15 Problems in a Starry Nigh

After a few hours, a trail of death could be seen behind them. No matter what was on their way, trees, grasses, insects or animals, all were absorbed by the growing darkness surrounding Leilade. But that was just a drop of water instead of the ocean she hoped for. In the end, Kardel still found out a small mountain that looked rarely visited by humans. None of them questioned the logic of her actions and they awaited the next part of the plan.

Instead of answering them directly, she began to summon two fire spirits. They were a little small, to reduce the consumption of mana needed, but that was enough. Two balls barely taller than Leilade were formed in front of the remnants of the Demonic Army. After that, Leilade instructed them to go inside the forest and burn it from the inside randomly. That way, whoever will try to find them will have a very hard time since the origins of those fire were dispersed in multiple locations. The two summons quickly flew away without burning the local environment. That part done, the group began to climb the mountains.

In front of them was a smooth slope and not an abrupt cliff that was easy to climb, even in their state. When they finally reached a location high enough to not be easily discovered, they saw in the night the forest burning under their feet. With the cold temperature and the lush vegetation, that sight should have been impossible and this will provoke some suspicion. But the barren path that they created was too big, so they had to hide it. And Leilade gained more than they lost. After the black vulture turned back into its human form, the five of them began to discuss their future.

"Ymir, come here."

The giant demon obeyed the order of Leilade. He was still carrying his broken arm and was hoping that she would heal him. Before, when they were still in an unknown location without any knowledge, that would have been reckless. But it had already been a few hours since they arrived here and any longer will reduce his chance of complete remission. Knowing this, he kneeled and presented his left elbow and put his missing limb next to it. The little girl used the nails on her left hand to cut open her right one. Using her leaking black blood, she spread it on the injury. After a few moments, she recited the corresponding spell and her blood fused with the arm of the Akûl. This method was quite taxing on her body but not so much on her reserve of mana. And at this moment, she was more concerned about the latter than the former.

"Thank you, Empress" The demon softly expressed his thanks. Without him asking for it, his commander still provided him with what he needed. As for the rest of his injuries, they only needed some rest and energy. Asking about them will be incredibly disrespectful, especially since the Empress was not looking any better than them.

"Davion, summarize the information collected."

Following this new command, the blue man searched a few seconds before grabbing a wooden stick. They were resting on a malleable ground, not some hard rocks. Using the wood like a pencil, he began to draw the map according to the memories of all that died. In less than a minute, a crude map was formed and she matched the representation inside the minds of the rest of the group.

"We are currently inside the kingdom of Massalia." He pointed at the square that he drew and then at the small X on the bottom left.

"Right now, our location should be in the South-West. From what we have collected, it is ruled by a king and looks like a feudal monarchy. The commoners serve the nobles and the nobles obey the order of the king. A lot of soldiers believed into many gods and apparently the local churches are capable of casting spells. Whether those people are magicians believing in gods or actual believers of gods obtaining power is unknown. The magicians enjoy a respected status similar to a noble and they are heavily prioritized. Every year, all children between 8 and 10 years are tested for their aptitudes. This type of behavior is shared by the rest of the nations. On the other end, actual scientists are not getting any support, stalling the overall progress. The humans have not discovered the firearms, even if they have found a weaker version of the black powder."

After this monologue, Davion pointed at the circle near the bottom right of the square.

"The kingdom of Genablum in the South-East is allied with this kingdom. They are militarily weaker but have an excellent climate. They are quite close with Massalia, and they support it with their important surplus of food supplies. In other words, Massalia protects Genablum, and in return Genablum feeds them. They are not without worries, however, since the south of this nation is constantly attacked by barbarians coming from the mountains. Except for this threat, the only way to reach it is through Massalia."

Davion paused for a short time and began to draw a lot of lines in the circle near their location.

"Next to us and not very far in the West is the Fallen Kingdom of Pankow. Past them is located the different clans of the dwarves but unfortunately, in the last centuries, they stopped exchanging with the humans. The reason is that nation standing between them and the rest of the world. Previously, it was a flourishing and quite dangerous country. Or that's what they thought. All I can find is the fact that now, it has turned into a nation of undead. The dark gods are responsible for that. For more information, we need to find some people truly knowledgeable."

The Orodil pointed at the last three circles. One was covering the entire left face of the square, the second was barely touching the top right corner and the last was thrice the size of the square and spreading far in the North.

"The Republic of Avenio, enemies of Massalia and allies of the last one. Pretty much the same as this nation, except the fact that they are ruled by the aristocratic families. In the North-West, the elves. No information, except that apparently they are beautiful. Last but not least, the hegemonic Empire of Synnada. Unlike the temperate climate of here, they are located in a huge desert. Meaning that the actual size of the Empire is hard to calculate. But most of the soldiers thought that it was three times the size of their kingdom. "

After ending this short presentation, no one dared to say that it was inexact. This helped a lot Ymir and Kardel at reorganizing their thoughts. Even if it was just the most basic information, the two of them were more of a fighter than a commandant. Even if they had people under them, most of the time, they only needed to think about how to kill the enemy. They never had to deal about which planet to attack or what was needed to do it. However, that was not the end.

"And we are on a planet created by the Ancients."

Everyone stopped breathing for a moment. The four beings that heard this believed entirely an Orodil about those things. In fact, a lot of races were capable of recognizing the touch of the smartest beings of the Universe. But while it was shocking, this revelation led to a lot of possibilities, all deadlier than the others. Sensing the stare of the blue man, Leilade decided to tell about her problem.

"We are surrounded by an unknown form of mana. Meaning that until some traces of Demonic Energy is formed, my spells are sustained with the lives of my victims."

If the news said by Davion provoked some changes in the faces of the group, what was dropped by Leiladed completely stunned them. None of them dared to think that she was weak since they all saw that the darkness created by her was still present. But that still caused her to have a limited means at her disposition. None of the godly spells will be available and their firepower in an actual battle had been greatly reduced.

Following this, Meridiana tried to absorb the mana surrounding her but quickly shook her head. She was in the same case as Leilade, she could feel it and even touch it but not absorb it. Looking at the little girl, she asked the only important question at this point.

"Empress, how much power do you still have?"

To answer this, she spread the shadows coming from her body to its maximum. The four others quickly backed off, fearing that they would be absorbed. That was the reason why if even she still couldn't cast a spell, not everyone could kill her. First, you would need to bypass the ever hungry monster that rested inside the body of this child. And during all those years, nothing alive that touched it managed to survive. In the end, the previously immense nightmare was barely spreading around Leilade. Not even one meter all around her and only one tentacle was visible.

This vision provoked a lot of worry about the future. First of all, they were not particularly discreet or equipped to hide. Leilade could be mistaken as a child and Meridiana as a woman if she wanted. However, after that, for the rest of them, none were close to being a normal human. They were too tall and weird for Kardel, too blue for Davion and Ymir was not even comparable. Not provoking panic and terror among the commoners would already be a miracle. None of them were stupid and everyone reached the same conclusion. At that moment, the clouds that were covering one of the moons disappeared and the moonlight fell on the group. That prompted everyone to look above them and for a few minutes, they silently looked at the clear sky, wondering what star was their home.