"So... this is the Slumbering Colossus."
Omilaena stood back and took a good look at one of the Insanities she had never seen before. It lay against a mountain as if it was a bed, its great weight having flattened some of the crags - up close its rocky surface would have looked like part of the mountain itself and its true form was only visible from a distance, standing on a nearby mountain peak as she was.
Roughly speaking, the Slumbering Colossus looked like a person made of stone, but distorted. It had absurdly thick stumps of legs, a blocky torso, and arms that ended in over-sized hands with four fingers each. The head was strangest, with little chin or forehead, just a mouth and eyes that filled far too much space. They were closed, and they had been closed for all of living memory.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Ceryyn swayed beside her, cheerful despite their circumstances. "Some think that it's a threat to the Elven Expanse, having the Slumbering Colossus in the mountains so close to us, but it never wakes up. They actually take elders out to see it sometimes, to train our presences."
"Yeah, I can see why. It's impressive."
"Are you satisfied? We need to meet up with Yonto."
"No, not yet." Omilaena flipped a needle to her hands. "It wouldn't be right to come all this way and not give it a try."
She leapt between the mountains, sailing through the air and watching the Insanity's vast chest grow to fill her vision. When she landed, it was like a leaf falling atop a house for all that her presence mattered. Even though she had aimed for the center of the chest, it was so vast that even a small error meant she was off her target and had to walk.
Just as she'd heard, the Slumbering Colossus did have a heart of some sort at the center of its chest: they said it only beat once an hour, a pulse that throbbed through the mountain. Omilaena knelt down, prepared her needle, and stabbed as best she could.
Her first strike was experimental with ordinary metal, and of course it did nothing. She tested poison next, and it had as little effect as you would expect for rock. After that, Omilaena built another needle slowly, trying to not only attain a power phase, but to concentrate the metal into a more intense form. Phasing matter was still difficult for her, but she eventually managed it.
When she stabbed this time, her needle did pierce the stone... but it was a tiny pinprick compared to the beast. Omilaena dusted off her hands and considered for a time before she leapt back.
To most people, a phase was an unstoppable advantage, but it wasn't actually an invincible power. It just meant that something was compressed beyond what was normally possible, and not everything that was compressed was equal. The Slumbering Colossus had a phased body, yes, but beyond that it was much tougher than anything she'd encountered. Not invincible, but close.
Omilaena landed on the opposite mountain and saw that Yonto had shown up. He and Ceryyn leaned against one another comfortably before she arrived and Yonto lurched to a slightly more upright position to nod.
"The Windlord agreed to meet with you," he said, as if meeting a great power was nothing remarkable. And, given how far they'd come, perhaps it wasn't.
"Are you done with the Insanity?" Ceryyn asked.
"For now," Omilaena said. "Alright, let's go to the Flaeren Dominion."
.
..
.
The southernmost regions of Goralia had become a comfort zone for Razzagah Lantrian: still familiar territory, but close enough to the Southern Reach that he could step over the border and let the land of dryads and naiads become a little more like home. Normally he was happy to return there... but now it had become an alien land, just like so many other places on Deadwaste.
Goraykan loomed ahead of his caravan, a city he had visited on multiple journeys becoming an ominous fortress. There weren't any reports from elites in this part of the continent, but merchants still talked, and they had confirmed the arrival of invaders.
"Remember, I won't be able to defend you in there," Untariin told him as they approached. "If they attack, I'd die as easily as you would."
"Even if you got the drop on them?" Razz asked. "I know everyone's talking about phases with the invaders, but I don't get it myself. They can't be seeing the world super fast all the time."
"It's more like... sprinting, I guess. Someone who can run much faster than you isn't faster than you while standing still, but if you start running, they'll pass you quickly. Even if I got really lucky, I couldn't break their defensive phase."
It was troubling for Razz to think that the allies he'd been working with were helpless against this threat, but he'd heard that the invaders ignored those who didn't look like elites. Despite what Untariin said, Razz felt more comfortable having the man with him, if for no other reason than as a guard in the increasingly lawless wastelands.
