Chapter 20: Sacrifice – Chapter 18: Underway

Laelia ignored the groaning and muffled complaints of the bandits she was dragging behind her. It had been their choice to attack. Not that her triumph over the bandits mattered much – that Elf could probably kill her without moving a finger. Doesn't even tell me what level I reached, she thought as she dismissed the tiny blue window that told her she had levelled up. 220? Or 221? Maybe I should check before I leave again? She shook her head at the thought; the less time that Elf was alone with Thaddeus and Ira, the better.

The way the newcomer behaved was, to put it mildly, odd. On one hand, she seemed aloof, holding knowledge that was far beyond their reach. But on the other, she seemed to not quite grasp the world around her, as if it was somehow foreign to her. Ira had said that she had been in a lengthy seclusion in order to train, and while that made a certain amount of sense, she couldn't see how the Elf needed it. If anything, Aperio could do with less power. She had bruised Thaddeus through a minor bout of annoyance, and had broken his charm with the simple application of mana infusion. Well, maybe not so simple. After all, I still can't do it. The thought didn't make her too sad, as she had other skills to her name. Holy Magic had a greater utility to it than a magical voice. Unless mana practically rolls off of you, it seems.

What annoyed her most about their guest, however, was the way she seemed to bring out the worst in her own behaviour. Laelia had reacted before she could think on multiple occasions, and most of them ended just shy of a fight. When she had first met Aperio she had been sure she could take her. Just another Elven mage, this one wearing nothing more than rags. How wrong she had been.

In a sense she was glad that Ira had stopped her pitiful attempt, having seen what that woman did to the wards of the village just by standing near them had put a lid on her will to fight. And now she wants to fight me. Laelia shuddered at the thought. The difference between herself and that Elf was likely the same as the difference between the bandits and herself.

For a brief moment Laelia wondered how exactly she had become that strong. Unbidden, pictures of blood sacrifices flashed through her mind, followed by memories of savage battles to take the powered-up maniacs down. She had killed enough of them to know how terrifyingly much one could gain from that vile magic. And Aperio first meeting them while covered in blood did not help that mental image any. Not that I could take her down.

Shaking her head, she increased her speed. The sooner she got back to Ira, the better. No matter how she tried, she simply didn't trust this Aperio. While she might not be able to fight the Elf, she could at least delay her while Ira and Thaddeus escaped. Not that it would matter much. She can fly. Or use some ridiculous spell nobody has heard about.

A few of the words mumbled by one of the bandits caught her attention. What? No. He can't really think she would come to help them, can he? When the mumbling did not cease, she decided to put a stop to it. "The Elf was more likely to kill you than to offer help. You are quite lucky that she doesn't speak Common. Now be quiet."

The man fell silent, but his mumbles were replaced by the timid voice of the archer. "M-Miss Paladin?"

Laelia turned her head to look at the woman while she continued to walk. "Yes ‘miss’ bandit?"

The archer shuddered a little but soon found her voice again, shaky as it was. "W-Why would you think that?"

"Why indeed," the paladin said with a dry laugh. "The last time she heard someone mention slavery and her in the same sentence, she went ballistic." Why am I speaking as if I have known her for years? She shook her head. "No more questions."

The Festival of Life! She's been in seclusion for who knows how long, and the festival only happens every three years... is that why she behaves the way she does? Laelia couldn't claim to know what Elves actually went through during that time. All she knew was that they made quite the fuss about the whole thing. Can't imagine the core of it being much different from what I have to deal with every month. Maybe they have more pain? Laelia knew little of Elf biology as a whole. She did, however, know that the festival was one of the few chances they had to make children. These days, most people just used the festival as an excuse to have fun, Elves included. Is she a traditionalist, maybe?

The thought of that Elf meeting some of the more stuck-up nobles was a fun one, but also something she could do without. Laelia lived in Ebenlowe, and would like there to continue to be an Ebenlowe for her to live in. Until I find them, at least. The memory of years past caused her to quicken her pace yet again; she would get this done as fast as she could.

Should I just carry the carriage to the city? It would certainly make the journey quicker. But what of the horses? The animals had done nothing to upset her, besides being slower than she liked, and having them dangle in the air seemed wrong; so did leaving them.

Aperio, staring at her hand, heaved a sigh. So boring.

A look at Thaddeus showed that he was still as scared as ever, trying to be as small as possible in the opposite corner of the carriage. As soon as she laid her eyes on the man, he redoubled his efforts to appear invisible. She understood why he was scared, on an intellectual level at least. For him the ordeal was likely an attack of sorts and, while she was thoroughly annoyed, she should have kept her new strength in mind. Though I already held back a lot. She also found that she did not particularly want to hold back; now that she finally had magic, and was strong, she wanted to use it.

She fixed her eyes on the young mage as she thought. Should I ...apologise? The idea left a foul taste in her mouth, enough to make her retch if she hadn't been used to more vile things. A part of her wanted to simply listen to her new instincts, but a bigger part rebelled against the thought of bowing to it.

Her eyes wandered back to her hand, slowly balling it into a fist before opening it again. She was her own master, not forced to obey some feeling! Unbound! Free from the silly rules of… What? Aperio blinked, rubbing her head to ease the headache, her brows knitted together in confused frustration. What am I supposed to remember? She could recall her life! Every tiny, agonising moment. In more detail than she had any right to. And yet there was something missing. But how do I know it is missing when it wasn't there before?

A muffled whimper brought her attention back to Thaddeus. What she saw caused her to tilt her head; the young man was shivering and covered in a thin layer of frost. Breathing out, she noticed her breath forming a tiny cloud that quickly rose to the ceiling. Oh. Her mind no longer focusing on the absence of knowledge she did not know she should possess, the carriage began to heat back up. How does it do that? She shook her head at the thought. It doesn't matter.

