Forbidden Constellation's Blade-Chapter 172: Battle For Khaz Vordun (4)

A distant rumble rolled somewhere beyond the tent flap, followed by the muted sound of some kind of explosion. Another tremor shivered through the ground behind his back.

It should’ve been deafening, yet all that came through was just a slight shake that he barely felt. As if the sound was submerged underwater.

Ryn tried to inhale and found that even that was sluggish.

"...Ryn."

The voice barely cut through and reached his ears.

His vision finally cleared enough to make out the tent overhead, a lantern swinging gently from a hook, and Jay leaning over him with an expression that didn’t belong on the alchemist’s face.

"What..." Ryn managed. He tried to move his body but felt nothing.

Jay didn’t answer immediately. His hand was pressed against Ryn’s neck, fingers searching for something that clearly wasn’t where it should’ve been.

"How the hell are you alive right now?" Jay muttered under his breath.

Another tremor shook the tent, followed by an intense heat that radiated even here.

Ryn blinked slowly.

"Status," he said instead.

Jay stared at him as if he’d just spoken nonsense. "Status? Your heart—" He swallowed.

"It’s beating so slowly that your body should’ve lost function already," he explained.

"You should be unconscious right now...or worse."

Ryn opened his mouth, but closed it again, letting the words settle.

Should’ve lost function? Does that really—?

Yet his memories started to come back to him in pieces. The energy that flooded through him, the draw of an entire city’s reserves forcing its way into a single body.

It was a desperate attempt at buying time, one that he thought of and subjected himself to. He remembered the moment with terrifying clarity now. The instant he linked himself to the amplifier—

It felt like he was drowning.

Even if the cold hadn’t flash-frozen his organs, the overload should’ve torn through his Essence pathways and shredded his core.

Really, if Amelia wasn’t there...that’s actually what would’ve happened. Ryn barely managed to lift a hand up to his face and covered his eyes.

Fuck...I really fancy myself a Hero, don’t I?

Jay muttered something under his breath before rummaging through his satchel. He came back up with an uncorked vial that glowed a faint amber color.

"This is going to hurt," he warned. "It won’t heal you instantly...but it’ll do enough."

Ryn took the potion immediately with no questions asked. But as soon as he did, it felt as if Jay had sent electric shocks right into his system, force-restarting everything. Air tore out of his lungs as every nerve that had been sluggish and numb moments ago suddenly screamed awake.

"Garghh—!"

"Shit!" Jay swore, grabbing his shoulders. "Is it that bad? Hold on—hold on—!"

"Damn it," he hissed, pressing a hand flat against Ryn’s chest.

Ryn felt it immediately. Warm Life Essence flowed into his body, threading carefully into his pathways and reinforcing what had nearly collapsed.

The erratic pounding in his chest eventually disappeared.

Jay exhaled sharply and pulled his hand away. "There. That’s as much as I’m giving you. If you push it again, I’m letting you drop."

Ryn sat still for a second longer, testing the return of sensation in his limbs.

He flexed his fingers once while dangling his feet over the tent.

"Thanks, Jay."

Jay stared at him. "You’re welcome," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

Ryn gave him a brief nod. But just as soon as he did, the tent flap opened.

Taylor stepped inside without hesitation. Seawater dripped from her cloak but she didn’t seem to care.

Ryn met her eyes immediately. "Status."

"Your freakin’ wall worked, Ryn," she smiled softly. "It’s still holding."

"The corrupted sea creatures surged the moment Leviathan pressed against it," she continued. "Exactly like you predicted. They rushed the outer docks instead of breaking inward.

Ryn absorbed that in silence.

"And Leviathan?" he asked.

"It’s pushing," Taylor replied, jaw tightening now that awe was running out. "But it hasn’t broken through."

She flipped the pages on her clipboard before continuing.

"Amelia and the other dwarves successfully drove off most of the small sea creatures...but something else popped up."

Ryn didn’t move, but his mind started to race.

There shouldn’t be many monsters that would trouble Amelia. So if Taylor’s reporting that must mean it was.

"What popped up?" he asked quietly.

Taylor looked up from the page.

"The Kraken."

