The Fusionist Book 4 -- Chapter 35

Chapter 35

As Larek stared back at the woman, the wooden table he was leaning on began to subtly vibrate. Before he could pull away at the sudden motion, there was a feminine voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like the singer from the Dyran Hearthwood.

“Can you hear me? Oh, please let this work!”

Larek pulled away from the table in shock, feeling the strange connection disappear once he was no longer touching the surface of it. However, curiosity at what he had just experienced got the better of him as he placed his bare right hand back on top of the tabletop, and he felt the strange vibration occur again.

“You can hear me! Keep in physical contact with the wood and we can easily communicate… or at least you can hear my thoughts. Unfortunately, unless you have a way with wood like my people, you won’t be able to speak back to me.”

Glancing up at the green-haired woman, he could see the intent gaze she sent his way, which was completely at odds with the fairly upbeat tone she was using to speak into his mind. As for how she was doing that, he looked down at her foot and saw that it almost seemed to melt into the wooden floorboards; those floorboards then ran all the way under the wooden legs of his table, then up to the tabletop, and finally to his hand. Larek remembered how Verne had been adept at shaping wood with some sort of natural non-magic ability he possessed; he wondered if speaking through wood was simply the next stage in development of that ability.

He returned a subtle nod that caused the woman to turn away. At first, he thought she hadn’t seen it, but then he realized that staring at him for much longer would probably be a poor idea if she was communicating with him through such secretive methods.

A moment later, she was strumming her stringed instrument again, playing a sorrowful-sounding melody, but she didn’t sing. Instead, she continued to speak to Larek without looking at him.

“You may be wondering who I am and why I’m talking to you. First, as you may have heard, my name is Serena Grovewhisperer and I first traveled to the Sealance Empire to establish…”

As he listened to her story while she played her instrument, many of Larek’s questions about the state of the Kingdom and the nearby lands was answered, including what was going on with Lowenthal and the town of Day’s End. There were still a few things he needed answers to, but she unknowingly helped him decide what to do just by explaining her plight. Unfortunately for her, she was also under a misconception about who he was and why he was there in the Empire in the first place.

“…and so when I saw you, my own abilities with mental manipulation through the use of my voice allowed me to pierce the illusion your spell is attempting to insert into my mind. Please save me from this horrid merchant, and help me in my quest! I’ll do anything you want…"

Larek ignored that last part, because it was so desperate-sounding that it made him uncomfortable just to hear. However, he couldn’t ignore her plight because she was engaged in something with the merchant that was nearly akin to slavery; that, and she had supplied him with information that he would’ve been hard-pressed to obtain otherwise – such a boon must be rewarded. Getting her away from the “horrid merchant” wouldn’t be that big of a deal, if he was understanding what she had said well enough, but she probably wouldn’t appreciate that he was going to abandon her shortly thereafter.

He reluctantly nodded again when she briefly glanced at him, and while she didn’t show any outward sign that she saw it, he could hear the happiness in her voice.

“Oh, thank you so much! We’ll be staying in Day’s End for two more days while Merchant Paleth conducts his business, but then we’ll be gone – so act before that happens, if you would! Now, I better concentrate on what I’m doing or he’ll become suspicious – and that’s never a pleasant experience for anyone.”

The mind-speaking woman cut all contact with him as the table stopped vibrating and she once again sang beautifully, though Larek listened with only half an ear as his thoughts were on what he’d learned – and what he was going to do about it.

First and foremost, he reviewed what he’d learned about Lowenthal – if indeed it was the truth. He was cognizant that what he was told could be the complete truth or simply a stretching of that truth, all to get him to help her – but he couldn’t blame her for doing such a thing being in such dire straits as she was.

The land of Lowenthal wasn’t overly large when compared to the Sealance Empire or the Kingdom of Androthe, but 1,000 miles of desert was still an enormous chunk of area to cross. Unfortunately, that was all that was out there – just vast stretches of sand and the occasional rock formation sticking out of the dunes. But it supposedly wasn’t always like that, because there had been a thriving civilization spread throughout the underground ruled by a lizard-like race called the Drekkin – at least until the changes that occurred only a few months before. The long underground route was the only viable connection between the Kingdom of Androthe and the Sealance Empire, created with sturdy tunnels that stretched almost the entire distance between each of the larger lands.

