BXBX NOVEL Chapter 285 284: Venturing Forth
Cleaning up my little cubic home, I sighed as I washed myself down and donned my armor, before stacking all the excess meats and feathers into separate containers that I could easily pull along during my journey towards the giant arch.
Considering the Arctic Cor were, in my opinion, monsters, I was assuming that there needed to be other monsters nearby to sustain these large blue birds.
However, if said birds have developed a resistance to bladed attacks, then the things that hunt them need to have razor sharp claws or talons of their own.
As for whether or not they can be pierced or not, that would mean that the predators for those birds can either launch missiles up towards the birds or that they are guarding where the birds usually land at.
Maybe the lake, maybe the birds have a certain kind of herb or stone they need for something?
Though, thinking back to the cavern that I had woken up in, I began to wonder if the birds didn\'t have any predators currently, and their prey were underground, hence the lack of wildlife roaming these mountains.
That would explain the giant pits... sort of.
Shrugging, I decided to shelve these thoughts for now as I compressed the ice cube and resumed my journey towards the arch, where I would hopefully find something to give me hope.
A civilization, primarily, or at least something that could lead to a civilization; maybe a road or some kind of tell for where I am.
With that in mind, and my body refreshed and rejuvenated, I began to pull the two ice chests behind me with my magic, enjoying the fresh, crisp mountain air as I grew ever closer to the large arch.
More of those blue birds flew around the sky, but like before, none bothered to give me a single glance, instead gliding around and letting out melodic caws as they danced up in the air.
Trekking through the snowy mountains with nothing besides the caws of those birds and the rising and falling breeze that blew through the valley was a serene, quiet affair, one that I enjoyed with each and every step.
It was soothing, being so far away from anything happening, this calm and peaceful atmosphere helping me to look past the bad and instead focus on the good.
Especially when I grew closer to the arch; the anticipation swelled inside me as my curiosity continued to rise as I wondered about what laid past this beautiful natural monument.
Climbing up the valley and reaching the arch, I widened my eyes as I was greeted with the sight of a \'forest\' of stone pillars splayed out for as far as the eye could see, in all directions.
Each pillar was gigantic, shooting up into the sky and scraping against the clouds, the rock surfaces coated in ice and laden with pale, mint green plants and lichen that grew on the sides.
More of the Arctic Cors flew around, navigating between the pillars with ease, whilst real trees dotted the ground, creating a canopy that shielded animals from the sight of the Arctic Cors.
Some of the pillars rose out of large bodies of water, whilst others had been eroded and chipped away by the frost and winds, tearing the towering pillars of stone down and creating giant piles of rubble in some areas, which had been turned into nests for the Arctic Cors.
While it was yet another stunning landscape that I would have loved to explore any other time, for the moment I wasn\'t that ecstatic.
I would need to traverse this maze of pillars to reach somewhere that might just lead to... well, somewhere.
Though, considering I was so high up now, and higher than I had been with the cavern I had woken up in, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to touch the Soul Bond that had withered away between Jahi and I, to awaken it for just a few seconds.
All I needed was just a singular direction to travel, a ping towards where Jahi is, where I could find her.
Straining my mind as hard as I could, I grasped onto the remnants of our bond and focused, sifting through the remains of the bond and trying to get it to activate, even for just a single instant.
I didn\'t need pinpoint accuracy, just a general direction; a direction to orient myself in this giant maze and unknown land.
Tuning out the caws of the Arctic Cors, ignoring the sharp breeze that battered against my skin, focusing past the chill that permeated the air, I tugged at the Soul Bond.
Moments passed by as I tried and tried, and as I was growing irritated by the lack of success, I felt something.
A rough tug towards my left, a tug that lasted a mere moment and a tug that I almost thought was just my imagination.
However, it felt too real, too similar to when the Soul Bond was active mere days ago.
Opening my eyes again, I turned my head towards the direction it had led me towards, and after giving myself a future reference point using the sun, I began my descent into the stone pillar forest, staring my journey towards returning home.
~~~
Jahi PoV
Waking up with a groan, I quietly slipped out from the bed, leaving the exhausted forms of Anput and Leone sprawled out under the covers.
Last night had been...
Enough.
Just barely enough to satisfy me, and with the pleasures that came from such intense sex, I could say that my mind was clearer than before, and that my heart was soothed to a degree.
I was nowhere near where I used to be daily, but this was a start.
After a quick shower and some basic cleaning, I left the bath and tossed on some clothes, walking out into the silent, unwelcome kitchen.
Just days before this place was spotless and filled with the sounds of Kat bustling around, my beautiful maid dancing around with such expertise as she hummed to herself, cooking some new concoction that would put most high end restaurants to shame.
