Chapter 368 - The Call of the Northern Sky

Claire watched curiously as the forest beneath her was rapidly restored. What started as a crater with a fox in the middle was quickly filled with earth. It was not the illusory material that most of her usual spells produced, but real dirt. Some was brought in from other parts of the woodland—a mix of leaves, branches, and soil—while the rest was dug up from a layer further down. She uncompacted the bedrock, crushing it together with the biomass to form a layer of nutrient-rich soil.

If left as is, the fresh compost would only be eroded by the wind and carried back into the forest, but the tree’s roots extended at the fox’s behest and anchored the restored section in place. The very same racial magic that forced the verdant expansion inspired growth in the surrounding greenery. One by one, the plants near the edge of the clearing went into full bloom. A wave of vectors drew the reproductive cells from their sources and spread them all around in a storm of dust and spores.

The cycle repeated six times. Each was driven by a new generation of plants, and the resulting seeds paced closer and closer to the zone’s center. In just a few minutes, it was complete. The once-excavated patch was turned into a clearing, a meadow with small trees sparsely growing within, ready to tower over the field as soon as the decades passed.

Claire landed as soon as the process was complete. A markedly unconscious Jules was the only other person present. Krail and Lana were still wading through the forest, and the others were aboard the ship. The flying castle was slowly going through its disembarkment procedures. It would be a while before the elevator was active.

“Done?” asked the lyrkress, as she turned into a humanoid.

“Mhm. All done.” The fox lifted her butt and gave her back a stretch. Claire picked her up in the middle of the extension and pulled her into a hug. Sylvia happily leaned into the embrace, only to stop and perk up as she realized that it was looser than usual. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

“Mmmnnnn… That sounds like a lie.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Mhm. Totally.” Sylvia sighed as she cast a healing spell on the moose and fixed her wounds. Most were internal, courtesy of the nature of the supposed kelpfin’s attacks. Torn ligaments and ruptured organs made up most of her injuries. Her bones surely would have been broken had she been anyone else, but the worst she experienced was a dislocation. “There. All better.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, come on.” The half-elf puffed up her cheeks. “Now you’re being stubborn.”

Claire squeezed her pet a little harder. “Thanks, Sylvia.”

“You’re very welcome,” said the furball. She spun around, wrapped her paws around the qiligon’s neck, and rested her chin on her shoulder. There was a big smile on her face, spread from cheek to cheek.

“What are you doing?”

“Comforting you.” She buried her face even deeper in the other halfbreed’s nape. “You fought really hard today.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” said Claire. “I don’t need comforting.”

Sylvia sighed. “You don’t have to act so tough. The fighting’s already over, and I’m the only one here.”

“Jules is here.”

“He doesn’t count! He’s not even conscious!”

“He still exists.” A soft laugh escaped Claire’s throat as she allowed herself to fall back into the grass. She spread her arms wide, burying them amidst the blooming flowers. “You fought today too.”

“Mhm.” Sylvia rolled to the side and assumed her humanoid form as she hit the grass. She was just far enough away for the tips of their fingers to touch. A warm, reassuring presence. “Just a little.”

“You sank nineteen ships.”

“Yeah, but I only really cast like three spells.”

“That’s three more than I wanted you to cast.”

“I don’t really think I had a choice, this time.”

“I know.” Claire rolled over and stole the half-elf’s giant, puffy tail. “But still.” The lyrkress sank her face into the fluff and ran her fingers through the fine hairs, tracing the individual strands all the way down to their roots.

“Now you’re just being silly,” said Sylvia, with a giggle. She rolled over as well and poked the smaller girl’s nose.

“I know.”

There was a moment of silence, filled only by the evening wind. For a while, it remained unbroken, even as the half-elf tackled the snake and pulled her into a cuddle.

A little closer than before, they turned their eyes skyward and watched the glimmering heavens. It was a beautiful night. Yrild-ikurh had cleared the clouds and provided a perfect canvas through which they could watch the stars. A bright nebula cut across the aether, coloured in blues, oranges, purples, and reds. Its light was only second to Griselda’s, with both brilliant objects outshining all others within their celestial embrace.

“Sylvia.”

“Mhm?”

“I think I'm going to ask Alfred to fix my circuits.”

“H-huh!?” Sylvia blinked. Thrice. “R-really!?”

“I need to heal. I need my spirit guardians, I need my breath, and I need my realm.” She squeezed the tail a little harder. “I can't keep fighting like this. Not if I’m to face my father.”

“He’s gonna see you naked!”

“With how much he spies on me, us, I doubt that’s anything new. In the first place, it’s not that weird for a doctor to ask a patient to strip.”

