Chương 33: 200. Pulling a Loose Strand

The group slowly made its way back to the hollow vein. Most of them limping or wincing along with minor wounds, with Alex using his last healing potion split between Robert, Aisha, and another man who'd been badly injured. No one spoke on the way back. Something felt eerie about walking with the Koru'qai that they'd rescued. It wasn't until Robert began speaking with one of them in soft tones that he realized it was because none of them were humming.

In the last three days, he'd gotten used to the Koru'qai's constant melody. It changed depending on what they were doing, who they were talking to, or how they were feeling. But during the trek back, there was no song from them. After Robert checked on his people, he surprised Alex by coming back to him to give an update and ask about next steps. Luis and Aisha naturally gravitated to them, listening quietly.

"How are they?" Alex asked.

"They need time to mourn and to come to terms with the blood they just spilled."

"You mentioned before that they don't understand violence like this. What made them fight this time?"

"Droq'shan," Luis said from beside them. Robert's jaw tensed.

"Yes, I'm sure seeing him die was a huge blow to their psyche. They were also cornered at the end. I've always heard that not giving an enemy the option to retreat or surrender leaves them trapped with no choice but to fight to the last man." No one spoke for several long moments, each focused on their own thoughts.

"They will want to have their version of a funeral when we return," Robert said. Alex hesitated.

"Is that smart? I know that it's likely important to them, but Kinley's men don't seem like the type to care about that. We did some damage to that group, but they still had several more fresh fighters in reserve. Nothing is stopping them from going directly back to the hollow vein to look for us." Robert thought on the point, the only sound being the scuff of tired feet.

"No. You're right. We can't stay in the same place. We need to find a place to gather and plan what comes next. I think…" He glanced at Aisha and Luis as he pushed out the last of his thoughts.

"I think we should leave with those we've already rescued." Aisha spoke first, though Luis's back straightened, and he looked at Robert in confusion.

"What? No, you said—""I know what we said," Robert responded.

"I'm sorry. I just don't want to see more people die. We were able to rescue some, but they'll be on high alert now. The chance that the small group of us could fight against Kinley's men while they're prepared, armored, and in their base? It was one thing when we were sneaking in and trying to do it all under their noses, or if we had a group of people to actually match Kinley's men." Alex listened quietly.

"So you're suggesting we just run away? What happened to 'free them or die trying?'" Robert nearly flinched. The words clearly carried a meaning that he was actively resisting.

"Things have changed. I just don't see a realistic way to carry on with our original goal. I'm sorry, Aisha." Robert lowered his head. Even though there was pain on his face, Luis placed his hand on the older man's shoulder with a knowing look and a slow nod.

"How important was Dorq'shan to the Koru?" Alex asked, an idea beginning to form in his mind.

"He was the old chief's nephew, or something close to that. They were a family, but I'm not sure their relationships work like ours. Droq'shan was well respected by all of the Koru tribe and one of their strongest singers."

"If you spread the word to the other Koru of his death, would that stir them into some sort of action? Just like those who stood and fought just now?" Alex asked.

"You mean like a rebellion?" Alex nodded.

"A lot of them feel a sense of injustice under Kinley, but I don't think that they could or would with the net suppressing their magic. They know Kinley's men are strong, and they have that deep-seated respect for the strong, even if they don't agree with them."

"What if I can take the net down?" Alex said, watching Robert and Aisha's reactions closely.

"You can do that?" She asked instantly.

"I don't know. But I have an idea and I think it's got a decent chance of working." He rephrased his question to them.

"If I take the net down, and the Koru'qai no longer have their magic suppressed, will they help us to fight Kinley's men?"

"You want to use him as a martyr. Maybe…" Robert said, turning the idea over in his mind.

"If you spread how he died," Aisha offered.

"The fact that they were all killed or maimed with no chance to fight in the arena, that will matter to them." Robert nodded along with her logic.

"You're right. That will matter a lot to them. I think it can work… especially if we're able to get these few that have already fought to understand. If we have some Koru'qai with us, it will make the rest of the tribe listen."

