Psychokinetic Eyeball Pulling

Chapter 195: Seed of War

Rare [ Upgradeable ] Level 150 - Seed of War: A seed that was created in a bloody battlefield. The Sinwens have claimed it as an heirloom of their family, but it has long been forgotten. For its use is a mystery.

Astrid pinched it. She squeezed, it was hard. Pouting, she brought it to her mouth and bit down. Yep, very hard. But she was surprised to discover that her cheeks tightened. Astrid couldn’t help but lick the little bead with a red streak hidden under the surface.

Sour, but sweet. It reminded her of a hard candy that she used to always steal from Nanny Kerma. Well, it was her fault for never putting them out of reach. Or maybe she purposefully placed the glass sweetie jar so that she could reach it with her little arms.

Sweet as candy, Astrid smiled at the memory before placing the entire thing in her mouth. She clanged it against her teeth and sucked it. It was tasty, but it didn’t feel right keeping something of unknown origin in her mouth. Especially since it was created on a bloody battlefield.

Shaking her head, she placed it into her Void Storage.

I’ll have to find out its uses later.

Everyone seemed to have already picked their equipment by this point. Brett and Rachelle made sure to pick everything they could possibly get their hands on. From their wiggling toes, to their slender necks.

“You know how to make the most of a situation, huh?” Astrid smiled.

“Hey,” Brett tightened a black new plate that had a dark green tint to his torso. “If your host dangles biscuits in front of you, it’s rude not to eat the entire tray.”

“I mean, I’m no expert in guest etiquette, but isn’t that the opposite?”

“You don’t plan on taking them back, do you?” Rachelle half turned her body, afraid Astrid would steal what she had taken. As if they were hers in the first place.

“I don’t know.” Astrid shook her head with a sly smile. “You’d have to ask my father.”

“Nope, I refuse.” Rachelle quickened her steps, practically running out of the armoury.

Daniel scoffed at his team's immature actions before turning to Astrid. “Did you manage to find something?”

“Well, not really.” It wasn’t really worth telling him about it.

“So that’s that then?” Locef asked.

His voice was muffled from his slender helmet. He truly looked like a gladiator ready for war. It was the entire opposite of when he was unarmoured. Locef’s previous gentlemanly aura was no more. Instead, his presence exuded blood, and a thrust to pierce his spear head first into an enemy wall.

Now that Astrid was more in tune with other’s emotions, she could feel it as clear as the draft on the back of her neck.

How could she use it for battle? Astrid wondered. Is it wrong to always think about fighting? But she shot down that thought. It was never wrong. Not when she had so many enemies to slaughter.

With everyone taking the spare Sinwen equipment, they left the armoury. Only a few pieces of armour and weapons remained on the manikins. Rachelle was well and truly a loot goblin. She didn’t even need half of what she had taken, but she was a Wayfarer true to heart. If there were shiny objects to obtain, the fire mage would take it without a moment's hesitation.

The guard at the entrance stomped on the ground in salute. “Astrid Sinwen, Lord Sinwen is preparing the Leviathan’s fury. He has instructed you and your team to head over to the docks.”

Astrid nodded, but before she could head onward, the guard's voice dripped with pride. “Fight, bleed, and die. For Sinwen. For Rebirth.”

Wiping the smile off her face, she turned to the two guards that protected the armoury. She stomped her foot to the metal floor of Rebirth and saluted. Fist on heart.

“Fight, bleed, and die.” Astrid’s mischievous smile returned. “Keep Rebirth safe for when we get back.”

Bowing their heads, they retained their silence in respect. They were well aware that whenever a Sinwen travelled into a city, they had a high chance of not returning.

“Damn, I thought we’d at least have a day of relaxation,” Rachelle groaned. Head high, she scowled. “How long has it been since we had a shower? I miss my baths.”

“Yep, I can smell you from here.” Brett feigned being sick. “Surprised you’re not leaving a green strain of your stench.”

The heat soared as a fireball emerged above Rachelle’s new staff. Empowered by it, it had reached a new level for the fire healer. She fired the fireball straight for Brett, but in a blur of shadows, he emerged at the other side of the hall.

Astrid had to quickly catch the spell. If she didn’t, the walls of Sinwen that had managed to stand until today, would melt.

“Oi guys, do you have to do this indoors?” Daniel sighed as he plucked Rachelle up by the scruff of her neck.

