– Era of the Wastes, Cycle 219, Season of the Setting Sun, Day 40 –

They had not shared the full plan with everyone, but it was enough to summon people that held reservations about Terry and Ying going alone to infiltrate and scout the Lich Kingdoms.

"Brother, this plan is madness!" protested Rafael. "Take me with you!"

If it's madness, then why do you volunteer for it?

Terry couldn't tell if this prodding was rooted in deep camaraderie or in martialist recklessness.

Probably both.

Terry shook his head with a smile.

"I agree," said an elder in light blue combat robes. "Venerable Senior, we should come with you."

"Are there many martialists in the Lich Kingdoms?" asked Terry without lifting his eyes from the supplies he had to sort into his storage items.

"No," replied Ying, who was equipping himself in the armor prepared by Brynn and the Crafting Tower.

Thought as much. I can't imagine the Lich Kingdoms tolerating martialist posturing.

"No," agreed Daiyu, who looked at the two with a conflicted expression. She hoped for Siyu to be freed, but sending two alone to infiltrate the Lich Kingdoms and search for something not meant to be found? She could not help but feel guilty. "Perhaps I should accompany you—"

"No," growled Ying. "I would even prefer to do it alone." He glanced at Terry.

"Not going to happen," said Terry matter-of-factly. "I won't be sitting around here while there's a critical mission that hinges on finding a cloaked needle in a haystack." He looked from Ying to Daiyu. "That's my specialty, and if shit goes down, I'm close to the best at buying time."

Terry briefly got self-conscious while hearing himself. The words sounded arrogant, but he knew it to be true. With his Immovable Object spell, his disruption domain, and whatever was going on with his soul, his defenses covered pretty much everything they could throw at him, and he had the divine hammer inscription to bridge any gaps.

And now also the disruption burst to break active spells targeting me and the disruptive drain for other targets…

Terry looked at Rafael. "You heard them. You would stand out like a candle in the dark. We can't afford the attention and…" He cleared his throat. "You and I both know that you're better fit for causing chaos than for sneaking around. Or have you forgotten how much you were whining during our escape in Whetstone until we could finally drop the disguise?"

"The great me never whines!" scoffed Rafael and crossed his arms.

"Honorable elder, please reconsider!"

"No," said Terry. "We're going to need people to create distractions. If you want to help, then we're going to find a role, but not with me."

Terry returned his attention to sorting the potions, scrolls, and pills. He still remembered the battle in the Libra Outpost when he had summoned an entire shelf full of potions. His family had helped him turn the tide of the battle, even when they had not been present.

I can't count on being moved to an improvised infirmary during this battle…

Terry knew he had to prepare himself properly this time. He couldn't afford to have urgently needed supplies stuck in his storage pendant. The crafter's pendant had many advantages, but retrieval time was not among them.

Terry had to make sure that items he might need quickly were available quickly, and there were many items to sort through.

So many…

Terry felt slightly ridiculous sorting through a pile of items fit to equip half an army, but he did not protest. This was not the Proving Grounds. He had support. He had the option and he would not reject it.

By now, it wasn't just his family and friends supporting him.

It wasn't just a small city state anymore, either.

The Free Faction's Union had stepped up to revive the alliance against the Lich Kingdoms' renewed uprising. Soldiers from the fallen Tiv Empire had already arrived. Even Thanatos had established supply routes and coordinated their military action with the allied forces.

Since his mission dealt with rescuing the sister of his best friend, Terry had an obvious personal stake in it, but even besides, the mission was of strategic importance for the alliance. Liberating Siyu would leave only three of the Five Unholy Duchesses to be dealt with.

Naturally, there were also some that hoped Siyu would support the alliance after her independence, but Terry didn't dwell on a question that was far beyond his current objective. In his opinion, Siyu deserved a break after all she had gone through since the Lich Kingdoms had targeted Daiyu's family.

The elven soul deserved to retire from battles and cruelty, but looking at the rest of Siyu's family – at Ying, at Daiyu, and at Siling – Terry doubted that would be Siyu's choice.

Speaking of Siling…

Terry looked up to see his two oldest elven friends quarreling with each other.

