Empire Burning (Emerilia Book 11)
Page 3
Dave breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”
“Dave, I haven’t asked this before but with all of the fleets that are going to be fighting in the Jukal star systems, what use are the rest of us? We’re not pilots or even have experience in a space-type game,” Josh said.
“The Jukal Empire don’t have just space forces and their fleet—they also have forces on the ground. We will need to capture or kill these groups. These are the governors and people placed into power by the Jukal. Removing them will remove the Jukal Empire’s influence from those planets. Once the Jukal fleet is dealt with, then we’re going to need every mage, shield bearer, rogue, and archer out there to defeat these forces. When we get to the main planets, it will be nearly impossible to defeat the shields in these different locations, so we will need to drop forces on the ground to cut off communications, take their supplies and disrupt them wherever we can. Already the drop forces have missions right now to be landed on multiple stations and planets to disrupt the Jukal Empire’s activities, drop off supplies and then return. We can’t just win a fight from the stars—we’re going to need people on the ground,” Dave said.
“The Jukal love to see violence and have a number of arenas to watch people fight. Emerilia was just one way for them to get their fix. On the Jukal planets, we can expect that people will fight us with magic, swords, plasma rifles, and all combinations of different weapons.” Anna’s voice came through speakers in the room, interrupting their conversation.
“The Navy softens them up, and we take them down—I like it,” Josh said. “All right, well, I’ll help the overseers with the rest of this mess. I’ve got a meeting with the Jakan coming up as well.”
“Good luck,” Malsour said.
“I have a good feeling about it! Talk later.” Josh cut the chat.
Dave looked to his notifications that had started blinking as Josh started talking to him.
“Malsour, be ready if I fall over,” Dave said.
“What did you do now?” Malsour asked.
“Stats?” Dave said weakly, scratching his head sheepishly as he pressed his notification bar. He scrolled down the notifications.
Quest: Friend of the Grey God Level 8
End the: Of Myths and Legends Event
Rewards: Unlock Level 9 Quest
Increase to stats
+10 to stats (stacks with previous class levels)
+800,000 EXP
Quest: Friend of the Grey God Level 9
Free Emerilia
Rewards: Unlock Level 10 Quest
Increase to stats
Class: Friend of the Grey God
Status:
Level 8
Effects:
+80 to all stats
Access to hidden quests.
Access to the Imperial Carrier Datskun
Quest Completed: Bleeder Level 6
End the: Of Myths and Legends Event
Rewards: Unlock Level 7 Quest
Increase to stats +10 increase to stats (stacks with previous class levels)
+600,000 EXP
Class: Bleeder
Status:
Level 6
Effects:
+60 to all stats
Ability to use Jukal Link
Quest: Bleeder Level 7
Free Emerilia
Rewards: Unlock Level 8 Quest
Increase to stats
Level 205
You have reached Level 205; you have 5 stat points to use.
Dave opened his character sheet and started to allocate his five stat points to Intelligence.
Character Sheet
Name:
David Grahslagg
Gender:
Male
Level:
205
Class:
Dwarven Master Smith, Friend of the Grey God, Bleeder, Librarian, Skill Creator, Aleph Engineer, Weapons Master, Champion Slayer, Master of Space and Time, Master of Gravitational Anomalies, The Few the Mighty, Lord of Earth
Race:
Human/Dwarf
Alignment:
Chaotic Neutral
Unspent points: 0
Health:
5,750
Regen:
27.02 /s
Mana:
17,530
Regen:
64.45 /s
Stamina:
5,920
Regen:
57.90 /s
Vitality:
575
Endurance:
1,351
Intelligence:
1,753
Willpower:
1,309
Strength:
592
Agility:
1,158
Dave looked up, finding Josh standing there, waiting for him.
“Actually, I have a special mission for you, if you choose to accept?” Dave asked. He almost started up a new party chat but instead laughed. There was no need to worry about the Jukal listening in on what they were saying and doing.
“What are you, bloody M? All secretive and that? What are you thinking?” Josh asked.
“I’m thinking that I might need you to take a long trip.”
“Thanks, didn’t know that I was that bad to see all the time.” Josh chuckled.
“I’m sending you a file. Check it out and let me know what you think,” Dave said. “I’ve got to check on Jung Lee. It seems he’s got something ready for the Blood Kin.”
“What? Dave, is this mission what I think it is?” Josh asked, his shock clear.
“What do you think?”
“This ain’t going to be no simple quest but I think I can handle it with a few others,” Josh said seriously.
“Good. Also, there’s some equipment that Malsour can hook you up with that might make things easier.”
“What about running the Terra Alliance?” Josh asked.
“I think Lucy could do that in your stead if you needed it,” Dave thought out loud.
“Yeah, all right. I’ll look over the quest and see if it is even remotely possible.”
