Chapter 107: Guardian Statue

Valera twisted, ducking underneath the swing and pivoting on one foot. Air rushed overhead, a whistling sound as sharp as it was deadly. Another arm - just as dangerous as the one before - pierced downwards from above, aiming to run Valera through from head to hip. She raised a blade up, the flat extended at an angle, letting the deadly limb skitter off of the weapon’s unnaturally sturdy, mana-infused surface.

The bone-tipped arm came down in front of her, stabbing into the stone and causing her opponent to stumble.

Valera’s second blade whistled audibly as she continued to turn, slicing viciously through the air and removing the limb at the joint. It slid through hardened bone as if it were cutting through air, and the monster’s stumble turned into a full-on stagger.

Before any of its many other limbs could be brought to bear, Valera introduced her blades to its throat, tearing across the surface with two opposing pulls.

She smoothly stepped to the side, allowing the headless beast to continue staggering forward on momentum alone, falling into the null-water behind her with a loud splash.

Valera turned and grimaced, watching the creature’s twisted flesh bubble and melt, the power of the null-water ripping it apart.

Well, that one’s a loss, she thought, unwilling to fish the remains out. Her own skin wasn’t nearly as affected by the null-water as the Hexablades were, but it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience. She sighed, pulling out a Webweaver-spun cloth and wiping her blades clean.

Then, after a careful look around, she touched one hand to her [Little Guardian’s Totem] and turned her attention inward. The Guardian Statue’s effects fell upon her - or the ones that she was close enough to feel, anyway. Unfortunately, the healing and invigoration aspects didn’t reach to where she stood.

A shame.

Still, Valera flexed her will as she walked back towards the boats, envisioning a tendril of light that pulsed in a sequence. Affecting the illusory flames of the Guardian Statue still wasn’t easy, even after a few days of practice. Anyone that had approached the Guardian Statue, linking its flames to their [Little Guardian’s Totem], had quickly realized that Orken’s little cutie had somehow imbued it with abilities similar to his own - though not quite the same - one of which was the ability to affect the illusory flames of light that rested inside the Statue’s open maw. With enough concentration and practice, anyone with a [Little Guardian’s Totem] could alter the flames. They could be made to flicker, move, or even create shapes or colors.

Though, while everyone was sure that they would be able to shape them into more complicated illusions eventually, much like the Little Guardian did, they weren’t quite there yet. It was an ongoing process, and creating anything complicated required immense concentration.

Instead, Seekers and Guard alike had come together to create a series of coded messages, which was far easier than creating real illusions. Certain squads - or even individuals, in the case of Seekers like Valera - were assigned a specific color, allowing them to easily identify themselves at the beginning of a message. Afterwards, the clerks assigned to keep watch over the Guardian Statue messages would quickly write down and decode the message that followed.

The first pulse was an overwhelmingly bright gold, shining even in the depths of Valera’s imagination. She knew that it would be even brighter in reality, almost searing at the eyes. Still, it was important to make sure the initial identification was noted, so it had been recommended to put a bit more effort into it. The invisible muscles provided by the [Little Guardian’s Totem] strained slightly at the effort, but only slightly.

Valera held it for a moment, then followed the identification pulse with the rest of the message, the meaning encoded in various shapes and colors.

Seeker Valera, mission accomplished, no problems to report.

It was short, and not even all that necessary. Valera was right on the outskirts of Orken, at one of the furthest borders of the null-water lake. She’d be back soon enough.

Still, the Council had insisted on it. In recent days, Hexablades - both lone and in small groups - had been spotted at the null-water’s edge. Staring towards the city’s center. Focused on something.

The Hexablades had the Council worried. It wasn’t outright impossible for monsters to be attracted to the city; they were attracted to Cores, after all. Yet, they shouldn’t be - not right now. While Orken’s Core sometimes attracted monsters, it was rare that the Core was removed from the null-water long enough to draw any of the beasts.

