Things weren’t nearly as exciting after that. Well, to be completely fair, it was difficult to top keeping thirty plus clansmen hostage. Maris had truly outdone herself.
Maris’ voice spread to everyone present, reinforced by her power deliberately to reach everyone within Hybrid and its outer territories. “Undergo an Oath with me to leave until I’ve asserted power over Hybrid, and I’ll spare your men and women.”
Juniper’s expression of gritted hatred was quickly hidden by her stoic mien. Javil, a hired contractor, and clearly with no personal ties to the fight, laid low. He likely didn’t care whichever way the outcome of the brawl swayed. For him, this was more of an interesting predicament than anything. An upset at the office. Javil held no qualms with patiently awaiting his own time to ascend to the throne, content enough dealing with his own civil wars against the Earth Clan in Territory Eight.
And, with no other sects willing to assist The Wild Clan, unable to be bribed with such short notice, there was nothing Juniper could do. Nothing sensible at least.
The lives of her people or the throne. Despite Remus’ disliking of the God-Graced, Juniper wasn’t a monster. At least not in all aspects. However difficult, there was only one choice.
“I’ll agree to your terms.” Those words were spoken with the same tone one may suit when ordering a man to his execution. Or one's own. Nevertheless, it was enough for an Oath, and the bond was made.
Remus was thrown onto his backside from the offshooting pressure, a vow of such power causing a small earthquake all around. Not enough to damage anything more significantly than it already was, but it spooked Remus nonetheless.
Before he knew it, the mingling God-Graced had left the sky, a random road leading towards the Undercrossing was beneath Remus’ feet, and it was as though the world had gone on hold.
The remnants of a battle on a scale that shook Remus to his core expanded anywhere his eyes dared stray, refusing to return to normality no matter how many times he blinked. It nearly extinguished an inane kind of hope, yet one that persisted; that would preserve like the bravest candle. He knew it was stupid, but he half-expected to wake up from a dream, or something along those lines.
Campsites were laid out virtually everywhere, not a single ruin uninhabited. Corpses were covered with sweeping sheets. Droplets of blood, hauntingly golden, trickled across the floor nearby, distressed faces leaning over them.
The presence of the Vitality Sect was more than evident. It was Maris’ first move as Queen, paying out a handsome sum for the clan to visit everyone indiscriminately. People shifted at the sight of each other, a few leaped into attack, like rabid dogs, only to realise their activated Marks were no use. Under the might of Divine Ground, your enemies could take a nap outside your doorstep, and there would be nothing you could do. Well, aside from moving them with your own might, that is, but that wasn’t nearly enough force for the average Joe Schmo to continue the conflict.
For many, their bodies had been so enhanced by advancement, they didn’t need to manipulate Infinity, or call upon their Marks to deal real damage. In spite of this, everyone Remus passed all carried the same subdued attitude. Those were not the intoxicated expressions of men eager for a fight, much less this drastic a conflict, but the quiet, restless faces of tired people. All were content enough accepting the Vitality Sect’s assistance with open arms, and leaving at the nearest opportunity.
All in all, lending help to everyone was a clever move by Maris. If Remus’ first impression of the Water God-Graced was being saved on the brink of death, he’d probably have a higher opinion of her too. Now that he thought about it, that was how they met, in a way, so perhaps Remus just disliked her in general.
After a quick check up from a Vitality Clansman, whose laidback demeanour was the antithesis of Saige, Remus and Violet walked around a series of quickly set-up infirmities. These were little more than clearings with some waterproof cloth hung up overhead, a series of beds for the grievously injured, and some simple furniture. The latter were either carried out of buildings or voluntarily crafted by able clansmen, in innocent, allowed Mark usage.
Remus stopped his hurried march at the sight of Koa. It was raining pretty heavily at this point, like the heavens were trying to clear up all the Ichor spilled. Even so, he could recognise that now mud-splattered face anywhere.
He took a seat by him, Violet on the other side. About two trillion questions were on the verge of flooding out of him, but Remus settled on the most immediate. “What happened, are you okay?”
Koa nodded. “Yeah, sorry if I worried you. Things escalated a little quickly. Terrifyingly quick. Juniper destroyed our defences, and then I ran. Ran and ran until — until Ash found me.”
Violet stood a little straighter. “What? But what about your duel? Did you fight?”
