Chương 59: Dichotomy of leisure and danger

As he leapt from one platform to the next, Kite averted a thick whip of coiled roots on his personal barrier before slicing off the offending appendage through a strike empowered by his tearing void. His enemy, an autumn pawn, gave off a shriek from inside the ball of tangled roots and vines before sending both its smaller spawned saplings and more crushing vines against Kite. And this was just what Kite wanted, as it forced more of them into contact with the platforms upon which he stood.

In order to push one of Kite's more niche abilities which drained mana upon contact with his barriers, he had used his force walls to summon several horizontal platforms around the area where they engaged the bronze-ranked monster and its spawn. While the ability normally only achieved a limited effect through the brief contact with Kite's barriers, he had come up with this idea after his fight with disciple Mist and his followers.

The walls of force was not just a great tool for defense, but also for complicating the battlefield. In this case, it gave them all a bit of vantage as both Will and Serene remained upon the platforms while they fought, forcing the smaller spawnlings to clamber up on the platform and be set upon by the constant mana draining. Will seemed to especially enjoy the tactic, enacting dramatic leaps between platforms while using the reach of his spears to constantly harass his foes while building up enough momentum.

Serene remained more placid, often going unnoticed thanks to her aura manipulations, but Kite knew that she was just gaining a momentum of her own. They were all forced to pick up some of the slack left by Dragonfly's absence.

Even while the group fought their own foe, the true battle was being waged further down a forested valley, where a huge centaur consisting of different kinds of plant matter ripped whole trees from the ground which transformed into lances to be thrown at or thrust towards its elusive opponent.

Both mistress Dew, Grim and Kite's aunties were nearby, allowing the younglings to engage the autumn knight's subservient pawns while making sure that the greater conflict didn't accidentally get the iron-rankers caught up in it. With Dragonfly and her flames gone for now, the group had to prioritize a different strategy against the rapidly replenishing bronze-ranked monster.

While they had faced several before, autumn pawns were usually a nuisance if you could not clear away their outer shell of animated plant matter quickly enough. As such, Kite led his friends into a battle of tempo and attrition, as all three of them had more potent ways to deal damage which required a bit of setting up.

Changing platform to lure more of the spawnlings to gather in one space, Kite felt a bit of satisfaction as his positioning allowed Will to swoop in, diving from above as part of a rain of conjured lances while Serene used one of her miniature hurricanes to scatter other of the small fry.

"I do believe that we are nearing the crescendo." Serene's wispy voice said, reaching them as she shaped the sounds into existence near both of them.

"Take the lead, priestess!" Kite answered." Carried by the heavenly wind. May thine heart's song be dissolved in the dirge of despair!" With her evolved racial gift, Serene basically cast two spells at once. The first was her versatile movement spell which attempted to shift a target, now able to affect two targets since its ascent to bronze rank.

This carried both Will and Kite off in different directions as the elven scion was sent skyward while Kite flew straight towards the autumn pawn, the surface of which was already being torn asunder by Serene's channeled sonic attack. Without hesitation, Kite unleashed some of his own most potent offensive options.

"Disassembling." Sage conveyed as it fired not one but two potent beams of resonating force which punched through the resilient wooden roots and other plant matter covering the sphere-like monster, widening a hole in the dissolving protective carapace. Striking at the same spot, Kite thrust his spear into the weakened bark, the spatial tears of Void-Sunders-Firmament empowered by Potential of Stolen power erupting like an unwinding spool from the tip of the weapon.

Almost at once, a deep almost spherical indentation was created where the void tore matter apart. And that spot was where Will struck.

"Heavenly Shaft; Darkness Penetrator!" he shouted with his usual dramatic flair, the large golden projection of his spear plunging into the weakened creature before bursting outward in an explosion of gilded glory. All of this intense violence unleashed in short order was too much for the bronze-ranked monster, it remains soon shredded by the finishing notes of Serene's dirge, the swarm of saplings withering and dying with the demise of their progenitor.

"Kite, I must say that this was a splendid use of your force walls." Will praised as the trio of iron-rankers gathered after their confirmed kill.

"You gave me the perfect leverage to plunge my Heavenly Shaft just deep enough. But come on, more of them await!" the cheerful noble finished, moving on toward Grim who had already found them a new target.

"Dragonfly will be anguished to have missed that one." Serene mused with a giggle from where she stood next to Kite.

"Are we sure that he is not just doing it to see how long we will be able to take it without breaking?" Kite mused, looking after his friend.

