Almost as soon as the restriction cuffs closed over Desire's and Devotee's wrists, both Chaos Lords shuddered.
"What?" Yuriko asked quickly.
"That's so strange," Desire muttered, turning her wrist over. "I feel weird."
"In what way?"
"It's as if…I'm…further from myself." Desire reached for the key and unlocked the cuffs, then heaved a sigh of relief. "That feels much better."
"Is it intolerable?"
"Not really, just strange. I can put them on again." Desire shook her head. "But master, you must allow me to remove the cuffs every now and then."
Yuriko shook her head, "I don't know where it would be safe to do so."
"There is Chaos everywhere," Devotee interjected, "I can feel it. From the west, and the east. North and south, too."
"Pocket Fysallis?" Yuriko guessed.
"Or something similar, I think." Devotee frowned. "I can almost feel the paths splitting between each one. I…" Devotee fell silent. "Perhaps I can find a way back to Rumiga through them?"
Yuriko raised an eyebrow. "How likely will you find a path through your ability?"
"I don't know. Miniscule, probably." Devotee laughed. "But I believe we must explore every opportunity."
"Hmm, you're right."
"Then, master, bring us to those pockets of Chaos and allow us our freedoms," Desire leaned forward and hugged Yuriko tightly.
"Alright, we'll see when we get there. I think the portal might be the best way, anyway."
After ensuring that both Chaos Lords weren't too bothered by the restriction cuffs, Yuriko brought the Wind Darter towards the outpost. The Radiant Sun had set completely by the time she parked the sloop just outside the keep, though not within the village square.
And while she and the others could have sought their beds within the keep, everyone decided to just sleep in the Wind Darter instead. Dinner was brought to them by one of the villagers, a matronly woman who had an easy smile. She brought over a pot of mutton stew, expertly spiced to conceal the gaminess of the meat.
Indeed, the thing burned the tongue so much that Yuriko could barely taste the meat. The barrel of ale was tasty though.
Yuriko spent the night in meditation. She sat in a meditative pose on the deck, with her perception spread out, though she avoided encompassing the town. The sunblades she had scouting underground had not revealed any dreadful secrets, nor did she find any underground tunnels. It was either there were none, or they were deeper than she could easily reach.
This was also the first night Yuriko had the luxury to train her Intent and she did so eagerly. It wasn't as if she wasn't able to train back in Rumiga. Well, she could barely spare the time with everything that had to be done, honestly. Here, she couldn't quite expose the sunblades to the public. Not only would it give away her main weaponry, but it would probably frighten everyone involved. Still, she considered keeping a couple floating around her just as an outward display of her supposed power.
She chose to allow Coinoch and Aeyra their misunderstanding since she didn't want to expose the fact that she and the others had an Animus core. The fact that they could easily live in the Chaos Sea must be shocking to them and would draw more attention than she needed. While she was strong, she wasn't sure if she was the strongest here. In all likelihood, she wasn't. She was only at the Transformation Stage, and Damien's memories revealed that she had only begun her journey.
She conjured her sunblades and sent them deep underground, distant enough from each other so that the heat that the Radiant energy inadvertently shed wouldn't turn the earth into lava. Her control over the blades was enough that the heat did not escape except through touch, but underground, the earth was always in contact with the blade. The solution was to keep them moving.
With the blades deep underground, the gasses released by the melting dirt and stones would still be trapped. Her perception through them was enough that she could avoid gas pockets. The one time she didn't, the blade ignited the air and created a small tremor that was detectable even a hundred paces above.
It was easy for her to maintain five hundred blades back when she first reached Transformation. And over a couple of Seasons afterwards, she was able to progress to six hundred blades. Her maximum has been reduced from three thousand blades to two thousand two hundred fifty, however, mainly because her Anima was restricted by holding back the memories. Fifteen times the number of paces of her reach. Trying to create a single blade beyond that number was excruciatingly painful, as though her mind was aflame. She could hold it for a single second, but perhaps she could do better?
The headache receded almost as soon as she stopped, though her mind remained weary for several minutes afterwards.
Hmm, actually, her reach had grown over the past weeks, so her maximum had increased, though not the ratio, and it was the latter that was the indicator of stronger Intent. She began with her training but didn't progress much—or at all, really. She strained her mind and Anima, but that was all. She might have fractured a bit of her aura, but it was so minuscule that it healed over before she could take a proper look.
Next, she digested some of Damien's memories. The snippet was about him being feted and surrounded by numerous women. Towards the end of it, he brought a dozen ladies into his bed-chamber and was just about to start when the memory fragment ran out. Yuriko spent the next hour processing the memory's emotions and thoughts. The lust he felt merged with her Mien and she felt her body heat up with arousal.
"Tsk." It took another hour to control herself, but by the time she turned in, she was left with a feeling of accomplishment.
