fynovel Chapter 16 Alliance
Chapter 16 Alliance
The news brought by Grom was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the newly ignited enthusiasm for the alliance in the infirmary.
"Three airships? Fifty miles?" Leah jumped to her feet, the chair legs scraping loudly on the floor. "How could they be so fast? We just escaped the storm, how did they locate us?!"
"The storm might have actually helped them." Grom walked into the infirmary, closed the door behind him, and lowered his voice. "Psionic turbulence interferes with most tracking spells, but the Order's airships are equipped with 'Spirit Rune Feature Locking Arrays'—the more chaotic the energy environment, the more pronounced the characteristic fluctuations emitted by the Resonant Body's special spirit runes become, like fireflies in the dark."
His gaze fell on Karen, his blue eyes filled not with blame, but with cold reality.
"Kid, that thing on your wrist is like a beacon now. As long as you're alive and it's still functioning, the Order can roughly know your direction and distance. The signal might be weak during a storm, but now the storm is over, the weather is clear, and the psionic environment is stable..."
He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.
Karen felt a spasm in his stomach. He looked down at his wrist; the silver runes lay dormant in the light, their tiny, newly formed branches bulging slightly like veins. It was beautiful, mysterious, but now, it had become a death knell.
"Can it be blocked?" he asked hoarsely. "With something to cover it, or... to put it into hibernation temporarily?"
Grom shook his head, his braided mustache swaying with the movement. "I tried covering your wrist with a spirit-blocking lead plate—while you were unconscious. It didn't work. This level of spirit rune emits conceptual fluctuations, not simple psionic radiation. The lead plate can only weaken, not completely block, it. As for putting it into hibernation..." He looked at Karen, his eyes complex, "Would you be willing? Hibernation means severing your connection with that little lion, possibly irreversibly. And I'm not sure if the Order would kill you while your spirit rune is in hibernation—to them, a live sample is valuable, but ensuring the 'threat' is eliminated is more important."
Silence fell over the infirmary. Only the rhythmic rocking of the ship and the distant, faint calls of sailors adjusting the sails could be heard.
Leah paced in the cramped space, her red ponytail swaying with each movement. "We can't keep running. No matter how fast the Cloud Whale is, it can't outrun the Order's airships—those black iron coffins use psionic propulsion technology, their short-range burst speed is more than twice ours. They're keeping their distance now, just waiting for the right moment to flank us, or... waiting for reinforcements."
She stopped and looked at Grom.
"Grom, you said before that the Order destroyed your workshop in Ironforge. What exactly happened?"
The dwarf's face instantly darkened. He walked to the porthole, his back to the two men, his broad shoulders tense, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the tool belt at his waist.
"Three years ago," his voice was hoarse, as if squeezed from a crack in a rock, "the Order's 'Psionic Vein Development Team' came to Ironforge, saying they wanted to build a 'highly efficient psionic energy harvesting station' in the nearby mountains. They needed the dwarven forging technology to make some special pipes and containers. The royal family agreed to the cooperation—the psionic energy output from the veins was declining year by year, and they were desperate for a solution."
Grom turned around, his blue eyes burning with suppressed rage.
"I was the chief craftsman in Ironforge, in charge of that project. At first, everything was fine; we manufactured the parts according to the blueprints. But then I discovered something was wrong—the pipes weren't designed to 'harvest' psionic energy, but rather to 'siphon' it, forcibly extracting it from the ley lines like leeches. It was incredibly efficient, but the damage to the ley lines themselves was permanent. Moreover, all the containers they requested had runes inside that I'd never seen before. They weren't stable structures; they were more like...binding and transformation."
He took a deep breath, his chest heaving.
"I refused to continue production. I reported my findings to the royal family and demanded the termination of the cooperation. The next day, my workshop was raided on charges of 'stealing the Order's secret technology.' All the blueprints, notes, and semi-finished products were confiscated. I tried to resist, but they were prepared—a squad of silver-striped knights stormed into the workshop, injured my apprentices, and smashed my furnace. When I fled, I only had time to take a few of the most crucial design sketches and a... sample."
Grom pulled a small, leather-wrapped object from his pocket. He unwrapped it, revealing a dark red metal plate, about the size of a palm, its surface covered with fine, unsettling, twisted runes. Even from a distance, Karen could sense the metal plate's malevolent "drawing" aura—as if it were alive, breathing slowly, trying to extract something from its surroundings.
