"Are you implying I'm weak?" She asks coldly… This is way too far off from the scenario I had imagined. She stands to turn and look at me while brandishing two scalpels that had just appeared on her hands. "You looking for a bea—Zen!?"
"That's me." I reply, watching her scalpels disappear into who knows where. The strain in her demeanor visibly relaxed as she stood there breathing in silence.
"What are you doing here?" She asks me after a moment, turning to sit back down by her fire.
"Well, this good friend of mine got news about her family, all of whom we thought had been among the casualties of Simon's attack. She instantly drops every single thing she's doing and sets out on a rescue journey! Alone…" I teased, "What kinda friend am I if I don't do the same and follow her."
She tsks in frustration. "If you're just here to make me feel worse. Go away!" Uh, she's supposed to cheer up, if only a bit, not get even more angry…
"Nah, I think there is a misunderstanding. I'm here to help." I tell her, asking for permission to sit by her fire, one she begrudgingly granted. "So what's the plan?"
"Head north to sea." She replies.
"Then? Do you know exactly where they are, or is it a general hunch? Intuition? Any landmarks they can give us?" I ask her for details, If we're going to succeed. She–we've got to stop going in blindly.
She does not look at me, but replies with an, "I don't know…" Abruptly she stands up and yells, "I DON'T KNOW!"
"Well, find out." I say calmly. "Who sent you the text, your brother? Ask him for clues, for landmarks, there has to be something. What species of merfolks are they facing? Is there anything visible on the horizon? Position of the sun?"
"I'll try," she half-whispers, looking embarrassed.
"Did he have his map unlocked before disappearing?" I ask as an afterthought. She doesn't reply, eyes focused on her interface.
---
"No map, he just bought it. He said they are facing a mix of fish and crab-like creatures, but there are a few of the other variants too. It's also sea all around him as far as he can see. As for the sun, it is currently high above them, so they can't tell, but he promises to pay attention."
"There is not much to go by," I mutter as I digest the information. "In fact, there is nothing at all. Are they in immediate danger? Like, they need us to be there now!?"
Her eyes return to the empty space before her face before she says, "no. He thinks they'll be fine for a few days. That they have managed to construct decent defenses."
"Okay, so what do you think about returning to Rumah for now? There might be better options others can think of that we cannot." I say slowly while observing her facial expression. She still looks confused, but seemed to have thought it over before agreeing.
—
37 Monster Cores with too little mana, various well preserved food and drink, and 71 infused and labeled cubes; 28 Lesser Heals, 32 Magico Disks that summons I forgot how many disks, five Light at one of the first three mastery stages and 7 Unsoils. Are items that I had kinda forgotten about. They are currently arranged on a table in my rank 4 Mana Tower.
At the price of their monster's level squared then subtracted another 25%, so, for a total of 702 Creds, I sold the low mana content Monster Cores to the System store. Then allowed Henry to take all the cubes for Rumah. Now that my repository is empty, I recast the spell to enlarge its available space with my new mana pool; achieving a monstrous storage space of 5 meter cube with about 50 or 60 centimeters of extra height. This would suffice!
We figured it would be a good idea to carry along one of Rumah's newly created HoverBus. Which I later found to be a 4.5 long, 3 meters wide, and 2 meters high vehicle constructed out of mana infused steel and glass, enchanted for durability. And featuring anti-gravity enchantments as well as a sufficient propulsion system that is powered by human infused mana or any type of Cores. The HoverBus can easily accommodate 22 people sitting, including a driver and co-driver... Shouldn't have sold those cores huh.
We packed the vehicle with supplies like food, warm clothes and blankets before I took the whole thing into my Repository and into its own tight-fitting compartment. While the various food I had had I dropped into my Pocket Suspense… Now to find them.
Mostly, we are waiting for night to fall, when Henry and Kirana will attempt to identify their whereabouts by comparing star positions. I, instead, am looking through the System Store for a spell that might help. Clairvoyance spells will show us their visuals, but not divulge their location. While most tracking spells require a catalyst of sorts, hair, blood, nails, et al—Henry assumes we might be able to use Kirana's. Other spells will allow us to form a bond of sorts; usually soul or karmic, that once bonded will show us the way to our precious others.
Speaking of karma stuff—call this an educational hunch, I feel that besides the catalyst-powered tracking ritual, a karmic spell might work wonders. Afterall, she has had her lifetime to form a karmic bond with them. I'd say that is a great catalyst-bond if there ever is one. Even if it had happened pre-integration. I mind-keyed in karmic spells on the System store.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Detect Karmic Thread
Gauge Karma
Karmic Alteration
Karmic Braiding
Karmic Retribution
Karmic Surfing
Severance
Sowing Thread
Among the few that caught my attention, only Gauge Karma is a Journeyman Rank spell, the rest being Expert Rank and beyond. Severance being the highest at Legendary. But Detect Karmic Thread is the one I am guessing would help us given the current situation. And possibly the Master Rank Karmic Surfing, which has an extraordinary price tag. For now, I'll buy just the Expert spell for 650,000 Creds. 'Inspect.'
** DING **
The stronger thy bonds, the mightier a thread. At the cost of [target lv * 5] mana, a target affected by this spell may see, and only see, with their own naked eyes the Karmic bonds that exist between themself and other individuals for [matk/1000] seconds.
