Chapter 424: Strangers At The Gate
Amarena sped to the source of the light, halting as she saw that the portal was forming high above the ground - higher than she could reach with her abilities. Through it, waves of blue-green motes fluttered downward from along the edges, in dense enough clusters to be nearly unavoidable.
A crawling sound behind her alerted her to the movement of the trees. Their roots rose and intertwined as if to block off any potential retreat. Perhaps they’d meant to block her path, but she’d been too swift.
Guess this isn’t going to be as easy as I hoped, Rena thought as she sighed. Her recent evolution had granted her no wings with which to fly, and she hadn’t fully recovered her mana from the "battle" with Orby.
And what kind of name was "Orby"? Kiryu had struck her as the irreverent type, but naming his own creation something so infantile hinted that he was either childishly uncreative, at least with names, or he had no self-respect. At least it made ordering the little construct easier.
"Orby, make a, uh, ladder."
The orb did not respond.
Ten seconds later it went bee-beep.
Great, so it can make frying pans and hammers and bread and bricks but not a damn ladder.
As she walked towards the portal her suspicions were confirmed. The largest part of it was over a clearing in the middle of the island - no, not a clearing, a tiny lake filled with shallow water, which only resembled a clearing thanks to some trick of the reflecting green-blue motes in her manasight. At the center of the lake, beyond the descending curtain of motes, was an island where shrouded figures waited.
Those figures noticed her well before she reached the falling curtain of motes, shuddering a bit from the strange flashes that messed with her sense of orientation and place as she stepped through.
An elf and two humans waited within, standing in front of a large blue-white mound. They all had their backs to her, but the moment Amarena stepped onto the island they turned. The mound rose as well, and Amarena found herself staring into the eyes of a giant spirit that took the form of a mink.