Electus - Chapter 468

“Is that our place?” Mollara asked, seconds after she glared at a piece of cut stone crash to the ground.

“That’s definitely the second section.” Zelimia cited, relief on her tone although her mouth too dry to speak properly.

“Let’s fly down, what are we waiting for?” Samantha motivated, jumping down like a needle and blowing Fire from her feet after to land softly.

“Get me some water!” Mollara shouted at a passer by who saw a small portion of the ceiling fall down and rushed to investigate.

“It’s Mollara!” An older lady pointed, alarming for more people to join the celebration.

“Mollara is that really you?” A lady in her twenties asked, hesitant to take steps forward.

“It’s me, we are finally back home.” The old Mollara ensured, trying to be as kind as possible towards these concerned hearts.

…

“We’ve found a Portal down there in the mines, a day after we departed from here.” Mollara started explaining their journey, trying to be as specific as possible to tame the mourning masses around her.

“Is that how Bittore died?” A small little kid asked, his curiosity piqued although sad too.

“Shush.” His mother scolded, putting her hand over his mouth and making him sit on her lap.

“Bittore didn’t die, but I can’t say she is alive either.” Mollara explained at a low tone, still having it hard to accept that her best friend is lost.

With the masses eager to know, one middle aged man urged. “What happened, tell us.”

“We found a Portal, wanted to bring the whole Tunnel down so nothing can go through that Portal for a while.” Letting silence stretch a bit, taking another mouthful of water with her throat still feeling dry regardless. “It worked a bit too well, she got caught in the Collapse.”

Interrupting, Zelimia shared her part of the story… well not hers exactly, “She jumped in the Portal, Samantha saw it with her own eyes.”

Having debates about this for weeks now, Mollara weighed in. “I have a pair of eyes too Zelimia, I didn’t see her get in that thing.”

Quiet until now, but with some things demanding another tone, Samantha hollered. “You just say that because you don’t want to believe it, we all know you love her but it’s time to accept facts. Dead or alive, she is somewhere in the Demonic realm.”

Sympathetic, sad beyond prepare. An old lady murmured to herself, “Poor Osira, she will come back from Lan Zhe once she knows of her mother’s fate.”

If only they knew…

Another man in the bundle gathered around the Campfire, asked the question that a good quarter are itching to know. “Why did you bust down from the ceiling?”

At least not hesitant to openly talk about this one, Mollara answered. “It was our only option, near the portal there were tens of tunnels. We were stuck at one when the collapse occurred, and followed it ever since hoping to see the sunlight again.”

Since tragedy and harsh living is becoming a topic, Zelimia added. “We’ve butchered a tribe of Rat Bugs, with their blood we quenched thirst.”

“It was disgusting and inhumane.” Samantha hollered, spitting on the Fire once remembering the extremely sour taste of Rat Bug blood.

“It was survival of the toughest.” Mollara shouted, her mood wretched because of being isolated in those long tunnels for weeks now.

Seeing that the Debate is getting heated, one of the lady elders interrupted. “I think all of you are tired, or need to see the sunlight. Sleep it off or breathe it out, we are one Tribe.”

…

Waking up early in the morning, urging to see the eye piercing white snow. Mollara made her way down there, after checking the 10 walls that pierce the third section.

They look nice and sturdy, thankfully no Demon managed to break through them and inflict Havoc, the Stonemasons did a good job.

Flying down from the Hidden Domain, landing near the big crater they’ve caused months earlier when they blew Maleemia into bits.

Walking towards the Carved Path, missing its beauty and urging to admire it’s windy properties with a gaze.

Walking 30 meters in, out of a sudden she spotted a bundle of bodies from the other side, quite open with their infiltration.

“Who are those…” She thought to herself, trying to contain her rage, holding her palms together to not yet shoot and scout their intends first.

Standing firm on her spot, gazing upon the two stone walls stretching tens of meters above her head, that give this place its name. To ensure that she doesn’t get shot down, to ensure that a sneak attack isn’t in order.

And yet the approaching masses did not shy to get closer, until the two parties struck 60 feet away from each other.

With what happened to Maleemia clear, and what can happen a blur but at the same time obvious. Safety precautions in mind, one of the infiltrators separated from their group and approached like a lone wolf.

