Aurelius never imagined that a simple escort mission through the Chaos Lands would have turned out so life changing. The Chaos Lands were always dangerous and there was no real way to tell what you were going to see or endure. But even in a place where physics was just malleable as clay there were rules to it. Ways to survive and avoid the worst horrors within the depths.
Yet despite his talents, training and special connection to the land he somehow managed to get caught in the worst possible scenario. Yes, that allowed him to be able to make sure the world was saved. Yes, he was able to find out more about the world, the Divine and even himself. And yes, he was far more powerful than he was when they started. Power, insight and survival, each victory checked neatly in a ledger that pretended to balance. But there was always a cost.
This time the world would be what paid because he was too weak, too slow and not enough. The Monster Tide was coming, an inevitability written into the bones of the land, and he could not stop it. All he could do was make it home fast enough to make sure his family survived. Beyond that… he wasn't sure.
Tanisha said she would stay with them through the tide but Fuyumi made no such promise and honestly in her current state she shouldn't fight.
He paced around the kobolds only watching them in his periphery. Haika knelt at his sister's side, less panicked after Tanisha and Bjorn left. Aurelius noticed that he seemed to have an irrational fear of the pair.
It was rare for Aurelius not to be the most feared presence among strangers. Not that he cultivated it. Fear simply followed him, a byproduct of what he was and what his power felt like to others. He wasn't offended by the change, merely curious.
His magic was primana and because of that it felt to the senses more like that of monster magic than that of mortals. He had gained far more control over it thanks to Fuyumi's guidance in aura control and of course breaking through another realm. He guessed that his mastery had finally gotten to a point he could hide that nature of his power totally.
Akair stirred awake, her eyes flickered open. Aurelius wanted to immediately rush over but he held himself back. The last thing he wanted was for the little kobold to pass out again. He did watch as Haika whispered something in the kobolds native tongue. He pointed to Aurelius and then Fuyumi and finally gestured out in the direction Tanisha's group went.
"Okay, now that you two have caught up." Aurelius cleared his throat. "Which way to the closest human settlement?"
"No eat?" Akair questioned.
"No," Aurelius replied without hesitation. "We are not going to eat you."
She tilted her head, brow furrowing as she processed that. "Big great lizard and demon? No eat us?"
"No," he said again, a touch firmer this time. "And their names are Tanisha, Bjorn, and Anasuya. My name is Aurelius. That is Fuyumi."
As if summoned by her name alone, a sharp explosion thundered a dozen yards away. The ground jumped. Dust and debris sprayed into the air. The kobold's eyes went wide and Aurelius winced.
Fuyumi stood at the edge of the blast radius, holding a second bang sphere, smoke curling lazily around her fingers. She looked over at the group, her expression sheepish rather than alarmed.
"Sorry, I wanted to see how it worked." Fuyumi said.
"Hit ground, bang-bang!" Akair said with some pride. "Big bang! Kill enem—"
Haika elbowed her in the side and whispered something.
"Uh… not big bang, little bang." She corrected herself. "Hurt no one-no one. Scare not hurt. That is why you are fine friend, fine-fine, yes!"
"We aren't going to attack you because you threw those at us. Big explosion or not." Aurelius said, rubbing his temple. "We just need to know how to get to the human settlement. And no, we are not friends."
Aurelius had to be sure that he did not let the kobolds call anyone in their party "friend". Friends for a kobold meant they could acquire your stuff. They are known for their sticky fingers and with a friend, your stuff is their stuff and their stuff is tradable. The separation meant my stuff is my stuff and if you try to take anything I will attack you.
The small red kobold explained the path through the mountain. Some of the words she used were odd. Different names for geography than what they use in Muaian but he and Fuyumi got the gist. Really they just needed to know which way to follow the coast. The Chaos Lands could change the mountain range at any moment but The Force Isles were partially over the ocean out of the direct range of the corrupted mana.
With their business with the kobolds completed they just needed to wait for Tanisha to return. The kobolds seemed to be calmed down enough to go about their camp and even started arguing about how they are going to get back down into the underground. They did collapse the ledge and entrance. Aurelius walked past the two squabbling siblings and joined Fuyumi.
