"The Chaos is clashing with his body," Yuriko observed, and she perceived Monica nodding behind her. She tilted her head and took his arm into hers.
The man flinched at the contact. His scales were smooth but there were rough patches closer to his shoulder. The transition between the scales and skin was rough, with the latter somewhat chafed where the edges of the scales rubbed the flesh raw.
He flinched when a mot of Chaos went up his veins and collided with the Elemental energy present in his blood.
"What do you want me to do?" Yuriko asked.
"I…" Cillian swallowed. "I'm not sure. Can you relieve the pain? Or… or revert my arm?"
Yuriko frowned. "I'm not a healer."
"Oh." He fidgeted and made to pull back. Yuriko let him as she considered what to do. Then again, she could simply let him be. As for the Chaos in his body…
Yuriko conjured an Animus scalpel and said, "I may be able to etch a spell on your scales near your shoulder to expel the Chaos rather than allow it to enter your body."
"Please do so!" Cillian practically yelled.
Yuriko chuckled and said, "There may be a way to harness it instead and make you stronger in the process. It's a bit riskier though."
"No, thank you." His answer was immediate and unhesitant.
Yuriko blinked at him but nodded. "Alright."
Well, she supposed not everyone wanted to take uncertain risks for uncertain rewards. She carefully etched the runescript words for Devour, and Channel, as well as the defining connections that limited the lines to targeting only bodily Chaos travelling through his flesh. Any broader than that and the runescript lines wouldn't be able to handle the load and might leak, hence making his condition worse.
It took nearly half an hour, and by that time, Cillian was panting with pain. The etching involved carving into the scales, then a bit deeper into the underlying skin. Then she had to make sure the marks would last, and the only thing she could think to use was heat. She held him still with her kinesis, and by the time she was done, his face was drenched in sweat.
"Does it still hurt?" Yuriko asked when she was done.
"Yes!" The young man said through gritted teeth.
She rolled her eyes and clarified, "I meant the spikes of pain near your shoulder."
He took long deep breaths after Yuriko released him from her kinesis. He closed his eyes and then said, "No."
She nodded then continued to inspect the workings of the runescript pattern for a long while, and when she found no anomalies she said, "Well, that should work until you acclimate to it." Perhaps he would develop an Animus core independently, or concert his Elemental Heart.
"Thank you, Lady Davar."
Nodding, Yuriko turned to leave. Monica was in one of the other rooms, in the kitchen actually, cooking.
"Grammy!" Cillian yelled.
"What?" Monica yelled back.
"Lady Davar's leaving."
"Ah, hang on!"
The older woman hurried back to the living room, stared a moment at Cillian then said, "Better?"
"Getting there."
"Professor, my humblest appreciation." She bowed and Yuriko waved it off.
"I don't mind. But I have to go."
"I'll call for a guide!"
"No need." Yuriko chuckled. She memorised the path and her threads allowed her to discern Fluffington and Ryoko's direction.
"Will you return to the fortress?"
"Perhaps."
The older woman shrugged. "I suppose that's all we can ask for."
Yuriko got lost, of course, and she had to ask some of the guards patrolling to direct her to where the visitors were housed.
She reached the inn after another half hour and marvelled at the visitors' quarter. Though she knew that it was nothing more than a large chamber in the fortress, the ceiling panels mimicked the skies outside. Right now, it was a cloudless night, and the stars and Luminous Moon were prominent above.
The chamber actually mimicked a village square, complete with grass, a fountain, an inn, and an attached tavern. When she entered the inn, where Ryoko's thread led, she found her handmaiden waiting in the common room. The tawny-haired woman waved from her table, then called for a server.
Yuriko ate the stew and bread roll they served, appreciating that it wasn't ration bars, but the taste paled in comparison to the hot chocolate. After that, she did her evening ablutions then went to bed.
The next day, she spoke with Juliette and Sofia, who told her that the refugees were divided on where they wanted to go. They dissolved the caravan after that, which would also allow Yuriko to deposit the letter of credit to the bank in Nirlith and receive the coins Juan Carlos organised with the other families to repay her for her time and effort.
"We'll head to Niria, too," Juliette said once the procedures were complete.
"I intended to fly," Yuriko said. "I can get there by this afternoon, probably."
"Um, if you fly alone?"
"I'll bring Ryoko along," Yuriko smiled. "But I'll probably return here to help. Or seek out the trouble in Vallavega Pass." Hmm, Fluffington's feeling a bit restless so she probably should bring him along.
"Then we'll make our way to the city with the rest of those who wish to go there," Juliette said. "Thank you for everything, Professor."
"I'll see you girls next term. Probably."
She hugged both of them, then took Ryoko, and Fluffington into her Anima and flew off from the west gate. Niria was roughly a hundred and fifty leagues north of the strip, and another fifty leagues west.
Two hundred leagues would take her the rest of the day in flight, assuming she didn't cut through the mountains. If she wasn't carrying Ryoko and Fluffington, she might have.
