Chapter 14: Foundations 4

Elania gritted her teeth as the wind whipped against her face, red hair streaming behind her like a banner. She channeled her [Divine Power] and [Demonic Aura] to create a wedge in front of her, allowing her to breathe in the face of the relentless pressure.

Arlois’ voice carried over the roaring wind, shouting back at her, “Spark, I’m impressed you can keep up!”

Elania grit her teeth. Dropping her focus long enough to respond was impossible. They flashed over the rolling green hills stretching out in every direction beneath them.

Small villages passed by, but their details were blurred by the sheer speed of their flight. As they passed over a town, smoke rose from its center, but they were too high up to discern any specifics.

In the distance, a larger town appeared, burgeoning with activity and teeming with wagons. Arlois descended slightly, giving Elania a better view of the lively settlement. In the middle of the town, Arlois came to a halt, and Elania flared her wings to stop beside her in midair.

“What’s happening?” Elania asked.

Arlois pointed to the south. “We’re almost there, but we need to change direction.”

Elania nodded. Even demi-divines didn’t possess perfect mental maps of locations and relied on landmarks like the town below to navigate.

She adjusted her course, following Arlois’ lead.

They shot southward, the terrain beneath them transitioning from lush greenery to a more coastal landscape.

In the far distance, the glimmering expanse of the ocean came into view. The Fire Seas? She recalled the map she and Yolani had once studied together. The body of water was supposed to stretch endlessly to the south while pressing against the continent’s entire southern coast.

As they approached their destination, a massive hole in the ground filled with sand and water came into view. They landed beside it, the wind from their wings stirring up small eddies in the sand and puddles.

“Where’s the village that reported the beast?” Elania asked, scanning the area for any signs of life.

Arlois gestured towards the gaping hole. “You’re looking at it.”

Elania did a double-take, searching for any indication of an underwater village or hidden settlement.

A chill ran down her spine. The village had been wiped out. That had been in the report, and Arlois had told her, but it hadn’t really sunk in. Not until now.

“What kind of ‘land beast’ is it?” Elania asked.

Arlois laughed. The sound seemed out of place in the desolate surroundings. “You’ll find out soon enough.” She held up her hand, expression turning serious. “But for now, be quiet. I need to focus.”

Golden energy began to surround Arlois, the air around her shimmering with power. Instinctively, Elania scooted away to a safe distance.

A pillar of light erupted from Arlois, shooting high into the sky and flying outward in a growing ring. A pong sound reverberated in the air.

What the heck, was that some type of magical radar?

As quickly as it had appeared, the pillar of light vanished, and Arlois turned to face Elania. She pointed to the east. “We need to follow it that way.”

They left a pair of dazzling golden streaks as they soared across the sky again.

An hour passed before Arlois suddenly halted, extending her arm to point at something in the distance. Elania's gaze followed, and her eyes widened. A massive crustacean loomed ahead.

Its enormous shell gleamed in the sunlight, powerful claws looking capable of crushing boulders. A gigantic crab? This had to be some sort of joke.

Activating her [System Analysis], she scanned the creature.

[Megabeast - Digger Crab]

She turned to Arlois, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Seriously, is that the 'land beast' we're after?"

Arlois nodded. "Indeed, it is."

Elania's amusement faded as the crab's sheer size registered, memories of the devastated village flooding back. This was no laughing matter.

"How are we going to deal with it?"

Arlois laughed. "You can figure it out. Consider it your punishment for the arena incident."

Annoyance flared at Arlois' dismissive attitude, but Elania quickly pushed it aside. How much of her abilities should she reveal? The Purple Wing had been more ally than not so far, but then again, so had the Neftasu Magisters once. Keswick's betrayal had taught her to be wary of powerful figures.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The 'strategic' laser beam probably wasn't needed.

No matter her course of action, it would cost resources. She could either expend [Power] from her mana shards or tap into her own [Divine Power].

Frustrated, she turned to Arlois. "What do you think I should do?"

Arlois merely chuckled, that same amused glint in her eye. No response came, leaving Elania to fend for herself.

Annoyance surged through her. Teeth gritted, she would handle this alone.

She flew towards the [Digger Crab], reaching over her shoulder to grab Eziel. She unsheathed the sword, holding it aloft.

"Wake up, Eziel!" she yelled, pushing [Divine Power] into the blade.

[What do you want, Godling?]

Eziel's voice echoed in her mind, tinged with irritation.

Elania pointed the sword at the massive crustacean. “We need to defeat that crab.”

[Why not just blow it up and be done with it? Why bother me with trivialities?]

Frustration reached a boiling point. Without thinking, she hurled Eziel, putting all her strength behind the throw. The sword soared through the air.

[This is not the proper way to treat me, Godling!]

Suddenly, the sword began to glow, a brilliant light emanating from its blade.

Eziel accelerated, becoming a streak of radiance as he shot forward like a missile. In a flash, he punched through the crab’s head, emerging from the other side like a lance of pure energy. The crab’s exoskeleton shattered, and its lifeless body crumpled to the ground.

