Rein slumped onto his back and activated what little he had mastered of the ‘Bone and Organ Thousand Shift’ art. Was it a coincidence that this art had its use so soon? He wondered if Harmony Sect had a seer in their mists as well, with the skills he received from his visit proving useful so quickly.
The ‘Bone and Organ Thousand Shift’ allows a user to shift their critical body parts to avoid fatal injuries. That is not its only use. After all, the method behind the advancer art relied on the user developing the ability to finely control many parts of the body to push and pull bones and organs with regards to their positions.
Currently, Rein used what little he had learnt to set his bones, before activating the vitality-based recovery ability within his draconic body tempering art. He stabbed his Soak Staff into the ground again to draw more wooden-aurae to accelerate this recovery.
“Rein! Are you alright?!” Suey was the first to reach his landing position, followed by the others of the Iron Ant Team. He nodded and simply held up a hand to calm the others’ concern, focusing on the proper circulation of Gent’s wood-lightning dual draconic tempering art.
His breathing stabilized, and he felt an itch all across his chest and abdomen. Looking downward, he could see that the Halls’ robe remained undamaged. That was the strength of blunt intent-- Rein recalled Blacksmith Rahr’s explanation. Weapons of blunt intent could pass through defenses using the concept of transmission of forces.
The Iron Ant members gave Rein the private space to heal himself. Galloping sounds were soon heard, and the Iron Ant Team looked up to find reinforcements arriving from the Halls’ central outpost.
A white-robed tall and slender man with a long face hopped off his leading steed and greeted the team with hooked fingers.
“Forgive me for being late. I am one of the vice-leader of the central outpost. Name’s Kurhz. The concentration of demon beasts this month has been significantly higher. We are undermanned.” He gestured and pointed at all the demon wolf corpses, and his crew began slicing and dicing their bodies into manageable meat and fur. “Worry not-- most of this will be counted to your team’s credit.”
When he saw rank one demon beast cores harvested from the corpses before his eyes, Rein suddenly felt a deep sense of hunger. He barely stopped himself from demanding for the demon beast cores and consuming them there and then.
This ravenous hunger shocked him deeply. He wondered if this desire to devour was due to his current injuries with his bronze-ranked draconic tempered body. Perhaps he could accelerate his recovery from devouring these demon beast cores… At least, Rein believed there to be a reason behind his body reacting in such a way. With regards to his draconic body, Rein lacked any depth of understanding. He would only know if taught by a dragon.
Kurhz came before Rein and took a cursory examination of his body. The vice-leader of the central outpost could tell that this young man was in the midst of healing himself. His injury was clearly not from the demon wolves though…
“Who was it?”
“I’m not certain. A bulky man popped up out of nowhere with a cannon on his shoulders…”
Kurhz sighed at Rein’s words. He had been in the central outpost for quite some time, and had seen many nefarious incidents, usually nobles settling scores with commoners who overly relied upon the Halls’ rules for protection.
“Our hands are full. You should not have offended any of the nobles.”
“Sometimes, there is no choice.” Rein replied calmly with his eyes closed. He had never wanted to become enemies with House Larne. What could he do when the the idiot scion Rekcen attempted to use his blood-protected Soak Staff?
“If ever you give up on your own path and still wish to contribute to humanity, our corps would welcome you,” the man smiled mysteriously. “Our corps can clean up the dregs of society dragging you down. House Larne, for example.”
Rein turned his eyes to the Halls members accompanying Kurhz. They were all Halls-robed soldiers with silver plates peeking out from the cloth. Rein very much recalled that their gazes could burn intruders alive.
Was this how the Halls recruited survivors of the western wilderness? He had to admit, many might find the deal worth it. Trading the rest of their lives for the deaths of their enemies. The price was being stuck at a certain advancer realm as well as serving the Halls for the rest of their lives. As for the ‘stuck’ level? That depended on the level of the joinee and how much he or she could be forcibly augmented to.
“I’d like to test my luck in the advancer world first,” Rein replied warmly. “Perhaps, if one day I am at my wit’s end...”
He was soon stable enough to at least walk on two feet. He had not fully healed-- his bones and flesh would at least take a few days to fully rebind together under the vitality built into his tempered body.
