It ended up being two days before the parties within the Ruins were able to return to the bluffs. Once they did, their fastest Hunters made their way back to the second base camp. From there, Carrian made his way to the entrance above the bluffs, along with every single Cavern Mage they had. Ezekiel and the other Hunters and Scholars from the initial investigation stood to the side as they discussed plans for another base.
“How long will it take to put up an external shelter?” Carrian asked the Cavern Mages. He and the Cavern Mages were looking over a small model of a structure that they intended to put up to cover the entrance above the bluffs.
“A while. At least a few days to get anything that’ll last. Even then it’ll require constant upkeep.” The oldest of the Cavern Mages said as he looked over the model. “The hardest parts are going to be the road areas. The roads themselves can’t be reshaped, so any dome we make will have at least three structural weak points. If the covers that we make collapse, then the resulting wind tunnel will increase the strength of the wind. No offense, but I don’t think even you would survive the forces involved. Especially if the storm last night was any indication of what we can expect.”
This was a problem that they’d been working on for a while now. No answer had been found. At first, they thought there must’ve been a means by which the Ruined city repaired their above ground structures. But then they realized that they probably disabled the formation temporarily to make repairs before reactivating it.
This wasn’t a method that they could replicate, as the formation was barely holding on. If they deactivated the formation at this point, it was likely that the Anchors would fall loose, and they wouldn’t be able to reactivate it. The consequences of such a thing were unknown. With the structure being underground, they didn’t want to think about the possibility of the bluffs collapsing in their entirety.
“Excuse me, sir!” The Hunter who led Ezekiel’s scouting party a couple of days prior spoke up. “We may not need to create a base up here.”
Carrian and the Cavern Mages all turned to look at him. The Hunter fidgeted nervously under their scrutinizing eyes.
“Explain.” Carrian ordered.
“Yessir. It was something I saw when we were scouting the structure below. It was just a glimpse, we didn’t want to set anything off by accident, but it looked like the city had a dock area.”
Ezekiel didn’t know this. He’d stayed back just in case, so he didn’t get as grand a view as the others. However, he didn’t doubt the Adept Hunter’s words. It would make sense for a city hidden behind a massive bluff to have a docking area. The lack of remains for a dock outside the bluffs supported the possibility of the dock being inside the bluff. He didn’t think that a city with such extensive protections would’ve been so inefficient as to have the only entrance to the city be a small gate at the top of a cliff.
“That would make sense. Alright! Change of plans. We'll set up a messenger system to ensure that messages get in and out as soon as possible. I’ll be taking part since there might be more Death Worms.” Carrian instructs.
“What about the other tunnel at the bottom? Did we manage to find anything out about that?” One of the Scholars asks. Carrian shakes his head.
“It dead ended in a large, flooded cavern. Although it could’ve had another sealed entrance somewhere. The problem is that there were just so many more tunnels at the bottom of the cavern. I don’t even know if we got all the Death Worms. Their attribute means that they can technically survive anywhere. Perhaps there was a waterway, or sewer system that connected to the City. For the moment, it’s been sealed, so there’s no point worrying about it right now.” Carrian states. “We have a way in right here. Though we’ll have to be careful. If there were Death Worms outside the formation, then there’s bound to be more inside.”
Everyone's faces turn grim at Carrian’s words. They all knew how poorly things turned out for Ginny and her team. The fact that they ran into Adept Death Worms was lucky. If the city was fully populated when it was sealed off, then there would’ve been a lot more deaths. Maybe even enough to create a Legendary Death Worm.
“Sir... The second fleet will be here in another week or so. As long as the storm didn’t reach them and throw them off. Should we wait for Scarlet and the Legendary Hunter she’s bringing with her? If we lose you, then we won’t be able to do anything but hold ground.” Another Scholar asked. Her voice was weary and shook slightly.
She flinched when the Hunters from the Island Hoppers glared at her. No Guild liked being compared to another one. Especially when they were in a weaker position. Luckily for the Scholar, Carrian spoke up before the Hunters got a chance to reply.
“You might be right.” Carian said with a sigh. The Hunters looked indignant.
“Do you think we’re not enough to keep the expedition safe?” One of the Adept Hunters asked.