Sighing, I approached the table and sat down, the silence both depressing and needed as I stared at the table.
I was awaiting Mom\'s return, so that I could get started; we were both, surprisingly, early birds when it came to anything that we took seriously, but otherwise...
Well, we could be a pain to wake up...
I didn\'t have to wait long for a knock at the door, and I got up and peeked through before opening the door, welcoming her in.
Striding past me, Mom glanced at the bedroom door before taking a seat at the table, a small smirk on her face as she said "Seems like you took my advice, Jahi."
Rolling my eyes, I sat opposite her and waited for her to continue.
"So, good or bad news first?"
Her smirk fell away, and I pursed my lips before saying "Bad."
Nodding, Mom leaned back in her chair and said "Jillian and Ayla are gone, as are their parents. The rest of the Sariel and Kameiel Family members are still present, thought they are fortifying their homes. Seems like they had a contingency plan set in place just in case this all went south, which it did.
Now, we did get a trace on them, but it\'s... not too helpful. They used ancient magics to get those teleportation scrolls made and set up, and sadly few know how to even examine or determine what those spells are. Thankfully Lady Theresa, the Empress\' first wife, dabbles in those ancient magics, and she managed to get a lead. Not much of one, since teleportation is derived from incredibly complex magic and was reverse engineered by the only Space Magic wielder in our history, Nebulana of the Stars. That was millennia ago, and the materials needed is... expensive. Crippling expensive.
They\'re somewhere off to the West, but farther than the Kingdoms, and farther than the various small countries that war between the Kingdoms and Confederacy. That\'s the bad news; they\'re gone, and we don\'t know where they went, nor their exact plan. The Council has theorized and come up with the idea that they wanted to take the Asmodia\'s place as the Empire\'s shield, whilst also guaranteeing that they weren\'t to be criminalized by using Leone as a bargaining chip. That\'s the current theory, though we\'ll know when we comb through the Sariel and Kameiel estates."
Frowning, I rested my chin on my hands as I muttered "That... sounds way too complicated to be just Jillian and Ayla\'s plan, let alone from their parents as well. Wouldn\'t they know that what they were doing would fail? What made them so confident that they could accrue the ire of the Empress and live to see through it, and even prosper?"
Mom shook her head, sighing as she said "No idea. The Patriarch for the Sariel\'s and the old bitch that runs the Kameiel\'s were both smart people; hells, the Kameiel\'s were founded by a former Knight of Cinder, and she was a Knight as well, so they should know better than anyone how strong the Empress is. Which is what confuses me. On this continent, there are few people or things that could even think about going against the Empress and coming out alive; not beating her, but simply live through a fight.
There\'s the ancient monsters inside the Labyrinthian, the Archangel that rules the southern side of the continent... they\'re the only ones that are on her level; as for people on the Sultana\'s level, who could pose a minor threat to her and could band together, theres the Chancellor of the Dynasty to the East, the Oni Chieftess way off to the East, Levi Athan that rules the seas, and a few others here and there, but none would ever band together like that..."
Trailing off, she sighed again before waving her hands, saying "Eh, whatever. For the good news, Adelina made a full recovery and the Council has approved your request for a Crusade. They also are covering the costs of the Ash Legion for us for a year, and they\'re sending a few Arch Mages and quite a bit of supplies towards the border as well, so when we\'re ready to depart we can. The main goals of this Crusade are simple; take over Romagi and learn as much as we can about the Gates that opened in Tragon. Besides that, the Empress has given us permission to raid the Sariel and Kameiel Compounds."
Grinning at me, Mom leaned forwards as she asked "So, shall we? I have to admit, I felt like I could use a good war recently. Wanted to get the rust off."
Rolling my eyes again, I met her gaze and returned her grin, nodding.
"Sounds good to me..."
Chuckling, she got up and said "Oh, by the way... for the time being, Julie doesn\'t know. However, you will be the one to tell her, and we\'ll all be there with her. Ria is staying back to manage the March, so it\'ll be just you and me. So get to thinking, lest Julie skin you alive~!"
Mom seemed to be enjoying herself, but I could see the worry in her eyes as she mentioned Miss Julie; understandably so, considering...
Well, she was pregnant with twins, and already she was having... complications with the two hybrid children inside her.
This... would be a difficult, trying time for her, and I really, really needed to find ways to soften the blow when I told her about what happened.
Otherwise...
I shivered at the thought of her being angry again.
That was something I didn\'t want to experience ever again, nor be the one to be on the receiving end of it, not if I could help it.
Watching Mom move to the couch and collapse, yawning tiredly, I sighed as I began to think through what I could tell her, before I turned towards Mom and asked her something.