"If that is the case, young master Indomitable has a lot better aura control than you or me. From what I can sense, he is just a pure soul, one with his purpose." she said with feigned sagacity as the pair moved to catch up. Kite did send his thoughts to his uncle as well as prayers to Warrior.

"You can do it, Uncle Walker." Fighting silver-ranked monsters was a thrill. While Walker had slowed down and taken his time with his life as a messenger, he still felt it during the more intense battles he had been part of. Of balancing on the edge of danger, utilizing his skills and abilities to thrive. To fuse them all into something unified worthy of calling his path.

And while he had fought silver-ranked monsters before, such as part of a quick response team of bronze-rankers during the war to handle one of the silver-ranked wraiths, this was his first time going at it alone. The autumn knight was a ferocious creature, arming itself with the environment to lay waste to its opponents while building a small 'court' of autumn pawns. It stood around eight meters tall, on four legs beneath a vaguely humanoid body, all made from intertwined plants and hardened wood.

Walker shuddered to think that there might have been even higher ranked similar monsters if the ambient magic had been dense enough. He leapt into a patch of foliage to avoid a thrown spear, a small copse of trees sprouting from where it landed as the creature plucked a new projectile, rearranging the forest more than it destroyed it. While Walker agreed with the sentiment of preservation, he would have to be a little more destructive in his own approach.

Appearing close to a huge leg, Walker swung his leaf-blade which elongated and curved like a sickle, unleashing the attack he had dubbed Deforestation. The slashing special attack was excellent for sundering and severing, and as it had ascended to silver rank, the costly attack was enough to actually sever the leg. But a silver-rank monster was not helpless prey, already striking out at Walker even as it became unbalanced, a wooden lance deftly redirected toward the elusive bronze-ranker.

He dodged to the side, a rush of leaves carrying him far enough away to avoid the erupting growth from the point of impact before the leaves joined the storm around him which was constantly whittling away at his foe, growing with each plant Walker conjured or when some of his other abilities were activated. Even though there was plenty of plant life available to Walker, his conjured ones also increased his mana and stamina regeneration, the effect increasing with each growth present around them.

This was what enabled him to keep using the high-cost, high-damage special attack repeatedly, severing another leg before being just a tad too slow to entirely evade the swing of the autumn knight's arm. The mass of his foe and the subsequent force sent him flying, a glider of leaves forming to arrest his momentum as he sacrificed part of his leaf storm to form healing drops of shining dew which greatly assisted with his healing.

"This old man will not go down so easily." he chuckled, releasing the glider to avoid another thrown tree-spear, immediately teleporting through the plants once more upon landing, severing part of an arm upon emerging. Even as he fought, his foe was already rebuilding the lost legs albeit that the progress was not too fast or entirely without cost.

"We'll see who is the most tenacious one in this forest." Having finished the third and final autumn pawn, polishing the timing of their collaborative burst of damage, Kite, Serene and Will joined with the rest of their group on the top of one of the lower cliffs which had a decent vantage over the battle being fought beneath. At this time, Kite did mourn that he hadn't yet reached bronze rank as he had trouble perceiving details from this distance, although none of the iron-rankers requested to go closer.

Dove was the only one of the higher-rankers which seemed to have trouble relaxing and watching the exchange, pacing about as she watched, small subconscious comments slipping from her at times.

"No, look ou- Yes! Nononono- Remember the plants, Walker. Yes, good one!" Kite came to stand next to where mistress Dew sat on stone, its top sheared off to form a more comfortable seat.

"Mistress Dew, how is he faring?" Kite asked while looking down at the spectacle where the forest had been rearranged, the two forms half obscured by Walker's storm of leaves and petals.

"He is doing fine, Kite. In fact, I believe it is just about time to enter the final phase." As she said it, the storm of leaves changed. From the myriad swirl of colors, they all changed to a deep crimson, before the shredding swirls started condensing and contracting around the autumn knight. This was Uncle Walker's most potent finisher that he used to end the fights that had been allowed to go on for long enough.

Kite could imagine his uncle moving through the dance-like steps of the special attack as he fought on, his movements bringing only death to his foes. And while it took longer than what Kite had ever witnessed before, this did indeed close out the fight. The shredded form of the autumn knight finally staggered and fell, then remained still. Gradually, the storm of leaves started subsiding and finally scattering, raining down in a wide area as they started dissolving back into the magic from which they had sprung.

Not long after, Uncle Walker stepped out from some of the bushes up at the cliff, joining them where they stood to take in the view.

"I hope I did not embarrass myself too much." he said with a grin even though he looked weary.

