“Hold! You slime-scaled cretins!”

Otlaca’s cry was too late, with the crossbow bolts already in the air.

Time seemed to slow down as she assessed the danger.

While crossbow bolts without the backing of sufficient Animus wouldn’t even penetrate her Anima, from the multi-coloured hues glinting from the arrowheads, they were well and fully invested with malevolent Intent.

She had run far ahead of the caravan and they were in no danger of getting caught in the crossfire. She could simply get out of the way, or she could flare her Anima to deflect the bolts. If she reinforced her golden flames it should have no trouble repelling the few arrows that came her way. No never mind that. They shot directly at her, thus the flight paths were converging, hence it was much simpler to just get out of the way.

So, she simply took a few steps to her left, then batted away the odd bolt that was still headed towards her. Actually, around a dozen bolts visibly swerved in her direction, though the Animus glow around them visibly diminished as it did so. The bolts piddly Animus crashed against her Anima and penetrated an inch before they stopped, hanging in midair for a couple of moments before she swatted them away. She could have just let them drop but since her hand was already up, she might as well, yeah?

The crossbowmen visibly recoiled at Otlaca’s shout and stopped the attack. She could see some of them goggling at the fallen bolts and at her. Well, she paid them no mind and lifted her face to the sun.

“Ah…” she sighed.

She could feel the Radiant energy fill her Facet, specifically the space in the middle of the sunburst, where the image of Fri’Avgi was located. Or rather, that was where the Anima Telum was, currently.

“...you swarm fodder, rotting, cretins! Why did you shoot without warning!”

“...but commander, she didn’t answer the challenge!”

“You fools! Do you think a single human woman is that big a threat?”

“Well, she avoided the barrage of crossbow bolts without a scratch!”

“...fair enough.”

“Elder Yuriko?” Rhox nudged her. “Why are you taking your tunic off?”

“Huh, ah!” Yuriko quickly lowered her hands. She had undone the laces on the tunic’s side and was about to strip off. She hurriedly fastened them close.

“Are you...?”

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

“My apologies,” Otlaca said. “They struck without thinking.”

“Not a problem,” Yuriko shrugged.

“No, I suppose not. Shall we?”

Yuriko nodded and the entire caravan headed towards the fort. The Labyrinth entrance was a cave set on a small cliff, facing roughly northeast. The top wasn’t more than twenty paces up, and the cliff face looked like layered limestone. Vegetation had been cleared around the entrance, creating a baren belt between the cliff and the fortress some two hundred paces away. The fort didn’t box in the entrance. Any escaping devilbeast could simply head south or north after exiting. They were somewhat constrained by the cliffside though, and looking back, she could see an outpost at the top. The crossbowmen above didn’t fire at her.

Up close, she could see the lizardmen licking their eyes nervously, while the snakemen’s tongues flicked out rapidly, also a sign of nerves. She ignored them after a glance and out of the corner of her eyes, she could see them slowly relax.

“Eh?”

The fortress wall facing the Labyrinth entrance didn’t have a door, so they had to go around it. It was roughly fifty paces wide, and about ten tall but as she rounded the side, she realised that it was just a wall. Behind it was an encampment of tents and a smaller palisade that gave a modicum of protection. But the only tall structure was that singular wall that was also about three paces thick. There were ladders behind it that the warriors used to scale up to the battlements.

Otlaca led them inside the encampment, gesturing for Yuriko to come with him. As for the Vizugmonians, they were immediately surrounded by Lucentians and ushered into another stockade.

“Ah--” She started to protest, but Otlaca quickly interrupted.

“They will be released soon. They will not accompany us to Lucenti City, of course, and I doubt they’d like that.”

“Ah, then I’d like to say goodbye first.”

“Of course. Please head to the command tent afterwards. There are carriages that will bring us to the city. It’s more than fifty longstrides away, after all.”

Yuriko nodded and headed towards the catkin.

“Yuriko,” Masa said as soon as she came close. The smaller catkin pushed past the Lucentian snakekin, ignoring the other’s grimace, and threw a hug around her.

