The Soul Refiner Bk 01 Ch 49 51

AN: Next week will be a skip week, as i will be traveling.

Chapter 49

The square where we had fought the monk's spirit was exactly as we'd left it, aside from the presence of the spirit itself. It had vanished entirely, rather than being present in its altered state, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was nearby. Sporadic fighting still sounded in the near distance, and we set out without another word spoken. The battle for the city was very far from over.

I focused on my spiritual sight again, looking for any further uses of mana, but finding none. It was possible they were just being subtle, but given that I already believed this force to be much smaller, it wouldn't be unreasonable for there to have only been one monk remaining. Especially considering how powerful that one had been.

Exchanging a glance with Myta, we came to a silent accord. My mana was full, I must have assimilated some from the spirit. My flame was at full strength as well. And though my left arm was very badly burned, that wouldn't hamper my particular combat skills too much. We took off running towards the nearest sounds of fighting.

Myta hit the back of that Pure squad like a frenzied bull, spearing one soldier through the back on first contact. Then she took the head off another with a spinning strike. Riversteel carved through mundane armor and flesh as though it were rotten linen, but her heated blade kept blood from fountaining in its wake. The Pure were locked in close combat with the city guards, and so she couldn't unleash her lances of fire. They would have been wasted effort for these men anyway.

Focusing her mana internally was more than enough. Even as the Pure turned on us she continued to cut them down, each movement as fast as a lightning strike, each step she took moving her farther than it had any right to. She dismantled our remaining enemies with a shocking level of grace and efficiency. I'd seen better fighters in my lifetime, but none that were nearly so young.

I ignored the battle after a moment, focusing instead on the fallen. There were two injured guardsmen I was able to stabilize, though I had to be even more mindful of my presence than normal. Myta's power was already pressuring their spirits. Mine might shatter them, even with the best of intentions. I stopped their bleeding, purged infections, and stabilized their shock with the passage of my will.

We left them to their own devices, after confirming Tarun's location, and then we headed to him. We resolved two more battles along the way, just as uneventful as the first. By the time we reached the guardhouse the captain was operating out of, the sounds of combat had greatly diminished.

"Esur'uk, Mytan, it's good to see you well." Tarun greeted us gratefully, though I could see the weariness in his eyes. "When the attack came and we saw no sign of you, I feared the worst. But in truth, this has been easier than I'd feared, despite our losses."

He gestured at a map of the city, laid out in a table in front of us. There were various markers, presumably to depict battles, or the suspected location of forces, all within the market district.

"We suspect only a hundred men attacked the city, and only one sorcerer among them. Far less than I'd have expected for an assault like this."

I nodded in response. "Denu mentioned the group in the governor's estate?"

"Yes, I lack information on them, but Minister Yatek drove them from the city. He was gravely injured himself, despite calling on the king's strength. If you could aid him, it would greatly help us. But those enemies escaped the city, before this assault began."

"Well, we bring mixed news." I grunted. "The sorcerer you know of that was inside the district has been killed, and his spirit dispersed. However, the forces we encountered beneath the city were greater than those here."

"They have an entry point, here." Myta indicated a spot on Tarun's map. It looked correct to me, but her certainty was reassuring. "A hundred and thirty men, maybe more, two sorcerers, and two demons at least. We left the rest of our company to guard the entrance, but if they push there without us to support the men, they'll get through."

Tarun eyed us in confusion for a moment, before understanding lit his eyes.

"You suspect instead they have another exit. That they will join the assault on the city gates. That's why you're here, and not there."

"That was our fear." I nodded. "Our men could delay at the entrance, but if those sorcerers hit while the walls are still breached, things could go badly."

"No time to waste then. Esur'uk, can you see what aid you might provide to Yatek? He and my men could guard the entry point, while we deal with the remaining Pure in this district. We would normally have a few more sorcerers to help aid the city, but Ramana called them away to Toda, along with many of our soldiers."

"Trouble on the northern border too?" Worry creased my brow. But Tarun only shrugged.

