You alive?” Gi called out. A groan rang out in the suddenly quiet basement, but Tiria’s voice soon followed.
“I’ll make it, but I won’t be able to fight anymore.”
Gi got to his feet. Blood oozed out of his chest wound and his leg still hurt to put any weight on, but he wasn't dying. The combination of his Unique Constitution and upgraded Vitality really increased his survivability. His eyes landed on the body of Yom, the Iron Ferret.
"We just killed a Classer...," Gi said, hardly believing it. It was like the Eldritch Forest all over again, but this time, it was his own clan and he'd actually won. "Through Danna, Family. Through Family, Strength."
Looking at their accomplishment, his belief settled into his heart. Danna's system was a triangle where each side supported and propagated the others. If you believed in Danna and had your family, then strength would naturally follow.
His ideas from the Child stage of spreading Danna's word came back to him. Growing his clan in her image and spreading across the world. It wasn't just fueled by the First One's instincts anymore. He had to grow every side of that trinity. More Strength. More Family. Deeper Belief.
But how-
"Boss, a little help here?"
His eyes cut over to Tiria where she was struggling to bandage the cut on her chest. It was much deeper than his and while blood wasn't pouring freely every twitch or jerk caused a fresh downpour. While their wounds weren't the same, it really showcased the power of a Unique Constitution as technically Tiria's Vitality was greater than his.
Gi rushed over and started to wrap the bandage around her. With one arm, he couldn't do much more than help guide it around the back, but that seemed to be enough. Once they were done, she wrapped up his wounds as well. Her backpack had apparently been full of bandages. He'd need to take a full stock of everything she'd gotten at some point.
All wrapped up, Tiria walked gingerly over to Yom's dead body. Strangely, his breastplate had disappeared and an iron ingot was sitting on top. She tossed it into her backpack unceremoniously and then checked to see if he had anything else, but that was it.
"Now let's rescue that kid," Gi said. The two of them walked back over to the prison cells and Gi tossed the door that Yom had blown off its hinges out of the way before unbolting the backmost door.
A small Coastal Goblin with iron teeth and bright shining eyes just stared at them not saying a word. He started to pick him up, but the kid snapped his iron teeth towards him. Despite the fact that this kid had to be at least a stage down from him, those teeth seemed incredibly dangerous.
"Come on, you runt, we're here to help." Gi got no response. Sighing, he grabbed the kid by the scruff of the neck like a kitten and started heading towards the rubble where the stairs used to be. At a glance, it seemed impassable, but the collapsed roof also provided a new exit.
"Looks climbable," Gi said.
"I might bleed all over these rocks, but I think I can manage it."
"I'll go first. I doubt anyone is nearby since our battle would have drawn them in, but might as well be safe at this point."
He handed the kid off to Tiria as he couldn't both hold the kid and climb and then hopped his way up after activating [Concealing Light]. The rubble only shifted a little and the last little bit was a squeeze, but he managed it. At the top, he looked around the mess hall that they'd been in before, but there were no other monsters around.
"All clear." Gi called down and a few moments later, Tiria and the kid had made their way up as well.
Poe come take the kid to the drop off point.
The Fattest Unicorn makes a delivery! Poe's thoughts shouted into his mind. Gi might should have considered getting his friend a different book. He was a bit obsessive it seemed. Still, it didn't take him long to arrive, pick up the kid and then fly off, leaving Tiria and Gi remaining.
"All right, time for the second part of the plan," Gi said and Tiria gave a wicked smile that looked at odds for her stalwart personality.
"Steal everything that's not nailed down."
"An otter after my own heart."
Gi stayed in [Conealing Light], but they didn't bother having Tiria stay in it as speed was more important now. They crossed the mess hall and went through the curtain that separated it from the next room. From Poe's exploration, he'd known this was a barracks with a number of private bedrooms attached. Bunk beds lined the room and the smaller rooms had single beds. It also had a staircase leading up.
What caught their eyes though was the chests. Every single bed had its own chest for storing valuables and none of them had a lock on it. Like piranha devouring their prey, Gi and Tiria opened every chest and swiped what was inside.
The barracks chests only netted them copper, but the ones in the bedrooms had silver as well as some personal effects that weren't particularly valuable. They did find another Body Orb which with the one left over from their upgrades earlier left them at two. Gi took the money and Tiria dropped the Body Orb into her backpack.
With that taken care of, they made their way upstairs. There had been windows here, but Poe hadn't checked it out thoroughly. The stairs ended into a sitting room with some fine wooden chairs off to one side and two doors leading out of the room.
The first led to a bedroom, but unlike the others, it didn't seem to have anything inside other than a much bigger bed. Gi considered stealing one of the fluffy pillows from it, but their space was limited in the pack so they headed to the next room.
A large desk dominated the room with two tall bookshelves flanking it from behind. The bookshelves only had a couple books on it, but it did have several items visible. Several pieces of iron were stacked on one of the shelves similar to what they'd just found on Yom's body. A pair of iron daggers sat on another and a clear glass Orb that looked like a Body Orb except it had a red sheen instead of a chocolate one.