"So we are probably pretty close to the northeast Yuhia border." Fuyumi was talking to herself as much as to him. "We go south, we hit the Chaos Land pretty quickly, west takes us to the Force Isles. Three days isn't that far. We will likely see it after we get over the mountain."
"How long do you think it will be before the Monster Tide?" Aurelius asked.
She put a finger to her lip. "Hmm… a few months to a year. Monster activity will increase but there is plenty of time before it is noticeable from normal mana storm influx. It isn't like a damn break. The corrupted mana will slowly thin and monsters in the outskirts of the Chaos Lands will either go further in where there will be more competition or leave the Chaos Lands and become predatory. Most will go inward first."
"So people won't even know there is a monster tide coming?" Aurelius asked.
"Until it is too dangerous inside for the lesser monsters or they are starved then we will see more leave in a mass migration." Fuyumi said. "I would assume the humans have some way to monitor monsters before the inevitable tide."
"Expitions mainly. But if the monsters travel inward and the corruption levels are too high expeditions won't be able to get an accurate number." Aurelius said.
"Well, it is a good thing we are on the way to tell them then." Fuyumi said. "It will probably be three or four years before calamities start leaving the Chaos Lands en masse, that is when it will gets bad."
Aurelius paused for a moment and looked at the ghostborn. She was far more alive then she had ever looked. No longer eerily standing perfectly still, or questionably alive. Ever since she gained access to aether she seemed more present in the now. Black hair swayed gently in the wind chest rising and falling with her breath. Then he looked at her missing arm and remembered how close she had come to dying to being lost in Helmforað forever.
"What do you plan to do?" Aurelius asked softly.
"Hm?" Fuyumi blinked, then smiled faintly. "Get you home, of course. And get Tanisha to the Force Isles." She noticed his gaze linger and followed it, then scoffed. "Hey! Eyes up here. This is a setback, not an ending." Her expression sharpened with resolve. "Tanisha is our client and even if she doesn't act like it, she is also a Princess. That means finishing her mission comes first. After that, I'll look into getting my arm back and return to the Yuki."
"I forgot she was royalty." Aurelius said.
"I think she did too. Sorry I won't be around to help you protect your family." Fuyumi said seriously.
"No, you have done more than enough," Aurelius said. "You have your clan to consider. And I am sure a lot of revelations with your new form."
She nodded, "our adventure isn't over yet. Until then I am still part of the team, team leader. One arm shorter and unable to use magic well, but still here."
Both of them turned as Tanisha's group returned to the camp. The sound had come from the kobolds, who immediately threw themselves flat against the ground, prostrating as though failing to do so would invite instant death. Bjorn's massive silhouette alone was enough to reduce them to trembling heaps.
Tanisha ignored them completely. She ran straight toward Aurelius and Fuyumi, urgency written across her face.
Tanisha had the flat metal communication disk she used to talk with one of the Royal Hand back in Yuhia. The disk didn't work well as the Mana Hurricane intensified but she did use it frequently early on in their journey. Honestly Aurelius had forgotten she even had the thing.
"Hand Signe said they've been monitoring the Mana Hurricane," Tanisha said without preamble. "Most countries already suspect something's wrong, especially after mountains started bleeding."
"That makes sense." Fuyumi said.
"Mountains started bleeding?" Aurelius muttered.
"She is going to talk with officials in Isopike about the coming Monster Tide," Tanisha continued. "But The Force Isles don't have one of these so it's on us to tell them. She said it would be best to talk with the Lyghten Towre, a mage school or something there. Apparently the dean is a partner for a wendigo arcane knowledge exchange."
"I know that Academy, it has its own skyland and is virtually independent. Answering only to the crown and even then the relationship is cooperative not subservient. Wait… Isopike has a long range communication thing like that?" Aurelius asked.
"This one is a prototype made in cooperation between the First Princess and the dwarves. She told me about it when she gave it to me." Tanisha clarified.
"We need more of those," Fuyumi said immediately. "Talking across continents without a massive divination network is insane."
"Well home, then the magic tower," Aurelius said.