[Aura of ??? : 200 (+80)]
[Eye of ??? : 50 (+50)]
[Crystals : ~7000 (+2000)]
[Ghoul mother cores : 90 (+30)]
[Ghoul golem cores : 85 (+43)]
[Ghoul golem cores (broken) : 48 (+38) ]
[Mist crystals (small) : 700 (+500) ]
[Mist crystals (medium): 250 (+190)]
[Mist crystals (large): 150 (+120) ]
[Floating eyes: 10 (+9) ] (consumed)
Swing. The golem ghoul freezes and shatters into pieces.
Three more golem ghouls approach her from behind.
She had killed enough for her moments to be clockwork.
She stutter-steps to one side so that they can't pincer her.
Smaller ghouls were crushed by her boot and she didn't notice.
Parry. Stab.
Parry. Stab.
Dodge. Stab.
She killed three in a row.
A ring of golem ghouls appeared all around her and charged her in all directions at the same time.
Hikari arrays her frost knives in a ring around her and released.
The knives stuns them.
She winds up her sword and throws it in a spinning boomerang.
Like dominos, she shatters them.
They dropped to the ground.
Hikari catches her sword and powers down.
She takes a deep breath and keeps her sword.
Then, she holds out her hand.
Around her, the golem ghouls disintegrate, leaving their glowing cores exposed.
She focuses.
The golem cores rattles.
The smaller crystals chatter.
They float off the ground towards her.
She gathers them in front of her chest into a clump.
Release.
The clump of crystals drops into her harvest sack.
The excess falls off the sides.
She pulls the opening of the harvest sack wider to make room.
She bends down and scoops them up.
The sack couldn't be fully closed.
A golem core sits on the top, preventing the smaller ones from spilling over.
She hoisters it on her back.
She checks her surroundings.
Her field of vision had widened tremendously.
The mist barely obstructs her vision now.
She turns around to look for the town.
She sees it.
Not just its barrier.
She could see a blurred outline of its walls.
Up above, the zeppelins.
She could see the balloon and the iron hold below, bombarding the ground below.
Hearthstone pulse.
She had cleaned the far side of the ghoul hive.
She cleared out the side closer to the town on day one.
All that remains is the hive itself.
A pillar rising from a cave-in in the middle of the area.
She feels the strong mana presence from where she was standing.
She thought about testing herself.
She holds her sword in her hand.
Wyvern frost.
She channels her mana through it.
The air around it instantly freezes.
She still feels the mist burn.
But at the same time, it seemed to amplify her power.
A swing of her frozen blade now shatters a golem ghoul to pieces.
She felt like she was channeling the ambient mist rather than being restricted by it now.
"Curious."
She held up her other hand.
She attempts to channel the RazenHeir flame.
It was the one that gave the heaviest blackburn.
A flare of flame roared.
"Argh."
She feels the back burn.
But she could cast it.
She shouldn't anyway since it was not the most effective spell against the ghouls.
She takes out a dagger.
It hovers in front of her.
She points its tip towards a stone formation.
She channels her mana.
The dagger stops mid air.
Completely still for a moment before a burst of momentum drives it right through the rock formation.
"Argh."
Now she feels the mist burn.
It was a powerful attack that would have required a short channeling time even on the surface.
She turns back towards the hive center.
She felt like she could fight at full power.
But this was not the time.
She needs more time to study this mist power.
She had already cleared out the area surrounding the hive of valuable crystals.
But she thinks of all the extra nice food Ria could buy for her if she finds something nice in there.
Perhaps a nice dress.
"No."
She turned around and began marching back towards the salt formation.
She had enough for now.
Spending several days in a row out on the frontlines.
She just wants to return for a nice shower now.
Something catches her attention.
A glint of mana.
Just another small crystal?
No, it feels slightly different.
She walks towards it.
It was a cloaked person.
Dead.
Long dead.
The mist had hid it from her for the last few times she passed.
There was a crystal in his hand which was just skin and bones at this point.
"Should I be looting the dead?"
The crystal hums to her presence.
She shrugs and touches it with the tip of her finger.
A sting of mana.
Words appear through her mind.
Praise Eon.
Another day harvesting crystals from the mist.
There are precious few other ways to obtain it as the Carla project had to remain secret.
Although the sparse ghouls pose little more than an annoyance, these crystals yield a paltry amount of mana for our efforts.
We need more.
But we don't have the numbers and logistics to wander deeper.
[Blessing of Eon : 101 (+1)]
"The cult of Eon was down here?"
The crystal shatters.
Its owner as silent as the moment she found it.
She shrugs and continues.
She pulses the earth.
Nope, all clean.
There are no more major crystal formations left for her to harvest.
Her harvest sack was completely full.
She spots a floating eye.
She pulls out her dagger and knocks it out of the sky.
Its screeching no longer bothers her.
"Another."
She pauses.
The death of the floating eye summons the surrounding ghouls in a wide area.
It was quiet.
Pulse.
Nothing.
She yawns.
Looks like the raid is over for her.
…
She approaches the town.
She slows her foot steps close to the barrier.
It's been like this for several times in a row.
The barrier felt like it was burning her from the inside.
But she felt fine after that brief, unpleasant feeling.
She takes a deep breath.
Slowly, she approaches.
"Arrggh…"
It hurts.
It felt worse than the mist burn.
But it was brief but intense.
She checks herself.
She was fully inside the barrier.
Her hands were moving fine.
Her mana flow feels fine.
She continues.
Another supply convoy seemed to have arrived.
It means another letter from Ria had likely arrived.
As she passed the gate, the return convoy was just setting off.
Mostly horses.
She notices several damaged steam tanks.
Parts melted by acid. Armour platings tented by what she could guess was a golem ghoul.
"A major battle."
But the majority of the steam tanks appeared to be in good condition.
The mechanics were just maintaining them so that they can't be used to transport goods for the moment.
As the wagons passed her, she looked down and checked the contents.
Mostly canisters of processed mana crystals.
Broken weapons. Armour parts.
The steel itself is worth a decent amount.
Behind them, covered wagons of soldiers.
Bandages over their arms.
Despite their injuries.
They seemed to be in high spirits.
Singing softly amongst the wagon.
For them, the raid is over.
Hikari takes a turn.
She needs to drop off the crystals at the processing plant.
She walks past the medical tent.
More patients.
She overhears the Silora priest grumbling about the injuries.
A ghoul bite on the arm guard.
A broken wrist from blocking a golem swing with a shield.
Sprained ankles from marching in heavy armour on very uneven terrain.
"Please, can I have a bit of that healing magic that the goddess Silora offers?"
The priest snapped impatiently.
"The goddess offers help to those who believe, not those who ask for it."
She walks past the command post.
The officer was having a smoke outside.
She glances at him briefly before looking straight.
The officer was briefly startled as a pair of giant boots strides past him.
But he went back to his smoke.
She reaches the processing station.
The prospector lifts his goggles and excitedly.
"Ah… this must be the last batch. I'm afraid we can do the big ones only. You'll be returning to the elevator shaft soon yourself I presume. Just keep the small crystals like I told the other troops. They aren't worth very much but you can probably sell them for a pint."
"Alright."
Hikari emptied her harvest sack onto the platform.
Past the processing plant, a newly erected encampment.
The flags of Silora.
A heavily armoured warrior.
White pristine platings, golden embroidery.
Standing head and shoulders above the regular infantry.
His shield is the size of Hikari's breast plates.
His spear was the length of her leg.
His sword and musket tucked into his belt.
"There they are."
Hikari returns to her warehouse for a nap.