"Oh you performed adequately." Mistress Dew stated as the highest of rank and most knowledgeable present.

"But there are some pointers I see that I will have to give you. Junior." she finished, a slight smile on her blue lips.

"Should I manage to break through, I shall be in your care, mistress." Walker said, bowing with overly elaborate care.

"Oh, I believe that you will. Your aura feels close to bursting. Come then, let us return and see what came of this."

"There are surprisingly many villages out here, Braid. Which one is it~?" Wander complained where she walked beside him in her human form. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"I think… this one." Braid said, pointing towards a nearby peak where soft glows from windows could be seen in the early evening gloom.

"Or maybe that one?" he asked, voice faltering slightly as he saw traces of habitation on another peak further away.

"Maybe we should have turned east at the last mountain-""Braid, I've found it~""What- where? You don't have the map, Wander. How could you-" he began, but then he felt it too. A silver-ranked aura shining like a beacon across the forests below. It was the forcefully projected aura of ranking up, as someone took a new step on their path towards the heavens for all to witness. And Braid recognized the aura.

"Definitely that way." Watching someone rank up turned out to be a fascinating experience, especially when you possessed aura senses. Upon their return to Starberry Peak, Uncle Walker had immediately gone off to meditate in Dove's garden, taking a seat near the very edge of the cliff with a splendid view of the forests and mountains below. The others joined him in meditation, but chose spots further away in order to give Walker some space for what could be one of the most important moments in his life.

And as his ascension to a new realm of power began, they could all feel it clearly. It began as Walker's bronze-ranked aura started blooming outward as if slowly being projected while straining against some kind of unseen force. As always, his familiar aura gave off the sense of the smells of the forests after a refreshing summer rain, a sensation which only intensified and grew more nuanced. It was as if his presence strained to become something more than it had previously been.

And then, like a sprout breaching the soil, a streak of power appeared in the bronze-rank aura. And then another. And another. The streaks joined and became a stream, culminating as Walker's aura surged outwards to cover the whole area as the bronze-light shining from him melted away to be replaced by a bright, silver glow. And with it, the rest of him changed slightly.

Walker's handsome, if somewhat rugged, features became more defined and he looked just a bit younger than before as well as giving off a little bit more of the timeless feeling Kite often associated with higher-rankers. As he rose, he felt both powerful and graceful, one with his surroundings on a deeper level then before. Taking a measured, composed pose, Walker spoke.

"Kite."

"Yes uncle?"

"Be ready with the crystal wash." Once properly cleaned up, his simple clothes already burned as far from the house as possible, Walker gave off the confident and somewhat smug look Kite had known him to wear when he thought he had done something praiseworthy. He received the well-wishes and congratulations from everyone in stoic, if slightly feigned humility. And as most of the village had been invited for the occasion, Walker received his fair share of attention.

As he had toured the countryside both alone and with his companions, Kite had been happy to learn how fond the people of the Autumn lands were of Brave Walker of Paths. He had been a constant occurrence for so long, reliably bringing supplies and trade to the remote villages which sprung up around the many lumber mills of the region, and many seemed to regard him with the same respect as they would a lord.

Finding himself at the edge of the gathering as he went to get more chilled sap-wine, Kite was close enough to notice two other bronze-ranked auras announcing themselves at the small gate to the wooden fence which surrounded Auntie Dove's garden. And he found himself surprised to recognize them.

"Hi Kite! Fancy meeting you here~!" Wander called, feigned surprise in her voice while waving over the fence in greeting. Braid, masked as always, stood beside her while clutching a package as if his life depended on it.

"Wander! Braid! What in the heavens brought you here?" Kite greeted cheerfully as he went to invite them in.

"We- we have a delivery. For Curious Crow flies Swift." the obviously nervous man stated, holding out the package. Behind him, Wander gave Kite a meaningful look. From their time spent together during the expedition, he knew of Braid's idolization of his auntie. The woman's gaze seemed to contain a promise that she would not let things get out of hand. Kite winked at her in an attempt to assuage her worries as he turned to Braid.

"Then it sounds like you best come in and make your delivery. I am sure Auntie Crow will be delighted to meet you." he said with an easy smile. He had never felt anything other than pure admiration from Braid towards his auntie, and it felt good to facilitate him finally meeting his academic hero.

"Great! Thank you~!" Wander cheered, half-dragging a nervous Braid with her through the gate and joining Kite to find Auntie Crow. Unsurprisingly, she sat at the edge of the crowd in the garden, calmly monitoring the festivities while Dove was away somewhere, probably getting more food. Auntie Crow had always had the sharpest senses of the two, and she quickly noticed Kite and the two new arrivals.

