Chương 70: Return

The Pathstriders remained at a cautious distance, on their guard. Presently, they were surrounded by a suffocating amount of Liesel's Materiality, which should have flared the Materiality Sense. Their breath was uneven. The Materiality in the air was a mage's entire capacity. And no mage foolishly let it hang in the air. So this was a one-of-a-kind experience for the Pathstriders. Liesel considered for a moment. She'd have liked to walk for a while, plan how she was going to scale the desert.

Though she felt strong, her powers were vastly outclassed by the reality of the Necropolis. Even now, she lacked the means of surviving the desert. Now that they had a quicker way to get back, Liesel didn't mind accepting it. Surely the Pathstriders had the desert crawler with them, somewhere in the wood, probably. Arval stepped in front of Liesel quickly. She commanded something. The captain of the Pathstriders retorted, and he spoke for a long moment.

"What are they saying?" Liesel asked once he was quiet.

"Elder Ahura has demanded that you be captured and dragged to her temple whenever you are sighted. And they plan to do it."

"They can try," Liesel said.

"I do not think it would work out well. I will not leave a single one alive." The Golden Ring in Arval's eye dilated.

"You can't! They are just following the Elder's order."

"Is that a good enough argument for you to forgive an Imperial Soldier covered in the blood of his enemies?"

"They are not the same."

"It is about the acts and principles, Child. For what crime should I accept being their prisoner?" The leader of the group shouted something loudly. His fingers clenched on the spear. Arval argued. She seemed more tired than anything. She must've imagined a different kind of welcome, right? Something more human than what Liesel could even imagine.

"Tell them, I will come along. But I am not their prisoner. They will have to earn it," Liesel said. Killing nine of Rakamel's warriors would unnecessarily complicate a very simple situation. Her team was still in the village, possibly imprisoned. Arval conversed, and the captain argued. Arval took a step towards the leader, shouting. Liesel hadn't expected the captain to be so resistant to Arval's demand. It didn't bode well for the future. Liesel felt a pair dare to dash in Arval's direction.

Liesel looked at them. They were preparing, but hadn't even moved. Their eyes met. Her sense had also greatly developed. It was still far from an Observer's skills, but she might be equal to a mage in this category as well. Liesel grinned at them. It was satisfying to watch their reaction. The pair decided to stand down, instead of tempting fate.

"Ask them where my team is?" Liesel said, settling her hand over the child's shoulder. She had a very cynical view of Elder Ahura's interest in Arval. That was also why she didn't want to let Arval out of her sight until she had confronted Drahk first. The Pathstrider refused, unwilling to budge. They accepted taking Liesel to the Elder, but that was the best they were willing to offer.

"We have to change our approach," Liesel uttered. She approached the captain. They prepared their spear. Its tip buzzing with energy, bright in the darkness of the night. Liesel wove a thread; the Pathstrider seemed to realize it the moment it manifested, but they didn't have the time to react. The time between weaving the rune and the thread and manifesting them into reality was less than a second, an instant. The thread wrapped around the spear, yanking it aside.

The next one manifested around the shocked Pathstrider's neck, digging into the skin. The captain shouted something quickly, raising his hand. The other Pathstriders didn't attack her. Another thread wrapped around the knees, twisting and pulling the shocked Rakamel to their knees. Liesel settled her hand over the warrior's head. She looked at Arval, who seemed most horrified of all.

"Tell them," Liesel said, "None of them will leave a droplet of blood. They will merely cease to exist if they don't cooperate." The captain tried to struggle against the strings binding him, but they were too strong. He used layering to protect against the sharpness that naturally manifested from the thinness and the integrity. If it were a month ago, Liesel would have to focus to perform these complicated Materializings.

This many people would be dangerous, but now, weaving and manifesting thread was as easy as breathing. She could easily subdue all of them, as they were within her dominion. I have to make sure my opponents are always within the radius of influence. Arval's desperate, pleading voice for their own sake finally budged the Pathstriders. Perhaps they didn't want to meet that fate, or wanted to spare the child from witnessing it at least.

"I am sorry," Liesel said to the child.

"I am powerless to spare you from the unnecessary distress."

"You act like a different person now."

"I am in enemy territory. Anything less than a cold, heartless decision would put me at risk." It is not the most cold-hearted decision. She should've killed one instantly, and then began her questioning. Not that either was useful to get truthful information. Arval nodded. She explained what the captain was saying. The humans were not viewed favourably by the Rakamels, but Drahk had sheltered them. They were not in any danger yet, except for the mage who was accompanying Liesel.