The flight was uneventful, though she noticed a couple of overflowing Chaos Founts along the road. Those were secured by a camp full of adventurers already, and since Chaos Founts always managed to impose whenever she entered them, she had little drive to help with the delving.
In Niria Academy, nothing had changed. There were fewer students, since it was the Seasonal break, after all. There was less staff, too, but running a campus that covered half of a volcano as well as about a quarter inside it, took a lot of people. She hadn't realised how many since the staff used the underground tunnels, which had their own moving platforms, to cross most of the distance. She had perceived them, of course, but there were more tunnels and platforms than staff. It reminded her of Sharom Academy back home, actually, and how Rumiga City practically existed underground too.
She flew her burdens home. Both of them were napping, and the wolf pup had bubbles expanding and contracting off his nostril. The house was clean and she found Desire inside. The Chaos Lord grinned and pounced on her almost as soon as she opened the door.
"I've missed you, Master!" she gushed.
"So have I," Yuriko chuckled. She examined the other woman with her Anima and was somewhat disappointed to see she hadn't advanced yet.
"Close, master, just a little bit more,' Desire said, understanding Yuriko's unspoken question. "I…think I really must return to the Chaos Sea to do so. The Founts are just too thin."
"Do what you must?"
"With your leave?"
"Just…make sure you return."
"I am bound to you, my master," Desire whispered in Yuriko's ear. "Always."
Since it was already evening, Ryoko fixed a quick dinner. Desire and Fluffington eyed each other warily at first, then menacingly. A few moments later, the wolf pup sat on his haunches and gave the Chaos Lord his begging eyes. Desire snorted, but soon patted his head. "Another one you've bound, master? Interesting fellow."
"Yeah, I took a liking to him in the Conflux," Yuriko said absently as she nibbled on her bread.
"Do you wish for me to train him?"
"No, focus on your advancement," Yuriko admonished and Desire ducked her head. Then she leaned and whispered into the Chaos Lord's ear, "I'm looking forward to it."
Desire grinned, though her ears reddened. "I will go now."
"Alright, ah!" Yuriko said, "Please send Devotee here. I have a task for him."
"Yes!" Desire left and Yuriko finished dinner.
After she took a much-needed bath, she found Devotee waiting by the living room. The Chaos Viscount bowed to her, swept his flame hair back and said, "Your Will?"
"I need you to head to the Hillside Burrows and see if you can find a way to reach Gwendith, Heron, and Saki," Yuriko said. "They said they are stuck there because of a siege, and see if you can aid them." Yuriko pursed her lips. "They are accompanied by other Ancients."
Devotee blinked at that, then muttered, "There are more of you?"
"I don't know. They may follow a different path but are under the same method. But watch yourself with them."
"As you command."
"I'll be in touch with you and the others every day."
Devotee sniffed and actually teared up. "But you never contacted me when you left a few weeks ago! Is this what it'll take?"
Yuriko blinked at him for a long moment, not quite sure what to say. She did feel a bit of guilt at neglecting another who had bound her…himself to her.
Devotee's pleading look turned into a mischievous grin and he stuck out his tongue, "Hie hie, it's alright, master, I will be glad to hear your voice every day."
Yuriko rolled her eyes while Ryoko chuckled under her breath. "Yes, fine. I won't forget. Temporal distortion will make the schedule a bit erratic but I will use the spell when I wake up every morning. Unless I'm otherwise busy."
"I will look forward to it." Devotee bowed and left.
She did her evening meditations, though she didn't focus on strengthening herself. Rather, she focused on what she would do in the near future. She had an expensive chocolate habit, and she didn't regret it. But it did mean that her savings were practically nil. She perused through the contracts while flying, taking a break every few minutes to avoid her head aching. She would be paid tenfold what she'd get as a professor for every week she was stationed in Greyith, but she had to stay until the end of the Season. Then, the fortress would make a request to Niria if they wanted her to continue. A hundred gold coins a week would buy her a lot of chocolates…
Salivating, Yuriko decided then and there that she'd probably stay in the fortress for a while. At least until the others returned. They could then head to the Eternal Tower and, from there, find a way to get back to Rumiga.
The most important question was if she would stay in the Empire or return here. The presence of the Tower, which allowed Damien to progress his advancement faster, was tempting here to stay. But she wondered that if she was only given the choice of going home and not given the chance to return to the tower, would she take it?
She had no answers for that, and she didn't think she could decide unless she was already facing that choice.
Late that night, she went to bed. Fluffington snuck into her room, opening the locked door with his kinesis and jumping up on the bed to snuggle her. She woke up to his clumsy effort at the knob but appreciated the warm fluff. He did need a bath though.
She giggled when Fluffington shivered, having felt her idle intentions, but he remained next to her. He even gave the impression that he would bathe often if she wanted him to. Clean his teeth, too, since his breath stank like a dog's. He sent an offended feeling through their connection, and Yuriko chuckled. Then she cuddled him to sleep.
The next morning, after their ablutions, she left word with the administration office of her intentions, as well as a copy of the contract, then they flew back to Greyith Fortress. She hoped the Ishodirians attacked soon, otherwise, she might grow bored.