"Unexpected guests, little Kite?" she asked him as they drew close.

"Yes auntie. They are the messengers bringing the delivery for you, as well as comrades from during the expedition. I present Braid Spun from Honesty and They who Wander." Kite said, gesturing to them each in turn.

"Greetings. I am Curious Crow flies Swift. Welcome to my humble home." she greeted in turn, rising to give them the bow required to show proper courtesy.

"Hello! You have a lovely home, mistress Crow~." Wander said with her usual cheer.

"I- Gree- Ple-" Braid stuttered, trying to start three different sentences at once. Even though he was of a higher rank than Kite, Braid was probably just a year or two older. Although her aura was restrained and neatly controlled, Auntie Crow still cut a striking figure with her midnight hair and eyes, clad in neat and crisp robes with gold-threaded embroidery. Fortunately for the younger man, Auntie Crow was also quite merciful, even if her strict exterior might hint otherwise.

"Ah, you must be the Braid that Kite has spoken fondly of in his stories." she said, pushing her glasses up a bit further on her nose.

"And from what I can see, your skills go beyond rituals, formations and arrays."

"If you don't mind me asking, mistress Crow, why do you wear glasses? Us essence-users don't tend to ever need them~." Wander asked, leaning closer to gaze upon the crescent moon glasses.

"Are they enchanted~?"

"They are indeed." Crow said, removing her glasses for Wander to inspect.

"While the fates have been kind to me in many ways, my perception power is yet to awaken magical perception. As that is a quite useful tool in my craft, these help me compensate as well as incorporate a few other different functionalities. Much the same way as I would assume your mask, master Braid."

"Oh, please. Just Braid will suffice, mistress Crow. And as for the mask, you are correct. I have embroidered several additional enchantments, as well as woven some runes into the pattern of the fabric itself." he said, words coming a bit easier once the subject of his craft came up.

"Impressive." Auntie Crow said, the younger man seeming to grow a few centimeters taller by that lone word of praise.

"If you would not mind to showcase a bit more of your work, my workshop is nearby. It will no doubt be a better environment to discuss more esoteric matters." she finished, turning to lead Braid off toward the smaller building without waiting for his confirmation. Although even Kite had been able to sense the excitement leaking from his aura.

"She seems nice~." Wander stated when the two of them were left standing looking after the two, already seeming to be in deep conversation.

"Anyone with half an aura-sense could sense Braid's nervousness. Not everyone would have been as kind~."

"Auntie Crow might seem strict, but she has always had a way with people. Auntie Dove is nice in her very caring, passionate way, but can be a bit oblivious in matters of feelings at times if she gets caught up in her own. Auntie Crow just seems to see what is on your mind, and is very good at handling people. And besides, you have seen Braid at work. I am sure that they will get along fine once he relaxes a little."

Kite said, smiling at the memories of all the times he himself had gone out to his auntie's workshop to talk about something that was on his mind.

"Come on." he continued.

"Let us find some food and listen to some of my uncle's stories. From how Braid has talked of my auntie, they will probably be in there for a while." And so, the number of guests in the house on top of Starberry peak increased by two, depending on how one counted Wander. Braid was beyond overjoyed by the offer to stay a while from Auntie Crow, and the pair had quickly formed somewhat of a teacher-student relationship even though their capabilities weren't leagues apart.

Crow did have the advantage in years of experience, but the ambitious young bronze-ranker was very talented if she was to be believed. While their house and the guest house were considered roomy by rural standards, it still left Braid and Wander camping out in the garden, although the enchanted pavilion carried by the adventurers did make the prospect a comfortable one.

After his ascension to silver-rank, Dew quickly took Walker under her wing and started training him according to his new capabilities, as well as giving his swordsmanship a thorough working through.

"I might as well make myself useful while I am here, and there is little point working more with you now Kite with bronze-rank just beyond the corner. Being an unofficial bodyguard is quite relaxing, but I prefer not to be entirely without work." she had said the first morning when they headed out.

But they did never stray too far from Kite and his companions, as there was still the worry that some disgruntled party might decide to use force in an attempt to silence a living stain on their honor, even if the risk of that happening were deemed to be slim. Thanks to the precursor signs of the monster surge, Kite and his companions could keep up a good pace in their monster hunting, Walker often taking the time to check out the villages in a startlingly wide area for signs of suitable prey.

