After their conversation, Delman left to inform his teammate of how their negociation have gone.
Kaël was left alone, still tied up with the orange glowing silk like bind, but he didn't mind. The time alone allowed him to think back to the graveness of his situation.
He confirmed once again everything he noted about his lack of memory, drawing the same conclusion as before.
After his discussion with Delman, who introduced himself as a soldier of the planet Aize in a mission to delivery an important item to another planet, the strident sound that was resonating in his ears when he woke up long vanished. But his head was still hurting, as if he took a canonball to the face, and he still felt exhausted.
If he had to guess, he would say he has about 20% of his usual energy and Exilium, depending on the number and strength of enemies, that would be enough. But without being able to move, it was difficult to be 100% sure.
Thinking about Exilium, Kaël wanted to make sure of something. He closed his eyes and concentrated trying to manipulate the Exilium residing in his body, feeling it like a school of fish while his body is a river trying to use waves, tides and current to direct the fishes to where he want them to go.
Kaël transported the Exilium to his arms and hands, feeling them being infused with the energy and becoming stronger. He pushed as hard as he could trying to break the orange silk like material that was binding him.
After some resistance, the wrapping couldn't withstand the force of Kaël and broke with a 'plap' sound, slowly disintegrating and vanishing into the air.
*I'm still as proficient as before. Good to know.*
He was expecting such a result due to his weirdly precise memories of his everday training but he wanted to make sure that it would be as easy in real life than what he remembered.
Also, even though he did not liked thinking about it, there was a chance that some of his memories were fake or artificially created. It was unlikely beceause he never experienced nor saw such magic or machine, but if he truly was an Aporiphian living 80.000 years ago, then that means that technology has evolved a lot and that new races were created.
After the emergeance of the Abyss, and when it became the biggest problem in history, the definition of the word races changed for intelligent being. It now defined everybody who could use and or manipulate some kind of energy in the same way.
Beceause Aporiphian could use the energy called Exilium, they were all from the same race. This would be the same for Aizemi who manipulated Rapiid.
Most, if not every, type of energy worked in different ways, they have their pros and cons. Thus, every races have their usefulness in the war against the Abyss.
There were some rare cases were two different races could manipulate the same type of energy. In this case, if both agree to it, then they will considered as different races. They would most likely use it in different ways anyway, as well as having a different language all together.
Also, in order to communicate better between races, a common language has been created that is teached in almost every school. After all, visiting another planet and assimilating their culture and landscape is every child's dream. Kaël was sure an automatic translator must have been created by now.
The most basic application of most energies was body strengthening, after all, most energies were born from a desire and innate need to survive and surpass the danger brought by the abyss but also nature and other races. Body strengthening allowed one to beat and overpower their enemies, survive against their blows or flee from danger.
The creation of different energies is a result of evolution and adaptation. With it becoming the only way for most races to fight and strive in the world. If a race end up needing something to survive, and if it survive enough, the energy will end up being able to provide that need.
With body strengthening being primordial to survive in the world, it was natural that most races could use their energies to become physically stronger.
However, races developped, strived and adapted to different environnement and planets, leading to various needs or way to fullfill them, this was what resulted in all energies being different. If a race was living in a cave, it was unsuitable for them to have light related abilities as it would reveal their position. Instead they would have various way to set up trap, conceal themself or teleport away to a hiding spot.
Kaël, now freed, stretched for a bit to reduce the numbness of his body. He then proceeded to his next test.
He put his right hand in front of him and his left one in a fist touching his right shoulder. At the same time he spoke words in the language of Aporiph.
"Aurora"
This was the uniqueness of Exilium, the energy of Aporiphian. It had the ability Spiritual Communion, it could create a contract with spirits or spiritual creature. What could be called a spiritual creature was anything that could form a contract with an Aporiphian beceause they were made from an energy similar and compatible with Exilium. They named it Equilibrium.
Making a contract with a spiritual creature meant conceeding a portion of your Exilium to nourish the creature, this was equivalent to about 20% of their maximum output that would slowly recover over a year and a half.
When making a contract, the spiritual creature will also give up a part of their Equilibrium that will merge with the Exilium of the Aporiphian. This will lead to the Exilium being forced to adapt to the foreign energy and grow stronger over time.
Apart from making the Exilium stronger, making a contract with a spiritual creature will gift the Aporiphian with one or multiple spells.
Those spell could have various effect and depended on the type of spiritual creature that was contracted. When casting a spell, you need to combine a gesture and a word.
this combination could be shortened to just a word or just a gesture by consuming more Exilium, but it was not worth wasting the time to recover when you could another contracted spell sooner. It also allowed to use everyday life gestures and mouvement without accidently casting it.
Spiritual creatures were, apart from Aporiphians, the only living things on Aporiph. They could only survive by making contracts and feed on their Exilium, while Aporiphian could only grow stronger by making contract.
Each were dependant on the other to survive.
Kaël waited for 3 seconds but nothing happened, the aurora spell failed. If it succeded, an ice beam would have been conjured from his hand that extend forwards.
Kaël, with a dejected expression, thought back to his training.
*A failed spell mean the breach of a contract. Either the spiritual creature is dead, this is the most likely outcome, either it forcefully ended the contract beceause it is mad at you. The third option is that you and the spiritual creature isn't on the same plain of existence, this does not include universes, they should still be able to reach you.*
With his current predicament. It was most likely that the spirit died in the 80.000 years that Kaël did not participated in. Either the abyss catched it or it died of hunger due to the lack of Aporiphian to feed it.
Kaël tested all of his 17 other contracted spell doing various gesture and saying various words in the ancient language, but none of them worked. After the first failure this was an expected result but he still felt diseartened that all his spells were now gone, he had specially chosen them to fill each other's weak point.
