125. Sundown

Serac ran back to her Waystation, with only one thing on her mind.

As soon as her 'task' had shifted to that of banking the fat load of Liminal Karma to her name, her focus and attention narrowed accordingly. It didn't help that the task was highly time-sensitive, what with the cloud of [Insatiable] hanging over her head.

Renate's smiting of the Frostkrill—which had somehow incorporated Team Serac's contributions to spectacular effect—had resulted in two separate ticks of Karmic rewards for Serac herself. [55,622 क], which was what she'd lost to the Frostkrill in the first place, doubled by the effect of [Insatiable]. And an additional [14,667 क] from the fresh smite itself (significantly diluted from having to share with at least five other Wayfarers).

All told, it left her with a whopping total of [120,832 क]! She couldn't bear the thought of losing it all to some arbitrary time limit, which was why she raced to the Waystation with a single-track mind. Predictably enough, Trippy was her biggest cheerleader on this front:

"Keep calm, Wayfarer. [Insatiable] is still in effect, and by my estimates, you should arrive at the Waystation with some minutes to spare. Be ready, however, to clear your mind and meditate as soon as you do."

Serac didn't need to be told twice. Both she and Zacko slid the last few yards of ice to reach the lotus flower. The snowy 'hill' that hid Ashvanaga still stood where it stood, but the Anchored souls within would have to wait a bit. Such was the urgency of a pair of fast-climbing Wayfarers.

The cache of 120,832 क, as large as it was, disappeared in short order as Serac leveled up six times—from KL-44 to KL-50. That made it 20 additional levels in just over two months!! She and Zacko had ripped through Naraka at breakneck pace, and didn't seem to know how to slow down even here in Pretjord. Serac forced herself to temper her celebration, however, knowing where a bulk of her recent haul had come from.

During this latest session, given all the loose ends that had yet to be tied, Serac didn't give herself too much time to weigh her leveling choices. She again split the six points between [Substance] and [Immanence]. Failing all else, she could at least hit harder with the tools at her disposal.

[Substance: 10 -> 13]

[Immanence: 28 -> 31]

[PHYSICAL Mitigation: 22.7% -> 24.4%]

[ZEALOUS Mitigation: 15.9% -> 17.6%]

[PRIMAL Mitigation: 22.2% -> 23.9%]

[DEIFIC Mitigation: 33.0% -> 34.7%]

[PHYSICAL Base AV: 131 -> 137]

[INFERNAL Base AV: 153 -> 161]

[ZEALOUS Base AV: 165 -> 175]

[ERUDITE Base AV: 133 -> 135]

[MARTIAL Base AV: 134 -> 138]

[DEIFIC Base AV: 159 -> 163]

[Satiety Cap: 110 -> 125]

Lots of moving parts, especially within her offensive arsenal (the only Attack Value that didn't change was [Primal]). But the important thing to Serac at her current build was the three-headed beast of [Physical BAV: 137], [Infernal BAV: 161], and [Zealous BAV: 175]. The meaty buff to Zealous was especially promising, making [Appetizer]-ing a boss to death a viable tactic—assuming the damage could get through.

But once again, she found herself a teensy bit concerned by the big jump in her [Satiety Cap]. Zacko's hadn't gone up by nearly as much, which likely meant that [Substance] and [Immanence] just happened to play a big role in how Pathsight determined this particular parameter.

This time, she even felt the change as a physical symptom. The preceding events had brought her current [Satiety] down to 45, which, against th cap of 125, gave her a real sensation of [Hunger]. It was hard to ignore the discomfort, but ignore it she must, for her job here wasn't done.

"Right, let's grab the others and get out of here."

This was when she came to a horrible realization. For in the time it took her and Zacko to meditate, Pretjord's pale-jade moon had come out in full force, lending a clearer view of the situation. And Serac now saw a big hole near the top of the snowy bunker—one big enough that she could imagine a house-sized tortoise charging right through it.

As she summited the hill, her worst fears were confirmed. Ash the stone castle still stood stolidly where she'd 'parked' it, but gone were its Anchored passengers—Inge, Munkfred, and even Petter.

"Oh no," she said in a hushed voice, her mind churning to find a benign explanation for her missing friends. "Do you think they're still nearby?"—she looked to Zacko, pleading for reassurance—"Maybe they just decided to switch seats? Find a better place to watch the Hunt?"

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"I mean, even if they did do that, it doesn't rule out the possibility that they ran into some badness along the way." Zacko refused to indulge Serac's desperate optimism. "Remember, that koi lady is connected to Bubblegum, and as much as we like her, she's still a fugitive. Who's to say Inge wasn't 'wanted' by association?"

"And Petey?"

"Wrong place at the wrong time."

Whether it was his personality or Manesferan sensibilities speaking, Zacko said this with such matter-of-factness that Serac's worry quickly turned to anger. It didn't help when further investigations revealed multiple tortoise and Yaksha tracks that didn't belong to any of their friends, circling and overlapping each other in a clear sign of struggle. Seeing this, Serac couldn't help but stomp her castle's stone roof in frustration.

"How could you sit here and let this happen, Ash?" she lashed out, hating the petulant whine in her voice even as she did. "Our friends were taken away, and you just watched them go?"

"Hey, now, none of that." Zacko interceded quickly, grabbing Serac's shoulder with a firmness he normally reserved for their enemies. His eyebrows drew a flat line as he added, "Ash behaved exactly how a Steed should—follow its master's command to the letter. You asked buddy to wait for you here, and it did. Now, it's time for us to focus up and deal with this mess."

