Depthless Hunger

Chapter 94: Idiocy in the Face of the Apocalypse

At last they came into sight of Monskon City. Kai had skipped his training for the first time in ages because he had a feeling he would need every drop of strength. The problem was how to deal with his return. During an incursion some rules were relaxed in favor of survival, but he wasn't sure how much the locals actually knew. If they had obeyed the evacuation order, there should already have been crowds streaming southward...

"Class potion." Zae Zin Nim poked him in the side and he realized that he was about to charge into a monster hunter city looking like a monster in the middle of a monster attack.

"Right." He drank a standard Warrior potion and winced at the taste. "I'm not sure how we'll be received or what the local politics are. Please follow my lead."

"I don't care about Goralian politics at all, I just stay quiet and then attack whoever you start punching."

He'd thought that drinking Class potions before encountering anyone was second nature, but the possibility of an early monster incursion had gotten him worked up. It wasn't just a mistaken estimate, he was sure of that. Monster incursions were one of the greatest possible threats to civilization, yet he felt sure that this was something worse.

As they approached the gates, Kai saw some people building up new defenses in the streets, but there were no more guards than normal. Either they hadn't received the evacuation orders or they had chosen to ignore them. Or... he supposed it was possible that the Hunters Guild had received the order and withheld the information from the people.

"Hey!" One of the guards at the gate finally noticed him and took a step forward. "Kai, you can't be back here. If the Lantrians see you..."

The guard's partner just drew her sword. "If you want to participate in the monster incursion, you have to prove your strength with a series of duels to-"

"I don't have time for this," Kai said. He grabbed both guards by the top of their armor, hoisted them into the air, and walked into the city waving them around. "Gunjin Granfian! I have critical information about the monster incursion!"

None of the guards made any attempts to stop him, even those he was carrying. Perhaps they sensed the difference. For so long he'd been inferior to them because their Classes could have torn through his body easily. Now that he wasn't so easy to kill, he could see the abilities for what they were: a minor source of power that had never grown into anything more.

Still, he set down the guards and didn't make any sudden moves. Even if they seemed weak to him, the local hunters could still defend the city against a significant number of monsters. There was no sense weakening the city right before it would be sorely tested.

He'd hoped to see people he knew, but at most a few of the hunters looked vaguely familiar. Kai peered deeper into the city, looking for Gunjin but actually hoping to see Juray or Inafay. What would Zae Zin Nim think of them? He suspected that she would get along with Juray politely and could actually be friends with Inafay, if they could get over the personality clash.

"This is a bad time, Kai." Gunjin emerged onto the street through a portal, which was an absurd expense. Then again, given the bags beneath his eyes and his thousand-yard stare, he seemed to be living in absurd times. Kai decided not to waste any time on reunions.

"Do you know that the south is sending people into the Frontier to undermine the elites?"

Gunjin's eyes widened just slightly for a moment, then he turned to command the guards. "Everyone stand down. Incursion business."

That seemed to be good enough for the local hunters. Gunjin gestured to the side and a shimmering blue portal appeared in the street. No choice but to head through it, bringing them into a slate gray room with several portal generators on the walls.

Immediately Kai realized that they weren't in the local Hunters Guild. No, this was the bedrock beneath the Granfian complex. After having been in the clan for his entire life, Kai had always needed to go to the Guild for anything to do with portals. Apparently his old mentor had more secrets, but this wasn't the time to argue over details.

"Normally I wouldn't do this, but the threat is worse than expected." Gunjin sagged against the wall where the portal had been and rubbed his eyes roughly. "Whatever else you may be, Kai, your heart is in the right place when it comes to monsters."

"Sir... I mean, Gunjin." Old habits were clinging to him now that he was back, but Kai shook them off. "Is it really that bad?"

"I miscalculated. The incursions do fluctuate, but there's a massive external variable I still don't understand." Abruptly regaining his composure, Gunjin straightened and directed them to follow him through the only ordinary door to another room. "It might not matter. I expected an incursion that would threaten to destroy Goralia, but this is orders of magnitude worse than my worst fears."

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Instead of portals, the second room contained a spare bed, a desk, and a bookshelf. Only a large map on one wall stood out and Kai immediately recognized the familiar ring of the Frontier nations. Seen from above, the Frontier wall was perfectly circular. What he'd never seen before were strange lines drawn around it, curling as if they represented wind or some other force.

"If the threat is really so large," Zae Zin Nim said, "then isn't everyone dead no matter what?"