“Yeah, we did.” His head dropped down, cheeks reddening. “And he beat me so devastatingly, I doubt Juniper even still wants me in her clan.”
Koa explained everything: from his brother’s sudden attack, to how far he had to flee to arrive all the way here. The two of them sat listening, the susurrous rainfall soothing enough to calm Remus’ growing concern.
“So now what?” Koa frowned. “Is it even worth me going out to train? Ash is so far ahead of me in raw strength, in ability, in everything . . . he’s the one mountain that’s too daunting to climb. ”
Remus stood up, the pessimism in Koa’s words chafing against his heart strings. “Of course it-”
Cut off by the strangest sound he’d ever heard, like an entire waterfall being suctioned down a chute, they all turned their heads forward.
To where Maris, or at least a fraction of her, materialised upwards, drop by drop. Like the opposite of disintegrating.
She picked up where he left off, with a placating smile. “All mountains have their peak Koa, no matter how tall or broad they may seem.”
Violet was the first to speak anything other than surprised gibberish. “Your Majesty, are you hurt?”
The use of that title had set Violet in Maris’ good books for the rest of her life.
“Thank you for your concern.” She said, overly formal. “I appreciate it immensely.”
The cynical side of Remus was having a field day. She's really leaning into the refined leader role, isn’t she?
“But I’m glad to say I’m fine. Terribly exhausted, and I really will need to fall into a slumber for the next few days, but as good as I can be.” She smiled broadly, shark’s teeth chomping down together in a sight that was more menacing than inviting. “Thank you all for the assistance, however cut short you were by Juniper’s arrival.”
They all muttered quiet comments of it being no big deal. They were, in fact, lying. Aside from Maris’ last second victory, things had gone about as badly as they could have. That was an exaggeration, of course, but in the moment, it didn’t feel like it.
“My power’s limited right now,” Maris admitted, “but I’m perfectly capable of transporting the three of you to any desired location. Though, please do remember this is only a small slither of me. Total transportation is a breeze for my whole form, but stretched out as far as I am reporting to everyone separately, there is only so far I can push. That’s more true than ever, considering my true self is snoozing in my new chambers as we speak. Lavender sheets really are the best quirk of the position.”
Mark usage in your sleep. Remus was reminded. A forever useful ability.
Remus didn’t have to think before opening his mouth. “How close to the front lines can you send me?”
Maris looked him up and down with narrowed eyes. “Don’t tell me that you, Remus, are about to do something illegal.” She put a hand before her mouth in mock surprise. “Something like sneaking into the army before Foot-Soldier . . . the horror!”
Doing his best not to smile, Remus waved a hand. “I’m sightseeing. Yeah, sightseeing. I just love the atmosphere of a good battlefield — can’t get enough of them . . . not that I’m getting anywhere near inside, that is. Just watching . . . counting the arrows as they pass by..”
The God-Graced nodded. “I’ll be sure to send you to some nice views.” Her attention turned to Koa and Violet. “The same for you too?”
Violet agreed immediately. Koa wasn’t as determined. “Somewhere safe in Territory Seven would be helpful. Somewhere in walking distance of the Reptilian and Amphibian sects.” At her calculating gaze, Koa gesticulated fervently. “Not to conspire against you, of course. Never in my wildest dreams.”
“Training, right?” Remus lended a hand. Koa really had to work on explaining himself in a less incriminating fashion.
“Indeed. Your help would be greatly appreciated.”
Maris’ form became more transparent, like she was a fading apparition. “Alright, you’ll all be on your way soon enough. Violet, Remus, I’m sending you by a Speed Clan outpost. They can lead you the rest of the way, you’ll just need a good enough lie or bribe.”
“I have been known for my creative ingenuity in the deception department.” Remus said slyly. “I’m sure we’ll think of something.”
Less than five seconds had passed, and Maris’ form had become even less substantial. Like a god had accidentally dropped a splash of water on the canvas of reality, and was doing their best to scrub it off.
“It appears to me like you won’t be seeing your buddy for a while.” Maris’ words sounded strained. “You might not have long, but a farewell seems in order.”
Koa looked up to them both, though he was only an inch or two shorter than the two of them at this point. “Like Maris says,” he began delicately, “I’m going to be busy for a while. Maybe a long while. But thank you both. When this all blows over . . . “ His eyes darted off, as did his words.