Fiya was in an isolated area until she told them where Liesel had run off to. Liesel gathered that somewhere they were hiding the fact that they were going to blame her for kidnapping Arval too. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. Liesel dropped her hand. The outclassed Rakamel coughed as the pressure from his throat vanished. --- ---- Liesel kept Arval close as she approached the largest structure in the city.

She had gathered all the Materiality into a very tight, congested orb. Her control somehow managed to keep it under its influence the entire journey. The Pathstriders seemed to be greatly bothered by the phenomenon, which was understandable. Even Liesel had never heard of anyone carrying an invisible balloon of Materiality that they could expand instantly and trap anything within the sphere of influence. Though she had not met very many strong ascendants outside the academy. The night curfew was in effect.

Most of the tents didn't show a sign of life. Some did. A few eyes peered from behind the curtains. They vanished as Liesel's eye met theirs. Only a few among them were hostile. Most were just curious, and focused far more on Arval than Liesel. Soon, she was in the false compound of the caravan. Instead of nine, she was surrounded by close to two dozen ascendants; almost everyone seemed to be already condemning her. The old hag stood there as if some divine premonition had already informed her.

Saaranam arrived at the same time as Liesel did. He quickly settled beside the old woman, whispering something in her ear. Liesel caught a Pathstrider leaving the compound, possibly to inform Drahk. Arval ran up to the old woman and hugged her tightly.

"I am sorry for running away." Arval broke into another cry. To her, Elder Ahura may not be a good person, but she was family. The old woman patted the child's head and consoled her, as her faded irises glared at Liesel. The Vice Spearhead stood with a sign of life, gazing at the child with some pity. After a minute, Saaranam leaned down and whispered something into the busy elder's ears. The old woman distanced the child from her.

"You are safe now," the woman said.

"Go inside. Rest, my child." Arval wiped the tear from her face, slowly regaining her bearings.

"She's not an enemy." The child's words fell on deaf ears. The old woman gestured at one of her servants to take Arval inside. Liesel shifted her attention to the actual leader of the Caravan, Saaranam. She was about half sure killing him right here and right now would be less complicated. But she could do it after a conversation with Drahk. She owed him that dignity. Arval resisted the servant's insistence. She said something to the old woman in her tongue, and they seemed to argue for a moment.

Before Elder Ahura said something that took the will out of the child. She followed the servant inside without another word, glancing at Liesel once. Liesel didn't mind it. She'd rather not have Arval here if things went the way she was expecting.

"You are a trouble," the elder finally addressed her.

"Every step you take, you unleash a disaster. Even now, you, a child stealer, a derrmak, threaten us in our home. Humans and their humanity know only one language."

"If I stole a child right under your nose, while dying and having fought one of your best, then, perhaps you are the one unfit to raise them."

"You've grown a sharp tongue," the old woman huffed.

"You will surrender without resisting if you are wise. Or we will have to crush your soul here, and make it repent by dragging it back from the Soul Sea."

"How many Pathstriders is a cost too high?" Liesel asked, "You need them to sustain the village, don't you? You need warriors. How many are you willing to lose for your stubbornness?" Saaranam's eyes were smiling as he stood unbothered. The elder looked at him for an answer. He leaned down and whispered something in the old woman's ear. Liesel was somewhat bothered by their existence. At first, she had thought the younger one was manipulating the old paranoid woman, but it seemed deeper than that.

They seemed parasitic in a way.

"If you hurt one of my children, you will bear witness to the glare of Gurvantha. No sinner can reject her judgement."

"Your body barely handles walking; do you want me to believe you can channel divinity in those worn-out veins?" Liesel asked. She blinked. She can't. But... Ahura looked at the pair of Pathstriders. Liesel channelled Materiality into the air. [Materiality -5000] She guided it outwards as the first pair of Pathstriders rushed at her. She used Imposition to increase the mass of the energy, careful not to mix it, as that would destroy her ability to weave thread. She just pushed it against the Pathstrider.

The colour drained from their face. They stopped in their tracks, shivering. Liesel guided the mass of Materiality back to her side, and let it hang in the empty air. Slowly, it was spreading outward. She had been careful to stand close to the old woman and Saaranam beforehand. Now they were completely in range to be killed instantly, though she hoped it wouldn't reach that point yet.