"Siling, this is madness!" Calam pleaded with her. "Wait until the Valkyrie arrives! It doesn't matter if they move the…" He bit his tongue. "The you-know-what back. Once the Valkyrie is here with her main forces, we'll push into the Lich Kingdoms and we can get to wherever we have to go!"

Terry took a deep breath. Calam hadn't reacted well to the part of the plan that called for jumping behind enemy lines to create distractions to divert attention away from the infiltration team.

They needed Calam's cooperation – more precisely, the cooperation of Yorgos, the dimensional mage following the Valkyrie's disciple. Calam hadn't refused them, but he was still trying to persuade them to change course.

A part of Terry had been surprised at Calam's reaction. The elven man had appeared exceedingly confident before, but evidently he was not completely blind to the dangers. Running raids and pushing the frontline differed from leaping right into the middle of fortified enemy territory, and he knew it.

They all knew it.

"Calam, we don't have the time to wait for the Valkyrie," said Siling testily. "And…"

Uh-oh. Terry could see a familiar flicker wash over Siling's expression. A flicker that showed she was trying and failing to restrain herself.

"To be frank, I don't think eradicating the Lich Kingdoms will be as easy as you seem to think," said Siling through clenched teeth. "With or without the Valkyrie, or the Mage Supreme, or all the others you listed."

"What…?" Calam looked like Siling had just kicked a puppy.

"If it was that easy to squash the Lich Kingdoms, then it wouldn't have required the alliance during their first uprising," stressed Siling. "And the alliance wouldn't have failed."

"The alliance only failed because Tivius stabbed the Valkyrie in the back!" protested Calam.

"Which could only have happened because it took so long and because it seemed so out of reach, even at the alliance's peak," retorted Siling.

"Okay, fine. The alliance didn't eradicate the Lich Kingdoms," admitted Calam. "But they stopped their expansion!"

"They had Arcana." Siling pointed out. "We don't."

"Not yet!" stressed Calam. "We might if the Valkyrie manages to convince the magic sovereigns."

Unlikely…

Terry didn't want to butt into their discussion, but given their raised voices, it was hard not to follow it. He found it difficult to imagine Arcana simply dropping its long-lasting stance on isolationism.

Even the acceptance of the special district to incorporate the former Tiv Empire was already a stretch of established policy, but an alliance with other empires to push into an outright war?

After how the last alliance had gone?

Arcana had stepped up to defend its neighbors, only to have its troop positions leaked by these very own neighbors it had tried to protect.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Really? Great!" Siling's expression didn't match her words. "But as of now, they don't appear to have changed their minds. I'm not going to bet on 'might', Calam."

"Well, you might get yourself killed!" shouted Calam.

"Yes," said Siling without flinching back. "You do realize that can happen in every battle?"

"Not if you are prepared!" objected Calam. His slouched posture changed when he subconsciously straightened himself.

Watching his friend's change made Terry realize something.

Is that why he's acting so differently? He believes he's prepared for anything now? I guess being trained by a living legend can inspire some confidence.

Terry didn't remember feeling that confident.

Like ever.

"Well, that's why we are here for, aren't we?" Siling lifted the box she was carrying and joggled it for emphasis. "To prepare." She moved her gaze away from Calam. "Terry, we got some more cores for you!"

"Thanks! You can put them there." Terry pointed. "I'll get to them soon." He could use the cores as ammunition for his armor's mana sublimators. It was good to have an attack option that didn't require his own mana and didn't cause the targeting strain like scroll usage would.

Burning through mana cores like this still seems incredibly wasteful…

Stop it.

Focus.

Terry had to stop himself from wondering about all the other uses the alliance could have for the magic cores.

"Don't worry, little elf." Rafael looked haughtily at Calam. "I'll be right there to protect everyone. Nothing like a good thrill to wake up in the morning. The Lich Kingdoms won't know what hit them."

"Nobody asked you, you knuckle brain," snapped Calam.

"Not helping," groaned Siling.

I don't think he was trying to help…

Terry pointedly ignored the rest of their exchange.