“H-he’s totally gonna ogle. Like, lots. Way more than anyone should.”

Claire shrugged. “People ogle at me all the time. Everyone stares at my ears, even though they all know they shouldn’t. You’ve seen how the Cadrians behave.”

“I-I mean, I guess. But he’s gonna be super weird about it.”

Claire tilted her head. “Why are you making excuses? You’re the one who told me he could do it in the first place.”

“I-I know, but…”

“But?”

Sylvia didn’t answer. She only pulled Claire closer and buried her face in her hair.

The lyrkress sighed. “Fine. I’ll think about it some more.”

There was still no verbal response, only the tiniest of nods, pressed right into her shoulder.

They stayed like that for a while, with Claire nearly drifting off to sleep. She only managed to retain her consciousness because she could hear the others coming. Krail and Lana had made it into the clearing, with the former panting his lungs out and the latter nonchalant.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“It looks like you managed to come out ahead without us,” wheezed the elf. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The last time I’ve seen something as powerful as that spell of yours was the ti—”

“Enough.” Claire pinched the elf’s tongue. “I’m trying not to sleep right now.”

“Well, in that case, I’d suggest sitting up,” said the elf, indignantly. “And I wouldn’t exactly say my stories are for bedtime use in the first place. They’re a lot more exciting than sorts of the things you’d use in place of lullabies.”

“I must admit, they are often quite entertaining,” said Arciel. She joined the group as the battleship’s elevator made its way to the ground. Her voice was markedly shaky, and though she was trying to stay strong, her expression was every bit as grim as her maid’s.

The pair had arrived alongside a trio of corpses, placed upon a trolley transformed into a makeshift stretcher.

Chloe carefully laid the bodies down in the soil, one next to the other with their faces up, their hands on their chests, and eyes carefully closed. None of the corpses was stained with blood. All three had been wiped down and cleaned, their wounds the only signs of their violent ends. Even those had been covered up at least. Panda and Matthias each had a blanket over their abdomens, whereas Ace had been stitched back together.

“How?” asked Lana, quietly.

“Let us first ensure that we are all awake before engaging in any discussion,” she said. Her voice was low, the words spoken so quietly that they were easily missed.

“Gimme a sec,” said Sylvia. Hopping to her feet and dragging Claire with her, she grabbed the clam’s outer rim and rattled him until he rose from his slumber.

The man was still groggy. It took him a moment to rise, and he kept a hand against his brow even as he did. He was groaning aloud, struggling with a violent headache. And it was no wonder. He had only been barely hanging onto life by the time the fox had retrieved and fixed him. Falling to the ground had completely shattered his shell and splattered its contents all over the makeshift crater. Needless to say, his consciousness had vanished somewhere in the middle, and it wasn’t exactly ready to be returned.

“What the fuck do you want?” He slowly opened his eyes when he was met with silence, and took a long, careful look at the corpses. “Shit, eh?”

“My thoughts exactly,” agreed Krail. “It seems we’ve reached an unfortunate impasse.”

Jules scanned the clearing. “Where’s the girl? I know they killed her already bu—”

“Sophia was never slain,” said Arciel. “It was she who stole their lives.”

“Her? Really?” Krail took an audible breath. “She’s pretty much the last one I would’ve suspected.”

“I am equally as appalled,” admitted the queen.

“I don’t suppose any of the rivers around here lead all the way out to sea?” asked the elf, his eyes on the corpses.

“We tried looking when we were up high, but we couldn’t find any,” said Chloe.

It was a Vel’khanese tradition that demanded the waterway. Their funerals were not particularly elaborate, but they were based on the idea that the sea was the source of life. By sending their fallen back out towards it, they could return their bodies to the flow, as the goddess so kindly did for their souls.

“I can fly them out,” said Claire. “The coast isn’t too far.”

“Perhaps not,” said Arciel. “But I wish to observe the standard tradition. They deserve that, at least.”

“Uhmmm, in that case, I can probably spin up a river real quick,” said Sylvia. “Either that, or we can fly around for a bit and find one.”

“I would not be against creation. It would be an honour for a fresh river to be carved in their names,” said Arciel. “Have we any objections?”

“I’ve got one. We should be saving all this for later,” said Jules. “We need to get our shit in order.” There were some mixed reactions from the crowd, but he ignored them and continued. “They wouldn’t have wanted us to get hung up on their account.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to agree with the clam on that one. The longer you sit around, the more time and money you waste.” The statement came from a little further away. When they turned toward its source, they found a morbidly obese raccoon wandering out of a brush. He clearly wasn’t the same individual that lay bloodless in front of them. Even disregarding his gargantuan waistline, he couldn’t have possibly been Panda; he was only two-thirds his height and his fur was completely devoid of soot. But at the same time, they found it impossible to deny his identity. His voice and his mannerisms were exactly the same.

