Elydes

Chapter 225 - Break Out

True to his prediction, he could use yellow skills, though they were still inhibited. Kai ignored the strain mounting in his head to fight the shackles with a single-minded focus. He needed to stretch Mana Engraving outside his body.

He would get out of this cell no matter the cost. If the Republic thought they could throw him away when he was no longer useful, they were delusional.

They could come up with a hundred excuses for why they were the lesser evil, how they saved the archipelago and whatnot. But the only thing that motivated Seryne was self-interest. He wasn’t going to waste years of his life working for the military.

C’mon, Edgar’s skill can’t be stopped by a mundane enchantment.

Kai had never gotten the chance to fully explore what Mana Engraving was capable of, and this was definitely an unorthodox use. The handcuffs warmed beneath his wrists. The ineffable pattern of the skill stretched and contracted between his desires and the enchanted manacles.

Break!

As if a fissure caused the whole dam to collapse, a dozen filaments breached the surface of his skin. Gritting his teeth, Kai channeled more mana to maintain the skill.

If he faltered for a single moment, Mana Engraving would snap back and make his efforts vain. He didn’t have the Mind to break the bonds again, not if he wanted to be in shape for what came after.

Kai carefully guided the threads into the steel shackles. He had studied these runes for hours, they were elegant in their design without any obvious flaws. The original schematics must be the work of a master enchanter, the same could not be said for the person who crafted this pair.

The faulty balance and poor assimilation with the steel were too minor to exploit unless he was willing to spend months. Luckily, there was a larger defect. The link between the mana siphon and the restraints it fueled wasn’t properly traced or had been damaged when they were assembled.

It’s time my Favor did something.

He just had to nudge the faulty link to cause a chain reaction that would render the handcuffs useless for a while—hopefully. He didn’t have the time or energy to recheck his calculations.

Here goes nothing.

A tendril no wider than a hair prodded the glowing line and… dissipated, blown away by the mana coursing through the runes. Kai bit down a curse.

I’ve got eleven more tries. Slow and steady.

Desperation led to urgency, which led to mistakes. With sweat pouring down his head, Kai guided his threads to alter the fault line. He needed the tiniest of changes to bring the enchantment off balance.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight…

Why don’t you fucking work?

The brief lapse in concentration made one of his last three tendrils scatter into the ambient mana. Kai suppressed a wave of frustration and screamed with closed lips. Raw emotions could boost as much as disrupt his capabilities if he didn’t channel them properly.

Calm down. Think. A mage always finds a way.

Mana Engraving was meant to forge runes from pure essence, at least ideally. Not even Edgar had reached that level, using it in conjunction with physical ink. It might be possible to briefly create a rune with it, but not while being restricted by the manacles.

Kai didn’t have enough power to overwrite the runes engraved into the steel, and he couldn’t squeeze any more mana out of his restraints. He needed to use enchanting ink or a catalyst of some kind.

I should have a batch in my ring.

The tendril barely moved towards the silver band before dissipating.

Dammit. I should have known.

The filaments could only resist outside his body thanks to Mana Engraving, using them for another purpose lost the protection of the skill. He was down to one attempt. The effort of maintaining his yellow skills turned into a pulsing headache that muddled his thoughts.

Where do I find a catalyst here?

His gaze wandered over the plain walls and crates, the half-finished stew and the feeble crystal lighting his cell. Nothing he could use. His pockets were empty except for his wand and an empty vial. There was nothing else.

Hmm, maybe…

In its most fundamental definition, enchanting ink was a solution that could hold and channel mana. Naturally, there were a thousand more details to consider depending on the runes someone wanted to engrave, but right now he didn’t need to craft a masterpiece for the ages.

Kai bit hard on his lip, fighting through the instinctual reluctance to hurt himself. Blood dripped down his chin into the seam protecting the runes of his handcuffs. As a mage at the peak of Orange, mana flowed through every part of his being.

C’mon…

He lightly shook the steel to make blood seep inside, thankful the manacles hadn’t been welded completely. With excruciating precision, he aligned his last tendril on the section he wanted to alter and imbued the skill into his own blood. He just needed a tiny, temporary modification to the mana flow.

It has to work.

Kai released a slow breath, a coppery taste in his mouth. Isolated by dampening enchantments, he could hear his blood dripping on the floor, forgetting to even breathe.

