Elydes Chapter 185: New Leads

Chapter 185 - New Leads

Its just a little scratch, stop being such a baby. Kai scowled under Flynns weight, careful not to trip in the underbrush of Veeryd. Well have the whole jungle after us if you dont lower your voice.

I got bit by a fucking drake! I want to see you shrug that off. Flynn leaned heavier against him, limping over a broken branch. That stupid lizard almost chomped my leg off.

Now you're being dramatic. It was just a little nibble, you were good at dodging at the last second. If you were slightly faster, it wouldnt have touched you at all.

Now youre being an asshole.

You told you wanted to get stronger. Did you think it would be easy?

No, but why did I have to fight a goddamn drake? he sulked. I had never seen one that big, it was probably mid or late Orange. There were a hundred easier options.

You know how the Guide works, the reward is proportional to the risk. I wanted to ensure youd get a decent feat, and it worked, didnt it?

Yeah, Flynn snorted and gritted his teeth when a branch brushed his bandaged leg. But what if I was slower? Would you have gotten there in ti?

I was ready to intervene the mont things went wrong, Kai reassured the sullen boy. I an, I was at least seventy percent confident Id make it in ti.

Flynn made a curious choking sound, hands tightening on his shoulder. What about the remaining thirty percent?

I was confident in you. Kai grinned brightly. Now, hush. I think another beast is following us. He helped Flynn sit on a fallen trunk, while the teen silently stared daggers at him.

Hallowed Intuition tingled his mind, narrowing the direction of the threat. A burning presence entered his Mana Sense range, moving towards them in fluid strides.

Kai pointed to a thick shrubbery where the beast was coming from and raised a finger to his lips. If they spooked it, the animal might stalk them for miles before it struck. Flynn furrowed his brows and concentrated on finding the mana signature. His muscles tensed ready to dash, fingers tightening on two daggers.

Trees covered in moss and vines surrounded them like gnarly pillars, their canopies greedily caught the sunlight before it reached the ground. Kai withdrew the glass sword from his ring and channeled Shadow mana into the enchantnt.

It was a low-orange beast, it likely had far higher base physical attributes than him unless he used Empower. He didnt. Kai casually stood in the beast's path, slanted posture, not looking directly at where the predator would erge. He humd softly, forcing himself to stay relaxed.

The presence got closer, the graceful body of a jaguar. Just their luck. It must have followed the sll of blood from the heart of Veeryd. The constant dripping of humidity and the rustling of leaves covered its steps.

Cmon, little kitty. Theres absolutely nothing suspicious here.

A murmur in the back of his mind. The crunching of twigs. The feline pounced, a shadow out of the underbrush. Empower blazed through his body, magnifying his attributes. Enough to turn halfway, adjust his stance and brace for impact.

The jaguars deadly jaws gaped to rip his throat out.

The fangs stopped short. His veiled sword impaled the feline straight through its heart. The impact sent him skidding on the wet ground, almost losing his balance.

He was close enough to sll the rank breath of the jaguar. There was confusion in its golden eyes as life slipped away. Crimson droplets flowed down the invisible surface toward his grasping palms.

Kai stopped channeling Shadow mana and freed the weapon from the dead beast. A glass-like blade appeared in his hands, blood dripping off its smooth surface. He had wanted to try this trick out since he had designed the enchantnt. Shadow concealed and diverted attention, in the half-light of the trees the sword was undetectable.

It actually worked! A pity I couldnt fit all my affinities.

Even with Edgars help, a sea serpent fang had poor compatibility with certain elents. The runes needed to be reliable, the gno wouldnt allow it any other way.

Id need another target to test the others.

That was stupid. Flynn cheered him, slumping on the trunk. What if you missed the heart? It could have clawed your throat before it died.

I didnt miss. He couldnt stop a little smugness from seeping through. And the strike would have slowed it enough to dodge. Probably. It was a calculated risk. He would have gotten his head out of the way, not sure about his arms and torso, but he could survive a scratch there.

Kai quickly harvested the fangs and claws of the jaguar with Water Magic. They didnt have ti to skin it properly or carry it with them. The spare space in his ring was already filled with the drakes remains.

They had imdiately dismissed using the Fate Fulcrum to attract awakened beasts. Best to venture deeper into the forest and search patiently even if it took a couple days. One ti had been enough to learn their lesson.

