Chapter 617: Shifting Continental Strategies

(Just FYI, the plan is to maintain the current schedule for next week, then I'm taking a roughly one week break over Christmas and New Years.)

Just standing in the elite conference room could have felt tame after the battle against the Abhorroid, but Kai almost felt tenser here. The solution to a giant monster was obvious, if difficult... in here, everyone faced an impossible problem that might have no real solution.

But the elites looked more optimistic than when he'd last seen them. Perhaps their problem splitting into so many different problems was an improvement, or perhaps they'd just made progress. It seemed like Raghi and the Prince of Pebbles had taken a lot of resources from the invaders, and Kai's battle had given everyone time to work on them. Throughout this conference room, only half the discussion was of strategy, and the other half was centered around those items.

"Ooh, I need to talk to the Irunians." Omilaena slipped away from him eagerly. "We'll catch up later."

She hastened to one side, where Tusquo and Quinta sat on opposite sides of a sword. Tusquo was still bandaged from his fight with the invaders, but he and his wife faced the weapon with somber focus. Kai wished them well even though he wasn't sure what they were trying to do.

For his part, he found Gunjin standing with the other planners. They had set up a map of the continent... Kai felt a sting of pain as he realized that Sheiri would never build them a liquid metal map again. It seemed the invaders were spreading out, establishing their own little fiefdoms, but when Gunjin saw him, he ignored all of that.

"Kai, we have an odd development." He revealed a thin potion from within his robes. "The invaders had a few potions on them... amateur work, but the materials are entirely phased."

"Can we use that to get anyone a breakthrough?" Kai asked.

Gunjin grimaced. "That was our first thought too, but no. The mana is intense due to its phase, but it's not particularly potent otherwise, and there's concern it might lead to problems. As a weapon it isn't so useful, because it just has parity with our opponents. So we decided that the best use for it was utility."

"Hence this." Kai took the vial and turned it over, trying to figure out the mana within the bright green liquid. "Definitely not restorative, not much like any potion I've seen before... what does it do?"

"It's a teleportation potion. When imbibed, it will transport a person to a specific teleport anchor. What separates it from everything I can do on my own is that the outside mana vastly increases the range. You could use this to teleport across the oceans."

"We needed that. Is there any way to teleport us over there?"

"This is already pushing the limits of my ability, so don't expect too much." Gunjin shook his head, then pulled out two more of the vials. "Our phased mana is also limited, so I only have these three to give you. How you use them is up to you, but I hope it can justify trips that will take you three to the necessary level for these threats."

"It should help. We're already planning t-"

"Omilaena already told me that Zae Zin Nim had gone to Cloudspire to unlock her final level of cultivation. It's inconvenient that she doesn't have a potion, but I'll leave that up to you. Make sure that Omilaena doesn't leave without one."

That seemed to be all that Gunjin had to say to him, because he turned away to speak to the other elites. After a moment, Kai decided that this was well and good: best to leave Deadwaste in the hands of someone who would at least do his best to keep it intact. Combined with his new potions, he was theoretically even more free than before to pursue the strength he needed.

How best to use that? Kai looked around the room, but everyone seemed busy with their own work, so he kept his own counsel. After his fight with the Abhorroid, he was hungry for power of any kind: he needed both more monstrous strength and human power to let his essences grow. That basically meant either pursuing monsters on Rosemount or cultivating on Cloudspire.

He had been disciplined in his cultivation before the incursion interrupted him, so he was getting closer to Earth Soul by the day. That was certainly the largest breakthrough within reach, as it would instantly improve his human soul and give him a lot more room for monstrous growth. The problem was that the remaining gap wasn't something that could be rushed or trivialized... but if anyone could figure out how to get him there, it was Zae Zin Nim.

That idea, combined with the fact that she didn't have a teleportation potion, settled the issue for Kai: he needed to go to Cloudspire. Zae Zin Nim could handle herself, but she could use his help taking her own final steps, even before she dealt with Yangix, who would likely arrive long before he could.

Just deciding on that, having a direction to move forward, gave Kai a little more confidence. Unfortunately, it also massively increased his impatience: he couldn't wait around here when the invaders might be attacking anyone and the Abhorroid could wake up at any time.

"Oh, Kai!" Juray entered, waving cheerfully with her free arm - the other was supporting Raghi, who was still a bit unsteady after his fight with the invaders.

"You two are alright?" Kai asked, checking them just in case.

"I'll live," Raghi said with a grunt. "That's the last time I go undercover, though."

