Oliviala Le'Cruex

- Continued -

Lenton led the way as they trailed behind Lostrifar, trudging through the sand in the rapidly-lightening twilight. The dark, foreboding clouds that had threatened the skies throughout the night were thicker than ever and the rumbling bass of the encroaching horde was loud enough that the old hero had to raise his voice to be heard, “Judging by your question about Jiran’s uncertain freedom, you’re expecting him to arrive during the battle, and he's already expressed concerns about being captured.”

Olive nodded, “Your insight is impressive, as always, Master Filibree. It’s exactly as you’ve deduced. Cameron should meet with him today or tomorrow, if we can hold out until then, he’ll surely come.”

Lenton idly scratched his elbow through his robe and his eyes narrowed in a thoughtful expression, “I suppose I should be pleased that he took my final lesson to heart.” He released a forlorn sigh while gazing at the obscuring clouds.

Is he… disappointed that Jiran will be here? Is he also worried that some of the rankers will try to confine him?

“Final lesson?” Olive questioned, hoping to get to the bottom of Lenton’s behavior.

“Before he vanished, Jiran found himself in some trouble with a few noble children.” Olive only barely managed not to cringe at the reminder of their first meeting. With a mischievous smile, Lenton continued, “He thoughtlessly barged into that situation without considering the ramifications and found himself under the scrutiny of your father. I often wonder if our lives would have taken another path if he had made a different choice that day.”

“It would have indeed, at least for me,” A burning pit in Olive’s chest constricted as she followed a particular train of thought, eventually deciding to voice her speculations, “After Jiran saved us, we each awoke with a new acclamation. It’s only due to that boon that I was able to encounter him again. I suppose, since the moment he chose to rescue us, we’ve been bound together by fate.” Olive’s voice grew strained and the tightness in her chest expanded to a crushing grip that stole her breath. Her eyes trailed down to the sand crunching beneath her boots; the shifting grains seemingly having more control over their own existence than she did at that moment.

Lenton harrumphed, “What nonsense are you spewing! Turn around and walk away, right now.”

“Excuse me?” Olive looked at him in shock. Her steps faltered, causing Lostrifar to further the distance between them as she rapidly constructed the formation inside the trench.

“You could choose to leave right now. I know you won’t, but you could. Because of that choice, there is no such thing as fate. We live in a logical world and we are creatures ultimately ruled by reason. There are optimal paths forward so we naturally seek to find and exploit them. You chose to find Jiran for a reason and you can call that fate if you want but I would heartily disagree.”

As Olive mulled over his words, the tension in her chest rapidly eased.

I want to believe he’s right. Thinking that some great force or power tied me to Jiran diminishes everything that I’ve been fighting for. No wonder I felt sick even considering it.

“Thank you, Master Filibree,” Olive smiled warmly, suddenly feeling much better. “Nerves must be getting to me. Our last two scouts have failed to return and our expected reinforcements from the southern desert have been delayed. We are going to be hard pressed to hold the first wave back at this rate.”

“It is understandable to feel fear before a battle. But do keep in mind that fear is an emotion with many uses. It warns us of danger, inspires us to fight for our loved ones, and causes our bodies to naturally begin the process of moving even in the most dire circumstances. Do not abandon it too easily, for it will surely save your life many times.”

“Thank you for the lesson, Master Filibree. I will take your words to heart.”

“Of course, someone should wear the mantle of teacher today.”

Olive’s heart lurched at his hidden implication. She chuckled nervously, her eyes glued to Lostrifar’s petite back, “So you knew?”

“Certainly, our little meeting was nothing more than a test of your loyalties. Your wording was quite clever, saying you would have the time to impart Jiran’s methods while never actually committing to teaching them. Don’t be too proud though. You only managed to fool Sagrinar and Forellis but those two avoid the nobility like a low-tier meal so it’s no surprise they fell for your ploy.”

Ugh. I feel like a fool. What did I think I was doing trying to play word games with the likes of Pierro, Lostrifar, and Lenton?

Finally understanding the meaning of their meeting, another thought struck Olive, “That means my question regarding Jiran was pointless, you’ve already chosen to support him.”

“Perhaps you’re right, perhaps not. Only time will tell,” Lenton repeated his cryptic statement in a sing-song voice, bringing a small smile to Olive’s lips. Suddenly, he cut off his humming and his tone hardened, his eyes snapping to the north, “They are nearly upon us. Lostrifar will not complete the formations in time. I shall assist her, I suggest you reorganize your forces before they breach your defensive lines.”