"I haven't heard anything, not even rumors. But Ramana never moves his forces without reason."

"So we don't have much support. I'll tend to the minister." I turned to Myta. "If you want to aid the fighting in this district..."

"No, master," she cut me off. "We have no guarantee all the agents fled. I'll stay by your side."

I hesitated for a moment. If she stayed here then the district would be quickly cleared, but she was right. I would likely be vulnerable during the healing. Especially if I were dealing with wounds inflicted by demons or spells. Basides, I could feel her unyielding resolve.

We got directions to Yatek, who was being tended to in his suite in the governor's manor. The estate was the highest point in the city, a sprawling edifice that looked more like a temple than a home. I supposed that as it represented Ramana's power in the city, that was appropriate. He was a god-king, after all. A large courtyard, with a fountain and an immaculate orchard framed the entrance.

The guards let us pass, after showing a letter that Tarun had provided us. I wasn't sure how they authenticated it, but they seemed convinced. Myta didn't even need to give up her glaive.

Entering the minister's residence was another matter. A servant pointed us in the right direction, but when we went through the door I was accosted by a spirit, one who could only be his familiar. They took the form of a wicker bird, clad in razor-edged leaves instead of feathers. Myta nearly incinerated them when they tried to attack me, coming at my face with thorned talons extended. I pushed them both back with my presence.

"I am not here to hurt your friend, prath. I only wish to help him. I can see that you are fierce, but tired, yes? If I wished him harm, you could not stop me, but I do not."

The healers in the room stared at me, confused at my speaking to the empty air. The wicker bird glared at me, perhaps I'd shamed them, but went to perch on the bed. Myta glared at them as we made our way fully into the room, but her expression softened as she watched the spirit try to groom Yatek's hair.

The minister was not what I had expected. Small, and slight of build, his affinity was clear in barklike skin and viney hair. It might be a simpler affinity like wood, or some specific plant. But for one who served Ramana, I expected that his affinity was more attuned to the forest itself. I wondered idly why Kubek hadn't just talked to this man about the contagion, I couldn't imagine that their paths hadn't crossed.

Another mystery for the pile.

Physically the minister wasn't in terrible shape. A few lacerations that were already cleaned and bandaged, some contusions, nothing too severe. His spirit was a different story, however. He'd been hit, not just by multiple spells that were filled with intense killing intent, but also the vile mana of a powerful demon.

On top of everything else, I felt mana of a truly strange aspect lurking in his spirit, an aspect not natural to the minister himself. I could only imagine that this was the mana of Ramana, and though it might have saved him during his battle, it was destabilizing Yatek's spirit now.

I could fix this, and once I had the minister could be back to full strength within a day. I hesitated, however. Healing him would reveal my skills beyond all doubt, and not to one of my trusted contacts, or an average citizen whose testimony could be ignored. I would be known as a soul sorcerer to Ramana's own court, one of considerable power and skill. The king wouldn't be able to ignore me at that point, even if he wanted to.

"Master, there is no choice, and you are already exposed." Myta had felt my hesitation. Her hand squeezed my shoulder, and her unwavering faith in me was oddly calming. I needed to be certain in my actions, both to care for her, and live up to her expectations.

Ramana's mana was the biggest problem, so I began with that first. It twisted and flared in the minister's meridians as though it were independently alive. A knot of serpents coiling through his spirit, taking the occasional peek out through the wounds in his anima. I realized fairly quickly that Ramana hadn't simply fed his mana to Yatek. This was a complex spell, one designed to actively defend the minister, but it didn't seem to understand that the danger had passed.

Like any spell, it was formed with intent. An incredibly complicated visualization of intent that made it feel alive. But it had no true awareness, and it was too strong for my patient to disperse. Steeling myself, I extended my lancet to one of the wounds, and waited for the spell to strike.

Chapter 50

Ramana's spell came at me like a striking serpent, sliding through my anima as though it didn't even exist. I had intended to draw forth the spell, intended to lure it into my spirit, but its casual disregard of my most fundamental defense was terrifying.

