Chương 43

In the largest of the freshly erected tents outside of Peakhold, Leonard Pawnce paused. He gurgled around the wine in his mouth.

"You paid 'ow much?"

"Thirty-seven silver, master," His manservant Jenkles bowed. Leonard spit-taked directly into his face.

"Wow. I know you said this place was remote, but that's unbelievable. I can buy an Ascension for 37 Silver? By the Architect's balls, I should be given an award for stimulating the local economy."

"As you say, master. How generous of you," Jenkels said. Around the tent, several other hired guards, porters, and valets clapped politely or chuckled. Only Melly, the Conduit assigned to Leonard by his father, sat in the corner, taking a nap on a pile of furs. Leonard allowed his expression to shift toward a slight bit of unease.

"What about the other thing?" Another guard stepped forward.

"Reporting, Lord Pawnce. No one has approached our tents." Leo chewed on his thumb.

"Nothing? There's no way that bastard would pass up the chance to be petty. Did he not notice? Tch, and I have Melly here to teach him a lesson-""He'd have to try killing you for me to bother." Melly yawned in the furs. Leonard shivered, remembering the wicked sneer on that golden-haired face. He opened his mouth to give another order, but then a servant burst through the front tent flap and staggered forward.

"What? What news!?" Leonard's heart raced. Already, he could guess what had happened. Some accident, which would be twisted around and he would be made responsible for. And then he would need to pay-"Uh." The subordinate straightened, but was having quite a few issues. It took two staggering steps before his wiggling top could match his bottom. The man had glazed eyes.

"Nothing. I haven't been drinking. Hic." All the other subordinates turned to look at Leonard. Leonard leaned back in his chair. Leonard let out a bark of laughter. Immediately, all the subordinates joined him in laughing.

"Good, good! Fraternize with locals. We need to gather information and build up goodwill. We might be first, but others will soon come and try to do the same as us, buying off Conduits. Before that happens, we need to be firmly entrenched.

"And while we are here…" Leonard Pawnce felt a hint of unease.

"Find out everything we can about the activities of Kirkland Albion. He's plotting something. Let's make sure we can profit from it as well."

Kirk waded through the stream of Conduits, the open gates of Peakhold releasing the morning rush behind him. The sky was cloudy and the air was still, but the temporary tent city quivered with armored Conduits hauling their packs. Porters bellowed, offering their services both as pack mules and as local guides. Even if many were uneasy about the threat of pollution, everyone scrambled to join. They could figure out what they wanted to do once they earned the opportunity.

Kirk's heavy feet, drained of energy by Michaels, caught a small crack. When the crowd turned, their eyes widened a fraction. Then they moved to the side. He felt awkward about it, but it did mean he could walk directly up to the portal, where a knot of guards gathered above a corpse. A geo-3 lay there on the ground, several spears drilling through its flesh and pinning it to the ground. One of the older guards noticed Kirk.

"Young Master Albion! We-we were just sitting here when the portal activated. We were prepared to call for medical assistance, but-""The ambient energy inside the Rift is already high enough for the portals to activate without a Conduit," The guard captain grimaced. Despite the coolness of the morning, there was plenty of sweat to wipe from her forehead.

"And if one wandered through, there is probably a band high up the slope." Kirk's pupils dilated. He had no idea this was possible, but now that he understood, his mind began to spin. His body felt weak, but a certainty built in his chest.

"We need someone to go through and clear the area around the stele." Kirk was abruptly aware that the entire crowd around him was looking and listening to him. Most of the Conduits exchanged uneasy glances. Part of him wanted to get away from so many intense gazes. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Responsibility is the price of power. Kirk squared his shoulders.

"Besides- the Administrator wanted to set up fortifications for the Ascensions. Maybe that can start now." Nearby, a Troop member with amber armor scratched his chin.

"We need a fully prepared team to go through and clear out the geos around the portal. Otherwise, you could step through and be ambushed-" The portal flashed again. Instantly, Kirk's hand jumped up to his Larian Saber across his back. Apparently the guards had the same worries, because they pulled out their spears and stood at the ready. With a flash of light, the portal activated and from the portal- Kirk grimaced and chopped with his weapon. Not at the new arrival, which was a heavyset woman in leather armor.

But right in front of one of the guards, who had twitched and attacked the defenseless woman. Kirk's saber cracked the spear before it could impale her. Unaware of the danger she just experienced, the woman loosed a string of low curses.

