Depthless Hunger

After the initial demonstration, the group spent only another week at the outpost before moving down to the Frontier wall and continuing their training. Despite everything he'd seen, Kai was still left with a sense of awe when he saw the enormous defensive wall that encircled the abyss. The eerie twisting sensation on the inside hadn't been reduced at all either, despite all the auras and glamours and other powers he'd faced.

The training itself felt like being broken back to the basics, relearning the simplest tasks like gathering and using mana, just at a higher level. Trainees were supposed to gather at least half of available mana, and veteran hunters aimed to get most of it, but now they targeted gathering 100%. Omilaena was applying herself to some sort of exposure therapy, training her soul to endure more concentrated power. Most difficult of all were the compression exercises themselves, which felt like trying to squeeze his head through the eye of a needle.

"You're not going to get this in a week," Talndim told them. "I know you're all used to doing things in a fraction of the time and everyone hailing you as geniuses, but this is different. If you grasp anything about phases in under a year, that's damn good."

Zae Zin Nim seemed to be frustrated by her lack of progress, frequently grumbling about cultivation's methods being superior before she made herself try again. For his part, Kai didn't mind. He'd spent plenty of time smashing through barriers with his own face. At least this time he knew he was working toward the next step in obtaining true power.

After another two weeks of training, Inafay and the Tonjin brothers began preparations to leave. Apparently there was a crisis in the Earth Union that the Frontier elites wanted them to take care of. Of course, they were on a different schedule: preparation for the incursion in about four years and joining the Frontier elites the incursion after that.

Kai knew that he'd need to push himself even harder, yet he still wanted to go along. He gathered his closest allies, prepared for an argument but ready to make his case.

"I know we could focus on our training here," he said, "but I think we should go with them. We still need to master a lot of fundamentals, and we can do those as easily traveling as-"

"I'm fine with it," Zae Zin Nim said.

"Wait... you are?"

"Phases are just the next breakthrough, not the whole path to power. One of my goals on Deadwaste was to work on my mana. I want to observe Inafay and others, so traveling would benefit me."

"That was easy. That just leaves..."

Omilaena shrugged. "I can't say I'm enamored with the dead wasteland in every direction here. Sure, let's visit the Earth Union. Maybe by the time we're done, we'll have trained up enough they can teach us more of their secrets."

Once they decision was made, there wasn't much more for them to do. Kai had tried to send off messages to Krysal with Frontier elites traveling between nations, but hadn't heard anything back yet. He really wished that he could go south to meet with Juray, Razz, and others, but couldn't justify the time or portal energy. So there was nothing stopping him from heading off to the Earth Union.

Apparently the plan had been to walk - or more accurately flying when it came to Windborn powers - but Zae Zin Nim insisted that they use the diamond star. It was a bit less roomy with all of them, and coincidentally they had the same number of people as points on the star: Kai, Zae Zin Nim, Omilaena, Raghi and Lofgan, Inafay, and Orotaisin. Someone would have needed to cram into the section that held the controls except that Inafay and Orotaisin shared the same point. Even though they didn't do anything but sleep, this seemed to disconcert Zae Zin Nim.

After they got underway, everyone settled into a routine. Kai cultivated for a while before he eventually caught Inafay's attention. She moved into his section of the diamond star and sat down with her legs crossed opposite him.

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"What's up?" she asked.

"I wanted to talk before we get to the Earth Union," Kai said. "Are you expecting that we'll be able to stroll in, flex, and make things work out again?"

"It'd be nice, wouldn't it?" Inafay grinned but then shook her head. "No, we probably won't be so lucky. In a way, this is actually a consequence of what we did before. The leaders in the Earth Union were responding to the military buildup in the north, so when the Prince of Tides agreed to stop, they had excess capacity. Unless we can do something, they might end up using it."

"But we're not just running in and fighting them."

"No, we have to convince them to play along. We have one thing going for us: some of their leaders contacted the Frontier, instead of just doing whatever they wanted on their own. Unfortunately, the Princess of Quakes and the Prince of Pebbles haven't generally been our biggest fans."

Kai stared at her, not sure if she was being serious. "Is he really called the Prince of Pebbles? Are you telling me there's a Pebbles clan running around the Earth Union?"

"Nope! He named himself that and is, by all accounts, completely nuts." Inafay tapped her forehead. "But apparently he's strong and smarter than he looks, because multiple clans follow him. I don't fully understand Earth Union politics, but he's a wild card. The fact that he's working together with a conservative like the Princess of Quakes is a bad sign for us."

"So we don't really know what to expect."

"I'm feeling pretty confident with the three of you along, though. I know you have to go back to Rosemount, but I'm hoping you can take care of some of these problems."

He wanted to ask about the real problem with the Earth Union: their attempts to ally with or take over Irun. But Inafay had to go talk to the Tonjin brothers and he supposed that it was best to take on one problem at a time. Hopefully they would find a good reason to visit Irun before they had to go back to Rosemount, since he hoped it might be useful for Omilaena.

The trip itself was smooth and enjoyable. Having so many people in the diamond star prevented private conversations, but the group developed its own camaraderie. Zae Zin Nim started out distant and began to warm up after talking to Inafay about mana exercises. Omilaena figured out that she could easily tease the Tonjin brothers and so regularly taunted them without causing any hard feelings. By the time they were flying over Earth Union territory, Kai felt like they were a decent team.

Almost all of the region was composed of rock, but he quickly figured out that there was dead rock and living rock. Some areas had stone pillars brimming with mana along with various hardy plants while others were as desolate as the wastelands. They began to see Earthborn communities in the living areas, but there was no time to go meet them since they were on a deadline.

Eventually they reached their destination: not a grand palace or city, but a place Inafay called the Adobe Retreat. There seemed to be a cluster of low buildings that were connected by long pillared walkways, thus forming a series of squares. In the center of each square was a surprisingly lush garden. He understood why leaders of the Earth Union might want to travel there to relax.

Even from a distance, Kai could see that there were two different factions, each with their own set of tents and transportation. The much larger group in amber must be the princess, while the smaller multi-colored caravan represented the prince. By the time their group had landed, a delegation had come out to meet them. Kai couldn't pick out the Prince of Pebbles, but saw a well-dressed group he assumed represented the Quakes clan.

"Welcome to the Adobe Retreat," a severe-looking woman with gray streaks in her hair said. "Thank you for coming. I am the Princess of Quakes."

"Pleased to meet you." Inafay took the lead and swept a bow. "We hope that we'll be able to convince you that an alliance with the Frontier is the best way to keep the Earth Union prosperous and-"

"Not so fast. We heard what happened with the Prince of Tides and we won't let you push your will on us with force." The Princess of Quakes opened a glistening amber fan and began to wave herself, also hiding her lower face. "Remember that the Earth Union takes the brunt of each incursion. If you want our support, you need to prove that we can solve our problems better with you than without you."

Inafay's smile thinned. "We're here to help, but remember, we're training to defend you at the Frontier. We're not little errand boys and messenger girls that you can send to do your dirty work."

"Wouldn't dream of it!" An old man with a shock of hair sticking upright suddenly moved closer and Kai realized that he must be the Prince of Pebbles. "Oh no, we have some real problems. And some challenges! Unless you want me to withdraw all my clans, I demand you face my challenges!"

The Princess of Quakes narrowed her eyes above her fan, clearly frustrated. Kai wondered just what circumstances had forced these two to work together. It sounded like this was going to be a strange challenge.