Chapter 485: The Han Civil War XI

Auri and I had a fantastic reunion in a tent for four. Our new tent, our new home.

“Brrpt!!” Auri pulled out a rare present that she’d managed to scrounge up and save ever since my birthday. My eyes widened at the delicious smell.

“Mmm. Chocolate!” I wiggled in delight as she presented the slightly melted bar that she’d been keeping safe. I broke off a piece for the phoenix, and we enjoyed our reunion and belated birthday.

One downside to splitting off from a line - all the chores were now mine. Instead of having a team of nine to get everything set up and taken down every day, it was a team of two.

Many hands made light work, and Auri’s [Mage Hand] promised to pull more than their fair share of work.

I eyed the rising sun and suppressed a yawn. The next few days and nights promised to be exciting, and I’d need all the sleep I could get.

“Auri, I’ve got an important mission for you.” I told her.

“Brrrpt!!” Auri promptly changed her flames to the Ironside Brigade colors, throwing a birdy salute my way.

“See if you can find Iona. I’ve seen her fly overhead a few times, and you’ve been more free than I have. Unless you want to stay and hang around?”

“Brrpt BRPT brrrrrrrrrrpt!” Auri was off on her Important Mission, fully expecting another small parade for her success. Maybe a medal or two.

My eye twitched. Just how much had Auri’s ego been stroked!?

Okay, I had to admit, if I’d spent the last few months being carted around, fed treats, told how great I was, and generally relentlessly spoiled, I might have my ego grow a few sizes as well.

“Auri, just remember other people like burning things too!” I called after her.

“Brrrrrpt!” She tweeted her agreement as she faded into the sky.

The mission was important. Iona’s presence was everything from a soothing balm on my soul, to potentially a terrifying Classer on the battlefield, depending on how she viewed things.

More importantly?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

I just wanted to see her again. To feel her strong arms around me, her calloused hands and soft lips again.

First things first - duty. Which meant sleep.

Fortunately, we were in position, and Meng Ao’s army wasn’t. We’d be spending the day getting ready, freshening up and running drills, being rested and well-fed while Meng Ao’s army wouldn’t.

My understanding of why everyone was so sure the upcoming battle would have to occur was unclear, but I bet it had something to do with the prosperous town nearby and the close proximity to the Tears of Vulcan.

I drew out a pair of mandalas, delighted that I could finally use wizardry to make my life easy again, throwing up a simple ‘do not disturb’ illusion along with a noise dampening one. I briefly debated a few more quality of life wards, but instead decided to get a little more shuteye before I spent all my time enchanting a tent, and no time at all actually using any of them.

I’d regained an old talent with the months spent as Bunny.

I was asleep before my head hit the bedroll.

I woke up with a distinct lack of Auri or Iona around. The sun was still high overhead, and I quickly got a breakfast-lunch and a small bag of coins. Then I went to visit the camp followers.

The entire time I was Plotting. What would be a flashy way to heal people without making it clear I was Dawn?

It didn’t take long for me to find a new outfit, and I haggled only because not haggling would stand out. A long flowing outfit, not too shabby but nothing that screamed I was wealthy.

I double-checked my arrangements with Robin and the timing with Leonidus, and Auri intercepted me about an hour before I was going to slip out of the camp.

“Brpt!” Auri reported total success! Iona located!

I jumped up and held out my hand.

“What are we waiting for?” I asked, [Rapid Reshelving] the last few bits around. “Let’s go!”

Auri blazed out with burning streaks of Inferno in her wake, but I had to be a little more subtle than that.

I walked out with my full uniform on, some of the gate guards squinting in almost-recognition. End of the day, they cared about people coming in, not out, and after a mile or so of walking in Auri’s direction, a hasty visit to [Vault of Ages] - I didn’t bother putting stuff back where they belonged, I’d deal with that later I had Iona to see - and I was sprinting invisible at high speed behind Auri, working hard to make sure my new dress didn’t get caught on branches and bushes.

Soon enough Fenrir’s bulk became visible in a little depression in the mountains, Iona and Nina sharing a fire with an entire cow-sized dinosaur on a spit roast.

