Book 3, chapter 14

Laying on the hot sand, staring up at an alien sky, Zee wondered if this was the end. Was she going to bleed out and die? Had she really been killed by an overgrown chicken?

The thought was so absurd that it made her laugh. Which of course made her side flare with pain.

What sort of chicken was ten feet tall, and had talons that put most daggers to shame? Heavy footfalls approached, the sound of steel boots on sand filling her ears. After a few seconds, the sweltering was blocked off as Dern loomed over her.

He glared down at her, which shouldn't be possible without a head.

"Are you going to just lay there bleeding out all day?" Dern asked, his deep voice entering her mind.

"Can't you see I am injured?" Zee asked, speaking to him with her mind instead of her mouth.

He snorted in her head. "I can see that, but I can also see that you are being an idiot. Stop your moping and take one of the healing pills you have in your spatial storage." Dern ordered.

Zee groaned, "But wouldn't it be incredibly heroic if I went out saving someone? Just think about it, I might even get a story written about me." Zee said.

"You are just being moody because you got rejected," Dern said.

"Thanks for that by the way," Zee said unhappily.

Dern simply glared down at her. Zee grimaced feeling bad for putting the blame on him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that," Zee said, wincing as her scalp throbbed in pain.

"I know. Now stop procrastinating and take a healing pill before the others arrive."Dern said.

She reached into her spatial storage and pulled out a small pill, tossing it into her mouth. It was one of her better healing pills, though it wasn't one of her very limited E-grade pills.

The peak F-grade pill fell into her stomach, radiating a deep soothing energy throughout her body.

Immediately, her wounds started tingling, as waves of energy swirled through her body.

With a groan, she slowly rose to her feet, wondering how long it would take the others to arrive. Her eyes landed on the unconscious Ralfineous, still bleeding out in the sand.

She staggered over, falling to her knees next to him and stuffing a healing pill into his mouth. His breaths were soft and light, the deep gashes on his back visibly closing.

Somewhere along the way, the guard had passed out from either hitting his head or blood loss. Zee sat back on the sand next to him, exhausted.

As it turned out, she didn't have to wait long. Malden arrived first, appearing next to her and his downed teammate in a puff of sand.

The crown prince looked down at her, an odd look on his cat-like face.

His eyes landed on her many bleeding cuts, and her hand cradling her tender ribs.

"What took you so long? I thought you have a teleportation power?" Zee said, uncomfortable with his assessing look.

Malden scowled. "I do, but it was on cooldown. Besides, We were being attacked by an uppity six-legged lizard when that bird swooped in. I didn't have time to come immediately. "Malden said, his ears twitching in agitation.

"Is everyone alright?"Zee asked.

"That lizard was tougher than we expected. My team got a few minor injuries, but nothing lethal. Ralfineous definitely got it the worst. He was knocked out by the lizard right before the bird swooped in." Malden said gesturing to Ralfineous, who looked to be breathing much easier now.

"Those claw marks on his back look pretty nasty." Zee said, with a grimace.

"Yours don't look much better. That spire hawk got you good." Malden said, amusement entering his voice.

Zee laughed, exhaling sharply, as her damaged ribs protested.

"It was pretty tough for an oversized chicken, but don't worry, I had it well in hand." Zee said.

Malden raised an eyebrow, glancing her over, eying her torn and bloody clothes.

She looked like she had leaped into a field of knives.

Her clothes were in tatters, blood leaked from slowly closing cuts on her arms legs, and back. The birds curved talons had really done a number on her. A thin trail of blood seeped down her cheek, flowing from a cut along her scalp. He finally spoke, his tone concerned.

"That, 'chicken' did a number on you. You should rest and let that healing pill do its job." Malden said.

"I will be fine. I already feel much better. Besides, I need to harvest that bird before it starts rotting in this heat." Zee said.

With that, she stagger towards the downed bird, her spatial ripple picking up the concerned look on his face.

Zee's team arrived a minute later, in time to witness her and Dern butchering the giant bird.

"Oh wow! That is a big bird." Bastion said.

Zee didn't look up from her work cutting away meat and feathers, putting the rare meat in her spatial storage.

"Yes. Malden said it's called a spire hawk." Zee said.

"Spire hawk? That's a good catch. Those are really rare. Be careful with its plumage. Its feathers are the most valuable part." Yukna said.

"Really? How much are they worth?" Zee asked curiously. Yukna walked over, kneeling beside her in the sand and running her fingers through its incredibly soft feathers.

"With this quality and amount, you could easily make three thousand Dara," Yukna said.

Zee whistled softly, eying the damaged yellow and blue feathers on its back with some regret.

