He nodded respectfully to Daxion before heading toward the village’s main street.
The village was still quiet, but he could sense the shift in energy from the residents that were beginning to stir. Everyone had slept deeply, free from the terror of abyssal demons for the first time in two weeks.
Now, as the few slowly emerged from their homes, there was a subtle air of relief — an atmosphere far removed from the tension and anxiety he had encountered upon his arrival.
It was easy to find his destination as it was the only place with a fire and coals releasing its smoke into the air. The Boar’s Head Inn came into view as he landed in front, its sign swaying gently in the breeze from his arrival as the scent of roasted meat filled his nose. Lassim entered and was greeted by the innkeeper, a burly man with a warm grin.
"Ah, the hard working hero! Heard you’ve been keeping watch over us from Leader Daxion this morning," the innkeeper said, waving him over. "Take a seat, lad. I’ve got a plate headed your way in a moment. You’ve earned it."
Lassim sat near the hearth at a table as the innkeeper, Old man Thomas as Daxion said earlier, brought him a plate piled high with roasted meat of some kind and potatoes, along with a warm mug of cider.
"Thank you," Lassim said, taking a sip. "Elder Daxion recommended your place."
Thomas chuckled, crossing his arms proudly. "He’s an old pal and knows good food when he sees it. You’ll be wanting more of that once you dig in and actually taste it. Give it a go, lad."
Lassim smiled as he tucked into the meal, savoring the rich flavors.
As he ate, he watched as two miners arrived through the door, tantalized by the smell of the food. They sat at a table nearby, their conversation drawing his attention.
"Glad we’ll be heading back to work tomorrow as long as the foreman checks the mines," one said, rubbing his tired eyes. "We’ve lost so many days to those damned demons. We need to catch up or the shipments will fall behind."
"Aye, my old lady is giving me a hard time thinking we’ll struggle with next month’s bills," the other sighed and continued with his reply, "We’re trying to have a child, so she’s going crazy with our earnings. She’s trying to save every little bit and I barely have any extra money for myself.
I’ll probably have to pick up extra delivery jobs or something just so I can have a little more to buy things I want."
Lassim perked up at that. It made sense to check the mine, especially since the town’s entire economy depended on the mid-grade ESS stones extracted from there. Even though he’d cleared the area around the village of any still hiding threats, it would be good to see for himself that all was well there too since he’d missed specifically checking the mine.
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.
After finishing his meal, Lassim stood and paid the innkeeper, who desperately tried to not take Lassim’s pay. However, Lassim was too determined and Old Man Thomas could only wave him off with a friendly and toothy smile after he was forced to accept a high-grade ESS stone, enough for nearly 1000 meals, from him.
Lassim took off into the air as he extended his spirit sense to get a sense of where he needed to go.
The mine sat nestled in the rugged mountainside to the west of the village, its entrance a wide, arched tunnel carved from dark stone. In the middle was a trolley and rail system with neatly organized carts ready to carry newly mined ESS.
As Lassim approached, he saw a small group of individuals checking the carts and the entrance of the mine where they had several mining tools he hadn’t seen before. It looked like they were doing some sort of checks on all the equipment.
One of them, a stocky man with a graying beard, spotted Lassim and stood up with a straightened back and half head bow in his direction, "Ah, thank you senior for helping get rid of the abyssal demons! Is there anything we can help you with?"
"Nothing major. I just came to check the mine," Lassim replied. "Is everything alright here?"
"Aye, it seems safe enough now, but Elder Daxion’s already inside having a look. Can’t be too careful after what’s happened."
"Oh? He’s here? That’s great. I’ll head in after him then," Lassim thanked him and entered the mine, his spirit sense extending to scan the surrounding tunnels.
Unlike the oppressive aura of the hallucinating fog from the wraithmire demons before, the air here felt dusty and fairly undisturbed beside some sort of array system carrying fresh air into the mine. It was his first time actually seeing an ESS mine, despite having heard of them as an important resource to control, but it appeared the miners had done well to maintain it.
There was, so far, no lingering traces of danger or hiding wraithmire demons from what he could tell.
As Lassim ventured deeper into the tunnels, he spotted Elder Daxion standing at the far end of one of the mining shafts, inspecting the walls.
"Elder Daxion," Lassim greeted, walking up beside him. "I didn’t expect to see you down here. I figured you’d still be stuck inside your office still. The food at the Boar’s Head was great by the way! Thank you for the recommendation."
Daxion turned and offered a small smile. "It’s the least I could do, and well, part of my responsibilities is overseeing the mine for the sect. I needed to be sure the mine was secure before the miners return to work tomorrow. I believe that it’s my own personal responsibility to see it done myself instead of the foreman at this time. They’ve been through enough already."
Lassim glanced around, nodding his approval. "It seems clear from what I can tell. No signs of any abyssal energy or hiding wraithmire demons."
"Good," Daxion replied, sounding relieved. He leaned against the wall, catching his breath. "After what we’ve been through, I don’t think the village could handle another blow if there’s a surprise attack from one or two remnants."
Lassim took a moment to study the elder’s face. Though Daxion had rested, the exhaustion of maintaining the [Thunderveil Curtain] for so long was still evident in his eyes. His strength had returned, but there was a strain that came from long weeks of unbroken concentration and technique usage.
"Elder, if you don’t mind me asking," Lassim began, his tone curious, "that technique you used to protect the village — the [Thunderveil Curtain] as you called it — I’d love to learn more about how you developed such a powerful defensive technique."