[Warrior - 128]

Nina’s tag said. I wanted to whistle at the leveling speed - she’d been working hard. I mean, yeah, I’d gotten more levels at a higher level, but I’d been in Nina’s shoes. I knew how tough it was. She must be waiting for more accomplishments before classing up, although I thought she was taking [Squire] again.

“Elaine!” Iona jumped to her feet and dashed over, pure enthusiasm and delight on her face. “You escaped!” She crushed me in a hug, and it was everything I wanted.

Auri flew over to Fenrir, and the two started to excitedly catch up with each other, thrilling brrpts occasionally mixed with low rumbles, and plenty of nuzzles between the two friends.

“I did!” I said with a laugh. “At last! I am free from the clutches of the Ironside Brigade! Sweep me off my feet, dear knight, and carry me to a castle far away!”

Iona laughed and swept me off my feet, winking at Nina. She quickly stacked a few stones on top of each other as Iona brought me back to the fire.

“Your castle, dearest princess.” Iona put me down and bowed dramatically at the little stack of stones.

I gently hovered my foot on it, not trusting it to hold any weight, and stuck my nose in the air as I put on airs.

“Ah, most excellent! This royal highness requires…” I stumbled a bit, and the dinosaur smelled great. “Meat!”

Iona sat down and patted her lap, and I gratefully took the best seat in the world. Nina looked at me with wide eyes and I grinned.

“Whatcha shooting fox eyes at me for?” I half-teased, half-asked the little kitsune. She licked her lips and focused on Iona. The Valkyrie chuckled nervously.

“We’ve been roughing it a bit, and she knows you’ve got a small stash of spices in your [Vault].”

“Say no more!” A quick trip in and out, and we had seasoning.

“Dish!” I told Nina as we started to inhale the feast. “What have you been up to?”

Nina’s face fell, her ears drooped and her eyes teared up. She looked to Iona who gave her a nod.

“Well…” She started.

“Then… then she snapped the chickens neck, to shut it up so it wouldn’t give us away.” Nina was crying as she told us the story, bawling her eyes out over the… chicken? “The patrol moved on, and we made it back safely. Except… except for the chicken.” Nina was a mess, and Iona looked sympathetic.

The kitsune hiccupped and blurted out the end.

“But it wasn’t a chicken!”

Oh no.

OH NO.

I knew the story had to end in tragedy, but found myself crying and holding onto Nina tightly anyway. Nobody won in war. Nobody.

After some time collecting ourselves, I explained what I had been up to. Iona let up a weak chuckle at Legionnaire Bunny, the mood too somber after Nina and Iona’s tales to truly laugh, and I tried to play it up. Lighten the mood however I could.

“... battle tomorrow, and tonight I want to go through Meng Ao’s army and camp followers, and render whatever aid I can before the battle.” I clenched my jaw in grim determination. “It’s very likely that they’ll be trying to kill me, and vice versa, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do my very best now.”

I kept the spying part quiet. Iona wouldn’t approve and it wasn’t my favorite thing, but if I happened to wander past documents? Sure, I could read them and pass them along. It didn’t change a thing about my presence or my ability to heal.

Iona brightened at my mission.

“Goddesses, I admire you so much.” She said with frank adoration. I booped her shoulder with my head.

“Not half as much as I admire what you do.” I said.

“Oh! I have something for you!” Iona dove for her pack, and pulled out her notebook. “Tada!”

She had pictures of me, as seen from above. Pictures of me marching. Setting up a tent. Yawning at guard duty. Close ups of me stretching. Love and admiration were clear in every stroke of her sketch. The way she traced my form, the detail given to my face. The spark of life and joy she drew into my eyes.

Each stroke of her pencil said ‘I love you’.

We cuddled for a bit, then I had to break the mood.

“The Legata is wondering if the mighty Valkyrie and her wyvern will be weighing in on tomorrow’s battle.” I asked carefully.

Iona shook her head.

“Not in the way she wants or is thinking of. The wolf raiders you were telling me about are still lurking around, and I believe they’re going to hit the followers and supply lines while you’re all engaged. Unsure if she’s planning on hitting one army or both, but my [Vow] compels me in that direction.”

Raiders vs mostly innocent civilians that followed an army around? Yeah, no, that was a classic opportunity for Iona that she couldn’t pass up. Just like I’d be drawn to news of a plague.

