CC 10: Thesaurize ~ Thirty-One!

It was strange to attempt to draw attention in an enemy controlled area, or at least a hostile zone. The Ritualist truly didn’t want to consider his fellow humans as enemies, nor did he have any long-term plans to go after Elves. Frankly, if they wouldn’t attack him as soon as they knew who he was, Joe would actually work to set up proper trade routes and exchange of goods and services between them. But as it was, he was careful not to reveal his true intentions, purpose, or affiliations.

Initially, the villagers were cautious about a newcomer. The rumors that had been spread, combined with the harsh circumstances made everyone a bit more on edge than they otherwise would’ve been. Still, as Joe brought forth item after item, they gradually warmed to his presence. His exotic merchandise, and the stories about the fearsome creatures roaming the land around them brought in dozens of people who were more than happy for the diversion from their normal routines.

Joe made sure to downplay his role in any of his stories, making sure that his part had always been seeing the monster from a distance and hiding until it was gone. Eventually, even his chaperones felt relaxed around him, and began walking with their hands off of their weapons when he moved around. It was a small thing, but brought great relief to the Ritualist when he noticed.

As the hours passed, he subtly steered conversation away from himself, and onto more local gossip. Very intentionally, he didn’t ask any questions about what they spoke on, merely encouraging people to speak so that he could ‘rest his voice’. At first, the topics were very light, as those around him carefully gauged his reactions to the less-than-perfect living conditions that the Elves were the cause of.

But eventually, the conversation shifted into hushed tones as one person who seemed less fearful of punishment spoke out, his anger at the situation palpable. “Three Villages within an hour’s travel at a dead sprint, less than eight thousand people all together, and the Middle Village feels the need to spend their Rare building slot on a prison? If that doesn't tell you what they think of the rest of us, I don't know what to tell ya.”

“Are you inebriated?” To Joe's surprise it was Trevor who hissed in the man's ear, “They hear you talking like that, half a month of penance is going to be the least of your concerns. If you want to see the inside of that prison that you seem to dislike so much, keep it up.”

For the first time, Joe decided to hazard a question about the situation. Leaning in toward Trevor and the now wide-eyed man, he whispered, “Why would the Elves need to build a prison? It just doesn't make sense, does it? Worst comes to worst, wouldn't exile be more fitting in a place like this?”

Trevor relaxed his grip on the terrified man's arm, turning to Joe and letting out a sigh. “There's no harm in letting you know about this, it's common knowledge. Fungus here was just saying it in a way that made a certain group sound bad, which all of us know wasn't his intention.”

“Absolutely.” Joe agreed easily.

“You see, the Middle Village is entirely human run. One single guild. Our Elven friends let them set up their own place as a test, but they made sure that all of the original residents are the most zealous among us.” Trevor quietly stated as he gently shooed away Fungus. “Everyone there is working very diligently to prove that they’re driven with an unyielding devotion to the cause of the Theocracy. They’re very good people, and very excited and enthusiastic about helping everyone get on their level.”

“I see.” Joe completely understood the message that Trevor was trying to get across, and stopped pressing immediately. Already he was worried that he’d gone too far, as several of the squad of chaperones were giving him considering looks. The fact was, this was supposed to be common knowledge; if he didn't know it, that meant he was from outside the area. After making a couple more sales—happily they were using cores for bartering—the Ritualist handed each of his minders a small gift and bowed to them in the style of a high-ranking Elven authority.

He’d fought and been captured by enough of them that he could mimic their movements fairly easily at this point. When everyone went still, eyes wide, Joe merely kept a gentle smile on his face and nodded at them. “Thank you all for your purchases, I think I should be on my way. With how crowded the town is, I would not want to burden you with my presence any longer.”

Trevor stammered a few times, trying to rectify what he was seeing with the mannerisms that had been drilled into him. Then Joe's words registered, and they began escorting him out of the Village. When they arrived at the gate, Joe once more thanked them for their assistance and having him in their care, ensuring that his gratitude appeared sincere. Frankly, he was extremely thankful to them, the information that he’d gained was vital to his success.

After having Trevor point out the most direct route to the Middle Village, Joe began walking away with determined steps. He waited until he was three times as far away as he thought he needed to be, then doubled back and around to the shrine, ensuring that he had no one following him.

Heartpiercer was waiting for him, “Glad to see you made it back. How was it?”

“That was probably one of the most terrifying experiences I've had in Eternium.” Joe admitted, finally able to relax enough that he started shaking slightly. “That was definitely an extrovert level infiltration, not something I think I can do twice.”

“Did you figure out where she is?”

Joe was already nodding his head by the time the Archer finished her question. “Yeah, apparently there’s an impressive prison in a Village about an hour’s sprint that way.”

“Are you going to try this again?” Heartpiercer fell silent as Joe shook his head. Then a smile cracked her face, turning malicious in only a moment. “Do we get to go get Jaxon?”

“Yeah. I think that’d be a good idea.” Joe hesitated momentarily, then recanted his statement. “Actually, perhaps we should go check out the place we’re going to be busting into ahead of time. Jaxon doesn't exactly have the stealthy gene, so if we don't have our plan of attack ready before we get there, we won't get the chance to make one.”

“Fair.” They shared a chuckle that softened into a sigh as they thought about their friend. He was always fun to be around, but it was a well known fact that he was slightly… off.

