The month had passed quickly. Azura was worried about the others. Perhaps she was being overprotective. They were the strongest gas cultivators they had. She had to trust them to do their part. She just wished her mother hadn't gone with them. Azura sighed. She now knew how her mother felt when she was in danger.

"You ready?" Fatania asked. The rat-kin had stayed behind as she was essential to the daily operation of Azure's Rest to leave.

"I think so," Azura said uncertainly.

"They'll be fine. If the mages behave, they won't have to do anything," Fatania said, hugging her. Azura squeezed back, thankful for the contact.

"I know," Azura said, pulling away. "What are the chances of them behaving?"

"Virtually zero," Fatania said confidently. That got a small laugh from Azura.

"Let's start operation 'screw up the mage's plans,'" Azura said as she hefted her pack.

"Be careful," Fatania said.

"I'm a paragon of caution."

"Another one of your titles?"

"Something like that," Azura said as she began running. Before long, she was before the city gates, where three figures on horseback were waiting. She was a bit disappointed. Azura had imagined tromping through the city as mages panicked around her. Oh well.

Her father, Loric, her sister, Elise, and Archmage Denayd were there. At least none of them had been hostile to her. That should make things marginally better. She stopped in a flurry of dust that startled the horse slightly as they backed away. Denayd eyed her as she approached at a casual walk.

"Greetings, my dear!" The Archmage said cheerily. "Are you ready for our adventure?"

"Yup."

"Where's your horse?" Elise asked.

"Don't need one," Azura said confidently. "Why did you all bring one? I thought we wanted to move fast."

"Umm, that's the fastest way," Loric said.

"Can't you use haste spells or something? Perhaps fly?" Azura asked. Were mages really this limited? Her cultivators should already be in position. In all fairness, their dense mana meant they could travel incredibly swiftly for long periods.

"We can, but it won't last long, and it'll wear us out," Denayd said. "I can do a fly spell, but that will quickly tire me. It would be difficult doing either spell for weeks."

"Weeks? How long will it take us to get there?"

"Almost two weeks," Elise said, patting her mount.

"Let's do this the easy way," Azura said.

"How's that?" Loric asked, confused.

"Are you going to show us how to move faster without tiring!?" Denayd asked, his excitement evident.

"Exactly," Azura said. "First step, dismount." She waited as all of them got off their horses.

"Next, grab all of your belongings and close your eyes." Again, she waited till they all followed her instructions. Then she smirked as she moved toward them, ensuring they were in her ki range. Then she gently picked them up with her ki along with their possession. She ignored their startled comments and started running.

"AAAHHH!!!" Elise shrieked.

"GODS ABOVE!" Loric shouted.

"How fast are we going?" Denayd asked once he got his bearings. He looked at Deepmere receding in the distance.

"No clue," Azura said as she ran. She leaped over an entire hill and continued on without breaking her stride.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Elise said.

"Don't look at the ground," Azura advised. "Look forward or close your eyes." She apparently took the suggestion as her breathing calmed.

"How can we even speak?" Denayd asked. "I would think the wind would be howling around us."

"I'm disrupting it," Azura said. "Which way now?" They had come to a crossroads she hadn't been to before.

"Belmuth's Crossing!? That is over five miles away!" Denayd exclaimed.

"What!?" Loric shouted, looking around. "It is. Amazing. We've only been traveling around five minutes or so."

"With this speed, we will reach Fortunia before nightfall," Denayd grumbled. Azura could see he wasn't happy about that. He probably wanted to spend more time on the road to pry secrets from her.

"Take that path," her father said, pointing down the western road. Azura took off again.

"Can you really run all the way?" Elise said.

"This speed isn't too strenuous. I could go faster, but I don't want to tire myself." Besides, she was unsure what surprises might await her at Fortunia. She doubted her father or Elise knew about any plot, but Denayd was another story. The man was friendly enough, which made her all the more suspicious.

"This speed is on par with Greater Flight," Denayd said. "How much faster could you go?"

Azura shrugged, not wanting to give anything else away. "I could go a bit faster, but I'd tired considerably quicker," she lied. Her passive mana absorption already replenished the amount of exhausted ki she generated. She could keep this up indefinitely. She could probably double her speed before the drain on her ki became more than what she absorbed.