“Was that the last of them?” asked Claire.

“For now, I think,” said the sphere. “Based on how long it’s taking me to pick up some of the news, I’m thinking they managed to figure out a way through my information network. I’ll probably need a week or two to get it filled in.”

“Do it faster,” said Claire. “Two weeks is a long time to go without reliable information.”

“Sure, if you pay me. The total’s gonna be a hundred spears, twenty swords and seven daggers, plus maybe an extra ten percent or so if you want it up within the next three days.”

“Put it on my father’s tab.”

“Ain’t gonna work. I need cash.”

“Take it from my father’s wallet.”

“Trust me, I would if I could.”

“I require an explanation,” said Arciel. “I presume this to be the case from Claire’s behaviour, but are you truly the Panda with whom we have been in contact?”

“In the flesh.”

“Did you not sacrifice yourself earlier?”

“I did, yeah.”

Arciel furrowed her brow. “I do not understand.”

“What, you never seen a guy buy back his life before?”

“The god of death would never allow it,” said Arciel.

“Who says I went through that loser?” said the raccoon, with a laugh. “All you’d get from dealing with him is an angry rejection.”

“Putting that matter aside,” the squid glanced at Claire, “were you aware of his impending resurrection?”

“No. But he’s the type that only cares about himself.”

Ciel sighed. “Even with that being the case, I must say that the inscrutability of your face remains terrifying as ever.”

“I’m pretty sure she only gets harder to read when she’s surprised,” said Sylvia. She finally let go of Claire’s hand and moved over to the raccoon’s former shell, which she prodded with her foot. “So uhmm… what’re we supposed to do with this? Are we getting rid of it, or what?”

“Just leave it. I still need it for something later,” said Panda. “More importantly, there’s something you’ll have to figure out before you head any further north.”

“And what, precisely, is it that you are referring to?” asked Ciel.

“Your headcount,” said Panda. “You’re down to five.”

“Not a problem,” said Claire. “If you play your hand.”

“Yeah, I’m not so sure about that one,” said the raccoon. “I’m not much of a fighter, and I don’t exactly stand to profit.”

“Then find me someone who is. There has to be someone in your organization worth their salt if you’re capable of outwitting my father’s spymasters.”

The raccoon tapped a foot against the floor. “I dunno. I was actually thinking about pulling out of this whole operation of yours. It hasn’t exactly been paying the best dividends.”

“Knock it off.” Claire rolled her eyes. “I know you’re just trying to get more than you deserve.”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly be a very good merchant if I wasn’t, would I?” he said, with a laugh.

“Then we’re fine. Chloe makes seven,” said Claire.

“Wait, me!? Why me!?”

“You’re the only one left.”

“Sylvia’s right there!” said the maid. “She’s clearly the better choice.”

“I do understand your apprehensions, Claire, but I must agree with Chloe. She did perform to an acceptable degree with Sylvia’s enhancements, but I do not believe she is capable of gaining a sufficient amount of power in time,” said Arciel.

“Even your goddess thinks Chloe is the better choice,” said Claire. “Sylvia never got Griselda’s quest.”

The queen lightly tapped her fan against her chin. “I do suppose I see your point. Perhaps we can come to a compromise?”

The snake-horse narrowed her eyes. “Explain.”

“If Chloe is capable of reaching a racial level of nine hundred prior to the tournament’s commencement, then I shall acquiesce. If not, then we shall opt for Sylvia in her stead.”

Claire paused. “Fine.” She turned to the maid in question. “I’ll have her done by our third month in Cadria.”

“H-huh!? Third month!?” cried the maid. Her face paled as she looked between the royals.

“Don’t worry.” Claire put on her most innocent smile. “It’ll be a lot easier than it sounds.”

“What are you talking about!? Eight-fifty’s supposed a straight plateau! How do you expect me to break past that!?”

The maid started squawking about something or other, but the lyrkress’ attention had already been shifted elsewhere. She squeezed Sylvia’s fingers, assumed her true form, and waited for the fox to board before shooting straight up towards the heavens.

“Claire!? Claire, get back here! You can’t just run away without explaining anything! At least tell me what you’re thinking!”

Still ignoring the vampire, she gazed upon the mountains that ran along the horizon.

It wasn’t far now. They were only five borders away from the home she had abandoned. Cadria was calling, and she was ready to answer.

All that was left was to cross the northern sky.