“What’s your plan if they hit both?” I asked.

Iona looked real grumpy at the thought, telling me all I needed to know.

“I’ll pass the news onto the Legata and see if she can spare anyone to protect our side.” I promised.

Iona patted my leg.

She didn’t need to say she loved me. I already knew.

All my thinking on ‘how do I heal in a flashy way that doesn’t show I’m Dawn’ had borne fruit.

My healing wasn’t flashy to start with. It didn’t have a big, dramatic impact. Bells and whistles didn’t go off when I used [Dance with the Heavens].

Radiance was my flashy element, but it was also intricately tied to Dawn.

Spatial was right out. Far too expensive, and barely anything touched other people.

That left my Celestial skills to either combine with [Imbue], or fake the skill while quietly healing people.

[Sunrise] was touch-based and not flashy.

[The Stars Never Fade] was off cooldown and incredibly flashy, but I didn’t think the illusion it conjured up would work with [Dance], and the range was questionable.

Which left [Mantle of the Stars], the perfect contender. The skill was beautiful, and I could mentally shape it however I wanted. The only question was - as what?

They were big believers in the Four Symbols - the Black Xuan Wu of the North, the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermillion Phoenix of the South and the White Tiger of the West.

The Azure Dragon was right out. I wasn’t going to mimic a dragon, not now, not ever. I was a little less superstitious about it now, but I wasn’t going to tug on Night’s cape.

The Vermillion Phoenix was a little too on the nose for me, Auri, and the Dawn persona. The Black Xuan Wu was a contender, although the White Tiger was a little too vicious for my tastes.

My issue with both the Tiger and Xuan Wu was a lack of ‘proper flashiness’. Yes, they were iconic animals. My issue was if I wanted to [Imbue] to have them otherwise touch people, they’d need to be moving fast. The tiger would be bouncing all over the place, looking like a ‘real’ attack perhaps, and the Xuan Wu was slow.

Well, the snake-tail of the beast could work. It was an option, but I’d had a whole day of thinking.

I wasn’t part of the Han Empire, and borrowing a symbol could work, it might not. What symbols were good for healers in general?

The willow and the hydra.

Forming [Mantle] into a moving willow-ent was doable, but it looked a little weird and managing that many individual leaves and branches to properly move was beyond my capabilities. I took pride in my work!

A hydra though? A hydra was perfect. A clear symbol of health and healing - nevermind that it was a ferocious beast almost impossible to put down - with multiple ‘heads’ that each granted health.

It also wasn’t associated with me, Exterreri, Sentinels, the Sixth or the Ironside Brigade in any way.

“Ready?” Iona asked outside Meng Ao’s camp follower’s temporary site.

I closed my eyes and visualized what I needed, spinning off two [Parallel Thoughts] to work on controlling the illusionary beast. With careful strokes, I spun out [Mantle of the Stars], bringing to life a shimmering, glittering, see-through hydra, speckled with all the stars in the sky throughout its body, necks and heads.

[*ding!* [Mantle of the Stars] leveled up! 496 -> 497]

[Imbue], [Persistent Casting], [Astral Archives] and [Dance with the Heavens] all came together in harmony to make the solid hydra a beacon of life. A few test moves had the heads moving where they should be, but it was clear I wasn’t incredibly skilled at manipulating them like they were a ‘real’ hydra.

“Your legs aren’t moving.” Nina gleefully pointed out. “Nor is the body moving with the correct counterbalance to the head’s movement.”

I shot the little illusionist a dirty look, getting a smug one in return.

Some nervous guards approached, and Iona intercepted them and started to sweet-talk our way in while I worked on the hydra’s fine control.

“Can I sit on it?” Nina asked hopefully.

“Sorry, it’d burn my mana pool too quickly.” I told her. “That’s if you don’t shatter it entirely.” [Mantle] was still a shielding skill in the end, and levitating people with it was far outside of what the skill could easily handle. I might be able to use it as a seat for Nina, but it’d drain the mana like a sink.

Iona beckoned us over.

“Let’s go!” I said.

The plan was to work our way through the followers, and once they’d seen how I was helping, try to move onto Meng Ao’s camp and see if they’d let us in. If they wouldn’t? Well, I wouldn’t be happy, but I wasn’t going to force the issue.