"And I've been doing some fascinating work..." Juray trailed off as her eyes flickered between him and Gunjin. "He already gave you the teleportation potions, didn't he? That's his mana, obviously, but I'm the one who actually brewed them. Ever since my Class advanced, I've been able to create more complex effects, but I have to spend most of my time brewing healing potions."

Kai frowned. "Is it still that bad?"

"The elites aren't fighting the invaders directly, since that would make them retaliate, but other people still get hurt. And... I hate to say it, but people are causing more chaos themselves. When there are rumors of elites getting beaten, and everyone on the continent feels a horrible monster show up... well, it's easy for some people to take advantage."

He didn't like to think about Deadwaste that way, but she was right. So much of civilization was supported by fragile bonds, and many of those bonds had been smashed. If they survived this, it might bring everyone together, just like the incursions, but if they couldn't stop the invaders... the continent might never truly recover.

As much as he wanted to rush off, he'd already spent days fighting, so he could stick around a little longer. Kai spent a day working with Juray, donating his own resources and even his blood to create a set of new potions. She understood what he wanted soon enough and created three of them: a qi potion for Zae Zin Nim, a chakra potion for Omilaena, and an ominously bubbling potion for him.

Those were the best backup she could provide, and they both knew it. Once Kai had them all secure in his spatial ring, he knew it was time.

"I hate to go, but I'll have to leave this to you." Kai hugged Juray and said his farewells to the elites as he moved on.

Now the most important thing he needed to do was check in with Omilaena, making sure they were on the same page about their longer term strategy. She had been spending time with Quinta since their arrival and, sure enough, he found the two women seated on the floor opposite one another. Quinta grimaced and struggled as she gripped the invader's sword, apparently trying and failing with some technique.

Tusquo stood nearby silently, but he nodded when Kai approached.

"By the way," Kai said, "what was that steel ship you were flying?"

"It's what I used to help Raghi," Tusquo said. "Irun has always had a surfeit of flying vessels, but with our new alliances, we developed a few prototypes. They weren't supposed to be deployed yet, but given the circumstances..."

"I understand, these are desperate times. And what are they doing?"

"An experiment." Omilaena let go of Quinta's hands and turned to them. "Many of the invaders have magically enhanced swords - they're nothing fancy, many are even made of pig iron, but all the matter is phased. It should be possible, in theory, for us to repurpose that iron."

"Really?" Kai looked at the sword again. "They could form them into new weapons?"

"That's thinking too small: if we can melt down the metal into a fundamental Essence form, Irunians may be able to absorb the power. But since the material is phased, it's basically entirely immune to normal effects to manipulate it."

"My phase training is behind my husband's." Quinta set down the weapon with a dissatisfied expression before she turned to Kai. "However, my own abilities are a better match for melting down the weapon. Between the two of us, given time, we may be able to make progress."

"And I'll have to leave that to them, because I have a lot to do." Omilaena hopped up and went over to wrap an arm around Kai's waist, leaning against him. Tusquo and Quinta also shifted together, though with less display of affection.

For a time they stared at one another, but all they did was nod and turn to do what was necessary.

Kai and Omilaena headed out, but before they could speak about their plans, there was a shout from one of the elites. It was Gorndron - he wasn't inclined to excitability, so Kai turned back to look. The man rushed in to the planning table, gesturing to everyone, and then set down a Krysali message crystal.

"All of you should know us by now." A wavering image appeared above the crystal... Kai recognized Fodajix as he stared into the crystal on his end. "We don't intend to kill anyone else, but if you attempt to ambush us, we will have no choice. If any of us falls, the rest will wreak bloodshed like nothing you have seen so far. This message is from all of us... bow or stay out of our way, but if you attempt to fight us, none of you will survive."

The message ended and the image faded, but both had been burned into the minds of all who had listened. It was exactly what the others had feared: the invaders had coordinated in order to defend themselves in their isolation. Unfortunately, their threat to kill indiscriminately was very credible, which limited their options further.

"Doesn't change the plan." Omilaena shook her head sharply. "I think brute force is actually the smart path here: they're expecting weaker opponents to use group tactics against them. If we can build up enough strength to take them on directly, we can undermine their threat."

"You're headed to Rosemount, right?" Kai's hand instinctively rested on her hips as if he didn't want her to go, even though there was no choice. "You have the Whispering Death... you're betting that you can use it to power a Physique change?"

"That's right, but it's going to be delicate. This is an Insanity, after all. Are you pursuing cultivation?"

It seemed that Omilaena was already a step ahead of him, so he didn't need to explain much, just gave her the potions crafted for her and discussed a few other details. They headed out of the elite base still walking together, not wanting to part just yet.

But then, under the Frontier sky, there was no choice but to go their separate directions.