As for the note that revealed itself to him after the cannonball shattered? He determined it was best not to reveal its existence to all. Whoever that bulky man was that had shot the cannonball at him may have done so to obscure his true intentions. Granted, if not for Rein’s tempered body-- from what he understood, he likely had a body approaching the pinnacle of bronze-rank-- he might have died from the hit.
Body-tempering is a separate system to the typical aurae-based ranks. It went from bronze to silver to gold to non-specific.
Regardless, now that Rein was back on his feet, the whole Iron Ant Team naturally felt much more relieved.
Rein approached Xeeseir, hoping to show him the note. He trusted this middle-aged man due to experience.
“The best method would have been for us to kill the pack leader,” Xeeseir was discussing their lack of initiative against the demon wolves with Dahk. “Unfortunately, we needed to protect the caravan of supplies, or the central outpost might find itself lacking critical supplies. If those supplies were to be damaged or even completely lost, our team would be severely punished for failure.”
Dahk nodded in agreement with Xeeseir, whose words made sense to Rein as well. If they did not have to protect the caravan, carving a path to kill the demon wolf pack leader would likely have sent the other wolves scrambling with their tails between their legs.
Xeeseir read the note that Rein had discovered within the cannonball.
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“If I were to guess, it must have something to do with your tempered body,” he mused. “The western wilderness is the largest zone in this world, chaotic and ever-changing. It is littered with inheritances. This crazed man must have chosen to test you for such a reason.”
“But… why would…” Rein was naturally baffled, and his words trailed into silent contemplation. He had assumed the cannon man to be either one of Beincen’s lackey or an ally to the Convergence Sect. Why would such a man make an offer to him? Unless… he wasn’t associated with those two enemies?
“Regardless, this is an opportunity, so you must go when the time comes, assuming we complete our mission targets,” encouraged Xeeseir.
They soon arrived at the central outpost alongside the silver guards of the Halls’ corps.
______________________________________________________________________________
“You call that an attempt?!” Beincen hollered, ballistic at what he viewed as a pathetic attempt by Malak.
Supreme Guihnes had lent Malak to him. Malak is supposedly an upper shell advancer, with a fiend bloodline, a body strong and durable beyond imagination!
Yet, Malak had simply fired a shot from his cannon, and though Rein was sent flying, they could see that it was not fatal.
Having returned after confirming that none on the Iron Ant Team was quick enough to chase after him, Malak only raised an eyebrow as he stared soundlessly at the young Larne scion.
In fact, he had barely escaped in time, with the reinforcements from the central outpost now arriving. If he had tarried any longer, he would have found himself pursued by the silver guards to his death.
“Yes, yes, you only had a few heartbeats to launch your attack before the reinforcements arrived,” Beincen shamelessly corrected himself. “But how can you, an upper shell advancer, only use such a weak attack?!”
Once again, Malak stared at Beincen unflinchingly. The stare from his ferocious features introduced a deep-seated fear but also loathing for the man within Beincen’s heart. Malak had the typical slanted bushy eyebrows along with angular features of the northern golden desert tribes. This intimidation wounded Beincen’s pride.
A coughing sound was heard.
“It is said that those of tempered bodies could fight for days on end,” Uncle Naohr then chuckled to dispel the tension. “There was that legendary battle between Zukah and Lein. It is said that Despite Lein’s higher advancer realm, Zukah of the Golden Desert Tribes extended the battle to over a hundred days, and Lein had no choice but to agree to a negotiation with the tribes…”
Naohr brought up this tale such that Beincen would no longer embarrass himself. The heavens weren’t always fair, but there exists a balance in the world. Fiends, for example, were born in the primordial word with bodies of the highest order. As a result, their elemental affinity was incredibly low.
The benefit of such a strong body is the ability to endure long battles. Naohr hoped that Beincen would quickly realize that Malak’s attack was actually quite vicious for the short time window it was launched in. The attack was delivered against one of tempered-body.
Regardless, Malak’s opinion of the young Larne scion had dropped even further. He already had a low opinion of this man after Supreme Guihnes specifically told him to not necessarily follow Beincen’s orders, and do as he saw fit if a situation were to occur in the wilderness.
As for that note? He did not become Supreme Guihnes lackey for no reason. He was ecstatic in his heart to see Rein take that cannonball so well.