“Ah,” Yuriko grunted. The catkin had literally thrown her whole weight on her and even her tail wrapped around Yuriko’s leg.

“Thank you. For everything,” Masa sniffled.

“Oh, yeah. Er, you’re welcome. You stay safe now,” Yuriko muttered.

“Yeah, I will. I won’t forget you.”

Masa’s ears twitched against Yuriko’s nose and she fought the urge to nip. Instead, she patted the catkin’s head.

“If I travel over to Vizugmon City, I’ll look for you.”

“I live in the eastern district. In the Great Trees.”

“Alright, I’ll try to visit before I leave the plane.”

“Uh hum.”

Masa squeezed, pressing her front against Yuriko. The other woman’s leather armour squished Yuriko’s bosom, making her wince. Still, she kept rubbing Masa’s head until Anda cleared his throat and threw the both of them a scandalised look.

“Take care, Elder Yuriko,” Anda said, and Dai mirrored.

“Goodbye.”

Yuriko waved as they were led away. She watched as their gear was checked. The Lucentians had to make sure that no Ivory had been secreted in their gear. They didn’t touch the Vizugmonian’s coin purses though.

Once the Lucentians were done, they were escorted to the northern half of the small encampment and shown out the door. The catkin immediately trotted away, with Masa glancing back every now and then.

The terrain around the camp wasn’t heavily wooded. Instead, it was a cross between grassland and shrubbery. There was a forest to the north, Yuriko thought, and the cats headed that way. She watched them until they went over a ridge and were out of sight.

Afterwards, Yuriko headed towards the eastern part of camp. There were three carriages there. The harnesses were empty though not for long. A couple of snakekin lead six heavy, draft horses to the carriages. The animals snorted and flicked their tails as their handlers harnessed them. There were blinders over their eyes and Yuriko saw that they had their noses covered with some kind cloth.

The carriages looked like they would fit a dozen passengers easily. She’d never been on a horse-drawn carriage or ridden any kind of animal before, so she was quite curious. She walked up to them.

Stinky. She covered her nose and frowned.

Whiss!

And one of them just peed. And another pooped! Oh, Ancestors!

The carriages were directly behind them and no doubt the stench would waft in. There were curtains on the windows, but that would only make the interior stuffy.

At the back, several chests had been loaded on a compartment and strapped in. At the front, there was a bench for the driver. She was also curious how the horses were steered, or made to move, and stop. Sadly, unless she perched on the roof or sat beside the driver, she wouldn’t be able to see anything.

“Elder Yuriko, if you please?”

Rhox gestured towards the middle carriage. Commander Otlaca had already boarded and it didn’t look like there would be another passenger other than Rhox. With a nod, she followed the larger snakekin.

There was an ornate iron step under the door which made it somewhat easier to get inside. The bottom of the carriage was higher than her waist. The inside was quite spacious with two cushioned benches and a built-in table. Otlaca was on her immediate left which meant he faced the horses. She didn’t want to sit beside him so she had no choice but to take the other bench. Once both of them were seated, Rhox followed them inside, closed the door and unfolded a smaller chair to sit on.

“Why sit there? There’s enough room,” Yuriko asked.

Rhox shook her head. “I would not dream of seating on the same level as the esteemed Elder.”

“Oh.”

Otlaca chuckled and gestured to Rhox, who opened a side panel and placed dishes, chopsticks, and a glass on the table. She placed a platter of meat rolls in the middle, then reached for a bottle. The glasses and plates slotted into the table, which should prevent them from toppling or shifting when the carriage moved. She filled half Yuriko’s and Otlaca’s glasses with a clear liquid that had fizzy bubbles.

“Is that wine?” Yuriko asked.

“But of course. From the Marshalle plane,” Otlaca answered with a grin.

Yuriko stared at it curiously and took a sip. It danced upon her tongue and released several fruity notes. It went down her throat as smooth as water though. Her Anima heated a bit before it receded. She returned the glass to its holder. A few moments later, the carriage jolted forward and they were off.