Standing 6 feet close to Mollara now because that’s the closest she allowed, the approacher appears to be an ill.u.s.tratian man and chirped a verse or two about his presence. “I’m here because of a Command from Grand King Xakro ill.u.s.tratio lll. Who are you may I ask.”

Hesitant to explain to these bastards about her identity, Mollara demanded information. “What is your business here? Do you realise that Maleemia is gone?”

Still willing to cooperate, with the cold already having their battle spirit weakened. The ill.u.s.tratian man rattled, “I know, we know but we have official business here that we can’t shed light off to a stranger.”

“That’s too bad.” Mollara added, not hesitating to blow a bit of Fire from her palm for the sake of asserting dominance. “That means I have to kill all of you now.”

A hot sweat dropping in the midst of this painfully cold ambience, with his own words the ill.u.s.tratian man bickers. “H… hold on Demon! We aren’t here to fight, we seek cooperation.”

“Too bad, shouldn’t have called me a Demon then.” Blowing Fire from her other palm now, Mollara threatened. “You have one more chance to answer, why are you here?!”

Taking a few steps back, putting his hands forward as a form of instinct to possibly fend off some Fire if shot. The ill.u.s.tratian man yelled, “We are here to Mine, Xakro demands a shipment of Dark Blue Ores or he will have all of our heads. We are just trying to survive this and go back home to our families.”

Hesitant, her feelings under conflict especially with the word family involved, Mollara shunned the Fire on her palms and murmured. “You’re making it really hard for me to kill you all!”

Putting his arms down and bending the knee, the ill.u.s.tratian man cited. “We won’t cause trouble, we will just mind our business. We just are trying to not get ourselves killed.”

Analysing his wordplay in the midst of this debate, she demanded answers. “Not cause trouble to who? What do you know.”

Rising up, taking a step backwards to give her space. The ill.u.s.tratian man revealed his level of perception, “All I know is that Maleemia is gone and there is expensive Ore through this mountain. But I’m guessing you have people to protect otherwise you wouldn’t be here, in this soul crushing cold.”

Struck staggered about how an ill.u.s.tratian man can be this smart, Mollara started thinking about the smartest person she knows, thinking to herself. “What would Bittore do…?”

While Mollara let silence stretch thinking, the negotiator pulled out a rolled up piece of Parchment and stated. “Grand King Xakro figured that someone superior has wiped out Maleemia, so he asked me to deliver this message.”

Afterwards, he tossed it near Mollara’s feet in aims to respect her safe space.

Feeling strongly conflicted to kill these people who yet show no actual threat and beg cooperation, Mollara decided to demand. “I can’t kill all of you, but I can’t let you loosely either.”

Jumping a few steps back and blowing a Fireball against the ground, leaving a dark scorched mark.

Mollara afterwards set boundaries. “Stay here and stay firm, I will come back after an hour and tell you if you can or can’t Mine.”

“But!” Raising her forefinger high, close to her face even which demands for this man to look her in the eyes. “If you cross this spot here, I will feed all of you to the Blue Eagles.”

Of course she can’t stop and read a long Parchment and loosen her focus on these enemies, that would be a bad idea as she is alone.

Blowing Fire from her own feet and blasting away from the scene, the ill.u.s.tratian man turned back and connected with his group.

As he approached, one of the Miners asked. “Why have you turned back, what did she say?”

Brutally honest, the negotiator butchered. “She said that we can’t cross that spot there until she gives us permission too.”

Quite a hot head, perhaps similar to most here. An ill.u.s.tratian man with a Shovel over his shoulder yelled. “This is bullshit, who is she to tell us what to do. We should kill her as soon as possible.”

Used to manipulating feeble minds, the negotiator figured that fear will get these men straight. “She isn’t one to command us, but King Xakro is. This lady is probably one of the people who wiped out the Snow Ignites. The same Snow Ignites that took out half of the ill.u.s.tratian Alliance’s Army single handedly.”

Striking them silent, he continued. “King Xakro lost control of the Motherland, it took a whole Continent of Soldiers just to loose against a few hundred Snow Ignites. We don’t have what it takes to beat those who actually defeated the Snow Ignites, that lady and any of her allies are the superiors of this Continent as much as I hate to admit it.”

Last but not least, the negotiator repeated a few orders. “Grand King Xakro brought us here to negotiate a cooperation, we don’t have the balls to fight and will forfeit our heads either way if we submerged into battle.”