Chapter 1035: Running out of chances[Time]
[Well…in my experience, I think I can say I’m still who I was before I kicked the bucket,] Hurricroak admitted freely. [Hell, there are parts of me thinking I need to go and make up for lost time…when the opportunity presents itself…and I no longer feel awkward about being dead for multiple decades.]
[So you remember your old name and who you were?]
[Yup.]
[Would you mind sharing it or-]
[Over my…wait, I already died…over my my freshly exploded body.]
[Fair enough.]
[What about you Frosttusk? I know you mentioned it before, but…]
[…]
The mammoth kaijin was silent for a couple of moments, as if to build up tension to his eventual answer to the group.
[Frosttusk?]
After those moments, Frosttusk proceeded to get up from his seat, walk over to one of the oil lamps that illuminated the ship and proceeded to dump the burning contents all over his person.
[What the…]
Evidently, the sight shocked Tortallion but not to the point of exclamation. He was an old turtle of a kaijin and he had seen a lot of things before.
[Why did you-]
[Okay, now I can talk.]
[Ah. Cold-blooded, got it.]
Now that he was sufficiently warmed up for a conversation, Frosttusk say back into his seat and began to regale his own experience with…well…
[Reincarnation.]
[Huh?]
[What we’re discussing at this point is reincarnation. The idea of…well, I guess in our case it’s a fact, of coming back to life as someone else or something else entirely from our previous selves. Some philosophical and religious texts in the library discussed how one’s deeds in one life will affect how they become in the next. In it, they also discuss how some people who reincarnate can remember their past lives in varying details.]
[Whoa…you sound significantly more articulate this time around,] Tortallion commented. [Wait, so are you talking about having a second chance?]
[In a sense.]
[Wait, what does any of this have to do with us?]
[I’m getting there, I have to since I’m running on borrowed time,] Frosttusk explained further. [Tell me, why do you think you were reincarnated?]
[Why?]
[Neither Hurricroak nor I had any previous connections to our current jarl. Not in the same way you seem to have with the Storm Queen,] Frosttusk explained. [I am fairly certain I only came back because of the Death Echo Amber that has embedded itself in my creation, and Hurricroak…well, that’s an entire story and a half that I can’t explain and should be her right to.]
[Appreciate that.]
[Anytime.]
[Huh…surprisingly, I…never thought about that,] Tortallion answered. [I just knew I had to protect her again and…that was it.]
[Okay…why?]
[Eh?]
[I know as Kaijin, we have an innate desire to be loyal to our creators, but…we also have an innate desire that made up our very cores. So… what’s the reason behind your core? And I guess, more importantly, why were you given a second chance?]
[That…huh.]
[…]
Evidently, Frosttusk’s question didn’t just hit Tortallion’s heart, but Hurricroak’s as well.
So much so that she couldn’t help but to ask something that made this question seem like there was more than meets the eye.
…
[Frosty…buddy.]
[Yeah?]
[Have…have you been thinking about this question too? Because it seems…a bit too in-depth to be just a spur of the moment question…ya know what I mean?]
[It…is a question that has been on my mind as of late, especially since that young screecher appeared.]
[Screecher? You mean, Hakon?]
[Its the term we…that the Storm Howler tribe used to call their neophytes. One must learn to screech before they can learn to howl… after all.]
[Ah…wait a minute…]
…
[Well…you have given me much to think about, kaijin of the current era,] Tortallion told Hurricroak and Frosttusk as he got up from their table. [But I suppose now is the time for me to-GAH!]
[What the -?!]
[Whoa!]
The moment Tortallion arose from his seat, his entire body started twitching and convulsing, glitching like an NPC in a game that hasn’t been updated in years. The sight reminded Hurricroak and Frosttusk of what had happened when they first met Blazejudicator when they were still going by Parasinner.
However, they could feel that this moment was something…worst.
Eventually though, Tortallion body stopped doing that glitching thing and he managed to become stable again, albeit, breathing more heavily and labored than he did before. As well, the aura he gave off now was…starting to remind them more and more of Marlancer.
[Dammit! I guess that battle from earlier took more out of me than anticipated.]
[That battle from earlier? You don’t mean the-]
[Is…is that why you suddenly stopped when Zhen Xun Tian was about to bust out her Avatar?]
[Yeah…,] Tortallion chuckled. [You know how you said you used that oil and had to talk because you’re on borrowed time? Well…I’m getting close to cashing out my own time too. And I think it’s sooner than I expected.]
…
‘Huh… Hurricroak and Frosttusk muted their information gathering…wonder why…’
________________________________________
The next day, back in Stone Claw City…
“Are you sure this plan of yours worked? How do you know that we’re not going to get hammered by the beast tide early?”
“Because I understand how beasts like the [Dust Devil King] work on a fundamental level. I was once a beast king too, young mistress.”
“Hmmm.”
At this moment in time, Jin Fang was deep inside the family estate, having a discussion with the owner of said room, Lady Aranea. Outside of these private chambers, people saw Lady Aranea as Jin Fang’s superior, after all, Aranea was one of two secretaries of the Zhen Clan.Inside and away from prying eyes though, Aranea was showing no small amount of loyalty and servility to Jin Fang, First Consort of the currently kaijin era.
As for their topic to conversation, it had to do with those giant condors that almost managed to escape their grasp a day or so back.
The plan was actually quite simple, but was also strange as hell.
Instead of simply killing the condors or keeping them captive, Aranea decided to play the misinform game. Tapping into the only Anima Wielder in their employ, Farisia, Aranea had implanted several different variations of the same false memories into the birds and sent them on their way back.
These false memories were essentially just variables on how the defensive implements of Stone Claw City were actually employed, with the most obvious openings in these defenses being depicted as wide open areas. In other words, the kind of areas in one’s defenses that most definitely held a trap of some kind.
While on paper, this sounded like a good idea, in practice…it was kind of hard to predict the end results.
Which was what Jin Fang was trying to talk to Aranea about…until…
“Alright, Mistress. I know that you’re worried about this plan of mine working, which is silly because my plans always work, but there is something more important that demands your attention.”
“Which is…”
“The fact that you’re running out of time to go to Undertow.”
“Ah…oh.”
Thanks to the real time information exchange between Zhen Liu and the kaijin, Aranea (Archanidame) was able to keep up with the latest changes that were occurring in Undertow while being able to update her lord about the happenings in Stone Claw City.
Nothing extreme had yet to happen on either side of this connection, meaning that Jin Fang, Jinju Ren and Cornelius had time to decide whether or not they wanted to go via the [Library of Nowhere]. However, that particular window was starting to close.
Even if Arachnidame’s trick delayed the inevitable beast tide, it was still only by an amount measured in days and not weeks.
Even if the negotiations between the Zhen Clan and Undertow took time, it wouldn’t take longer than a few days at most.
In other words, unless Jin Fang made her decision soon, she’d be losing the best chance to go to Undertow in its current state.
Who knows what would happen in the time between now and when Jin Fang finally came to a decision. Then again, it probably didn’t help that whenever this topic was brought up, Jin Fang developed this weird far-off gaze that made it seem like she was trying to figure out every single possible thing that could wrong if she actually bit the bullet and went to Undertow.
Which is why Arachnidame decided to give Jin Fang a touch more perspective, and a few more reasons to visit Undertow, right now.
“Well…I get the distinct feeling that trying to use jealousy to get you motivated won’t work, so I won’t tell you that Lady Jinju Ren is planning to go to the library tonight.”
“Wait, what?”
“So I’m going to use information that have been recently obtained from the young master and the others…Tortallion might not make it by the end of this week.”
“…what?”
