Chapter 202 - 191

The air around the temple's entrance felt charged, as if something momentous was about to happen. Elia remained kneeling on one knee, her silver halo dimming to embers. Rhea stood a few paces behind, her eyes wide and her hand gripped tightly around the hilt of her broken dagger. Nick, frozen at the foot of the dais, blinked twice before he dared to take a breath. The lion's amber eyes met Elia's. Its broad muzzle flexed in something like a conciliatory chuff. "You are here," it rumbled, "not a moment too soon." She rose, seemingly the only one of the trio with a sense of what might be happening. Her voice came out steady, unafraid. "Are you the descendant of one of the great hunting lords my people fought with?" The lion inclined its head. "Since the Day of the confederacy of races' fall. Since the Hall of Healing cleansed its last wound and was forced to shut its doors lest the Great Corruptor spread through the world, I have stood sentinel here for those bearing Inari's spark. I am Cao-leó, last of the Hunt Lords." Rhea couldn't help but inhale in surprise. "You knew about the demon?" There was no accusation in her voice, but just like Nick, she probably couldn't help but wonder why it had done nothing about it. Cao-leó's shoulders flexed, and a low growl thrummed through the marble floor. "I have long known of it, ever since I felt the last great miko sacrifice her essence to bind it. Your friend carries her ember." His gaze flicked to Elia, then back to Nick and Rhea. "The seal placed upon the temple kept me from it just like it kept it from spilling out. I have waited for long days for word to come from the newest miko. I felt your passage through the ruins of what once was great. But today, my long wait finally has meaning. This House of the Hunter welcomes you, priestess." Elia straightened, dimming her foxfire into a softer glow. "Do you require our aid to cleanse this temple as well?" At that, Cao-leó's mane rippled with amusement, and his laughter shook the grassland. "Child, do not make the mistake of thinking yourself powerful yet. What you encountered in the Halls of Healing was but the weakest shade of a great slumbering beast, who had long since given up on passing through the layers. If the seal had not shielded it, I would have handled it myself. No, the Hunting Hall has suffered only the tests of time and neglect, not demonic depredations." Nick's brows rose. His wind-sense explored the cracked pillars and the dust-covered marble, verifying the absence of any malevolent presence and, importantly, no signs of battle damage. Time had worn away the carvings; sunlight had dimmed the shine, but it was only wind and weather that had affected this temple, not war. Surprisingly, the forces of Berea had not attacked this temple. Elia tilted her head in wonder. "So no more demons linger?" "Only the dust of centuries," the lion replied in a mournful tone. "When the Treaty was signed, the clans dispersed. Only the devout remained in prayer until their candles too guttered. I… lingered." Rhea rubbed her arms as if chilled by the lion's grief. "You stayed here alone?" "A sentinel does not leave its post," Cao-leó intoned. He rose to all fours, moving with sleek grace. "Yet I tire. My purpose lies not in stanching mortar but in rekindling life." Elia stepped forward, hands folded. Her tails flicked with reverence. "O great Cao-leó, I thank you for your vigil. Teach me, if you will, the rites of true devotion, to become the miko Inari intended. You are the last to know of them." A gust of wind spiraled down the stairs, stirring ribbons of dust. "Then come with me, child. I shall restore your lineage's song." To Nick's surprise, Cao-leó turned to him and Rhea. "You are welcome to stay around." His warm, honey-colored eyes felt like they had a physical weight, despite Nick not sensing any overt magical effect. "But you will not remain within the temple's grounds." Elia's mouth opened, but the lion lifted a paw. "No offense is meant, but the sacred rites are not for non-believers. In two sunsets you shall rejoin them, prepared for all the world beyond." The three exchanged uncertain looks. "Two days?" Nick ventured. "That is all I require to kindle the flame properly." The lion bent down, casting a shadow over Elia that was almost protective. "And before the third dawn, you shall be free from your duties to me, strengthened for it." If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Rhea exhaled. "That… We could probably use a couple of days to ourselves." Nick nodded, meeting Elia's worried gaze. "We'll wait here. Two days isn't so long." He smiled, feeling an idea bloom. "We have a lot of new spells to train." Lips curving wryly, Rhea agreed. "There are a lot of valuable ingredients around here. I will be busy enough, don't worry." Cao-leó said nothing in protest, appearing unconcerned about their appropriation of the grassland's natural resources. Elia turned back to face them. "I will do my best to make this quick." The great lion dipped his head once more. "You have my thanks for your understanding. Go now, prepare. Life never ceases to send challenges your way, and I can see you will not live a simple life." Nick nodded. It had all happened very quickly, but he couldn't sense any malice from the giant lion, and while he still felt some apprehension about leaving Elia alone with him, he was also excited. With a final smile to them, Elia slipped through a collapsed lintel that arched into the darkness behind the high altar. The fractured floor swallowed her foxfire, muffling the hiss of her passage. Cao-leó's eyes tracked her movements, shifting from amber to silver, then to the threshold bas-relief that rippled, releasing a pulse of power. Nick felt the feedback from inside the temple fade, and he knew he would have to push himself to sense anything happening within. But