"This is a prototype of the core component of the 'psychic pump' they asked me to make," Grom said in a low voice. "I made it secretly with scraps, trying to study its principles. I discovered... when this thing is running, it emits a special frequency that can make nearby psionic creatures frantic, weak, and eventually die from depleted psionic energy. It's not a machine; it's some kind of... living parasitic device."
He rewrapped the metal piece and put it back in his pocket.
"After I fled Ironforge, the Order issued an arrest warrant, accusing me of 'stealing sacred relics' and 'sabotaging the safety of the ley lines.' Under pressure, the royal family stripped me of my artisan status and forbade me from ever returning to the dwarven lands." Grom clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "So I boarded the Cloud Whale. Captain Heinrich didn't care about the past, only about ability. I needed a place to hide and continue my research—I needed to find a way to counter this technology."
He looked at Karen and Leah.
"Now, the cult is after us. Not because of you, at least not entirely. They also want me, they want the blueprints and this sample I took. To them, I am an informant they must silence."
Leah nodded, her green eyes gleaming with understanding. "So we're all the same—enemies of the Order, fugitives, carrying secrets that cannot be revealed."
She walked to the center of the infirmary, placed her hands on the railing at the foot of Karen's bed, and looked back and forth between Karen and Grom.
"Listen. If we act alone, the three of us will be picked off one by one sooner or later. Karen's spirit runes are easy targets, my Wind Whisper Vein has a tracking mark, and Grom carries technological secrets the Order doesn't want to reveal. But if we join forces..."
She paused, then her voice became even more forceful:
"Karen can sense and understand spirits, and even communicate with them. This is of great value in an escape—she can warn of danger, seek help, and even calm the enemy like in a storm. I can manipulate air currents, which can be used for reconnaissance, to disrupt tracking, and to create cover. Grom has engineering and technical knowledge and can modify equipment, sabotage the Order's machinery, or at least make us escape faster."
Leah straightened up, her gaze resolute.
"I propose that the three of us form a temporary alliance. We will share information and resources, and cover and assist each other during the cult's pursuit. Until we find a safe place, or... until we are able to fight back."
She extended her hand to Grom. "Grom Anvil, will you join me? To seek justice for Ironforge, and to survive."
The dwarf stared at Leah's hand, then at Karen. A complex mix of emotions flickered in his blue eyes: hatred, resentment, wariness, and a glimmer of... hope?
Finally, his strong hand grasped Leah's hand.
"Those scum of the Order ruined everything I had in Ironforge." Grom's voice was like two stones rubbing together. "I've joined. But let me make this clear—if any of you dare to betray me or hold me back, I'll personally throw you overboard."
Leah smiled, a smile that held both relief and determination. She turned to Karen.
"Karen Everett, and you? Are you willing to trust us and entrust your life to us? And are you willing to let us entrust our lives to you?"
Karen looked at Lydia's outstretched hand, at Grom's serious face. He remembered the archives of Dustlight Town, the loneliness of copying those unattainable encyclopedias of spirit creatures. He remembered the despair of jumping off the cliff, thinking he was surely going to die. He remembered the pain and madness transmitted by those tentacles in the storm.
He didn't want to be alone anymore.
He reached out and grasped Lydia's hand, touching the back of Grom's hand as well. The three hands were intertwined—the human girl's slender yet strong hand, the dwarven craftsman's rough and sturdy hand, and Karen's own pale, scarred hand.
"I do," Karen said, her voice soft but clear. "I'm in."
The alliance was formally established.
Almost simultaneously, a slight, almost imperceptible sound came from outside the porthole—as if something light had landed on the windowsill.
The three of them turned their heads at the same time.
The black cat perched on the narrow ledge outside the porthole, its deep black fur gleaming like satin in the sunlight. It slowly licked itself with its front paws, then raised its eyelids, its deep black eyes gleaming with a faint silver light. Its gaze swept over the three clasped hands inside the infirmary, its tail swaying gently.
Then, a neutral voice with a strange rhythm resounded simultaneously in the minds of all three people:
"Childish, but funny."
Karen froze. Lydia and Grom froze too—clearly, they had heard it as well.
The black cat tilted its head, as if observing their reaction. Its voice rang out again, this time with a hint of almost imperceptible...amusement?
"Three fledglings, being hunted, huddled together, thinking they could fight off an eagle. Their courage was commendable, but so was their foolishness."
Grom was the first to react. He lowered his voice, wary, and asked, "You can talk? What are you?"