“Later.” Dave teleported and transitioned through portals before he reached Jung Lee and Yemi, who were in Jung Lee’s laboratory. All of his Affinity spirits were moving around the room, looking after the different potions and workstations in the room. Free Affinity spirits that could wander freely and had instead taken over command of Jung Lee were now regaled to lab assistants.
“Hey, Dave.” Jung Lee tipped a bit of powder into the crucible in front of him and then increased the flame underneath.
Jung Lee was now one of the most powerful people within Emerilia. With Bob’s increase, his base stats, and the Affinity spirits that he commanded, there were few who could compete with him in combat; that being said, Jung Lee was a crafter at heart and preferred not to fight if possible. He did it if he needed to, but as always, his passion was making potions and other remedies.
“What’s up?” Dave looked to them both.
Jung Lee held up his hand as he indicated to the little drawers on one side of the room. Affinity spirits shot out from his hand, moving to the wall and grabbing items before returning them.
“Sorry, he’s a bit busy,” Yemi said with a kind smile, indicating for Dave to follow her a little bit away from Jung Lee so that he could concentrate on his potion making.
“As you know, he has been making potions that were able to supplement us with the blood essence we need to retain our strength and vitality. He decided he was not satisfied with simply replacing it; he instead started to work with us to try to find potions that would provide a greater increase in energy for us. I have been working with him to help him test out these potions and he is getting closer and closer to it. He made a potion that was the equivalent of nearly fifty vials of pure blood essence of a level 400 beast. Though he wasn’t happy with just that.”
“Dave, can you get Jules for me? I’ll need her in about three minutes,” Jung Lee said, not looking up from his potion that
was unleashing a powerful and bloody aroma.
“One minute.” Dave smiled at Yemi and teleported away. Jules was the lead healer of the Stone Raiders. She had become one of the largest figures within healing circles and ran the hospital within Terra. She’d saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives and trained hundreds of people through the Mirror of Communication college.
Right now, she, like Jung Lee, was actually in Ice City, working with people there to come to a greater understanding of the healing instruments that had been made by the Pandora’s Initiative.
He appeared in Ice City’s hospital ward, where a group of healers, mages, and rune coders were talking with Jules and her people about the different machines that they’d created.
“Hi, Jules. Jung Lee was asking if he might have a moment of your time,” Dave said as she was studying a healing vat. It looked like a bathtub with runic lining covering the inside and outside. There was a vat of red liquid that was a highly potent healing potion that could bring nearly anyone back from the brink or at least stabilize them for the healers to get involved.
“What does he need me for?” Jules asked.
“He’s testing out a new potion on the Blood Kin and wants you to watch over,” Dave said.
Jules frowned and then shrugged. “Sounds good to me. I have questions for him about his healing potion as well.” Jules glanced to the healing potion vat off to the side of the room.
“I’m sure he would be more than happy to help you with that.” Dave smiled, knowing that Jung Lee, like himself, loved to talk about the different things he was working on.
He teleported them both out of the hospital and into Jung Lee’s lab.
Jung Lee had three of his Affinity spirits around the potions he was working on. Wind, Earth, and Fire Affinities worked together. The potion started to solidify and then divided into a half-dozen green and orange pills.
The spirits moved away, the Air one guiding the crucible to Jung Lee. He grabbed it out of the air and tilted it, catching one of the pills and studying it. He rolled it in his fingers and sniffed it, closing his eyes. “Okay, this should work.” Jung Lee held the pill up and looked around the room. “Ah, Jules, been awhile,” he said with a big smile.
“I heard that you needed me for something?” Jules looked at the pill in Jung Lee’s hand.
“Yes! Check this out.” Jung Lee handed over the pill to Jules.
“What is it?” She studied it and rolled it in her fingers.
“This is a blood enriching pill. When consumed, it will coat the interior veins of the Blood Kin. Then, whenever they drink or consume blood essence, it will be purified by the coating of their veins and increase the amount of power they gain from the potion by about ten times,” Jung Lee said with no small amount of pride.
Yemi took in a sharp breath. Her eyes shined as she looked at the pill in Jules’s hand and then to the dozen or so that were in the crucible next to Jung Lee.
“Now, for the best results, the pill would need to be guided through the different veins, allowing it to be fully absorbed. The more veins the pill travels through, the higher strength it will have, also the greater the secondary effect will be. That is, that the blood essence when it is going through the veins of the Blood Kin will be directly absorbed into their body instead of just stored within their veins as power to be burned. This will mean that their bodies will be stronger and even if they burn all of their blood essence, they will survive, and in a dire situation they can burn the blood essence within their body, which will have more energy than that within their veins,” Jung Lee continued.
Saying that the simple blue and orange pill was miraculous wouldn’t be an understatement. It wouldn’t have much use to many people but to the Blood Kin, it was one of their most precious opportunities.
“Once again, I’m in awe of your abilities.” Jules shook her head.
“Thank you,” Jung Lee said with a sweeping bow. On his success, his normally stiff exterior was replaced by the more childish and excitable alchemist that hid underneath.
