Chapter 151: Crystalliers vs Monstrous Abilities

Chapter 151: Crystalliers vs Monstrous Abilities

Leaving on the assignment turned out to be a little more awkward than that, because apparently Tareth had been hoping that Zae Zin Nim would come along. Kai couldn't blame him: she looked like she was nearly at the level of the Diamond Crystalliers, while he had only just broken 200 Power. But Zae Zin Nim was still paranoid about the Brightwind cultivators finding her and wouldn't budge, so Kai went alone and considered it a chance to prove himself.

In a city where almost everyone floated on crystals, Tareth just ran through the streets. This didn't seem to stop him from talking in the slightest, so he told Kai about the situation along the way.

"We're not out to kill anybody. These are honorable merchants and crystalliers who have allies, and those allies will cause serious trouble if we maim them. But they're pissed and I don't think they'll be holding back with us, which is why I needed strong fighters."

"How many are we talking?" Kai asked.

"It's an alliance of three different merchants, so they'll have at least that many crystalliers, maybe more." Tareth managed to shrug even while thumping down the street. "That isn't the worst of it. We also have to make absolutely sure not to anger the foreigners. They're causing trouble and snooping around, but Suortril is trying to toady up to them, so he's backing everything they say."

Most likely they could back themselves up with raw power, but Kai understood the balance. But he already had experience with this sort of fight in Romastir, and this time he wouldn't be using solely his human power. This was his chance to prove himself so that Tareth would take him along on the most dangerous mission.

Their path proved to be an arc through Yulthens that picked up two more fighters who Tareth seemed to trust. One was an old woman covered in scars, with a Power rating around 180, but Kai saw her high Soul Level and assumed she was skilled. The second was a young man only a few years older than him, with a little over 200 Power mostly in crystal cultivation.

That made four of them, which was a formidable force including the Diamond Crystallier. Still, as they ran toward the city gates, Kai wondered how they would fare against the Brightwind cultivators. He was hopeful that he could hold his own now, but he wasn't confident in his two new allies.

When they got close, Kai saw that the problem was actually visible in the sky above: a flying ship was attempting to cross over the city wall. One of the five great crystals had it bound in place with some sort of qi ray, but there were crystal cultivators on board trying to disrupt that ray enough to pass.

"Alright, this is it." Tareth threw several levitating crystals at the others, which pulled their group high into the sky alongside the ship. Kai managed well enough, then followed the others in jumping onto the deck.

And immediately realized that they were outnumbered.

He only saw a few merchants and sailors on the deck, but there were at least eight crystalliers. All of them were relatively weak, close to ratings of 100 Power, but they represented a significant percentage of the total crystalliers in the city. As soon as they saw Tareth, they began manifesting crystal weapons and armor.

"All of you are in violation of Yulthens law!" Tareth spoke in a normal voice, yet it seemed to dominate all other sounds. "If you haven't stolen anything, you have nothing to fear. But if we don't maintain the lockdown long enough to find the real thief, there will be serious consequences and everyone will suffer."

"We're suffering now!" one of the crystalliers shouted. "This wait will ruin us!"

"You should bring that up with Mercantile Central. Trying to break out is an act of war."

"Don't bother talking." One of the older crystalliers made a wild gesture to the others. "They're here to bring us all in. We fight for our freedom or we fall here!"Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com

It wasn't that he had developed an insane adaptation ability, only that all his work was paying off. In order to create Behemoth's Heart, he had consumed monsters with powerful defensive abilities, including a spiritual aura from the Shademonger. Long ago he'd gained enough strength to avoid being torn apart by Class abilities and now that defense had evolved enough to shrug off weak attacks entirely.

Kai swept his armored opponent's leg and drove him to the deck of the ship, then turned on the others. He didn't bother to dodge or block, he just started wading through all their qi attacks. They stared in horror and shot out more beams, but they only slowed him a little. Some of them tickled and his skin was getting warmer - that was all.

"Down!" Tareth unleashed another bellow that crossed the deck like a physical force. Kai winced slightly as it pierced his ears, but it was worse for everyone else.

Already worn and intimidated, the crystalliers went down like sacks of grain. Some were unconscious and others just looked petrified, but they weren't a threat. Kai turned back to check on the others and compliment Tareth, only to find the Diamond Crystallier looking at him oddly.

"I admit I underestimated you," Tareth said in a low voice. Abruptly he laughed and clapped Kai on the shoulder. "You said your work would pay off and I guess it sure did! More than earned that advanced pay, haha!"

"Do we have this taken care of?" Kai asked. It looked like the old woman was wrestling down one last opponent while their fourth teammate sat nursing wounds.

"We'll throw them in a cell and let the merchants worry about the consequences. The important thing is that their attempt was broken. Now anyone else thinking about trying the same thing will think again instead of starting a rush out of the city."

"But the next threat is going to be worse, isn't it?"

Tareth stared down at him, all laughter gone, and after a moment of thought leaned in and spoke more quietly. "They're almost certain who the real thief is now, and it's going to be bad. Soon enough leadership is going to send us in, and when they do I'll definitely want you fighting with me."

"What exactly is it?" Kai glanced toward the fallen crystalliers, then back. "I know it's supposed to be a secret, but if you tell me I can try to prepare."

"And I guess we've seen how good your preparations are." This barely pulled a chuckle from Tareth, though. "Don't tell anyone, but... they say Omilaena the Maneater stole from both the foreigners and Suortril. Some are calling for her head, and if they have their way, this is going to be bloody."

"We're really going to fight Omilaena?" Kai winced as he remembered their encounter. "I haven't fought her, but she's the most powerful poison user I've ever seen. I'm not sure anyone in Yulthens can fight her on equal terms, so you'd better find some powerful allies."

"You think Diamond Crystalliers aren't used to fighting stronger opponents? In any case, we don't have a choice. If we don't move against her, someone less competent will and it will turn bloody."

That was definitely bad, practically war between cities. After telling Tareth everything he could guess about Omilaena's fighting style, Kai stepped away and considered the problem while the defeated crystalliers were all bound and led away. It sounded like mercantile and political agendas were all tangled together, plus the Brightwind cultivators were involved and out for blood. He couldn't do much about that, only hope his own power was sufficient. As risky as it was to go fight her, without him he thought they stood no chance.

During the fight, Kai judged his performance a little below Tareth's. Obviously the older man had more human strength, but Kai thought that he might be able to approach some of the Diamond Crystalliers if he could develop his monstrous strength to equal levels.

The problem was, if they were going up against Omilaena, that might not be enough.