EG Monster Island Chapter 27

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE ****

No extra chapter this week. Or probably next week either. I fell a bit behind of where I wanted to be. Got a pretty gnarly case of food poisoning on Friday, that is still hanging a bit on. 

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE ***

He gasped, jumping back from the dead body. “Betrayed?” He gasped.

“The Beasts we were attacked by were reporting to this cultist. Both of them mentioned Chaos and that they were hunting the contestants in the tournament,” I explained, then went into more detail quoting exactly what was said between the cultist and the Chaos Chameleons.

“Thank you,” he said. “I must alert my superior. The other teams will be rescued.” He rushed off, blurring away faster than my eyes could see. It was only then that I realized he was a Core-level gatherer.

“Well, that was dramatic,” the (dwarf) said.

I laughed, “Yeah, sometimes drama cuts through denial. Hopefully it was soon enough to save some of the other teams.”

“Lad, if what you said was true, there are bigger issues at play here,” another (dwarf) said. “Something is trying to interfere with the tournament. Why?’

“And did everyone get attacked?” Jon asked.

“I’m sure every team was attacked, but if anyone was working with the cultists their attack would have been perfunctory and easily resisted. Darkness, they might have just let them kill the Beasts to give credence to their strength,” I laughed more in exhaustion than mirth. “Fire burn it.”

“You could even be explaining this to divert attention from yourselves,” the first (dwarf) said.

“Yup. Nothing I could say would convince you otherwise,” I shrugged.

“Eh, I do not believe it was you,” the second one said. “Do you have any idea who it might be?”

“No,” I said. “I will not speculate without information, even if there are some I wish it was so that we might destroy them.” We sat in silence after that. Five minutes later, Xiao rushed in, followed by Ming holding up a limp Lea while Jamila desperately tried to stop the bleeding from her missing legs.

“Do you have a pill left over?” I asked, pointing.

“No,” Jon said.

I grimaced, looking on helplessly. Ashkhas healers directed them to another table, and I saw one sear shut the wounds. Jamila smiled weakly, then collapsed. Ming caught her. I rushed over, drawing out of my bag Aether refill powders. Ming back up to me, giving the healers space.

“She saved my life, and Lea’s life,” Ming said. “I hope, anyway.” He was staring at Lea, only slightly cognizant of Jamila in his arms.

I gently took her unconscious form, sending a small amount of Aether through her to verify that she was uninjured. Just out of Aether, I thought in relief. I carefully fed her the powder, then guided Ming and Xiao back to our table while cradling Jamila. I sat heavily, holding her as she started to stir.

“Oh, Aiden,” she said weakly, looking up into my eyes from my shoulder.

“You were a hero again,” I smiled at her. I looked over at Ming, who was slumped in the chair in exhaustion. “What happened?”

“Two dozen Beasts, some weird mix of Fire and Water Aether,” he said. “They hunted us, attacking and then retreating. Most often they would attack while we were dealing with another Beast of some kind. We managed to drive them off, but eventually we ran out of healing powders and pills and decided to head back. We were ambushed by the last fifteen of them at the Formation. Lea held off the strongest of them while I got the Formation to run. She was knocked over, with her legs off the edge of the Formation.”

“The Beasts hurt her, injecting a weird Aether that made it harder to heal,” Jamila said, holding me tighter as her energy returned.

“Yes, but the real damage came from the Formation. It brought us back, but only what was on the platform,” Ming shuddered. “If I had waited another ten seconds, we could have pulled her fully onto the platform.”

“Or she could have been pulled entirely off,” Xiao said. “And then she would have died. She will be fine. Our family will pay to see her restored to her full capability, even if the Ashkhas or the Craesti do not.”

“But will they accept her,” Ming said, and I realized he’d fallen hard for his teammate.

“You can force it,” I said. “Just be strong enough for the both of you. Plus, Librarian Narwan will not let any of his students suffer. We’ll figure this out.”

Ming nodded, looking into the glass of ale that a server had left in a whisper of quiet movement.