Dave snorted as he thought of how Jung Lee had run off with a trowel in hand as soon as he’d gained free rein of Earth’s hall.
Apparently, there had been nothing left in the plant garden. Someone had plucked every plant up from the ground without leaving even a hair of a root behind.
Dave only had to look at the private growing area to see a number of plants that were nearly impossible to find across Emerilia.
“When could we test it out?” Yemi stepped forward, her eyes on the pill.
Jules looked to her and then Jung Lee. “I don’t see any problem in starting now.” Jules shrugged.
Jung Lee nodded in agreement.
“Okay, lay down on that table and we can get started,” Jules said.
Yemi did as told and Jules passed her the pill.
“I’m going to check the condition of your body first.” Jules rubbed her hands together to warm them up. She placed them on Yemi, sending her Mana into her as she looked over Yemi’s body with her eyes that were now covered in a blue mist.
After a few minutes, she removed her hands. “Okay, I have a good understanding of your veins now. So let’s begin. Take the pill and let me do what I need to. If you feel something strange, don’t worry—that is just me. You have to do your best to not use your Mana or fight back. Otherwise it will reduce the effect of the pill,” Jules said.
“Okay,” Yemi said with a firm nod. She took the pill, swallowing it down without pausing, and stared up at the ceiling above.
Mana circulated around Jules before she poured power into Yemi. A golden light could be seen throughout Yemi’s body. Yemi shuddered as the pill changed form into a gas and was inhaled into her lungs. It paused for a moment. The golden light became more saturated as the single point of light became larger, filling the interior of Yemi’s lungs.
Jules took a breath and then waved her hands apart. Golden light covered Yemi’s lungs, passing through them and entering Yemi’s bloodstream. Yemi’s back arched as she let out a groan; all of the veins in her body started to glow with a golden light, reaching up through her neck and to her eyes that shone with powerful light.
Dave covered his eyes and was only able to glance sideways at Yemi as the larger arteries shone with light that continued on into the smaller blood vessels that reached deep into Yemi’s musculature across her body. The golden light started to dim as her body started to glow, turning from her pale coloring to a fleshy redness.
The blood circulated and then passed through the veins, heading back through the body. Now the golden light was dimmer; it was strongest around the blood vessels but every inch of Yemi’s body now had a golden glow to it.
Dave and Jung Lee watched. If this worked, then it would be a massive boon for the Blood Kin who had done so much for the Terra Alliance and Pandora’s Box Initiative.
After a few minutes, Jules lowered her hands and stumbled back a bit, her face pale. Jung Lee was there with a Stamina potion. Jules nodded in thanks, downing part of it as the color returned to her face.
Yemi sat up on the table, looking at her body as the golden glow from Jules’s magic disappeared and instead she was able to look at the reddish coloration of her skin. The Blood Kin always looked as if they were half a foot in the grave, their skin like untouched marble, smooth and pure white. However, now with the pill’s effects, it was as if Yemi’s body was once again becoming alive.
Her veins now had a green color to it instead of being red as they contained the power of the blood essence she had consumed.
Jung Lee held out a pill to Yemi. It looked as if it were a blood-red gem or a hard candy. Yemi took it and popped it into her mouth. Almost immediately, a blush rose on her cheeks as she consumed the pill. A strong aura emanated out from her body as her eyes remained closed for a few minutes. Finally, they opened, with clear shock held within.
“It…it works!” Yemi looked to Jung Lee, Jules, and Dave in shock, not believing what was ha
ppening within her body.
“Good. It will take more time to get the rest of the Blood Kin to fuse the pill with their bodies. In the meantime, I will make more blood crystals.” Jung Lee smiled.
“Jung Lee, this... I...” Yemi said, at a loss for words.
“Don’t worry about repaying me. I love alchemy, pills, and potions. Doing this was a joy for me. Emerilia, now more than ever, needs the help of the Blood Kin. I just wanted to help you out as you’ve helped us. Also, it was a bit of a difficult problem and it was fun to create a solution.” Jung Lee’s solemn words turned into a playful smile with his last words.
Dave laughed as Jules held a bemused smile on her face.
Yemi held back tears and got off the table, hugging Jung Lee. “Thank you,” she said in a soft voice.
She might be the matriarch of the Blood Kin, but she was just another person. For a very long time, she had few people she could place trust in, and even fewer people she could go to with her problems.
Dave’s smile was filled with memories as he looked at the people in the room and thought of how he, too, had come to find people he trusted and valued within Emerilia.
Chapter 2: Poking A Hornet’s Nest
“Coming out of the wormhole!” Navigation called out as the BloodHawk exited the wormhole it had punched through space. Other wormholes appeared around it as the rest of the fleet followed it. Opening one massive wormhole to encompass them all took much more energy than them breaking down into groups or even single ships and transitioning between systems.
“Sensor buoy is up and running. I don’t see any Jukal ships in the area,” Sensors called out.