Elydes-Chapter 358 - Questions

Elydes-Chapter 358 - Questions

Chapter 358 - Questions
Dark mud crusted the Stalker’s flagging body, spindly limbs sickeningly twisted and black veins spidering across its milky skin. The pungent stench hung in the frigid cavern. Wisps of mana seeped from the corpse like smoke drifting from a dying fire.
Kai drew a slow breath, savoring the relief in the absence of dread. The whispers of doom had faded into a distant murmur. He hadn’t realized the pressure of the fear aura on him, trying to worm into his thoughts, until it disappeared.
His mind loosened in fleeting pleasure, the rush to battle quieting too. Had Kahali’s Retribution helped him fight off the Pale Stalker—urged him against the venom feeding his fear?
He dismissed the notifications blinking in his vision for later, bracing to withdraw the mana augmenting his body.
Strength bled from him at once. Pain seared his flesh, torn muscles and joints strained raw from pushing past his limit. His knees almost buckled. He leaned on a stalagmite and blinked his moist eyes, waiting out the urge to vomit until he felt confident he wouldn’t blackout.
You know, I could really use my potions. If
only
I had my ring, huh?
He glowered at the empty cavern. If staying upright didn’t take all his focus, he would’ve flipped his middle fingers, hoping the academy watched in confusion.
Damned assholes…
Turning from the dead beast, he took a careful step.
Alden still stared at him.
“Hey, you okay?” Kai staggered forward with all the dignity of a man caked in mud, cuts, and bruises. The ebb of adrenaline stirred the throbbing gashes in his ribs and the sting of the Stalker’s venom. Nature Healing had stopped the worst bleeding, so he wasn’t going to die. “I told you I had it. Thanks for the poison. It worked great. You alright?”
Alden neither spoke nor moved, his violet eyes the only sign he lived beneath his sculpted bearing. “That was a spatial skill,” he stated, voice flat.
"It was.” His shrug turned into a twitch when pain stabbed his shoulders.
“You cast it twice within seconds.”
“I did.”
“Who are you truly?”
“Hmm… my ID says Matthew? I’m your roommate and a student at Raelion. If you meant something else, I’ll need you to be a little more precise.”
Alden’s face set into an icy scowl. “Are you from House Astares? Or one of their retainers? How much did my grandmother pay you to guard me?”
Huh…?
Kai suppressed a rising laugh, knowing it wouldn’t go over well. “I’m… not sure what you’re saying.” He tried to keep a level tone and open expression. “As far as I know, I’ve never met anyone from House Astares. My family has no relation to them. Also, no offense, but I have no idea who your grandma is. I’m sure she’s lovely though.” He stopped a few steps from Alden. “And that makes three questions.”
“Three…” A small crease marked his brow as Alden recalled their deal. His scowl deepened. “What does that matter? You—”
“Me, what?” Kai asked testily. The mud and blood soaking his clothes had started to itch; the pain and cold also didn’t help. He sighed. “Man, I have no idea what kind of conspiracy you think I’m involved in, but can we talk about it later? I’d like to sit before I pass out. And find a way out of here before we starve.”
Breaking the stare, Alden seemed to notice his state and the dark (red) patch on his side. His arm half-raised as if unsure whether to help or keep his distance. “I… Yes, sorry. Are you— You must be in pain. We should stop the bleeding.” He awkwardly shuffled closer, taking a neon-green vial from his coat. “Here, drink this.” His extended hand hung between them. “It’s a healing potion, Mat. It’ll help with blood loss too. We’ll discuss the rest later.”
A healing potion, of course…
“Thank you.” Kai picked up the vial. The syrupy liquid glimmered like a star, challenging the boundaries he thought Yellow Alchemy could achieve. From Hallowed Intuition’s silence, he figured it
probably
wouldn’t kill him. Though he had never—
Vertigo cut his examination short.
Note to self: always carry a potion outside my ring from now on. Hmm, guess the Trials are actually educational.
Wobbling toward a nearby boulder, each step sent a wave of agony through his torn body and the gashes on his side. He carefully lowered himself on the cold stone under Alden’s steady watch.