"Elise, are you feeling better?" Loric asked. Azura kept her eyes on the road as she blurred past a group of mages on a cart.

"I think so," Elise said. "This is really amazing. It's like riding a cloud."

Three hours passed before Azura stopped. Elise needed a bathroom break, and the others took the same opportunity. Soon, they were off again. The trip was uneventful. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon as the walls of Fortunia came into sight.

"Stop outside the gate," Denayd said. "We must present ourselves."

Azura obeyed as they appeared before the gate. She cradled her passengers with ki so they didn't feel the sudden stop. The guards above them weren't as fortunate as a plume of dust assaulted the wall. Coughing and cursing came from above.

"Gods above!" One guard shouted. "What was that?"

"This is Archmage Denayd. Convey a message to General Darkfall that the representatives of Deepmere council have arrived with the Magebane."

The guards peered down at them as the dust settled. They looked at Denayd, then at her. They blanched, then crouched down. Azura could see frantic gesturing and the pointing of many fingers. Finally, one of the guards left at a sprint.

"Wait there."

Azura sighed and sat down. She opened her pack and withdrew a package. She unwrapped it to reveal sticks of dried meat.

"Manticore Jerky, anyone?"

***

"How?! How had they arrived so soon?" General Darkfall demanded of no one. This was a disaster. They were supposed to have almost two weeks still!

"Get the elves hidden! We need some excuse to delay her." Darkfall racked his brain for an excuse. He couldn't leave her out there for too long. A delay like that would raise her suspicion. His best bet would be to escort her directly to the keep. He could wine and dine her there while the elves got off the streets.

"Fester! Someone get me Fester!"

"I'm here General," a panting mage said as he ran over. He must have been alerted by the news.

"Clear the streets from the gate to the keep." Fester didn't waste time on a reply. He was reliable like that. Fester just began barking orders as Darkfall made his way. As he neared the gate, he felt a pull on the ambient mana. The Magebane's mana consumption. It was like the Mana cannon but on a much smaller scale. The thought that a kin could resemble a powerful weapon disturbed him greatly. Darkfall barked a quick series of commands to open the gate as he straightened his garments. His robes were those of a General of Deepmere, which were entirely black with gold trim and several decorations pinned to his left chest denoting his station.

"Welcome to Fortunia," Darkfall said, bowing once the way was clear. He rose from his bow to take in his guests. There was Archmage Denayd, a slime of a toad if he'd ever seen one. The man would be nice to anyone if he thought he could gain arcane knowledge from them. Then there was Loric. He never met the man, but anyone who had a fetish for kin was depraved in his mind. Then there was his daughter, Elise. She was young but already lovely. She would make a fine mage as long as she didn't inherit her father's tastes. Last, he turned toward the Magebane. He hated to admit it, but she was rather lovely. It helped that she was only a half-kin. Her blue hair contrasted nicely with her pale skin, which gave her an otherworldly presence. Her eyes were an amazing shade of green with slit pupils. When he met her gaze, he froze. Darkfall felt a death chill settle in his bones.

One of Darkfall's lesser-known magical aptitudes included that of a seer. It was a rare subset of magic that had proven helpful over the years. Of course, no one knew the future, and he was no exception. His ability allowed him to judge the threat level of an opponent. Right now, his entire existence screamed at him. RUN! HIDE! OVERWHELMING DANGER! It was so overpowering that he had to lock his muscles down and shut off the ability so he wouldn't act on it. As the sensations faded, he swallowed hard.

"Hi. Want some jerky?" The Magebane asked, offering a dried piece of meat. The question came out of nowhere, taking him by surprise.

"Thanks," Darkfall said, reaching out automatically. By the time his thoughts had caught up to the words spoken, he was already holding the meat. It was the size of his forearm. Unsure what to do, he took a bite as the Magebane did the same. Flavor assaulted his tongue as dense mana coursed through him.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Amazing, right?" Elise asked as she got to her feet, taking another bite from her piece.

"It truly is. What mana beast did this come from?" There could be no other explanation. Darkfall only regretted having taken a bite. He should have saved it.

"Manticore," the Magebane said, brushing herself off.

Darkfall froze for a second before continuing. "I see. A truly fearsome beast. May I presume you killed it by yourself?"

"Yup," the Magebane said. "So, can we come in or what?"