***

"Matteo will lead the largest single force close to you, but a good chunk of the soldiers are on the weaker side," said Tiana, who was sitting on the chair at Terry's desk. "The kind of volunteers that were too strong to refuse but too weak to deploy in a smaller group."

Terry nodded. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of his bed and was inspecting his keen daggers for flaws in the material or inscriptions. "Makes sense to me."

In his opinion, the Elemental Tower was best equipped against the undead forces, especially if a part of the death hunters and healers from the Bright Lady joined them. His cousin was a walking army by himself and could cover for any weaknesses. "What about teleportation? Amelia?"

"No, Dargones," replied Tiana. "Amelia is needed with the smaller elite squad. They have to be mobile, especially if we want to keep them close to you. Amelia is also preparing teleportation scrolls."

The squad one with my parents, most of Brynn's dancing doll constructs, and Daiyu…

If Dargones is with the others, then Amelia and he can coordinate the two groups since their spirit-bond allows them to always hear each other's voices. If the need arises, they can also step to each other.

Terry returned his keen daggers to their sheaths. "How close is 'close'?" He appreciated support being ready if necessary, but if they drew attention to their infiltration team, then that would defeat the whole point.

"They chose a spot that shouldn't invite suspicion," assured Tiana. "The territory of a martial sect that only fell last cycle. Survivors of the sect are joining the skirmishers close to it, to provide additional cover." She grinned. "We're going to be with one of the raid groups to liberate regions in the area."

Terry nodded. Rafael and Siling had already told him about this part before. The alliance planned to deploy several mid-sized forces to scour the area, hunt down enemy soldiers, sabotage supply lines, or liberate occupied settlements. "I hope you're with one of the guerrilla squads led by death hunters instead of… you know…"

"Yeah." Tiana snorted. "We're with Elenec again. Chadwick was very insistent that I don't join the martialists."

"Good call," said Terry drily.

"Calam will lead his forces up towards Matteo from further south," continued Tiana. "While the bulk of the Union's forces and Thanatos will press the Lich Kingdoms at yet another location."

"Any news on the other duchesses?" asked Terry.

The interrogation of Mei and her Nine-Faced Fox Sect members together with the cooperation of Thanatos had yielded means to track down the Risen Duchess and the Tainted Duchess, but the location of the Twisted Duchess was still unknown, which made him uneasy.

Terry worried far more about the duchess titled for her mind than those titled for bone or flesh.

"Unfortunately, not," said Tiana with a frown. "Thanatos has chosen the location of the Risen Duchess for the main battle. The Whisperer and his hunters will join them."

"Hoping to steal the undead forces instead of destroying them…" Terry nodded and muttered to himself. He had heard that the Risen Duchess was approaching lichdom, but her primary strength was her command over death aura creatures. The Whisperer and Thanatos, with its own trained death whisperers, would be good counters to them.

Hopefully, that's enough to draw most of the attention.

Wait…

Terry frowned. "That sounds like a lot of moving parts. Aren't we missing transportation for the larger forces? Will Yorgos keep the different battle locations connected with dimensional gates? Especially if the forces are moving as well?"

"One gate between Matteo's location and the main battle," said Tiana and lifted her fingers while counting. "One gate between the main battle and the Freedom Cooperative, which is already connected to the Lands of the Four Towers. Matteo isn't supposed to push far and we just want to have a few gates seen during the raids. We want to keep Yorgos' gates visible without him lingering around too long."

To reinforce the idea that Ying is part of the battle…

Terry looked up from his equipment. "Thanks for the briefing. Makes me feel less bad for missing the meeting."

"No worries." Tiana waved him off. "We all know you were busy." She looked at him more seriously. "How are you feeling? Nervous?"

"I'll be glad when it's over," admitted Terry. He took a deep breath. "I'll do what I can."

"And that's all anyone could ask," said Tiana. "I wonder how the hijacking is going."

"I think it succeeded," said Terry while absentmindedly looking towards a specific wall. "Mana feels more stable and…" He moved his gaze towards the door. "Siling is coming over."

When the Lich Kingdoms had attempted to force Siyu back, the hijacking attempt had become unstable, but it looked like the situation was under control again.