That much Dara might be pocket change for someone like crown prince Malden, but it was a fortune to her.

She eyed the rest of it, a wide smile splitting her face. "Is the meat good to eat?" Zee asked.

"That depends on how good of a cook is preparing it," Yukna said.

Zee glanced back at Bastion, meeting his piercing orange eyes for a moment.

It was brief but the momentary eye contact made her emotions come flooding back.

She quickly looked away, the brief glance reminding her of her inadequacies.

She had gotten her hopes up for no reason. In the back of her mind, she had known it was a false hope. After all, who would want a monster like her?

She was solely responsible for the deaths of thousands. The boons marking her status were a constant reminder of this.

A reminder of her many failings. Hers were sins that could not be repaid by a few simple good deeds.

No amount of heroics, like today could remove the dark truth. Dern wasn't the real monster here, no, she was.

Over the next few hours, they butchered the giant bird. By the end, all that was left was a circle of bloody sand and ruined feathers.

Both teams set up camp at the base of the mountain range. They should arrive at the planar space within a few hours, but neither team was willing to risk it at night.

The tall uncharted mountain range loomed above them, towering high into the sky. The others took over watch for the night, letting her get some rest.

Zee tried to get in some cultivation for a few hours, but just felt restless.

Pulling a heavy cloak around herself she slipped from the tent, trudging up a dune to get a good vantage.

Sitting atop the dune, she idly stared at the sky, her eyes scanning the towering mountains.

The sounds of soft leather boots on sand filled her ears, as a figure approached her from behind.

Zee didn't need her eyes, or spatial ripple to tell who it was.

"How can I help you, princess?" Zee asked.

Allison sat beside her, the cold sand shifting as she did.

"You are supposed to be resting," Allison said.

"I am not tired. Besides I am mostly healed already." Zee said, her wounds still throbbing painfully.

Allison wasn't wrong. She still needed a few more hours for her natural healing, and the pill to finish healing her fully.

"You scared me today," Allison said, prompting her to turn, meeting the princesses steely grey eyes.

Zee was taken aback by her her worried expression. "Scared you? How?" Zee asked.

"You rushed off and almost got yourself killed," Allison said reproachfully.

Zee looked away, resting her chin on her hands and letting out a deep sigh. "I know… It was stupid to rush in alone, but I didn't see another option." Zee said.

Allison leaned against her, her closeness pushing away some of the night chills. "You should be more careful. I don't want to lose another close friend." Allison said.

Zee cracked a half smile. "Don't worry about me princess. I am too stubborn to die." Zee said.

Allison laughed softly.

"That's probably true. I have never met someone who is as stubborn, or attracts trouble as you do." Allison said.

"You say that like it's a bad thing,"Zee said.

Allison snorted.

" It is. I mean seriously, who attacks an E-grade spire hawk by themselves?" Allison asked.

Zee reclined back on the sandy dune.

"I wasn't alone. I had Dern to back me up." Zee said.

Allison's expression softened. "I know you asked me not to, but I confronted bastion," Allison said.

"And why would you do that?" Zee asked, her heart suddenly racing in her chest.

The princess ran a hand over her face, her expression regretful.

"I felt bad, it was sort of my fault that you got rejected," Allison said.

"Sort of?" Zee asked.

Allison rolled her eyes.

"Okay, it was definitely my fault." The princess said.

They fell into silence for a long minute before Zee posed the question in her mind. "What did he say?"

Allison shrugged. "Turns out he is very worried by the fact you have a soul-sucking monster in your head," Allison said.

"Ya, that is what he told me as-well," Zee said softly.

"On the bright side, you still have me," Allison said.

Zee eyed the woman dubiously. "You are already taken," Zee said.

Allison rolled her eyes. "I meant as a friend, obviously," Allison said, jostling her with her shoulder.

Zee laughed, yawning halfway through.

Allison smiled, standing, offering a hand.

Zee took it, pulled easily to her feet by Allison's E-grade strength.

The princess gestured down the dune, back towards Zee's tent.

"Now, go down there and get some rest. We should arrive at the planar space tomorrow and I don't want you to be exhausted." Allison said.

"Fine, I will go rest, but I won't like it," Zee said, giving the princess a rude gesture as she walked back down the dune.

As it turned out, getting five more hours of cultivation did wonders for her wounds and her mood. Well, her brightened mood couldn't also be attributed to their conversation. Or maybe it was the fact they were walking in the shadows of the towering mountains.

Or just as likely it was a combination of everything.

For the last part of the journey, Zee's and Malden's group moved as one unit. After the close call, where Ralfineous and Zee were heavily injured they moved together for safety.

In the end, survival was much more important than their little competition.