"Oh! My apologies. Your quick arrival has left me flustered. How did you travel so swiftly? I was told that you would be leaving today, but clearly, that was in error." He escorted the group inside. As he talked, he made a slow pace toward the keep.

"Luck mostly," the Magebane said, winking at him.

Loric coughed. "Indeed, we were most fortunate in our travels."

Elise just smirked, and Archmage Denayd kept silent. No doubt the man would fill him in later. No reason to pursue it now.

"Can we see these mists now?" The Magebane asked.

Again, the question threw him off.

"Uh, surely the three of you are exhausted from your travels. I'm having a meal prepared as we speak. Then you can rest. We can reconvene in the morning."

"That won't be necessary," the Magebane said. "I want to evaluate these mists now. It's that way, right?" To his horror, the Magebane pointed to the western gate. She then started down that path without waiting for a response, which was directly away from the keep. Darkfall mentally cursed. Why fuck was everything going wrong already?!

"Miss Magebane. I don't have any mages free to escort you to the mists. If you come to the keep, we can…"

"That's not necessary. I'd rather go alone. It won't take long."

Damn it! Darkfall thought. What could he do?

"My dear Azura," Archmage Denayd said. "The mists are dangerous. You should be at your peak before you approach them."

"I'm not tired," Azura said, not breaking her stride.

"At least we should go with you," Denayd implored.

"If you want to tag along, that's fine," Azura said, looking around her. Elves and mages watched her approach. Darkfall winced at all the aggressive stares she got.

"There's a lot of elves here," Azura said conversationally.

Darkfall began to sweat. "They're defenders of this city, along with the mages from Dageth. It's only natural for there to be many here."

"Uh-huh. So those are the mages of Dageth?" Azura asked, pointing to some mages loitering nearby.

"Yes. They're our allies," Darkfall said, glad the attention was drawn away from the elves.

"Who's the weird-looking kin?" Azura asked, gesturing at one of the kin in the white sleeveless robes. The kin stiffened at her words. Before Darkfall could respond, the kin spoke for himself.

"We are warriors of the great mage Raphael," the bear-kin roared.

"Uh huh," Azura said. "I haven't seen any mage I would consider great." Then, she appeared to notice the glares from her companions.

"Present company excluded, of course!"

"Naturally," Elise said snidely.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT OUR MASTER!?" The kin appeared ready to charge when another held him back.

"My apologies," a different kin said. "My companion is quite passionate regarding our master."

"Whatever," Azura said, turning from the fuming kin. Darkfall and every other mage overlooked the briefest of smirks that crossed her face. She walked on and soon arrived at the destination.

"Impressive gate," Azura said. Darkfall felt some inner pride at the comment. They were impressive. After he took command here, reinforcing the walls was his first act. Runic script and enchantments lined the entire wall. That was additionally impressive, considering it was forty feet tall and seven thick.

"Thank you," Darkfall said as the gate began to open. "I have worked hard to ensure Fortunia will not fall to the mists."

"Yet you planned to send kin to their deaths," Azura said coldly.

"Not by choice," Archmage Denayd quickly said.

"It's your choice not to send mages."

The mages didn't reply. Darkfall tried to think of something to cool off the sudden tension, but nothing came to mind. It didn't help that the mists were now visible on the horizon like a wall of shifting gray.

"Who's coming with me?" Azura asked, looking off in the distance.

"We all can go to the edges. There is a base camp not far from the mist's border. It's only a few miles away. I'll get some horsessss!" These last words came out in a strangled cry as he was lifted into the air. Before he could protest, the world was blurring beneath him. His nausea quickly rose.

"Don't look at the ground. Look off into the distance," Elise suggested.

Darkfall peeled his eyes away from the blurring ground to straight ahead, where he could already see the base camp a short distance away.

Gods above! How fast are we going? Darkfall marveled.

Before he could feel more discomfort, he was back on the ground, where many startled mages were sitting. He attempted to keep his balance but failed, falling on his backside.

"General Darkfall!?" A mage said as many appeared ready to attack the Magebane.

"Stand down!" He shouted.

The Magebane ignored the mages and walked toward the mists. He stared intently, as did Archmage Denayd, as she neared. Only the gods knew what would happen next.

***

Azura approached the mists. She could feel the wrongness in the mana. It was like someone peeing in the bathtub you were using. She mentally dragged her thoughts away from that traumatic experience.