"Thing?" The black cat's ears twitched, seemingly dissatisfied with the title. "I am Shadow. As for what I am... you are not qualified to know."
It leaped from the windowsill and landed silently on the infirmary floor. Its dark paws made no sound as they touched the wooden floor. It circled half the bed before stopping beside Karen's bed, looking up at their clasped hands.
"Alliance requires oaths." Shadow's voice echoed directly in their consciousness, "But your oaths are too fragile, like spider silk, snapping at the slightest touch. Let me help you... reinforce them."
It raised one of its front paws, making a vague gesture in the air with its paw pad.
There was no light, no sound, but Karen felt a sudden, slight warmth on the spiritual runes on his wrist. At the same time, he "saw"—through his spiritual vision, he saw three extremely thin, almost transparent threads extending from the claws of the shadow, connecting to the heart locations (not physical hearts, but psionic cores) of himself, Leah, and Grom, respectively.
The silk thread flashed and disappeared in an instant.
"What is this?" Leah asked warily, her hand already on the short sword at her waist.
"A little insurance." Shadow lowered its paws, sat down gracefully, its tail curling around its front paws. "Now, if any of you betray the alliance and try to sell out the others to the Order, the other two will know immediately—through a racing heart, cold sweats, and disordered psionic energy. It's not some magical contract, just... an amplification of emotional resonance. A very basic trick."
It paused, its deep black eyes fixed on Karen.
"As for you, Resonance Being. Your spirit runes have evolved again; did you feel it?"
Karen looked down at his wrist. The silver patterns remained still, but upon closer inspection, he noticed some changes: the tips of the newly sprouted, tiny branches had gained almost invisible, star-like glimmers of light. Moreover, the overall "depth" of the patterns seemed to have increased slightly, as if the tree roots had penetrated deeper.
"The act of comforting during the storm has helped you understand the concepts of 'pain' and 'seeking help'," the shadowy voice said with a hint of instruction. "The runes recorded these concepts and, nourished by them, have grown new possibilities. Continue like this, and you'll become quite interesting."
It stood up, stretched, and its spine curved like liquid.
"I'm tired. The cult's airship is still thirty miles away. At our current course and speed, it will probably be within sight in about two hours. You'd better think about what to do—fight, escape, or hide."
The shadow walked toward the door, turned back at the threshold, and gave them one last look.
"By the way, the captain has decided to change course and head to the Emerald Forest. The spiritual veins there are disordered, and the Order's detection artifacts will malfunction. But the Emerald Forest itself... is not peaceful either. Good luck, fledglings."
It leaped over the threshold and disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.
Silence fell again in the infirmary, but this silence was different—it carried a strange, connected feeling. Karen could vaguely sense Leah's tension and Grom's anger, not through observing their expressions, but through a more direct, emotional resonance. Just as Shadow had said, their alliance had been "strengthened."
"The Emerald Forest..." Leah murmured, loosening her grip. "I've heard of it. The spiritual veins are intertwined like vines, the magnetic field is chaotic, and even the flow of time is distorted. It's certainly a good place to hide, but it's also very dangerous."
"It's better than being caught by the airship," Grom said, releasing his grip, but the subtle connection remained. "We need to prepare. Karen, can you get out of bed?"
Karen tried to move. The pain was still there, but it was tolerable. He slowly sat up, his legs dangling off the edge of the bed, his feet on the floor.
"You can walk," he said, "but you can't run fast, and you can't fight."
"You don't need to fight." Grom walked towards the door. "What you need to do is keep your lion under control, and that beacon on your wrist. Leah, come with me. We need to check the ship's defenses and see if we can make any temporary modifications."
Leah nodded, then looked at Karen. "You should rest first and try to recover your strength. The Emerald Forest... I've heard that in some places there, even spirits behave strangely. We might need your abilities then."
She left with Grom.
Karen was the only one left in the infirmary. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the silver, slowly evolving spirit runes on his wrist, then at the sky outside the window—clear and blue, but soon, three black iron airships would appear on the horizon.
He took a deep breath and clenched his fist.
I'm no longer alone.
The alliance has been formed, and the road ahead remains fraught with danger, but at least... we have companions now.
In the basket at the foot of the bed, Xiguang woke up. The cub raised its head, its amber eyes looking at him, conveying a warm and dependent feeling.
Karen reached out and stroked its head.
"We will survive," he whispered, both to the dawn and to himself, "together."