When they reached the city gates, he was surprised to see guards detach and move toward the caravan... not Goralian hunters, Birtaegali mercenaries in their familiar red armor. What the hell were Birtaegali doing this far south?
"Let us have a look at that!" One of the men swaggered forward and tore the cover off the nearest caravan to look over the fine goods within. "Well, not bad!"
"Hands off." Untariin stepped in, catching the man's wrist, and immediately they settled into a strange stalemate.
As far as Razz could judge, the mercenaries had only 50-100 Power, so they were far weaker than Untariin, but they must be here on behalf of the invaders, who were far stronger. Rumors suggested that this city was occupied by five lesser invaders and two of the most powerful.
It looked like Untariin regretted his automatic action as well, as the Birtaegali began grabbing weapons and considering whether to mob him. They formed a knot at the gates, with locals quickly vanishing into side streets in case violence broke out. Before it did, a man in plain clothing swaggered up, and Razz immediately knew that he had to be one of the invaders - there was an aura about him, as if he thought he was superior to everyone he saw.
"What's going on here?" he demanded. Then, in a single blink, he was standing in front of Untariin. "You causing trouble for our mercenaries? They have our authority, ya know."
"I..." Untariin shifted back, not yet summoning a weapon, but at the precipice of making an attempt.
Razz swallowed and forced himself to move. He knew that if the hunters started to fight, it would all be over before he could even see what was going on. Most likely that would mean that Untariin would die, and even if Razz couldn't do anything he had to at least try.
So he threw himself to the ground, bowing to the invader. "Honored lord! Please listen, he was only defending our gifts to you!"
The invader stopped and peered down at him as if baffled. "Eh? What are you doing?"
"My lord, I have heard of your dissatisfaction with our land, and brought you the finest wares from across Goralia." Razz got to his feet, trying to hide his trembling, and found one of the wine jars in the nearest caravan - one of those he'd fermented with concentrated mana. "This may not reach your high standards, but I hope it will be better than you have tried so far."
"No!" One of the Birtaegali started to move in, then stopped as the invader glared at him. "My lord, it could be poisoned."
"Hah, as if your poisons would work on us!" The invader uncorked the jar and took a swig. Everyone at the gates held their breath as he drank, smacked his lips, and then shook his head. "Huh. I thought everything here tasted like piss, but... this could be worse. Not good, but it has a little kick to it."
"Thank you so much, my lord." Razz bowed deeply, beginning to recover his nerve. "I fear some of my goods will be inferior, but I hope that I can find a few that satisfy you."
"Wait, wait." The Birtaegali leader, no doubt nervous that someone was co-opting the force he'd attached himself to, moved closer with an irritable expression. "Why would he do this? Does he expect you to pay, like a commoner?"
"Of course there's no need to pay," Razz said smoothly. "But I recognize you as the new lords of the continent, so the wares you acknowledge will gain value. It's simple business: by seeing which gifts gain your favor, I can make a profit elsewhere."
"Hah, good!" The invader seemed entertained by this idea once he understood it and began looking through some of the goods. It seemed the Birtaegali mercenary wasn't satisfied, because he moved forward and touched the invader's arm, speaking in a lower voice.
"My lord, I don't trust this. Just think about it for-"
Then the Birtaegali mercenary was slumping to the ground, cut in half by the invader's simple iron sword. Razz flinched - it really had been faster than he could see, even faster than he was used to hunters moving. And the mercenary leader, who had been a strong man wearing mana-laden armor, had simply died instantly. All the other mercenaries fell into line, and even more Goralians watching disappeared into the streets.
Against that, all Razz could do was smile, and his smile might be better armor than anything else in the city. As Untariin moved back, he and Razz exchanged a glance - how strange to think that after the Krysali man had saved his life multiple times, Razz had been able to save his.
Whether or not he could save anyone else, or whether this was a huge mistake, remained to be seen. Razz put on his best unctuous smile and began showing the invader his wares. They were in.