Elevation of Mana Chapter 210 Breaking the News

Everything was all in a tizzy, and every person who had any power at all wanted to know exactly what was going on, with whom, how, and right now. The leader of the small group that had brought us back had tried to keep it quiet, but the fact that we came in bearing a crystal near identical to the one that kept their whole city warm was cause enough for rumors to spread like wildfire. The people who lived here had never seen one of those, but the comparison still struck true.

The attempt to sequester us had also backfired spectacularly, and after being shown to a nice quiet room it wasn't ten minutes until we could hear the things going on out in the hall. There were raised voices and shouts, anger clear in the very way they were speaking to each other. Most of it was an indeterminate growling, but it was getting louder and louder.

“Think we'll have to fight? I'm not sure I'm up for another already,” Chien asked, frowning.

“Depends on what they know, and how they react. Probably not unless someone is stupid, but people are stupid.” That got me a laugh as he leaned back and sipped on the warm water they'd left us with. It wasn't the best drink I'd ever had, but it was sure nice to have something to go along with the dried meat.

“Still, these people were okay compared to some of the others, not my favorites, but I might have a kid or two running around out here...”

“Don't joke, and remember Chien how much they train. Unless they changed after meeting us they're all likely to be far weaker than either of us. Things to keep in mind.”

Both of us knew and well understood that our training made us stronger. We also knew that the last time we were here most of the people here didn't at all. They were almost made content, presumably a ploy by their leader to keep them together and happy. With how they instead just put their magic into heating their home through crystals they were all arcane invalids. Elders from this place would be weaker than even older adepts from my own city, and neither of us were anything other than experts when it came to magic.

“I DEMAND ANSWERS!” roared someone out in the hall.

“That sounds bad,” Chien observed, not even opening his eyes.

There was more shouting after that outburst, followed by the man who'd led us to this room bursting into the confines.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“No, every elder in Icehome wants to speak with you, and most of the others too. They're making a lot of problems.”

“What have you told them?” I asked.

“I've been trying to talk to the ones I know best on the side, but people keep bursting in. If it doesn't stop, there will be a riot.”

“Shit that's bad,” Chien said sagely.

“Very bad,” I agreed with an deep nod.

“This is serious, and frankly... I don't know what to do,” he admitted, sounding almost like a child. “Neera has always been with us, like a grandmother to everyone here. If ever we felt lost we could always turn to her, but now...”

“Now she's dead,” I agreed.

Someone in the hall must have been a physical with some hearing enhancement because there was a shot and everything got very, very quiet.

“That's no good, no good at all. We'll have to talk to everyone, can we use the heating room? It'll clear everything up as best as we can.”

“But the panic...”

“Will be worse if we don't. Trust me on this, it will be best if we control this by simply telling everyone what happened and what comes next.”

“What comes next?” the man asked.

“It's up to your people, but there are options, and I'm happy to help with whatever you choose. Can you make the arrangements?”

“I can.” My words and confidence seemed to have calmed him a bit, and he left us.

It was only a couple of hours before we were led to the heating room. It was the largest room in all of Icehome and with how many people were interested in what we were saying there really couldn't be anywhere else. The tiers went up and up and were lined thick with curious elves. The crystal itself was cooler than normal though, something we'd seen before, and allowed us to get close without having to devote effort to keeping ourselves from cooking.

Chien and I soon found our way to the very bottom, all eyes in the room locked on us. I even recognized one or two. There was Imra, a girl who'd flirted with me the last time I'd been here, and another whose name I'd never bothered to learn but whose face I knew. She was giving my assistant a glare that could cut glass and with how we left last time I didn't wonder why.

However there were far more elders here than I expected, and it seemed Neera had held out her forces from the fighting. I counted twenty, mostly younger ones, that were near to us, I didn't think the other had pulled that many back. If they'd been with us... no, it wasn't good to think like that, it didn't help.

Once we made it to the very bottom, and had everyone on edge it was time to rip the band aid off. There was no point in letting the people here wonder, or be scared any longer than they had to, so I amplified my voice slightly and spoke.

“Matriarch Neera, and all who went with her are dead. Almost everyone on that blighted mission is dead. The Ancient of the great trees Rolan is dead, the leader of the southern swamps is dead, innumerable elders are dead. They died but gave us victory over a threat that hung over all our heads for far too long. Their sacrifices led to it being fully destroyed.”

There was silence, shock, a few quiet sobs here and there as people began to understand. I gave them their time, they'd certainly need more to process, but there was much they needed to know.

“The losses in the southern lands are great, greater than you might imagine. Swaths of land are not open, now available should any wish to move to settle them. They're rich land, good land, and you will be able to live there with some aid. There is risk, there always is, but you should know that you have that option. As for the crystal we brought with us, the one that is much as this behind me, it is for you. Use it as you will, for whatever need you think is best.”

“Are you sure she's dead? She might have escaped!” someone yelled.

“No, I saw her death myself.” I wouldn't tell them I'd caused it, because if I did that I knew I'd not be leaving this place with my head. “I can confirm it completely, as can my aide.”

“You want us to leave?” someone accused.

“I care not if you leave or stay, that is your decision, and whatever you decide I will attempt to aid you with. However, can you maintain this place without the Matriarch? Do you want to? You have the option now to move, and I'm letting you know. There is plenty of space if you want it, if you want to leave the frozen lands, but that is for you to decide.”

Stepping down I turned to the elders that were nearest to me, those who'd have been the strongest here.

“That is all I can offer. I'll remain to answer any questions you may have, but your people need you to lead.”

“I-I'll talk to them,” one said, stepping forward, clearly unprepared for the mantle he was taking, but the only one who stepped forward.

“Very well.”

With that we sat down and endured a long and almost unending afternoon. People wanted to pick and pry at everything. I had to give a full rendition of what had happened, replacing the fact that I'd killed her with the statement that she'd been grievously injured and not survived the way home. That was true enough though. There were questions about the monsters, and how we knew they were dead, and a hundred other things. Hours were spent on the ability of some or all of them to leave, and what the now empty lands were like.

Eventually though things began to peter down, and I was grateful that we'd acquired a room to rest in at some point. I did have to give it to them though, they'd at least had good snacks at their meeting. The people here were accustomed to large numbers lounging around in the heating room feeding mana to their crystal, and so they were perfectly happy to keep the snacks that were normally reserved for people there coming for all of us.