The Pillar of Enera

[Book II Chapter 80 part 2] DYLAN: Blue-eyed Reindeers

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She looked back at him. “Don’t worry, I have it covered. Come have a seat.”

Hesitating, he took her up on her offer. “If you don’t explain, I can’t help being concerned. How do you ‘have it covered’?”

Free fidgeted sheepishly. “Do I have to?”

“Please, for my peace of mind.” Dylan pressed. “We have the safety of thousands on our hands.”

Free sighed, raising her hand. “Here you go.” On her palm, was an insect with the legs of a grasshopper, the body of a beetle, and the eyes of a fly. “I spread hundreds of these around. If they spot a group of large animals moving together, they’ll chirp to warn us.”

“I’ve never seen a bug like that before. What’s it called?”

“Watchbug version 5. It’s a personal creation.” Free reported.

So she designed it herself? Dylan thought back to the strange plants in Free’s garden in Bastion, wondering if they were natural or her handywork. “It’s my first time meeting someone who customizes their summons. What’s the advantage compared to scouts like fairies?”

“Summons with the intelligence to identify enemies take a fair amount of energy. Since these little guys are hyper specialized for the task, they’re relative cheap to mass produce.” Free explained. She then stared hard at Dylan. “You’re not grossed out by them?”

“No, should I be?” Dylan hadn’t even considered the aesthetics. He wasn’t someone who obsessed over appearance when on a mission. As far as he was concerned, if something was effective, it had value.

<> Dowart remarked. Dylan ignored the input.

Free laughed. “You don’t know how nice it is to hear that. All my life, I’ve had to hide my little experiments. Having someone I can discuss them with is refreshing.”

“When you mention experiments, does that have something to do with the reindeer falling ill?” Dylan guessed. This was a good opportunity to uncover exactly what his companion was capable of.

Free nodded, showing the band of metal on her finger. “Using this quantum ring, I’ve crafted all manner of nasty pathogens for use on different species. They’re a little hard to manipulate during battle, but, once Darius arrived, I was able to concentrate long enough to select an appropriate one.”

“That sounds amazingly powerful.” Dylan was impressed. He hadn’t realized biological weapons could produce such immediate results. “If you had this option, why didn’t you deploy it when we were in Tulven?”

Free’s expression turned sour. “Because there are issues. Evolution is sped up on Enera, which particularly impacts microscopic organism. When I release a virus, even for couple of minutes, there’s the risks it mutates into something beyond my control.”

“I learned this the hard way in Vigil when I declared war on the local mosquito population. My plague successfully wiped them out, but then I discovered several new variants had spread to other insects. It was a disaster.”

“Fortunately, I had conducted my test run deep in the forest, and the tyrants reacted swiftly. Deadly outbreaks are common in the Green Hell so they knew what to do. Twenty square miles were incinerated. They weren’t happy with me after that. It was an awkward period.”

“That’s right, you trained to become a druid in Vigil.” Dylan recalled. Vigil was a mountainous, forested region southeast of Bastion. It was the one place outside the Green Hell which was ruled over by tyrants, serving as their embassy to the outside world. “How did you learn their magecraft?”

Dylan had a passing knowledge of tyrants. On rare occasions, he’d spotted the giant lizards wandering the wilds. Although he’d never had the chance to interact with one up close, a couple had made Sanwue their permanent residence. The auction house where he’d bought Resplendent Delusion was run by a commercial conglomerate headed by one of them.

“To make amends for my little mistake, I tried learning their tongue. I went to great lengths too, tweaking my vocal chords and ear drums. Unfortunately, it was failure.”

“Their language is insane. Not only is their grammar nightmarish and pronunciation ridiculously nuanced, they typically speak two or three sentences at the same time. It would’ve taken years to decipher, and I didn’t have the time.”

“The one upside is they were impressed by my efforts and taught me a couple of songs suiting my affinity.”

“I’d love to hear one.” Dylan said.