Carrian didn’t answer verbally. He just flexed his mana. Immediately the Hunters and Scholars all felt their knees buckle. Some managed to catch themselves. Others went face first into the ground. Ezekiel, as the weakest one there, should’ve also hit the ground. But other than a slight grunt and a dip, he stood firmly on his feet.
“Wow... Carrian’s not just an old man. Is he?” Shine asked. They had always known at the back of their mind that Legendaries were beyond them. But other than the Legendary whale they’d moved past when Scarlet went into battle, Shine had never actually been put under pressure by a Legendary before.
“Yeah... You get used to it.” Ezekiel replied. His words would sound utterly ridiculous to anyone else. But his powerful Soul, and his multiple experiences feeling a Legendaries pressure were enough to have him used to it at this point. The Island Hoppers would also likely get used to it. If one of their leaders could break through to Tier four. A couple of their leaders were close, including Riker, but it’d be difficult.
After a few seconds, Carrian let up on the pressure, reeling in his mana until it was once again fully withheld inside his body. The Adept Hunter that had spoken had wide eyes and was pale in the face. A faint tremble traveled up and down his limbs as he pushed himself to his feet.
“Do you think you’re enough to keep us all safe?” Carrian asked. His voice was quiet. Soft and gentle, with no sort of rebuke nor accusation in his tone. Just pity and concern.
No one else said anything as they all packed up and headed back to the second camp. Sensors were set up and concealed near the Three Mountains, Nine Peaks gateway. They would send regular scouts to ensure that nothing strange happened to the entrance, but otherwise, they would wait until their reinforcements arrived before returning once again. Only Adepts would be allowed to participate in this particular part of the expedition.
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It ended up being closer to ten days than a week before the second fleet arrived. By that point, everyone from Ginny’s tunnel party had recovered. Except for the man who’d lost his Spirit. He had returned to the primary base camp. While they needed all hands available for this expedition, it would be cruel and dangerous to have him participate as part of the away teams.
When Scarlet and her ship did arrive, alongside two other massive ships belonging to the Saber Scales, a Rank three Guild from another island, it was with much relief that the Island Hoppers and Scholars informed their reinforcements what had happened so far. With maps and reports detailing the extent of their progress, everyone was quickly brought up to speed.
Hence why, a mere day and a half later, the three Legendary Humans, and one Legendary Spirit, were standing with several dozen Adept Hunters and Scholars.
“The plan right now is simple. We go in, search for the dock area and the possible enchantments to open it to the sea, and we kill any Death Worms that might pop up.” Carrian states.
“We’ll divide into three groups. The Island Hoppers with us will be split between Carrian and myself. The Saber Scales will go with Hunter Kari. Scholars will be split between all groups. Do not forget your emergency slates. If you run into trouble, break them. We’ll be notified and a signal will be released so we can find you. Understood?” Scarlet asked.
“Yes ma’am!” The Scholars and Hunters all called out. Scarlet gave a nod of approval before turning to Kari. The tall Legendary Tempest Mage was running a finger down the back of her Spirit. It took the shape of a massive gray bird.
“Given the expected dangers, we won’t be asking you to do all you can to ensure the Ruin stays intact. Death Worms are too dangerous for restraint to be used.” Scarlet said.
Kari just nodded in reply before standing up and moving into position. It would be easier for her and either Carian or Scarlet to be involved in opening the gate. That way the others would retain most of their mana for the excursion into the Ruin.
As the gateway opened the gathered Hunters and Scholars entered to begin their investigation.
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Back at the second base camp, Ezekiel and Sasha were currently working together to gather food from the small farming area that had been set up within an extended wall of the camp. The originally small secondary camp had been enlarged to the size of their primary base camp back at the beach. Not only did it need to properly house their reinforcements, but it also needed to be able to defend against potential Adept Spirits that might move against them.
As the two were carrying their baskets full of fruits and vegetables magically grown from the island’s crops. Sasha couldn’t help but voice her displeasure at their new jobs.
“Why the heck are we having to do this shit? I thought that being a Cavern Mage, I’d be more involved with field work, or even construction. Why am I playing farmer in the middle of a forest? Also, why are you so okay with this?” Sasha asked.