Lenton was gone before she had a chance to respond, likely teleporting to the far end of the northeast trench.

If they’re already here, that means Reifvus failed to hold back pawns lower-tier than his forces in a position where they wouldn't be surrounded. Does it have something to do with the lost scouts? Did the Graymin end up sending higher-tiers to reinforce the pawns?

Olive leaped into the air, her mana-laced voice thundering louder than the rumble from the north, “Relay my orders! All non-commissioned soldiers are to defend the formations until their last breath!”

Those close enough to hear jumped across the trench, their bodies the last line of defense between the formations and the encroaching enemy. Her orders were repeated hundreds of times until every soldier designated with the task of sacrificing mana to the construction of the formations understood their duty. Hands, shaky with fear, rested on the pommels and shafts of weapons. Each of them fully understood that even under the best circumstances, what they were doing would be suicide. Not only were they spread out across several kilometers and outnumbered against foes they could never hope to defeat alone, but their mana was being drained into the formations being built. The chances of them living even five seconds were so miniscule they weren’t worth mentioning.

I was too hasty in giving that order. They’ll be dying for nothing. As soon as I learned the first scout didn’t report on time, I should have sent an entire party of tier sixes. I’ve been too reluctant to make sacrifices and now we are in a much worse situation because of that weak mindset. If it’s impossible, I’ll have to call on the reserves. But first, I need to see the situation with my own eyes.

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Olive’s aura and Forcing pulled her north at a breakneck speed. The soldiers she had doomed through her own foolishness were quickly out of sight and only the four-kilometer-long city walls were visible behind her. Steep mountains on either side crept closer as she neared the narrow pass. The rumbling of the nearing beasts grew louder with each passing second. The sands had long been replaced by the wretched filth, its stench clogging her nostrils.

From the city to the mountain pass, the ground slowly rose in elevation and not far ahead was a rise that blocked her sight. Squeezed between mountainous peaks, the sounds of the stampeding beasts became a thunderous cacophony that shook her bones. The closer she drew to the rise, the more certain she became that the moment she crested it, she would finally see the enemy that had come to claim the lives of her people.

The sight that awaited her was far beyond her worst nightmares. For a split second, she was completely frozen with a visceral, instinctive terror that threatened to stretch into an eternity of hopelessness. The rolling wave of flesh, claws, and razor-sharp teeth dominated her vision even as the sounds it created completely stole her ability to think.

An alien aura wrapped around her, snapping her awake. She instantly fought back, crushing it with a snarl. The booming voice of General Reifvus, barely heard above the rumbling, brought recognition as to who her assailant was, “Don’t just stand there, run!”

Olive blocked out whatever he said next, her mind focused elsewhere as her gaze swept across his retreating troops. Without wasting time on a single word, she zipped past his soldiers toward the mercenaries taking up the rear. Exhausted, low on mana, and with depleted auras, they struggled mightily to stay ahead of the horde. She grabbed all fifteen of them in her aura; the weight of so many tier sixes reduced her speed to what felt like a crawl.

She fell under the shadow of the moving mountain of beasts. Her heart raced as she pulled the men south with all her might, barely keeping ahead as she desperately fought to emerge from the darkness engulfing her. Far more terrifying than the promise of death on her heels, was the way the rumbling sounds of the horde had morphed into what she now clearly understood as the imperial language being spoken from a million mouths simultaneously.

“Bring him, and live. Bring him, and live. Bring him, and live.”

They can talk! Does that mean they chose not to communicate with us all this time? Why? Are they really beasts? None of that matters! The only thing that’s important right now is that I have to adjust my plans to account for an intelligent enemy. I’ve severely underestimated them. Everyone has.

Olive took control of her wild emotions with a crushing grip. Her thoughts and fears vanished beneath an overwhelming need to return and adjust her plans before it was too late. Her aura constricted, bringing the tier sixes in closer so she could take advantage of the increased efficiency of a condensed aura. Her speed increased and she quickly caught up to the running general who was urging his slowest troops forward with bellowing shouts. Her voice cracked like a whip, silencing his commands, “Lead them directly toward the city! The new formations aren’t finished yet! We only need to divert them for a few more minutes!”

Just as they were leaving the tight confines of the mountain pass, movement above caused Olive to look straight up. A sight just as unusual as hundreds of thousands of pawns stacked atop one another greeted her. One of the dark clouds was rapidly shrinking, creating a widening ring at its far edges that revealed a sky painted red by the emergence of First Father.

