Like stepping into a cold shower, the realization that he would have to head straight into enemy lands to find another Facet of Origin shocked him free of his meditative state. Before he knew it, he had slammed back into his body and sat up retching as the sensations of the physical world momentarily overlapped with his spiritual perceptions.
Kindle squawked in protest, having settled to sleep on his warm chest during the break. She quickly relocated to his shoulder as he tried to collect himself. The notification icon had started flashing as he came to and he opened it to try and get his mind off his rolling stomach.
Congratulations! You have uncovered significant truths of the spiritual realm:
Spirit Walk Level up!
Spirit Walk Level 14 > 17
It was good to see his work in Meditation have such an immediate impact on another skill. Tilly cleared the screen, mulling over just how complicated cleansing his infection had become, let alone giving the Alliance a chance to survive. The group standing nearby had thinned considerably while he had been out, and Tilly was surprised to note that the morning had progressed to early afternoon. Ichiro, Hiro, and now Franklin headed over when they saw he was back with them.
“Sorry, that took longer than I expected.” Tilly croaked, swallowing down another wet burp, and offering Kindle a few comforting strokes before getting to his feet. Touching her felt like touching a silk sheet fresh from the dryer, it was all smooth warmth, and he couldn't help but stroke her feathers every time she perched on him.
“I can see you have an answer for us... what is it?” Hiro asked his inscrutable crystalline gaze resting on Tilly as he collected his thoughts.
“Good news and bad news,” Tilly answered slowly, nodding a greeting to Franklin as the new addition to the discussion.
“I figured out how to pick up a directional heading for the Origin's Bloom. It took a while, but I am pretty sure I could do it much faster if I had to try again, effectively giving me directional feedback for its location. It feels close... not just over the horizon or anything, but much closer than it was when we were back at the Capital.”
“Good, our planning had reached an impasse until we had a way to navigate for the party we are assembling for this quest,” Hiro replied.
“Well... that was the good news. The bad news is-” he paused, hitching his thumb over his shoulder, toward the army of infected bloodsucking death slowly spilling over the far end of the plains.
“Our objective is behind them.”
Hiro’s face didn’t change at the announcement, and Ichiro limited himself to a slight tightening of his eyes. Good old Franklin, on the other hand, stared wide-eyed over Tilly’s shoulder as if struggling to process the implications of this news. The most sensible reaction of the three.
“Great ancestor help us…” He uttered, his wide green jaw slowly clenching down in a nervous frown.
“Pretty much how I feel, Franklin. Well, anyone got any ideas on how to get past them?” Tilly asked turning from Franklin to the two stoic Lapins who took a moment to share a look at his question.
While waiting for their reply, Tilly looked up, examining the sky over the wall in detail. The line dividing the two areas of influence over the Land was clearly demarcated by a distinct difference in hues. Somewhere slightly beyond the wall, the two different skys mingled and Tilly guessed that was where the boons influence ended.
The sky Inside the barrier had blurred once the Boon activated, still moving between night and day, but in a vague sort of way, without showing any of the particular or peculiar celestial bodies that could be found on Nephesh. On his patrols, he had always been in the forest under a canopy when they skirted the barrier and he had not been able to look up at the meeting place between the two skies.
On the edge of their territory, without any trees or mountains blocking the view, Tilly noticed two things. First, the hue of the sky beyond the wall was a bruised purplish color and clouds covered the sky. The land still seemed to be moving between day and night, but the cloud cover was thick and persistent, and Tilly realized that in all his visits to the wall, he had never seen anything but a cloud-covered sky over the distant rust-brown plains.
Second, as he followed the path of the sky to the still distant force, he saw the clouds progressively get darker and more menacing until they were the steely grey of a pregnant and angry storm.
“We had hoped otherwise to be sending you away from the conflict, but preparations have already been made in case of this eventuality.” Ichiro finally said, his face so placid that he might as well have been talking about the weather.
“We always knew you would have to set out to find the last piece of our Faction advancement requirement. So the question has been who would we send with you? Father knew we needed to give this mission its best chance of success without weakening our defense too much to hold until you succeeded and it was a tricky balance to strike.”
“And now that we know it's a strike into enemy territory it is even more complicated," Tilly followed up on Ichiro's thought, "Who were you thinking of sending with me? We need to be able to move fast, survive, and hide if we are going to make it to the Facet. Then we need to obtain its patronage somehow and get me cured while we are at it…”
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Ichiro nodded along with Tilly's examinations of the party requirements, “The only thing you didn't mention is that the ideal party would have a healer... Unfortunately, none of the ones we can spare will survive the trip, and the only one we know would survive is bound to serve the temple for a year.” added with a sigh.
“So we opted for a utility build over a specified role build for this mission's party. No party member will fill any role perfectly, but each will make up for it with lateral skills and Abilities. Am I correct in assuming that Honored Kindle will soon be able to sustain flight?” He asked turning to Tilly’s shoulder which may as well have held an empress for the way she preened at the Lapin's respectful term of address.
