Chương 157: The Human Race Ch. 5-155 – To the Firezone!

Standard gunpowder Weapons were used VERY carefully in this area, as the ammunition attracted hungry attention. Ammunition going off could literally 'explode' an Elemental into a size increase, while probably killing the hapless shooter carrying the stuff. This meant the Firezone had a lot of Powered around, since normal soldiers with guns couldn't do the job, roving the fringes and looking for Fireborn.

Fireborn intelligent troops were known to carry Firemetals and magical Gear, as well as other precious metals, gems, and jewelry, making them one of the few places in the world where you could fight monsters with loot drops realistically. Surviving a fight with them and their reinforcements was something different altogether. As for the undead, they were rarely encountered here.

The corpses of humans and animals killed by the Fireborn were generally fed into lava pools, after which Burning undead of various types would emerge, depending on the power of the dead before they rose. The undead unerringly headed off towards the Shroudzone, ignored by the elementals and other Fireborn, there to join whoever was in command there. The frustrating thing about it all was naturally that they couldn't seem to kill off the Fireborn.

I'd perused everything Gregorigori could lay his hands on regarding the place, which was considerable, and it was basically agreed that the Fireborn could be killed, but they kept getting recycled, as if this place was their home plane and they were just reforming a body after a year and a day. We, however, were bringing vivus. When we killed them, they wouldn't be going back down to that node of fire and making themselves a fresh body.

They'd be Fed to the Land, and their infinitesimal fractions of that Fire Node would be dispersed, not looped back in.

"Lady Traveler, I don't want to be rude..." His honesty and caution were commendable.

"But you want to know what happened to my son, yes?" The Paladin looked uncomfortable; The Mick and Helix just looked eager to eavesdrop. We were coming up on Boulder, Montana, basically the last town before you hit the edge of the Charlands that extended into the plains in the southeast of Montana. From there, everyone was basically on foot or using magic to move around, with Disk Trains being the most popular mode of quick movement, tied to someone with enhanced movement speed or flight.

We'd be doing the same thing. The Aruan church in the town did a lot of business with healing and feeding the Powered teams operating out of there cheaply, doing their part.

"There is no way I'd be able to take care of the boy with what I have to do. The souls caught in the Shroud simply will not let me set aside twenty years and be a proper mother.

"I had Gregorigori looking for and vetting potential parents for him the day after I arrived at Heavenbound Hall. He found a very appropriate couple who were having trouble conceiving, and were ecstatic to adopt a talented halvyr child. I met them in DW, and passed him over.

"He will have a good life with a father and mother who love him, and when he grows up and can stand on his own, he can learn who his birth mother was and doubtless the many enemies I'm going to be making along the way.

"But I'm not going to subject a child to this lifestyle, and I'm not going to do things half-ass, dropping him off and picking him up when he's convenient.

"He'll have a good life with good parents who love him, and if someone comes after him, there will be Hell to pay." I looked at Helix, pointed, and he held up his hands.

"Not telling anyone! Nope, nope, not me!" he spluttered quickly. I hmphed and looked away back out ahead, at the black smear on the grey blanket of the horizon, and he just looked chagrinned. Sir Pellier thought about it, and nodded slowly to himself. I was looking out for the boy, there was no doubt about it, but I wasn't abandoning what was surely a monstrously important overquest just for the chance to be a mom. Perhaps some people would think I should have given all that up to play mom. Mmm.

Well, they could think what they liked. I could have done the guy thing and dump it on the other parent and leave, I supposed, but I wasn't EVER going to do that, so I handled it the best way I could. Hrn, not like Elrii's mother AND father had... I didn't have the emotional link to the baby that a mother should have, naturally enough. Actually, looking at him forcibly brought to mind that instant of being asked to save him, and all the dancing on the knife's edge of pain and death that had immediately followed it.

It wasn't that the baby was revolting, or responsible, but I didn't have many memories of my own, and the living ones started with that set of circumstances. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. I wasn't going to put a child through him reminding me of those circumstances every time I looked at him. I was, however, a horrendously responsible person, so I would be checking up on him. And if they needed my help, I would be there with my everything...

There was a group garage underground where we could park our vehicles. We hauled out our Gear, Sergeant Mulligan looking particularly eager to regain the ground he had lost to his friends as we came out of the place. As for the gemstones in the trunk, they'd all been Itemized and the scroll was being safely carried in The Mick's coat.

He, Sir Pellier, and Helix had been watching me create egg-sized gem after gem of all types and hues from the assorted crap stones he'd had in his trunk, and drop them idly into the box waiting for them after I did so. Any Energizing whatsoever and they were suitable for Infusing; ten goldweight at a time was dropping down next to them once so treated.