Cities filled with hundreds of thousands of these Drekkin once ruled and policed the trade route through their land, though not everything was always amiable between the Empire and Lowenthal. Raids consisting of hundreds of unbloodied, 3-foot-tall Drekkin had plagued the town of Day’s End for centuries, hence its high walls and its presence along the border.  It was also the only border town situated close to the desert, because it was directly across from where the underground trade route began, and it was positioned to be both a major trading hub for those passing through to and from the Kingdom and a defense against the periodic raids by Drekkin. It was the latter that gave the town its name, in fact, as by “day’s end” all the guards and Protectors on the wall had needed to look to the east, because the Drekkin were not fans of the heat for some reason and avoided the sun and daytime as much as possible.

At least, it was that way until the Corruption spread everywhere throughout the world. Something rumbled deep within the desert, shaking the land and collapsing most of the tunnels that had been carved through what most said was actually bedrock beneath the sand. Since then, there hadn’t been any sign of any Drekkin, and since the entrance to the underground world was cut off simultaneously with the collapse of tunnels, there was now no way to get back to the Kingdom via that method.

What that essentially meant was that Larek would have to travel up top to pass through Lowenthal, which he already knew was going to be a chore. However, considering his Fusions and the ideas with them that he’d been thinking about for a while, it wouldn’t be all bad if he was successful. Delaying a day or two in Day’s End would be beneficial in the long run, he thought, and would actually save him time on his journey if he was lucky.

It would also give him time to formulate a plan to free Serena, though he doubted that would go as smoothly as his Fusion projects. A few hours later, as the Inn filled with even more people who arrived to enjoy the melodic stylings of the exotic, tree-like woman, Larek finally got up and asked the Innkeeper for a room.

“Rooms are in short supply because we have multiple merchants staying with us in the hopes that the route east will reopen,” the smiling Innkeeper stated. “Not that anyone thinks that will happen anytime soon, but they’re all chomping at the bit to be the first to resume trade if it occurs. Regardless, what that means for lodging is that the available rooms are going at a premium rate.” The man paused, looking Larek up and down. “It’s 80 silver a night. I know, that’s expensive, but I’ve got to—”

“Done.” Larek cut him off before he could say any more, before slapping a hand down on the bar top and lifted his hand. A pair of gleaming gold pieces shone there, and it was snatched up in the blink of an eye by the other man, whose smile became even wider. “Keep the remainder, if you would, if it’ll pay for my meals as well.”

The Innkeeper nodded, before handing him a key. “Dinner is already being served, and it’ll continue to be fresh until 9 pm tonight. Breakfast starts as 7 am and lunch is at noon. Enjoy your stay.”

A few minutes later, Larek was up in his room and on his bed, digging through his supplies to lay out the planks of wood he’d been lugging around since Swiftwater. He hadn’t really had a chance to use them for any big projects, though he’d temporarily utilized them to consolidate his newest Fusions to declutter his Fusion list while traveling, and to help advance his Skills to their new maximums. But now he was looking to create something that would allow him to journey over the desert at faster rate than simply struggling through the shifting sands on foot.

However, before he could get started with anything other than some preliminary planning, there was a knock on the door followed by it opening. I… locked that, didn’t I?

He did, of course, lock it, but the answer to what happened appeared a moment later when he saw Serena slip inside before closing the door behind her, a piece of wood in her hands shaped like the key he had used to enter the room in the first place. Not only that, but the wooden bar he had placed across the door had shifted just enough to allow the door to open without hindrance.

If she hadn’t knocked before coming in, I would’ve taken her for an assassin. It seems as though very few things are safe from someone like her – especially if wood of any sort is nearby.

“I don’t have long; Paleth is entertaining some individuals down below and allowed me a break,” she began to say as soon as the door was closed. “Now, how are you going to get me away from him?”

Wow. She’s quite demanding, isn’t she?