At the edge of the mists, her pull on the ambient mana drew in some of the strange green energy along with the mana. The corruption, as the mages called it. She immediately stopped. She waited to see what would happen, her ki ready to intercede. Once the bit of corruption entered her, it broke down much like any impurity. Auzra smiled. Her ki could break down the corruption. She sighed in relief. Azura strolled forward, approaching the wall of fog. More and more corruption swirled into her as she continued to absorb the ambient mana. The tainted energy broke apart shortly after entering her.

Azura frowned. She was breaking the corruption apart, but it was exhausting her ki. Fortunately, the mana she absorbed with the corruption was sufficient to allow her small gains. Once she fully emerged into the mists, the gains would be minimal. She could enter, but recovering exhausted ki would be much slower there. Taking a deep breath, she entered the mists, ignoring the alarmed shouts from the mages.

Damp. That was the first word that entered Azura's mind. The mists were far thicker than any natural mists she had experienced before. Carefully, she made a small patrol along the outer edge of the mists. Even that thin layer blocked all sight. Around her, she couldn't see more than a few feet in any direction. Good thing she wasn't that limited. She closed her eyes and felt for blood. She could feel it around her. Her attuned ki resonated with the life-giving fluid. There was a rather large something approaching. How did it find her? Was it her mana absorption? Probably not. These creatures must have had some way of navigating the mists. Well, she hated being the only one who could not see. Azura summoned ki to her hands and then smacked them together with an explosive force in the direction of the blood she felt. A ki-enforced gust of wind that made a tornado feel like a light breeze erupted from her palms, scattering the surrounding mists.

***

"No!" Elise called out when Azura had entered the mists. She knew intellectually that it was part of the plan. It was their entire purpose here, but knowing that and feeling it was different. She nearly ran after her sister when her father clasped a hand on her shoulder.

"She'll be alright."

She wanted to argue, but could see the fear on his face. He was struggling, too. Together, they waited. Less than a minute passed by when an explosion sounded to the left. The mists there were blown back, revealing her sister and something else. Elise nearly gagged at the sight.

The creature was an unrecognizable mess. Perhaps it had come into being entirely in the mists? Such an abomination could have no other origin. The beast was a sickly purple, not unlike a mushy eggplant. It was roughly the shape of a massive slug the size of a large wagon. Luminescent green veins traveled across its carapace. No. Not a carapace. Faces. The creature's shell was covered in human faces, all gnashing their teeth in a clattering rhythm. The creature's own face consisted of a long proboscis, the length of a lance, that rested below two bulbous eyes the size of watermelons.

"She blew back the mists?" Archmage Denayd asked, turning to General Darkfall. He appeared unconcerned about the creature as it began charging. "I thought the mists were resistant to such activities."

The General at least had his priorities straight as he called out to the mages to attack, ignoring Denayd. Before anyone could do anything, her sister punched. She wasn't next to the creature. There was no way for her fist to hit it. That didn't seem to matter. A massive force was expelled toward the bug-like creature, which promptly exploded. Bits of flesh coated in corrupted blood painted the ground where it stood as more mists swirled from the impact. Her sister nodded before calmly striding back toward them. She had a satisfied smirk as the mists returned to its previous state.

"This won't be a problem," Azura said to the stunned onlookers. Elise was equally shocked. How could she be that strong? Was the corruption not bothering her at all?

"Let's head back to the keep. We can get the details done tonight. I want to attack tomorrow."

Elise watched Darkfall nod numbly as they were again picked up by that invisible force and whisked back to the keep.

***

General Darkfall took a long drink from his flask. This would be far, far more dangerous than he initially thought. Archmage Denayd appeared to agree as he gulped heavily from a wine glass.

"How bad is it?" Archmage Denayd asked, a bit of wine soaking into his moss-like beard.

"There are just over a hundred elves here," the elf Sylvar said, flexing his regenerated hand. It had never felt right after the Magebane had destroyed his original. Absently, he grabbed his goblet, downing it in a single gulp. At least he had managed to be unseen by the Magebane. She might not have noticed him regardless. Like most from his grove, he was fair-skinned with blonde hair the color of daffodils. Nonelves were not refined enough to tell most of them apart. Barbarians. "By next week, there would be two hundred more."

