ocean-life Chapter 218: Taking Off
Chapter 218: Taking Off
Chapter 218: Taking Off
Ting! Your Bond skill, Beauty Explosion, has evolved into Prismatic Explosion!
Ting! Your Bond skill, Beauty Empowerment, has evolved into Beauty Enrichment!
Ting! Your Bond skill, Intensify Beauty, has evolved into Empassion Beauty!
Ting! Your Bond skill, Beauty’s Blessing, has evolved into Beauty’s Boon!
Ting! Your Bond skill, Serene Moment, has evolved into Timeless Beauty!
Ting! Your Bond skill, Blessing of Wholeness, has evolved into State of Wholeness!
Ting! Your Bond skill, Beauty Nova, has evolved into Star Nova!
Ting! Your Bond skill, Immaculate Translocation, has evolved into Graceful Translocation!
Ting! Your Bond skill, Sanctuary of Wholeness, has evolved into Domain of Wholeness!
Ting! Your Bond skill, Sanctuary of Passion, has evolved into Domain of Graceful Flames!
Ting! Your Bond skill, Sanctuary of Stillness, has evolved into Timeless Domain!
Ting! Your Bond skill, Serene Sanctuary, has evolved into Domain of Serene Winter!
Prismatic Explosion:
(Beauty)
Augment a Skill or spell with unstable mana to make it explode in a powerful blast.
Beauty Enrichment:
(Beauty)
Augment a Skill or Spell by adding mana for more power.
Empassion Beauty:
(Beauty)
Augment a Skill or Spell by intensifying its mana for more power.
Beauty’s Boon:
(Beauty) (Blessing)
Bless a person, monster, or thing with beauty. Slows aging, removes deformities, cures genetic diseases, and slowly gifts one’s ideal beautiful features. Lasts for one hour per level.
Timeless Beauty:
(Beauty) (Time)
Slows time or speeds it up to a great degree.
State of Wholeness:
(Beauty) (Restoration)
Restores a person, monster, or thing to a state of wholeness and can use mana to rebuild missing parts. Furthermore, keeps the affected in a state of wholeness by preventing minor damage for one minute per ten levels.
Star Nova:
(Beauty) (Illusion)
Casts an explosion like that of an erupting star centered on you; you are immune to any damage caused by this Skill.
Graceful Translocation:
(Beauty)(Teleportation)
In any case, we are ready to set out once again in a few hours; I hope there isn’t another visitor while we are away.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Oathbound Lin arrives back at the Palace, his mission done. The guards open the door for him, and a rush of mana and an assortment of other presences sweeps past him as he enters. The doors thud behind him, closing to prevent the mana from becoming a danger to the rest of the city.
There are a few towers meant to vent the mana into the sky where it can safely flow along the leylines, but it’s still too dangerous for the citizens living nearby.
“Brother Lin, the Emperor has another mission for you,” Oathbound Squire Eric says.
“Thank you, Brother Eric” Lin replies
They are all brothers in arms, and the Emperor encourages this bond. The Oathbound Knights are more than just an order of royal Knights; they are a brotherhood, a tight-knit group willing to die for each other.
Another one? I haven't even reported back to him yet; this must be important.
He can imagine what it’s about, though. Alysara and Kayafe. The Emperor had shown him the paintings of his old companions and told him his story, but why did he choose him specifically for this mission? Why when he was already on a mission?
The answer must be in the one that has enhanced [Sense Mana]. The Emperor must want something from Alysara and needs to know if she is capable; this is the only reason why he would wait for him to come back instead of sending another Oathbound.
He enters the throne room. The Emperor stands in the center, not sitting on the throne. The throne itself is actually very uncomfortable, and it’s that way by design. The Emperor doesn’t want rulership to be a luxury but a burden so that he never falls into complacency.
“Lin, welcome back” The Emperor greets Lin with a fatherly embrace. “I know it is unfair to send you out so soon after your return and to rob you of your well-deserved rest, but only you are fit for this mission.”
“I am ready to serve for a hundred years straight if need be, Emperor; no need to worry about me.”
“You make me proud, Lin. Your mission is a diplomatic one. Find Alysara and request her services to see what the dwarves are up to. However, to avoid poisoning future relations, we need to be sure Alysara is capable enough to avoid the Dwarven retaliations. This will, of course, require you to test her abilities. If you find her lacking, then just try to form good relations with the Runalymo.”
As the head of counter-intelligence, he has a mind mage Class and one dedicated to foiling perceptive abilities, even if he isn’t particularly skilled in such perceptive abilities. He can track, block, retaliate with spells, and more, so he is perfect for the Job.
He would prefer if Ryan came with him since he is the foremost expert in perceptive abilities, but sending more than one Oathbound is the same as sending an army as a diplomatic entourage. Basically, it’d turn into a show of force rather than an attempt to establish diplomatic relations.
However, one could argue even one Oathbound is a show of force since even one is worth an army, if not more so.
“Also,” The Emperor adds, his voice growing heavier. “Be careful of the dragon, Safyr. It’s been ten thousand years, but back when I was traveling with my companions she was known as the Sapphire Tyrant, one of the three most powerful dragons in the world. She sunk a large partition of the continent, slew three Spirit Gods, hundreds of Elementals, and more. She is stronger than me and it would take me and the full force of the Oathbound Knights at their peak to even hope to match her. We think the Runalymo live in the Nexus that she now calls her territory, but it’s best to confirm if that assumption is right. If not, then you’ll need to look for them.”
Lin can already feel the stress building up. He suspected a dragon but not one of the most powerful ones.
Most, if not all, kingdoms out there keep records of world messages, and the older the kingdom the more records they have. When the Emperor overthrew the barbarian kings, he kept their records which date reliably back fifteen thousand years and as far as nineteen thousand years, but those records are more sparse.
This is why they know what Safyr has done; they must have combed through the records to learn all they can about the dragon.
Needless to say, Lin cannot afford to bring the wrath of a powerful dragon upon the empire, especially in their weakened state.
“Is there any advice you can give me on how to approach the Nexus?” Lin asks. If it is Safyr’s territory, then he can’t just barge in.
“Wait at the edge of it and let your presence be known, just like you learned when you were a squire.”
Every Oathbound is trained in how to approach legendary beings; in hindsight, Lin shouldn’t have needed to ask.
“Calm down, Lin” The Emperor adopts a softer tone and places a hand on his shoulder. “Safyr has been dormant for a long time; she’s not looking for fights anymore. Trust in your training, and you’ll do well. You are strong enough that it would take too much effort to chase you away if you aren’t looking to challenge her but weak enough that she wouldn’t see you as a threat.”
Strong enough to be an inconvenience but weak enough not to do anything about it, that is the ideal way to engage in diplomacy with legendary beings, that or just be strong enough they aren’t a threat.
“Thank you, your Majesty.”
“If you feel the need, then rest for a few days; I don’t think Alysara is going anywhere.”
“Thank you, but I am ready to set out today,” Lin says, steeling his nerves.
The Emperor didn’t say, but this is a time-sensitive mission if he feels like he needs to hire services from someone outside of the Empire. Whatever the Dwarves are doing has him worried, and every day can be the difference between life and death for tens of thousands.
“I am proud to count you among Oathbound, Lin,” The Emperor says, patting his shoulder.
“What about Kayafe? Do you have a message for her?”
“Tell her that I’d like to see her again, when she’s ready.”
“Understood!” Lin salutes. He Leaves the throne room and up to a balcony where he can fly off. He lifts himself with his mind, parting the air in front of him to reduce wind and drag. He spots the current of mana drifting toward the Leviathan Sea and follows it; it will eventually lead him to the Nexus.