Chapter Thirty- One

Guilt and greed conflicted with each other, but she squashed both. Instead, she looked up at the towering Chrotile tank with hopeful eyes. “So before we split off, could you keep watch when I spend some attribute points? While you were guarding the other team, I raised three of my attributes to 100 and unlocked a synergy skill, but it says it’s incomplete. I’m afraid of the skill triggering, especially if I’m on my own.”

An annoyed chirp from her right seemed to say Ione would protect her, but Elysia ignored it. “I’m assuming I need to raise my other two attributes to 100, but I’m not sure how my body will respond so soon after raising the others.”

Thauzo stared down at her, stunned for a moment, before understanding bloomed. “No wonder Urus protected you.”

“What? Thrazk made it sound like getting 100 in each attribute would be easy.”

“To earn enough attribute points by your level, yes, but it should take you hours to recover from one attribute ascension. Even with my compatible body, when I reached 100 strength, I was bedridden for half a day. Please tell me you were only a few attribute points away from each.”

Elysia averted her gaze. “30 points.”

Despite knowing the answer, he asked anyway, “Combined?”

Silence was all the answer he needed. He released an exhausted sigh, almost glad he wouldn’t have to deal with the absurd elemental much longer. “Let me guess, you are at least 30 points away from your other two attribute ascensions?”

Elysia glanced at her attributes. “58 points each.”

“I probably don’t want to know how many attribute points you have.”

A smug smile formed. “238 currently.”

Done with being surprised, Thauzo just shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we can protect you if you dump attribute points. Your best bet is to clear a dungeon, then take your time with spending attribute points. The dungeon will not reset until you leave, so you would be safe. The only risk is running into a dungeon that counters you like the birds did with us, but we all have to take risks eventually to improve ourselves.”

Elysia flashed disappointment before nodding in understanding. “Yeah, that’s probably smarter. We were lucky the raptors ambushed after I finished dumping attribute points. For a bit there, I was pretty out of it. Hard to stay aware of your surroundings with no senses. A raptor could’ve bit my head off and I probably wouldn’t have noticed.”

Ione hissed and rubbed against Elysia while glaring up at Thauzo promising a painful death if he hurt her mother.

Instinctively, Thauzo stumbled back a step, away from the tree he was leaning on, only to wince as the healing gash on his thigh flared up. Reminded by his injury, he shifted his eyes from the duo to check on his siblings, who were now sitting up, appearing much better. Both of them were sending curious looks to them.

Like his siblings, the members of the other team appeared to be recovering. Though they didn’t look like they would be fighting anytime soon and going by the stretchers lying next to two of them, the extraction team agreed with the assessment.

Thauzo grasped at an excuse to put some distance between him and the protective feline. “It looks like the extraction team is about ready to leave. I better check in with them.”

After Thauzo returned to his siblings, Elysia returned to her spot and plopped on the grass while leaning against a purring Ione.

Wow, and she thought it was difficult to raise attributes for her. She dodged a bullet. What if she incapacitated herself attribute point dumping in a dungeon especially before Ione? Even before she became an elemental, it didn’t take long for her to recover.

Though was she ever a regular Changed? She may have looked like one, but according to that Alex guy, she had special lightning even back then. If she was a regular Changed, she doubted they would have chased her as far as they did. Though they probably would’ve still chased her a ways. If she even made it as far as she did. Who knew if regular lightning was enough to kill the Lich? Something told her she still would’ve made it to Port Alberni. Every dungeon was beatable, at least in her experience.

While she waited, should she practice her whip? No. She didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the judgmental extraction team. Best to take advantage of an empty dungeon, maybe after she finished spending her attribute points. Ione appeared to be able to sense the strength of a dungeon, so hopefully she could find them an easy one to hide out in. At least she hoped it would be easy. The next dungeon could counter her.

A completely flat open field with several gigantic creatures capable of shrugging off her lightning stuns, and no ambushed points for Ione. That would be a terrifying dungeon. Probably the only thing she could do at that point would be taking pot shots while trying to keep her distance.

Despite what Ione thought, she wasn’t a tank. Far from it. Their little team consisted of a back liner in her and a midline rogue with her bond. At least until Ione grew larger. But then she wouldn’t be as good as an ambush predator.

The next time she checked on the Chrotile, she found them about ready to leave. They strapped the most injured of the team, which were the last two to fall to stretchers, while the other two stood by while surrounded by the extraction team.

The apparent leader of the extraction team said something to Thauzo, causing him to nod before sending another disapproving glare at Elysia, who returned it with one of her own. They remained locked in a staring contest for several seconds before he shook his head and returned his attention to his charges.

