack focus." It was all Silver could do to snap up a forearm to block the sudden punch that came along with the words, although judging by the relatively light impact it would have been a mere tap on the nose for letting his vigilance slip.

"My apologies, Blessed One," he said, sliding back to a more ready stance.

"Do those fools still linger on your mind?"

"A little," Silver admitted, knowing honesty in words to be the true way of Warrior. Deception was only proper in the clashing of steel and veiling of intents in the struggle for greatness.

"They were close comrades to me not that long ago, after all. Although I am quite unsure if I am still even considered a part of the sect after my sojourn became this lengthy."

"So, do you mean to return?" Soul asked even as she stepped into another bout of lighter sparring in a new stance that was unfamiliar to Silver. A year of fighting her, and he could still be surprised.

"I… Do not know," Silver admitted.

"I have not yet exhausted all the potential of this place and the tempering you and all of the other pilgrims offer." Soul could only roll her eyes at the mention of pilgrims, but Silver wasn't alone in having adopted that moniker for the hopefuls who came to practice with Soul while showing such devotion.

Sure, there were plenty of skeptics, especially those who first came at the behest of the Sentinel of the Gates and his odd little crusade among the sects of the north, but most of these people left Convergence very convinced.

"Good. It would be a waste for me to lose such a good source of tempering," the celestine replied, picking up the pace a bit while Silver was left masking just how much warmth her words caused in him. He would cherish this position as her favored sparring partner, and work on it. Perhaps even- Both of the sparring pair's attention immediately snapped to the center of the arena where a streak of light descended and landed faster than any of them could properly process.

Similar reactions of readiness came from all the gathered silvers, but given the hint of power that they felt once their aura senses caught up, most froze in disbelief.

"A delivery from the great Resplendent Gleam of Imagination! Your aura signature has been deemed a match. Accept delivery?" A magnificent, beetle-like construct had touched down, wings of shimmering light disappearing into wisps of mana. Along with it was a large, opaque cylinder which it had seemingly carried before depositing it upright on the arena floor. The cylinder was around two and a half meters tall, but Silver could glean little else from it with any of his senses. What could this thing be?

Was it a threat? Soul's reaction did give at least some answer to the questions rapidly surging through Silver's mind, as she dropped her ready stance and approached the construct.

"I accept this delivery," she said without preamble, not seeming fazed in the slightest now that the construct had identified itself.

"Excellent. Retrieving transportation shell." Several mechanical appendages emerged from various hidden hatches in the beetle's shell and reached out towards the cylinder, quickly revealing it to be hollow as the seemingly solid thing revealed hidden seams that Silver had been unable to detect. The insides were more baffling however, as it just seemed to be a great mass of round metal rods in a grand variation of colors and materials that floated inside the cylinder while taking up most of the space inside.

The only detail that diverged from this was a note attached to the metal rods with a brief message written in neat script.

"Please bind this creation to activate it. Before reaching gold rank yourself, many of its functions will be limited or unavailable, but given the sense I got from you I believe it should only be a matter of time." Soul took this in stride as well, removing the note before reaching out a hand and touching the floating mass of metal rods. At first, nothing happened, but then Silver could feel a pulse as some kind of connection was forged.

Soul closed her eyes, seemingly exploring the sensation, before a rare wide smile split her face.

"Oh, yes. Magnificent." A sizeable surge of mana left Soul to flow into whatever the collection of metal rods were, and before everyone present they started shifting about to reveal a flat, round mirror in their midst while a rising trace of gold-ranked power started emanating from it. It wasn't the rich aura of a person, not even close, hollow and flat in comparison. But it was gold.

"Blessed One, what is this?" Silver asked, unable to hold back anymore. Soul didn't answer him though, instead looking into the mirror in the middle as a series of magical symbols lit up along its rim. After almost a full minute of doing so, she took a step back, fell into a combat stance and spoke.

"Initiate sparring." With a speed only properly perceivable due to Silver's own peak silver rank, the collection of metal rods shifted and floated about in a flurry of activity that soon transitioned into a mighty punch from one metal arm. What had previously been a mere floating stack had now reconfigured itself into something humanoid, where the differing rods slid and stacked together to form the stick figure-like form while the mirror had been moved to where the head would be, had it been a person.

However ungainly it might look though, what turned out to be some sort of construct easily balanced on legs that merely ended in the tips of metal rods as it had delivered its punch, following up with an impressive sweeping kick that forced Soul on the defensive given the speed and force behind it.

An 'elbow' - that is, where a joint was created when the arm of layered metal rods wanted to bend - followed next which clipped Soul's side, forcing the celestine to flicker away in her short-ranged teleport to avoid the follow-up punch. So it continued for a full minute, Soul being pressed harder and harder, before the construct suddenly halted, righted itself and slid its body back into the cylindrical, floating mass of metal rods it had originally been.

Silver, like most of the others present, had only been able to stare in amazement at the display, because while the construct had not possessed the skill and ingenuity of a sentient opponent, its speed and power was definitely enough to bridge and surpass that gap. And all the while, Soul's smile had kept widening until it finally split into a proper grin which made Silver realize that while the construct did not know it, and Soul perhaps did not care, he knew that he had just found himself with a rival.

There was silence in the hidden meeting room of Discord's council in Hua-Xi, with all of the four gold-rankers present already having finished the reports in an instant then lost themselves in thought for a short spell before Altessia Sessante broke the silence.

"So, to summarize, we have consolidated our grip on the capital and most of the heartlands. Our foes keep harrying our efforts, especially in the north where that guild has proven to have a much more extensive information network than we previously assumed. That leaves the north relatively stable going into the surge, and given how the signs have started picking up, it will hit in a month or so. Obsidian Crow has also kept interfering with our attempts to assassinate key guild members, despite Cala's best efforts."

