"This is…?" Gannala arrived at a halt when Orakha revived next to Ruvva in her biome. She accessed the latter's memories and understood the gist of the situation. "Chief, give me a moment."
Saying so, Gannala rushed to a vacant location, assumed Empyrean Tusk form, and brought our Orakha, reverting to human form to glare at him, "Why did you run? You could have fought against him."
"Yes, I can, but the risks are high." Orakha said, "I judged that my losses would be severe if I were to face him now. And I don't wish to be weakened."
"That's it?" Gannala clenched her hand into a fist, controlling her urge to smack him, "You can face him and hold him there long enough for us to arrive at your rescue."
"With your strength, it's easy." She grumbled, "Except for that stamp in his possession, none of Virala's abilities can damage you in the slightest. You're a direct counter to him."
"Yes, I can. But why should I?" Orakha tilted his head as he stared at Gannala, "If I'm careless for even an instant, Virala's stamp can affect me. It would force my two bodies out of sync, since only one body would be fighting him there."
"It wasn't easy to build my strength to the current level. So, I'm not risking my accumulations for something that isn't relevant." He said calmly, revealing his analysing, "Virala is a single-type unit, unlike me. He doesn't have the means to consume the resources I am bringing out of the Brimgan Empire, whether it be the minerals, Elixirs, Spirit Weapons, etc."
Virala built his Spirit Weapon using the minerals sourced from the Golden Giant, forged upon a piece of Sumatra Gold. Hence, the minerals being brought out by Orakha were of no use to him. It was the same for the Spirit Weapons too, since Virala could not use them.
The only thing he could consume were the Elixirs. And even for them, he cannot consume them in large numbers, for one would have to spend months adjusting to the growth given by even a Low-Grade Elixir.
Virala wasn't an exception to the rule. So, unless he planned to destroy everything, there was no way in which Virala could sabotage the resources being collected by Orakha.
The safest way to face Virala would be when Orakha was in his 2-Life Stage form, for only then would his stacked self not be affected by Virala's stamp.
By taking advantage of his Mystic Eaters and Compound Human Avatar, Orakha managed to reach the 2-Life Stage with Gold Grade strength. Now, he had even fused a piece of Sumatra Gold in his Human Avatars. It wasn't just that.
He also had a Minor Treasure capable of reviving him at multiple locations. It hadn't been long since he obtained all these, so Orakha needed a lot of time to stabilise and work on his gains. From a profit and loss standpoint, facing Virala was just a loss.
There was nothing he could gain from the conflict. And hence, he committed suicide to return to the Mammoth Clan.
"Coward!" Gannala cursed at his actions.
"I call it having a functional head above the shoulders." Orakha shrugged, "I'm not Resha to heed your beck and call, Gannala. I have an identity of my own. So, whether or not you're my Deity is irrelevant."
"You've seen my memories," Orakha's eyes glistened, "With a piece of Sumatra Gold in my Human Avatar, I can easily morph my Human Avatar to influence me in such a way that your influence on me is negated. The only reason I've not done that is due to my identity as a Mammoth Clansman."
"Other than Blola being able to revive me, there's nothing I need from the Mammoth Clan, nor can your side give me. Let's keep things clear." Orakha snorted, "So don't talk to me as if I'm the rest of the Mammoth Clansmen in your Settlement."
"Hmph!" Gannala no longer had the mood to argue unnecessarily as she approached Raaha, "Let's make haste."
"Will he still be there?" Raaha stared at Orakha.
"He's waiting there." Orakha closed his eyes to sense the position and status of the Minor Treasure he left in Virala to conclude, "He's waiting for us to arrive there."
"See, I told you." Orakha stared at Gannala to shrug, "There isn't much he can do there. Besides, the initiative lies with us as long as we have Ruvva and his second body."
"So, Virala can never be a genuine threat as long as my Minor Treasure remains in his body." Orakha tapped his head, "By giving him a piece of Sumatra Gold, I've become able to track him. And if necessary, I can revive beside him to target him whenever I please."
"Stop bragging, gosh!" Gannala groaned in irritation and ignored Orakha's argument.
Gannala ran away to the front of the group and accompanied Vhalla. In the meantime, Orakha approached Raaha and bowed formally, "I've completed the task I promised to achieve, Chief."