The hydra lumbered through the road, and I’d dramatically underestimated the intimidation factor. About half of people shied away, ran screaming, threw something at the hydra, or otherwise caused a fuss.

Step by step, tent by shabby cart, we walked through the camp, my mind almost entirely dedicated to controlling the hydra and its eight heads. Every time I saw a sick person, I’d direct one of the hydra’s heads to slowly, gently touching them, letting healing fix most of their problems.

And problems they had aplenty.

Armies weren’t exactly hygienic. Constantly on the move, they just set up wherever each evening. There were no latrine pits carved out, no discipline on where waste was disposed of versus drinking water obtained versus bathing and cleaning. Skills and classes helped, but couldn’t fix all the issues. Food got rained on and went moldy, and mice broke into grain bags and left ‘presents’ behind. The close contact, harsh conditions and poor hygiene was the perfect cauldron to brew diseases in.

The armies usually cared enough to try and mitigate somewhat - a disease ripping through the camp would almost immediately jump to the main army - but there was only so much they could do.

I liked to believe my frequent trips to the people following Wang Jian combined with [Cosmic Presence] stamped out most problems before they started, and the few levels I’d gotten in the skill suggested it had.

I guess I’d succeeded in the ‘big distraction’ aspect of my mission, although I wasn’t in the camp proper yet. Maybe all the yelling and fuss would have the main army come out, although I doubted it. There was a callous disregard from the highest levels for the followers. The [Generals] could afford to have their family travel with them directly, in style, protected by the rest of the army. The common soldier’s family would be in among the camp followers. They cared a great deal about their safety, but weren’t as empowered to defend and protect them. Any [Healer] with a shred of competency was usually pressed into service working with the army directly, further exacerbating the problem.

“Hydra of healing!” Iona bellowed at the top of her lungs, her voice carrying almost as much as a Sound classer’s. “Come have all your woes fixed! All ailments cured! Just one touch, no charge!”

Iona’s charisma was terrifying to watch in action. People still scattered at times, but more came over for help.

A few of the people who ran ended up in moonlight for enough time that I could flicker a thought out with [Wheel of Sun and Moon] and cure them anyway, and people who hid from the hydra were ‘sniffed out’.

In an annoying twist, the people throwing stuff at the hydra, or more commonly, patting or hugging the illusion, cost significantly more mana than most of my healing. [Mantle] was a shield skill in the end, and ‘blocking’ all the people was a harsh drain on my mana.

[*ding!* Congratulations! [The Dawn Sentinel] has leveled up to level 581 -> 582 +3 Dexterity, +24 Speed, +24 Vitality, +170 Mana, +170 Mana Regen, +48 Magic Power, +48 Magic Control from your Class per level! +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Speed, +1 Vitality, +1 Mana, +1 Mana Regeneration, +1 Magic Power, +1 Magic Control for being Chimera (Elvenoid)! +1 Mana, +1 Mana Regen from your Element per level!]

[*ding!* [Mantle of the Stars] leveled up! 496 -> 498]

[*ding!* [Imbue] leveled up! 205 -> 216]

It took us hours to work through the camp followers - we couldn’t move particularly fast, not with how big I’d made the ‘hydra’ and how poorly laid out everything was - and by the time I was thinking about moving onto the main camp, parts of it were on fire, horses and triceratops were stampeding all over the place. Iona and I stared at the chaos in silence, and the sea of weapons that were being waved around as the soldiers worked on getting the situation under control again.

“I think that’s a bad idea.” She said.

“Yup. I’m not seeing anyone hurt, and I know they’ve got plenty of their own medics.” I agreed. “I think they’ve got some mercenaries off to the side. A bunch of harpies? Think we should go over there?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.” Iona agreed.

[*ding!* Congratulations! [The Dawn Sentinel] has leveled up to level 582 -> 583 +3 Dexterity, +24 Speed, +24 Vitality, +170 Mana, +170 Mana Regen, +48 Magic Power, +48 Magic Control from your Class per level! +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Speed, +1 Vitality, +1 Mana, +1 Mana Regeneration, +1 Magic Power, +1 Magic Control for being Chimera (Elvenoid)! +1 Mana, +1 Mana Regen from your Element per level!]