It writhed through my spirit and there was something oddly enthusiastic about it as it investigated me. Sniffing at my intention like a dog, trying to decide if it should be friendly, or bite. I tried to grasp it, to corral it with my own mana, but it slipped past my efforts like a greased eel, completely evading me. Just as well then, that it decided on 'friendly puppy' over attacking me.

The rest of the spell slipped from Yatek, curling up within my heart. It was deeply disconcerting to have this alien thing, this working of another sorcerer, inhabiting the very center of my spirit. But it wasn't harming me, beyond taking up space, and I still had pressing concerns.

Now that Ramana's very active spell was no longer darting about in the minister's spirit, it began to stabilize. I could feel him working to cleanse his anima wounds of the violent intent that soured them. He would certainly succeed, in time, but time was an unknown commodity right now.

I pushed my presence forward, sealing one wound, preventing it from bleeding more mana. Yatek reacted with fear at first, striking out at me, but he was too weak right now to pose any serious threat. I simply waited, allowing his strike to land, but then restoring my presence by the injury. The minister had only two real options before him now.

He could attack me again, having already seen that it was pointless. That would be a waste of mana that he couldn't spare, or he could try to cleanse the injury. A taxing process, that would make him vulnerable, but hardly more vulnerable than his current position already was.

Unsurprisingly, he chose the latter option. Had I been hostile, there was nothing he could do about it anyway. Not that the situation would have stopped some people from attacking, but I was glad Yatek wasn't that reactionary. We would have trouble getting through this situation if he was.

When he began to cleanse the wound, I supported his efforts with my own mana and will. This was the moment of truth, or revelation. Only a soul sorcerer could aid him in such a way. For many, this would cause a visceral negative response, but my patient seemed not even the slightest bit fazed. He accepted my support without hesitation, and I imagined he must have been accustomed to the experience from working with the king.

Together, we cleaned the wound of malicious intention, and then I pressed it closed while he sealed his rent anima. We went through the process several more times, and once all the wounds were sealed I refocused on the physical world.

"He should recover fairly quickly now." I addressed the healers, with whom I had not yet shared a single word. "Does he have a meditation garden? He will recover faster there."

It was a trick question. I could sense the garden, filled with awakened plants of many varieties, including several trees. The healers nodded, not questioning my expertise. Myta's presence and my confidence assuring them that I knew what I was doing. That kind of attitude was probably a large part of how the Pure had operated here, and it grated on me. But right now their easy acceptance was to my benefit, so I remained quiet as they followed my suggestion.

My task complete, Myta and I headed back toward the market district, but my vas pulled me to a stop before too long. We paused next to another fountain, its burbling flow providing a pleasant cool to the air. A welcome break from the oppressive humidity.

It had been clear to see that she was working herself up to something. Her thoughts were unclear to me, but her mood was pensive. It had been since we left our company at the ruin entrance, although the urgency of our goals had pushed it aside until now. When she continued to hesitate, I spoke.

"I wasn't trying to undermine you with the company."

"Master?" She furrowed her brow.

"I thought you might be upset that I gave the order for them to stand guard. It was your call to make, but I know that you have been under pressure from your decision with Futa. You already knew the actions we needed to take, so I just wanted to ease your burden. Decision fatigue can be debilitating, especially when lives are on the line."

"Thank you for that, master. But it isn't what I wanted to speak to you about." She smiled, but it was thin and wan.

"What then?"

"After that incident, with Futa, Denu has been looking for something from me. Some kind of support. We haven't had much time to speak but... I'm afraid I don't fully understand her, and she expects me to. Futa is dead, and he can't try to hurt her again, but it's clear she's still afraid of him."

"Oh Myta," I felt a deep wash of sorrow. For Denu, yes, but also for my vas. "Denu has... she's had a safe life, relatively speaking. I'm not saying that she hasn't been in danger, but I would wager that she has never felt as powerless as she did, when Futa took advantage of her. Even if nothing serious happened, she wasn't able to protect herself.