"Far too late," Denayd noted, taking another sip. "If only the mana cannon wasn't preventing the installation of a gateway…" Transportation to Fortunia had always been an issue. Gateways required constant ambient mana, or the connections would permanently break, causing spatial distortions. There was nothing like seeing a mage twisted into a pretzel to convince one never to repeat that mistake.

"Can we use some of your local mages?" Sylvar asked.

"No. If the attempt fails, we must blame the elves. Deepmere can't be involved," Denayd said. Sylvar glowered at him but agreed. That was the plan.

"I thought as much. Fortunately, we have another person who might assist. He should be here soon," Darkfall said, taking a long swig.

The three drank in silence for another minute when a firm knock came at the door. Darkfall's personal mage assistant opened the door to reveal Raphael. The mage gave a low bow to the pair.

"Greetings, gentlemen. I was told you wished for my company."

"Ah, Raphael, please take a seat," Darkfall said, gesturing to an empty chair. He then turned to address his aide. "Go fetch more refreshments, then wait outside. See to it that we are not disturbed."

"Yes, General," the mage said before scampering off.

"Allow me to do introductions. Archmage Denayd, Commander Sylvar this is Runic Master Raphael. He represents some financial backers who do not wish to see the mists spread further. Raphael, this is Archmage Denayd, a representative from the Deepmere council. This is Commander Sylvar. He is in charge of the local elven defense force."

"A pleasure to meet you both," Raphael said, taking a seat. Denayd frowned at him.

"I'm unfamiliar with the title of Runic Master," Denayd said.

"Not surprising. It is a specialized field. It is more of a local title than anything. I specialize in flesh runes and mass enhancements using those very runes," Raphael said, taking some meat and cheese from the diminishing plate before them. Darkfall's assistant arrived at that moment with fresh snacks and two additional bottles of wine. He bowed and then left the room.

"While I appreciate the refreshments. I assume there was another purpose to my visit other than to extend my girth." Raphael patted his stomach.

Darkfall chuckled, pouring a glass of wine. "Indeed, there is. Have you heard of the Azure Magebane?" He offered the glass to Raphael.

"I have not. It is a strange name for a mage to possess."

Raphael took a long sip of the proffered wine. "Exquisite."

"The name does not belong to a mage but rather a kin," Sylvar said, refilling his glass.

"Even stranger," Raphael said.

"You haven't heard anything yet," Denayd said with a long sigh as he began to speak.

***

"You think that was wise?" Denayd said after Raphael left to discuss the terms of service with Sylvar.

"Do we have a choice?" Darkfall countered. "Unbelievable as it might be, the elves might not be enough to ensure the job is done. His kin soldiers might make her hesitate. That could make all the difference. We can have the official story be that the elves hired him independently of our involvement. That is mostly true."

"I suppose," Denayd said. "I'd hoped the elves would be sufficient by themselves, so we didn't have to rely on anyone else. It's a shame that we couldn't come to an understanding with her."

"Some people can't be reasoned with." Darkfall gave the Archmage a salute with his glass before downing the rest.

***

"Seriously?" Azura asked. She had left her room and was sitting atop the roof.

"Seriously," Hamal said, his dark clothes hiding him from all eyes. He had removed his cultivator robe in case he was spotted.

"I guess that answers the question of how they planned to screw me over. I can't believe they approached Zultar."

"Your quick arrival fucked up all their plans," Hamal said.

"Remind me to be more unpredictable in the future," Azura said.

"They might try to buy more time tomorrow," Hamal said. "Don't let them."

"They were whining about it all during dinner. Now I know why. I thought they were being honest when they said the mages were tired from fighting the mists."

"I think they are," Hamal said. "The best lies are the truth."

"Is that one of your mother's sayings? That's too profound coming from you."

Hamal scowled at her. "I can be deep and profound."

"Deep as a puddle."

He stared at her, and she returned the look.

"Okay, fine! It was one of her sayings," Hamal admitted.

"I knew it!"

"Just be careful tomorrow," Hamal said.

"I will be. You be careful also. It's funny. They are ensuring their own downfall." Azura gave a dark chuckle.

"True. We'll ready the local kin to come back with us. There's no telling what'll happen tomorrow. It's not safe here. Besides, we have no idea what that will do." Hamal said, pointing to the gray wall in the distance.

Azura looked at the mists and, for a moment, swore it was looking back at her.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.