And right now, it wasn’t - yet, somehow, the Hexablades were being drawn towards Orken. Even stranger, it was only Hexablades. As if they could sense the Core, regardless of the concealment of the nullwater.

Yes, it had the Council worried, and rightfully so. The strange monsters were dangerous. The only silver lining was the discovery of their worth as Webweaver feed. As disgusting as they looked, it had been hard to let the constant source of meat go to waste. With that in mind, a corpse or two had been gifted to the Webweaver farm. None of the spiders had shown the adverse reactions that the Little Guardian did, and the spiders’ population was beginning to recover from the little cutie’s murderous rampage.

Valera let the incessant tugs of her [Little Guardian’s Totem] lead her back towards the pier, a smile widening across her cheeks. It was kind of cute, when it did that - like the little snake that formed the Totem was trying to guide her back to safety.

Honestly, she thought that it might have been. Valera was already more than convinced that the beliefs Orken’s citizens held in regard to their Little Guardian were having an effect on the abilities that he displayed; it wasn’t exact, but the general themes held true.

The [Little Guardian’s Totem] shifted in her grasp, urging her home, and she grinned a little wider.

It was definitely cute.

Soon enough, she was back in Orken again, boat moored behind her. With every step, a sense of lightness - of strength - suffused her. Warmth rushed through her veins, pulsing in time with each step, filling her muscles. Valera sighed, luxuriating in the ever-strengthening sensation.

Despite having been gone for less than an hour, coming home had never felt so good - the Statue’s effects made sure of that.

The [Little Guardian’s Totem] twitched again, the wooden surface rubbing against her palm, guiding her towards the Guardian Statue - as it always did.

She let go for a moment, and immediately missed the warmth. It fled quickly, like a fire snuffed out, leaving only dying embers. With a shrug, she tucked the [Little Guardian’s Totem] underneath her undershirt, leaving it pressed against her skin.

It was a shame to hide the necklace away, as cute as she thought it was, but the effects it gave required skin contact. Holding it constantly could be a bit of a pain, unfortunately.

Her stride lengthened as she neared the marketplace, and the crowds grew.

“Miss Valera, Miss Valera!” a chorus of tiny voices cried out. She turned towards the excitable gremlins, giving them a cheerful wave. They waved back, smiling enthusiastically, and threw themselves back into their game - which, of course, caused a minor disturbance as they jumped in between the gaps of the crowd.

They looked happy. She smiled even brighter, feeling a slight burn in her eyes. It was probably good that Doran wasn’t around. He’d probably be teasing her over this, but it was...nice.

More than she had thought they would ever have again, after what some of them had seen.

A light itch set in as she entered the marketplace proper, muscles strained by battle beginning to rebuild themselves under the effect of the Guardian Statue. She hadn’t been exactly sure where the boundary for the effect was, as the range had actually increased by a small amount over the days since the Guardian Statue had been created, but it was never difficult to notice after a fight. It lasted only a few moments, growing slightly more intense with every step, and then disappeared. Nothing left to heal, she supposed.

Still, that didn’t stop the crowds - after all, the warmth that was flooding through her veins had only grown stronger. It made her feel lighter. Stronger. Relaxed.

They felt it, too.

In just a few days, the marketplace had become extremely popular. The shopkeepers were probably ecstatic.

Valera gently pushed past the last of the crowds around the Guardian Statue, nodding to the two clerks on duty. They nodded back, returning their attention to the pile of reports and missives on their makeshift desks a moment later.

All around, citizens of Orken lazed about, excitedly chattering away. And there, laying on the Guardian Statue’s head, was their Little Guardian. Tiny coils bounced almost imperceptibly, shifting gently with every sleep-bound breath.

Valera stepped a little closer, and the little cutie twitched. The coils unwound, and Orken’s Little Guardian woke up at last.

“Hey, little cutie,” she said, grinning widely. “Done sleeping?”