It was a sha to leave the jaguar behind with how rare they were, but the jungle would take care of it. So lucky beasts would feast on the carcass and advance their grade, by morning there wouldnt be even the bones left.

Let see your leg. Kai crouched to check Flynns injury. Away from the heart of Veeryd, they had a little ti before other beasts caught the scent and mustered the courage to investigate.

The bandages were covered in dark red patches, mostly dry. Flynn cursed like an old sailor as he untied the gauze. Would it cost you to be gentle? Youve got a blacksmiths hand.

Itd be easier if you stayed still and didnt nag .

He uncovered a series of gashes on the tanned skin. Thank Yatei, the drake didnt get the chance to thrash, so the wounds were reasonably clean. The hemostatic balm had stopped the bleeding. They would need a few stitches, but Kai preferred to avoid testing his sewing skills unless it was an ergency, for both their sakes.

Okay, its a little worse than the one I got.

How bad does it look? Flynn kept his gaze up to not look at the injury. Will I need to wear pants when I go swimming?

Didnt you say scars were cool?

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He sighed. It depends. Not all scars are made equal, and I would have chosen a better spot than my thigh.

Kai rolled his eyes. If Flynn could be this dumb, he was fine. Alas, your leg still looks unremarkably boring. The healing potion is doing its job, and there are no signs of necrosis, so the antidote must have worked too.

Like you said it would. Im not going to die from the drakes venom, right Kai?

Well I didnt have ti to brew a fresh batch, but Im reasonably certain.

Kai!

Stop whining. I gave you the whole vial to be sure. Kai cleaned the wound and redid the dressing. A stronger healing potion could knit the flesh together, but it would also sap his strength and they still have miles to trek. Lets go.

* * *

Had a nice ti exploring the jungle? Alana put a plate of freshly baked cookies between them.

It was fun to be back. There is nothing quite like it near Higharbor. Kai crunched on one, mintberries and coconut. Worth burning his tongue.

His mom gave him an exasperated look and a glass of water. A crease ford between her brows when she looked at Flynn. Are you sure you dont want soone to take a look at your leg? I know a really good healer. If you're worried about the cost, Im sure Kai will be happy to help.

I He buckled under his mothers gaze. Of course I will.

They hadnt hidden hunting a drake, though they hadnt specified its strength or grade. While they shared equal bla in the retelling of their encounter, Alana deed him responsible for corrupting Flynn into reckless behavior.

Id feel offended if she wasnt right, he kept his mouth busy eating.

Flynn smiled pleasantly. Thats very kind, but Im fine. It was barely a scratch, and the healing potion already took care of it. He blew on the cookie before munching, earning a look of approval. Mhmm these are great! You need to tell how you made them!

Its my secret recipe, Alana bead proudly and winked at him. But Ill write it down if you promise not to tell anyone.

On my heart, Flynn shared a conspiratorial grin. Food had squashed his surly mood, mostly. He didnt forget to glance at Kai when no one else was looking. The aning was clear, you owe one.

Damn flatterer.

Kea had fixed the stitches on his injuries, delighted they needed her helpthough shed rather die than admit it. With the potion Flynn took, itd be like it never happened in a day or two, minus the pain he went through.

No plan is perfect.

It had been a successful expedition. Moui had once ntioned a yellow basilisk stalking the heart of Veeryd. But the central area extended for dozens of miles of dense jungle, and with Hallowed Intuition and his Favor, the chances of running into trouble were close to none.

Moui and Kea arrived as if summoned by his thoughts. His sister humd cheerfully, while the hunter observed them closely. I heard the hunt went well. Its a pity you couldn't bring back that drake, he said. Maybe next ti I should co with you.

Thats a wonderful idea, Kai surprised him by agreeing. He wasnt worried Kea would snitch on the gravity of the injury, but Moui knew the jungle and its beasts better than anyone else. He might poke holes in their story if he gave him the chance. Kai thought fast. Oh, I almost forgot to ask. Its just a rumor, but did you see any trace of Vastaire ruins inside Veeryd?

Was that too obvious?

You an the ones Dad studied? Kea said, grabbing the last three cookies.

He silently thanked her for smoothening the change of topic. Yeah, Ive been going through his research journals. Apparently, an old hunter told him he saw broken towers deep in Veeryd, but Dad was never able to verify it. There is no na for the witness, and hes probably dead by now.