"I…" Her voice caused Thaddeus to tremble and her to hesitate for a moment. After a moment she pressed on. She wouldn't give in to that stupid feeling. "I would like to apologise."

The man still winced at her words, but gave her a look of confusion nonetheless. If I talk any quieter nobody would understand me. I need to figure out how to restrain my… What did he call it? Presence?

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Having no idea how she could even tell what her presence was like, she opted to continue with the hushed voice for now. “I did not expect you to be so... ” She hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right word while fighting the feeling bile rising in her throat. “Frail.”

Of course there was no actual bile, the food she had consumed had long since disappeared to Gods-know where. Definitely not where it should end up though. A matter for a different time.

Thaddeus still did not respond, but at least he had stopped shivering. Aperio simply looked at him, head cocked slightly to the side. He had talked before… is he just that scared? She had been through worse and could still talk to those who did it. Though the words were never what I wanted to say.

Maybe it was just me? She quickly dismissed the notion; she had not been special in any way. Maybe now I am. Or am I like this now because I was different before? The thought was shelved for later; Aperio wouldn’t find answers here. Thaddeus was too frightened to talk to her and Ira had to drive. And Laelia just wants to fight? What the paladin really wanted was still a mystery to her.

She acted like she did not care what Aperio thought, but every time she got annoyed or irritated the paladin would prepare for combat, almost as if she expected Aperio to lash out at any moment.

She briefly considered asking Thaddeus about Laelia. Very briefly. He seemed unable or unwilling to talk to her, even after she had apologized – if one could call it that. Stuck in the carriage, her options seemed limited, and boredom began rising once more. In an effort to do something, anything, Aperio decided to try to figure out the mystery of what Ira had called her presence. He had asked her about the mana in her body, which was a tiny amount compared to the vast amounts she could draw on. That tiny amount, however, seemed to be much larger than the norm. But all it does is flow around.

If she focused on the mana coursing through her body, she could feel every bit of it, follow it, see where it went. Just not where it came from. Closing her eyes in order to better pay attention, Aperio's seated self settled into calmness. Her mana seeped gently through her flesh and bones, again and again like waves upon the shore.

While she was paying such close attention, her view seemed to magnify and she was finally able to observe how the mana changed her. With every pass, she could perceive herself growing stronger, her muscles feeling firmer, her skin becoming sturdier. It was only a minuscule amount of change with each wave, but nonetheless it left her physical self improved every time. Is that normal? The mana that brought these changes seemed to fuse with her body, every drop that vanished instantly replaced.

Did this also happen while I was in the Void for… Millennia?

It would certainly explain her strength. Previously, Aperio had assumed it to be a purely magical boost, rather like the way the Royal Guard had used their own mana to strengthen themselves. She had seen them pass out during their training, and sometimes had even been tasked with delivering (and administering) mana potions to help them recover more quickly. She knew those guards used mana as a temporary boost to strengthen themselves – Or they were very good actors.

While it was a pleasant discovery, it did not tell her what exactly her presence was nor why this was happening. An idea crept into her mind as she was observing the inner workings of her body with such proximity. Would she be able to find out if any of the vast amounts of mana flooding her body was leaving her in any way? Aperio did not know if the notion was stupid or not, but neither did she care. A lot of things that did not make a whole lot of sense were happening to her, so her notions of impossibility were shifting on the daily.

She did not know how much time had passed, but after looking again and again, Aperio found something. There was indeed mana leaving her, flowing into the surroundings. If she focused on it, she could actually spot tiny arcs of silvery-blue almost playfully streaking through the air and a constant hazy fog that surrounded her. As soon as she blinked the world looked normal again, and Aperio had to start finding those escaping tendrils all over again. Is that my ...presence? Looks more like an aura to me.

Aperio wanted to immediately try and manipulate the mist and the playful arcs, but she feared that she might further injure the man sitting across from her. He seemed to be very easily affected by the mana that surrounded her. Is that why he doesn't speak? She was about to ask when a noise from the outside and the slowing of the carriage took her attention.

Once they had come to a stop, Aperio opened the door, briefly noting that the sun had started to rise again. How long was I figuring things out? Turning towards the front of the carriage, she saw Ira speaking with a group consisting of two Humans, a Beastkin and an Elf. The Beastkin wore a full plate, had a sword strapped to his hip and a shield on his back. One of the Humans and the Elf wore robes that denoted them as magicians of some kind, at least to her, though the robed Human also had a bow strung across his back. The last member of their party wore leather armour that reminded her of the bandits, but seemed to be of a much higher quality. Much like the leather-wearing Human she had seen in the ruins, this one too had a pair of daggers at their side.

Maybe it was the noise of the door or the mana that clung to her that drew their attention, but the Elf, as well as the robed Human, turned to face her. Ira hesitated briefly as the Human seemed to ask him something, but then he nodded and gave a response.

Aperio heard the Human whisper a 'be careful' to the Elf before they came her way. She simply cocked her head at their approach. Are they Adventurers or simple Mercenaries? Is there even a difference?

GamingWolf

One of the biggest complaints I've received is the slow schedule and I am happy to say that things look up in that regard. I am currently building a backlog and am working my way to a 1 chapter every 4 days schedule. At the current pace the new schedule will likely start sometime in November. Unless work and/or Uni suddenly decide to swamp me.

I have also made a Patreon where you can read a few chapters ahead, you can currently read chapter 19 and 20 on there. How many chapters in advance I will offer is still subject to change but it will probably be between 1-5. If you have any comments or questions regarding this feel free to ask.

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