A tiny squeak showed (name), Jamila’s Bond, squeezing out of a pocket. Jamila moved one arm to stroke the creature, who snuggled into her neck. After a few seconds, the Beast fell asleep, and so did Jamila. Everyone else quietly nibbled on the food, not eating much but still munching to do something with their hands. I was pretty much stuck, not wanting to wake Jamila.

Sia and Zim both left to go fishing, while Lampart and Kami had curled up together against the wall to nap. We waited. After a few more minutes, another team came sauntering out of the hallway, the first Illyrian team to arrive back. They were uninjured, but had some damage to the armor they were wearing. I read contempt on the leader’s face, and they brushed off the assistant to find a seat at a table well away from everyone else.

The damage to the armor appears planned, I thought, looking at the parallel rents in the leader’s and the second Illyrian’s chest plates. But I can’t be sure. Which, if they are involved in this, is part of their plan. “Sia, fly nearby the Illyrian ships. Let me know if you see any excessive or suspicious activity.”

I felt his eyes roll, but he responded, “I can do that.”

I felt him swerve in midair, turning along the major highways rather than directly over the city like they’d originally planned.

More activity down the hallway had two Topraki rushing in, both holding an unconscious, or worse, teammate. More healers rushed over. I looked over and counted, finding two dozen healers working on various injured personnel. I then tried to figure out how many teams were back. “We’re only missing four teams now,” I said quietly. “Aleks’s is among them. One Illyrian and two Ashkhas teams.”

“I hope the Princess is okay,” Jamila whispered, yawning. “Do you have any gathering or recharge powders left?”

I leaned over and picked up my bag. Digging through it, I found one last recharge powder that had fallen out of the leather container I kept them in and gotten tangled in a shirt. “Here.”

“Thanks,” she shotgunned it, then took a mouthful of ale and hopped off my lap. She gave me a hug and kissed my cheek before jogging over to where Lea lay being treated.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” I called after her, then looked over towards the transport area as shouting echoed in the hallway.

“Keep her steady,” Librarian Narwan yelled, rushing forward holding Princess Aleksandra in a princess carry, his aura forcing an official to move out of the way. Milenna and Lilianna followed, each holding one end of a stretcher bearing a mangled Hanna. A field of Aether surrounded her, strong enough to make my teeth hurt from all the way over here. “Aiden, Ming, to me. You, healer. Take over the stasis field. Do not do anything else. We must drive the Chaos out of her wounds before healing her.”

“Yes, Grandmaster,” the Ashkhas said, bowing her head while extending her hands. A bright flow of Aether connected to the field around Hanna, slowly expanding over and subsuming it, taking control and keeping Hanna frozen.

Ming and I jumped to our feet and sprinted over. Librarian Narwan handed Aleks to me, “Watch what I do,” he commanded, then I felt a surge of Aether from him enter Aleks. I focused, pushing hard on my Aether vision. I saw inside her, her Aether system and her flesh and blood. I blushed, keeping my vision at her neck.

I noticed a bruise on her temple, and inside a mixture of blue and green Aether that mixed and slimed over her meridians there, unsettling me and damaging her. Librarian Narwan’s Aether flowed in, and I saw him carefully wrap a section of the unnatural Aether with his. A rune was formed between the cut-off portion and the rest that I didn’t know, then the corrupted Aether was pulled away and out. A small puff of blood flowed out of her skin where Librarian Narwan removed the Chaos. “Continue, I entrust her to your care,” he said. “I must seek out Sultah Aleahil immediately. Ming, did you see?”

“Yes, Master Narwan,” Ming said. “I will help heal Hanna.”

“Why not her teammates?” I asked. I looked over to see Lilianna and Milenna collapsed next to Hanna’s body, both of them unconscious from Aether loss. They each had several large rents in their clothing and armor, with pink skin visible underneath from recent healing.

“They are not functional. Ming, teach the healers. Aiden, make sure she lives,” Librarian Narwan nodded, then leapt and stood on the air above us before vanishing out of the doorway. Ming and I met our eyes, and I nodded at him. He nodded back, a serious expression on his face, and turned to Hanna.