“I’ve been working with Ginny for much longer than you have. This is nothing new. Also, I’m working on reaching Tier two. So, the fact that I don’t need to use my Mana with these jobs is quite nice.” Ezekiel explained. He and Shine had been working hard on their meditations. Given that he hadn’t used his mana when inspecting the bluffs, allowing Shine to use theirs instead, Ezekiel had managed to gather enough mana over the past few days to nearly reach Step nine. He’d break through later tonight after he could get some rest.
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The untamed wilderness of the island, and the increase in ambient mana due to the heightened Spirit presence meant that Ezekiel was having a much better time gathering mana than he had when he was in the city. The increased number of people meant that the ambient mana was being used much faster, leaving most with scraps. Something he hadn’t really noticed before he’d started going on expeditions with the Island Hoppers.
He originally thought that the abundance of Spirits would mean that more mana would be consumed. But he’d later found out that the constant conflicts between Wild Spirits meant that just as much mana was returning to nature as what was being consumed. Also, Spirits tended to grow slower in the wild, so the speed at which they absorbed ambient mana, rather than the mana of their killed foes of the same element, was much slower.
“I still don’t see why I needed to get dragged into this.” Sasha grumbled. “Her treatment is almost enough to make me want to leave the Guild. Almost.” Tuff just chittered in agreement.
“You’re my friend, and you’re not an Adept. That’s enough for Ginny to dislike you.” Ezekiel said in a bland and matter-of-fact tone.
“I still don’t get why that lady is in charge.” Shine mentally muttered.
“Too many people support her for the other Guild Leaders to throw her away. The Guild would potentially split, and she’d take too many secrets with her.” Ezekiel explained to Shine for the umpteenth time. “If we’re lucky, one of the other leaders will have broken through by the time we get back to Sanafalls.”
“You really think that’ll happen?” Shine asked.
“No. But a man can dream.” Ezekiel said. “At the very least, she is still loyal to the Guild. So, we shouldn’t be expecting any betrayals from her anytime soon.”
Shine fell silent. They didn’t like thinking about betrayal. The few memories Ezekiel had shown of the people he had met that had betrayed Harkem were unpleasant. The Void Spirit didn’t want that to happen to them. Unfortunately, this was something that neither of them could do anything about other than be careful of who they trusted and prepare to defend themselves if necessary.
“Ezekiel! Sasha! You’re wanted in the command house.” A Hunter called out to them as the finished dropping off their harvest at the dining area of the camp. The man walked off immediately afterward.
“Let’s go. No reason to give Ginny a reason to get pissed at us again. Not that it’ll stop her.” Ezekiel muttered as he and Sasha began trekking to the central structure of the camp.
A relatively large house of raised stone acted as the command center of this camp. It was reinforced with magic but didn’t really do anything other than act as a gathering place for information and planning. It was better than the original command tent, but it was still just a plain stone box.
Walking inside after getting past the Hunters standing watch, Ezekiel noticed that Fiana and George were also seated inside the command building. Hunched over a table to the side were Ginny and the second in command of the Saber Scales. An Adept Lightning Mage and a large centipede shaped Spirit were arguing with the present leader of the Island Hoppers.
“Sending an up jumped little brat in as one of our primary scouting teams is foolish. He already messed up one scouting mission. I fail to see how he’d succeed in a second one.” Ginny states as she looks over the maps and reports from the scouting missions up until today.
“First of all, every single report indicates that it was the Scholar’s fault that the initial scouting messed up. The Void Mage had nothing to do with that. So, stop wasting time with an argument that doesn’t exist. Secondly, we are trying to find a Temple of the Void. It would only make sense to have our Void Mage involved. Every other expedition group on the island has a Void Mage volunteer helping them. We should too.” The man from the Saber Scales says.
As the two argued more and more, Ezekiel got a better idea of what they were requested for. At the same time, Sasha grew more and more incredulous as Ginny tried, and failed, to convince the stronger Adept that Ezekiel was a worthless child. As well as a fraud, if the words Ginny was saying were interpreted right.
“Why does she hate you so much?” Sasha whispered to Ezekiel.
