Depthless Hunger

For the first entire week after arriving on Deadwaste, Zae Zin Nim had followed absolutely all operational security. She had worn old rags, avoided drawing attention to herself, switched from qi to mana, and even avoided flying. If the Brightwind sect was monitoring the coast, which she doubted, there was no way they could have detected her.

From the perspective of a peasant, the Water Union was a dull place. Endless fisheries on the coast, managed pools inland, all for the sake of the economy. Waterborn wielding their elemental powers seemed to be as rare as cultivators, and even if they pretended to be the same as the others or even to serve the clan, the difference in power was obvious. That they weren't a higher class was simply a polite fiction.

Once she got further inland, Zae Zin Nim felt she had done enough. She pulled the crystal ship from her spatial bracelet and finally relaxed as she could fly again. In an ideal world, she would like a ship that flew itself, or at least servants, so she could focus on cultivation, but her mind had expanded enough that she could do mana exercises while she piloted. It was overall far more pleasant, though there were constant low clouds that left everything unpleasantly muggy.

Within a day, she was attracting attention. Not the type she had feared, but... more similar than she expected.

"It's a lovely day, isn't it?" A Waterborn man flew alongside her, held aloft by a floating sphere of water at his feet. "Nearly as lovely as you."

Zae Zin Nim only stared at him, which didn't dissuade him at all. Her appearance had been unchanged when she was walking around like a peasant, but no one had focused on her then. Now that she was flying in a foreign ship, which seemed uncommon, suddenly she was beset by young men offering her drinks. They weren't as forward as people on Rosemount, but she still didn't want her attention.

"Why are you ignoring me?" The man's desire was turning rotten now, and she was trying to decide how to address it when a different voice interrupted.

"Leave the lady alone!"

Even Zae Zin Nim stared when she saw a ship emerge from the low-hanging clouds. It was shaped like an ocean vessel, but the sides had been painted with images of flowing waves. The style was surprisingly restrained and the paint itself seemed to be mana-imbued, which was uncommon for Deadwaste. When the vessel descended beside them, a carpet of mist and fog rolled underneath it, stopping its swift movement smoothly.

"You should know better than to trouble a foreign visitor." A slim young man jumped off the deck to confront the other Waterborn. With a few more reprimands he sent him packing, then turned to her. "Please forgive my countrymen. They're not used to refined company."

"They're forgiven," Zae Zin Nim said. "But are you going to get in my way too?"

"If you keep traveling in a ship like that, you'll be interrupted constantly. Krysali vessels are rare here, and flashy. If you're willing to suffer my company, I think I can take you to your destination far faster. Worthy as your ship might be, it isn't suited to the Water Union."

"Why would you do that?"

"It's no trouble at all." The man gave an elegant bow. "My name is Ivonailin of Tides, prince of the Water Union. It is my duty to tour our lands in any case, so anywhere you want to go, it likely wouldn't even interfere with my duties. I assure you, if you have been traveling with this lot, you've only seen the worst of our nation. Won't you consider the offer?"

What Zae Zin Nim considered was whether he could be a threat to her. Fortunately he wasn't using any shroud worthy of the name, so she could easily check his soul.

Name: Ivonailin of Tides

Total Power: 109

Waterborn: Oncedrowned (49)

Physique Level: F-7 (44)

Soul Level: 4 (16)

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Just 109 Power, though he seemed a little more experienced than the crystalliers she remembered. Ordinarily she would have been afraid of poisons or other underhanded trickery, but after so long enduring Omilaena, Zae Zin Nim was more confident about avoiding those. It was true that she was drawing attention, and his ship was faster...

"Can you escort me further southwest?" she asked.

"Of course I can. We can even store your sh-"

"That isn't necessary." Zae Zin Nim hopped up, drew it back into her bracelet, and landed where it had floated smoothly.

"Well!" Ivonailin raised his eyebrows. "I see you're well-prepared. The Water Union will have to show its most impressive hospitality so we don't shame ourselves."

He offered her a hand up to the ship and Zae Zin Nim stared at it for a moment. This Ivonailin was slim and good-looking, more like the cultivators she grew up eyeing, but she wasn't interested. Best not to lead him on, because there was no telling what he might do.