For a moment, the distant sound of artillery firing was the only thing that filled the silence.

"...Didn’t I kill it?" Ryn asked.

"That’s what we all thought."

His mind raced immediately. He remembered the cannonball, the way it tore through the Kraken, its black ichor spilling into the sea.

Corrupted beasts should die when their Core is destroyed...so why?

"I need to get out there," he said at last.

"No Ryn—" Jay tried to tell him something, but it filtered out immediately.

Ryn took a step forward only to be hit with an explosion of pain within his chest. He staggered, fingers clawing instinctively at his coat before his knees gave out beneath him.

Blood rushed up his mouth, causing him to cough it out all over the tent floor. Before he could push himself upright again, Taylor’s firm hand managed to grip his arm.

"Enough," she said quietly.

Ryn tried to pull free, but the moment he shifted his weight, his chest tightened in pain again.

"The situation is fine so far," Taylor continued. "Braum is engaging the Kraken."

"He’s landing solid hits," she added as a distant boom rolled through the tent. "From what I saw before coming here, it’s taking damage."

The line was holding for now...and he’d just have to trust it to.

"Fine," he said at last. "I’ll play the strategist." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Taylor didn’t look surprised.

If anything, the corner of her mouth lifted faintly. She released his arm only once she was certain he wouldn’t fall again, then turned slightly and extended the clipboard she’d already been holding.

"Good," she replied. "Gotta work up to that Captain title somehow."

The pages were already filled with rapid notes from her, extremely organized with information on every cannon, team, and creature.

Ryn took the board, eyes scanning the information at once. His breathing steadied further as he looked through it all.

"What’s Leviathan doing?" he asked immediately.

Taylor’s expression tightened.

"We don’t know."

"What do you mean you don’t—?"

"It stopped pushing," she continued. "A few minutes ago. It’s... backed off from the wall."

"That doesn’t make sense," Ryn murmured.

Leviathan had been pressing with increasing force. The Evernight influence had driven it into a frenzy. For it to retreat now...

He was under the assumption that the Cult couldn’t control such a beast. But what if the off-chance they could...?

Ryn shook the thought away, he’d have to confirm it with his eyes if they really could. He decided to switch to the next problem.

"Any news about Fritz?"

Taylor’s expression changed immediately. She started frowning as her eyebrows creased in response.

"The ship was supposed to send a flare once they reached the machine," she said. "That was the signal."

Ryn didn’t interrupt.

"It’s been longer than expected," she continued, voice softer now. "There’s no flare."

...

"How long?" he asked.

"Long enough."

That wasn’t good.

Fritz was their main win condition. The entire plan revolved around him destroying the machine. All this warfare was just a distraction for the Leviathan.

Ryn leaned back slightly, one hand dragging through his hair as he exhaled.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally concluded:

"I’m going to the airship," he said.

Taylor looked up immediately. "To check on him?"

"Yes."

Her expression tightened. "Is that a good idea? Leviathan is still active. And with you in this condition..."

"It’s fine," Ryn cut in calmly.

"I was already planning to use the airships to lure it away once the machine was destroyed," he continued. "If Leviathan backed off from the wall, we’ll have a small window to do something."

Taylor studied him for another moment before giving a short nod.

"Tell Amelia we’ll be departing in a bit," Ryn said. "Have her meet me at the flagship."

As she turned to leave, the weight of the battlefield seemed to shift slightly.

Saltwater invaded his nose as his instincts flared immediately. A massive surge of Essence was accumulating.

What the hell...?

"Ryn...?" Jay asked from nearby. "Do you feel that too?"

Feel it? The sensation was practically pressing against his skull.

He quickly rushed out the tent and finally saw it. A large shadow loomed behind the ice wall, so massive it swallowed all the lanterns lining the docks. A colossal sphere of seawater churned high overhead, suspended unnaturally in the air like a second moon made entirely from black water.

"What’s that?"

"Is it another breach?"

"Why is the sea—?"

Voices rose across the docks as dwarves stared at the thing in disbelief. Ryn’s eyes widened, already knowing what it was.

"Brace!" he shouted, voice cutting across the harbor. "All units, brace for impact!"

But even as the words left him, he knew—

It was too late.