"Good," Alex said.

"I know this is cold, but I don't see these people getting to have the funeral they want. At least not until everything is said and done. We've got a small window to make an offensive play, and that's now. Like you said, if they have a chance to dig in and prepare for us, there's almost no chance we can win. If that were the case then it's probably best to leave with the small win we've already gained." He gestured at the six surviving members of the twelve that they'd saved, with two more back at the hollow vein.

"I won't leave," Aisha said firmly. There was none of the petulant anger that Alex normally heard in her tone. It was a simple fact.

"I'll stay here alone if I need to. But I won't leave without them."

"Then, when we get back, I need you three to do everything you can to make the Koru'qai understand. Tell them about Droq'shan's death and about why they can't have a funeral. If they stay in that vein, they'll be killed like the others. Moving somewhere else to hide won't work anymore." The trio agreed and talked among themselves on how to handle the upcoming task. Meanwhile, Alex moved slightly away from the group, charging up his amulet with the mana reserves from a D Rank mana stone.

All the while, he thought through his theory. There was a lot hanging on his ability to bring down the mana net. Once they'd returned to the hollow vein camp, Alex split off from the rest of the group but was surprised to find Luis following him. When he tried to ask why, Luis just shrugged and made a motion with his first two fingers as if he were scanning the surroundings. Alex shrugged and let him follow.

The only adjustment needed to his plan would be pretending to meditate while communicating with Maelis internally, rather than speaking aloud. They moved through the mines, returning to the same place Alex had been sitting to study the tear in the mana net overhead. When he stopped, he removed a chair to sit in and made a gesture to Luis. Luis looked surprised, but he waved his hand and positioned himself near one of the tunnel entrances, leaning against the wall.

Alex sat in the chair himself and got comfortable while continuing to charge the Runic Apprentice amulet. Soon, Maelis stirred." We're here still?" We're back here. It's been a day or more since we talked. But I'm back on one of the problems we were trying to tackle.

"The mana net?" The mana net. Do you know any ways that I could bring it down? You already said I can't drain it like I did the wards. Alex hoped to hear an idea similar to his own from the spirit, but also felt it was easiest to get Maelis lecturing, rather than listening to his own ideas.

"The best way to bring down a large-scale net like this would be to get to the anchorstones, but as I said, those are probably well protected." Alex waited for more, but when no additional information followed, he blew out his air in exasperation. That's it?

"What do you mean, that's it, brat? You asked me how. I told you how." The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. You also just told me why I can't do it that way. What about piercing the net, like we practiced a while back?

"What would piercing it do? We were practicing piercing wards. If this is just a suppression net, then you should be able to freely walk in and out, correct?" Yes, but there has to be a way to take advantage of these tears, right? You said during that same lesson that once someone pierces your wards, it's hard to recover because they can capitalize on the initial foothold they gain. For emphasis, he looked up at the natural tear that the hollow vein made.

There are dozens of these splits in the net from where this section of the underground mines disrupts the nets. That's got to be enough to capitalize on. Somehow. Maelis grumbled about Alex's heritage and intellectual capacity before answering with a question.

"Can you think of a way to expand the gap?" I can think of a few ideas, but I have no idea if they'll work. That's why I'm asking you! More grouchy comments followed, but his mentor did eventually answer.

"There is a way to approach something like this, but I don't think it will work here. You're lacking the Skill needed to widen the tear." Alex perked up at that answer. Are you talking about pulling it open wider? He'd been imagining an image where he could pull at either side of the net, tearing it like a piece of fabric. The complications came when he thought about how to realistically do such a thing.

"I'm referring to a mana blade. If you have something able to cut the mana, you could run the blade from the tear to the other side of the net, effectively cutting it in half." How do I make a mana blade? Eagerness filled his mind at the idea of a new technique or skill to learn.

"Calm down, kid. It's something you could probably learn, but still wouldn't work here. This net goes underground, right? How would you maneuver a skill like that through the ground where you can't see? I didn't mention it before because it won't work." Shit. Alex sat in silence, resting his head against the back of the chair while staring at the separation of mana through his left eye. The idea of mana as threads was so ingrained in his mind that the idea of a net and a weave appealed to his concept.