"For people who have felt like they had control, who believed that their fate was in their own hands and dependent on their own choices and abilities, that feeling of helplessness can be as damaging as any physical injury. You learned from a young age that the world doesn't work that way. We are all just one wrong turn away from losing everything that we have. That is why it's so important to care for the important things in your life."

"So what can I actually do for her?"

"Remind her that what happened wasn't her fault. And that, while she should always work to be prepared, she can never prepare for everything."

"But, it obviously wasn't her fault," my vas was frustrated now. "Futa was the one who attacked her. Perhaps she could have been more cautious, but even if she was, it's impossible to be vigilant all the time. If he was willing to hurt her, intended to hurt her, he could always find a way."

"I know. But I'm not the one you need to convince. There are many people, and I believe Denu is one of them, who believe that truly bad things only happen to those who somehow failed. It goes back to what I said before. For people who believe they control their own fate entirely, it's easier to assign fault than to admit that their world view is wrong. Sometimes even if they are the ones who suffered."

I could tell that Myta didn't truly understand. For someone who had been powerless for so long, the concept was simply to foreign. Too obviously false to even consider. Still, she accepted my words and we continued back to the market district. The fighting in the streets seemed to have died off entirely, and Tarun's men were searching house to house, rooting out pockets of resistance.

The guardsmen all appeared to have fallen under his command again. I suppose the fact that Bani'kari was dead, and those who had accused the captain were traitors, made the choice easy for them. He had always been widely respected by those under his command, even if not all of them had been willing to follow him into exile.

"How long before we can restore the gate?" I was back in the guardhouse, consulting with the captain while Myta went back to check on our company. They had seemed to be all right over their bonds, but I thought those connections were still a little too fragile to depend on.

"Too long to be relevant. The fittings can be replaced within a couple of days, but to have new doors assembled in full will take longer. Not that they'll matter much, if multiple sorcerers and demons attack."

"There's at least two of each unaccounted for." I mused. "We still have no idea which direction the ones in the ruins will come from, and we don't know how quickly the ones who fled the city will recover. I don't love waiting here blindly."

"Well, good news for you then. I'm asking you not to." I raised my brow, inviting him to continue. "Once Yatek is back on his feet, I want to send a group to pursue the traitors, hopefully before their two groups can join together, assuming that is their plan."

"And by 'a group', you mean me and Myta, obviously."

"If you're willing." He nodded. "If what you've said is true, the two of you should be able to handle those who fled the palace easily enough. One sorcerer, one demon, and a handful of fighters. Yatek already sent them running once, and they're possibly still injured from that fight besides."

"Don't downplay their strength. The minister was supported by the king," I snorted. "And they'll almost certainly be recovered by now. However, I don't see a better path. It's clear to me that they were looking for an overwhelming victory here. From what you've told me, they still have enough men to threaten the city.

"Can you relieve my men at the ruin entrance? They need a break. We can decide for certain what to do after the minister wakes up."

Tarun nodded, sending orders to that effect. I met with Myta as she was returning, Denu at her side. The girl had a distant look in her eyes, not blank or empty, just a long way away. I suspected that Myta had already talked with her, and she was attempting to digest it. I wished her well. Readjusting your expectations of reality was a personal apocalypse, the end of one world, and the beginning of a new one. Even if the first had only existed in your mind.

Chapter 51

I drew Myta to an inn I'd stayed at before. It was a humble place, with good food and comfortable beds. Nothing fancy, but everything in it was as well cared for as it was well used. Exactly how I preferred it. The owners refused to accept any payment, either for food or lodging for the night. Apparently they'd seen us in the fighting, and that was enough for them.

My vas was mobbed by the family that ran the place, especially the five children who all begged to be the one to serve us. My contributions to the battle hadn't been nearly so visible, and so I was left in relative peace. Our dinner was a delicious stew, lamb, spiced to temper the gaminess, and served with rice to temper the spice. The meat was well marinated, falling apart in the gravy and melting in our mouths.