What was his problem? Was he some sort of Chrotile supremacist? Whatever his reason, it didn’t matter. She doubted she would see him again, especially since she had no desire to ask for a rescue. She wouldn’t break off from her team if she was expecting a rescue. If she was in trouble like that team, she would run. If she couldn’t escape, she would be screwed. She didn’t have a tank to guard her until help arrived, after all.

Fortunately, the judgmental Chrotile moved to leave at the head of the group with two other large Chrotile flanking their charges and a smaller likely back line Chrotile who spent most of their time looking over injuries at the back.

With a mighty cleave of the judgmental Chrotile’s axe, he widened the path they came from, allowing everyone behind him plenty of room to traverse.

Elysia glanced at Thauzo, expecting him to worry about the noise, but he appeared unbothered as he sat next to his team to allow his leg to rest. There must be a reason they weren’t afraid of making noise. They were probably at the level cap for the dungeon island. Though that didn’t say much as she was near it too. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter to her. At least, as long as the noise didn’t draw attention to them.

Just in case, Elysia sent Ione out scouting as she approached her team. She channeled her inner elemental, bolstering her confidence as she strode forward expecting judgment from the other two Chrotile but when she reached them, they only gave her a momentary glance before returning to tending to their injuries.

Bloodstained bandages crisscrossed across their bodies, prompting her to send a doubtful look at Thauzo. As if reading her thoughts, he gave her a smile in return. Still unconvinced, Elysia prodded her bond with Ione, asking her if there were any enemies nearby, but she received a negative.

Now invested in guarding, Elysia stood resolute over the sitting Chrotile, lightning ready to strike anything that somehow snuck past Ione.

Unfortunately, her enthusiasm dimmed within minutes as boredom took hold. It didn’t help that the trio of Chrotile were silent the entire time, just sitting on the grassy ground, waiting to heal.

She swore they had a mental link or something. As if they were in sync, they sat cross-legged with their eyes closed, unconcerned of the outside world. Did they trust her that much? They knew Ione was an excellent scout, and she packed a punch with her lightning, but still. Before they were annoyed with her if she even made a sound and took Thaux’s word over Ione’s. Though that was before they hunted down the raptors.

Funny how they put so much trust in her when she was going to leave them. As long as they remained safe until she left, she didn’t care what they thought of her. No, that wasn’t right. She wanted them to remain safe even after she left. Even with how she acted, they stood by her. She couldn’t trust them like she did Ione or Sereia, but she hoped they could remain friendly even after they parted ways.

Like clockwork at the thought of her twin, she turned to the west causing Thauzo’s eyes to spring open expecting an attack but after nothing came, after a few seconds he returned to focus on healing.

Unlike the other times she stared off to the west, nothing hit her, but still she prodded her bond with her twin against her better judgment. A few second delay followed, causing Elysia to fidget in worry, but a fuzzy connection established itself. Her eyes widened as the distance between them came to her.

Shocked, Elysia muttered, “How? How could she be so close?”

At once, the three Chrotile sprang to their feet, appearing ready to fight at the sound of Elysia’s voice.

Elysia continued to stare westward, undisturbed by the Chrotile frantically searching for a threat but finding none.

On instinct, Elysia prodded the bond again, receiving the same five hundred kilometer distance. There was no way she travel that far in less than a day. Was Mezo further west than she thought? No, it couldn’t be. Why would Urus plant herself over a thousand kilometers away from the whole point they traveled here?

With hope building within her, Elysia attempted to send an image of her waving through their bond like she communicated with Ione, but to her dismay, she felt the tentative connection fizzle as if overloaded. Her shoulders slumped, but a smile bloomed, imagining meeting up with her twin soon. Maybe she should bow out of Mezo early after all. Sereia might reach her by tomorrow. Or maybe not. She didn’t know the rules of entering Mezo. Maybe Sereia was at a much higher level. She wouldn’t doubt it. All the more reason to leave.

Suddenly, pain speared through her mind as fuzzy images flashed. Lightning coursed through her body as she spun toward where she sensed Ione was, but the source appeared to be coming from the west. Her mind worked in overdrive trying to understand the images, but they were near indecipherable a cross between a broken CRT TV and a weathered 1800s photo. Still, she refused to give up, pushing through the distortions, but when she did, her blood ran cold. Thousands of changed stood on ships floating before a jungle like island she just knew was Mezo.

In a panic, Elysia called Ione back, but she received no response. Completely forgetting about the Chrotile, Elysia took off in a sprint toward Ione. As she ran through the jungle, she continued to prod her bond, finding her to be several kilometers to the east, unmoving. Despite no flashing indicators like what happened with her twin, she feared the worst, hoping Ione was safe.

Lightning pumped through her body, propelling her faster than she had ever gone. She flew past a triceratops, grazing in a clearing before it could even look up. Foliage slashed at her body, leaving small cuts which oozed glowing purple tinted blood, but she didn’t care as all her focus was on reaching Ione who she just knew was in trouble.