"Mistress, I am always willing to continue," the elf declared fervently as her superior paused, stepping forward.

"With enough preparations, I believe I should finally be able to pin down that heretic who opposes our efforts."

"Perhaps later, Cala, but given how the Adventure Society is mustering their forces during the surge, I believe that the timing would be ill-fated."

"But there is always chaos during the surge. Surely, I can-""No, Cala," Altessia replied with a light lashing of her aura to rebuke the younger gold-ranker.

"There will be glorious chaos, true, but also a lot more scrutiny on any gold-ranker given the tactical importance of their powers. We will have to tread more carefully. Ametrine, what is your take on our approach during the surge?" Ametrine still felt a bit naked as she sat in the council chamber without her porcelain mask, the concealing disguises no longer a staple of their meetings, but remained composed and poised in her seat while ignoring the disgruntled look from Might of Inner Calamity.

The former Gold Mask had not missed the fact that Altessia - as the de facto leader of the council since a year back - seemed to turn more and more to Ametrine for input these days, which was quite the opposite from the power dynamic before Black Wood Mask's demise.

"Given the rising tensions between most of the sects and how we have been able to provide them with plenty of fuel, I would suggest we keep that focus on internal strife throughout the surge," Ametrine said with confidence.

"Given the often shaky communications during the surge, I would suggest that we direct more attention to spreading rumors of underhanded play between the outer sects to further increase their level of antagonism. Perhaps our allies within the church of Deceit can help us with a few more strikes against their resource centers while disguised as rivals to the owners? This should set a good foundation for us leading up to the finalization of our project." Altessia regarded it for a while, before nodding.

"Good call. We shall direct additional efforts towards it, and you will be given command over a few of my personal attendants to further support your own people." Ametrine nodded her response, but that was when Might of Inner Calamity broke in.

"Are we truly doing nothing to further pressure the Silent Horizon Sect? You speak of the capital as ours, but one of the three sects only seems to grow further from our influence with every passing day."

"They aren't numerous or influential enough to warrant too much effort," Cala replied at a gesture from her mistress.

"Given their isolationist tendencies, it will be better to simply keep alienating them to have even more sides in play during the final push."

"I would suggest that you don't underestimate Ardent Horizon Seeker," Calamity replied.

"His sect might be craven, but his personal power is nothing to scoff at. I would like to handle him personally when the time comes."

"We'll see," Altessia replied, continuing on to other matters before the man could speak further.

"It looks like we have our priorities. Then that leaves us to set things into motion. The Adventure Society and their contracted agents should fortunately be even busier in the time to come, and should we play our assets correctly, the more solid north should simply matter little in the end. Now go, and sow the seeds of Discord."

"Thank you, Guild Master. And you too, Pathbreaker," Branch Director Lionel Anchali said as he rose from his seat in the meeting room of Convergence's Adventure Society campus.

The highest-ranking official in Convergence was a broad shouldered human man with dark hair and a neatly groomed beard, hailing from a city state to the south of Estercost far to the west, and he had much enjoyed his increasingly strong position in the years since the three local sects had tried - and failed - to curtail the guild's expansion. As such, most of the dealings Kite had personally had with the man had been quite pleasant, as was this meeting.

"Thank you too, Branch Director, especially for your courtesy in the matter of my wife's student," Kite said, bowing to the man.

"She will feel a lot more at peace knowing that Sprite is nearby."

"Oh, that wasn't a problem. I'd rather see that you had her enter the society sooner than later, and making sure that she had a reasonable deployment was much preferable to you holding her back until after the surge," Director Anchali replied with a knowing smile.

"Even fresh iron-rankers like her can make the difference between life and death for people out there. And given the powers she registered, she might even be further eyed by the Society for that aura alone in the future."

"The guild would appreciate it if our dear close associates in the Adventure Society didn't attempt to poach our members that young," Walker noted with a wry smile.

"But in this case, I believe her rather fierce mentor is likely to be deterrent enough."

"Of course, Guild Master. Of course," Director Anchali replied placatingly, after which the conversation moved on to other more practical matters as he saw Walker and Kite to the door, the adventurers returning to their guild hall which should be completely abuzz with preparations even now.

"So, your second monster surge, little Kite. I still remember how bravely you and your companions fought during the last one," Walker reminisced as they exited the administration building.

"And now it's your turn to be one of the silvers overseeing things."

"Well, formally we'll all be under the command of Obsidian Crow, no? It was still quite the relief that he chose to step up and oversee the north. Had one of the sect elders from the south been sent here for the surge, I would have been a lot more concerned."

"From what I heard, attempts were made, but Anasta made sure to throw her weight around enough to put a stop to it," Walker said, brows furrowing.

"To think that the north was suddenly such a wanted position… It's almost as if other forces wanted to complicate things."

"At least we can rest easier this time," Kite agreed.

"But with Obsidian Crow in place to handle gold manifestations, we can focus on the others. Perhaps, if we are fortunate, there might even be a gold-ranked monster or two suitable for us to take on."

"Easy there now, little Kite. I know you have managed before, but one should still be very careful. Although I know that you feel that you're under a lot of pressure to progress, you'll be of no further help to anyone dead." Kite could only nod in response, to both of his uncle's statements. But he couldn't deny that the surge would be an opportunity too.

While it wouldn't be enough to push him into gold - given that he was still working on a lot of his insights as well as the last stretches of silver rank taking the term 'glacial' to the extreme - it might be just the boost needed to put gold within reach for him and at least some of his companions.

"I'll try to keep that in mind, Uncle," he eventually responded, the two having lapsed into a companionable silence for a while.

"Come, it's time for the final preparations before we head out to our assigned areas. We have many of our juniors to take care of this year too. Hopefully it will be a trial they can both learn from… and survive."