[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 224 – New Friends

Sam was gone.

It was a heavy loss, but Kale had to admit that rationally, the gains were immense. The Sil’marans weren’t just surviving, they were building things.

For some reason, Kale half expected to see Darren working as a slave in a mine somewhere with an iron collar on his neck and one of those creepy torture masks.

It was the least the man deserved.

Kai moved from person to person, doing what he could to ease their suffering and hurts. As one of the few healers, he was instantly liked. Despite his gruff demeanor and terrible bedside manner, it was hard to despise somebody who closed up bleeding gashes, set broken bones, and knit muscle and skin back together with a flash of magic.

The man did earn a few glares when he passed those with open wounds after declaring that they would heal on their own without his intervention.

Meanwhile, people who hardly seemed injured were treated with haste. Kale guessed that the Hawaiian could tell when they were internally damaged in a way that nobody else could.

Despite the dozens of people he had gathered, there were only three Clerics, and all of them below level 10. Kale had kept them back out of fear that they would be killed. Now they trailed after Kai like lost puppies. No matter how much he growled at them to give him space, they always clustered around him again to witness his miraculous healing.

People back on Earth would have killed to have this, Kale thought, watching the way Kai casually pulled the worst of the survivors back from the jaws of death itself.

Raiko seized control over the [Source Chain], adjusting the position of Kale’s Skyshard above the greater floating landmass that was Sil’mara. They were brought closer to the surface, but not close enough to touch or damage the serene forests below.

The result was a more comfortable and safe distance away from the barrier surrounding Sil’mara. The winds were less intense too, but even that was nothing compared to scouring conditions the Maelstrom had hit them with.

Kale didn’t miss the fact that the chain remained tethered to his Skyshard, nor that there were two other floating isles. One, a bizarre cross-shaped pattern that didn’t seem to need the chain to stay in general proximity, and the other a series of ivy-league looking college buildings.

Health and mana potions started to be handed out by the Sil’marans without asking for anything in return.

Kale motioned to the Aker Academy. “Ya’ll got Hogwarts here or what?”

Matt chuckled. “Hardly, though it is a magical school.”

“Was,” Lenal muttered to herself.

“Is,” Matt argued. “And will be again soon. Once, y’know, we stop saving people and being awesome.”

Kale looked Matt up and down. He didn’t look or sound anything like the man he once knew. It was like another person entirely took over his body.

It wasn’t that he knew Matt very well, he was the boss of the entire store when he worked there so he saw more of Darren or the other leads than he did of Matt…but the difference was unmistakable.

Before Kale could say anything, Matt turned to him and offered a ruby-red potion from his own pouch. “Think of it as an added apology for being a jerk in the Before.”

“The Before?” Kale asked, taking the [Health Potion] and swirling its contents curiously. He wasn’t unaware of their use, but to give one so freely was odd.

They were not only rare, but the one he held in his hands was more potent than anything he encountered yet. Even the loot they had taken off the raiders that nearly wiped Kale and his group out.

“Our previous lives on Earth. Before the apocalypse. Get it?”

“They aren’t going to start calling it 100BA now, are they?” Chris asked.

“I don’t know who ‘they’ are,” Matt said, “but I’m willing to bet there’s already an established date and time system here. We’ll just have to acclimate.”

Haman’s tiny isle drifted overhead, guided into position beside Kale’s Skyshard by Raiko. Kale could just barely see an alarmed Xero poke his head out from the stalks of wheat before hiding again.

“How many people you got?” Matt asked Kale.

“Before the attack? We had nearly a hundred.” He sighed and looked around at the gathered people. “I’d say we lost nearly half that number. We would have lost everything without your help though, so I suppose we should look to the brighter side.”

“I am sorry for your loss,” Lenal said with sincerity. Most of the Sil’marans spoke up to offer their condolences.

Kale appreciated that they didn’t waste time on sympathies. While he felt the loss keenly, the truth was he didn’t know most of the people who came to his Skyshard.

He did his best to save those that he could, but he knew from the outset it would be impossible to save everybody. There would be no wallowing in self-pity, and he was glad to see that the Sil’marans were more focused on planning and moving ahead.

I’ll talk to Ryan and Henry after about setting up a memorial, Kale thought. Ryan and Henry, though some of the weakest people he had seen–both level 1’s for crying out loud!–were exceptionally good at managing people and seeing to it that everybody’s needs were met and their voices heard.

Kylie folded her arms. “What I want to know is how you’re all so strong. We’ve been surviving and fighting, but none of us are even close to your levels. The three of us have Second Order Jobs, but even then, the difference feels like a gulf.”

“Sam has that effect on people,” Kale said, guessing.

“You’ve been struggling,” Raiko said, not unkindly. “While it’s been a fight to survive for us as well, we haven’t lacked resources. It is amazing you made it this far without a settlement core to protect your land.”

Kale furrowed his brow and rubbed a hand over his shaved head. “Settlement core?”

“It is an essential piece of a Skyshard. One that allows it to grow.” Raiko studied Haman’s isle with awe, and gave the pobul some loving pets. He squeaked in his sleep. “Somehow, Haman has circumvented that to a degree. His Skyshard’s mana density is incredible.”

“The little guy has been working on it every day since they arrived, and from what Xero says, for the months prior, too,” Kale told her.

“...Xero protected my Haman?” she asked slowly.

“I take it you know him,” Kale said. “He certainly knew you. It was the only reason he agreed to stay with us. I mentioned your name and all talk of Haman and him leaving was quickly dropped.”

