3024 Crystal Hunting (Part 2)
"And I was talking about Kai'El." Kelia nodded at the dark elf. "With the orcs' accelerated growth rate, he should be around my age, if not even younger."
"Are you going to…" Farg asked.
"No. I'm about to leave Jiera and I don't want to throw away my first time. I'm young, not stupid." Kelia shook her head. "Are you going to…"
"No." Farg sighed. "Too complicated and my mission can't afford distractions, no matter how hot they are."
"Wow." Kelia chuckled. "We are more serious than I thought."
"Yeah." Farg nodded. "Yet with all the shit that keeps happening, I think our soldiers are right. We should enjoy our lives while we still have one."
***
The following morning, the Wayfinder went from village to train mode, allowing the people of the Kingdom to load the DoLoreans in their wagons.
"If you need anything, call me." Farg grabbed Kelia's forearm and she returned the gesture.
"Same to you. How long will it take the Wayfinder to reach Darmoq?"
"At cruising speed and without Steps, a bit more than one hour. But we can always turn around and come back at full throttle if needed. On top of that, the DoLoreans can get here even faster." Farg replied.
The Wayfinder was too big to pass through the Gates but mages could still hasten its travels by opening Warp Steps.
"Thanks. It shouldn't be necessary, but I like to be ready for the worst. With you gone and the undead slumbering during the day, Wyrmhold is at its weakest since its founding." Kelia pointed at the buildings below which the people of the Eclipsed Lands rested until sundown.
Farg briefly saluted the Empire personnel and boarded the Wayfinder which soon disappeared on the horizon.
"What are our orders for today, milady?" Colonel Fymray asked.
In the Empire noble titles weren't hereditary, let alone the office of Magic Emperor but as Milea's adoptive daughter, Kelia was treated as royalty.
"We are going to Warp our allies from Zelex to the sites where the ghouls spotted veins of magical resources. They are going to act as both workers and guards until we have enough forces to establish a perimeter." Kelia replied.
"Moving them from their villages, building basic housing, and ensuring them enough provisions is going to take us all day so we'd better get moving."
***
The people from Zelex couldn't step away from a mana geyser without reverting to their brutish and fallen state so Warping arrays had to be prepared at their departing and arrival points.
It was a hassle but the creatures were worth it. Shamans stabilized the crystal mines, allowing prospectors and miners to use powerful spells without the risk of blowing everything up.
Building a city, digging a tunnel, or moving a mountain were equally easy to a Balor's orange eye. Before sundown, a makeshift stone village and several fortifications were ready.
The crystal veins were still inaccessible but the shamans had already built a wide underground space where mages could work without disturbing the soldiers. Warg and Hati scouted the place, forming a living security network with their mystical senses and hive mind.
With each mining village the reverted monsters built, the resources necessary to sustain those who remained in Zelex lessened. At the same time, the Kingdom and the Empire saved thousands of gold coins in manpower and soldiers' lives.
The monsters remained on site, ensuring the safety of the miners and goods.
"We are done here." Fymray said while looking at the sundown. "Soon the undead will wake up. With their help, the people of Zelex will complete the settlement before sunrise.
"At that point, unless a monster tide gets here, there's nothing that can threaten the mine faster than backup can arrive. We should go back to Wyrmhold."
"Sure." Kelia panted, appreciating how after living with the Fallen for weeks, no one called them monsters anymore. "You open the first Steps. The next one is on me."
Her mana core was almost empty but her breathing rhythm returned to normal as Invigoration restored her strength. She had helped dig through the rock and build the village in order to understand her limits and refine her body.
It was the best way to learn how to handle powerful spells and get used to a stronger mana flow.
"Don't worry, milady." The colonel opened the Steps. "You've already done-"
A silvery pillar of light the size of a train swept the settlement. The cave collapsed and the stone village was razed to the ground. The monsters died first in the attempt to stop the onslaught.
Then it was the turn of the Empire's soldiers and lastly of the undead. Their coffins were hidden underground for safety but the pillar cut through rock and soil like a scalpel carving flesh.
Kelia survived, but barely. Even the Davross of her armor coupled with the Spirit Barrier couldn't stand a Tower Blade spell.
Once everyone was dead, Collapsing Moon focused on Kelia, ripping through the Scorpion armor first, then her flesh, bones, and lastly her organs until only Dusk's red crystal remained.
'I need to call mother. Now!' The Horseman tried and failed to activate his mind link with Baba Yaga, finding himself inside a Sealed Space.
Before he could process the information, Thorn pierced through the emerald barrier and the exposed red crystal, nailing it to the ground.
"Hello, brother." Night chuckled, getting close only after confirming from a distance that the damage she had inflicted on the other Horseman was beyond saving. "I've waited a long time for this moment.
"That Farg bitch never left your side and I couldn't afford to face two Awakened at once. Not with everyone knowing how to kill me with one spell!" She snarled, setting more and more Sealed Spaces around the area.
"You know, you picked yourself a cute host. Mine would have liked to play with her for a bit. Seduce her, even. But there's no time. We are sick and tired of living under the threat of Mother's seal.
"It's time to break it and you are going to help us."
'I won't do anything to help you. I'd rather die here.' Dusk replied, feeling his crystal body falling apart piece by piece.
"It's your choice. I don't need you alive for my purpose. I just need you without a host." Night shrugged. "If you keep acting tough, you are both going to die. You know what you must do.
"What we've been taught to do in circumstances such as this. You have only one move left and we both know how it ends."
'You are right.' Dusk replied. 'I'm dying and so is Kelia. Even if Mother notices our link being cut off, she'll never get here in time. I have only one move left.'
The host of a Horseman served several purposes. It allowed them to tap into their true powers, it gave them a physical body, and served as a last-ditch resort. By burning the life force of their host, the Horsemen could heal from any damage and return to their peak condition.
It was how Dawn had survived her fight with Sinmara. It was how Night had defeated countless opponents despite her recklessness. It was something that Dusk had never done in his millennia-long life.