Serac, already regretting her harsh manners toward Ash, felt even worse. But now wasn't the time for moping or whining. She gave Zacko's hand an appreciative pat as she spoke.

"You're right, and I'm sorry. Ash? If you're not too mad at me, I'm hoping you could tell us which way these guys went. Was it"—she pointed counter-clockwise relative to the Realmtree's roots, back towards the main beach—"this way?"

Grraaawwww… (No.)

"That way then?" Serac did a 180 to point clockwise—towards the site of the Frostkrill smite.

Crreeeaaaakkkkk…!! (Yes!)

"Okay, well, I guess we at least have a lead."

Even as she said this, Serac couldn't help but frown. Assuming this apparent abduction had occurred recently, she and Zacko ought to have noticed a procession of tortoises passing them in the opposite direction. Unless…

"Whoever did this might've been watching us for some time," Zacko observed, seeming to have read Serac's mind, "watching and waiting until the moment Inge was left unattended. So, likely someone who knows what she means to Renate… and almost definitely an Anchored soul themselves, given literally every Wayfarer in the Realm was tied up in the Hunt."

Somehow, a picture of the exact Anchored soul formed in Serac's mind, which only accelerated her worries.

"Speaking of Renate," she half-spoke half-gasped, "do you think she might be in trouble too? I mean, the Yakshas around us would've seen her there after she smited the Frostkrill, right? Prince Sicko did, at the very least. Oh, why, Zacko? Why didn't we stay and help her?"

"Because we listened to her," Zacko said more or less calmly, but there was a simmering anger behind his words that Serac had learned to recognize. "Because she told us she'd join us, and we believed her. Because we were too dumb to realize she said that only to get us away from whatever was about to go down. But most importantly… because we were distracted by our need to cash in our Karma, and decided everything else could wait."

It was clear exactly to whom Zacko's anger was directed. Serac couldn't blame him. The realization was so painful and so infuriating that she wanted to kick herself, but she forced herself to stay present and face reality.

Let this be another lesson, she told herself, uncaring who else inside her head might hear. There are things in the afterlife that are even more fleeting and tenuous than Liminal Karma. Never again will I let instant gratification blind myself from the bigger picture…

"Well?" Zacko went on in a slightly lighter tone, seeming to have reined in his emotions. "What's our next move?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Serac said, voice quivering, and with more force than she'd intended. It would take her anger a bit longer to simmer down. "We go after them. We rescue Inge, Munkfred, Petey, and—hopefully—find Renate too. Oh, and when we find her, you better believe she's gonna get an earful from me! How could she do this to us? To herself?"

Zacko smiled. Serac turned away before the Manusya could see her blink away a single tear.

With the pale-jade moon lighting the way, the outrealmer duo set to their task, rumbling across the ice on their living castle. Almost as soon as they set off, Serac the navigator became aware of another peculiarity.

"The Frostkrill is gone," she murmured to herself.

Technically speaking, it was the Frostkrill's carapace that had disappeared. Serac knew this with certainty, as the thing had been massive enough to be visible from miles all around. Had it also dissolved into Souldust like the rest of the giant prawn? Or perhaps the Yakshas had hacked it to pieces and carried it away—maybe on Gulloyne's back? Petter had mentioned it being crafting material for the Kronvakt's armor.

Even without the carapace serving as a landmark, it wasn't difficult to identify the site of battle. Serac was forced to bring Ash to a halt as they came upon the numerous icebergs left in the Frostkrill's wake.

Just one glance at the deserted battlefield told her that the entire Hunting party had long left. Neither were there any signs of Renate nor their Anchored friends.

We should still stop here and investigate, Serac decided, trying to quell her disappointment. There might be clues here to point us in the right direction.

She and Zacko hopped from iceberg to iceberg, then did a whole lap of the perimeter on foot, scanning for meaningful tracks all the while. But unlike the Wildspawns they'd learned to hunt in Rotgard, the aftermath of the Realmhunt made for an extremely busy and confusing picture. Everything from cleats to tortoise prints to trident marks to castle teeth. It was a jumbled mess that left nothing conclusive and everything to the imagination.

Serac was just about to give up and call for another huddle with Zacko… when she suddenly felt a slight tremor in her horns. Whether she'd intended or not, she'd become something of a passive ripple-reader, and this new signal told her something was lurking in the water nearby.

She wordlessly gestured for Zacko to stop, then unholstered REVOLVER. The Manusya took the hint and lowered himself into a stance, back to back with Serac for maximum visibility.

Who or what could it be? Aberrant stragglers that decided all the smiting on the day hadn't been enough? Maybe Renate returning to the scene of the crime after a successful escape? Or—

Several of the icebergs broke apart and skimmed across the water, as two figures emerged from their midst. Serac's twitchy fingers nearly squeezed the trigger right then and there, but then she relaxed as soon as she recognized the newcomers' silhouettes.

Two burly sturgeon boys, drenched from head to toe in freezing water. They looked rather worse for wear than the last time they'd met, with damaged clothes and visible wounds underneath.

"Lars! Hans!" Serac cried, full of emotion but not quite sure of its exact nature. "What are you guys still doing here?"

"Not still." Hans the quieter one panted, straining with effort and looking utterly exhausted—which was rare to see in such a strong swimmer as he. "We came back here as soon as it was safe to do so. To find you."

"Yes," Lars the spokes-twin added, though he struggled to get the words out more than usual. "We knew you would be here. Glad we are not too late. Come, do not dally, and let us speak. Of the injustices that took place today upon the frozen sea—and of that which has plagued this Realm for the last decade or more."

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