Suddenly, three lances of bright white light tore from the center of the diminishing cloud, piercing into the heart of the horde. The lights were gone so fast that they left only a trace of an afterimage embedded in her retinas. The beasts rolled on, oblivious to the strange phenomenon. A moment later, three gaping wounds appeared in their midst as thousands of pawns were unwillingly sucked toward where the lances of light had struck.

Recognition of what was happening caused Olive’s heart to spasm with a burst of hope. A moment later, the tightly compressed matter of all those crushed bodies burst outward, blossoming into three gargantuan explosions that flattened the wave of pawns. A rippling wall of force spread backward along the line of stacked bodies, dismantling their momentum and bringing a halt to their inexorable advance.

For the first time in hours, the rumbling of the horde grew silent and a voice she hadn’t expected to hear for another two days appeared right behind her, “Huh, didn’t expect that to be so effective.”

Olive spun around to find Jiran in a new suit of armor that looked much more advanced than what he had made for her. In the center of his chest, a glowing orb pulsed with a dangerous radiance that spread outward in narrow, sharp lines of energy. Her eyes crept up, finding a smooth metallic helmet. She could easily imagine his signature, relaxed grin behind its reflective visor. A flash of relief swept through her accompanied by an itching pressure behind her eyes.

In that moment, all the desperation, hopes, and desires she had pinned on keeping her people alive until he returned overcame her all at once.

What is wrong with me?! No! I will not cry, damnit. I am a Le’Cruex and I will not cry!

Jiran of Madra

“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” Jiran asked even as he snatched the mercenaries out of Olive’s aura and took off toward the distant city.

Olive regained her senses quickly, catching up to him and responding with a strained voice, “I-it’s nothing! How are you here so early? You said you would check on us tomorrow.”

“What, did you think I would come swooping in at the last second to save the day like some hero from a story?”

“Wha-no! Well, you kind of did, didn’t you?” Olive retorted while giving him a look that dared him to deny it.

“Huh? No way. I was actually planning to stay hidden for a bit longer until I understood the situation but then I realized those two monsters might not actually help you so I stepped in.” Jiran pointed to either side of the city where Mana Omnis had revealed two blazing pinpoints of mana.

“Those two would not have intervened. They are saving their mana for their own battle. You didn’t answer my question! Why did you come back early?”

Huh, she’s definitely flustered. She must be under a lot of stress.

“Daughter and a new… friend told me something big was going to happen so I came back after making a few preparations. Things won’t be ready on my end for another hour, I assume you have a plan? I’m pretty sure I can hold them off for a while but if any higher-tiers show up, I might be in trouble.”

“Now that you’ve scattered their momentum, we should have enough time to get our new formations up and running.”

“New forma—”

Jiran was startled into silence by the activation of one of the nearby synapses. It was being flooded with an unfamiliar mana and intent that raced right toward him. Predicting its path through the snaking web of the framework, he clenched his aura and mana around the next synapse to be activated. The attack struggled mightily against his control and he was forced to suck in his aura, concentrating it over the synapse.

The mercenaries hollered as they were dropped to the filth. Olive's panicked voice was much louder, drowning them out, “Jiran, what’s wrong?!”

“Stay away!” He shouted, throwing out his arm to warn her off even as a burst of his aura sent her tumbling backward.

Thank the Fathers I dropped off Knife before coming to help Olive.

With all his focus and the combined power of his aura, mana, and understanding, Jiran barely managed to beat back the incredible force attempting to reach him. Suddenly, every single synapse within the range of his aura combined into one massive thread as thick as his arm. In less than the blink of an eye, it turned black before a lightning bolt of incredible power raced through it.

The strength and speed of this new attack was a hundred times greater than before and Jiran had no chance of resisting it. The moment the energy coursing through the widened synapse struck his body, a bubble of mana erupted outward and surrounded him in a field of energy that pressed his body into itself until he was yanked into the synapse.

Within less than a blink, he found himself in a pure white space facing five individuals—two of which he recognized. Jiran fell to one knee under the oppressive auras that raged around him, constricting his movements. Through narrowed eyes, he took his first look at all five emperors of mankind. Among them was Palo and Loro, the leaders of the Church of the Voice.

Jiran clenched his jaws and eked out a strained greeting, “My emperors, may you thrive.”