Tales of Revenants

Chapter 90 – Golden Apple

The afternoon after they've discussed important matters with the empress of the Balakh Empire and queen of Archreverie, Thalfeur called his comrades again from the underground dungeon below.

"I'd be honest, I actually needed two materials for Laken's new sword." Thalfeur got his respite after bouts of iron hammering.

"Tell us where we can get the materials." Luciella's cordially assertive.

Their hunt hasn't started yet but Eirisse already sighing. She held the hammer checking its weight and mass, it's enough to knock someone up when it hits someone's head, "Make sure it isn't near the territorial coastal land or seas of Millinuem Shore."

After cleaning up the scraps of broken swords below the furnace, Thalfeur quizzically turned to her and spoke, "Do you also have the Eye of the Beholder?"

She groaned and her grimace can plainly be seen. She isn't specifically afraid of water nor anxious of wild monsters or Nightbeasts appearing, it's just she doesn't like saltwater since it could potentially damage her fair complexion by the extreme amount of itchiness.

Eirisse isn't allergic to saltwater or anything, but rather she's afraid to scratch her skin with his long nails and might end up with rashes.

"Then you can just split yourselves into two and it would be much more efficient," Thalfuer wise it up since he also doesn't want to burden them.

The flashing light of photons revealed on Xenon's advanced arsenal and he urged, "I will team up with Eirisse, tell us the coordinates of these two materials."

"Good. The first material I needed would be one black pearl, they can be found at the Sikari Ocean's shore. It can be extracted on a monster called Grounded Oyster." Thalfeur stated.

"Then Alisa, Luciella, and I shall get the black pearl," Laken suggested and they all agreed.

While they're preparing their things, Thalfeur also gave them a much bigger and heavier chisel made out of iron, "Grounded Oyster are all herbivores so you can get one using this, just be careful about random Nightbeasts popping out of nowhere."

Laken received the tool used for black pearl farming and put it on his sack, "Got it."

"While the other one is called thunder iron. It's literally an iron that is struck by a roaring storm. You can easily get those at the northern of Balakh Empire, the Ashfall Plateau. Get me at least five pieces equivalent to ten kilograms." Thalfeur gave the exact information.

Xenon already identified the materials they needed and he encoded the information on his memory chips.

They all nodded and bid farewell for their respective quests, but before they left the chamber, Thalfeur delivered them a pep-talk, "I apologize if I couldn't join... I'm still devastated by the fact she's alive. So... go forth! We shall beat all the darkness away."

He's sure there's a reason why Artarel suddenly switched sides with the enemy, while Empress Marielye still ponder over why Eris is the one they captured.

Since they are splitting into two teams, Xenon had to lend his Transportation Device on Laken's teams considering he had wings and could easily travel across the skies towards Ashfall Plateau.

Conveniently, he handed a special kind of attachable technomagic device onto Laken's wrist so if ever something went wrong, they can easily inform each team regardless of distance.

"Be careful you two, Eirisse and Xenon." Laken has this bothered feeling though it washed away upon imagining Xenon and Eirisse's combat prowess.

His anterior carapace produce steams as his exoskeleton opened, he once again revealed his wings while his Stargazer changed into a sniper rifle, "We should be the one worried about you since you don't have a weapon, let's rendezvous here."

They all wave at each other, Xenon took flight and carried Eirisse, Laken reined the mechanical horse before he scourged it marking the beginning of their side-quest.

Laken's team went towards the north-east where they can reach the shore of Sikari Ocean.

The Sikari Ocean is named after the legendary pirate captain, Sikari Ramun with his ship called Tidaious, who successfully traveled the seven seas including his crew, and returned to where they started.

They said Tidaious can still be seen roaming around the Sikari Ocean as a haunted pirate ship, even the marine fleet of the Balakh Empire had reported missing after they encountered the mysterious ship where Sikari Ocean and Faravis Deep meets.

Good thing Laken's team only needs the Grounded Oyster that usually appears on the shore.

