Chương 41: Bearer of bad news

Ethan and Leah stood in line at the gates of Highrocks, slowly inching forward with the rest of the travelers waiting to enter. After about ten minutes, they finally reached the front. Ethan stepped forward with Leah beside him. The guard looked them over and began the standard routine of gathering their information before letting them in. Highrocks looked almost exactly as Ethan remembered it. The main difference was the sheer number of people filling the streets.

Much like Mountford, the place was starting to get overcrowded. Leah slowed slightly as she took everything in. Most settlements on this level sat scattered through the desert, built low to the ground with sand and clay shaping them. Highrocks was something else entirely. The settlement had been carved into towering red cliffs. Bridges connected buildings high above the streets, linking balconies and walkways into a layered network of paths. Ethan could understand why Leah would look around in wonder.

He led them through the trade district, weaving between stalls and crowds. As they walked deeper into the settlement, some of the tension he had been carrying finally began to ease. This place was familiar. He knew the layout. He knew the people who operated here. For now, they were safe. Leah spoke up beside him.

"I'm still not happy about how you treated Alice, you know." Ethan nodded slightly. It wasn't the first time she had brought it up.

"I needed that book," he said. Leah sighed.

"I know. And after reading it, I'm glad it's in your hands." She paused before continuing.

"It's just… we went through a lot together."

"I understand." Ethan kept walking.

"I'm sure she'll forgive you." Leah looked unconvinced but didn't argue further. After a moment she asked another question.

"So do you think you and this Alex person will be able to hash things out?" Ethan smiled faintly as they approached the guild hall.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." Leah had already heard the full story during their time crossing the desert. She had even suggested he might have overreacted when he left, especially after he told her how he formed his core alone, without anyone watching over him. Ethan had chosen not to engage with that argument. Leaving might have been a bit hasty, but he needed to use the colossus core before it ran out anyway. They joined another line forming near the entrance of the guild hall.

It seemed everywhere he went there were lines these days. But he couldn't fault the people. They were likely stressed, wondering what the hell was going on. Ethan shifted his weight slightly as he waited, but a faint sensation brushed across his senses. Someone was approaching him from behind. He turned just as a hand reached toward his shoulder.

"Ethan? Is that you?" He followed the hand upward and saw Nivia standing there. She pulled her hand away awkwardly. Her face covering was gone. Without it, her long braided hair and bright green eyes were fully visible. A flicker of tension rose in Ethan's chest. He hadn't exactly parted ways with them under ideal circumstances. He raised a hand in greeting.

"Hi, Nivia." Her expression broke into a wide smile.

"I'm glad you're alright." Her gaze shifted to Leah.

"So you found your sister?" Leah stepped forward before Ethan could respond.

"Leah. It's good to meet you." She extended her hand. Nivia took it, shaking firmly. For a moment, the two women simply looked at each other, studying the other with quiet curiosity. When they stepped away from each other, Ethan got straight to the point.

"I actually need to see Alex. Could you take me to him?" Nivia's smile faltered slightly. A faint grimace crossed her face.

"That might be harder than you think." Ethan frowned.

"Why?"

"He's with the guildmaster right now." Ethan frowned.

"Is she not better?" Nivia gestured toward the guild hall doors.

"Just come with me. We aren't meant to talk about it." She turned and headed inside without waiting for an answer. Ethan and Leah quickly followed, skipping the line. Nivia led them down a passage before pushing open a set of double doors and revealing a massive hall. Dozens of people filled the room. Long tables stretched across the space, many occupied by members of the Broken Dawns who were eating or quietly talking among themselves. Ethan slowed slightly as he looked around.

"Why are there so many people here?" he asked. Nivia glanced back at him.

"Alex pulled everyone back." She continued walking between the tables.

"Too many of our people stopped returning from missions," she explained.

"It started adding up. Too many to ignore." Her expression tightened slightly.

"He thinks something's coming. An attack maybe. So he called everyone back to the settlement." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ethan grimaced. That wasn't good.

"That's actually why I'm here," he said. Nivia stopped walking. She turned toward him slowly.

"You know something?" Ethan nodded.

"I do. But I'd rather tell Alex first." Nivia studied him for a moment before nodding.

"Fair enough." She looked across the room, scanning the crowd. After a few seconds she spotted someone and started moving again.

"There she is." Ethan and Leah followed her through the crowded hall. At one of the tables sat a woman eating from a bowl, clearly in the middle of a meal. Nivia approached and waved lightly.

"Hi, Ari." The woman looked up.

"Yes?" Nivia gestured toward Ethan.

"Do you think we could get a meeting with Alex?" Ari sighed slightly.

"That's going to be difficult right now. He's—" She stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes locked onto Ethan. He saw recognition flash across her face.

"Wait." She leaned forward slightly.

"You're the guy who was with Alex a few weeks ago," she said.

"The one who sent him running across half the desert." Ethan gave a small nod.

"That would be me." Ari stood up, completely forgetting the food in front of her.