He didn’t have the energy for another try. His eyes fixed on the glowing manacles as seconds ticked away with unbearable slowness.

The runes sizzled in a cascade effect throughout the metal loops. A tingle of pleasure crossed his body as the bonds that had cut off his skill were disrupted. Kai stopped Mana Observer from flooding into the chamber around him.

You fools thought this was enough to contain my genius!

Linked to his blood, the runes had completely fried. Despite his confidence, he didn’t wait to see if the damage was permanent. His elemental mana responded to his command with barely an effort, Kai condensed a jet of water to cut the metal chain linking his shiny bracelets.

“I’m free!”

Since they had isolated the cell with such care, Kai didn’t have to contain his triumph. For now, he kept the steel bands on his wrists. Even without the enchantments active, they had been made to restrain physical as much as mana professions. He didn’t want to risk sending shrapnel into his arms if he tried to cut them.

Okay, the easy part is over.

Kai took a moment to gather his thoughts and apply a healing potion on his lip. He carefully extended Mana Observer beyond the walls of his prison. Even a mage would struggle to recognize his touch if he didn’t specifically focus on them, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.

Each entrance to the chamber had a soldier stationed, neither were looking at his cell. Kai wouldn’t be surprised if Seryne had kept his arrest a secret.

Thanks for the help.

He stored the pieces of the broken manacles to leave no clues behind. He was about to also clean the blood on the floor when he reconsidered. That would add a nice dramatic touch. Let them wonder what happened here.

Standing before the walls of rough cast stone, Kai steeled his resolve. He was crossing a line he couldn’t walk back. Unless Makyn had lied about the importance of the hidden realm, Seryne would come looking for him no matter what.

I just need to give her something else to worry about…

He kneeled by the wall facing away from the guards and drew a finger in an arc to guide Mana Echo. The stone parted beneath his touch. The copy had been perfected by watching the Earth shaper work for hours. It was only capable of a single action, cutting, but it was damn good at it.

Kai grabbed the block of rock with his magic before it fell. The murmurs of idle chat flooded in. The soldiers were quite relaxed, probably relieved they were leaving the Heart in the morning.

He crawled outside and resealed the hole, spending a significant chunk of mana to make the result seamless. Even if they assumed he broke through the manacles, no one knew about his affinity for Earth.

A pity I won’t be here to see their reactions.

Just imagining them finding the cell empty in the morning was enough to put a smile on his lips. With a little luck, he might throw off the Republic long enough to finish his business.

Kai wrapped himself in a cloak of Shadow and crept to a different wall using crates and the stone rooms as cover. The ivory confines of the chamber were thicker and required more mana to part, but it still opened for him.

His finger dug into the cold damp soil of a tunnel. He prevented any dirt from falling into the chamber with a wave of Earth and Nature. Melding the stone of the ruins was beyond his abilities, but the cut was so smooth no one would notice unless they examined the entire chamber.

Let’s get going, I’ve a few stops to make.

The camp had been set in a closed cluster of chambers with the officer quarter in the center. The easiest way to recover what he needed while remaining unseen was by walking outside of it. Kai took out a crystal light and kept his hand on the wall to orient himself.

He refilled his reserves in the rich mana ambiance. While he had no skill for them, Earth and Shadow were the most abundant elements in the underground complex. He would need quite a bit of it before the night was over.

This should be right.

The ruins blocked his perception. If he had taken the wrong measurements, his majestic escape would end before it began. Kai cleared a wall with another pulse of mana and cut the most unassuming hole he could manage.

Light leaked from inside. There were no exclamations or sounds of alarms. Kai bent and slipped in. He had barely taken a step when a hand dragged him inside, the carpet partially absorbing the fall.

“Hey.” Kai raised his hand in surrender, smiling brightly despite the two blades pointed at his throat and crotch respectively. “Nice to see you too, sorry for coming uninvited.”

The room wasn’t large, a table and a bed occupied most of the space. He had only peeked at the layout of this chamber once before the military forbade him from wandering. His memory hadn’t betrayed him.

“Kai?” Valela gaped at him and lowered her wand. “What are you doing here?”

“You know, I’m just passing by to keep my end of the deal.” He shrugged, glad Lou had withdrawn his sword with an equally surprised expression. Only Ferla didn’t waver. “Do you mind telling the tenebrous lady to lower her spear?”