Brett also wasn’t safe. Rob tore him out of the shadows and no matter how he kicked or thrashed, he couldn’t escape Rob's tight grip.

“Children.” Leena shook her head.

“Better for them to get it out of their system now, huh?” Astrid chuckled.

She knew them well enough by now. They may act like children outside a mission, but it changed when they entered the land of death. They were professional down to their core, but they were still young. Just like even the most respected warriors, they needed to have downtime before a mission. To recover their mental.

But they weren’t going to get it this time. And that's why Daniel was being lenient despite the firing of fireballs in the Sinwen halls.

Astrid took one more look at her home. She scoured the halls, and gazed at her bedroom once more. It was only until Leena tugged at her shoulder did she rip her sight from the room. It was difficult to quantify everything that had happened to her up to right now. And it all began right here.

She absorbed a lifeform of unknown origin, granting her a class she didn’t want, and a path that was unmapped. But it had proven to serve her well.

Deeply nodding, she tried to find her mother, but after scouring the rooms, she was nowhere to be seen. Mother must be at the docks. Judging by the fact that every single room was empty, they were going out in force.

Astrid and the gang hurried over to the docks. She didn’t have anything to prepare as everything was within her Void Domain. It also helped that she was acting as the group's pack mule, carrying all that they needed for their next mission.

It took a couple hours to reach the docks from the manor. They could have rushed, reaching it in only twenty minutes if they tried, or sooner, but they just took in the sights around.

Of course, it wasn’t as it used to be. Buildings were knocked down, and farmers were still reviving the fields. However, the spirit remained. Those who managed to retreat to the middle district had returned and begun the repairing process.

Maggie, the triple production class user, waved from the distance. She barked out orders the next second. It seemed she was in charge of repairs.

Without even looking, Astrid could sense she was at the docks. Powerful auras spiralled into the air, and the mana surged with them at the centre.

The grand nobles had their children by their side, and it was the same for Lord Sinwen, and her mother. It had been so long since Astrid had the chance of being with her brothers, and now they were all together.

Kaylan had the gifted healer: Charles by his side. He was powerful, and the same could be said for the rest of his team. They were handpicked by Kaylan, and they had seen countless blood, and gore in their lives.

The next was Tennyson. His aura was wild, like a hound ready to snap. But a smile crept onto his lips as he waved at Astrid. He was the oldest, and that meant he was the strongest.

Astrid also spotted Jonathan. The previous haggard look was shaped back into a man that was well kept. Just like he was before the subjugation mission. But now he had an aura that was as calm as his own water control. Expertly, calculating, brave.

But Astrid scowled. The idiot had almost gotten himself killed and if it wasn’t for the goodness of her own heart, he would have died in that dungeon.

You’re more mature than that, Astrid. Shaking her head, she also spotted Florrie, and next to her was Edward.

If it was before, her mind would have turned to spite. Anger. However, after all she had experienced, to her, they were nothing but parasites. They didn’t even have any armour on. They weren’t going to be joining them on this expedition.

Once they were stronger than her, now, she was going to be heading into a city. Six or ten years before they could even think about it delving into the dangers of a city.

Faris took a sip from a potent alcoholic drink. The smell wafted outward, tantalising everyone's taste buds. “Now that the golden lass is here, can we head out now?” He shook the bottle. Liquid sloshed within, clearly it was emptying. “I need some more ingredients, and our expedition was cut short. Not happy.”

“Be serious for once, Faris,” Milana snapped. “We’re not going to play, our mission is–”

“To save the world, blah blah,” Faris scoffed. “I know my part. I’ll twist them up, place them into a barrel, and ferment their bodies until it makes a nice brew. That’s the punishment for wasting my time.”

His words were bloodied, and just the presence of his bloodlust alone was enough for the weaker of the force to take in a breath. It was a stark reminder that the strengths of a grand noble wasn’t to be underestimated.

“We will head out,” Lord Sinwen said as he leapt onto the Sinwen ship.

Astrid’s blood boiled as she gazed at the enormous size of the Sinwen battleship. It dwarfed her own by a number of magnitudes. Cannons made of magical runes were strapped to the side, and they were being maintained by the Sinwen knights.

At the bow of the ship, it looked like a spear-head that was ready to pierce forward. It told everyone what the role of the Sinwen family was. To head first into danger as the spearhead of humanity.

Limbs shivering in excitement, she boarded the Leviathan’s Fury.