–Well... I think this is going to be quite problematic. – Max said, standing up and looking at the state of the shield. – The chances of them blocking access to the Trial are getting higher and higher.
He said exactly what I was thinking.
For the five of us, the restless dead knight wasn't a major opponent; even if two of them appeared, we could still win.
But if three or more appeared, I wouldn't know what to say, and if there's one thing I know about the restless dead, it's that they rarely travel alone. And if I learned anything in the Trial, it's that the creatures here also don't take long to group up if a fight lasts too long.
If other unfamiliar people appeared, the outcome wouldn't be hard to predict.
'...But if they had to fight the goblin shaman's skeletons then... Could they even build a base?...Maybe?....'
As Kamila said from the first time they entered the Trial, this is a place of great risks and great rewards (even fun, depending on how you used the river hut, or interpreted the tomes). However, could the rewards of this nebulous and dark floor be worth the risk of not only losing their lives but possibly their souls as well?
...I honestly don't know, but the doubt about that was much stronger.
'...Perhaps it would be best to practice what I'm going to tell the village council about the chances of losing access to the Trial... and about the possibility (almost certain) of having to abandon the village.'
A far from optimistic thought, one I didn't even like having, much less seeing become reality.
'...The only positive side would be that we wouldn't have to worry about the Baron's taxes or his absurd demands anymore.'
Our village had fortunately never been a target of that sort of thing, unlike the city where the Baron's castle was located and from where several unpleasant stories circulated. Between flaunting his power in a city with a large influx of merchants or a small village with nothing special until recently, which would a nobleman prefer to be better known for (even negatively)?
But it wouldn't be long before that happened; in fact, I don't even know how something like that hadn't happened already.
The others were talking about something further back, but I wasn't listening, too busy worrying about what I would say to the others in the village, until Anna clapped her hands to get our attention.
–AS I SAID!!!. Under normal circumstances, the Trial might be blocked and Connor's village would have to be "relocated." But that's if they were real restless dead.
Max, Mav, and I looked at the youngest among us with the same expression: didn't you see what we thought we saw, or did you fight?
She stared back at us, sighed, and asked Cali,
–Do you want to do the honors?
–You don't want to?
–I think you'll be able to explain better – Anna shrugged, picking up the spear and assessing it, then picking up the dagger and beginning to study it with the crystal.
Cali turned to us with the typical expression she uses when she's about to lecture us, whether we want to listen or not.
– Very well, you know that the restless dead only appear in places where there's been a large number of dead in a short space of time, and where a large amount of Aether has been used. Not only that, this Aether would have had to somehow mix with the surrounding environment, basically acting like a poison, right?
–Aether as a poison? What are you talking about, woman? – Max asked, which obviously earned him a furious look from Cali.
But I could understand his point. Aether was a natural life force, like the wind. It existed in all beings in different quantities, which could be increased or decreased depending on how it was used (or so the orders and temples said).
Hearing that Aether poisons the environment was the same as saying that air kills you if you breathe too much.
As if she could read my mind. Cali said calmly, as if we were children just beginning to learn about the world.
–Everything in excess is poison. If you drink too much water, your stomach swells and you get sick. If you only breathe and don't exhale, your lungs won't be able to handle it. If a place becomes saturated with Aether, it becomes polluted. There are even some theories saying that corrosion happens because of Aether pollution, but this isn't very well studied because it's difficult to verify.
'Easy to imagine why.'
–In short, in this type of place where restless dead arise, Aether becomes the driving force of their impulses, mental function, and sustenance. However, since they are dead, they can no longer generate Aether naturally, yet they still need to supply their "lives" with it. Therefore, the most obvious option is to consume Aether from other living beings.
Simple and brutal, easy to understand, just as the living also need to eat to continue living.
'This reminds me, Master Diem said that animals that manipulate Aether are tastier than ordinary animals. Could it be the same principle?'
–Because of this impulse, restless dead always tend to grab, hold, and bite, in that exact order. Some who retain a vestige of reasoning and/or muscle memory, such as knights, mercenaries, or members of martial temples, can still react by incapacitating the target before attempting to consume it. Therefore, locations where restless dead are generated are blocked, and the people are relocated. After all, the chances of them being decimated, depending on the location and number of dead, are not exactly low.
'I understand that, but—Huh? Wait, wasn't that kind of different from what the dead knight tried to do?'
Seeing the expression on my face, Cali pointed smilingly at me and said an octave louder.
–YES CONNOR, EXACTLY THAT! HE DIDN'T TRY TO DO ANY OF THOSE THINGS, JUST FIGHT! – Cali said strangely excitedly. – This isn't the behavior of naturally born restless dead; it seems more like the kind of thing a flesh puppet would do. Now, what's the main difference between these two in this case?
Max, Mav, and I looked at each other, not quite understanding what she meant.
–Uh... That there's no controller to ensure the flesh puppet moves? – Max replied hesitantly.
Cali was about to reprimand him, but stopped at the last second.
–...Actually, you're right this time.
–Am I?!
–"Is he?"
Max looked at me with a very serious look. I couldn't help but say it; I wasn't lying when I said I didn't think Max was an idiot... but it's also true that I don't think he's the brightest either.
Cali cleared her throat to get our attention back.
–Yes, that would be the main difference; the controller would always have to stay a maximum of 200 meters from the puppet, with the distance increasing with their proficiency. When there's no sign of a controller and no trace of Aether in the vicinity, it's always assumed that the corpse is a restless dead person, so the line between the two is rather vague.
'Am I the only one worried that she knows so much about this? And judging by her reaction before, Anna must also know about this sort of thing... Better not think too much about it.'
The twins also seemed to have reached this conclusion.
–But there's a sure way to tell them apart, according to some old theories I've read. The gleam in their eyes.
She paused as if she had made a great revelation. The twins and I just stared at her. Max, demonstrating his courage or lack of inhibition (Kaio: idiocy), raised his hand as if we were in one of the temple's classes and asked.
–But what does that have to do with the Trial being forbidden or not, and the people from Connor's village having to move?
Cali froze for a good 10 seconds, Anna gave a poorly disguised little laugh from behind while using the crystal to scan the place around us. Meanwhile, Mav and I were too nervous to do anything, including breathe.
Again she cleared her throat and continued her explanation as if Max hadn't even asked the question that forced her back to the initial discussion.
–That's what I was going to get to. The color of the light in the eyes of the corpses indicates whether they are controlled by someone, being a flesh puppet, or naturally generated. If the eyes had a more whitish glow, it would be an indication that they were controlled by someone. – Cali said a little faster than usual. – In that case, the kingdom would send a subjugation force with royal permission. This would make life difficult for many civilians and mercenaries, but it wouldn't prevent us from continuing to explore the Permanent Trial.
She said all this almost in one breath.
– If they were naturally generated, having a glow leaning more towards green, then it would be necessary to notify the temples and orders, etc. The kingdom would give a royal order to seal the area, and then the residents would have to move. – The three of us nodded; we already knew this. – The thing is, the dead creature we fought didn't have any of the characteristics of either a flesh puppet or a naturally restless corpse. Besides the fact that its eyes were blue-green, not white or just greenish.
...
...
–"...."
–"WHAT?!???!!!!!!"
'Just because this?!!!'