They don't cost much than white pearl because they can be easily obtained, but instead, its black pearl is used when casting iron and other materials in order to prevent the materials from losing its value and at the same time, it also hardens the resulting product up to fifty-percent.

Laken even without his former sword, he can still fight with the spear Empress Marielye gave, which is handed down to the royal family. It's called the 'Lance of the Returner', and it has extraordinary sturdiness and flexibility.

As seen from the golden fringe from the end of the flexible stem that can bend in all directions, a lance meant to impale the heart and throat of an opponent. He wielded his temporary weapon to fend off all the Nightbeasts that comes on their way.

On the other hand, Xenon and Eirisse had a little intimate conversation while freely hover the skies of the Balak Empire towards their destination, the Ashfall Plateau.

"This is the only chance I get to talk it out with you Xenon but... are you sure it's okay?" Eirisse asked.

The mild breezing winds lowered its blow when Xenon had to slow down his wings so he can reply to her, "It would take under thirty minutes before we can arrive at the highest point of the Ashfall Plateau with our current altitude and velocity."

"C'mon! Don't ignore me." Eirisse threw her tantrum.

"Sorry. And, what do you mean by okay?" Xenon looked at her face before he scratches his scalp as if he forgot how to do a proper reaction.

"I mean... you know... your combat output decreases drastically because..." Eirisse suddenly had her bashful side. She's agitated and anxious not because she's waiting for Xenon's answer, but because she's being carried like a princess.

"I am unable to grasp your question." Xenon said in a monotonic tone.

"Stupid!" Eirisse flickered his forehead and hurt herself since Xenon's face is made out of hard carapace of alloys, "What I mean is your heart... your Arcanum Core, is it really okay just to give a part of it to me?"

Xenon remained silent digesting her sincere question. The Arcanum Core serves as the foundation of a mechanoid's reason to live, so-called the heart of gold. Guilt was bothering Eirisse because she believes he's obliged to give a part of her meaning.

"Are you really asking that now? Honestly speaking, it reduced my performance by about thirty percent. My energy limiter can't properly send the energy statistic output regarding my overall physical condition." Xenon told her everything that caused his power deterioration.

Sorrow vexed Eirisse's pride, clenching her fist while averting his eyes against him.

She's urging herself to return it back, albeit it's also the reason why she's stable and away from her demonic ascension. The moment when Xenon implanted the artificial heart inside Eirisse's chest, it affected her spontaneous, inner desire of wanting blood whenever she's thirsty.

Her usual insatiable, uncontrollable nature drastically reduced, even if her Metamorphosis activated, she's able to control her emotions.

"Eirisse." Xenon called her, it was his true voice.

"Yes?" She faced him upfront.

"Have you ever heard the story about the golden fruit?" Xenon asked him a completely random question, but essential upon answering her initial question.

"N-No..." Eirisse stuttered, "I haven't heard of it..."

The swift cold wind's rushing against them while the sunray's blinding light warms their form. Xenon told her the story he was talking about.

"The tale was famous in the Skyhaven Kingdom. It's about a princess who had an apple tree."

"An apple tree..." Eirisse frowned.

"The story was simple, the princess wanted her prince to be able to make the tree produce golden apples. Of course, it's impossible. Everyone in the kingdom tried everything and anything and they all failed. But only one succeeded..." Xenon's word entails a riddle.

"What did that one did?" Eirisse's intrigued.

All of a sudden, Xenon halted mid-air while he's carefully scanning all spatial directions with his mechanical lenses. From up the upper clouds that's brimming with malice and darkness, he knew things about to get real.

"Wait... my radar detected a group of flying Nightbeasts around our atmospheric vicinity. Eirisse! Hold tighter, we shall enter into battle!" Xenon loaded his rifle with his left hand, ready and loaded with solar energy.

Eirisse can't join the fray since she can't fly, they are both anticipating for the hiding threat around their proximity.