Remus put a hand on his shoulder. “You have a higher chance of beating Ash than you think.” Remus said reassuringly. “A lot can happen in two Passings. Just make the most of it.”
Violet supplied him a steadfast smile. “Ash isn’t going to know what hit him.”
What felt like an invisible hook implanted itself behind Remus’ naval, and he knew it was time.
“Thank you.” Koa blurted. “The both of you. You could have left me out for dead, but you didn’t. I might not be as optimistic as the two of you, but I’ll work harder than Remus to make up for-”
A wild laugh cut him off. First it was Violet, hands against her chest, about to topple over. Remus’ lip quivered, a certain twinkle in his eyes. That was the extent of his resistance, before he too lost composure. Collapsing and booming into his knees.
Koa gave them both the strangest glance, but not nearly as concerned as Maris’ dissipating image.
As that horrible sensation of melting to liquid came over Remus, through the cackling, through all the humour, he truly hoped the best for Koa. After his jumbled youth, it was the least the boy deserved.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
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It turned out that with a big enough sum of money, any common sense within a Speed Clansman turned to mush.
Hitching a ride had been about as easy as unveiling a pouch of Inklings. Their surroundings outside the carriage were nothing but a blur, but Violet felt no travel sickness. After conversation grew dull, she and Remus had retired to looking blankly at the carriage’s interior. Simply thinking.
Violet mulled the same thoughts over and over again. This was how her stubborn mind tended to work: the same unchanging topics afflicting her stream of thought. Usually, it was unceasing, the ideas remaining until Violet got around to doing something about them.
It was like with Nova, or the mystery of her past. At the time, it wasn’t just what preoccupied her psyche, it was Violet’s world. Only after Violet had discovered the full extent of her past, or as close to full as what seemed possible at the time, did their presence cease.
Now, indifferent about her mishmashed Identity, newer concerns had sprouted in the fields of Violet’s brain.
Like how exactly she was going to advance. After consuming Daisy, as much as Milap as she had dared, and countless other Unbounded fiends, she now struggled to place herself on the Divine Ranks. Raw power-wise, it was well within reason that she could possess the might of a Splintered Rank equivalent — but what use was that if she couldn’t wield that power? It was like handing the highest quality blade the realms had ever seen, but to a random person, one with the vague idea they may want to take up fencing.
The truth was ugly, but there was no time like the present to confront it: her Infinity manipulation, relative to her on an Unbounded scale, was poor.
So that left only one solution — the crucial action Violet would have to take if she ever wanted some peace of mind, however temporary.
Mastering her Infinity use. Her power could grow exponentially, if all went to plan, in a time span disgustingly fast. Faster than a lightning quick Remus. Who, as of this moment, was fast asleep.
Violet’s eyelids were fluttering, her thoughts sluggish, but that wasn’t enough for her inquisitive mind. Noooo.
So training it would be. Training as far as one could, without sending their vehicle tumbling off the road, that was.
Think, she told her persisting brain, what do Unbounded do that you’re not?
Mortals channelled their Infinity through a Bank, then a Vault, then the fused constructs acquired at the Splintered Ranks and above. Blessed humans had a straightforward, intuitive system literally forged into their bodies, guiding them on how to channel their Infinity in the most effective means for them.
For Unbounded, or half-Unbounded, things could never be that simple. Heavenly fiends were purely Infinity, and whilst Violet wasn’t quite that concentrated with her human features, her amounts of the divine resource wouldn’t suit a Vault. She had too much — was biologically made out of too much — for that to be a viable option.
What to do, what to do? She mused, flicking her head away when it hit Violet that she’d been staring daggers into the back of their escort’s head for the past five minutes.
Getting back on track, she focused on Unbounded. How did they manipulate their Infinity? They used the portion they channelled to enhance their attacks of course, like mortals, but that couldn’t be it. Violet had been doing that very same thing thousands of times, and here she was, stumped.
Something else. If not inwardly channelling Infinity, outwardly didn’t sound too farfetched. The only time Violet ever really did that was when creating a Projection. Though that was with the Infinity that sustained her form, not the excess she typically used for enforcing herself. The kind that would flow through a normal clansman’s bank, not comprise it.
Intrigued, and feeling a little less groggy, Violet stood up straight. This may have been moronic to test out for the first time in a vulnerable carriage, but live and let learn. Violet focused on a small amount of her Infinity. Well, relatively small, but this was part of the issue. It was like her power was grains in a sandpit, and her hands were constantly shifting in size. Whenever she tried to scoop some out, it could be too much power, or less commonly, too little.