“Uh, well, first of all, I need to let you know that I won’t be going with you into the Empire—”

“What? But I need your help to search for a spot to plant our new grove, as the one in the Dyran Hearthwood is becoming too dangerous with its proximity to the powerful Apertures opening up in your Kingdom. It’s my entire purpose to my travels here, and if it hadn’t been for my misfortune to be sold into indentured servitude to Merchant Paleth by the caravan I took to get here, I’d already be done! My people are counting on me to do this, and when they come I need to have everything ready—”

“What makes you think they’ll actually be able to make it here? You know, considering that travel through Lowenthal is so difficult?”

She barely paused for a breath before she answered. “Oh, I’m sure it will all be fine by the time that happens. What’s more important is that you get this iron chain off of me, so I can be free of Paleth and get back to my purpose here!” she practically shouted, before demanding, “How are you going to do that?” as if it was a given that he would drop everything to help her.

“What is that iron chain and why does it matter so much?” Larek asked, confused. He had expected to help her escape from the Merchant at some point over the next couple of days as he figured out how to get to her without being detected, but now she was here talking about the chain around her neck?

“It constrains most of my… other abilities and makes me weak. The caravan I was traveling with turned out to be scoundrels and slipped it over my head while I was asleep before essentially selling me to that Merchant. It’s not technically slavery, as I have to work like you saw before to pay off my purchase price, but it amounts to the same thing! Now, how are you going to get it off?”

Different thoughts were warring in Larek’s head at the moment, as this “indentured servitude” sounded so much like slavery that he instantly hated it. At the same time, the woman’s demanding tone was so different from the voice he heard in his head earlier down in the common room that his back was up, and he didn’t feel like helping her as much.

In the end, it was a combination of things that finally convinced him to help. Her current plight as a quasi-slave, her goal to look for a new grove for her people who had been under attack as the Apertures apparently spread past the borders of the Kingdom in the four years since Larek had been there, and the fact that she had been helpful in providing information to him – even inadvertently – was enough reason despite her attitude.

“Fine, I’ll help get it off of you,” he finally acquiesced. “But like I said, I’m not going to accompany you.”

“We’ll talk about that more when you’ve removed the chain,” she mumbled, though there was a glint in her eye that made him instantly wary. “What kind of preparation do you need? There’s no opening on the chain links, and its much stronger than normal iron—whoa, what are you doing?”

Larek had stood up and brought his axe to his hand, before advancing toward the woman.

Putting her hands up as if to stop him, Serena’s face twisted in fear. “Sure, taking my head off would allow you to slip it off, but it’ll still kill me!”

“That’s not what I’m doing. Now, stand very still if you would.”  When she kept backing up, eventually slamming up against the closed door, he added, “Unless you don’t want it off?”

Breathing heavily, she put her hands down slowly. “What are you going to do?”

“Exactly what I said. I’m taking that thing off of you. Hold still; I don’t think this will hurt, but if it does, I can heal you.”

Before she could react, Larek took a quick step forward and chopped his axe at her neck, controlling it expertly with his Axe Handling Skill. As the sound of sheering metal followed by a *ping* as the chain snapped met his ears, he discovered that his strike was probably a bit heavy as there was also a dull snap as the impact of the axe blade against the chain snapped what appeared to be her collarbone and sliced into her neck.

A moment of confusion was followed by an inhalation of breath, and Larek knew that she was about to scream. While he didn’t really fear the attention that her screaming at the top of her lungs would bring, it would also make her escape that much harder. Therefore, he swiftly put his left hand up to her face and covered her mouth, before placing his axe back in its holder. Once it was securely stored away, he grabbed her left hand with his right before placing it on his chest and activated his Healing Surge Fusion.

The screams that he was already muffling with his hands grew louder as she was healed of the damage he had done to her with the strike, before trailing off after a few seconds. Figuring that she was healed, he took his hand away and saw that the woman was staring at him with wide eyes even as her shoulders drooped from the toll the Fusion had taken from her to heal the damage.