They began their trek across the frozen tundra, their path illuminated only by the intermittent light of enchanted walls being tested by monsters in the distance. The cold, crisp snow reflected and refracted the light at a great distance, almost like lightning on the horizon. Joe had a general idea of which way to go thanks to the information he’d gained in the Village, but as the night deepened, he hoped that the Middle Village would be at least as well lit.

“It's supposed to be an hour long sprint to get there, so let's take it easy and keep an eye out for any issues. For anything that we can use against them too, I suppose.” The last part was said doubtfully, as the landscaping in this area was equally as flat as the terrain around Novusheim.

The wind was beginning to pick up, and Joe's Neutrality Aura was having a hard time pushing back against the intense debuff that was trying to stack on them. Even if they weren’t sprinting at top speed, they were still running as quickly as they safely could, which had the unfortunate side effect of stripping their body heat just as quickly as they generated it. Joe took the lead so he could take the brunt of the wind, providing a small lee against the wind for Heartpiercer to shelter in.

Their footprints left imprints on the frozen ground, but far less than expected. For Joe's part, he had extended his Exquisite Shell around his feet to be able to run as if he were wearing snowshoes. As far as he could tell, Heartpiercer had some ability to stay atop the snow as well, which he attributed to her skills as an Archer and scout.

Joe felt like all of his senses were in overdrive, a mixture between excitement and adrenaline at nearly being done with this portion of his quest, and fear of the unknown around them. The only sounds in the completely still night was the crunching of snow under their feet, and their heavy breathing as they maintained their rapid pace. He bit his tongue before saying anything about it, as it was clear that he was even louder than she was. The Ritualist tried to control his breathing more carefully, to run along lightly on the balls of his feet instead of simply barreling forward.

The tundra stretched out before them, a vast expanse of stark whiteness, punctuated by strange, broken silhouettes. As they pressed forward, Joe realized that the silhouettes were moving. He held up a hand to alert Heartpiercer, slowing down in the next moment as the darker shadows in the night resolved into a flock of Penguins moving in the same direction they were.

“Don't worry.” Heartpiercer whispered into his ear. “They’re larger, and much louder than we are. I can hear them squawking from here, there's no way they’re going to pick up our noise at this distance. Just keep going.”

Not trusting himself to speak, Joe simply nodded and picked up the pace once more. He’d never seen the creatures running away from him, and was surprised to find that the feathers along their backs shimmered in various hues in the darkness. Pointing that out to his companion only earned him a blank look and a shake of the head, so Joe assumed his ability to perceive the oddity was thanks to his Darkvision.

As they pressed forward, there were a few dicey moments. At one point, they sprinted past a large snow bank, only for a dozen Penguins to suddenly stand up, shaking off the snow that had been covering them. They were facing in the wrong direction to see the humans that broke into a dead sprint, but some noise must have alerted them to their presence; they began squawking and looking around for whatever had caught their attention.

Luckily it seemed that their night vision was nowhere near as good as Joe's own, and they waddled off to join what must have been the start of a full-on Beast Wave. He breathed out a sigh of relief, knowing that the comical appearance of the enormous Penguins was deceiving. They were fast, with sharp beaks and a weighty body that could easily send the two of them to respawn if they were caught.

They moved more carefully along the treacherous landscape after that, slowing down significantly to ensure they could move cautiously around any snow drifts or pillars of ice that could be hiding a foe that would alert the larger swarm. Joe was on edge, his eyes constantly scanning the area around them for any signs of danger. He wasn't certain how well Heartpiercer could see, and so took on the responsibility of watching for threats on both of their behalf.

He was somewhat surprised at how strangely beautiful the frozen night was. The sky was filled with swirling clouds, as usual, but as magical defenses in the distance were tested, and other various crackling energies lit up the sky, they filled with a breathtaking aurora. Ribbons of green, blue, and purple, swirled within the unending clouds, casting an extremely dim, otherworldly glow that Joe was able to perceive only thanks to the gifts given to him by Tatum. Times like this reminded him of the magical nature of this universe, and he swelled with pride at the knowledge that he’d someday be able to effect it with his own strength.

The flashes of light that they were drawing closer to seemed to be acting as a dinner bell for the monsters, and soon they needed to evade more and more of the gathered beasts. What should have taken a single hour of sprinting stretched into what felt like an eternity, but eventually the walls of the Middle Village were visible in the distance.

Just like all Elven-based architecture, the enclave seemed to be a cunning combination of styles that embodied both the natural environment and the artistry of its residents. Despite what he’d been told, somehow Joe doubted that there were only humans within those walls. He’d never known the Theocracy to not maintain a presence in an area they owned, and the unmistakable Elven craftsmanship whispered to him that there was more to the story.

Ever so slowly, Joe and Heartpiercer circled around the Village, inspecting every inch of it for weaknesses, writing down the patterns of the guards, and as the Beast Wave began they were even able to see how effective the defenses were. The Ritualist even allowed his finger to brush over his ritual orb containing Essence Cycle, and he inspected the flows of power around the town. What he saw left him deeply frustrated.

“This is no random Beast Wave… the structures are shifting and transforming. I can see their city center elongating and pulling in power from the world around it. This Village is on the verge of upgrading into a Town.”