"You have to come with me." Ethan exchanged a brief glance with Leah before following alongside Nivia. He was starting to worry something bad had happened. They followed Ari through a series of hallways until she stopped in front of a familiar door. This was the same room where the guildmaster had been the last time he was here. Ari pushed the door open. Mana rolled through the room, thick enough that even someone without his senses would have noticed something strange. Ethan stepped inside and looked around.

Alex sat beside the bed at the center of the room. And on that bed lay the guildmaster. The last time Ethan had seen her, she had looked almost peaceful, resting quietly, in a state of sleep. Now it was different. Her face twisted suddenly, muscles tightening in clear pain before relaxing again a few seconds later. Sweat beaded across her forehead, dampening strands of hair stuck to her skin. Alex looked up as the door opened. He looked terrible.

Dark circles hung beneath his eyes and his posture carried signs of exhaustion. If someone told Ethan he hadn't slept in days, he would have believed it instantly. Alex's eyes landed on him.

"You." He said the word slowly before standing. Ethan stopped just inside the doorway.

"How's she going?" he asked, nodding toward the guildmaster. Alex walked across the room toward him.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"She's been like this for days. Whatever's happening to her… even the healers can't figure it out." He stopped a few steps away and glanced past Ethan. His gaze landed on Leah.

"I guess this is your sister." Ethan nodded. Alex gave a tired smile.

"I'm glad you made it in time. From the reports we've been getting, the Valkyries have been having a rough time."

"Yeah," Ethan replied.

"I made it just in time. Another day or two and I'd hate to think what might have happened." Leah poked him sharply in the ribs.

"I'm fine."

"Ow," Ethan muttered under his breath. Ethan let out a quiet breath before speaking again.

"Listen… I'm sorry for the way things ended before." His voice carried a hint of regret.

"Looking back, you didn't really have another option. And we were heading in the same direction anyway, so it all worked out." He gestured toward the bed.

"I'm glad you made it back with the heart. But what's happening? I assumed she would be up by now." Alex looked back at the guildmaster, worry tightening his expression.

"From everything the higher-ups told me, this should have worked. I don't understand why she hasn't woken up yet." Ethan studied her for another moment.

"Mind if I check?" Alex hesitated briefly before nodding.

"Go ahead. Maybe you can shed some light on what's going on." Ethan moved closer to the bed. Leah followed beside him, with Nivia and Ari trailing behind. As he moved closer, he could feel the waves of mana coming from her. It was far more potent than anything should be on this level. By all rights, she shouldn't have been attempting the second stage here. Advancing cultivation like this required conditions this level simply didn't have. Unless you cheated. The colossus heart was exactly that kind of cheat.

A resource that should have been impossible for people on the first level to obtain. Without knowledge gained far deeper in the Trials, the creature itself was nearly unkillable. Its regeneration alone made it a nightmare opponent. Maybe if people could stay on this level for longer, then they would have figured it out. But as it was, no one had managed to. Luckily for them, Ethan had the answers. Now he rested his hand lightly on the guildmaster's forearm.

Immediately his senses pushed deeper, and he focused intently on [Keen Sense]. The battle inside her body became clear. Mana surged through her body as she struggled to refine it, compressing the chaotic energy toward her core. The first thing he checked was the poison. The remnants of it were still there, faint but present. But it was nearly gone, just traces remained. Ethan wasn't surprised the healers hadn't noticed it.

The toxin hid itself well, spreading thinly through the bloodstream where it looked almost natural. The only reason Ethan had recognized it before was because he had experienced that same poison himself once. The only giveaway now was a subtle bulge in her bloodflow where the final traces were breaking apart. But she had already survived the worst of it. Now the real challenge remained. Condensing her mana and forcing a breakthrough. Which, under normal circumstances, should be impossible here.

Ethan withdrew his hand. When he looked up again, everyone in the room was watching him. Alex spoke first.

"So?"

"She's refining her core," Ethan said calmly.

"It's still early in the process. I think she's going to be like this for a while." Alex exhaled. The relief on his face was obvious, but it didn't erase the worry.

"How long?" he asked.

"I thought breakthroughs like this didn't take very long."

"It depends," Ethan replied.

"Normally there's enough ambient mana in the environment to help stabilize the process. But here…" He gestured slightly around the room.

"There isn't much for her to draw from." His eyes drifted back to the guildmaster.

"I think she's relying entirely on the potion you brewed with the heart." Alex frowned.

"So what does that mean?"

"It means it could take longer," Ethan said.

"But I honestly don't know how long." Alex moved toward the guildmaster.

"You better have been right about this."

"I'm sure it was the only way. Now it's up to her if she can break through or not," Ethan replied. He understood Alex's frustrations. But it really was the only way to keep her alive. Unless someone had thousands of PO to spend on something more powerful, which was extremely doubtful. Alex gave a reluctant nod.

"The people from the second level have said as much." He sighed.

"Things are just moving too fast right now." Now Ethan wanted to sigh, because he was about to give the man some even worse news. He looked around the room. Everyone was watching their exchange. Should he tell Alex when they were alone? He decided he was sick of holding onto this information.

"So anyway… when I found Leah, I might have discovered something." Alex looked at him, likely wondering where this was going.

"I think the Valkyries are about to launch an all-out war." Ethan continued, pulling the Farscribe book out.