“Traitors…finally…” he muttered incomprehensibly under his breath.
“Worry not,” Uncle Naohr comforted a seething Beincen. “Some disciples of the Sun Sword Sect will join us soon!”
______________________________________________________________________________
The central outpost was nothing but a looming castle with a moat. The Iron Ant Team entered across a drawbridge and erected tents in an open area.
Rein observed the entrance and saw many Halls members dragging demon and devil corpses into the outpost. There were also many Halls members offering services such as armament repairs. Many of these Halls members must be spending extended time in the western wilderness.
Once the night grew deeper, the drawbridge rose, increasing the safety of the lives within.
Rein approached vice-leader Kurhz of the central outpost. He needed information. The man was maintaining his spear on Rein’s approach.
“You curious about the leader?” Kurhz mused on seeing the young man’s shadow falling upon him. “He’s led a team elsewhere and will only return in one or perhaps even a few days.”
Rein shook his head. He withdrew a vision egg out of his storage pouch and handed it over to Kurhz. Under Xeeseir’s advice, Rein had imprinted his memory of the devilish beauty who had kidnapped Jein into the vision egg.
“I see.” Kurhz held the vision egg but did not send his mind into it. Rein flicked over a limpite coin. A smile, and Kurhz finally sent his mind into the memory.
In a blink, his eyes returned to a clear state under Rein’s observation.
“Her name is Saenise. Not notorious enough to be a bounty, but known. She belongs to the Harvest Devil Sect.” Kurhz’s face paled despite the warm campfire as he recalled his knowledge of these devils. “They have a variety of devil arts, always relating to the idea of germinating power in a ‘cauldron’ then eventually harvesting the matured strength. Madness.”
Rein gave him another five limpite coins. He wasn’t rich by any means, but he needed more assistance from Kurhz.
“I also need some of the demon beast cores,” he informed the vice-leader. “They may be useful to lure our mission targets.” A half-truth. Normally, these demon beast cores would be sent back to the Halls to be processed by the alchemists.
“They are your team’s spoils of war, so you will receive less credit sending less back to the Halls. However, ten pieces of rank one demon beast cores isn’t much.” A quick gesture and Rein received a small sack of ten cores.
He thanked Kurhz and returned to his tent. Ensuring no one was around, he chewed and swallowed a rank one demon beast core from the wolves without hesitation, curious about what might have changed.
His bones had gained increased toughness, thus his teeth easily shattered the demon beast core within his mouth. It tasted hideous as ever, but with the sensation of hunger in his belly, he swallowed it easily.
He could feel his body’s healing accelerating! Upon examining himself, he reached a conclusion. He knew that young beastkin swallowed each others’ cores to infuse their own bodies with aurae, thereby gaining strength.
It was likely that his vitality-based draconic tempering art from Gent could convert a portion of this into healing his body, recovering his vitality.
He returned beside the warm campfire among the Iron Ant Team as well as Lyne’s team. Lyne arrived at the central outpost a day before, having gone on ahead when Rein and Suey visited the Harmony Sect. The two teams had rejoined.
“Come, Rein,” Xeeseir gestured for him to take a seat. “We’re about to share our hearts’ desires.”
“Old man!” Lyne interrupted. “It is always bad luck to discuss such topics before a mission!”
“Don’t be superstitious,” Xeeseir rolled his eyes at the gorgeous cool lady’s reply. “There is no such thing as a guarantee in the western wilderness. I believe it best for us to speak our hearts.”
“We should promise to fulfill each other’s wishes, if any of us were to fall. Only then can we fight without fear and get the best result.”
Rein could see Xeeseir’s reasoning. Fear of death is not just simply a ‘selfish’ fear. It is always connected with the fear of no longer being there to take care of loved ones. If the members of the team willingly covered for each other in this aspect… then one would be able to fight and not flinch even in high pressure moments.
“I will begin,” Xeeseir said. “My elder sister was forcibly married into House Zunhr. I hope you will return my bow to her and give her a hand if I were to fall.”
Xeeseir then turned to Rein, indicating that it was his turn.
Though Xeeseir had spoken easily, Rein struggled for words when put on the spot, feeling an old sensation of fury rising at the pit of his stomach as he recalled the past.