[Book II Chapter 56] FILIA: An Unwilling Wilderness Adventure

------------------------------------------------

“Slaughter them.” Kara instructed.

What am I even doing? Filia half-heartedly flew towards the rift. The warped earth around it was covered with giant scarabs and scorpions.

A young cat-eared girl landed ahead of her, charging into thickest mass of demonic beasts. Mandibles and stingers shot at her, but passed harmlessly through an orange afterimage left behind. She weaved her way through the insects at an incredible speed, ripped them apart with her claws. Occasionally, she’d spin and everything around her would be sliced in two.

She’s much stronger, Filia thought. She remembered the Kate Morgana’s performance in the blood area. Simply becoming a saint wouldn’t account for such a difference.

Scarabs took off from adjacent rocks, flocking towards Kate. The girl jumped up and engaged them without missing a beat. Bugs fell one after another as she hopped between foes, dancing through the air.

<> Cici offered.

True. Filia swooped down and began cleaning up the remaining scorpions. In a few minutes, it was over.

“Halfway decent.” Kara declared, landing beside Kate. The red-haired giantess was nearly two feet taller than both of them. “You’re getting the hang of areal combat.”

“As for you, Bait,” Kara glanced back towards Filia, “that was pathetic. Try harder.”

The battle with the Laughing Man had lasted fifteen minutes, demolishing the landscape. Eventually, he’d grown frustrated at how much fun his opponent was having and retreated. Kara was keeping Filia around in hopes he’d come back. I don’t think he will. She enjoyed it too much.

Kara dropped a stack of wood on the ground. “Make yourself useful, Bait.” She said.

“That’s not my name.” Filia objected pointlessly, fusing with Volcanor to light the fire.

Returning to Aspire would just put the others in danger. It was too easy to track the movement of a famous party, and the Laughing Man would find them. Even a major city couldn’t guarantee safety. Geordan Price had been cut down in the middle of Rosario. An ordinary immortal can’t oppose that madman. She was stuck on this wilderness adventure.

Kara began roasting large chunks of unknown meat on skewers. Once done, she handed them out. This again. The catwomen were devouring their portions with aura sharpened teeth. Sighing, Filia swapped to Daisy, relying on the frenzyraptor’s fangs to eat her own.

Midway through their meal, Kara dashed away to chase some prey. Filia took the opportunity to question her younger companion. “Why are you trying so hard?” She asked. This was the eleventh rift they’d cleared today.

“It’s necessary. I don’t want to fall further behind.” Kate said wistfully. “Silver Skyfell is my boyfriend. Astra sent all her children to age up in different places. Since he’s a summoner, she sent him to the Flux Planescapes.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“He’ll be returning in a few days.” Kate added. “For him, it will have been three years. If anything, I’m doing nowhere near enough.”

That explains it. The Flux Planescapes had a twenty times temporal modifier, the highest anywhere. Anyone who spend time in that bleak hellscape came back a battle hardened veteran.

“It escaped again.” Kara griped, reappearing and picking up a skewer.

“Why don’t you follow them to Mount Gull?” Filia asked.

“Because once she enters a rift, she can no longer keep track of us. We would be easy pickings for other sovereigns or the Laughing Man.” Kate answered. “She’s somewhat responsible in her own way.”

“Actually, I did cross over once.” Kara smirked.

“What!? When?” Kate exclaimed.

“Remember the village we stopped at overnight?” Kara said.

Kate flicked her tail. “And here I thought you were being generous by letting me enjoy a normal bed…”

“What did you do on Mount Gull?” Filia asked.

“What else?” Kara smiled. “I went to the top and challenged Kaygren. It was blast. I honestly don’t know if I could defeat him there. Unfortunately, he didn’t feel the same way. Shortly into our fight, he disappeared in a bolt of lighting and returned with a storm eagle and a carrion crow. This left me in a bad spot.”

“You retreated?” Kate pressed, excited at a possible admission of weakness.

Kara shrugged. “The foolish don’t survive long in the Green Hell. Against three sovereigns of that caliber, on their home turf, I was at a great disadvantage. I couldn’t afford to wait for Kaygren to bring more reinforcements.”

That afternoon, Kara brought them to a midsized town to the South. Leaving them on the rooftops, she descended to the central square and began crafting an enormous magical formation around a blue-gray monolith.

“I swear she has an endless supply of blood.” Kate commented, watching her lay out the complex runes.

“I’m surprised there are still so many living here.” Filia mused at the crowd near the square. This was remarkably close to the region overrun by demonic beasts.

“Nearly every large stretch of unwarped land has a settlement of some sort.” Kate responded. “They’re trying to leave ——and some have already——, but it’s not that easy.”

“The airship shortage?” Filia offered

Kate nodded, flattening her cat ears. “And it’s getting worst. All those without immortal escorts are being attacked by Torak’s disciples, a group of necromancers. Hundreds have been loss. It’s a complete mess.”

They fell silent as Kara continued her work. Filia took the the opportunity to withdraw the pouch she’d received from Geordan Price. Inside was a black ornate deck holder. She flipped through the hundreds of cards, stopping when she reached Oberon’s. Since their first meeting, the dragon knight refused to respond to her.

“Why do you think the Laughing Man was after them?” Kate asked.

“My guess is he wants to give Kaygren access to sukemon realm, bolstering his forces with hundreds of thousands of new demonic recruits.” Filia answered. “No idea how he intends to accomplish this though, or if it’s even possible.”

Like the HEVENLY DAO’s dungeons, the Sukemon Realm was cut off from the rest of the Ether. The only way in or out was through the cards of the Sofix corporation. Yet the Laughing Man believes he’s figured out a way. Filia glanced over Geordan’s deck. The secret would undoubtedly be in the hard-to-obtain ultra rares and legendaries.

There was a commotion below as the town’s guardian beast, a white five-tailed fox, materialized and installed itself in an empty circle within the bloodcraft runes.

Non-hostile Ether creatures often chose to answer summons and enter into contracts with humanity. These protectors matured and grew in strength alongside the settlements they protected. Worried about the threat of Mount Gull, the residents had requested that Kara expedite this process.

The blood-formed symbols began radiating a vivid red as Kara channeled power into them. The ground rumbled, and a crimson steam obscured their view. When it cleared, the fox had doubled in size and sported seven fluffy tails. Cheering exploded from the onlookers.

“That was a big success.” Kate commented. “This might allow this place to hold out until evacuation becomes possible.”

It wasn’t just the townsfolk who were thrilled. Kara approached the fox with a fierce grin. “Alright, as promised, let’s go fight.”

Filia and Kate both shook their heads.