Chapter 3468: A Matter of Trust (Part 1)

“If the need arises, your help will be invaluable and the Council will properly compensate you for your time.” Feela’s words were welcomed with cheers.

Getting paid just for standing around and doing nothing was a dream come true even for Awakened.

“Thank you, brother.” Lith walked up to Tezka to thank him. “Your presence wasn’t needed but knowing you were here boosted my confidence.”

“Don’t mention it.” The Fylgja sniffed the air, recognizing a familiar scent. “Is it what I think it is?”

“Correct.” Lith nodded. “The first of many, it seems.”

“Good luck with your endeavor and let me know if you are interested in selling the thing once you put it together.” Tezka laughed.

“Thanks, and we’ll see.” Lith replied. “Can I count on you if things go south?”

“Yeah, but always remember it will take me time to arrive. Unless you send me your location in advance, of course.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Lith ignored the offer.

’Like I’d risk giving Vastor access to the World Tree’s repository of knowledge. Heck, even I don’t know what I’ll do once I get my hands on it.’ He thought.

Only once the siege was broken and the beasts on their way to their respective homes did Lith open his hand and let the shard of light point the way.

“Thanks for your trust, little brother.” Zoreth didn’t miss how he had not sent her away after learning how high the stakes were.

“Please, if there’s someone I can trust, it’s the godmother of my daughter.” Lith said as the group flew at high speed. Find adventures at empire

When the compass pointed them in a clear direction, they Warped forward dozens of kilometers and then kept flying until it stabilized again.

“She’s what?” Feela was flabbergasted.

“You heard me.” Lith noticed how the closer they got to the next fragment, the more condensed and brighter the shard in his hand became. “Xenagrosh is the closest thing to a Tiamat I know and the fact she’s damn powerful and family it’s a huge plus in my book.”

“Eyes on the prize.” It was Lotho’s turn to open a Warp Steps leading the group as far as he could. “The shard is spinning.”

They stopped flying and waited for the fragment to stop.

“Below?” Lith said in confusion.

There was nothing around them that even the Eyes of Menadion could perceive. On top of that, the shard moved erratically as if it couldn’t pinpoint its target.

“This is weird.” Solus said. “The signal got clearer as we approached and now that we are in proximity of our target the fragment can’t pinpoint it anymore?”

They landed on the ground but the fragment kept pointing down.

“This has just gone from weird to nonsensical.” Lotho said. “No World Sapling lives underground. They are too big and require sunlight to grow.”

“Nonsensical or not, we know what to do.” Lith released a pulse of earth magic that dug a pit reaching dozens of meters of depth.

The group had descended for about half a kilometer when the ground rose to meet them.

“Who are you and what do you- Lith?” A mass of orange mist-like fog said.

“You… You?” Lith knew the creature but had no memory of its name.

’Loma, you Lich!’ Solus rebuked him. ’He was a fungus folk when we met him in Kulah and had evolved into a Horde when he participated in the test for Awakened disciples staged in the fake Urgamakka.’

“I mean, Loma?” Lith quickly corrected himself. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question.” The Horde was a hive creature whose body was comprised of thousands of small fungi each with its own mana core but sharing one mind.

Loma reassembled themselves into a humanoid figure made of thick orange smoke.

“But since you asked first, I’m here on Hordes’ business. One of us had a sudden revelation and asked us to join him.”

“Hordes?” Lotho echoed. “As in more than one? And what do you mean, him?”

“All eight of us.” Loma nodded. “Our entire race assembled because this is an important matter that will determine our future. As for your second question, I’m as surprised as you are. We Hordes are our own mothers, fathers, and children.

“We have no gender nor can we reproduce.” He sighed wistfully. “Your turn.”

“I’m looking for the fragments of the shattered consciousness of the World Tree.” Lith replied, obtaining stern glares from his companions that he ignored. “Did you notice anything weird around here?”

“Weirder than the assembly? No.” Loma shook their head.

“Is it by any chance taking place in the direction pointed by my shiny compass?”

“Funny you ask.” Loma replied. “I was sent here to investigate the noise coming from above and that spinning thing more or less encompasses the area we’ve spread our bodies.”

“Spread?” Solus asked in confusion.

“Wow. We have yet to reach the caves and there’s already echo here.” The Horde scoffed. “Yes, spread. My people don’t take humanoid form unless we have to interact with other races, just like you don’t dress up just to sit on your couch.

“We are still fungi. We like to lie around in humid places and snack on anything we find.”

“This answers a few of our questions but opens many more.” Lotho tried and failed to make sense of their situation. “How can a Horde have what we are looking for?”

“If we are talking about questions, I’ve gotten quite a few of my own and I won’t let you go forward until I get some answers.” Loma’s body became denser. “Let’s start with something simple. What are you doing here and what’s that thing?”

The Horde pointed at the shard.

“Loma, I know we have met only twice but I need you to trust me.” Lith replied. “If things are as I suspect, I’m going to need your help. You have to convince the other Hordes to let me deal with the one who summoned you Hordes here and keep him from escaping.”

Hordes were nigh-immortal. As long as a single batch of spores remained alive somewhere, they could rebuild the entire Horde in a matter of minutes. Many of the fungal creatures hid parts of themselves in multiple locations, making them hard to find and impossible to eliminate.

’If the shard of World Tree can move freely inside the Horde, I need to locate the exact section of the life force currently holding the fragment and recover it before it can be moved away.’ Lith thought.

“You freed me, Lith Verhen. You did more than save my life, you rescued me from an eternity of slavery and suffering. For that, you have my eternal gratitude. Yet trust is a road that goes both ways.

“I can do whatever you ask me without questions but my brethren won’t reserve you the same treatment. Unless you give me a solid argument, I wouldn’t worry about them refusing to help so much as attacking you.

“After the Plaguespreader killed one of us, there are only eight Hordes left in the whole Mogar.” Loma lowered two denser packs of spores on their face that Lith assumed were supposed to look like eyes.