Ninety-Two

Ninety-Two

“So, what do we do now? I’d really like to investigate what is causing this.” I looked down into the gushing geyser of elemental energies. There was room to clamber down the side of the pit, and I could make out faintly glowing points of red and orange further down that might be more Etherites. It can’t hurt to fill up our coffers, as when the Territory is upgraded we’ll have a LOT of things we’ll need to build, and that all costs ether...

“I find myself curious as well-well.” Shaeula admitted. “The wind may be tainted, yet it also has a remarkable flavour. Perhaps it is a unique wind at the core of this. Obtaining such can only strengthen us greatly.”

“Well, we’ve come this far, braving sandworms and elementals, so turning back now wouldn’t sit right with me.” I mopped sweat from my brow, feeling the strange cold shivers at my core again. Seriously, what is that?

“I’ll go down first then, and you follow.” I said, starting to scale down the series of ledges and jagged outcroppings that made up the side of the pit. Shaeula followed me, and I quickly realised another issue. Every time I looked up at her I could see up her yukata. Such a luxurious problem to have... Since she didn’t seem to have noticed I turned away my flushed face, taking a detour to gather up some more Etherites. After descending perhaps a couple of hundred metres we could see the bottom, a small roughly circular room, filled with crystalline outcroppings and winking Etherites. Rocky creatures and beings of wind were filling it, as well as some flickering flame-beings. Fire elementals, I guess.

“All right then, since we’ve picked up a load of Etherites and I have aether to spare...” I once more imagined the white-hot blaze, this time as a fine rain, and sizzling flames fell in the narrow chamber, quickly cascading destruction down over the area, the air elementals disintegrating violently. I had to crush two orange Etherites and some red ones to keep topped up, which pained my heart, but it was better than getting caught by highly mobile flying enemies while we were stuck climbing.

Sadly I also discovered another problem, as several Etherites below were struck by the falling flames and shattered, their ether content spilling free. I was too far away to grab most of it, so a good chunk of it was wasted.

“Okay, you’re up.” I said, and from above Shaeula chimed her bells, sending down a blast of wind, driving back the earth elementals, though the winds died, consumed, when they made contact with the flaming humanoids. Still, it bought me time to drop down to the ground, aether softening my fall to a mere painful jarring of my legs and back. Releasing the earth energy stored within my batteries I had a brief moment of regret, but quickly shrugged it off. Not like I can use it yet anyway, and there is earth essence at Shirohebizumi anyway...

The room was small, and the centre was occupied by the gushing energies, so I had to quickly deal with the elementals. Darting in I thrust my battery into the nearest fire elemental, while wreathing my arm with ice using aether to protect me from getting burned. Damn this is uncomfortable... A second fire elemental was closing in, so I slammed it with the second battery. Shaeula was keeping the earth elementals at bay with a wall of wind, so I had time to work. Dodging searing hot swings from the foe they burst apart.

You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from twenty-four to twenty-five.

As the message scrolled across my vision I started discharging the fire energies from the batteries. I had practiced with fire before and had almost grasped how to use it, so it only took a little aether to guide it into doing what I wished. Flames gushed over the stony foes who were hemmed in by Shaeula, heating them up and melting their exterior. When they met the colder winds barring their passage they cooled rapidly, starting to crack and splinter.

Not enough. But... channelling ether to aether by grabbing what was being released from the shattering Etherites that were destroyed in our struggle I called forth my own wind, filling it with an arctic chill. Stone exploded, and one after another elementals shattered. More xp for me.

A flash of light left Shaeula’s knife as she landed beside me, severing a fire elemental in half. It halted for a moment before the two sides squirmed together, but in that pause I used my batteries to drain it dry. Finishing off the remaining broken earth elementals, we secured the area, scooping the remaining ether.

“Good fight.” I said dryly, ignoring the numbness in my arms where I had wrapped them in ice, and the many smaller burns that dotted my body. “I’m glad I was good at science at school. Thermal expansion is very effective against stone and metal.”

