Chapter 3209 Desperate Struggle (Part 2)


    Ra''ntar looked around with Soul Vision to make sure no one was following him while listening with the keen hearing typical of elves.


    When he was certain that no one was close enough to be an immediate threat, he planted his Yggdrasill staff in the ground, activating Root Cause. Even without an active mind link with the World Tree, a Chronicler could activate the breathing technique and give the local flora temporary consciousness.


    Every blade of grass, flower, and weed was now Ra''ntar eyes and ears.


    No matter how good someone was at hiding or how perfect their cloaking devices were. No one could escape the magical and regular senses of the sea of green and killing the plants would reveal the position of an enemy anyway.


    It was the reason Tezka struck the moment the wooden staff hit the soft ground. The index and medium fingers of his right hand pierced the elf''s eyes while his right fist shattered Ra''ntar''s ribcage.


    The bone fragments punctured the Chronicler''s lungs and heart, sealing his breathing technique.


    The Suneater cast his best healing spell on the elf, returning him to his peak condition and making him faint from exhaustion before the readings from Root Cause could converge on the staff and potentially alert the World Tree of his presence.


    ''Chroniclers really are stupid.'' The Suneater''s lips curled up in a wolfish smile under his helmet. ''When will they realize that the information overload from Root Cause leaves them blind, deaf, and dumb for an entire second? It''s like fishing in a barrel.''


    He tied the staff to the elf''s hand with a rope to keep the contact and not alarm the World Tree. Chroniclers weren''t supposed to drop their equipment even in their sleep.


    Then, he cuffed Ra''ntar''s hands and feet behind his back with Adamant links. Even if he woke up, he wouldn''t be able to fight back and his exposed vitals would make it easy to stun him again.


    ''Your master has gone insane one time too many. The Yggdrasill should have never messed with Bytra. That woman is a monster.'' The Suneater looked at his own Darwen armor that covered him from ear to toe claw.


    ''All she needed to learn how to refine and shape the Darwen was the armor fragments from the first ambush and a few days. For some reason, Solus'' disappearance upset Bytra big time and pushed her talent to its limits.


    "Good job, Auros." Tezka said in his communication amulet. "I''m done with my mission and your compliance will be reported to the Master. Now resume your usual patrol route and erase every trace of your joy ride.


    ''Without this baby, I couldn''t have escaped Souls Vision, and capturing this idiot would have been a lot more complicated. Now that we got Lith back, there''s not one moment to lose.''


    To keep her mind focused and fight the waves of pain, Solus thought about everything and everyone that waited for her back in Lutia. She ignored the hopelessness of her present condition and focused on the happy memories of her past.


    On the time she had spent in the tower researching magic with Lith, on all the places they had visited together, and the few memories that still belonged only to the two of them.


    ''She shoots colors everywhere.'' Solus sang in her mind the song that Lith had dedicated to her like a mantra, using the emotions it aroused in her to find what little joy she could. ''She braids her hair...''


    ***


    Garlen continent, at the same time.


    ''She''s like a rainbow!'' The melody echoed through Lith''s exhausted mind, waking him up from his slumber.


    "Solus!" His voice came out muffled like he was talking into a pillow and his instincts rejected his attempts to jump up.


    As his vision cleared up and his hands moved in the darkness to determine his current location, he discovered that his pillow was warm, perky, and had a regular heartbeat.


    "Wrong." A familiar sleepy voice chuckled. "You have two more tries."


    "Kami?" Lith''s memory came back to him as the mental fog of sleep cleared up.


    He tried to get up when Kamila''s hands gently but firmly brought his head back to the embrace of her bosom.


    "Ding, ding, ding. The gentleman wins a prize." She said with a soft voice while kissing his hair. "I won''t kick your ass for calling the wrong name. Again. Have you done this with Solus in the past?"


    She sounded calm, but the question lacked warmth and he could feel her tensing up.


    "Define ''this''." Lith replied. "I have no idea where we are and what you are talking about."