Eziel arced through the air, returning to Elania’s hand with a satisfying smack.

Well, that was that.

Arlois caught up to her, eyes wide with surprise and confusion. She pointed at the sword in Elania’s hand. “Where did that come from?”

What?

Elania glanced down at Eziel, unsure of how to respond. Hadn’t he addressed Arlois directly when they had arrived in the city?

[I don’t wish to be revealed to them, Godling. Just say I’m your magic sword.]

Somehow, she kept her expression neutral. “It’s just my magic sword.”

Arlois seemed to accept the explanation without missing a beat and turned her gaze to the horizon. “We have more to do. The digger crabs often come out of the ocean by the dozen during mating season, but they are much too early this year.”

Elania’s curiosity piqued, and she opened her mouth to ask who would typically handle the crabs. But before she could voice her question, her attention was drawn to the fallen creature’s corpse. She turned to Arlois, her eyes gleaming with interest.

“Is it worth anything?”

Arlois considered the question, her gaze assessing the crab’s massive form. After a moment, she nodded. “Yes, but how will you hope to carry it back to Contia?”

Elania’s shoulders slumped as realization dawned on her. She had no answer to the problem. Determined to find a solution, she flew down to the crab’s body and touched it, activating her [Soul Siphon] ability.

Arlois watched, her eyes widening in shock as the crab’s body began to dissolve, its essence flowing into Elania.

“What did you do?” she asked.

Elania looked up. “I can use my Lesser Demon ability to absorb the dead,” she explained while watching her [HUD] and [Divine Power] gauge. It went up a single point. [Power] really didn’t like to transfer into [Divine Power] without massive loss.

But her mana shards were full already, so there wasn’t much else she could do with it. As the last of the crab’s essence merged with her own, a system message popped up.

[You have gained the skill: Underwater Breathing!]

Elania frowned. Why was that a skill and not a perk?

They spent the remainder of the day hunting Digger Crabs, their combined efforts yielding more than a dozen of the massive crustaceans. She absorbed their essence each time.

[You have gained a rank in Underwater Breathing!]

[You have gained a level!]

[You have gained a rank in Underwater Breathing!]

As the sun began to set, Elania expected them to return to Contia. Instead, Arlois led them to the top of a hill, where they made camp for the night. Arlois effortlessly conjured a campfire, the flames casting a warm glow across the hilltop.

“Why aren’t we staying somewhere more comfortable?” Elania asked.

Arlois shrugged, settling down beside the fire. “It would be more trouble than it’s worth.”

Elania hugged her knees to her chest, curling her wings around herself. Despite her newfound power, she missed the comforts of a proper bed. And a certain warm, soft girl.

She didn’t feel tired or the need to sleep, but the darkness made hunting impossible. [Darkvision], which had been so useful underground, seemed less effective outdoors under the stars and at long distances.

“The Digger Crabs weren’t always like this,” Arlois said, voice taking on a wistful tone.

Elania glanced over at the other woman. Oh. It was story time?

Arlois continued, “Long ago, they were friendly creatures, bringing fish to the villages and helping to sustain the people.”

Elania leaned forward. “What changed?”

Arlois sighed, expression somber. “About five hundred years ago, a demi-divine from the east hunted them down. Since then, the crabs have turned against the villages, destroying as many as they can.”

That was sad. It also showed that the crabs had long memories. The cycle of violence had lasted half a millennia? What had motivated the eastern demi-divine to hunt them in the first place?

The next morning they continued their hunt. Their efforts yielded several more crabs, but as the sun climbed toward noon, Arlois finally called a halt to their hunt. “We’ve done enough for now, they should recede far enough to not harass the local villages.”

Elania nodded, looking at the last victim of their hunt. Now she just needed a way to take it back with them. “Just give me a few minutes. I want this one.”

The Purple Wing raised an eyebrow. “And how do you plan to carry it?”

A smile played on Elania’s lips as an idea formed. She made her way to the nearest trees. Closing her eyes, she focused on combining her [Demonic Aura] and [Basic Handcrafting] skills, reaching out with her mind to gather fibers from the surrounding vines and plants.

Guided by an invisible force, the fibers wove themselves into primitive ropes, growing into long, thick lengths.

When she opened her eyes, the entire area was stripped bare, save for the trees themselves. Little critters and animals fled into the deeper parts of the woods, startled by the sudden change.

Arlois approached and muttered under her breath, “You shouldn’t mention this to Elysia, or she might be annoyed.”

Elania nodded, surprised at how well her idea had worked. The ropes, as if possessing a life of their own, looped around the crab’s massive corpse, trussing it. There was even a loop at the top for her to grab hold of.

With a mighty flap of her wings, she lifted the crab into the air. The weight was substantial but not impossible for her to manage.

Arlois laughed at the sight, shaking her head in disbelief. “This is ridiculous.”