She was about to say something but the both of them looked down at the iron chain that had fallen to the floor as it seemed to shine brightly for a moment before fading away. As she looked back up at him and felt at her collarbone to discover that it had been healed, she smiled at him as the fear disappeared.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Larek was suddenly worried that she would jump on him and kiss him all over his face, similar to how Penelope had reacted when he had saved Bartholomew from dying, but she just stood there as she softly clapped and bounced up and down, her exhaustion dissipating after a few seconds. “By the way, what is the name of my savior?”

“It’s Larek. Larek Holsten. And you’re welcome. Sorry for the damage, but it was the only way I could see to get it off in a hurry, and you should be fine now, if a little weak from the healing. Do you need help getting out of town? I can probably pick you up some supplies for your journey.”

She stepped forward and placed her hand back on his chest, not so that she could be healed, but for another reason entirely. “Oh, no, I don’t think that will be necessary, Larek Holsten. You’ll be accompanying me on my travels to help protect me while I fulfill my purpose here. But don’t worry, a big, strong man like yourself deserves a reward for freeing me from my captors, though I’ll make sure that I don’t drain you too much along the way.”

As she spoke, her voice shifted from being friendly and thankful to something much more demanding and forceful. There was an incessant prodding at his mind that was highly annoying, as it seemed as though it was trying to influence him somewhat, but it was pathetically ineffective.

Larek shook his head, somewhat sorry to disappoint the woman and her worthy goal. “No, I have my own goals and can’t afford the time to accompany you. You’re on your own from here on out.”

Serena twitched backwards in surprise at his words, before her face and parts of her body started to distort and twist into disturbing shapes. After a few seconds, her face had transformed into a rictus of anger and sharp, angular features, and her voice deepened harshly. “You MUST accompany me, or you will DIE. OBEY my commands. My WILL is strong enough to enslave your soul—”

As the pressure pushed against his mind, stronger and stronger, he found his mind starting to bend. Before too long, he was fairly certain that it would break, but there was nothing he could do. It was only at that point that a feeling he had been ignoring up until that point occurred to him, though it struggled to make itself be heard against the pressure he felt. The faint feeling of Corruption radiated off of the woman trying to force her will upon him, and he suddenly realized that she actually was a monster or had been changed by one. As if his thought solidified the truth of that, his Magical Detection Skill helped him look at the green-haired woman and felt the not-so-subtle influence that had taken over her body.

Can I free her from it?

Unfortunately for her and the potential for being saved, she mentioned the word “enslave” and Larek reacted faster than he ever had before. Reaching up with his hands, he gripped her head and twisted with all his strength, snapping her neck with a *crunch* as it rotated in completely the wrong way. Her body fell to the ground instantly as all life left it, and a large cloud of Corrupted Aetheric Force sprang out of it, only to be absorbed a moment later by Larek.

It was a whole lot more than he expected. Later, he would find that it had given him 800 AF once it was purified in his body – an incredible amount, and the most he’d received from any monster so far, including the Trizards back in the Kingdom at the first Aperture.

Looking at the corpse on the floor, he was shocked to see that the woman’s outward appearance had reverted back to what it looked like when he first saw her; it also made him feel a little bad for not being able to help her, but he didn’t regret what he had done since he had been actively attacked by her. Still, how would he explain the body—

It turned out that he didn’t have to worry about that, as the corpse began to break apart into wisps of dark-green and black smoke, as it dissolved into nothingness over the next few minutes. He’d never seen that happen before with a monster, especially one that had a physical form, but he supposed it was a side-effect of whatever he had actually killed. He still didn’t know what exactly he had dealt with there, and frankly didn’t really want to know.

Regardless, it was done and there wasn’t anything he could do about it other than use the information he’d learned to get across the desert of Lowenthal. There was always a possibility that she was lying about the difficulty of traveling over the land, given that she was somehow being controlled or possessed by a monster, but he didn’t think that was the case.

After ensuring that his door was locked once again and hoping that there wasn’t another one of these possessing monsters with the ability to get through locked doors roaming about, Larek sat back on the bed and looked at his wooden planks. Before he did anything more, he pulled out a stone from his pouch and activated a Secure Hideaway Fusion to help protect him in case something did manage to find its way inside his room.

Once it was up and protecting him, he got to work.