Finding a Heart Orb might have been the most exciting thing if there wasn't an Encampment Crystal floating off to one side of the desk. Both Tiria and Gi stared at it and he couldn't help placing a hand on it.
Encampment Leader still alive. Unable to capture Encampment, raid instead?
Gi probably shouldn't have accepted something that he didn't know what it would do, but he did anyways.
The blue light of the crystal dimmed as all of it focused underneath his paw. A strangely warm sensation that reminded him of when he'd gotten the trait [Borrow my Strength] from Danna. It didn't have the same flavor, if light could be said to have that, but it had that same warmth.
It only took a minute for the crystal to turn entirely inert.
Raid Successful! Encampment Crystal will remain inactive for 5 days.
You've gained 50 Soul Orbs. Current Soul Orbs: 236
Gi hadn't realized that that could be done. He'd have to guard his own Encampment better once he had more clan members. Luckily, few could make it to the bottom of the lake that he knew of. Still, he now had enough Soul Orbs for two more levels. That would put him to his next advancement once he could get back to base.
Uhhhh you might have some incoming... Poe's voice in his mind sent and panic rushed through him. If their entire clan came back, the two of them would have a hard time escaping.
"Loot!" Gi said urgently. He stuffed the paired daggers into his belt and grabbed the Heart Orb to dump in the pack. Tiria grabbed the iron and then started opening the desk drawers. Gi mimicked her though on his side there were only a bunch of papers. He started to ignore them, but thought any knowledge could be useful so he stuffed them into his robe.
The big gash in the top part didn't help him keep his loot inside, but they were trying to be quick. He glanced over to see Tiria had opened up a small box that looked like a jewelry box for a ring. Inside, it had a small glass marble that appeared to have a storm raging inside. Tiria picked it up and studied the hurricane better in the meager sunlight from the window.
With no warning, the marble burst and the hurricane was released into the study. The desk smashed into the wall, shattering into splinters. The bookshelves were torn apart, sending the few books flying around the room. Gi himself was pinned back against the wall, narrowly missing the window and the long drop below.
The wind stopped almost instantly and Gi dropped to the ground. Groaning, he looked back towards Tiria and gaped. The hurricane hadn't stopped. It had Tiria lifted into the air and was pouring through her mouth and into her body. From her expression, she looked like she was screaming, but the hurricane gag prevented any sound from coming out.
Oh, oh, oh. She's really fast. Look out!
Gi didn't have time to react before the wall facing Igna was blown apart and an Iron Ferret stood where it was before. Her breastplate and armor gleamed with a vibrancy of life. Around her floated small chunks of steel that look an awful lot like the metal that had encased Yom.
Instantaneous understanding settled into Gi. This was Ferra. The Progenitor of the Ferrous Clan and leader of one of the Thirteen Ground Clans. They'd barely managed a fight against a regular classer. Now they were both injured with Tiria being currently suspended in midair by the hurricane. There was no way out of this.
Poe, get Elizabeth! I'll pay whatever she wants!
Ferra's gaze had paused on Tiria and disbelief crumbled to fury and hatred. Whatever that glass bead had been was important to her. Gi felt that sense of danger like she had from Yom, but it felt much, much greater and was continuing to build.
She doesn't know I'm here, Gi realized as his [Concealing Light] was still running. He had one chance to stall. He sprinted forwards and his senses continued to scream warning that he was running straight into the mouth of a predator. He didn't stop though.
He churned his Aether, forcing it to move faster than it ever had before. Whatever attack Ferra had building reached a whining pitch to his senses just as Gi slapped his paw against her breastplate. Ferra looked down just as it exploded in fractured light. It didn't do any damage, but the explosion was right at her center of gravity and shoved her out the window.
The hurricane had fully entered Tiria at this point. Her eyes were rolled back in her head and she'd dropped to the ground, twitching wildly. Gi scooped her up with his good arm, thankful for his recent increases in Strength, and sprinted towards the stairs. He didn't make it.
Ferra had returned and had released a squall of her own with it. An almost perfect sphere of tumultuous winds surrounded her and as soon as she'd leaped back onto the third floor. Gi found himself once against slammed back into the wall and pinned by the force. He could barely twitch his own fingers.
The steel shards that had orbited her before stirred about in the storm she'd brought as agitated as her thoughts. "Do you have any idea what you've stolen? What you've taken from me?" Ferra's voice dripped with barely contained anger.
She flung her arm and two casual slashes of wind cut into Gi. He didn't have any hope of dodging and they slashed open his bandages, forcing blood to bloom fresh on his fur.
"Years of my progress. My clan's very ascension-!" Her paw was clenched into a fist and blood dripped down as he own claws dug into her pads. "I will take every one of those years out of your flesh. By the time I'm through, you will welcome the sweet release of death."
