Because it wasnÆt just that several of his Riders had died One of the lieutenants of the Legion of the Unbreakable Bulwark had been ambushed as he was returning to the base of operations for this Legion And he hadnÆt been ambushed in the field The monster resistance had planned an assassination on the threshold of RandidlyÆs Riders and gotten away with it
The tall bird warriors and the gleefully howling monkeys dashed toward the jungle avoiding pursuit and escaping with their lives
Not for the first time Randidly wondered if it wasnÆt something other than his Aether that had inspired the change Perhaps the creator of those arrows in the dome had finally made a proactive move
Right when Randidly was considering how to approach this problem the Legion of the Marching Cadence had returned to make the rather shocking report that they had successfully tracked the monsters back to their base
Blinking Randidly looked at the tall mount the Rider was on top of Certainly this variant of the Riders possessed an extremely high Endurance value and could pursue an opponent for miles Based on what Randidly had seen they were certainly extremely patient However the long legs and wide feet of the mount was a bit
Randidly coughed into his hand Ah how did you managed to avoid detection
The Rider looked at him with something that felt shockingly like pity to Randidly Then with exaggerated motions the Rider got down off of his mount He gestured to himself and mimed walking on foot Then he got back onto his long legged mount and gave Randidly a very long look
I suppose that makes quite a bit of sense Randidly finally said Then he speechlessly shook his head and gestured for the Rider to lead him With a nod the Rider wheeled around and brought Randidly across the jungle
About three hours later the Rider slowed down and hopped down off of his camel bug Then he carefully began to creep forward With the ominous silence of the Grim Chimera shrouding his body like a cloak Randidly followed after him Twilight was around them seeming to urge them forward with the soft whispers of approaching night
They crested over a low hill and saw a wide and fat river lazily chugging along to their North Along the river there were several elephant like monsters with multiple tusks gathering around a series of pools that bordered closely on the river Some of the elephant creatures were bathing while others seemed to be asleep Randidly looked in askance at his Rider but the Rider shook his head and gestured for Randidly to continue following
As night fell around them they quickly closed in on the large monsters It was only when they were quite a bit closer that Randidly realized there was a narrow crack in the hill below them that fed into the pools and then into the fat river And standing outside of the crack where two tall bird creatures carrying spears
Pausing Randidly watched the two of them closely He had received the description of the myriad monsters that were resisting the expansion of his Riders and these tall bird monsters were some of the most elite troops that the resistance had Although monsters that were basically mutated frog and monkey were the most prevalent the birds were the backbone of the resistance It seemed to Randidly that they were likely related to the appearance of the King
Randidly narrowed his eyes as he looked at the crack There are two probable options The first is that this force is receiving assistance from an outside source to fight against me either the maker of the arrows or the Creature or some other element of the Nexus After talking to Octavius it’s hard to know who all is out to get me On the other hand they could also have finally experienced a mutation based on the prevalent Aether and developed very rapidly over the past few weeks
If it is the powerful supporter theory this might be a trap to draw me out Then it might be better to gather all of my Riders for this battle But if it was just a trap why have a base out here not on the plateau Just so I let down my guard Or was this the location where the outside force might have arrived
Randidly clicked his teeth together Then he reached out with Aether Detection and scanned the area When that turned up nothing Randidly changed his methods Instead of just scanning he sent out drills of Aether shooting outward Even if they couldnÆt pierce through any sort of Aether defenses they would still experience feedback if there was any sort of barrier in the surrounding area blocking RandidlyÆs senses
But as far as he could tell there was nothing
Plus their actions so far havenÆt demonstrated that they are aware that IÆm present Honestly the defenses around my dome are practically nonexistent If the resistance here wanted to strike at me
Randidly rubbed his face furiously for several seconds The Rider looked at him in silent askance Almost helpless Randidly waved a hand and let the aura of the Grim Chimera drop Then he began to walk toward the crack where the guards were standing
No matter how much he thought about it Randidly wouldnÆt be able to figure out what was occurring without either being extremely patient or investigating directly And Randidly had learned his lesson about letting his opponents dictate the terms of their encounters from several painful failures in the past
Plus the first option was much less likely than the second option If a foreign power was truly intervening Randidly believed he would have sensed a trace of foreign Aether But it was only his energy that filled the air
When Randidly materialized out of the darkening night next to the guards they jumped almost two full meters into the air Randidly was honestly rather amused by their jumping ability as they tried to calm themselves He kept his expression neutral and studied the way they moved and the weapons they carried Even though it was slight he couldnÆt help but be interested to see they were using spears
While they were pointing their weapons at him Randidly smiled and said Good evening You can understand me right Please lead me to your leader We have business to discuss
Immediate understanding blossomed in their eyes as well as a strange kind of dread They immediately feared him RandidlyÆs grin became a bit more feral IÆve met monsters with intelligence but by and large they arenÆt willing to negotiate with me at all The Bone Wyrm that became a source for NeveahÆs body was the notable exception Yet these birds
Randidly studied the Aether around their bodies as the guards led Randidly deep within the crack Unfortunately the Aether of the System was still a little too delicate and intricate for Randidly to get the full idea in a short amount of time He could tell they had begun internalizing his Aether but it was hard to see what changes that caused
Within the ground they quickly reached a dozen branching paths Down some Randidly heard the sounds of talking Down others Randidly saw dozens of monsters training with weapons Down even others Randidly could sense the presence of a growing number of foodstuffs Clearly whoever had created this place was preparing for a great war
As they moved deeper RandidlyÆs touch spread to more and more plants They crept downward around the stone passageways a constant invisible companion Furthermore Randidly continued to sweep the surrounding area with Aether But the ground around him remained consistently mundane There didnÆt seem to be any sort of trap ahead of him
Finally they reached a large stone cavern with a tall chair at the other end Randidly was shocked to find that someone was already waiting for him as though they had been able to send word ahead Had they been watched
Or do these monsters have access to the messaging function of the System
Large torches on the wall illuminated the cavern A female bird monster was sitting on the throne with her scaled legs in front of her Although she was not as tall as the guards that had brought Randidly nor did she possess the same vicious claws as the four warriors flanking her Randidly would have recognized her immediately without the accouterments After all his Crown of Upheaval and Gloom hummed in recognition of a kin as soon as their eyes met