"Thirty times our annual budget? Are you serious?" Raaha was stunned by the declaration.
"It's just an estimate. I'll have to tally it fully to know the exact number." Orakha said, "But it's a ginormous sum."
"The amount I have amassed at the spot we're heading towards is merely a few months' worth of our annual budget. I can change the location where my Mystic Eaters transport the remaining resources." Orakha asked for Raaha's input, "Where do you want me to bring them all, Chief?"
Basically, even if Virala were to camp at the place, the value of resources he could take hostage was barely a percent of what Orakha had gathered. There was so much that he'd have to transport for months.
"Gannala can create an underground tunnel for it. You only need to drop the resources into the mouth of the tunnel and the field of gravity within will transport it to the end." Raaha commented, "That way, we'll be done with our task faster. And if possible, I don't want to confront Boul Brimgan."
"Once we're done, we're going far away from the Brimgan Empire's range of influence."
The Mammoth Clan Chief didn't rebuke Orakha for his statement towards Gannala. Or rather, he had been listening to the entire conversation, understanding that all the Mystic Paths had grown enough that they couldn't be entirely kept in check by him.
Orakha had the means to not be influenced by Gannala more than a certain limit. And if he wanted to, he could lower the limit until he was no longer influenced by her. The fact that he didn't do it is because he considered the Mammoth Clan his home and had respect for them.
A typical Mammoth Clansman would be over the moon just to be able to communicate with their Deity. But the Mystic Paths had a past of living in another world. That aspect gave them a certain degree of resistance towards an Empyrean Tusk's influence.
But they were all minor stuff. If necessary, Gannala could have harnessed her influence to the maximum and put all Mystic Paths under her fold. But one thing had changed from the past that impacted her confidence.
Royal Zinger!
Gannala's father, the Indigo Mystic Path was no longer a Mammoth Clansman. Most of all, he was the second person to break free from the Mammoth Clan's fold. First was Virala.
Whether it was Virala or Inala, the methods used by the two of them to break from their Mammoth Clansman identities was something none among the Mammoth Clan could conceptualise or even think the possibility of.
So in the future, the rest of the Mystic Paths too could break free from the Mammoth Clan's fold. And worst of all, they couldn't even predict what they could do. Therefore, it was impossible for them to guard against such matters.
Hence, Raaha wanted to change his approach. After all, Orakha brought the Mammoth Clan an extent of resources that allowed them to sit still and not work in the slightest for the next thirty years.
The last time someone contributed tremendously to the Mammoth Clan and gained their wholehearted support, he ended up becoming the Royal Zinger.
So, Raaha was nervous. If Orakha breaks free from being a Mammoth Clansman, then they'd no longer have the means to keep Maroppa in their custody as the Mammoth Clan's guest. If Maroppa wants to leave, no one can stop her. After all, it was impossible to guard against the Sandy-Grey Void.
She only stayed with the Mammoth Clan for two reasons. First, Orakha was there. Second, she had grown strong enough that she could afford to travel through the wilds and accumulate fighting experience. Going with the Mammoth Clan was a safe bet thanks to their nomadic nature.
Besides, if she plans to flee Sumatra, then being with the Mammoth Clan was the obvious choice, since thanks to their biomes, the Empyrean Tusks had enough resources to last a trip through the Sandy-Grey Void.
Hence, Raaha had to treat this as a delicate situation. Both Orakha and Maroppa were strategic assets of the Mammoth Clan. 'I didn't have to use my head this much even when the Boar King harassed us regularly before the merger.'
He sighed softly and didn't speak much, waving his hand to permit Orakha to do whatever he wanted. Seeing Orakha make a beeline towards Maroppa immediately after, and observing Maroppa being all smiles while conversing with Orakha, Raaha firmed his mind, 'We cannot afford to lose another Mystic Path.'
His gaze was cold as the group reached the foot of the hill at the peak of which resources were being collected. Raaha stared upward and noticed the figure of Virala casually seated atop a pile of resources and observing them in interest.
'He doesn't fear the Mammoth Clan, huh?' Raaha thought and smirked faintly, 'Guess it's time to refresh the memories of everyone.'
'We're not saints to passively accept this disrespect.' Raaha grunted subtly as Prana began to churn through his body, all while his Presence didn't hint at his actions in the slightest.