Bottoms up!
The potion burned down his throat, leaving an aftertaste of bergamot and burnt sugar on his tongue. A soothing warmth spread from his stomach. It dulled his pain and chased off the shivers.
Scraping together his last Earth and Water mana, Kai stripped the dirt and grime from his clothes and skin. It couldn’t mend the tears in the fabric, but it made him a whole lot more comfortable. Only the dried blood stubbornly still clung to his side.
“Your elemental control is excellent,” Alden observed. He rifled through his coat, arranging a series of vials, jars and small boxes on the flat of the boulder. “Take this.” He put what looked like a hard sugar candy in his hand.
Kai held the white marble between his fingers—
only
high Yellow. His wry chuckle turned to a cough when he noticed Alden had a small box of them. “What is it?” The alchemical concoctions on display alone would have made Reishi lace his webbed hands in greed.
And this is what he carries outside his spatial artifact.
Alden put the box away. “Just a ration pellet. It’ll keep you standing and offset the potion’s toll on your body. Eat it. They take almost as long as a real meal to digest. That vial was meant for someone one enhancement higher, and you appear to have overdrawn on a boosting skill. It’ll be a problem if you faint.”
How encouraging…
Kai hesitated a second before swallowing the candy. It had no taste. “Why didn’t you tell me you had these earlier? I’ve been starving for hours.”
“That— it’s not healthy to rely on them for long periods. And… I’d forgotten I’d stored them in this coat,” Alden said, gaze trained on sorting his supplies. “Let me see your wounds.” Without waiting for a response, he inspected the gashes along his side, methodically peeling back the layers of bloodied, torn fabric that clung to his skin. Whether out of concern or desire to interrogate him sooner, he dressed his injuries with clinical precision.
“Hey! I’m—
fine
,” Kai hissed as a strip of cloth torn free from his tender flesh. A crimson rivulet slid through the dark, crusted side. “See? It’s already stopped bleeding.”
“How are you—” Alden frowned. “You have a high Constitution… We should clean it properly. The Stalker’s claws aren’t venomous, but you can still get an infection. Do you have the mana for it?”
“I… yeah. I’ve recovered enough,” Kai said, too weak to protest. A stream of water washed away the grime and half-dried blood. Beneath it, three gouges carved across his ribs. The edges of his skin were ridged, raw and swollen, where the claws had torn his flesh.
Those don’t look too good.
“They’re deep.” Alden examined the throbbing cuts. “You’re lucky the claws didn’t crack a rib. They’ll reopen if you want to move out of here. I’ll have to sew them shut.”
“Wait— sew
what
?” Kai flinched back from the impassive teen, already holding a gleaming needle and thread. “Can’t you use a hemostatic potion or something? Why do you even have
those
?”
“For cases like this,” Alden replied evenly. “Healing potions take a toll on the body. When a patient is weak or has suffered severe blood loss, it’s better to dress the worst wounds and wait for a healer can see to them. Unless… you’d rather sleep down here?”
Stolen story; please .
“I— Have you ever
sewn
someone before?”
“Several times,” Alden said tersely. “Well… Never on a living body, but your flesh should behave the same. Now hold still. I’ll need to pull the layers together if you want the cuts to close properly.”
Kai leaned back as far as the boulder allowed without falling—a remarkably short distance.
Guess if he wants me dead, I’m already toast… No, Hobbes. You should stay there, I’m truly fine. Better we don’t add to the list of things I’ll have to explain later.
To get out of this scuffed trial, he needed to walk—preferably without bleeding out. What were a few stitches from his definitely
not
murderous roommate? The sooner they reached the surface, the less chance another monster would show up.
“Okay, just do it.” Kai pulled aside his ruined shirt. His squeamishness had disappeared a dozen injuries ago, though something about a needle sliding through his skin still made his stomach turn.
“Keep still,” Alden said, hands steady and expression unreadable. He sewed his flesh with the cold detachment of a skilled engraver etching a blade—precise, impersonal, and just a little unnerving. “Tell me if you feel anything off. Besides the stitches."
