Chapter Thirteen: From Bad to Worse

Chapter Thirteen: From Bad to Worse

Tom worried the entire time about Clairvines fortitude. Idealists had a stronger constitution, and it only got stronger with every Ideal they had, and every tier they achieved in them. Clairvine had a fall, but he had no idea what tier each of her Ideals were at. Still, he knew she mustnt have much left to give. Not after the swarm, and using her surge skill. Her control skill probably didnt use much mana, at least, but it would still be taxing her.

Tom noted that at least a few of the others had cottoned on to Clairvines use of a Heart skill to keep their spirits up. None of them said anything. Tom couldnt say if that was also due to the skill or not. It was certainly not pleasant to know your emotions were being manipulated, but he could understand the necessity. They were still in dire straits.

They made good time through the morning. The soldier theyd found the day before all but clung to them as they moved. They hadnt been able to get anything other than panicked nonsense from her about where shed been or how shed survived. Tom felt for her, but he was mostly just grateful she didnt slow them down.

As the slanted sunbeams piercing the canopy began to stand up straight, they instinctively began searching for a place to break for their midday meal. Clairvine put her hand to a tree, as she had made a habit of doing every quarter hour or so, and nodded them slightly more northward.

Little open space under some trees up ahead. Not long til we reach it, she told them. Their mood lifted a little, all on its own. These small breaks from their endless trek through the forest were the only thing they had to look forward to.

Theyd been in the Green for a month now, as long as a regular Reaping lasted. All the other units would be staying out another two weeks. Theirs had ended early, even if it would probably take as long, or longer for them to reach home in their reduced state.

Tom was battered and dirty. His body ached almost as badly as it did after training with his father. He hadnt slept well in weeks. He was strangely content though. This was certainly the most catastrophic situation he had ever been in. He felt he had begun to grow a lot as a person in the preceding weeks. He would surely manifest. He could still feel his revelation sitting in the corner of his minds eye, waiting to ambush him. Their woeful state of affairs was also good in the sense that it kept him from prodding at it. Every time he did it flitted away, leaving him with a handful of smoke and a tantalising impression that he was close.

They made their way towards the clearing, looking forward to getting off their feet for an hour. A week of stress had left them all ragged. As they approached, the space between two trees began to shift and swirl. Leaves were drawn into the disturbance, sticks next, and then glowing motes of green light began to slowly brighten and dance in it too. More and more forest debris was sucked inwards. Bark was stripped from the nearby trees by the growing force. Chips and chunks of wood came too. Eventually, it formed a slender silhouette. It was humanoid, with glowing green eyes, but grossly elongated. It loomed over them, eight feet tall at least, with a garland crown of sticks embedded with dancing motes of light. The whole process took mere seconds.

Wood sprite! Get back! Clairvine yelled at them, before it managed to fully form.

As she charged straight at it, the group scattered - Gad probably further than was strictly necessary. Sprites were notoriously vicious creatures, cousins to the more robust golems. Particularly high mana concentrations could see The World give one element or another a limited sentience. Golems were more substance than mana though, where sprites were more mana than substance. Only Clairvine would be able to damage it given its mostly mana-based nature.

The fight ended up being brief. As Clairvine charged the creature she thrust her right hand at it, and tiny bright blue petals stormed from her hand. They lacerated the sprite, throwing off sparks as they contacted the energy holding its form together. Its barky outer surface rippled like a puddle in a rainstorm under the barrage.

She leaped at it, throwing her hands outwards and drawing them back together. As she did, wood flowed from nearby trees like water, pooling around her hands and then into a knot as she pressed her hands around it. Landing, she lunged forwards, and the knot burst from her palms and into the wood sprites chest, hurling it backwards.

She gave it no respite, charging it and knocking it down with another blast of blue petals. After that, she simply stood above it, firing more blasts of petals into it as it struggled to manoeuvre its ungainly, spindly form to stand. After a few minutes its form collapsed, and verdant light swirled into the air, dispersing, accompanied by an angry buzzing noise.