Here though, things appeared to be going as well as she could hope them to, with her botched manipulation. The sensation of it leaving her body was unfamiliar, sort of like the reverse of reinforcing your actual self. Like breathing through your ears.
Violet focused the energy to her palm, closed her eyes, and tried not to blow up the carriage and everybody with them. At least it wouldn’t be a boring way to go out.
Something tangible seemed to appear in her hands, faintly at first. Like it phasing in and out of existence. The more Violet thought about this, the more it became obvious: perhaps the back of moving vehicles wasn’t the best place to test out dangerous new techniques. Besides the imminent danger of the unknown, her Infinity store was yet to fully recover from a gruelling day’s work, and her fatigue made her sloppy.
Too late to opt out now, the bold part of her proclaimed, demanding more Infinity to rush to her fingertips. Long ago, without her noticing, everything leading down from her elbows had adopted its pearly white Unbounded variant.
She lowered her hands further out of view, and hoped that the clansman was too preoccupied with his driving to detect anything. Otherwise, the unusual fluctuations in the nearby Infinity may strike him as amiss. Violet could sense the minimal amounts he poured into powering their travel. If she was careful, and granted a tinge of luck, it could pass off as some turbulence in that outpour, or as simply part of it.
Violet didn’t quite understand what was happening, but whatever it was, the process was gruelling. And frustrating; terribly, horrifically frustrating in the most irritating way possible.
But at the same time, hope flared in her chest. Mastering difficulty like this would make standard Infinity manipulation a walk in the park in comparison.
Sweat oozed off her, she felt internally sore, and an uncomfortable level of heat was threatening to burn her fingertips off. She gritted her teeth, resisted for what felt like an eternity, but was likely less than a minute, before finally giving up.
Something solid slipped out of her hands, thudding hard on the ground below.
Not loud enough to stir their driver into suspicion, but enough to snap Remus into consciousness. He glanced groggily all around for a moment before, too, just as Violet was, settling on the strange article in between them.
“Did you drop something?” He asked innocuously, the grasp of sleep still muddling his thoughts.
“You could say so.”
Violet grasped the object below, where it could be seen in the faint light built into the carriage. Likely a similar utility to Infirnite, only providing a less harsh brightness.
The shape of it was simple, like the natural formation of a stone you might find as one of thousands holding up a hill. It was delicately sized, fitting perfectly in the centre of her palm, with a pewter shade, like bone-meal. It was surprisingly heavy for its size, like she was holding up a piece of unrefined iron, or some other ore all together.
It didn't take long for Remus to snap into full alertness. “That looks awfully like . . . like-”
“Like Supreme Steel.”
It was undeniable. With Supreme Steel being as rare as it was, it was odd that Violet could tell so absolutely what the resource was. The recognition was almost instinctual, which, thinking about it, made perfect sense.
The higher Ranked Unbounded typically sported Supreme Steel in some fashion. In most cases Violet had seen, via armour. Milap, the Pet-Keeper, and old vague memories of Nova, had all adorned themselves in the impenetrable material. This was how they made use of their abundance of Infinity so effectively. And with the excess of Infinity Violet had found at her fingertips, it only made sense that she too would be in possession of such an ability.
There were other advantages to this of course, ones Remus didn’t shy away from addressing immediately.
“Greats gods,” he croaked, sounding desperate for a sip of water. “Do you know how much Supreme Steel sells for?”
Violet put a finger to her lips, indicating their escort with a swerve of the eyes. Remus immediately quietened down, but his excitement was undeniable. “And, if we can break it down, or simply create enough of it — I know this is a selfish thought — we could mirror those Infinity chambers we saw the Shadow Clan use.”
Everything was falling into place. “I can use this to create armour, and maybe even weaponry, while at the same time mastering my Infinity manipulation. Then this could help you with completing your Boundless Bank.”
She passed the tiny shard over to Remus. “I know you still aren’t certain on what Mould to adopt, but see if you can channel that as Infinity.”
Remus closed his eyes, and did as she bid.