“Maybe I’ll sing again if the opportunity arises.” Free replied coyly.

They drifted into silence, and Dylan relaxed. As his eyes wandered to the far off procession, a question popped into his mind. “Do you think what were doing has a purpose?”

“Hmm?” Free turned to him.

He gestured. “We’re escorting these people back to a nation with no future. It won’t be long before all the surrounding Twisted Lands are controlled by demonic beasts. Tulven can’t even evacuate its own citizens. What chance is there for these new arrivals?”

Of course, this didn’t really matter. He’d be rewarded for completing this quest regardless of what befell these people. This query was philosophic in nature.

Free pursued her lips. “I asked Darius something similar yesterday. His answer was interesting.”

“Kaygren has aligned himself with those seeking Enera’s destruction. His goal is slaughtering the largest number possible, and Tulven is just one front in this larger war. By tying down his forces here, we are preventing their deployment elsewhere. Even if the nation eventually falls and every soul within it is lost, our actions in its defense will have had meaning in the grand scheme of things.”

Dylan nodded grimly. True, once Tulven falls, Turok will wreck his havok elsewhere. Delaying this has merit.

“Do you agree with him?” He asked.

“The rational side of me can’t help but acknowledge the logic. My emotional side totally rejected its underlying premise.” She looked him in the eye. “Who said we can’t save everybody? Telling me it’s an impossible task is useless. My whole life has been about finding solutions no one thinks of. So what if there’s an airship shortage? That just makes it more challenging. I’m sure we’ll find a way.”

Dylan returned the stare. “Why are you so determined? What benefit is there in going that far?”

Free tilted her head, perplexed. “I value the lives others. So when they are threatened, is it not natural to want to preserve them?”

“Listen.” She continued. “I know selfishness has its place too. I’ve engaged in it plenty myself. However, if you appreciate the world around you and those in it, that naturally leads to one place. Have you never wholeheartedly thought about helping others? Without calculating what advantage it might bring you?”

I haven’t. Dylan didn’t need to reflect. Since that day, all his efforts were driven towards a single purpose. Apart from Lin Xiao and his close allies, everyone else held no importance. Why would he devote mental energy to their wellbeing?

Then a doubt crossed his mind. Maybe I did once, eleven years ago. Before the Sacred Cloud Sect burned, before he’d loss everything… His outlook must have been different back then, but he couldn’t recall for sure.

For a moment, he imagined his vengeance concluded and the guilty parties punished. With difficulty, he separated himself from his all-consuming hatred and observed the line of people plodding across the landscape. He fantasized about demonic beasts ripping them to shreds. Was that a future he desired to prevent?

It is. Not at the cost of his own life, but, if he could avert it with a reasonable amount of effort, he would. This held true even without the Great Assembly’s promised rewards.

Lin Xiao would be pleased. After their encounter with Soul Skyfell, the little mistress had become somewhat enamored with the concept of heroes. She’d approve of the person he had the potential to be.

Abruptly, a flash of insight struck him. Old theories clicked into place. He remembered Free’s singing and accepted the essence her song, using it as a foundation. The concepts of water, earth, and air melded together, and, for the first time, Dylan understood the Greater Mystery of Life. The grass around him grew and turned a lush green.

<> Dowart whispered above. Dylan could sense his relief.

<> He answered. The narrow focus of his worldview had made him incapable of comprehending this greater mystery until now. While Dowart had strived to provide him the right outlook, it was his young companion who had inadvertently succeeded.

“What happened?” Free asked, sensing his change.

In response, Dylan raised his hand and concentrated. A golden sphere took shape. The process had somehow come naturally.

Free shot up to her knees. “A golden construct? How?”

“I just evolved my martial arts and acquired a powerful technique.” Dylan explained. “When I enter this state, I can channel the magics of creation. Although I suspect It’ll take a while to get the hang of…”

Free absorbed the news and smiled. “Then it’s lucky you happen to have master here to teach you. Care for your first lesson?”