Chapter 594: Students Scattered Through the Hordes

(I promised I'd give chapters as normal, but this is release day, so let me remind you with links:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Depthless-Hunger-Audiobook/B0FX64WVSR

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXVCN78K

I'll be doing a public post tomorrow as well.)

Kyridnyiam knew he wasn't supposed to say it, but so far, the incursion had been a blast.

Everyone on Deadwaste talked about the incursion as a huge problem, and yeah, there were a lot of monsters. He could imagine that being on the front lines would be a lot rougher. But from his position, deep into the Water Union, it had been a lot of fun.

The Earth Union had taken the brunt of the attack, but all the others were helping. For his squad, that meant that at one point they all coordinated to create a controlled flood, sweeping through a specific valley and wiping out a monstrous horde before it could hit an Earth Union city. Kyridnyiam had never seen such a collective use of elemental power and had been astonished just to be a part of it the entire time.

Which made it strange when they actually called on him to help. There were a few tough monsters capable of swimming in the water that shrugged off attempts to crush or impale them, so they'd sent him out. So many of the Waterborn were so much more experienced and sophisticated than he was, Kyridnyiam forgot that he had more raw power.

When he leapt into the water himself, though, he took apart the monsters easily enough. That had finished off the attack and they had all praised him for it, and he wasn't too proud to admit that it felt amazing.

Now, with the Earth Union reporting that all was good, they were trying to figure out their next target. Kyridnyiam joined some of the Waterborn experts in creating a massive water spout that could launch their floating vessels high into the sky to get a clear look at the area around them. Now he soared along with the others, looking out on the world in awe.

He'd been a little higher on the Clanless, but that had been over the ocean, nothing like seeing Deadwaste spread out over him. From this height, Kyridnyiam could even see to the ocean, which glistened like sapphires in the distance.

"Hey," he asked, "what's that out there?"

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..

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Her hands hurt. It was a stupid thing to think, when monsters were pouring out of the Frontier and people were risking their lives, but Mariyay Hafkrir just kept thinking that her fingers ached.

She had worked them to the bone, or so she thought, and she hadn't imagined that the incursion could be worse. Now she found herself with a bone-deep weariness that she hadn't known before. Maybe it came from building and smashing barrier after barrier, which had been necessary to help the Irunians fend off the brunt of the attack.

Quinta had sent her out in front of the central horde, along with Kifaela, which showed how seriously the Irunians were taking this horde. One of their western cities was right in its path and needed to be defended, so she took that upon herself. Kifaela had gone out, taking on individual monsters, while Mariyay joined the Irunians on the walls defending those that got past her.

Blow after hand-aching blow.

Now came the aftermath, when someone like her was supposed to be necessary. Mariyay was proud of her performance: she had fused together her abilities to create barriers that became truly devastating when she exploded them outwards. But even her power combined with Kifaela hadn't been enough to prevent some of the walls from being overrun, and now, what they really needed...

And so, flexing her weary hands, Mariyay headed out toward the wall. She had wanted to be a warrior, and she had proved herself there. But if she didn't want to be a child, it was time to swallow her pride and help them repair the walls.

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..

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"Hey, good work back there." Bonto didn't hit Tori's shoulder the way he wanted to, but he beamed at her until she smiled back. "The city of New Laeneria is safe thanks to you!"

"Thanks to you as well," she said quietly. "I could never have managed if you hadn't held the gap against the horde."

"As much as I'd like to take all the credit, that wouldn't be fair." Bonto gave her such an exaggerated wink that she almost giggled. Dammit, that one was close. He'd get her next time. For now, though, he really did mean to encourage her. "I couldn't do shit against that turtle monster, and you just... I mean, you landed on it and it died!"

"I formed a spike of steel and crystal through its brain," Tori said somberly, like that was a normal thing to say. "I have been trying to use weapon formation in combat for some time and I am glad it was successful."

"Damn, Tori, you're scary sometimes."

"But I still need training, because it would not have worked on a monster faster than that turtle."

"Hey now, what did I say about being down on yourself? Don't do it!"

"Bonto..." Tori shook her head at him. "I am not depressed, merely realistic. You do not have to cheer me up."

"Just keeping up morale!" Bonto gave her another wink even though he knew it wouldn't work, just to put her off guard. "But I get why you're gloomy. We worked together pretty well, but I'm not the one you wanted to collaborate with. You wish you were paired with Ankrastor, right?"

"No, it makes more sense for Ankrastor to be stationed in Goralia, bec-"

"When I say 'collaborate' I mean in a more personal way, get it?"

Tori finally blushed and pushed him away. "Don't tease!"

"Aww, but I'm right, aren't I?" Bonto wanted to keep pushing, but he heard shouts from one of the Krysali watchtowers overhead.

It was Maggle, leaning against the side and staring out at something. The old former revolutionary was a bit odd, but he was a good man, and a fantastic drinking partner. If he was calling, he wouldn't be doing it for no reason. So Bonto made a crystal platform and floated up to join him and see what he was bitching about.