Ezekiel took a moment to answer. He knew that the Adepts in the room would be able to hear them, but he then realized that he didn’t care at this point.
“It’s not just me. Ginny hates anyone and everyone that has more potential than her. So she tries to beat them down with words and blackmail to ensure that no one can surpass her and call out her bullshit.” Ezekiel whispered back, not once taking his eyes off Ginny and the Saber Scale Hunter. “She calls me a fraud because the idea that a kid like me could be so much better and successful than her is too much for her to handle. So, she tries to set me up to fail, thinking I’m incapable of doing my job. Like her.”
“You brat!” Ginny screamed as she turned to fully face Ezekiel and Sasha.
Ezekiel remained dead faced as he continued to stare at the camp’s commanders. Sasha turned pale as she realized that their conversation had been overheard. Unlike Ezekiel, she hadn’t had anyone call her out for her whispering. She hadn’t realized that an Adept’s senses were that sensitive.
“Enough!” The Hunter from the Saber Scales yelled. A loud crack echoed through the room as his mana sparked. The desk beneath him flashed as his mana was partially released. A fractal wood burned pattern appeared on the desk. “If you cannot act your age then sit down and shut up. I let you try to convince me that this course of action was wrong, and you failed. Ezekiel, Fiana, George, and Sasha will be joining with two Hunters from my own Guild to delve deeper into our inland scouting. To hopefully catch up to the rest of the expeditions’ search for the Temple of the Void.”
The Hunter from Saber Scales gathered up a folder of documents before handing it to Fiana. It contained recent reports and maps drawn to show the paths that had been marked heading in land. The area they had covered was quite small. Usually, with an expedition like this, the area covered would be bigger by two thirds, at least.
“Sasha and Ezekiel are operating as part of my Guild.” Ginny said through gritted teeth. “If you send them off like this, I’ll have their sashes removed!”
Sasha froze up. Getting kicked out of a Guild just a few months after joining it wouldn’t look good for her future prospects. Ezekiel just looked incredibly calm.
“Fiana, my position as liaison is being filled by Scholar Christoph, is it not?” Ezekiel asked.
“Yes. It is. Similarly, your contract has been fulfilled. Technically, you’re only part of the Island Hoppers right now because Riker and the other Guild leaders asked you to remain on hand due to your capability as liaison.” Fiana said.
“It seems like I’ll have to disappoint them.” Ezekiel said, as he removed his Guild sash and placed his Church Badge on the front of his uniform. The clothes were standard issue Guild clothes for the Archipelago. He had his Church robes that he'd put back on later. Folding up the sash, Ezekiel carelessly tossed it in Ginny’s direction.
“Luckily for me, I got a contract signed by each of the other Guild Leaders before this expedition, indicating that I would be compensated, should Ginny threaten to kick me out of the Guild. Unless it was for something illegal. Following the orders of a Hunter that is higher in the chain of command is not illegal. Not with these orders, at least. So, thank you, Ginny, for ensuring that I’m paid double for this expedition.”
Ginny’s naturally pale face was turning red in anger. She had hoped that she’d finally managed to one up Ezekiel since her superiors were gone. But it seemed like Ezekiel had been working his own strings behind the scenes. Even before they had reached the island.
But then she turned to Sasha with a grin. According to the accord between the Prime Guild and the Church of Ten, only Hunters and Scholars were permitted on expeditions to the Desolate Lands. Something that everyone in this room was aware of. If Sasha was kicked out, Ginny might be able to get back at Ezekiel by going after his friends.
“Sasha.” Fiana spoke up before Ginny could. “According to this document, signed and witnessed by all the Adept Scholar’s on this expedition. As well as proposed by both Grand Scholar Carrian and Grand Scholar Scarlet. I would like to offer you a place as an apprentice of the Church of Ten, under my direct supervision. Should you accept, please sign here, and remove your Guild sash.”
Silent shock spread through the room. George was aware of this beforehand but was pouting in his chair. While the rest of the room was looking at Fiana in shock.
“You can’t do that!” Ginny screamed.
“Yes, I can!” Fiana stated. “If you don’t like it, take it up with Scarlet and Carrian yourself when they return!”