“I do not quite get it-it, but perhaps I will check it on my phone tomorrow.” Shaeula said, stepping across the ground which was covered in shattered stone. She bent to pick up one of the few Etherites that had survived. “This one is yellow. Quite the rarity indeed.”

We gathered up the other few ores before finally taking the time to check out why we had come. At the centre of the chamber was a crack in the ground, from which was gushing fiery yellow energies. However wedged in the crack was a green gem-like shard the size of two fists. A green Etherite? No, something different... a plume of wind energy was rising from it, the source of the vortex. Flame energy was being drawn in and carried up out of the rift as well, likely the source of the taint.

So what, did this green meteor fall from the sky and pierce down to the naturally occurring fire energy?

“Do not reject my energies. Remember how I have assisted you in awakening your lunar chakra and stabilising your network? I have practiced since-since, and I am confident that together we can succeed. Have faith in me.”

She’s practiced since? No, that isn’t important. “Have faith in you? Don’t insult me, I have more faith in you than anyone else you know.” I grinned through the pain.

“You are a hundred years too early to be so cocky with me-me.” Shaeula said, her free hand on my back, on my lunar node. The green gem was starting to shatter, energies consumed by the flames and drawn into me. As they passed through my network they congealed in the lunar node. The pain increased again, but Shaeula intensified her support, and for a moment I was sure I could see some of the energies leaking out of me, to be absorbed by her.

Is that safe? There’s a lot of fire in that energy. She was worried about suffering damage before...

“Shaeula, be careful, there seems to be a lot of fire...”

“Silence now.” She cut me off, her own brow now equally drenched with sweat, her eyes bright with pain. “One final push, no time for hesitation.”

I can feel it... but I can also feel Shaeula through it. We are linked, our lunar nodes pulsing in harmony. “All right then. Here we go...” concentrating all my will to one point I forced the energies inwards. The strange gem of wind shattered, shards sucked inside me, absorbed into the surrounding flames.

“Wait, stop... this isn’t... it... it is penetrating my very soul... I feel... you... my kin-kin!” Shaeula started babbling incoherently as chunks of green energy shimmering with fiery yellow shot through my network and were guided into her own. Still, I had no time to pay attention to her, as everything was burning within me...

Your Skill, Eight Moons Chakra Network has advanced from Rank 2 to Rank 3. Your Chakra network has strengthened, better able to handle aether, and has taken on aspects of the Fae. Your Material and Astral bodies have become more integrated and ???????? ???????? ?????????.

You have gained a skill, Lunar Chakra Of Wind And Flame Rank 1. Your Lunar Chakra has now stabilised and opened fully, resonating with the elements within you. This further increases the aspects of the Fae within your Material and Astral bodies, and it will generate additional elemental energies. It has also ???????? with your bonded Fae, resonating and increasing your ????????.

You have gained a Unique Flame, Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze. This unique fire has long dwelt within the earth, but it was made impure by the addition of a foreign wind that drifted in from the higher Astral. With unexpected assistance you have purified it and taken it within you, and you can now call upon its fury.

Your Unique Skill, ????????????? has increased from Rank 0 to Rank 1. It has evolved from Kin Restoration to Kin Bonding and Restoration. It ???????? ????????? ???????? ?????????. Resonance has occurred with your Bonded Kin, strengthening her ??????????? and ?????????.

Your Fortune, Majesty, Charm, ??? and Determination has increased. Your Aether has significantly increased.

Your Class, Fae-Bonded, has increased from level 12 to level 15.

Your Fortune and Charm have further increased.

The huge slew of messages flooded through my brain as the pain within my body suddenly vanished, leaving me feeling fantastic, burgeoning with power. I’d never seen so many boosts to me all at once. There were some real shocks, but was this the start of my rise to a true powerhouse OP protagonist? Before I could thank Shaeula for her help she looked at me, eyes wide, then she slumped against me, losing consciousness...