He played through different scenarios and thought about how he'd tear or cut a piece of magical fabric. An idea struck him so suddenly that when he bolted upright in his chair, Luis jumped and looked around as if they were getting attacked. Maelis! I've got it!

"Stop shouting. What do you have?" What about something like this? Alex sent him a mental picture of his idea. Granted, the mental image was more of a t-shirt concept than a complex weave of magical energy, but Maelis seemed to agree with the idea. Understanding passed between their connection, and the spirit grunted.

"You would still need to learn the mana blade for the initial cut. Then you'd need to manage your to hold over the strand, but that shouldn't be a problem with your Willpower. Yes, yes, I could see this working. Wait… There's no way you could continue this amount of focus or power across the entire city you described." What if I did something like this… to allow for breaks? Alex held up his hand and forced a two-rune spell circle. He used the area spell base, using both the Anchor and the Fracture runes.

It wasn't until Maelis's sputtering reaction that he remembered his mentor hadn't seen his completed evolution of the circles.

"Aurrielle's short temper, boy. You can cast this?" Yes! I made the new control nodes, and they've stabilized the spell structure enough to handle the power of two runes. The trick was creating a better flow for the mana. The original nodes were more like pegs where the threads would wind around them; this is more like a sturdy system of pipes.

"Sweet Heavens, brat. We're going to need to have a long chat when we get you out of this nonsense." Alex almost snickered but kept things focused. But will it work?

"I don't know the magic well enough to know the outcome, but I know those runes. They could work, but… try this." Two runes formed in Alex's vision. One was the Fracture rune that he knew, with a small change to the inner line, taking it from a diagonal to a vertical line. The Anchor rune was similar, but had several more major changes to it. What do these changes do?

"The change to Fracture should fit more in line with this situation. Just make sure your intent is more aligned with a fracture of lines in something solid, rather than something breaking away from a main body. The version of the Anchor rune is technically a different rune altogether. The one you've been using is a Primary Rune, meant to be the driving force in an enchantment. This is the Modifier Rune version of the same concept." Realization dawned on Alex.

"I didn't think of that," he accidentally said aloud. Luis gave him a look, but when Alex waved him away, he returned excitedly to his conversation with Maelis. Okay, okay. I see how this will work now. Teach me the ability to cut the mana, and I'll test it here.

"That will be the simplest part in this. The skill isn't that complex, and you're well past the magical control needed to learn it. I'm more worried about your ability to do all of this at once. I could see a team of mages doing it…" Well, I've got at least three of my minds to work with. Have a little faith! Maelis sighed, but new lines of illusory mana began to appear in Alex's vision as they started the lesson. Alex explained his plan to Luis and how it would affect their plan to attack the arena.

It was crucial for him to spend some time here waiting, but he gave instructions to get the Koru'qai ready to move. If they needed to spread the word or prepare, they should be ready to move through the city. A direct line would be marched from the mine shaft to the arena, making as much speed as they could while gathering numbers. Along the way, Alex would continue to tear the fabric of the mana net, allowing the Koru to freely use their magic during the attack.

Thirty minutes of their precious time passed with Alex seated, eyes closed, and focused solely on the lesson with Maelis. He heard some others arrive, but didn't even crack an eye when he heard Luis intervene and give a few short, one-word answers. When he was finished, he found Robert in Luis's place against the wall. The man was waiting patiently, but staring at the far side of the small tunnel with a far-off look that worried Alex.

"How did it go?" Alex asked. Robert startled, his attention shifting to Alex quickly.

"They're on board, but," he paused, "they're still going to have the funeral for the others. They're just going to have it while we move."

"They're what?"

"They want to sing the Song of Passing while we march through the city. Shael'quir is certain that it will rally more of their people to them. Each song is different for those that pass, and they'll sing Droq'shan's as they move." Alex's stomach twisted at the thought of marching in a funeral parade through the middle of a city to battle. Something felt wrong about using the Koru'qai's death to rally his people for his own goals. He pushed the feeling down, knowing that he could argue himself in circles.