She flung another flurry of blades, but these weren't two simple ones. They merged with her personal hurricane and dozens of cuts appeared on his and Tiria's body. Each one a little stronger than the last as though she was measuring their Vitality to ensure they didn't die as she wrung out her fury.
They'd made a huge error after rescuing Hazz. Yom had seemed overwhelming as a classer, but he'd ultimately been a classer that fought like a jobbie. Ferra was in a much higher echelon of power.
Each cut sent pain searing through his body; something his Quicksilver Body couldn't prevent. Blood was oozing from half a dozen cuts and Gi had his eyes squeezed shut to protect them.
POE! PLEASE! Gi yelled in his mind.
As the cuts mounted, a biting cold entered his body. He'd thought she was going to torture them to death, but clearly, this was it. This was as far as they could go. I'm sorry, Danna. Help us through this just one last time.
As in answer to his prayer, the cuts stopped. The cold had sunken deep into his bones at this point so perhaps Ferra planned to keep them alive. Gi peeked open a blood encrusted eye.
Elizabeth stood at the same destroyed wall that Ferra had entered from. She wielded two blades of ice in her hands and a blizzard had erupted around her, battling against Ferra's hurricane. A wild smile played on Elizabeth's lips.
Ferra's anger fell away to fear. "Elizabeth. I'll pay-"
Elizabeth cut her off in her same monotone voice that conflicted wildly with the too wide smile on her face. "You had your chance." Then she charged and as she did, she started to laugh.
Even as he lay pinned against the wall by the storm, he was in awe of their battle. Elizabeth spun, a flurry of snowflakes erupting from her hands, the same that she'd used to freeze the Pikes solid. Ferra immediately countered and her steel shards intercepted them, breaking their chilling attack against the flying steel.
Elizabeth had just used that as an opening though and cut into Ferra's domain, slashing at the progenitor with one of her blades of ice. Ferra blocked it with her bracer and countered with a slicing wind. Elizabeth rolled to the side and stabbed forward with her blade, releasing another flurry of snowflakes at the same time.
Their battle continued in that mesmerizing dance. Neither of them took any wounds from the other like it had all been choreographed ahead of time. Yet, Elizabeth always lead. Every attack had to be countered by Ferra and every biting wind seemed only like a harmless gust.
And through it all Elizabeth laughed.
Gi would have been relieved that she'd saved them, but her arrival seemed to have only sped up their demise. Little shockwaves constantly released from each of their attacks and steel shards crashed through the building. The walls were cracking and crumbling around them and through it all their two domes of power were constantly whittling away at his life force.
Tiria seemed to have stopped convulsing and blood now mixed with filth that was being ejected from her body. She'd gone through a Constitution change just as he had except she'd done it through this battle as well. If he didn't change something, they were both going to die.
Then a wild idea struck him. It might kill him, but it should save Tiria at least.
Poe, get ready!
Gi gathered his Aether, churning it in his chest as he grew its power. His eyes had closed again to ward against the biting wind and creeping cold. All around him, the clatter of ice against iron cracked into the air and all overshadowed by Elizabeth's mad cackle.
Once he'd gathered as much Aether as he could hold, he sent it through his ruined arm. Normally when he used skills, it flowed from the skill and through his body like a smooth highway. His arm that had been destroyed by the rampant eldritch energies was more like a dirt road after a hail storm.
His Aether didn't want to move along the broken channels and agony ripped through him as he pushed the energy along his arm like he had glass in his veins. Screaming through the pain, he shoved it along his broken arm in fits and starts, fighting for every inch of ground. When it finally reached his hand, his channels finally smoothed out and the Aether exploded out of him.
Directly into his stomach.
Screaming, pain washed over him again as he blew a chunk out of his already wounded body. Blood exploded and was tossed up into the air to be immediately frozen and flung about from the conflicting domains. His head felt woozy from the sudden loss of blood, but he'd succeeded.
Behind the hole in his stomach was now a hole in the wall that opened directly to the outside. He could feel Ferra's hurricane trying to force him out of that too small hole, but it wasn't quite big enough. Had he shot himself for no reason?
A stray steel shard smacked into the wall just above Gi and a crack ran straight down to the weakest link - his hole. The wall shattered like a plate broken in half and he and Tiria were forced outside. He clung to her as best as he could, his woozy mind wondering why she felt so light. Wind whipped past them as they fell out away from the mountain.
The cracked and broken ground around Igna rushed up towards them and Gi cursed himself as the two of them had rushed to their death. He'd forgotten a very important detail in his plan. Tired, he closed his eyes and just hoped that he'd get a chance to see Danna on the other side. He had so many questions for her.
Jarringly, their descent stopped as a pair of insect legs snatched them out of the air. The jolt caused another round of pain from the giant hole in his stomach, but he knew that Poe had saved them.
Despite the pain and the trauma of dismembering himself, a small smile stole to his lips. He really liked having a clan.
Then, he passed out.