Unlike Ginny, who was only at Step seven of Tier three, and her Spirit a Step below, Fiana was at the Peak of Tier three. In a one-on-one duel, Fiana would be taken out after a bit of time. But she was one of the Sanafalls Cathedral’s best fighters. Fiana also had back up, in the form of George, Ezekiel, Shine, and the Saber Scale Hunter who would support the Church should Ginny attack them. Needless to say, Ginny went silent quite fast. Her face puckered like she had just bitten into a lemon.
Sasha, on the other hand, looked conflicted. Technically, the Island Hoppers were the strongest Guild on Sanafalls. Not the only Guild, but the strongest, and most likely to reach Rank three in the near future. Giving up her Guild membership might make things harder for her, but she might not survive if Ginny kept sabotaging her place on this expedition.
“Girl. Don’t make a choice that you’ll regret.” Ginny threatened. Sasha turned to look at her. She made up her mind in that instant.
“I accept, Scholar Fiana.” Sasha said. Her voice cracking as signed the document. A contract with details regarding her acceptance into the Church of Ten as an Apprentice. As well as the additional responsibilities that would be placed on her for having a bonded Spirit.
Many Scholars still wished they could bond with a Spirit. Especially those that had lost one. So, she would likely have some additional work in the future. But it would be work that would actually be good for her. That said, Sasha couldn’t help but feel regretful as she took off her Guild sash. Until she saw the look on Ginny’s face and realized that she’d made the right choice.
“In that case. It seems that no Hunters from the Island Hoppers will be participating in this particular scouting mission.” The Hunter from the Saber Scales said with a clap of his hands. “That means you can leave, Ginny.”
No one in the room missed the lack of title in the Hunter’s address. Usually, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But everyone could tell that he was mocking her. She had no authority over anyone in the room after all. After a few moments of silence, Ginny picked up the two Guild sashes and left the command center. Much to everyone else's relief.
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Word spread through the camp fairly quickly. Luckily, it seemed like Ginny’s behavior was enough to convince even her own Guild that Sasha and Ezekiel were in the right. Though there was still some frustration at the fact that the Scholars seemed to be supporting a different Guild. Only the few Hunters that were truly loyal to Ginny actually made a fuss about it though. Trying, and failing, to get their fellow Island Hoppers to make a ruckus.
Luckily, for the most part, Ezekiel and his team didn’t have to deal with that nonsense. Instead, the next day they found themselves several kilometers deep into the caldera. Ezekiel had managed to break through to Step nine the night before, something that had helped both himself and Shine immensely. The increase in mana meant that they could now use their teleportation trick more easily. If things went well, then they might even be able to reach Tier two before they finished with this expedition.
“Hold up.” Fiana said as she looked over a map. They had been walking for several hours. The two Saber Scale Hunters had been incredibly helpful, for the most part following Fiana’s lead, and had managed to help fend off a few Wild Spirits they’d run into.
“What’s the problem?” A fairly tall man with blue eyes and hair asked. This was Martin, an Adept Glacial Mage. His partner was Nina, an Adept Tempest Mage. Martin’s Spirit was a small crocodilian creature. Nina was bonded to a serpent shaped Spirit. She was much quieter than Martin, who enjoyed telling Ezekiel and Sasha tales of his past expeditions and missions as a Hunter.
“The landscape has changed. If these maps are right, then there should be a massive tree, visible in that direction.” Fiana said as she pointed into the distance. “There’s no mention of these types of trees in this area either. So, either we got lost, or something changed.”
Martin moved forward to take a look at the maps and notes that Fiana was looking over. Nina joined them, while George just started looking around frantically, trying to find the apparently missing massive tree.
A cracking of branches drew all their attention as something made its way towards them. Making its way out of the brush to the side, a wooden figure walked towards them. Seeing the moving tree in front of them George took a step back. This surprised the group, as they all knew that George wanted to bond with a Life Spirit of some kind.
“We need to go! NOW!” George said as he tried to get the group to run, but it was too late.
All around them, the trees started moving. Bright green veins stretched upwards from the ground. But only a few of the trees, the ones that didn’t belong in this area, seemed to be affected. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and the foreign trees twisted together, their branches reaching out to bind and ensnare the Scholars and Hunters.