Lena looked up from the journal. "You want to build this here?"
"I want you and Jake to do it back to Creamont," Reidar said. "Take the journal and start working on the magic circles. You'll need to study the Ignis designs, figure out the materials, and build a prototype. Creamont has the resources and the people, and my parents are there. They can help."
Jake nodded without hesitation, but Lena's expression hardened.
"I'm not going back to Creamont," Lena said. "Jorik is still alive. He's sowhere in this region, and I'm going to find and kill him."
Reidar had expected this. Lena had been hunting the church for months, and Jorik had been a target since before Reidar left for the Ignis world. The man had been responsible for countless operations against humanity, and Lena's hatred for him went deep.
"Lena," Reidar said. "I understand."
"Then you understand why I'm not going to leave."
"I do. But I'm asking you to do what you asked to do many tis. Put my wishes away."
Lena went quiet.
Reidar held her gaze. "You told to let go of things. To think about the bigger picture. You told that my personal grudges would get people killed if I didn't set them aside. Do you rember?"
"That was different."
"It wasn't," Reidar said. "This isn't about us. It's not about , it's not about my family, and it's not about your vendetta against Jorik. This is about every human being on Earth. If the Allied Worlds pull the system, everyone above level 450 starts turning feral. Everyone. That's not a theory, Lena. I watched the result on an entire planet."
He pointed at the journal in her hands. "Those circles are the only insurance humanity has. If soone doesn't start building them now, and the Allied Worlds decide to leave, we're done. All of us."
Lena's jaw tightened. She looked at the journal, then at Jake, then back at Reidar.
"I can't trust anyone else with this," Reidar said. "You and Jake are the only ones I trust to get this done. You're smart enough to understand the designs. You're strong enough to protect the work. And you know the situation well enough to explain it to the people in Creamont."
"What about you?" Jake asked.
"I'm going to take care of the Church of Unbinding," Reidar said. "The outpost, the teleportation circle, the food shipnts, Jorik—all of it. I'll handle the church situation and make sure they can't execute their plan in Kingsgate."
He looked at Lena. "I'll find Jorik. He must be around these parts too. The church apparently invested too much in this operation on Kingsgate, and because of us their forces are not what they were before. Despite them having had months to offset this, the damage we dealt to their influence has likely not recovered. I'll kill him, Lena. You have my word."
Lena stared at him for a long ti.
"You promise ," Lena said.
"I promise."
Another silence. Jake was looking at Lena, waiting.
Then Lena let out a breath. It wasn't an exhale of relief but one of soone forcing themselves to accept sothing they didn't want to accept.
"Fine," she said. "We'll go to Creamont."
Jake nodded. "We'll get it done."
Reidar looked at the two of them. They were both stronger than when he had last seen them. If soone could do this, it would be them.
"One more thing," Reidar said. "When you get to Creamont, check on my parents. The last update I had was months old, and I don't know what the situation there is."
"We will," Lena said.
"And the magic circles from the church," Reidar added. "They know how to build mana-gathering circles. If you can find soone from the church who knows the technique, you might be able to do everything without too much hassle. The church's circles work similarly to the Ignis, or so I think. The only difference is that the Ignis circles crystallize it so it doesn't go back to the environnt, while the church's circle gives it to a creature. Together, they might be the solution in case the Ignis ones don't work."
Lena tucked the journal into her inventory. "We'll figure it out."
Jake stood and whistled. The War Mastiffs around the clearing responded, pulling back into a tighter formation. "How long do you think it will take you? With the church, I an."
"I don't know," Reidar said.
"This is going to be a purge that spreads across an entire country. I doubt I will be able to kill everyone in a short amount of ti, but I can surely wipe out Sweetwater, this outpost here, and all the church mbers in Kingsgate. After that, I would need to comb the country building by building. The church will surely go into hiding, but without Jorik and the progenitor, things won't be as problematic."
He paused. "I have the numbers to do this. The church doesn't have anyone who can fight . The only question is how deep the network goes and how long it takes to pull it apart."
"Be careful with the Progenitor," Lena said. "We don't know what level he's reached. If he's been using the church's mana circles to accelerate his growth, he could be close to feral by now. Or past it."
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I'll keep this in mind."
Jake looked at Reidar one more ti. "It was good to see you."
"It was good to see you too, kid."
Lena adjusted her armor and turned toward the east. She didn't look back, which was how Reidar knew she was struggling with the decision. Lena always walked away without looking back when she was fighting herself.
Jake followed her.
Reidar watched them go until the trees swallowed them. The forest was quiet again, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind and the distant calls of birds that had grown used to the presence of monsters.
He stood alone in the clearing for a mont. The conversation had left him with the certainty that the situation was worse than he had thought.
Reviews
All reviews (0)