Daxion chuckled softly, wiping a bit of dust from his hands after touching and inspecting the walls. "Ah, the [Thunderveil Curtain]. Not something most lightning cultivators usually focus on, I suppose."
He motioned for Lassim to follow him, and they walked further into the mine, the walls around them shimmering slightly with the faint glow of embedded ESS stones.
"Most lightning cultivators, like yourself, focus on aggressive techniques — direct, powerful, and overwhelming. That’s our nature. But I wasn’t always interested in fighting that way," Daxion explained, his voice thoughtful. "My inspiration for the [Thunderveil Curtain] came from a place called the Tempest Cradle."
Lassim raised an eyebrow. "The Tempest Cradle? I don’t think I’ve heard of it."
"That’s not surprising. It’s a remote location, and it’s one of the only natural lightning resource areas outside of the Lightning Sect Headquarters in the southern continent," Daxion explained, his tone carrying a hint of nostalgia. "The Tempest Cradle is an island that floats in the middle of a vast, unending storm.
It’s surrounded by lightning-charged trees known as Storm Leaf Trees, which absorb the energy of the storm and store it in their roots. When the storm grows too intense, the trees release bursts of lightning in unison, forming what looks like a natural wall of leaves made of pure electricity.
This teamwork protects the bases of the trees and their root systems from the worst of the storm, often sending the lightning bolts back into the clouds."
Lassim’s eyes widened as he listened. "A natural wall of lightning leaves?… That sounds like it’d be quite beautiful to see."
"Indeed, it is," Daxion agreed. "I spent my early years living near the Tempest Cradle on a long term mission for the sect that led to me learning how to manage a village and city. I’d often spend my free time watching the trees and studying how they controlled the energy they absorbed. Those trees are what inspired my technique.
Those trees taught me shapes and ways to mold the lightning so that it can be controlled, channeled, and used defensively to protect themselves from even greater lightning threats so they can survive."
They stopped walking, standing near the mouth of the mine.
Daxion raised his hand, summoning a veil of lightning that crackled and pulsed around him. It flickered in a way that mirrored the natural bursts Lassim imagined the trees producing as the shapes were oddly leaf-like and unlike the way he’d see the curtain from before.
"Watch closely," Daxion said, his voice calm as he demonstrated. "The trees release their energy like this, layer by layer. The [Thunderveil] works similarly. I summon lightning in thin sheets, allowing it to layer and build up, creating a barrier that absorbs attacks. And once it’s reached its peak, I can release it all at once, returning the force to my enemies."
Lassim watched, captivated by the display. Daxion’s control over the lightning was precise, and the technique he had developed from the Tempest Cradle was unlike anything Lassim had seen before. It wasn’t just a defensive technique; it was a way of mastering the flow of energy, of using one’s surroundings to their advantage.
Daxion let the lightning disperse with a wave of his hand. "It’s a technique that took me centuries to master, and I wouldn’t recommend it to most. But it works for me. As you saw, it allowed me to protect the village when everything else failed.
That barrier was the [Thunderveil Curtain] version, which I adjust and keep at the max thickness, like a blackout curtain in an array master’s study, for maximum defense. The only problem is it uses up so much power that I lack the control to make that technique absorb attacks and send them back to the attacker. If I was stronger, I might be able to do it, but that’s a ways off."
Lassim nodded, his respect for the elder growing. "That’s an incredible technique, Elder. I appreciate you showing me. I can see how it would be useful, especially in situations like this."
Daxion smiled. "You’re welcome, Lassim. Just remember — lightning isn’t always about overwhelming force. Sometimes, the best way to win a fight is to outlast your opponent, to turn their strength against them."
Lassim absorbed the elder’s words, feeling a sense of clarity as the conversation ended. There was more to lightning than raw power, and Daxion’s approach to using it for defense, for control, was something that intrigued him and the idea of outlasting his opponents was an attractive idea.
He had hopes for his [Lifestream] technique to eventually enable him to just take a relentless beating, but still survive and have the stamina to outlast his opponents, but the proficiency to use it effectively in battle like that wasn’t quite there yet. He’d only gotten the technique recently anyways, especially when comparing it to how long most Spirit Warriors spent mastering their battle arts.
"Thank you for the lesson, Elder," Lassim said sincerely. "I’ll keep that in mind as I continue my journey."
Daxion nodded. "I’m glad I could help. You’ve done a lot for us, Lassim. The village is safe now, and we’ll be able to get back to normal. Though, I’d like to take you up on that offer to heal some of the residents. It looks like the demons drained the life force of several residents despite the [Thunderveil Curtain].
I received a report that several dried husks of former residents were found in their homes sadly. Most of their neighbors seem to have received the worst of it as well, and there’s a few that can’t leave their beds. If you’d do us another favor, I’d like for you to make some home visits to see if you can do anything."
The two stood in silence for a moment, the faint hum of the mine’s ESS stones filling the air as the mood turned solemn.
Lassim broke the silence, "I’m sorry to hear that. My healing technique may not be the greatest yet, but it should be good enough. Just let me know where to go and I’m all yours to get everyone back to being healthy."
With a nod Daxion replied, "Sure. Follow me back to my office and I’ll show you which homes have it the worst and need immediate attention, and then the list of the others that could use your help."
They then made their way back to the village, but only after Daxion took a short moment to chat with the miners checking the equipment back outside the entrance. He gave them the all clear and that everyone could return to work mining the next day with zero worries, much to the relief of the small group.