"A neat trick," finally, the smiling man uttered. Liesel shivered. His voice held a tinge of ethereal energy, divinity perhaps.

"Useless in battle."

"My willingness to converse is not as patient as you feel. You should reconsider your reality before I slaughter everyone who stands between my mage and me."

"You are a completely different kind of monster than what we had witnessed last time. But is it enough to survive? Drahk's pity was for weak human pets he could keep as a mote of benevolence. Submit. Make it easier for both of us." What do you want? Liesel channelled the rest of her Materiality into the air, keeping a tiny reserve to use Enforcement and Layering without hurting herself. It was a marvel that all that energy could remain under her control so easily.

She really wished to know just where her Control Attribute stood. Saaranam's eyebrows twitched.

"I will make it as hard as it can be for you," Liesel said.

"Are you willing to bear the cost?" Her Materiality spread and settled in a dome shape, with a twenty-two-foot radius. And she believed she could twist and form a thread from anywhere within it instantly. Enough of them to completely stop anyone from using a skill or spell. Her perception was sharp enough to achieve it. Saaranam was within that area, and he seemed to realize the grave danger he might be in.

He lacked knowledge of her abilities beyond the Shade Severing Strike, which had destroyed their barriers easily. So he would be willing to gamble. He raised his hand as the Pathstriders were beginning to circle Liesel from all sides.

"They can puncture a thousand holes from a distance. Your scare means nothing, child."

"You are trapped, which is as good as strangling everyone's throat here. Will they be able to kill me before I kill you? Are you going to withdraw or take the gamble?" Saaranam glanced at the Elder, who also seemed somewhat bothered by the Materiality in the air. But his eyes were not seeking comfort. The older woman was losing composure faster.

"What happens after you kill me? You are only asked to surrender and repent for your sins. You have already slain one of our brethren, and stole our child. Is that not enough? Must you threaten my life? Are you a parasite sent by the Ashlord to brittle and blunt our spears, sow infighting among our family, like humans always do?" His words travelled far, and they seemed to burn with fervor in the Pathstrider's veins.

Of course, she had known they would never honour their trial, or even recall that the outcome was supposedly their divine judgment. They were possibly acting under the assumption that Garhalik would never lose in her condition. Saaranam was laying the groundwork for the Elder to make a judgement that could be framed as righteous now that the farce of Qhidah-Shi had borne its undesirable fruit. Still, Saaranam didn't command his underlings to attack her. He was waiting for her control over the Materiality to slip.

He must believe she couldn't maintain it for long. Liesel didn't even know if she'd lose control after a day or more. The unmaterialized Materiality never seemed to slip from her control in the last week while she was awake. After another moment of silence, Saaranam seemed to finally show signs of worry as more and more Materiality gathered around him. How quickly had he expected her to crumble?

"What is this about?" Liesel asked, taking a stride forward. The Pathstriders tensed, staring at the Vice Commander for an order.

"I have no interest in your little village's politics. You can keep it yourself. Why invite trouble beyond your fathom?"

"Watch your step, Darmaki," the elder hissed. She raised her staff, which may even reach Liesel.

"Do something," Liesel asked.

"I will not be held back by my gratitude to Drahk once you cross the line." Saaranam shook his head, and the Elder lowered her staff. The old woman uttered something under her breath. And the man's smile widened slightly. Liesel clicked her tongue. Drahk was here. He had been faster than Liesel had imagined. As if he had teleported between her and Saaranam like Auram. But the disturbance in the Materiality said he had dashed using a skill.

None of the Pathstriders on the perimeter even noticed as he vaulted past them and stood between her and Saaranam. He had been too quick, actually, and had pushed himself into the suffocating Materiality of the dome. His Materiality sense recoiled, and for a moment he had faltered. Enough that Liesel believed she could've subdued him completely. His eyes were shaking as he looked at her. His fingers clenched on the spear.

"Take a deep breath, Drahk," Liesel said.

"I have no enmity towards you." Liesel made sure to remind him, lest his instincts lash out. The Spearhead glanced around the guards, about two dozen visible ones, and probably more waiting somewhere in the tents.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Drahk's attention snapped to Saaranam.

"We are merely discussing the method of dealing with a rogue who stole our child, and then proceeded to harm our Pathstriders, and then threatened our elder," Saaranam said in a smooth, practiced voice.

"What do you think, Spearhead? As the mightiest hand of Elder Ahura, should you not capture the sinner? Why assist her?"