"All right. I'm going to test it here. If it works, then we can go back to the main cavern and get ready to move." Robert gestured for him to do whatever he needed, moving back down the tunnel to the main group while he did. Taking a deep breath, Alex looked back up at the mana net. He firmed his intent and carefully shaped his mana into a blade. It felt odd to manipulate his mana without the use of his threads, instead attempting to mold the blue power like clay.

The blade slowly formed, and he worked how Maelis had shown him to bring the side of it to a sharp edge, maintaining his intent the same way he would when forming a rune. New Skill Learned: [Mana Knife] (Novice - Level 1) Do you accept? Yes/ No? He breathed a sigh of relief and accepted the prompt. While he'd been trying to gain the skill, the follow-up notification surprised him. Congratulations, Awakened! You have filled all of your active Skill Slots. Future Skills will require you to choose a replacement.

Alex wanted to chuckle. The message was short and barely gave any information, but he had to admit that it was more than they'd gotten through most of the integration so far. Most advancements were figured out through secondhand information or best guesses. He refocused on the task at hand, activating the skill the System had just given him and marveling at how quickly and solidly the [Mana Knife] formed with its assistance.

His mood soured slightly as he shifted the mana blade from left to right, observing it through his left eye. The System was such an easy tool to use and something that people could become dependant on. He grit his teeth as he thought of losing his own skill with no say in the matter. I just need to think of this like borrowed power. It'll get me to my goal, but it's not my power. I reaffirmed his decision to spend more time developing his own skills, rather than relying on Skills.

Satisfied for the time being, he dismissed the skill and reabsorbed what mana he could. Rolling his shoulders, he took stock of his body and stats. With all three minds and his stats reabsorbed, he felt more full of energy and strength than he had in months. Being back at 75 percent of his normal stats felt refreshing and empowering. He flexed his hands and cycled his mana.

"Here we go." He activated [Mana Knife] and sent it up to the top of the cavern, directing it carefully through the use of several mana threads. Once he'd reached the edge of the gap, he cut away a length of the net. There was mental resistance there that made him hesitant to push too hard, remembering his past experiences. Taking the process slowly at first, he cut until he could see a small strip of mana hanging down from the net through his mana sight.

Holding the knife firmly in the spot where the tear met the strip, he began to direct his other lines of consciousness. One focused on gaining a mental hold over the strip of mana that hung from the net. He wrapped dozens of threads around it and created a mental image of holding on to a rope. The situation brought back memories of his brief mental struggle against Concealment. His third line of thought focused on preparing the complex spell circle.

The adjusted runes were difficult to make for one line of thought, especially given that Fracture, while altered, was still one of the newer, major runes he was learning. He was unsure if it was the pressure of the situation or the return of his stats after so long, but something seemed to heighten his capabilities. The spell circle formed on the first attempt, and he positioned it near the mana knife, ready to clamp the tear in place as soon as he needed a break from pulling.

All three actions needed to take place in quick succession. He took one more deep breath and pulled hard on the loose strand of the net. He pulled straight down, as if he were attempting to mentally lift himself up, like climbing a rope. As soon as he felt pressure, his other mind pushed hard against the tear with the mana knife. With both working together in concert, the huge tear in the mana net widened by several meters.

When he felt his momentum waning and a need to mentally re-grip, his final mind cast the spell circle, which froze the net in place, the knife acting as a wedge between the two closest parts, preventing it from attempting to mend itself with the power supplied by the cornerstones. With a moment to breathe, Alex let out a nervous laugh and adjusted his hold as needed before repeating the process flawlessly. With his method confirmed, Alex let it all go and relaxed.

While it worked, he knew that maintaining that concentration while navigating the city would be a challenge, especially over the time it would take them to reach the arena. Harder still was the fact that he'd have a fight waiting for him at the end of the trial. Standing, he started to siphon mana from a stone and focus his own thoughts, preparing for the tough fight ahead.