And when he did so, he saw the monsters on the horizon. A lot of them, more than the first wave of the incursion. Tori landed quietly beside him and made a soft sound. The three of them were the only calm ones, because the other Krysali on the platform were panicking.

"Uh..." Bonto glanced over at Maggle. "Isn't there normally just one wave? Is this supposed to happen?"

"Nope." Maggle pressed his lips together tightly. "This looks pretty fucked."

This would be a good time to throw out a funny line, or even a half-assed effort at funny, just to make everyone relax. Keep them together and doing their best. But staring at all those monsters, it didn't seem funny to Bonto at all.

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From what Untariin of Kartiis had seen, Goralia still had its equivalents of nobles and crystalliers. It was a better, fairer nation than Krysal, but it had its own problems. Actually spending time in one of their southern cities was driving that home for him.

Razzagah Lantrian himself was a decent man, a lot more understanding of warriors than the average merchant without training. That was a huge difference from the arrogant merchants back home too. But plenty of others were nothing like that, and now they were clashing. He hated to even listen to it, but monsters hadn't gotten this far south yet, so there was nothing else to do.

"The defenses aren't even half built!" another merchant was objecting. "In this state, they're just a waste of money!"

"We're still on pace," Razzagah told him with a minimum of patience. "If there aren't supply issues, we'll finish by the time the horde arrives."

"I'm doing my part with the supplies! The problem is labor, and you just won't listen!"

According to the grand plan, decided by people more important than Untariin, the Goralian hordes would be split up. Some would be allowed to push deeper south, which was where Untariin and the others would come in to reinforce the weakened main defenders. He had been looking forward to that, and he thought that a precise attack would be a good match for his abilities.

So far, however, the merchants were being obnoxious. With no monsters in front of them, they didn't seem to really believe that they would be attacked, so they weren't pulling the defenses together. Razzagah was doing his best, but they might be behind schedule.

"A few elite hunters could do this instantly," the merchant argued. "You have connections, you were riding with them. Just get them here!"

"That isn't possible," Razzagah said. "They're needed at the Frontier itself."

"What could possibly be more important th-"

Untariin slapped the merchant across the face. Not hard, but the man stared at him as if he couldn't comprehend what had happened. Somewhere else at a different time, that might have been a crime, but in the middle of the incursion as an outsider, Untariin didn't have time for that.

"You can't imagine what they're dealing with," Untariin told the objecting merchants. "But imagine what will happen to your city if you don't finish those barriers."

"This is absurd! You can't just str-"

"How are you going to stand up to monster hordes if you can't stand up to one person slapping you? Go."

The merchants stared in shock before scurrying away, hopefully to actually do their job. Razzagah stared at him as well, with a sort of rueful admiration. Untariin just shrugged and sat back down.

The monsters couldn't get here soon enough, as far as he was concerned.

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..

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Ankrastor of the Undertow loved Goralia more than he felt he could admit out loud, and that love had multiplied after fighting alongside them. Not only did he have a chance to fight at the edge of the Goralian Frontier, he was defending Monskon City, the very place where Kai had been born.

He couldn't say it, but the defense had lived up to his expectations. Instead of a society where most people were powerless and led by elemental warriors, leading up to great princes and princesses, practically everyone in the city was a partial hunter. They had countless people who could contribute to the defenses, and when the monsters had reached the walls, ordinary citizens had even hurled rocks down.

So Ankrastor felt privileged to play his part, serving as a strike force alongside Aglahai. Rallia was a great leader, taking out some monsters with her own arrows but knowing when to send him out. There had been a giant monster at the end, one that shrugged off even her arrows, and Ankrastor had taken it on directly, cooking it from the inside in order to save the city.

If he wanted to stay here, would they let him? He had a feeling that they would, even if there weren't too many foreigners on the streets. Goralians tended to be open to everyone once they showed their quality, and Ankrastor had demonstrated his in front of everyone.

Just when he was beginning to imagine that future, and what life he might build for himself in Goralia, Ankrastor heard a shout from the wall. He shot upward on a wave of flame to land beside Rallia, starting to ask before he saw the monsters coming toward them.

"Secondary wave?" he speculated. "But they're coming from the west... could the hordes have destroyed another city?"

"They could also have been diverted," Rallia said grimly. "There's no time to find answers, and they don't really matter, because they'll eat us all the same. A lot of our hunters are run down... do you have more fire in your quiver, so to speak?"

"Plenty more, but I don't know if I have enough for... that many."

"Did Kai plan to come back with more reinforcements?"

"No, it's just us." Ankrastor took a deep breath as he realized this was his time, even more than the previous wave of the incursion. The Goralian way wasn't winning with overwhelming power, it was fighting even when the odds were against him.

Looking out at all those monsters, it seemed it was time for him to find out if he deserved to be there.