Clairvine staggered a little as the sprite energy diffused. Tom felt a spike of alarm.

How much energy did she just use? he thought.

Tom rushed to help her but she waved him off.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Im alright Cutter, just a little tired, she said, removing his arm from around her. It was an understatement. Her eyes had deep blue rings under them, and she looked like she was standing through sheer force of will.

Get inside its reach! Clairvine yelled. Charge the bastard!

Tom surged forwards. The mantis swiped at him, preternaturally fast, and by some stroke of luck he stumbled at the right moment. He heard a small ping and felt a tiny pressure against his helmet as the massive arm struck against the very top of it by the smallest margin.

He had no time to thank Goddess he hadnt lost his head. He pushed himself forward, drawing his leaf-bladed short sword. Several others had gotten inside its reach, but their spears and the mantis spindliness made the weapons awkward. Several more had flanked it to either side, jabbing at it where they could. Again, the mantis slim body and thin legs made hitting it difficult. Gad had no chance with his hammer. It didnt have the reach, and was far too slow besides.

The giant insect turned back and forth, its scythe-arms striking out. It hit a few more people, and luckily their armour seemed to have taken most of the damage. One woman retreated from the fight, her arm no longer able to hold up her spear properly.

Tom slashed out with his sword at one of his legs. He expected it to be deceptively tough, as most mana-beasts were, but his sword not only bit deep but carried straight through the leg with barely more than a hitch.

The mantis shrieked again, louder. It tried to back up the tree to gain some distance from them, but Clairvine stymied it with more petals. It moved a little awkwardly now, the stump of the leg Tom had cut in half twitching erratically.

Tom took the opportunity to slash at the underside of its abdomen. His sword still cut into it, but the skin on its body proved tough enough to stop it doing any real damage. Switching tactics, he crouched, waiting, and then stabbed deep into the same spot when he saw the chance. This time, his sword sank over half its length into the insect.

Tom felt a grim sense of satisfaction as the oversized insect screamed its frustration into the air. His sword was yanked out of his grip as it scuttled away from him, unable to see what had caused the wound. As it moved blindly away from the source of the pain, it neared the soldiers on one side. One of them stepped forward and thrust and their spear tip pierced its thorax, just under one of its arms.

The soldier held onto their spear for dear life. The mantis, slowed by its wounds, and the spear constraining it, was finished quickly. More soldiers stepped in, sticking it with spears and holding it in place as it bled. Eventually, one of the students thrust up into its head, killing it. Tom breathed a sigh of relief as it slumped to the floor. Gad sidled up and crushed its head with his hammer.

After retrieving his sword and wiping the translucent goo from the blade, he turned to find Clairvine already ministering to the wounded. Only two of the soldiers had taken serious ones; the man who Tom had pulled, and the woman whod taken a stab to the shoulder. Both appeared to be okay after Clairvines healing, although still in plenty of pain.

Better hurt than dead, thought Tom. He studied Clairvine. Her face had taken on an ashen tone. Her hands were shaking as she attended to their injuries. Her eyes were pinched as though she was battling a headache, or struggling to stay awake, or both. She had nothing left. He couldnt help but feel that it would have been better if the two soldiers had been killed outright.

Tom approached her, Sir, can I help at all? Can I

She cut him off with a weary wave, and laboured her way upright. I dont need babying, Cutter. Things arent that bad.

The group had huddled around. A few people shared sceptical glances, but no one had enough energy left to contradict her. They stood in silence. Everyones brain spinning endlessly to no effect, like water wheels in a drought.

A long, wild, ululating howl broke the quiet, joined as it descended by a chorus of ragged barks and snarls. The group looked at each other with wide eyes. Whatever it was, it didnt sound like wolves.

Fuck, Tom thought, tiredly.

The rescued soldier continued her litany, Screams and teeth and claws and blood