A Jaded Life

Chapter 1334

After walking the shadows once more, I returned to Jademoon Tower, my head aching from looking at the Chief’s community in their little valley. Not that there was a lot to see, the place was largely buried in snow, but what I had seen strongly indicated that I shouldn’t go there for a bit. Not because they would attack me, or even resent my approach, but because they might take my presence a little too well.

Their community had one easily visible space free of snow, and in the centre of that space stood a very familiar statue, namely, mine. Or rather, a statue of the Pale Lady, complete with a raven on her shoulder. Even from afar, and through the filter of my scrying constructs, I could feel the power radiating from the statue. This was sacred ground, sacred ground consecrated by the Pale Lady, to be precise.

Which meant I would suffer for walking on it, though I wasn’t sure why. Usually, I would think that the Pale Lady had something against me, but given that the Pale Lady and I were, in a way, the same, that wasn’t particularly realistic. My best current guess was that the Pale Lady, as an entity largely bound to Mundus, was working on a different frequency, for lack of a better word, and I was getting mental interference from that frequency because we were too similar. Or there might be other reasons, I wasn’t sure, and given the agony I suffered from mere proximity, I wasn’t willing to investigate more than necessary. I might simply accept that this was the way it was, at least until I found a way to avoid that sort of pain.

Letting myself drop onto my throne, I just sat there for a few minutes, letting my mind relax. For once, there were no scrying constructs flying around, no people nearby for whom I had to project an image, and there was nobody but me up here atop my tower. No distractions, no need to act, no need to do anything but, well, be. Breathe, slowly and deeply, relax without letting myself drift off into the purpose-filled meditation I usually used, and I wasn’t tired, so there was no need to sleep.

A small smile started to form on my face when I realised that even now, or maybe especially now, in that drifting, relaxed state of mind, I could hear the Astral River and smell the diverse energies contained within. It was almost like a background track to reality itself, different from the physical sounds around me, like the gentle breeze I could hear swirling around the top of Jademoon Tower; there was even a subtle yet distinct difference between the background hum of the Astral River and the emanations from the Oculus. Though the difference was quite minute, making me wonder just how Lady Hecate had created the Oculus and kept it powered. Something to investigate later, but only after asking her for permission. I had no interest in annoying the deity by taking one apart, a gift she had bestowed upon me without asking beforehand. She would likely be okay with it; she seemed to like it when I pushed the boundaries of my understanding, but asking was the polite thing to do.

Thinking of the Oculus, I idly linked my mind to it, using the orb’s magic to let my gaze pan around my tower. It was a vastly different perspective from the sights I could see from the ground or from the occasional flights I took in the area. Less personal, but maybe due to the way the Oculus operated, also with greater details.

Looking around, I spotted a few critters in the forest and even noticed a single group of people fighting against the ubiquitous Undead in one of the ruined city’s graveyards. Maybe we had to figure out a way to deal with those Undead, though maybe not. They were, as far as I knew, essentially contained within the old graveyards and seemed to give an okay amount of EXP, so leaving them in place might be for the best. A comparatively secure source of EXP to train against, until people were capable and willing to venture out further and explore.

That line of thinking made me wonder about other places. How well had humans done elsewhere? Did they flourish, or was this area one of the few surviving human enclaves? How many had died in the change, how many had shattered and how many had died in the aftermath, killed by a myriad of factors? The death toll was undoubtedly in the billions, which was rather sobering. Even here, where people had fared relatively well, only about twenty-thousand people had survived. Twenty-thousand, out of approximately one-point-five million, a little more than one per cent. Projecting globally, ignoring that this area was relatively temperate, there would be only about a hundred million people remaining. Which was, when thinking about it in those numbers, quite a lot. But probably far too high, given that people in less hospitable places likely wouldn’t have fared as well, though the Chief’s community seemed to be an excellent counterpoint to that logic.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

Reigning in my wandering mind, I took another glance through the Oculus, looking for something else to catch my interest. Sadly, there was little to be detected with a casual glance; if I wanted to find something interesting, I would have to look a lot closer, scan deeper and pay more attention. Essentially, doing everything but relaxing, and if I wasn’t relaxing, I could find something better to do, compared to this.

Like jumping off my tower and taking flight. My wings flared out behind me as I reached out with my magic, realising that the updraft around Jademoon Tower was a lot weaker compared to the constant storm around the Nexus Tower. Here, I needed to be a lot more attentive when taking flight, or I might drop too low and crash into the walls of the old quarry I had built Jademoon Tower into. While I probably could take the impact, it would be quite embarrassing, especially if I had to explain why the walls had a hole in them.

Thanks to my Wind Magic and a bit of frantic flapping from my wings, I soon soared above Jademoon Tower, looking down on the snowy forest below. Comparing it to my earlier observations through the Oculus, I quickly realised the biggest difference. By now, I was using some of my traits instinctively, all the time. That allowed me to focus on certain parts while blocking out distractions in a way the Oculus just couldn’t match.

Out of curiosity, I started to experiment a little, trying to blend in more of my traits and abilities that way, but I soon gave up, noticing that I’d probably need appropriate targets, especially for something like Observe and Identify. Both were fundamental skills, but I hadn’t managed to expand on them at any point, probably because they were so fundamental. Or maybe because Observe had those rather severe repercussions when used, the sensation wasn’t pleasant, so using it generally led to a fight.

My leisurely flight soon took me over the ruins of the Blessed City. I was quite curious if the survivors had moved on by now, as Lia had suggested, or if some of them had returned. The devastation I saw from above made me shake my head once again. It was rather horrific. Part of that was due to almost a month of exposure to the elements, but the primary damage had been due to Lia’s concoction. A concoction I had spread, completely underestimating its impact.

Sure, it had worked out in the end, at least to a certain extent, but the field of graves I could see below, sanctified by a curious combination of divine forces, was a grim reminder that actions had consequences, often far beyond those one had expected.

For a moment, I considered landing, maybe taking in the atmosphere of the graveyard I had set up, but I soon discarded the idea. There was nothing down there I wanted to think about at the moment, and there didn’t seem to be any living beings. At least not sapient ones, I could see a bunch of rodents, a few rabbits and even some deer tracks within the ruins, showing that nature was already reclaiming this place for the wilderness.

Instead, I let my wings carry me higher into the sky and changed course, flying towards Maggie’s community. My agenda was still far from complete, and I would have to see what Joshua had done in the two days I had spent building my prison.

Hopefully, the guy hadn’t managed to make himself too much of an annoyance, though somehow I had a feeling I shouldn’t hold on to that hope. No matter, he would get what he deserved, at least what I considered a just reward for his actions. One that he wouldn’t forget, not in this lifetime. Short as it may be.