Sancu's Game, Part 2

I asked Echo about what they had been dealing with, but she suggested that we go up to the top of the tower we were in before she started explaining the situation. Not only would I be able to see the entire region, but it was also a good place to meditate which would help me recover my strength quicker. Apparently, there was some kind of formation setup in the center of the platform which drew the natural mana in the atmosphere, making it twice as concentrated than anywhere else in the domain. 

With some help from Echo, I reached the top of the grey stone tower and sat down on the edge, looking over the small valley. There was a bright sun in the blue sky and a lush green forest surrounded us with a sparkling river running through it not too far away from the tower. The mana in the atmosphere was rich and pure, refreshing both my body and mind with every breath. Clearly, we were currently in the six hours of paradise. 

"While it seems to go on forever, once you go a kilometer in any direction from the tower a barrier of Yin mana appears, and I haven't had any luck getting past it. Entering the Yin Realm is also impossible, but that seems to be the only restriction that I have noticed on our magic. There is plenty of game within the forest during the day, so food isn't a problem. I've found some herbs while hunting, but most of them I can't even begin to guess the usage of. I crafted my bow and made mage-steel arrows, along with a couple of spears, a sword, and a bat'leth for L'Naan. 

"When night falls, the sky turns black, the lush forest is charred black like the Trikru lands after Praimfaya, only Yin mana remains in the air, and the smell of death comes from everywhere outside of the tower. The first night, a dozen zombies appeared on the outskirts of the domain, and they seemed to be drawn slowly towards the tower, but once they got within five meters of us, they went into a frenzy. They would run after you, their physical strength was on par with L'Naan, their brains had to be completely destroyed to stop them, and they were completely immune to Yin spells. Each night, another twelve are added to the horde and they all seem to spawn at the same time. We've tried building defenses during the day, but everything gets erased with nightfall, and when daylight returns, everything returns to this," Echo explained. 

I frowned at her words. True, they were probably dealing with over seven hundred zombies at this point, pushing even Echo to her limits if she could not restore her mana during the sixteen hours, but now, I was awake. Seven hundred zombies? A thousand? Ten thousand? It really did not matter once I recovered my strength since I could cause destruction on a massive scale, and my Chaos Storm would likely be able to consume the Yin mana that dominated the night, meaning that I could restore my mana at a slow rate in exchange for Soul Power... so, it could not be that simple, or at least, not stay that simple since this was Sancu's Game. 

"I've had similar thoughts myself," Echo remarked, listening in on my mind since I did not have the strength to make multiple 'minds' right now. 

"I guess we can only wait and see," I sighed. "How much have you told L'Naan? I find it hard to believe that she would simply believe that this is a Q's sick game, even if it's true in a certain sense." 

Echo sighed, "Aside from the true nature of the Voyager universe, pretty much everything. I told her that there are a few incredibly powerful Vazukuru that are watching over you and Katye, but they can only act to save your lives and ensure that your power does not go out of control. Obviously, she didn't appreciate learning that, since if they were powerful enough to create all of this, then they should be able to return Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant... or have saved Raven. What kept her from really lashing out was me explaining the truth about how Raven was assimilated, so things started to make sense about this Game." 

I could sense some of her emotions as she spoke, so I know that things between us and her had taken a hit. My relationship with L'Naan would probably be significantly strained because being close to me and Katye meant that she would be in constant danger and someone else could sacrifice her life for one of ours. Not everyone was willing to make such a commitment, so I really could not blame her if she wanted to take a step back. 

"It is what it is," I replied after a few minutes. "I never liked keeping these kinds of secrets anyways." 

"Nyka has killed a large boar, so I'm going to help her bring it in and start prepping it to cook," Echo said. 

"While you are out, bring back a few herbs. Since he is pretty much useless fighting these zombies, Sancu may not have restricted my ability to summon Ishu, and he would likely be able to identify them for us. Damn, it has been a long time since I called on him," I huffed with annoyance, remembering the chimera assassin Lord Spirit that I defeated as my first opponent in the Naru Darc trial. 