If this was anything as dense and substantial as standard Supreme Steel, the likes of which had bound Remus and Koa down as chains, absorbing it would have been impossible. Or at least take a gruellingly long time. Time that wouldn’t have been worth it in the long term. Yet, fortunately, with this being Violet’s first attempt at creating the resource without quite knowing what she was doing, this sample wasn’t nearly that impenetrable. If she wanted to create real armour that would uphold against a real attack, she still had a long way to go.
Wisps of Infinity dispersed from the divine clump, and it was a testament to the relative density of the Infinity that it was visible at all. Remus frowned, his still humble Bank put under strain to take in the load, but after thirty seconds, his reopened eyes had a victorious gleam to them.
His hands were empty.
“It works,” he stated the obvious, “my Bank increased noticeably with just that.”
Violet shot him a lopsided smile that challenged the very one Remus had but a moment ago. So she was rather perplexed when he began to glower.
“This is more useful than I can put into words, thank you. But now I don’t think I can expand my Bank anymore — not until I settle on a Vault Mould to complete. I’ll have to start properly taking into consideration how I construct the tunnels through me. Otherwise, I’ll have to waste time changing them later.”
It began to rain outside. A slight drizzle splattering against the window panes. It reminded Violet, oddly, of blood.
“So, what do you want to accomplish with your Bank?” Violet leaned forward. “It might be worth talking things through, to see if it’ll give you any ideas.”
Remus scowled, and Violet knew full well he had likely tackled this topic hundreds of times over with Koa. Nevertheless, he obliged.
“Something to help with Flaming Gold would be helpful.” He spoke, staring out into the dark gloom beyond. In the near distance, flashes of lighting were followed by riotous thunder. “Maintaining the ability could be the difference between winning a fight, or failing prematurely because of the pain. Yet nothing strikes me as something that will work.”
“You mean something that will tackle the pain completely?”
He murmured assent. “Yeah. There’s no way to tell, of course, but I don’t think any of these defensive Moulds will help me. They’re too specific. Too oriented to only protect one or two areas.”
Violet went over everything Remus had told her a few times over, and then once more. So he wanted something to nullify pain. There were Moulds specialised for exactly that, Moulds that targeted nerve receptors to majorly increase the endurance of fighters. But stopping the agony of a threat, wouldn’t stop it from killing you. Theoretically, you could have no reaction to an axe stabbing into your shoulder, and still die of blood loss not long after.
Desensitising yourself wasn’t enough. Remus needed full-on protection to handle the pain of Flaming Gold.
“Remus,” she swept the ginger boy out of his muzzy reverie. “Please recount to me exactly how Flaming Gold works. Every detail.”
On a vague level, Violet understood the ability well enough to aid Remus’ use of it on the battlefield. But the nuances were lost on her. Tiny details she would need to know if she wanted the full picture of Remus’ dilemma.
“It's simple, really. I just set my Ichor aflame through Ambition, and that empowers me in practically every aspect. Speed, strength; movement in general. The only outlier is endurance. That typically takes a hit whenever I rely on the ability’s use.”
“You feel pain, right, when you use it too long?”
“Yes. It's kinda hard to pin down what exactly is hurting though. It feels like my entire body is carrying the toll.”
The rain persisted outside, and once more — perhaps it was her mind made delusional after so much battle — she was reminded of blood.
“Blood,” she repeated out-loud. “If you're pouring power through your circulatory system, no wonder everything is in agony after a few minutes.”
Remus stood up a little straighter. “So what are you saying?”
“What I’m saying . . .” She said slowly, ideas forming, “is that you need to protect your circulatory system, as well as abuse it. There must be balance.”
“But there are no Moulds for blood.” Remus was going to get wrinkles with how often he frowned. “I’ve looked.”
“Not hard enough, clearly.”
“So you know of some?”
“Heard of them.” Violet reasoned. “When humanity was first searching for their Moulds, at a time where the Divine Ranks were unexplored territory, people played around with the concept of enhancing Ichor. Relatively subpar results were produced, and the experiment was abandoned.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“We researched Moulds often in my youth at the Chaos Clan.” Violet frowned, and she suddenly felt acutely aware of her crimson red eyes. “Funny. Nova seems to have removed that from the curriculum proceeding his takeover.”
With that, exhaustion too ran through Violet. There was only so much fatigue that rampant theorising and deafening lightning could keep at bay. Remus fell asleep a minute or so before she lost the strength to keep her eyelids open. They slammed like ethereal doors sealing away the universe, and in that temporary slumber, she found peace.
For how long, Violet didn’t dare think.