Gunjin glanced at her briefly and apparently decided he didn't care. "Using normal tactics, yes. There are two other paths. First, we could save some people if we focused our strength and fought a defensive retreat. Second... some of my contacts in the Elemental Nations say that there have been signs of spatial manipulation. Like our portals, but vastly larger. We may be getting guests from outside the continent who will change the equation."

"Cloudspire or Rosemount?"

Instead of answering, Gunjin just kept staring at his map. There was nothing Kai could do about such complex issues, so he recalled the map Razz had shown them and tapped the appropriate place. "Apparently the southern group is going to cross into the Frontier at this point. Other than that they believe the Frontier elites are faking or manipulating the incursions somehow, that's all I know."

"Just like the south to piss away our only chance." Gunjin scowled as he stared at the point. "The problem is that the Frontier wall was created in ancient times and serves a critical role in redirecting the force of incursions. Fools meddling with that balance at a time like this could lead to a collapse we couldn't repair and monsters would flood toward it. That would be the end of Goralia."

"Can we do something?"

"This may be the one issue we can do something about. There's no time to waste. If you're not volunteering, I suggest you run. If you're really going to fight for the city that banished you, prepare yourselves while I gather everyone available. Our best chance is to stop this ill-conceived expedition before it enters."

Kai glanced over at Zae Zin Nim, who shrugged. He would have expected the mention of travelers possibly from her home continent to bother her more, but apparently she still considered this passé. Hopefully she was right and monster incursions were just a trivial problem that no one outside of Deadwaste thought was important.

He didn't think she was right.

Gunjin took them back to the Granfian training yard. The square he'd spent so much time working in had been transformed by a flurry of activity. Instructors, old veterans, and new trainees were all arming themselves and preparing. The veterans looked the most nervous: they knew what they faced.

"Kai? What the hell are you doing here?"

He turned to look and saw Yangil Granfian, who he hadn't thought about in a long time. "This isn't the time for old squabbles," Kai said before the other man could get started. "Gunjin is putting together a group to stop the incursion from getting worse."

"And you think you're coming along? We lost a good hunter to the Aquagorgon because of you!"

"You know what really..." Old anger had been building within Kai, but then it began to drain. Why was he arguing about something so long ago? Instead of letting the adrenaline take him, he looked at Yangil with his spiritual sight.

Name: Yangil Granfian

Total Power: 50

Knight Class: 11 (21)

Physique Level: G-9 (18)

Soul Level: 3 (9)

>

In the nearly a year since they had last met, Yangil's Knight Class had increased from 9 to 11. That raised his total power by 2, barely reaching 50. The realization didn't make Kai feel superior, just tired. Arguing with someone so weak was absolutely meaningless.

That didn't mean he could calm the situation. Before he could decide what to say, Gunjin sped past them barking orders. "Yangil, you're with the advance group. No petty feuds. Give Kai anything he wants."

"But sir..." It was too late, as Gunjin had already moved past him. Yangil turned back to Kai with a grimace. "You'd better not fail us like last time. And if you think I'll let you use this to humiliate me..."

"I don't care. Could I get a message to Inafay Corinin?"

"Not possible. She and most of the strongest new hunters headed into Irun for some kind of tournament. That's part of the reason we're rushing the defenses. No one thought the incursion could come so soon."

Since Kai didn't think Yangil would lie about something like that, he nodded and turned away. Maybe it didn't matter, especially if their mission went smoothly. But the ominous feeling that had been growing inside him for days made him fear that he would need every ally he could get. When it came to their survival in the face of a disaster, he already knew he couldn't trust Yangil.

That only left Juray, but Kai didn't know how to bring that up. He couldn't just say that he wanted to visit an old lover because he missed her. Presumably she would be working hard in her shop, trying to convert the piles of resources being shoveled at her into emergency potions. She wouldn't flee, which meant that if the incursion reached Monskon City...

"No more chatter!" Gunjin appeared from another portal that remained open behind him. "Everyone in this group is headed to the Frontier. Our goal is not to engage with any monsters, solely to prevent a group of southern fools from destroying our only chance of survival. We negotiate with them if possible, but use force if necessary. If they make it into the Frontier, I'll need to find my contacts there. Understood?"

Everyone nodded their understanding. Kai wanted to examine the group more carefully, but they were immediately urged through the portal. He felt the same disorientation that he had before, then he found himself standing on the Frontier wall.

Only wasteland as far as he could see. Judging from the sun, he was facing south, outside the Frontier, yet the southern group was nowhere in sight. For a moment he was actually naive enough to hope that they had arrived early, then he heard someone curse behind him.

When Kai turned around, he saw the expedition immediately. They were already inside, traveling toward the heart of the Frontier.