“Ferla it’s fine. He’s not a threat.”

“I'm harmless.” Kai bobbed his head in agreement.

The bodyguard scowled. “Miss, he could be conspiring with the military.”

Valela considered the notion for an instant before shaking her head. “They’re already winning. This would be too convoluted to be worth it.”

She held Ferla’s gaze till the woman reluctantly lowered her spear, still watching him with suspicion. “Why would he break into your room at this hour if he didn’t have nefarious intentions?

That's not fair. Just because something looks bad, smells of wet tunnels and comes in through a wall, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trust it.

“I’d have sent a notice if I could.” Kai accepted Lou’s hand to stand up with a grateful smile. “I’ve been kept busy.”

“Are you okay?” The teen watched him with a worried frown. His eyes lingered on the wound closing on his lip and his shiny steel bracelets. “I was worried something happened, but the soldiers refused to let me see you.”

Valela offered him a chair and a glass of berry juice, which Kai gratefully accepted. “They told us you were too scared by what happened in the summoning chamber and refused to leave your room.”

Those damn fuckers.

“Is it safe to talk here?” There were no windows, and the makeshift door was barred, but what he was about to reveal was already considered a state secret.

“The room is warded.” She took out her enchanted cube. “Just for caution, no one can hear us. Why did you come here? This could land you in serious trouble if the military finds out.”

Oh, I think we’re well beyond that.

Kai took a sip of the sweet berry juice to wash the taste of blood from his mouth. He tapped his fingers on the glass to cool it. Revenge was best served cold, and he was about to make Seryne very mad.

“Remember how I agreed to keep you updated on my research? I’ve been arrested for finding out what’s going on.” Kai stopped their exclamation by raising a hand. “The beasts are arriving through spatial gates connected to a hidden dimension.”

The room fell silent as they elaborated on the meaning of his words. Then Valela and Ferla started talking at once while Lou just looked at him, searching for the truth on his face.

“That’s ridiculous! They must have sent him here to trick us.”

“Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand something?”

Kai finished his drink as he waited for the clamor to die down. “I’ve seen through the portal with my eyes, but you don’t need to believe me. Captain Seryne has contacted the military on the mainland. That’s why she decided to retreat. They’ll be arriving soon, you can probably estimate the timeline better than me.”

“I thought she chose to retreat not to lose more people.” Valela looked thoughtful. “But this does make more sense than her suddenly growing a conscience. Can you tell me exactly what happened? It’s not that I don’t believe you, but I need some proof to present to the council.”

“It’s fine, just don’t tell them it was me who provided the intel.” Kai spent the next half an hour going through every detail and clue. The strangeness of the teleportations, the rare species and the Vastaire glyphs. Ferla asked questions to poke holes in his story that ended up reinforcing it.

“Excuse me, I need to send a message.” With a pale face, Valela left the room with her bodyguard.

Lou sat beside him, a dark expression and fist clenched. “Kai,” he pronounced his name like a curse. Then he deflated leaving only worry behind. “You shouldn’t have broken out from the military’s custody. Valela is well-intentioned, but she can’t protect you if they want to take revenge on you for this. They’ll know it was you who told us.”

I don’t plan to stick around and find out.

The words refused to come out, choked in his throat. Amidst all the revelations, Lou was focused on what was best for him. They had discovered a hidden realm that would forever change the archipelago and the boy was thinking about him.

What had he done to deserve it?

“Thank you.” Kai managed to squeeze out. Because what else could he say? He didn’t trust his voice to say more. His conviction and crazy plan shuddered in his mind.

I must have done an amazing job at raising you.

Kai wanted to tell him there was nothing to worry about, but he also didn’t want to lie with a half-truth or worry him about the extent of the danger. So they just sat in silence till Valela burst into the room.

“I’m sorry, time was of the essence.” She froze upon noticing them. “Is there anything I can do for you? This went well beyond our deal. You can hide until we’re back in Higharbor. I know a lawyer that can help your case.”

“I can cross the jungle on my own.” Kai tried to sound nonchalant. “But if you want to help, I could use a little distraction in… let’s say twenty minutes. Something to get the officers away from their quarters.”

His path had already been set. He needed to get his sword to mug a big evil lizard.