The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'-Chapter 334 - The Unheard Voice Of Threat, Warning, Reason, & Love
Chapter 334: Chapter 334 - The Unheard Voice Of Threat, Warning, Reason, & Love
As they prepared to descend after the group had talked for a while about the overall plans, Elua brushed her fingers lightly against a blazer sleeve over top of a muscular arm. A pulse of ’reassurance’ flowed through their connection... accompanied by a flicker of something deeper and much clearer to the new Primalist.
’Determination tinged with her ancient caution. Similar to what was underneath when she talked about dealing with that breach. She’s... going to do something again.’
The Yecine turned her head towards the distant clouds, where the atmosphere still carried an unnatural dimness. Faint but unmistakable. A sign of Voidling activity in the region.
"I’m off to fix things up. I won’t have a lot of time, so if you could take care of everything else?"
Her hand instinctively moved to rest on her sword hilt as the brunette smiled and picked up the fox... before leaping down. An illusion of the heiress stayed with her, intentionally indistinct to her own pigeon blue gaze. Her El had made it clear she didn’t like leaving them near her spouse when she wasn’t also around.
Just as she had expressed in the past that the only reason she could keep herself from being jealous of the illusory training tool she had made was that the ’her’ in it was made tiny. But others would see the spiritual construct for what it was meant to appear as.
"Let’s go."
Qat touched its back, feeling the ’sensory feedback’ that was likewise altered to feel unsatisfying and unpleasant to the swordswoman. It made her smile - all the lengths the cute girl would go to, with her use of this Astralism, just to prevent a person from getting strange ideas...
’It makes me wonder what fool of a partner in her past became obsessed with her fakes instead of her reality.’
As the raven-haired cultivator guided the ’copy’ down the narrow steps, a small conversation about going to rest up after the march was engaged in. Even the voice it used was, in her ears, distorted. Funnily enough, all of this caused ’amusement’ and ’love’ to pulse into the fragment moving away.
Quite close to what the small cultivator feared feeling when she left... if she couldn’t also feel the big difference that made it clear it was for her and not the ’duplicate’. The dozens of tendrils that stretched out in her direction like a compass, even though they couldn’t reach. Making it clearer who all her feelings were for.
"She’s too good. You’d be lucky if she decides she wants to keep you. I kind of want to get rid of you before then so she can’t choose that, though."
A hand stroking fur dug in just a *little* too hard. But the fox didn’t mind. It knew quite well that the safest place for it was in this strong creature’s arms. Just as much as it understood that running might mean its death - or at least recapture.
Yet, the two-legged monster kept away other predators that it would have needed to fight or run from, presented it with water when it was thirsty, and even provided some food... without it *needing* to go hunt on its own. While also allowing it to go chase a rodent or two on the way here.
All in all, it had been utterly tamed of its own volition.
"Well, you’re lucky I don’t like wearing furs and there are better sources of quality leather. I really need to find you someone other than myself to latch onto. It’s sort of clingy and mammals as pets are always in the way when I want to show my beloved attention."
It may have chosen not to be so attached to the ’nice’ teenager, if it understood human language.
⟠ ⟠ ⟠
Master Jevri addressed the gathered cultivators, his voice carrying some authority despite his status as a researcher. It helped that the main actors of the Steelbound Tempest flanked him to provide further legitimacy to his claims - at least when it came to the combatants and not the sigilists.
"Our mission involves drawing in and containing as many Voidlings as possible before gathering crucial data on their essence and spiritual composition. This information could be vital for our defensive strategies across all fronts in future cycles."
Cultivators nodded solemnly at the reiteration of their assignment. They’d been told what it entailed by their superiors already, but everyone in a Guild was used to final clarifications by now. Sometimes, they added more detail that had been missing or kept hidden until the last moments.
Or not stated, but well understood.
"Qatrand er Yecine will function at the center of our defensive position. As our Gravity elementalist, he will work directly with me at a key part of the control array. Allowing us to make concerted use of parts of-"
As the briefing continued, the swordswoman found her attention drawn to a particular section of the giant array. Something about the configuration nagged at her. A recent memory surfaced - the pressure of a Voidling leader’s presence.
The way it had blanketed the area with interference...
"... and with these enhancements, we should be able to contain a significant number of Voidlings. The essence redistribution alone should-"
Her gaze snapped to the modified spirit-sensing sigils woven into the design. The last time she’d faced a Voidling leader, Elua admitted it had been *drawn* to do that spiritual assault due to a similar manipulation.