Finding the planar space in the vast mountain range was easy enough. It was hard not to notice it, given the fact it was radiating enough energy to make her skin crawl from a mile away.

It took half the day to reach the camp around planar space. The swirling green portal hovered in the air, like a wound in reality.

Arrayed around the portal was a massive array, a complex series of etchings that made her skin crawl to look at.

Around the portal, were about twenty gaudy tents, each of them unnecessarily opulent. What's more, several servants moved between the tents, carrying food and drinks like this was some sort of party.

An extremely bored-looking Allevark walked from one of the tents, looking them over.

"You made it. That's, good." Petrie said, taking a sip from a large glass of amber liquid.

"Is it just me, or are we late to the tournament?" Malden asked.

Petrie smiled. "The others arrived three days ago and entered the planar space. "Petrie said, gesturing to the tall teleportation pillars nearby.

"I thought you said, you couldn't teleport this close to the planar space?" Zee asked.

Petrie shrugged. "I lied obviously." Petrie said, unrepentant.

Malden scowled. "You purposefully made us walk through that monster-infested desert? Some of my team almost died." Malden said, anger leaking from his aura.

Petrie didn't so much as flinch under the pressure he gave off, a smile spreading across her face.

"Why should I care if the weaklings from your garbage kingdoms are killed off? There are tens of thousands of others who have already entered. They are from far more prestigious, and energy-rich worlds." Petrie said.

Malden's anger faded as quickly as it had come, realization crossing his face.

"You didn't want us to be here when everyone else entered?" Malden asked slowly.

Petrie's smile widened. "You are a smart man, for someone born on a trash planet," Petrie said, giving both a compliment and an insult.

Malden visibly forced himself from saying something he would regret.

Petrie laughed softly, gesturing towards the portal. "It probably didn't matter. Turns out the doorway we opened to the planar space is a bit chaotic. Our initial tested show that everyone is teleported in randomly." Petrie said.

"So, we almost died for nothing?" Malden asked. Petrie laughed.

"Well, the deaths of your clansman were incredibly amusing to us. I made a hefty chunk of either crystal betting on how many of you would die." Petrie said.

Malden looked like he wanted to hit her over the head with his giant hammer, a sentiment that Zee shared. Petrie grinned, waving away their spiteful glares.

"You may all enter the planar space if you want. We are keeping the portal to the planar space open for six months and four days. The teams who collect the most herbs, monster corpses, and treasures from the planar space will get to select the best rewards from our treasury. Given the high competition from all over the Kelvish dominion, we have some good stuff.

All you have to do is collect lots of rare items and bring them back without dying, or getting robbed. You will need to keep track of time. Anyone who does not exit before the deadline will be left behind."Petrie said.

Zee glanced at the others, who had looks of concern and excitement on their faces. By the time she looked back, Petrie had already left.

Malden spoke up first, eyeing the portal to the planar space with some trepidation.

"We knew it was going to be risky when we signed up. I don't know about you, but I am excited about the challenge." Malden said.

The princess walked over and gave the much taller prince a tight hug.

"You better not die, or I will kick your ass," Allison said.

Malden laughed hugging her back. After a few seconds, he strode towards the portal, only stopping when he was about to pass Zee.

Zee looked up into his piercing yellow eyes.

"If you are waiting for a hug, you are going to be here all day," Zee said.

His fluffy black ears twitched in amusement.

"I wouldn't want to stain my fur with your greasy hands anyway," Malden said. Despite his words, he offered her his large paw to shake.

Zee took it, surprised yet again by the softness of his fur.

"Good luck," Malden said.

"To you as well," Zee said seriously.

Malden and his team strode towards the portal to the planar space.

Before he enter the swirling portal she shouted.

"Malden, you still owe me that rare treasure for losing the race!" Zee shouted.

Standing in front of the portal, Malden unslung his war hammer.

He gave her a rude gesture before leaping headfirst into the portal.

Allison gestured towards the portal, looming large in front of them. "No time to waste. Yukna, do you still have those tracking beacons?" Allison asked.

Yukna adjusted her glasses, producing five small crystals. "Just feed them with energy, and they will give you a sense of where the others are," Yukna said, handing out the crystals.

Allison smiled. "Try to avoid any fights if you can. Once you enter, try to group up as soon as possible." Allison said.

Zee took the crystal Yukna offered, and strode towards the portal, both excited and filled with trepidation.

She glanced back at her team. Greg looked calm and collected, while Bastion had his usual overconfident smirk on his face.

Yukna looked nervous, while Allison looked unfazed, her face expressionless. Zee took a deep breath, grasping the hilt of her sword before leaping into the portal.