Lassim stood silently beside Vaela under the still busy, but not as angry storm cloud he had summoned for the battle. With a quiet movement, he raised his hand, channeling his intent through the bond he shared with Zaphy.
Above, the crackling storm cloud responded to a wave of his hand, its shape unraveling as the dark mass broke apart, dissipating into the clear desert sky with the water and lightning mana dispersing.
The Nyxborn unicorns, their strange riders, and even the Nevaks were gone. All that remained were the drained, barely conscious rogue cultivators who littered the sand at the base of the outpost, completely powerless and now drained without the Horned-Rat’s Favor.
Vaela gave Lassim a nod as she glanced at the defeated rogues.
"I’ll handle these lot," she said, twirling her lance with a casual spin before resting it on her shoulder. "I’ll make sure they’re treated as the Sect’s prisoners. Either they’ll be sent to the headquarters or delivered to the closest main city.
They’re in no state to resist, so we’ll probably just throw them in cells and let them rot for a few hundred years." She frowned, her green eyes narrowing as she surveyed the group of men and women who, only hours earlier, had tried to overrun the village.
Lassim nodded, wiping the remaining droplets of sweat or rain, he wasn’t sure which, from his brow.
Vaela let out a small snort of amusement. "Normally, they’d have to work off their sentence in an Essence Stone mine or end up as labor in the sect’s controlled work-release programs.
But considering they’ve been so drained by whatever the marks did to them and are practically useless for now, they’ll be lucky if they aren’t just left in cells for a couple of decades before considering either of those options." She shot a glance toward one of the nearest rogues, who was lying face-down in the sand, barely able to lift his head. "This group won’t cause trouble anytime soon."
Vaela stretched, rotating her shoulders as she adjusted her grip on her lance before storing it away in her inner heart world. "You should get some rest," she said. "I’ll deal with the cleanup. There’s a new inn that was finished being built recently in the village. I had them put a priority on it once you arrived; everyone else already lives here and has their own places.
Why don’t you head there, grab a room, and try to catch up on some sleep? You’ve earned it."
Lassim let out a tired chuckle. "Not sure if I’ll be able to sleep after all that, but I’ll try." He hesitated for a moment, glancing back at her. "I still have some things I want to ask you before I leave. But I’ll take you up on the rest for now."
Vaela smirked. "I’ll come find you in a couple of hours once I’ve dealt with this mess then." She waved a hand lazily toward the collapsed rogues.
With that, Lassim turned and began making his way back toward the village. His steps felt lighter than they had in hours, like he hadn’t just fought incredibly hard, and while his mind buzzed with lingering adrenaline, his body was surprisingly energetic. It was hard to believe how physically drained he should have been after that prolonged battle.
But that was the power of the [Lifestream Aegis]. He finally realized he was clear to deactivate it but even still, his body felt great.
As he walked, he let out a slow breath, his thoughts turning inward. "[Lifestream Aegis] is even more powerful than I realized," he mused aloud, his voice only meant for his companions.
In response, Mari, his water elemental companion, gently nudged his mind. "[It’s a technique perfectly suited to your abilities]," she said softly, her voice like the calm flow of a river. "[Our shared affinity with both water and the knowledge you’ve gained about the flow of life allows you to keep fighting well past the limits of most Spirit Warriors. It’s a wonderful skill, child.]"
Lassim smiled at the praise.
Soon enough, he arrived at the newly built inn.
The owner, a stocky man with a broad grin, greeted him at the door, his eyes wide with gratitude. "Ah, sir! Sir! You saved us out there today, didn’t you? You’re the one who Madam Vaela put the express order in to get my business finished so quickly! You’re welcome to stay here, free of charge.
Anything you need, just let me, Rickie, know!"
Lassim smiled politely, nodding his thanks. "I just need a room to rest in for a little bit, nothing more. Thanks."
The innkeeper wasted no time, leading him up a wide set of stone stairs to a simple, well-kept room with a small bed and a fairly modern bathroom.
Lassim gave the man another nod before closing the door behind him.
He tossed the top of his rogue’s disguise clothing over a chair and made his way to the washbasin inside the bathroom, turning the spout on to let it fill with hot water. He then turned on the faucet above the bathroom sink for a brief moment and splashed the surprisingly cool water that came out over his face before turning it off again.
The mental weariness he hadn’t noticed before began to creep into his mind at that moment, though his body still felt like it could keep going for hours more.
As he stripped out of the bottom half of his battle-worn clothes and stepped into the small bath that was mostly filled with steaming water, the sensation of the warmth washing over him helped ease the tension he didn’t know he’d still had from his muscles.
His thoughts began to drift.
"That [Lifestream Aegis] really is something…" he murmured to himself.
Lassim chuckled as he washed the grime of battle from his body, but as soon as he finished and collapsed into the small bed, his mind drifted further into the haze of exhaustion.
He barely had time to pull the covers over himself before sleep took him.