So she jumped her way up to the deck of the flying ship first, then gave the servants the name of the closest city to the Frontier elite outpost, just in case. For the first day she was tense, but when no one tried to stab her in the back she began to relax.

Ivonailin's ship truly was luxurious, not simply in its smooth flight but also in a cool mist that arced around the deck and kept out the oppressive heat. She was offered properly cushioned seats, food and drinks, and service like she hadn't experienced since Krysal.

On top of that, Ivonailin and his friend weren't hiding any boorish tendencies. They treated her like a princess, which was a relief after the ribald suggestions she endured on Rosemount. Clearly they were romantically interested in her, and there seemed to be some sort of marriage conflict among the nobles of the Water Union, so the subject was always in the air. But this group seemed more likely to ask for her hand in marriage than propose anything inappropriate.

And yet Zae Zin Nim still felt utterly alone. She stared deeper into the continent and hoped they'd arrive soon.

.

..

.

According to the original plan, Omilaena had been meant to land somewhere between the Wind and Water Unions, then make her way overland to the meeting point. But storm and delays had already cost time and her sailors, unaware of the true plan, decided to put in to a different port.

So screw the plan. Instead of beginning a long and tedious journey, Omilaena set out to find a faster route.

Teleportation was possible on Deadwaste, but only via certain established portals. Only the Frontier guard and other powerful forces used them regularly, especially across large distances. She could use that to her advantage, detect lines of teleportation, and skip over the majority of the trip. If all went well, she could be waiting for Kai and Zae Zin Nim with arrangements already made.

It took several days of no progress, which put her further behind, but eventually she deduced that one of the larger merchants was making unnatural amounts of merchandise disappear. She asked a few questions, dropped a little money and a few coy winks, and managed to learn about his portal access. After that it wasn't so difficult for her to arrange a trip to the other side of the Water Union.

Excellent - in one stroke she'd leapt ahead of the others. Kai had been planning to take the lead, but Omilaena had researched the Frontier guards in the past simply because they were one of the few threats to her on Deadwaste.

She looked through the wavy Water Union buildings until she found one that was far more of a fortress, with powerful mana built into the foundation. That was likely the outpost that Kai wanted them to find. Not hard at all.

Omilaena cheerfully went to the door and knocked. At first there was no response at all, but she pulled a chair out of her spatial bag and sat down theatrically. After she waited long enough, working on absorbing the new sword's metal, the door creaked open.

"The Frontier is neutral," a man told her from the crack. "Whatever you're doing, we don't want to be involved."

"You misunderstand me!" Omilaena hopped back to her feet and put her hand on the door, not forcing it but just exerting her presence. She had been planning to lean forward and emphasize her cleavage, but when she saw the man on the other side she changed her mind.

Surprisingly, the man was Goralian, though he was much slimmer than Kai. But there was a dangerous air about him, his mana felt powerful, and she couldn't pierce his shroud. His hair was graying at the temples but his face was oddly lined, suggesting life extension of some kind. Omilaena had been a little skeptical of the Frontier "elites" but this man was not to be trifled with.

"I want to join you," Omilaena told him. "I know the Frontier is dangerous, but I think I could-"

"No." The door started to close and she had to exert her full strength to keep it open.

"Really? You must be able to feel my power. I think, with training, I could compete at your Frontier."

"You might be strong enough, but I don't trust you," the man told her. "You bribed your way through the portals and you seem like you're used to getting your way. There aren't many from Rosemount who think we have anything to offer, but you aren't the first to try to take from us."

"Wait." Omilaena reached into her pack and pulled out one of the mana flowers from the elves. "I'm not coming as a beggar. I know you need powerful resources to deal with the incursions and I've brought many to trade."

"Unless I miss my guess, you're a poisons master. Trusting what you have to offer doesn't seem so wise."

Ordinarily he would have been completely correct, but this was one of the few times Omilaena wanted to treat fairly with someone. When the man's eyes hardened she didn't press further, so he closed the door in her face. He hadn't even seen her do anything too suspicious, just noted her behavior and met her briefly and he already didn't trust her.

Omilaena glanced around the outpost, looking for weaknesses... and then realized that would only be justifying his mistrust. Maybe she really was fundamentally untrustworthy. Fuck.

Well, she'd still arrived at their destination before the others. If she wasn't allowed entrance, where to next?