"Fucking rifthole licker! There are a dozen geo-3s just sitting above the indigo layer! How the hell- hey, guards, what are you-""We just heard," Kirk answered shortly. He glanced around. Anxiety squeezed his heart. The longer they waited, the more likely it was that a wounded Conduit team would come back, barely able to walk, and would be helpless by the loitering geo-3s. Around Kirk, the crowd swirled somewhat. Glancing sideways, he caught sight of a chubby young man trying to sneak away.

The young man went pale when he realized Kirk was looking at him. Ignoring that strangeness, Kirk squeezed the hilt of the Larian Saber.

"We need a group to volunteer to go through. Right now." For a moment, no one spoke. Kirk cleared his throat and looked at the ground.

"I'll be leading it."

"W-w-we will j-join you, Kirkland."

"Call me Kirk," Kirk replied, almost reflexively as he pivoted. The chubby young man had a greasy smile on his face and led a half dozen people forward. Kirk frowned; each was Tier I, and he could tell, not particularly strong Tier Is. Kirk's gaze stopped on a lazy-looking woman slouching in the back. He adjusted his estimate. This woman was Tier II, probably at the pinnacle of the Tier.

"It's good to see you again," The chubby youth said. When he offered his hand to shake, it trembled.

"A-about the debt-""Did we know each other?" Kirk asked. At least this was a more familiar situation.

"I don't have any memories." The brown-haired teen winced.

"Ah… Obviously- I didn't mean to bring up, ahem."

"What's your name?" Kirk reframed the question.

"You-. I'm Leonard Pawnce."

"Alright then, let's go." Kirk said, pivoting away. He didn't have supplies, but he wouldn't stay long on the other side of the portal anyway. His arms ached-- he really wished he hadn't donated his energy before this strange emergency.

"Young Master Albion," The older guard said.

"Another team could lead the way-""If you want something done, the best way is to do it yourself," Kirk smiled at the guard. Then he raised his hand and pressed it against the portal. The world spun. His Bestial Senses I spread out to give him awareness. His feet landed in the Rift; his Archetypes began to greedily devour the surrounding energy. As his senses gave him a picture of the surrounding rocky slope, he drew his Larian Saber.

Because the act of sucking down the energy immediately drew the attention of the three geo-3s scratching around nearby. They roared and charged. Toward the energy-attuned geos, Kirk was like a youth cannonballing into a pond. Releasing a low breath, he raised the Larian Saber and ignored the trembling of his arms. He craved ten seconds to drink in more energy. A full minute would be wonderful. Every second made lifting the weapon less miserable- But Kirk only had three seconds. Then he chopped.

The first geo-3 screamed as its body was split in half. Kirk grimaced and whipped the Larian Saber sideways. But the second geo was smart enough to pause. The slash cut nothing but air. And then the weapon was past and the geo leapt at him. He adjusted the grip and bashed the head of the geo directly with the heavy hilt. It flinched and fell, which allowed Kirk to pivot to the third. For this one, he was a hair too slow. The geo-3 raised its bulbous leg and slashed, carving a deep gash down Kirk's left leg.

A wave of lavender fire splashed outward, hot enough that the geo flinched back. Kirk stepped back at the same moment it flinched, creating a little bit of space. He chopped through that space, his shoulders screaming. The geo twisted sideways, but still lost the back half of its body to the attack. His breath hissed out as Kirk scuttled sideways. The punched geo recovered and scrabbled back to its feet, but he intercepted it with a slash. His hands ached as the blade shuddered in its skull.

Kirk scanned the surroundings. But he was alone. The enemies had been defeated. He had come out just above the indigo mist barrier. So the Rift exit should be a short distance up the slope. He glanced at his copper band. Your Feat One Strike Kill has gained a ✷! Your Manifestation Vengeful Ember I has grown to [5/10]! A second later, the mist barrier bulged. Pawnce and his Conduit team hurried up the slope. Even while rushing headfirst, the sweaty teenager spoke.

"The thing about Albion- he's surprisingly meticulous. If he volunteered, the danger-" Leonard gaped at Kirk.

"K-Kirk! Your leg, are you-""We can bandage it, then sweep up toward the Rift exit." Kirk said.

"The faster we do this, the safer it will be."

"You're bleeding." He gaped. Kirk looked at the Tier II Conduit, the messy-haired Conduit at the back of their group.

"Is he…?"

"I'm only paid to care about his physical health." The woman shrugged.