"[Rest well, brother.]" Zaphy whispered, though her voice felt distant as Lassim’s consciousness faded.
He was out like a light. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, Lassim would later realize the toll that [Lifestream Aegis] pays is more of a tax on the mind to keep relentlessly active for such durations.
Zaphy and Mari expected more similar scenarios with Lassim mentally drained but physically capable and ready to fight for longer if required, and then just collapsing at the first sign of relaxation.
~~~
A few hours later, Lassim stirred awake, the room dimly lit by the fading evening light filtering through the window.
For a moment, he felt disoriented, unsure of how long he had slept or where he was.
But then, a soft touch brought him back to reality.
Vaela’s hand was gently stroking his hair, her expression relaxed as she sat on the edge of the bed beside him.
Lassim blinked in surprise, his mind still groggy from sleep. "Vaela…?"
"You sleep like a rock," she said with a smirk, her voice teasing. "It’s really such a shame you were born a man, you know. That face of yours is exactly my type."
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Lassim sighed, raising an eyebrow at her. He gently pushed her hand away and sat up, running a hand through his blue velvet hair. "You never stop being horny, do you?"
She chuckled softly but didn’t push it further. "Come on, get dressed. You said you have questions?"
Lassim got up from the bed in just his underwear, stretching as he walked over to where his magic pouch was and retrieved his sect’s martial attire.
The deep purple fabric with gold accents reflected in the light of the window as he slipped it on.
As he adjusted his sleeves, Vaela’s gaze remained on him, though her playful expression had faded into something more curious.
"You know," she began, "you’ve been using some pretty impressive techniques out there. That ice barrier of yours that protected the entire village—what did you call it again… Grand something?"
"[Grand Aegis]," Lassim replied, fastening the belt of his robes. "It’s the strongest defensive technique I’ve got, but not one I originally created. I consider it a gift from a mentor at the academy I went to."
Vaela nodded thoughtfully. "And that healing ability? You didn’t show that off when you first arrive, but it’s clearly powerful. You’ve got some serious potential as a defensive specialist."
Lassim paused, considering her words. "Yeah, I only created it during the last battle in a moment of inspiration. Hmm, a defensive specialist… While it’s true I’ve been working on defensive techniques recently, but… I don’t know if that’s the path I want to take entirely." He glanced at her as he adjusted his collar.
"I feel like I should be more of an all rounder and have attacks that matches the power of my defenses."
Vaela tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Greedy, aren’t you? You know most cultivators are satisfied with just one area."
Lassim looked the other way for a moment, "Well, I have to be incredibly strong to face what the gods have planned for me and I can’t help but need to be able to do it all." He paused for a moment. Vaela could almost imagine a large weight just suddenly rested on his shoulders before he continued, "I was wanting to ask about your [Raindown Lances] technique—it’s pretty unique.
You create almost perfect copies of your lance out of lightning and it gives you range without sacrificing any of the power of your weapon. How did you come up with that?"
Vaela’s lips quirked into a small smile. "Ah, so that’s what you’re interested in. You’re after how I wave my lance around, eh? Needing tips from this big sister?" She stood up from the bed, her eyes gleaming with a teasing look at the innuendo. "It took me a long time to develop that technique where it is now. Roughly 3,000 years, actually."
Lassim’s eyes widened. "Three thousand years…?"
She chuckled at his reaction, crossing her arms. "Don’t look so surprised. It takes time to perfect something like that. But it’s worth it.
And don’t even dare thinking I’m a day over 3,400 or I’ll really show you what my lance can do!." She summoned the lance for a moment from her inner heart world and threatened to poke him with it before it disappeared again, "The idea came to me when I realized that my lightning mana could mimic the structure of my weapon when I envisioned it.
Since then, I spent years refining it, learning how to mold the lightning into nearly perfect replicas. It’s not easy, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature."
Lassim’s mind was filled with desire, "And you can control them each individually or does it work differently?"
Vaela nodded. "That’s right, individually. The trick is to visualize the entire structure of your weapon—every detail. You can’t just think of it as a mass of mana like when you launch a bolt of lightning. You have to know what you’re trying to shape it into, inside and out. Once you’ve got that down, you can mold the mana to follow the same paths of its internal and external structure."
Lassim’s thoughts whirled with possibilities. He was hopeful that he could learn to create copies of his halberd… or even form a giant one capable of splitting mountains, his power would be on a whole new level.
Vaela raised an eyebrow as she watched his expression shift from curiosity to excitement. "I take it you’ve got something in mind?"
Lassim grinned, his childlike enthusiasm shining through. "What if I could create copies of my halberd? Imagine that! I could use them to attack from multiple directions or summon a massive one to strike down an entire battlefield."
Vaela laughed, shaking her head. "You’ve got big dreams, kid. But I like the way you think." She gestured toward the door. "Come on, I’ll show you how it’s done."