that only means their senses will be dulled too. That was good. He didn't know if he wanted the massive lion to sense him conducting a ritual sacrifice. "Well," Rhea said, "we have two days to ourselves to train and restock. I'll set up my station first, and then I'll get started on transmutation practice. I've gotten pretty fast with it, but I need to move on from mere stone." She strode away from the temple, opening her spatial pouch and pulling out flasks, corks, and coils of wire. "I imagine you'll want to train as well, but if you happen to find interesting materials, bring them back. We're already making a killing on this trip, but you can always earn more money." Nick exhaled. "I'll just be off then. I have some things I want to experiment with." He glanced back toward the sealed door. "It doesn't look like we'll be able to spy on them anyway." Rhea flashed him a grin. "I'm sure you'll be able to figure out a way to irritate the giant lion," she said as if that were a compliment. He rolled his eyes. Snark is better than fear. I'll be able to talk to her about what's going to happen next now that Elia isn't here. That should make her feel better. But first… Sitting down, Nick started preparing for his next hunt. Most of the time, he had to improvise and depend on circumstantial success, but now that he knew what he was about to do, he could take steps to ensure his safety. After all, summoning spirits from the astral sea could never be too safe. A near-tangible calm settled over him as he began painting ofuda. So far, spiritual magic appears to align with my understanding, albeit being a bit more emotion-driven than I had anticipated. This makes sense, considering that most spirits are formed from residual emotions and grudges. Nick had realized just how much his emotional state influenced his performance when facing the mercenaries. [Spirit Blast] had proven to be a perfect counter against the dwarves' mind magic, but it had just as readily failed to inflict damage when he couldn't summon specific emotional states. Well, there's a straightforward solution to that. I just need to create a spell for each major portion of the emotional spectrum. Which was when spirits came in. Nick could likely develop the spells in his own time, using the understanding he had of spiritual magic to refine specific [Spirit Blasts] until they evolved into unique effects. Enough to be clearly different from their origin, at least. But why would he do that when he had a faster and more efficient method available? I also want to see if I can refine my sensing abilities further. [Wind God's Third Eye] has incorporated some of my spiritual affinity, but its matrix isn't designed to support it beyond the basics. It's high time I took the next step with it. When he finally finished a batch of two dozen new ofudas, more than enough for what he was about to do, he stood up, clearing off any dirt with a gentle breeze. Looking over to Rhea's station, he saw that she had truly set it up well. A stone table, likely transmuted from the nearby dirt, given the noticeable hole not far from her, was covered with vials, a cauldron, and an ingredient cutting area. She was busy rifling through a basket of what appeared to be weeds, but that Nick could recognize as valuable herbs. She tossed a few of the more damaged ones into the hole, nodding to herself after making her selection. "I'm gonna head out!" Nick called. Rhea simply waved him away, fully absorbed in her work. After one last scan of their surroundings to ensure no monsters were lurking about, waiting to attack her as soon as he was gone, Nick nodded to himself. The battle between the lion and the rock worm must have frightened everything away. She'll be alright for a while. And with that, he jumped into the air, easily clearing a height of a hundred feet before he began to gently descend. He blinked in surprise before remembering that he had gained a sub-rank in his Wind affinity. It had gone unremarked amidst all the excitement. Smiling to himself, he fully utilized that new efficiency and charged at the next jump with even more mana. As soon as his leg fully extended, a hurricane-force gale ripped him off the ground, enhanced by his skillful use of [Telekinetic Field] to steady his path. By the time Nick finished his climb, he was three hundred feet above the ground, and the grassland unfolded before him in a way he had never seen before. Rolling hills of gently swaying green and gold stretched as far as he could see. In the far distance, a dark green line marked the horizon, indicating the beginning of the Green Ocean, while behind him, he could faintly make out a shimmering blue line, the massive river that ultimately flowed through Alluria. Slowly, he began to descend, but soon picked up speed as he did nothing to resist gravity. Just as he was about to reach terminal velocity, Nick summoned the next tailwind, concentrating [Telekinetic Field] into a single point to create a floating platform, from which he once again launched upward into the great blue above. A whoop escaped him. This is amazing! Traveling with the girls is fun, but I'm stuck moving on the ground at their pace. Alone, I can do so much more. Even if he revealed all his abilities, there was no way he could take them along on this type of travel. While he might have the control needed to avoid harming them, they would feel extremely uncomfortable if it went on for any length of time. As Nick blinked, he spotted movement a couple of miles away, just past a low dip in the ground. There, a small lake had formed. He wasn't sure if it was from an underground source or some magical occurrence, but it was clear that this solitary body of water was out of place. There, drinking from the crystal waters, was a small herd of thunderhooves, with a larger one standing guard at the back. Nick smiled. Bait found.