I moved Aleks to a table, gently placing her down. Vaya appeared at my left shoulder, “How can I help?”

“Watch first,” I said. “Narwan showed me this.” I put my hands on either side of her head, sending a tendril of Aether into her. I carefully wormed it up her life meridian and quickly found the injury. A tiny percent of the mass had increased after the chunk was removed, and I could feel Aleks’s energy dropping. This is on a time limit. “Can you support her?”

“Yes,” she nodded, taking Aleks’s limp hands. A small flow of Wood and Water Aether, clean this time, flowed through her hands towards her heart.

I focused on my Aether, slowly approaching the mass. My vision blurred, and I felt like I was looking from the tip of an arrow at an elephant. I poured more Aether into her, spreading out the edges to envelope a chunk of Chaos. I slowly ripped it off, but tendrils shot out of the larger mass to grab onto it. I let it recollect, and it rippled, expanding by a small amount. Right, the rune. Okay, try again. I can’t mess this up too many times.

Another blade of Aether separated a chunk from the rest, but I didn’t pull it away immediately. Three loops, connect those two tips, now wrap it all in a wavy line, I talked myself through it, getting it mostly right. The Chaos didn’t react when I slowly pulled it away, following the small injury that Librarian Narwan had already made to keep the extra damage to a minimum. The Chaos faded into the air, combining with what Aether was in the air and fading away.

The mass of corrupted Aether flexed and filled in the missing area slightly, growing to fill the area. It pulsed, and another minor growth occurred. I hurriedly sent my Aether back in, grabbing another hunk to remove. It was a race, my Aether and mental capacity to continue versus how quickly the wound could fill itself in. Every attempt got slightly faster, each rune slightly better, and I gained ground.

After a dozen repetitions, another source of Aether flowed beside mine. I felt Vaya’s presence, and we worked together. It took another fifty seven cuts to remove the last of the mass. I pulled the final piece out, letting it dissipate. Sweat covered my face, and Vaya’s shirt was plastered to her as well. She slumped, avoiding leaning directly on Aleks but resting on the table.

I turned towards Ming, only to see him leaning against another table while sitting on the floor. The Askhas healer was still bent over Hanna, hands on either side of her knee. Hanna’s right leg was missing just below that point. I started to walk over, only to stagger as my exhaustion hit. I took a deep breath, engaging my gathering meridians and pulling through them. My energy returned, slowly, and I reached Hanna.

“Assist if you can,” the healer asked. “I have her right leg. Take the left. The Chaos is expanding.”

I nodded, then gently put my hands on her hip and knee, finding and maneuvering through her meridians to locate a mass larger than the one in Aleks’s head. “I don’t know if I can do that. Can we just remove the entire leg and regrow it?”

“Not from Chaos. If we do not excise it properly, the injury will not heal properly, including regrowing it.”

Jamila walked over, exhaustion evident on her face. “I can help. They are not the only ones with Chaos infected wounds.”

I smiled at her, then sent my consciousness to my Aether. I ripped out a larger chunk and made the rune just about perfect. We kept going, severing pieces of corruption from our friend. Jamila supported me, cutting down the same mass as I was. Ming rejoined the effort after half an hour. There were at least a dozen of these masses in Hanna.

We had her down to three, though at that point it was just myself and the Ashkhas healer who was at Complete Condensation, when Librarian Narwan returned. Ming, Vaya, and Jamila were frantically gathering to restore enough Aether to continue. Librarian Narwan shooed away the healer, who was swaying on her feet, and proceeded to rip out a chunk of Chaos. He didn’t take a piece that was larger than the ones I was pulling, but he was able to grab a dozen in the time it took me to get one. She was free of Chaos fifteen minutes later. I stood, carefully stretched, then sat.

“Good work, Aiden. Aleksandra and Hanna will both live and will be able to be healed. Jon debriefed (Name). The other teams have been dismissed. A carriage waits outside to take you four,” Librarian Narwan looked at the three sitting on the ground, “back to the inn. Go, rest. Your points will be tabulated and revealed later.”