While Will and Serene still had a wide range of abilities left to reach the peak, Kite had raced ahead. His evolved human racial gift meant that the small but significant bonus growth was even more noticeable now that he steadily fought alongside his companions. His progress did slow down a bit though, as the powers that still had not evolved were either the ones that he had awakened the latest or those that were more situational in use.

Kite had the luxury of a lot of his abilities being relevant in most combats, his path having plenty of ways to increase his endurance while hampering his enemy's recovery, resources and tempo. As such, a lot of his work came into facilitating new, sometimes convoluted ways to make some of his abilities more relevant.

While some ways, such as avoiding the use of his barriers to trigger his resistance to being forcefully moved, was not really something he wanted to turn into a habit, there were other which gave rise to tactics to improve upon and incorporate in the future. Forming platforms of his walls of force was one such strategy, as well as using his conjured personal barrier as a kind of shield press; shoving the barrier into his opponent and keeping it in contact while still attacking around the semi-translucent ward.

Thus began a time that had a strange dichotomy to it; a trip which felt like leisure even as their days were filled with potentially deadly combat. A time for growth, and also for healing and tempering. The expedition and the war had left marks on them all, and it was time for them all to take those marks and turn them into strength.

"It should be around here somewhere. Where? Where?! Why does a backwater such as this even exist." Soar on Enlightened Wind half snarled where he stood among the trees of the most rural parts of the Autumn lands, and this was saying something as the whole province was considered a backwater. He had paid a goodly amount of money for the information, probably more than that outcast scum was really worth.

But after his demotion to disciple and knowing in no uncertain terms that the way back up would be an arduous one indeed, Soar's frustration and rage had to go somewhere. At least that damn disciple Mist had been thrown out, although apparently the other iron-ranker had been shown some leniency. And if Soar could just rid himself of the stain this young upstart represented, he suspected that doors would be opened for him.

The political landscape was in turmoil, many of the more affluent families on the warpath against city government and Adventure Society. They even had the gall to accuse the sects of not fulfilling their duties. The upside was that they were recruiting heavily, trying to tie as many essence-users as possible to their families, and in that lay Soar's chance. His opportunity for advancement within the sect all but gone, there was a certain charm to the thought of being taken in by the rich and affluent.

Maybe even catch the eye of some young heiress…

"Ho there, traveler! What brings you to these parts?" a voice interrupted his musings, and Soar turned to find a man dressed for the outdoors walking down the road of which he stood near. Most of him was covered by an enveloping cape to protect from the wind and weather. He was surprisingly handsome for coming from such a backwater, even though his thin mustache was accompanied by some scruff on his chin and he even had a long stalk of some kind of grass hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"You there, peasant. I come searching for a village named Starberry peak. Which of these hovels is it?" Soar asked, straightening to muster all of his authority. His aura accompanied it, pushing down on the man.

"Oh, yes, that is nearby." the man answered cheerfully, surprisingly unbothered by Soar's aura clamping down on him like a vice.

"What business does one such as you have in these parts? Are you bringing a delivery?"

"As if I'd stoop to something like that." Soar snorted.

"I have unfinished business here, which is none of your concern unless you continue this line of questioning. Or I might loose my… patie-" he trailed off as he finally realized the source of failure for his suppression attempt. While it had at first felt like his aura had met little resistance, Soar now realized with a sinking feeling that there was indeed an aura present. One much more powerful than his, easily keeping his aura at bay just before the edge of suppression.

This became even more evident as the silver-ranked aura surged outwards, reversing the grip and almost instantly crushing Soar's.

"I- senior, forgive this-""I would advice you, young man, that this is not a place for anyone to come seeking trouble." the man continued, still keeping his pleasant smile.

"And you should count yourself lucky. Had you met my mentor instead of me, she might have found your presence a little more… offensive. Now off you go! This is not a pleasant place to be loitering about. The way back to the city is long, after all." The last part of his statement was punctuated by a pulse through the forest around him, Soar suddenly feeling as if the trees and bushes, even the grass beneath him, suddenly felt hostile and threatening.

Soar did not attempt more apologies, and instead turned around and ran southward for all his bronze-ranked speed and movement abilities were worth. Walker looked after the fleeing man, idly chewing on his straw.

"Seems like I wasn't just a paranoid old man in keeping a watch around here. But not that I need to go very far, anyway." he muttered. His ascension had uplifted his senses even further, the forest telling him its secrets in a wide area around him. Smiling, Walker turned back and melded into the woodlands. His ranking up had gone more smoothly than expected, even surprising himself with how far his dedication had taken him during the war and afterwards.

It was now time to once more give a helping hand to the younger generation.