"Cheep," she replied proudly, ruffling her now almost complete coat of azure feathers.
“By that, she means, she can glide, but no flying yet. Although she assures me that she will be fully capable of flight whenever it is actually needed.” Tilly said, bumping the side of his head against her warm form playfully.
She pecked him lightly in return and Ichiro’s thoughtful expression turned up in a slight grin.
“Good, along with our combined Stealth abilities, that should cover scouting. I say we go ahead with the team as planned father.”
“Agreed. Franklin, I assume you now know why we called you up here?”
“-Yes. And I accept. I have obligations of my own calling me beyond our borders. Although I had hoped they would wait until our people were more settled. It would be my honor to join in this mission.” He replied, readjusting his vibrant blue scarf.
“Great!” Tilly exclaimed, clapping the Honu on the back of the shell, “No one else I would rather have on the team. I’m sure that new ice of yours will be all kinds of useful out there.”
“Aside from Mr. Frankin and I-” Ichiro continued.
“Wait, you? Won’t you be needed on the wall?” Tilly interrupted.
“While I would make some difference, our family style is much more suited to open-field combat than defense. For obvious reasons, he must stay, but I am free to add my humble ability to this team. Plus with my condition, we thought I would add unique utility in perception and detection. It is also why I have joined you in training with the Rangers.”
“Ok, who's left?” Tilly asked turning back to Hiro.
“Two others. We have asked Gorock, who is much better outside of a formation than keeping within one, not that he agrees with that assessment. However, when we offered him the opportunity to ‘go find other enemies to fight’ he was… enthusiastic in his acceptance.”
“So, that gives us two front liners. One a tank, and the other a melee damage dealer. We have two ranged options that double as magic attack, and I can close if I need to. I assume that leaves someone in the support/area effect role. I'm guessing Amel- I mean Mrs. Cooper would be the best choice out of the options I can think of.”
“Correct. She is finishing her work on the boundary now and we will send her to meet you and your Ranger escort a mile east of here at sunset. We do not know if the time of day affects the enemy’s perception capabilities or not. So far there is not much observable difference between night and day past the wall. Nonetheless, that is when your party will head out. ” Hiro replied, his stoic expression giving nothing away about what he thought their odds of success were.
“Very well, the elders said they had something to pass on to me, so I will see you shortly Tilly,” Franklin said, nodding to the other two before hustling off at his characteristic un-honu speed.
“See ya in a bit Franklin!” Tilly squawked embarrassingly after him, his nervousness at the coming mission causing his tone to shift into something slightly goofier than expected. He cleared his throat and turned back to the two lapins.
“Hiro, thanks for putting together one hell of a team. I hope you can hold this pile of blocks without us.” Tilly continued, attempting to ground himself in the reality of his words. He looked the elder Samurai in the eyes as he continued to avert his gaze from the darkening horizon and their near-suicidal mission beyond. The sudden advancement of his Corruption had shaken him pretty badly and he found himself unable to shake the anxious energy that wanted to animate his interactions.
“We will hold as long as we must." Hiro answered, unbowed by the challenge, "The System sets no hopeless tasks. This is possible, it will simply be very difficult. That being said, don't take too long, Human. This is the second time we stand together on a wall and I am sending you off on an impossible task, the first time you returned in a day. I would appreciate something similar here.” Hiro replied, his gruff voice somehow taking on a lighter tone without changing in inflection.
“Speaking of our timeframe, I have several things to see to before we leave tonight,” Ichiro added, his soft smile back in full as he moved to leave, bowing to both of them. Hiro offered him a small but genuine smile in return along with the most meaningful sentence Tilly had ever heard him speak,
“Son, I am proud of you. I am sorry I do not say it more often.”
Ichiro’s serene smile flattened and some of his constant calm melted away before the implacable gaze of his father. He bowed again, this time much lower,
“We have both made mistakes. But I am deeply honored to be your son. We will return…” He answered facing the ground, before straightening and turning to leave. His smooth effortless motions made his speed seem almost improbable as he descended the large stairway still being constructed behind them.
Then it was just the two of them left up on the wall, an island of silence in the midst of a sea of soldiers and workers rushing everywhere to prepare for the coming attack. Tilly knew he needed to leave and collect supplies for his journey like the others, but something held him up there a little longer and he stood on the wall watching the enemy’s approach with the Samurai, turned Guardian.
“Do you really think we have a chance?” Tilly finally asked, his voice low amidst the background roar of shouts and preparations.
Hiro didn't look at him, or even acknowledge his question and Tilly began to wonder if the lapin had heard him when he finally responded.
“My people have a better chance at freedom now than they have had in the last four hundred years. It will be a difficult fight, but that was always going to be the case. What we face now, we face together. I have put my trust in your God, and I think you should begin to do the same.”
Tilly stood there a while longer, thinking over what was ahead of them and what it meant to once again be heading into danger far beyond his ability and level. After a while, with a nod of thanks to Hiro for the company, he left the wall to head back to the city. He needed to find a pack and stuff to put in it.