She had been clear about it all along that this plan was unwise. Making sure that Qatrand was well-read on all the past recorded failures. While there was some attempt at shielding everyone here from that Hivemind attack, it only meant that everyone here would become a more obvious target.
’When everyone knows this, why are they still so willing to try?’
Her gaze shifted to Elua who was ’deep’ in conversation with several senior sigilists and the brunette looked up with her mint eyes. Dancing in those depths was something that confirmed Qat’s suspicions. More ’resolve’ and a hint of ’exhaustion’.
The swordswoman’s jaw clenched. Of course Elua had planned for this. She’d not been quiet about her annoyance that her mentor had brushed off her worry, whether in her letters or when she returned.
Which means the full ’gravity trap’ wasn’t just for lesser Voidlings. It was designed for something far more dangerous coming in mind. Qat took a deep breath, centering herself. She trusted Elua and knew her wife wouldn’t put them in true danger without purpose.
But when it came to the others here... she was sure that their lives were in her own hands.
’Or mine.’
"We need to prepare ourselves for an invasion leader."
Qatrand announced when she was asked to say something about her part in the event. An already silent crowd grew even more still.
"The spirit-affecting components *will* draw attention from the closest one. I want that fact known before we activate the primary array."
"Well, yes, it’s a possibility we’ve considered, but the probability of it happening-"
"Is higher than your calculations suggest. As quickly as we rushed here, there are some things you failed to consider."
Murmurs started up - as any who had heard of Qatrand’s feat felt it had gained them some respect, but the implications of potentially facing such an entity *deliberately* gave them pause. Especially when the individual was suddenly ’arguing’ with people older than they were about their own fields of expertise.
"What do you mean?"
The primary liaison from the Steelbound Tempest asked the question, someone that Qat had met during her short term with them. With a short salute due to that memory, she began pointing at her wife. Something like an ’urging’ commanded the girl to provide a reasonable answer.
So Elua chose to say what Qat wanted her to. With a curtsy before all the eyes that had moved toward her, the small girl’s voice projected across the crowd. Serious and lecturing.
Laced with enough intent to force the listeners to not look down on her opinion, but not particularly notice she was manipulating them. freewebnσvel.cøm
"When we arrived, we discovered that the signature of this ritual was expanding further out than when we had last been here. Past the contaminants that may have kept it hidden. Something like that will have already been noticed by the enemy."
"As she says. It would be best to assume that any Voidling approaching this location is under the direct order of a leader, even if we have not confirmed it yet. Best to assume that we will face one after we begin."
After Qat’s follow up, another ally of the latest newcomers raised their voice. Ryder stood near much of the senior staff, so the crowd pivoted quickly to his form.
"If our rising Yecine cultivator believes this is likely, we should heed their warning. The Void Defense Society has documented similar patterns of attraction to locations that seem suspicious or useful to their invasion."
"Very well. Everyone, please be aware of this as we proceed. The fighting may become very intense. However, that is precisely why so many of you have been assigned to this matter. Stay firm. Stay alive."
With that final statement from the Steelbound Tempest representative, cultivators moved to their assignments. In the lingering shared look between the black clad warrior and the silver dressed schemer across some distance... the brunette’s ’innocent’ smile back did nothing to mask the *predatory* glint in her eyes.
"It was never going to be a good situation for anyone here. Warnings only go so far. I’ve done my best. You’ll do yours?"
The monotone thundered to one set of ears alone - and one set of pigeon blues closed and nodded before turning. Ready to fight. Ready to serve her duty and purpose in coming here.
After all, that’s exactly what Elua wanted. For the other girl to be herself - and do her best at it. Deep down, what Qatrand craved was not just the praise... even if the reincarnator was sure that was also sorely needed from people other than the heiress.
What her husband-wife craved was the challenge and the growth itself. Like any cultivator whose sights were set higher and higher along the path.
’The dance on the knife’s edge of danger and triumph. Specifically when it meant others would be safer for any of her struggles. My precious gem shines so much more in those moments~’
A small smile tugged at her soft little lips. Her voice, filled with ’youth’ and ’warmth’ sat quite opposed to the *deep* pressure of intent locked tight around her form.
"Not the only reason I love you. Not any longer."
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