Rellan had reported many such rumors that were impossible to confirm. From folk tales with feeble links to the ancient civilization, to strange sightings near the Vastaire sites and stories of underwater ruins. Nothing helped shed light on the greater mystery of the sea serpent's appearance.

Moui scratched his beard, successfully diverted from further inquiries. I dont know about towers, but Ive seen ivory constructions.

Thats Really? Kai hadnt expected a straight-up confirmation. He had spent hours pouring his mind over the journals without success only to stumble onto a new lead. What did they look like? Can you tell how to find them?

Too deep for you to go. Moui regretted speaking up already. I only went there once, and it almost cost my life.

So that ans near the very center.

Itd be useful to know their location for my research.

If you arent planning on going, why do you need to know?

To match the position with other sites. His confident answer didnt sway the hunter. I might fund an expedition in the future.

If you do, Ill tell you then. Moui said, unmovable.

Were getting nowhere.

Kai went to fetch a notebook and tried a different approach. Can you tell what you rember?

He quizzed Moui on any shred of information he recalled, hoping he would slip more details. No such luck. From what the hunter said, the ruins were greatly damaged and covered in vegetation. He hadnt gotten the ti to examine them closely.

Though he didnt say it outright, Kai suspected it had been on the sa hunting trip when the hunter first t the basilisk.

Wait, did that basilisk co from the ruins?

The story of the mysterious king of Veeryd had always left him puzzled. Few knew about it, and fewer from personal encounters. It was logical that a strong beast lived where mana was the densest, but how had it gotten there?

Everyone agreed there was only a single basilisk in the heart of the jungle. As far as Kai knew basilisks couldnt reproduce asexually. Had all the others died off? Was it the last mber of its species? So beasts lived far longer than humans, but that sounded highly unlikely.

As much as it appeared from nowhere.

New theories and suspicions, but no answers. Maybe hed actually need to fund an expedition or wait till he could defeat a yellow beast in a fair fight. Neither of them was a short-term goal.

I wish I could go ask it. Hey, Mr. Basilisk, do your anger issues co from when the hunters murdered your family while you were just a baby lizard? No, no, you cant eat my leg. We need to talk about the ti your father went to buy milk and never ca back. Hmm it might work.

The intrusive thoughts didnt bring any sudden revelation. They were washing the dishes after dinner when Kai thought to ask his mother. Did Dad ever ntion strange spatial events around the ruins?

Mhmm No, never. Alana looked lost in the soapy water. I guess its possible. You know your dad, he muttered to himself about his research, but he wasnt the best at explaining what he was doing.

Yeah, thank you. Seeing her lancholic mood, Kai didnt press and retired early. Their excursion into the jungle hadnt only benefited Flynn.

Mana Manipulation (lv75)

As you reach the second milestone, you are presented with four choices to continue your journey.

Stay the course - You wont gain new significant benefits, but youll greatly deepen the insight into your path.Elental Novice - Beco adept at controlling elental mana.Fine Tuning - Beco adept at controlling small quantities of mana.Diligent Student - Beco adept at mana patterns and spells through repeated usage.

He had shaped mana in a thousand exercises to get that last level. It turned out all he was missing was to use the skill in a fight. Without even trying he broke through the hurdle.

Lets take the win. What did I get?

There were three decent options, none of them excessively restrictive for his future.

Going by exclusion, Kai eliminated Fine Tuning. It must be the result of solving Viryas puzzle. Controlling tiny precise quantities of mana would be useful in Alchemy and Enchanting, not much in a fight. When a beast or pirate charged at him, his spells needed to be simple and powerful, there was no ti for artistry.

On the opposite end, Elental Novice would be extrely useful in a fight, and not at all for crafting. There were very few recipes that required controlling elental particles at his level, and less for Runes. Even in the long term, unattuned mana was the foundation of crafting. The reason why people with poor affinities turned to it.

So thats a no too.

*Ding*

You chose to beco a Diligent Student. Mana Manipulation (lv75) can now reach lv100.

Dora and Elijah had drilled in him how training and preparation were the keys to success. If he had to improvise in a battle, things werent going well. The sa with crafting, only constant exercise could lead to perfection.

With the decision made, Kai easily slipped into the world of dreams. The next morning, an errand boy brought him news from Reishi to et him at his mansion.