Looking away momentarily, she made a noncommittal noise regarding Xero. “Well, you clearly sheltered Haman as well.”

“He is really cute…” Kylie began with that overly fond tone of voice all women used with adorable animals.

Raiko nodded seriously.

Kale watched Raiko, noting her reactions regarding Xero. Interesting, he thought. To Raiko, he said, “I guess as somebody in charge of the Skyshard, I can form an alliance? Not that I know how precisely. Or do you need all of us?”

“What do you mean, ‘all of us’?” Matt asked.

“Technically, the Skyshard is controlled by myself, Kylie, who you’ve already met, her brother Chris, and Simon.” To the blank stares he added, “Simon gave us the Skyshard. He’s a bit…rough around the edges, but without him, we would have been dead a dozen times by now.”

“Likely all four of you will be treated as the leaders, if there’s no formal arrangement,” Raiko said, studying Haman’s isle thoughtfully. “I can initiate the alliance request though.”

Kylie rolled her eyes. “I’ll go get him.” She moved through the crowd of people who eagerly moved aside to admit her passage.

“Simon’s nervous around her,” Chris said with a smirk. “I don’t think we’ll need him though. He relinquished control to us, but it wouldn’t feel right not to have him here. Guy’s weird as hell, but he’s solid in a pinch.”

Matt exchanged looks with the rest of the Sil’marans. “Well, we’re all a bit weird. I don’t imagine the normal nine-to-fivers would last long in this new reality.”

Kale nodded, though he kept his thoughts to himself. Perhaps it’s a good thing Sam isn’t around. More than once, he had heard Simon whispering his name, as if he was arguing with somebody in hushed tones. Sam’s name came up a lot.

Frowning, Raiko looked around at her fellow Sil’marans. “We’d like a moment to talk privately amongst ourselves.”

Kale hardly needed to give them permission. The Sil’marans stepped aside far enough that he couldn’t easily overhear.

But Kylie could. Too bad she wasn’t back yet.

Kale watched the group huddle up and did his best to put them out of his mind for the time being. They had come at great cost to save them, after all. If they wanted some privacy, he would give it to them and not begrudge it.

Though it did sting a little. He knew Sam wasn’t there to vouch for him, and that neither Matt nor Kai much liked him from their previous lives on Earth…but he somehow thought he would be welcomed no matter what.

Not a big deal, he reminded himself. They hardly know you. You wouldn’t even know Matt was the same guy just by looking at him, and Kai practically radiates a peace he never knew back on Earth.

Chris nudged Kale in the ribs gently and pointed at his sister coming back through the crowd. “Looks like she managed to find Simon and drag him forth.”

“He doesn’t look too happy about it.”

“Would you?” Chris asked.

Kylie sauntered up to them. “What’s got you both grinning like idiots?”

“Nothing,” Kale said. “How’s it going, Simon?”

“Well enough,” the Assassin answered. “What is this about?”

Kale did his best to explain, though he didn’t quite know everything that was going on. He told them about the Sil’marans–what he knew of them–and how they were hashing out the best way to incorporate both groups.

“You need neither my permission nor my voice in the matter,” Simon told him. “I gave full control of the Skyshard to you three. Do with it as you please.” He turned to go, then paused and looked over his shoulder. “Is that all?”

“We would like you to stay with us, at least to meet our hosts properly,” Kale told him. “Sam’s missing, so they’re working out how to divvy up responsibility for our group.”

At the mention of Sam, the Assassin relaxed. His shoulders drooped like a great weight had been lifted from them. “Is that so? I suppose I could stay and help where I may.”

Why does he act so weird about Sam? Kale couldn’t help but wonder for the hundredth time. I would have already known Simon if he and Sam knew each other. We were practically joined at the hip ever since we met at the group home. So what’s his deal?

Kylie looked around. “Say, where’s Xero? Hope he’s not still hurt somewhere.”

“He’s avoiding Raiko. I think they have a history,” Kale said suggestively. “I’ve never seen Xero hide before, but it was pretty obvious he wanted to give Raiko a wide berth.”

Kylie pouted. “Lucky girl,” she muttered.

Simon raised a brow at that.

“Well…what do we want to do?” Chris asked.

Kale folded his arms and tapped his foot in thought. “We rescued the people we could because it was the right thing to do. We don’t have to keep playing leader. If the Sil’marans, which have a government system in place, are willing to take them off our hands, I say we let them.”

“We give up any semblance of power then,” Simon offered. “Not that I speak for the group.”

“He’s right though,” Kylie said, nudging the Assassin playfully.

“Don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t want to be struggling to survive anymore,” Kale admitted. “If I have to manage our people, fine. Ever since this started, I’ve only wanted to join up with Sam. Raiko and the Sil’marans are the closest I can get to that.”

“So he’s really gone?” Simon asked, a strange mingling of disappointment and relief in his voice.

“Their Queen believes he’ll be back. She has some strange magic, so she must have seen something.” Kale felt like he was going back to his old ways, promising that Sam was alive and well all over again.

It was starting to really grate on his nerves.

For a wonder, both Kylie and Chris backed him up. They each placed a hand on his broad back. “We’ll be together again,” Chris assured him. “Of course, I can’t say how long before Sam leaps to his doom again. It seems a thing he’s grown fond of in this new life.”

Kylie snorted. “I don’t know why I feel it’s different,” she told him. “But I know Sam’s fine. I can sense it.”

Simon looked from one face to the other. “Be that as it may, perhaps we should discuss the finer points of what you wish to accomplish now that your managerial roles might come to an end?”