She didn’t see a road from the camp and the vehicle bounced around for a while before it settled. The curtains were drawn so she at least had a clear view of the terrain. The sun came from the other window, and since it was still morning she thought they were headed northeast. Yuriko scooted over to the side until the rays of the sun touched her bare arm, then she closed her eyes and meditated.

The other two remained mostly silent. But someone else wasn’t.

Finally!

‘Oh, Damien. Welcome back.”

Chaos, girl, did it take you that long to get out?

‘Uh-huh.’

Well, I was mostly asleep. Huh. Good to be awake again. What happened? Who are the beastmen?

‘Locals. They live on the plane beyond the spire.’

Interlocked planes, huh? Can’t say I remember. But it’s also a bit familiar.

‘What about the Obsidian Shards?’

What about them? Do you think this is the only plane with those things?’

‘There are more?’

Yes. Of course. We were spread throughout the entirety of the World.

‘Ah. I see. Well, the spire, and the shard, had me fight several opponents and aside from Ivory, I picked up some amber liquid. When I drink it, it fills me up and I don’t become hungry or thirsty for the entire day. All from a single sip.’

Amber liquid, huh. Hmm, any chance you can show me?

‘Alright.’

She had placed her backpack on the seat beside her. She opened her eyes, noting that Rhox seemed to be asleep and Otlaca in the throes of deep meditation. She fished out a bamboo canister and opened it.

Close it! Quickly!

‘What is it?’ she thought at him furiously.

That’s Ambrosia!

‘What now?’

Ambrosia. Drink that entire canister and you’ll find your Anima strengthened completely. But you must not use it for that purpose because that’s completely a waste.

‘Eh, then what’s it for? And what is Ambrosia?’

Liquid Chaos. Or rather, the distilled essence of Chaos that’s ready to take on whatever form it needs to be. But it’s inherently stable, far more than any other kind of Chaos substance. Sorcerers use it for Great Workings. The kind that reshapes the World in a permanent manner, though you’ll need far more than that.

‘Oh.’

That amount you’re holding is worth far more than your weight in Jade.

‘Uh, I have a dozen more canisters.’

Good. I suggest you drink three of them. That should expand your Anima considerably, maybe near Actualization levels. Or you can wait until you’re already in Manifestation and use the Ambrosia to establish your Domain. Hmmm, using it now is actually a waste of resources.

‘Huh, what do you mean? Actualisation? Manifestation?’

You’re in the Second Growth stage. The next one is Actualisation. After that is Transformation, then Manifestation, then Dominion.

‘Actualisation, Transformation, and Manifestation of what?’

Your Anima, obviously.

“Eh, I don’t get it.”

“Huh, what was that, Elder?” Rhox started out of her nap.

“Oh, nothing. Sorry. Just thinking out loud.”

“If you say so,” Rhox murmured. She gestured to the meat rolls. “Please eat.”

“Uh, thanks,” Yuriko muttered as she picked up her chopsticks and ferried a roll to her mouth. It was salty and sweet at the same time. The slice was tender, and it was wrapped around some green sprouts garnished with mustard and mayonnaise. “Delicious,” she smiled.

Rhox nodded happily.

Yuriko glanced out the window. They were going at a respectable clip and she thought they would cover fifty longstrides by the afternoon. The terrain right now was mostly flat, with hills in the distance. It was also much colder than she expected the Season of Fire to be. Maybe it was already the Season of Air?

“What’s the date?’ Yuriko asked.

“Huh, isn’t it the 21st Day of Air, Year 310?”

“Year three hundred and ten?”

“Year One is when Kettu the Great established the Mezgarin Principality. Er, we broke into city states at around Year One Hundred Ninety-One.”

“Ah, I see,” Yuriko muttered.

The two of them lapsed into silence. 21st of Air. It had been three seasons since she’d been trapped in the Kogasi plane, not two. And probably another year before a foreign merchant caravan that could take her back to Rumiga. She would miss two years of the Academy.

You don’t need that. They won’t teach you what you need to become truly strong.

Yuriko shook her head. That may be true, but it still didn’t make her feel any better.