Echo chuckled, since she remembered him and his mouth. Although he was bound by a magical contract, he had no respect for me and enjoyed insulting my intelligence, so I did not like asking him for help. Still, he would follow all of my orders and had been a guide for developing our magic when Katye and I first started our journey. 

"I will," she said before she turned and headed for the stairs. 

I looked out over the lush valley one last time before I stood up and moved to the center of the rooftop platform, where I sat down again. Hundreds of runes were carved into the rock and glowed with a hint of gold mana. I closed my eyes and started meditating which would hasten my recovery, especially with all of this pure mana in the air. My Soul Power would still take a few days to recover, meaning that I would be weaker than normal until then, but I should be able to help when night fell. 

Echo gave me a mental prod a few hours later, letting me know that the meal was ready. I had more strength when I stood up than when I first woke up, so I could make it down the stairs on my own. The inside of the tower was unremarkable as it was simply an empty circular staircase that went down to the ground floor, which was the only place with rooms. When I got outside, I found Echo, Nyka, and L'Naan sitting around a long fire that was slowly roasting a boar that was likely five or six hundred pounds before it was killed. Echo had already cut off a few pieces of meat, which were laid out on a stone table next to her, and L'Naan was eating away, looking far more Klingon than normal, but that was probably due to the environment. 

"Finally awake," L'Naan remarked without getting up. 

She was laying propped up on the ground, on the opposite side of the fire from Echo, and had a plate of meat in front of her. Her bat'leth was resting against the wall with a pile of crude metal and hide armor. I could see a few scratches in different places, so I knew she had been fighting up close which did not surprise me. 

"Yeah, thanks for protecting me while I was sleeping," I replied. 

She gave a snort of annoyance and grabbed another piece of meat. 

"Your status?" Echo asked while I sat down at the small table. 

"Twenty, twenty-five percent of my mana, and my spells will be on the same level. No Chaos Storm or Dusa form unless your lives are in danger, but it will likely knock me out for another few days," I replied. 

"How long until you are back to normal?" 

"I'm not exactly sure since I haven't seen the 'night' yet, but with how rich the 'day' is, I don't see it taking more than three 'days'." 

"So, during the next three 'nights', something will change," Echo extrapolated. 

"That's my best guess. We know that Katye is going through a trial, and we are the pressure to make her complete it quickly. While two months seems like a long time for a trial, that's because you've only been through one. My first Heart Demon trial only felt like it only took an hour while it was four hours in the outside world, and my second felt like millions of years, but again, only four hours passed. Sancu's game which sealed away Katye's mana was only an hour or so for her while I spent about a month in that wasteland. We have no idea how long Katye's trial is going to last versus the time we spend here, so we can only look at the changes that we cause on our 'field'." 

Echo nodded her head before dropping one last chunk of meat on the plate and sitting down next to me. I was not expecting much out of the meal since Echo's, and my, cooking ability was rather low, and I doubted that things like salt and spices could be found in the woods, but I was wrong. The richness and tenderness of the meat was incredible, and I instantly realized why as I felt mana infusing itself into my body, but unlike how I would restore my personal mana reserves. 

Echo smirked, sensing my surprise, and remarked, "I did worry about our meals since Katye wasn't here, but it proved to not be a problem." 

"The flavor is one thing, but can you not feel the mana entering your body?" I asked. 

"What?" she exclaimed with honest surprise. 

"Yeah, there is mana within the meat which entered my body when... 'strong beasts that nourish even your body'," I quoted the note. "Sancu literally told us that we could strengthen our bodies while we were here." 

The realization struck me and my eyes turned to L'Naan. My senses were still too dull to examine another person, yet I could not help but wonder what effects this kind of meat would have on her. The ability to strengthen both our bodies and internal mana with 'natural treasures' was not something that we had ever had before, so what effect would it have on her? 

"L'Naan, we need to talk," I said. 

"Why?" L'Naan huffed. 

"Because, if we win our Game, you will become a Vazukuru," I stated.