“I’m—” Kai clenched his hands, breathing out the cold cavern air. “Are shivers a side effect of the potions?”
“That’s the blood loss. And the Stalker’s venom.
Probably
.” He glanced at the darkened cuts on his forearm and cheekbone. “It’s already in your blood. Purging it now would only weaken you. You’ll do better letting your body fight it off. You might get a few levels in your Poison Resistance skill.”
“What if I don’t have one?”
Alden blinked at him and gave a slight shake. “Then you’ll get one. I’m done here.” Cutting the last thread, he wiped the needle on a cloth and let it float back into his pocket. “Mind how you move. The stitches will tear if you run or stretch too quickly. We’ll rest here for an hour or so, then move out,” he said and reached for a black jar inlaid with silver filigree.
“What’s that?”
“A hemostatic balm.”
Kai failed to mask his glare. “If you had that, why didn’t you use—”
“It works better on a stitched wound.”
“Of course…” Thinking back, it might have been wiser to clear their misunderstanding
before
he stuffed his body with unknown concoctions. Too late for regrets. “Have you treated many people before?”
And how many of them still breathe?
“I’m a Blackwoods,” Alden said as an explanation.
Kai blankly stared at the patrician boy.
Had he not made clear how little that meant to him?
Recalling, his roommate stared off in the cavern. “I learned to read from Alchemy compendiums. Every alchemist must know how and when to apply the potions they create.”
“You mean.” He glanced at the array of glowing vials. “Have you brewed these yourself?"
“Some of them. I still have to perfect the other recipes." Finished with his job, Alden stored his supplies in his coat and silently stared at him. For several seconds. Without blinking.
Sweet Spirits, have mercy.
“Just ask me what you want,” Kai said. “I’ll count it toward the questions you owe me.”
Within moments, a privacy bubble settled over them. “They won’t hear us.” Alden squared him up, his hand brushing the artifact hidden in his pocket. “Are you truly not working for anyone?”
“No.”
“Can you state it clearly?”
“No, I’m not working for anyone.” Kai rolled his eyes. “No ancient House, shady cabal or nosy individuals.” He repaid the studious gaze. “Uhm… did you ask because you have a truth-telling skill?”
“I— yes.” Alden pressed his lips. “I do. An answer for an answer.”
“That puts me at a disadvantage in this conversation.”
“Why? Are you implying I’d lie?” Genuine indignation cracked his calm facade. “We made a deal. I gave you my word. Besides, the truth isn’t as clear-cut as people like to think. Facts and beliefs come in shades. Most of the time, the impressions my skill gives me with you make no sense.”
“I see… I didn’t mean to offend you," Kai said, acting relaxed as he frantically replayed two months of conversations in his mind. How many times had he betrayed himself? Alden’s skill probably wasn't the reason for the conflicted readings; on the contrary in fact—it might work
too
well.
Thankfully, he’s not a big talker. Or I’d be fucked.
“It’s alright,” Alden continued on his own. “If you’re not sponsored by any Great House, how did you blink twice?”
“With a skill.” A smirk tugged at his lips.
“Yes.” He exhaled through his nose. “But how did you obtain it? The Astares are the only House with a heritage of spatial professions and paths. And I’ve never heard of any that granted a repeated blink at
Yellow
. How do you even gather the mana to cast it?”
“Well…” Kai swallowed another perfunctory answer. “What do you want me to say? I got lucky with my Space affinity. And yes, I didn’t
just
stumble into a good profession. But the work I put in has nothing to do with you. Or any House in the Republic.”
“So how—” Alden bit his lip, then dipped his head. “I understand. What are your questions? I promised information of equal value.”
“Mhmm… Those I haven’t decided yet.” Kai gave a disinterested glance, knowing it’d prick his roommate’s noble pride. How could he resist teasing that uptight bearing? “What can you offer me?”
“What can I—” Alden puffed his chest, mouth parted in the image of an affronted patrician. Then, he forcefully swallowed. “If you have no questions, I could pay you a fair amount. Name the price for the questions."
