The Achievement Junkie

Chapter 374 Leaving Korten Behind

That meal was both hearty and light. Its base was made from the rarer beasts found in the Prehistoric Forest and was paired with the wild vegetables and herbs that could be found there as well. It was a meal unlike any other, which the party felt was worth savoring instead of rushing.

Glad to not be pressed for time thanks to Eedaj's offer, the party and the god enjoyed the meal while chatting and laughing together. They were able to joke around as Eedaj didn't need any explanations for what had happened so far thanks to his abilities as the Mind God.

When the meal finally ended, Jack sighed. "You won't be able to make this once we're in Trodar, will you?"

"I'll still be able, Jack," replied Eedaj. "I've had nothing to do for the past millennium so I took the time to learn cooking. Also, I've stored samples of each plant and a few specimens of each beast. With my mental abilities, I can learn the habits and favorite prey of each beast, making it easier to pair ingredients and discover new flavors."

"Wow… I never expected to the Mind God to like cooking so much," chuckled Jack.

Eedaj laughed along with Jack, "You'd be surprised to know of gods and their hobbies. Some day you should ask Sterfen about his collection. You'll be even more surprised."

"I'll remember that!"

"Shouldn't we be going, Palpo?" asked Daliea. She was so happy to be able to call someone that again.

Nodding, Eedaj stood up and stretched to help the meal settle in his stomach. "Let's get going. I'll show you how a god travels in style."

While Eedaj went around his home, storing all the furniture, decorations, and cooking utensils, the party exited the humble home and waited outside. A few minutes later, Eedaj exited the now empty house and shut the door behind him. He rubbed the giant root he long called home one last time before stepping toward the party.

"Now, it's time I came back into the world."

Eedaj stood there calmly with the party. He said nothing else nor did he move. But a few moments later, everyone heard the rush of wind blow through the treetops.

When the source of the wind came into view and sat on a tree branch high above, the party was speechless. Eedaj, however, spoke up, "Everyone, this is my companion, Konbel. She and her ancestors have been my companions ever since my ascendance. She'll be the one taking us to Trodar."

"I forgot all about that…" Jack laughed to himself, in awe of the massive beast that bowed its head to greet the party.

Eedaj showed them stairs carved into the giant tree, spiraling up toward the branch with Konbel. The god added, "She's a Behemoth Crane, by the way, a rare breed that doesn't need to mate to lay eggs. She's also the last survivor of her race, so we become great friends over time. When she finally has her child, they'll become your companion, my dhendi"

Eventually, the party reached the Behemoth Crane and followed Eedaj onto her back.

"Keep your heads down and try not to move too much," instructed Eedaj. "Though she's no Minokawa, her speed is enough to knock you all back at your current strength."

They heard no order given to Konbel, but she started to flap her wings and take off into the sky high above the giant trees.

'I'd recommend we speak mentally should you wish to converse,' Eedaj opened a mental link between them all. 'We'll arrive in Gilga before sunset, so let me explain a few things now.'

The party was struggling to move as blistering winds tried to knock them off the crane's back. They nodded or said nothing, letting Eedaj calmly speak his mind.

Eedaj continued, 'As my daughter, Daliea, you'll now gain the ability to use telepathy with anyone and anything, feeling their emotions and thoughts. That includes plant life as well, so always keep that in mind. And since you share the same three magic types of mine, you'll notice that you now have a new skill for each of those magic types.

'For illusion, you can now read unprotected minds and even alter memories. How much you can alter the memories of your target depends on the amount of mana you're willing to expend and how unwilling the target is toward your alterations.

'For darkness, you can now create a special, illusory darkness. This darkness can affect anyone with certain attributes or characteristics of your choice, or it can be ineffective to anyone with certain attributes or characteristics of your choice. Either option is viable, but the more precise and larger the darkness, the more mana you'll expend while it's active,' explained Eedaj. 'This dark ability only works because you have illusion magic.

'As for fire, this ability exits only because you have illusion magic as well. You can create flames that are invisible to others, like your darkness. But this ability is far more taxing in mana, so I prefer to use it in battle compared to the widespread use of the dark illusion you can now create.'

'Daliea,' Jack spoke up, 'I can't even imagine how powerful you'll be with these skills. That's amazing.'

'She'll be more powerful than ever, but she'll also have to manage her mana more than ever before,' stated Eedaj. 'If she can't manage mana correctly, she'll run out far too quickly and be left vulnerable. Especially at first, she should use these abilities sparingly.'

Eedaj added, 'Let me put her new skills into perspective. The ability to alter memories is equal to a mythic-tier spell, the ability to create the illusory darkness is equal to a peak-tier spell, and the ability to make her flames illusory is a peak-tier spell on top of whatever spell she uses to create the flames. Don't think she's invincible, because she's not.'

With that clear depiction, everyone in the party better understood the downside to such powerful abilities.

Daliea nodded and asked, 'So I should be extra careful with these skills? Should I worry about people discovering I have these abilities?'

'That's a great question but don't worry about that,' answered Eedaj. 'Since I'm back into the public spotlight, such abilities will be connected back to me. And the other gods will already guess the connection even if you didn't use those abilities. So don't worry about it, okay? As my dhendi, I'll protect you, as will your husband.'

'About that…' Jack chimed in again. 'When will we hold the wedding?'

'Why not tonight?'

As Eedaj smiled, the rest of the party had mixed reactions. Bowzer and Phoro were proud of Jack while Eliza started to giggle. Both Daliea and Jack were blushing but said nothing to disagree with the god.

The Behemoth Crane rocketed through the sky while maintaining it's natural grace and beauty. And due to the high altitude the crane maintained, everyone on the ground below saw the magnificent beast as she raced toward Trodar.

When the crane left the Prehistoric Forest the elves were all in awe. It was the most sacred beast to them with an eighth level bloodline, a beast regarded as the carrier of the elven gods. And to see one race away from the Prehistoric Forest was equal to the confirmation of legends. The existence of Eedaj was a revived discussion thanks to the crane's appearance.

That led to many elves hurrying to the Prehistoric Forest, yet they were baffled further after arriving there.

Their name for the place no longer held any value. The illusory barrier that surrounded the forest had vanished, allowing everyone entry to that prehistoric place.

With a flood of elven explorers, it was easy for them to find the simple home that wasn't hiding in any way. Once they spotted the tree with stairs carved into it, they then found the unlocked door built into the tree's roots. But there was nothing to be found in that space clearly made into a home.

Curious and confused, the elves didn't know what to make of the discovery.