“How many?” I asked.

“Enough that the tournament will change,” he said sadly.

I grimaced, “Is there nothing I can do? We can do?”

“You have done enough, young master,” the healer said, walking up. “We can take it from here. Please, go recover.”

“Okay,” I said. I reached down and hauled Vaya to her feet, then Jamila. Ming stood. I looked over to the table we’d been sitting at to find it empty, so we all staggered out of the building. Three carriages waited, only one was piloted by a human. He waved us over. I helped Jamila into the carriage, then Vaya. Ming shoved me up when I started to stumble, and I glared at him. He just winked, then held out a hand. I grabbed and pulled, lifting him bodily into the vehicle.

“Thanks,” he said, and slumped into the closest seat. Jamila had her head on Vaya’s shoulder, with Vaya’s head on hers, and both were already asleep.

“Lea will be fine. Librarian Narwan won’t let her be left crippled,” I said, patting his shoulder. He nodded jerkily, then closed his eyes. I felt the Aether around us get drawn towards him, the flow equal to what I could draw. Hmm, I’ve never noticed, but I think he can gather as fast as I can, and I have more meridians. Hopefully I can get the rest of the King’s gathering technique someday. What I have is awesome, but I feel like there is more.

“Aiden, something is happening on the Illyrian ships. I do not know what, they are heavily warded. The defenses were increased immensely over the last two days. I do not trust it,” Sia sent to me.

“Do not risk it. Go hunt and recover. I have a feeling we will need all the strength we can get in the coming days,” I sent back.

A minute passed, and then he responded, “Their defenses under the waterline have not increased. I do not understand what they are doing, but a massive Inscription has been put together covering the entire interior of all three ships. I cannot detect anything else without risking discovery.”

“DO NOT!” I yelled mentally. The only response was a mental eye-roll. I could feel his position gradually change, getting farther out to sea and heading east of where he had been. I relaxed gradually, but didn’t let myself relax too much. I wanted to make sure I stayed aware, ready in case we got attacked, and knew if I fully relaxed all the tension in my back and neck I’d fall asleep.

We finally reached the inn, and I shook the girls awake. Ming preceded us out the carriage, and I helped both young women down the stairs. Jamila wrapped her left arm around my waist, and Vaya her right arm over my shoulder, and we limped our way up to our rooms. Bridget helped the girls into their room, giving me a sad smile. “Lea will be fine,” I said, then pulled her into a hug. “I won’t allow anything else to happen.”

“If you were that powerful, you would not be here,” she said, the tears she’d been holding in evident in her voice.

“Yeah. We cleared the Chaos from her, and the healers were ready to start making her whole,” I said.

“I talked to a few of the other teams. Everyone who was injured had to force out the Chaos Aether, and if they could not they ended up like Lea. I did not. Not with any of the injuries I took. Jon did not either,” she said.

“Do you know why?” I asked.

“It was absorbed into my Core. Have you checked it recently?” She asked.

I shook my head. She gestured at my chest, and I dove down into my center. My Core was glowing, mostly full with a larger amount of Essence than I expected. Every time it got full, it grew slightly, and Beasts didn’t give as much Essence as a sapient person. I stuck my metaphorical head into the Core, and was astounded at the difference in the Essence. There was a cloud of it floating in the visualization of my Core. A small amount was sitting in the center, white and fluffy like I was used to, but it was surrounded by a cloud of wildly oscillating colors. Just looking at it, I knew it was Chaos Essence. It felt different, more potent but less stable.

“You see it, do you not,?” Bridget asked.

I nodded, “But I don’t know what it means.”

“It means fighting Chaos will make us stronger faster. So we should do so,” she said.

“Not that we had any plan to not do so,” I laughed lightly, then released my friend from my arms. “Go to bed. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be difficult.”

“Of course it will,” she said, rolling her eyes, then slammed the door in my face.

I laughed then stumbled my way to my room. Jon was already asleep. I giggled to myself, then carefully changed into pajamas and collapsed into bed. My time of unconsciousness was synonymous with the time my face actually hit the pillow.