The next morning, Yuriko untangled herself from Gwendith's limbs and did her ablutions. Her head pounded painfully as she splashed water on her face. It was a consequence of forcing Intent training for too long. She did succeed in increasing her maximum control, but her sustained control remained the same. The ratio was still fifteen times her reach in paces and a thousandth of a point that added two more sunblades to the two thousand thirty-five that was her adjusted max. Progress was progress, however, even if it would probably take nearly a thousand more days of practice to raise the ratio. Damien could control a million sunblades at a time, which was a ratio of five thousand to one pace. Huh, how long would that take? Though perhaps that was because his realm was higher at that point. Maybe she should aim for a hundred-to-one ratio?
Then there was the fact that those million blades were merged into a single, all-powerful sword. She wanted that power, too, and she knew that she'd have to take it one step at a time. She hadn't begun, however, and she considered splitting her practice between that and the other two. As for her Anima reach and her physique, she was still growing stronger every day by a small amount. And since that was probably not the focus of the next Stage, she could leave it at that. She hadn't quantified her strength yet, but she experienced no lack of control, nor did she ever accidentally hurt anyone, so that wasn't much of a concern.
When she came out of the ship, she found Lieutenant Coinoch and the birdkin, Adan Ortiz, waiting for her outside.
"Good morning, Lady Davar." Coinoch raised a hand in greeting. "I thought it prudent to show you a map and to trace our route to Nirlith City."
"Milady." Corporal Ortiz bowed.
"Good morning," Yuriko replied. "Seeing the map would be wonderful." She nodded towards Ortiz, "Will you accompany Lieutenant Coinoch?"
"Ah, please feel free to call me Cillian."
"Oh, thank you," Yuriko answered. "No need to address me by my family name."
"Yes, Lady Yuriko."
Adan answered, "I have been designated as the lieutenant's attache. So, yes, milady, I will be accompanying your retinue until Nirlith City."
"Oh, welcome then." Yuriko hummed. "Ah, since it's only the two of you, you can load your Steeld onboard the Darter."
She hopped over the railing and followed Cillian and Ortiz back towards the fort. When they arrived in the map room, there was an attendant carrying a plate of steaming rolls already inside. The attendant, an elderly woman, bowed to them and placed the food on a side table.
Across the door, a large tapestry covered the wall. It was a stylized map, though the labels were still in letters Yuriko didn't understand. The shape of the Republic was clear though, as well as what looked like four large cities situated in the northwest, southwest, east-northeast, and slightly west of the centre. The one at the centre had the most ornate look and she assumed it was the capital. To the north-northeast of the capital was a long mountain range that stretched all the way past the northern border. It divided the northern half of the country into two, though the western part was twice as wide as the eastern part. South of the mountain range was a narrow strip of land bordered by what looked like a large lake. The lake encompassed two-thirds of the southern half, and the southwestern city was on a peninsula jutting into the lake. Or maybe inland sea?
The major roads were delineated by black lines, and the three other cities were connected to the capital through them. Thinner lines, more grey than black, connected the southwest city to the northwest, and the northwest city to the eastern city. That grey line passed through the mountain range, though a pass, she supposed.
"This is Bresia City." Cillian pointed at the capital, confirming Yuriko's guess. "That's Nirlith City." The northwest. "Briardale where the other academy is located." The city on the peninsula. "And Old Virtalla." The eastern city.
The outposts weren't detailed in the map, but there were other points of interest in the map. Yuriko memorized the letters woven into the tapestry, to begin learning the local language.
Cillian opened a drawer from a cabinet and pulled out a rolled parchment. He brought it to the table and spread it open, which showed a map centred around Nirlith City. He pointed to the bottom edge of the map, at an icon. "That's Duskfoot Guard." He said simply, then traced a finger following smaller roads that somewhat meandered across the countryside. There were towns and villages along the road, of course.
"How large is the Republic?" Yuriko asked.
"Oh, around five hundred leagues north to south, and a bit over two hundred and fifty leagues east to west." Cillian answered, "The route to Nirlith is nearly three hundred leagues, though it's mostly because we'll have to follow the roads. Much of the far western countryside are forests and untamed wilderness. A buffer of sorts, for the Twisted Beasts coming in from the wastelands."
"I see. Are you ready to leave today?" Yuriko asked.
Cillian hesitated for a moment, then said, "If you can give me a couple of hours, I can finish all the necessary paperwork."
"Alright." Yuriko nodded, "we will wait for you to be finished." She took a couple of rolls from the plate with her Animakinesis, ignored the stares coming from the two men and studied the map. After a minute, Cillian left the room after excusing himself, while Adan took a roll and ate it.
Breakfast was sausage baked around bread, and it was just as spicy as the stew. The attendant had left a pitcher with cold milk in it, as well as a teapot. The tea didn't help with the spiciness, so she tried the milk. It was pungent and warm, but it made the sausage roll palatable.
The entire village and outpost fell well within her perception range, and aside from keeping her sight away from the bedrooms, there was really nothing left to explore. After she memorised the map–all they had to do was follow the roads–she returned to the Darter. A couple of hours later, Cillian and Adan came aboard, and after a brief farewell to the captain, they left.