"You got something?" Kirana asks the moment I'm done.
"Well, I bought this new spell…" I explain to all present. We are currently scattered about the area outside of Henry's Mana Tower that is positioned to the West, in a location that kinda mirrors mine. I know that as I was browsing the Store, they should be attempting to compare the night stars with Andre, Kirana's brother. "Any progress on your side?"
"Not much, we're having trouble identifying any constellations, as a lot of them have changed." Henry says in calm-frustration, "if only the VICOS can send pictures."
"I'm pretty sure the VICOS can, a person I know kinda mentions doing a live show and saying it would help sell my spell… it did." I tell them, as his words reminded me of Rascarna the maybe-God… Still walking down memory lane, I was reminded of a few extra details of my encounter with Andre. So I ask, "I'm pretty sure I gave him enough Creds to buy the Ambient Mana Network for his VICOS. That should cover our whole continent. Since he is just now texting you, was he out of reach and had just upgraded?"
"I'll ask," she focuses on her interface for a few minutes before telling us. "It's as you said, his connects through Ambient Mana and he hasn't yet upgraded. Something about a strong isolating barrier that had just been dispelled. So, they have been protected by a barrier-dome or something. My mom somehow conjured it. And it had been preventing his VICOS to send texts, but even now, he has to be outside of their cave-hideout to message me."
I nod at the information to tell her I'm listening, but keep quiet to sort my thoughts. Well, no idea about the barrier, but he says he has to be outdoors? Ambient mana should be everywhere, even underground. But it does say on the Store that it would only connect people within a continent. Maybe something is different with the sea's mana. So they are definitely overseas, still not getting why being outdoors matters… This is achieving nothing. So I look at Kirana and say, "well, while Henry is System-shopping for some kinda image transfer feature, how about we try my new spell?"
"Sure." She says weakly.
"I'll cast it on myself, then on you." I told her and did as spoken. The spell only lasts for a little less than four seconds, during which I can see myself surrounded by threads—a lot like individual spider webs—coming out of me and traveling into someone or the far distance. The thickest thread leads to people I've known for a long time; my parents. The rest differs in size depending upon how close I am and how long I have known the individual. Very interesting.
"I can see it, four thick threads that lead in the same general direction!" Kirana mentions excitedly. "Let's go now!"
She points to the east-north-east, so without further ado, we depart; Kirana on her own dragon familiar and I on Gon, along with Dianti, Roy and Yuliana on a Pegasus, Gryphon and another pegasus respectively. Two extra pegasi eggs were brought along. We may have the HoverBus, but a Familiar mount is more flexible and cost effective, as they mostly feed on Ambient Mana.
I make sure to cast Detect Karmic Threads on Kirana every few minutes, it only costs 80 mana. With my current mana regeneration, I gain back the mana spent within five seconds! My mind, even all four, find it hard to keep up with how fast my physique progresses through devouring. Nevertheless, with attributes, a higher number is definitely better.
After a few hours of flight, we stop for a break near the sea. It is now 2.52 in the morning on a new day, they need sleep while I need to, uh~. devour… 1 Plague Fly from my Pocket Suspense, a lv 10 monster which I completely swallowed in under a minute. Then, I stay awake with a beam torrent cast on one hand; my left, to shoot at any approaching Merfolks that had started coming at us since about thirty minutes post-landing. Their levels range from as low as a 3 all the way to the 20s, though most are at around level 10s. Small fries all of them.
Even having to lift up my hands to shoot at these weaklings are making me feel like I'm expending too much effort. I stare at the gun barrel on my hands absentmindedly… Beam Torrent. With my right hand this time, but rather than allow the spell to take form as it usually does. I hold it just as the barrel is about to form near my hand and mentally shift it upwards. Then I allow a monopod—rotate-able joints and all—to extend down from it and attach to myself.
I feel like Warmachine!
Inwardly chuckling to myself, I dismissed the one on my left arm to recast the spell. "Muahahaha," I whisper a villain-laugh while the two turrets shoot lightning beams at a pair of merfolk that had just exited the sea. They come in pairs or up to ten at once, their numbers probably depending a lot on their levels, at intervals of about five to ten minutes. Not limited by the number of arms, I can have more than two Beam Torrents active now, which is awesome!
After about two hours of slaying suicidal fish-people and feeling like I'm living in an Idle-Game, they stopped coming. Took them long enough! I grudgingly stand up, summoned a few Weal-lifes and started collecting their Monster Cores, waste not bla bla... Not bad, free fuel for our HoverBus at the least. Their bodies I toss away back into the sea, still have plenty to devour anyways. Then, with my conjured assistant un-conjured and back on my seat by the camp, I mentally trigger my notifications.
** DING **
Skill level up, All-Armor Proficiency 10 > 11
Skill level up, Visualization 33 > 34
Slain Merfolks lv 3 - 20 x 86
875 syscred and 1,710 exp awarded
Spell mastery rank up, Beam Torrent Basic > Intermediate
I feel like I have stagnated from lack of challenge…
As I entertain the thoughts of leaving earth and exploring the galaxy, Kirana woke, soon followed by the others. So I took a fifteen minute nap—we have figured; this thing about needing less sleep is influenced by high constitution—and woke up to the others discussing how to make a boat.
Do we need one?