"Which she wouldn't do if the situation was still critical," muttered Tiana while nodding. "How long do you think it will hold?"

Terry shrugged. "They weren't optimistic, but we already knew we won't have much time."

Siling opened the door to discover Terry and Tiana already staring at her. "Uhh…"

"Don't you knock?" asked Tiana.

"Yeah, how rude!" chided Terry insincerely.

Siling rolled her eyes. "As if anyone would have to knock with Mister Mana Perception here." She gestured at Terry and flung herself belly-first on the bed to lie down. "I'm so tired…"

"Did it go well?" prompted Tiana.

"Yeah…" came the muffled voice from a pillow while Siling raised a thumbs up. She pressed herself up and turned around to speak properly. "Siyu's safe… for now, but…"

"Only a few days at most?" asked Terry.

"Yeah…" Siling moved her hand through her hair while thinking. "Unless they can whip up a more effective ritual design, which is…" She sighed.

"I guess we'll stick with the planned timeline then," said Terry.

Which means tomorrow…

"Which means we should let you rest," said Tiana. She stood up and pulled Siling from the bed. "Stop hogging someone else's bed."

"Such a mean demon." Siling pouted. "Help! I'm being abducted!"

"Have fun with that," said Terry, and retrieved one of his notebooks.

"What are you doing?" demanded Tiana in a tone that was eerily reminiscent of Isille's.

"Uhh…" Terry blinked.

Tiana narrowed her eyes. "It's late. Don't you think you should sleep?"

How can she make a question sound so much like it's not a question?

Terry's notebook was still half-open, and he whined: "But this relaxes me!"

Siling rolled her eyes. "You know what else is relaxing? Sleep. You should try it sometime."

"Ha ha," uttered Terry sarcastically and rolled his eyes. "I do sleep. Sometimes. I'm just not sleepy."

"Ah right." Siling put a hand in her pocket. "I nearly forgot again." She retrieved a light-aspected monster core. "I found this one in my storage. Must be from our dungeon dives in Arcana. Catch!" She threw the core to Terry.

"Thanks!" Terry suppressed the reflex of using his Immovable Object spell on the projectile aimed at him. This wasn't an attack after all.

He caught the core with his left hand.

Hmm…

A memory surfaced in Terry's mind.

A memory of him sitting in a room in Tiv's Chara Settlement and dreaming about achieving enough spell compression to one day transfix a mana core.

I wonder…

"See? There's no way he's going to sleep." Siling pointed. "I know that face."

"Hmph." Tiana looked like she considered putting her friend to sleep by knocking him out, but eventually decided against it. "Let's just go. He's an adult." She left the room and waited for Siling.

"I've never met an adult with such a sweet tooth though."

Looking at the mana core, other ideas entered Terry's head. Other things he could try with the core.

Would the disruption drain work on a mana core? Could I absorb mana from a core this way?

Almost subconsciously, Terry moved his mana towards the core until he felt an unexpected suction force while his mana sight involuntarily flashed purple…

Siling, who was about to wave good night, halted and blinked with mouth agape.

Terry blinked.

The shining dropbear blinked.

The mana-corrupted creature screeched and pounced on Terry with claws extended.

Terry reflexively hurled a divine hammer that crushed the corrupted koala's skull.

Tiana, who had rushed to return to the room as soon as the new mana signature had appeared, stared with disbelief at the creature's corpse. "By mana…"

"Uhh…" Siling rubbed her eyes, half-believing herself asleep.

Terry stared at the mana-corrupted corpse.

At the core-less corpse.

What the Wastes…?

Terry jolted out of his daze, jumped up from the floor, and shouted: "What the—?!"

I don't think I can deal with this shit right now…

I just…

Terry took deep breaths to calm himself.

Forget sleep.

He had to talk to someone.

Terry walked out while his two friends followed dazedly.

Ever since his days of failure at the Arcana Academy, Terry had gotten used to seeking advice and taking it. Whatever had just happened, it was beyond his understanding.

He needed someone with more dungeon expertise.

Someone with a clearer head than his.

Fortunately, Terry knew just the person to talk to.

***

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