Seeing gemstones of such size, cut, and clarity being treated like stones on the beach soon inured them to the sight, while The Mick was very, very happy his investments were coming to fruition. Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching!... Master Fred was waiting up top. Unlike most vehicles, Sleipner wouldn't be in any real danger in the Firezone, and could navigate rough terrain no normal vehicle would be able to without any problem with Master Fred around.

Topaz had flarked off, gotten her goldweight in pay, returned the Amulet she didn't need, and headed back to Chicago to take up her Shvaughn identity once more. She was also very interested in adding Vivic to her Weapon, but had absolutely no confidence in concealing her ability and identity with Sama and Briggs around. I personally believed Sama would identify her within seconds, go thinking for an explanation, and then, if we were lucky, she'd ask before slaughtering.

Best not to even come to that, and Topaz had concurred. Shvaughn might have been useful and useless here, both. As a Fire Warlock, that guise would be blatantly immune to the heat... but her magical abilities would also suck. Master Fred didn't have any such problem in exposing his versatility. The Mick took Helix and they went off socializing. He was quite a character, and Helix was a naturally friendly puppy trailing after him.

Picking up the local recent chatter from the teams patrolling and scouting into the interior wouldn't be too hard for him. There was some friendly competition between teams, but the fact was that the Firezone was a big, huge, monstrously dangerous pot of gold. There were Harsites around and other Good Clerics; trying to pull off something like offing another team to steal their loot was a sure way to get yourself summarily shot. This place was damn dangerous.

If you had to look out for teams of hunters on your own side, nobody would even come here, and the Firezone would simply keep expanding. That said, there was always gossip, recent news, reports of encounters and movements, and since this place didn't have anything like aerial observation or satellite pictures, first-hand reports were the way to go, and recent losses and fights were very important. The people were very excited about the Helix Method and Naming Weapons.

Not having to pay boatloads of goldweight and loot to improve their Weapons was more goldweight that could be used on defenses... It helped that just about everything was fire-related, of course, which made the magical and elemental attacks of the natives much easier to deal with. Briggs and Sama phoned in that they'd arrive right before dusk, and we could take off basically as soon as they got parked.

Everybody checked their Fire Resistance multiple times, reviewed and compared spell lists, Meditated, or asked around for more hints and words of what people were facing out there.

Night 71...

"... where rest the weary, and dream of the wind at dawn..." Ding dING da-ding dinG DING! It sounded almost apologetic, yet jubilant. Even changed chords... Archwizard/3, doubling Valence III's! I had some more memorizing to do... Purchased Feat, Mage of the Wild: In attuned Terrain, completely stupid and overpowered Caster buffs! Purchased Mastery, Shardcaster/5: Gain two additional Shards, up from one! Human/2: Racial bonus to one Caster Class, +Wizard = Wizard/3 (10).

More Valences unfolded in my mind, and suddenly there was a swirling wind of magic converging on me, roaring around me in jet and silver and trailing rainbows through the thaumaspectrum. First mortal Ten Caster since the arrival of the Shroud, no doubt, even if I hadn't made it with a true Caster Class Level. I let the magic do its thing, directing it to fill in the Slots yawning open eagerly for that sweet Mana. Racial Bonus Feat, Fast Learner: You gain an additional Favored Class benefit for your Favored Classes.

I blinked at that, arched an eyebrow at it, and Enterprising. So, I could double up identical benefits-? Flick, flick, tink! Huh. Five more Soak and three more Skill Points. I put my Faith up to 10, making it the first Skill I got to 10. The other two went into my Concentration, putting that at 9 Ranks and very close, indeed. Today's Exemplar Surge Spell was Spellflare. It was a Dispel with teeth, ripping apart extant spells and turning them into explosive blasts of uncontrolled arcane energy.

I Wrote it to Einz, and then Slotted it. All in all, a good day. The others were giving me the awed looks they'd had when I retrieved Sergeant Mulligan from the dead. I ignored them, choosing to see what other kind of progress I had made elsewhere. I had five more days before Temperature Control was active on Einz at the minimum Level. Well, that was what I got for hurrying. Eight more Days before Imperial Sun Discipline Weapon was active on Clavus. Nothing to do for it.

Making your Gear Ubah took time, Karma, and goldweight, and never really went away. Briggs and Sama literally pulled into the underground garage, got out, and grabbed their Masspacks from the back of their ungainly monster of a ride. Briggs armored up in three long steps, while Sama simply slung on her stuff and headed back to the entry ramp to join us where we were waiting, my Disks shimmering jet and silver in the Eternal Lights here as we waited around Sleipner for the two of them.

They grabbed the last two Disks awaiting them, and Sleipner pulled off down the road. It was evening, but there were still plenty of eyes watching us as we headed north and west down the remnant of the highway, towards the scorched and black lands starting only a few miles beyond, and the flickers of moving flames extending well into the distance...