Chapter 606: A Plan of Insanities

The announcement wasn't news to the planners, but the rest of them winced as they understood. Omilaena nodded as if she wasn't surprised, Zae Zin Nim frowned, and Kai was just trying to figure out what this meant for him.

"Do they still have silver eyes?" he asked. "I mean, even temporarily?"

"No, there has been no sign of that transformation since you left," Gunjin said. "We don't think the risk of testing again is worth it, either: this is probably what it looks like. They can track you specifically via unknown means."

"Then I'll leave Deadwaste." There was no question about it, not when he'd already been thinking about broader plans. "I know you said it wasn't worth the risk, but on my own I think I can outpace them. I'll lead them out over the oceans where they won't hurt anyone else."

"And then what?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "Let them chase you for months while the rest of us train?"

"I would if necessary. You've seen what they've done here."

"I doubt it will be that easy." Despite being one of the weakest people on the mountaintop, Gunjin still managed to draw all attention back to him. "Their average movement has been toward Kai, but it's inconsistent. Except for during their unusual state, they haven't hunted you with much commitment. The evidence is not consistent with them having a steady conscious awareness of your location."

"Huh." Omilaena began tapping a needle against her thigh as she considered. "Is it possible that there's some power that's subconsciously guiding them toward Kai?"

"While I don't know of any abilities that could cause that, according to your account, we have very strong evidence that something similar has occurred. But the reason I bring it up is that Kai isn't guaranteed to work as bait. They still have their own volition, and can cause plenty of trouble on their way."

"I should still lead them away," Kai said. "We've already lost elites to this, and we can't lose more."

"That's self-sacrificing of you, but we need to consider the long term." Gunjin's eyes shifted around the ring of people grimly. "That means shifting to a new strategy: surrender. Fighting them directly is plainly a path to failure. We need to buy time until we can kill the bastards, and that means taking the path of least resistance."

"There's no guarantee that will work." It was one of the other administrators - Gorndron - who spoke up. "Even without any elites attacking them, the invaders have been violent, and they've shown all the usual traits of conquerors. Your suggestion would be tantamount to handing Deadwaste over to them."

"Only because we lack the ability to inhibit them. The invaders have shown very little regard for human life: if they become aware there's an organization dedicated to defending the continent, I think it's very plausible that they might hold entire cities hostage, threatening to kill everyone unless we reveal ourselves. I think it's better to let them think they've won until we can strike back."

"That's all very easy for you to say when you aren't the one who will be paying the price."

"Actually, that's a strange fact." The next speaker was an administrator from the Fire Union, a small woman Kai hadn't noticed before. "Reports say they found all our food disgusting, and while they've been violent, they haven't been rapacious. This is unusual behavior for invaders."

"I think I can explain that," Omilaena said. "If it's correct that everything in the outside world is phased compared to us, all our food will taste... weak and insubstantial to them. Even the simplest bread out there would be more concentrated than it is here."

"And women?"

"It's just an extension of the unnatural beauty we see in elves or certain cultivators. To them, all of us are missing something, even if they can't see what, which is why they're so insulting. Of course, that isn't going to stop them from committing crimes, but I think it's an accurate explanation."

"Then it's possible that nothing will satisfy them," Gorndron said. "They'll rape and pillage their way across the continent, always unhappy. Which is just another reason why a strategy of appeasement is absolute madness."

"We won't be inactive," Gunjin objected. "While they're traveling in the wasteland, they aren't harming anyone, and we may be able to maximize time there. This is possible during a time such as this, when we don't have any other crises... we're lucky that they didn't arrive before the incursion."

Omilaena immediately shook her head. "Oh, I can't believe the timing is accidental: they arrived because of the incursion. But that's no comfort to anyone they target."

It did seem like a massive problem, and as much as Kai agreed with the objection, he didn't see Gorndron offering any real answers. Kai himself wanted to abandon the meeting and train furiously until he could slaughter the invaders who threatened his home. He needed to force himself to stay, to remember that these decisions could be more important in the short term than any rage or training.

In the long term, however, they needed the power to end this. He continued to think about the Insanities and everything else that he'd encountered on his travels.

There would still be arguments among the elites, but the reality of the situation won out in the end: the invaders were too powerful to confront directly without devastating casualties. For the time being, everyone would delay and try to boost the few who were capable of it to be able to fight the invaders. Their options were grimly few.

While Omilaena negotiated something with the elites, Kai stalked away, his restlessness getting the better of him. He felt guilty, as little sense as it made. Obviously this was the fault of the people who had actually caused this, the invaders or the gray man or whoever else. It was no different from the threat of the other beings returning to annihilate the continent, and all he could do was build up enough power to eventually fight them.

To his surprise, Gunjin came out to stand beside him. Having the older man staring off the mountain with his arms folded helped Kai settle beside him and they just stared for a while.

"I could stay here longer if you want to test," Kai offered. "If they're seeking me, we could jump me from east to west, keeping them moving in the wasteland. I hate to say it, but that might be the most effective use of me."

"No." Gunjin didn't seem to give it even a second of thought. "I think that's a losing strategy, especially when you're our strongest weapon. The Frontier has dealt with a lot of monsters in our time, and this is just another type. Let us take care of Deadwaste... you need to gain the strength to finish them."

"Alright." Kai nodded, his former mentor nodded back, and something passed between them. "Before I go... how many have we lost?"

"Not a single elite died during the incursion... then we lost four against the invaders. It's a bitter pill to swallow, believe me."

"I'll come back and avenge them, I promise."

They parted to their separate paths, not knowing when or if they would reunite. Kai went to find Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena, who were clearly preparing to leave: apparently they had made arrangements for the elites to give them a map to Lostwreck. Even though he wanted to argue, Kai could see the determination in their eyes and knew it had to be this way. Against a threat based on a power advantage, they needed to draw on deeper power of their own.

Tempting as it was to go with them, Kai thought his own path was northwest: not only would it potentially draw away the invaders, it would take him to the paths of the golden dragons and then the Blood Current. Kai might be short on power, but he remembered that his nature had been the only thing that had shocked the gray man.

So if he intended to take this war all the way back to him, Kai needed to fully master that power.

With time of the essence and people potentially dying every hour they delayed, they couldn't afford long goodbyes. Kai kissed his wives farewell, gave Inafay a hug, and shook Gunjin's hand. Then, against the arguments of some of the elites, he headed back to the Water Union to take a major risk and set off the plan.

From the air, the invaders looked like an ordinary band of raiders. They were sitting around a fire, clad in new robes and sitting on ornaments that had been looted from some Water Union palace. Hatred for them surged within Kai, but he couldn't take out one the top five, much less all of them combined plus their dozens of men.

What he could do, however, was bait them. Kai let Thunderbird's Wings grow out to their full potential, then dropped to the ground just north of the camp.

As one, the men rose and turned toward him, their eyes gray. It wasn't simply the five strongest, every single one of the invaders instantly focused on him. When Kai burst away, however, it was only the five most dangerous who were able to keep up. Even when Kai activated his full speed, he was surprised by how slowly he pulled away from them. If he hadn't developed his monstrous essence so much, their superior power might even have let them catch up.

Instead he led them north, toward the ocean and a plan of insanities.