It was likely that most, if not all, spiritual creature perished with the Aporiphian race 80.000 years ago. This was a huge issue as it meant that it would be very difficult for Kaël to grow stronger in the future. And if the entire Aporiphian race went extinct beceause of the Abyss, and not time, then becoming stronger was the only way Kaël could hope to survive.
Putting the matter to the back of his mind, Kaël focused on the issues that he could deal with. The only thing that mattered right now is that he had no contractual spells, his body was tired and a significant ammount of his Exilium was depleted. At the very least, his Exilium was still as strong before he woke up, the death of the spiritual creatures did not reverted it to a base form.
Kaël started to do some exercizing while waiting for Delman to come back to reduce the numbness of his body. He observed his dark surronding which were exactly as Delman described, a mix of stone and steel surronding him in every direction.
After about 5 minutes, the figure of Delman appeared back in the opening of the cave. With him a man taller than him with short dark grey hair and a thin black beard adorned with the same silver armor that had a hole on his side. It was Garleen who recovered from his previous injuries, being able to now walk without help.
"This is my comrade Garleen Ayle. I hope you appreciate each other for the short time we cooperate."
Presenting the man, Delman let them meet each other, not entering in the cave opening.
Garleen took the initiative to approach Kaël with his hand put forward waiting a handshake and a bright smile on his face, contradicting the dry blood that could be seen through the hole in his armor.
"Nice to meet you ! Do you want me to call you by your full name or does Kaël suffice ?"
Kaël put returned the hand shake, liking the warmness of Garleen's smile, he already knew the man wasn't the type to give up before finishing the mission. He was a valuable ally to have.
"The same. Kaël is fine, I hope we work together well."
Seeing the presentations go smoothly, Delman made a debrief of the situation to Kaël.
"As I said, we are currently in an unknown giant cave, probably still in the planet Exax beceause the temperature is the same as outside. We have been teleported there beceause of some sort of anomaly that happened during a battle against an army of Abyssial. Me, Garleen and our 2 other allies are trying to locate the exit without alerting the Abyssial that most likely teleported with us."
Kaël turned back to look at Delman and, with Garleen following behind, inquired while approaching him.
"If I need to guess you are the captain. What important items are you delivering ?"
Delman looked away for a second before deciding to reveal the truth.
"Yes I am the captain. And the important item we need to delivery is me."
Kaël was certainly not expecting such an answer but Garleen spoke before he could retort anything.
"Yeah, captain Delman is a pretty big deal in Aize, and he need to attend some sort of reunion, let's call it like that."
Kaël nodded to confirm he understood while he was thinking about the potential benefits of this new information.
*If Delman is a big shot, then success could mean having a good relationship with the higher ups of Aize. However, if the mission failed and Delman died, there was a chance that he could be considered an assassin and end up as a wanted criminal.*
Ultimately, it rarely mattered, in an unknown and hostile environnement, rejecting the help of potential allies would be a stupid mistakes. It would be easy for Kaël to suddenly die by a sneak attack if he is alone.
The group of 3 continued to walk in the dim light cave of stone and steel silently. Their footstep echoing in the aor. Garleen tried to engage in a conversation with Delman but quickly understood he wasn't in the mood.
After a few minutes of walking, Garleen finally spoke loud enough for anybody in the vicinity to hear.
"We have arrived !"
Following the annoncement of Garleen, a female voice sligthly irritated resonated from deeper in the cave.
"Took you long enough. We don't have infinite supply here."
Garleen instantly answered to the complaint.
"Well I'm sorry. The captain is diligent in staying quiet."
The same voice responded with the same irritated tone.
"Then come here instead of screaming."
Garleen, as if ordered by the voice, started to walk faster toward the source of the voice. Leaving his 2 allies behind.
Delman, still walking with Kaël, explained the situation.
"The voice you hear is Cassidy Bagel, she is the strongest ally we have. Due to my exhaustion and depleted energy she might currently be stronger than me. She should be with our last ally, Alissia Allog, she was the driver of our vehicule so she isn't a fighter. She may not be injured but is emotionally shook, don't talk to her to much, she needs time alone."
*Still as talkative as ever but I got it* Kaël complained in his mind before asking a question.
"Have you any clues of how to find the exit ? Do you think it might be possible to blow up the ceilling to the surface without being burried alive ?"
Delman quickly responded without even looking at Kaël.
"If we get close enough to the surface I should be able to smell the sand outside. I don't like the idea of blowing up anything beceause we could be right under a volcano. Protecting against the collapse of the tunnel would not be an issue though. The smoke from the destroyed rocks would not hinder us as Aizemis does not breath. Do Aporiphian do ?"
*So you don't breath but you have a nose to smell, interesting.* Disappointed that they would need to take the long way out,he realized once again how powerless he was after losing his spiritual spells.
Their conversation continued until they reached another opening in cave. Inside could be seen Garleen who sat down on the ground his legs crossed. Right next to him was a girl with long black hair formed in a ponytail and deep yellow, almost golden eyes.
She looked taller than Delman but shorter than Garleen, a little burnmark could be seen on her right cheek, any experienced soldier could tell that it wasn't something recent.
Behind them was the destroyed and burned remain of what could vaguelly be distinguished as some sort of car. Longer but shorter than a truck. The previously light grey silver metal composing it, now reduced to a dark grey and black charred carcass of its former self.
Up seeing Delman and Kaël enter the opening, Cassidy turned to Kaël. Her deep yellow eyes facing Kaël's one, taking into memory his every mouvement, ready to pounce at any threat she feel.
"Hello. Kaël Lavius. Welcome to the team."
*How cold. Did I do something to you ?* Kaël silently stared back at Cassidy. The apparent strongest in the group.