Hey, do you think I'm some poor peasant?
“I don’t need money.”
“You don’t?” He said, looking surprised by the firm rejection. “There’s no shame in receiving payment for a service. I know Raelion’s fees are steep if you have no House or sponsor. You’re from a frontier province, aren’t you?”
Hmm, I should really make dumber friends. They’d be a lot less trouble.
Rather than digging his grave deeper, Kai chose not to comment on his finances. “I have this year covered. I have no questions right now, but I’m sure you know plenty of extremely useful stuff. The deal was for when we completed the Trials. Since you brought it up early, does it sound fair if I delay?”
Alden regarded him silently. “Fair.”
“Great.” Kai pushed himself upright, letting his legs dangle over the edge of the boulder. To his surprise, no sharp pain blurred his vision. “I can probably walk in a bit. What was that potion you gave me? You don’t have to answer, of course. This isn’t a
question
. Just curious. Also, about the poison on your daggers. Did you brew it yourself? And why didn’t you enroll in Artisan Studies if you’re an alchemist?”
Alden endured the deluge of questions with stoic composure, scanning the empty cavern before answering. “The venom was Nibbles’. As for why I chose Mana Studies. It’s true nearly all Blackwoods learn Alchemy, but that doesn’t mean it’s the primary pursuit for all of us. The academy’s courses also offer little I couldn’t learn at home.”
“I see…” Kai nodded. “I also dabble in potions. Nothing like your family, I suppose. Do you like specialize in any particular branches or ingredients? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“That’s hardly a secret,” Alden said. Once he began, he needed little persuasion to instruct the peasant on the history and paths of his House.
They lingered in the cavern, the conversation easing into lighter topics until Kai felt confident he could walk without pulling his stitches.
“We can rest longer if you need.” Alden dubiously.
Kai bent to pick up his abandoned coat. “It’s fine. I’ve had worse. I’ll rest once we’re out of here.” The Stalker’s carcass lay in the pit of solidified mud. Despite it being a peak Yellow creature, the thought of hacking off a piece revolted him. “This way.” He headed toward the tunnel where those seven ingrates had fled. “I feel this is the quickest route.”
If Alden had doubts, he followed without voicing them.
Hobbes, you sure you got it all down?
The royal fluffball hadn’t
just
lazed around while he rested, mapping the tunnels leading upward.
Yeah, I know. I wouldn’t have gotten hurt if I’d used superior magic from the start. You were right. And I am sorry. It’s only that people will get jealous if they find out we use such a superior element. Then, they’ll be even more of a bother… No, I know it’s not my fault either if humans are dummies. But I did blink to close the fight, didn’t I? Just like you showed me.
Kai chuckled at the smugness radiating through their bond. It mingled with another note—similar to pride, but not quite. Was Hobbes proud that
he
’d used Spatial Shift to finish off the Stalker? Or just that he acknowledged the unquestioned superiority of Space Magic?
I’ll see you soon, buddy.
He withdrew from their connection, pulling up his notifications, specifically the skills he’d leveled during the last fight.
Profession Skills:
Spatial Shift (lv25>26)
Echoing Empath (lv21>24)
Water Cannon (lv16>21)
Nature Healing (lv12>14)
General Skills:
Hallowed Intuition (lv91>92)
Body Augmentation (lv47>49)
Mana Weaving (lv46>47)
Water Magic – Advanced (lv41>44)
Earth Magic (lv70>75)
Within a single battle, he’d gained the equivalent of months of grueling training—longer for Hallowed Intuition, considering it’s already leveled that day.
At a certain point, you have to wonder: Is it really
my
fault for taking calculated risks if the Guide rewards this behavior?
Kai shook his head ruefully at Alden’s questioning look. At the end of the tunnel, quartz from a trial chamber painted shadows over the rocky walls.
With some Luck, no one else had seen him use Spatial Shift.
A faint thrum from the bracelet on his wrist drew his attention—the number displayed on its underside was changing.

.
!
Chapter 358 - Questions