As time continued to pass that night the same disaster that befell the bull tribe began to repeat itself in the main settlements of other clans.
Over and over again the serpent the serpent attacked with little to no resistance from the victims.
This was only made worse since the other clan's had now way of knowing what was coming. Those who had sent scouts witnessed the devastation and opted to warn their people but by the time they returned it was far too late, even Aron found it very difficult to not fall behind while moving on land.
By midnight ten of the sixteen targeted settlements had been decimated. Wether they were survivors or not was unknown to Aron as he didn't stop again to check, the only reason he did so at first was to see the results of it's attacks close up which was no longer necessary as it's attacks were rather simple.
Most times a settlement was destroyed just from it's hiss and corrosive venom while other times it's body completely crushed anything in it's path all while Aron observed from a higher ground at an appropriate distance.
His current train of thought now revolved around coming up with a way to defeat it while preserving as much of its body as possible. 'The best option for now would definitely be to lure it into a trap.' he thought while sitting on top of a jagged cliff.
After thinking about this Aron stood up and began walking away from the cliff even before the serpent began to attack the settlement he was viewing at that moment.
Before he could get far however a large blast echoed from behind followed by a loud cry which caught his attention and caused him to quickly turn his head back with furrowed eyebrows.
The scene he saw was definitely one he hadn't expected. The serpent looked like it was in state of shock as it wriggled around violently in the water. The backside of it's head even held some charred scales from whatever attack it faced.
As for where the attack came from, it could only be the numerous winged Komi that flew around it at a speed that it couldn't keep up with. These Komi belonged to the Crown Rigar clan, a race that looked like humanoid eagles.
They had two arms and legs like any regular person although in most cases members were covered in feathers on this parts along with a pair of great wings on their back. This clan dominated the skies and held no equal in arial combat.
Aron assumed they would be taken out just as quickly since it was most likely that the serpent would attack before they could even take flight but he was wrong.
'They're actually trying to fight it? No... they are drawing it's attention while their people escape.' Aron quickly analyzed before choosing to leave the scene quickly and return to the forest.
Although he wanted to observe longer and see their methods it was far too risky considering how well their vision was. If he was spotted merely observing as their people got attacked it may bring about unnecessary complications.
Before he could get far he heard some loud rustling ahead that made him come to a quick stop and become alert. This lasted only a moment before he relaxed after confirming it wasn't anything dangerous.
*foosh!*
Lady Rose's scouter appeared out of the densely packed vines and hovered a few meters away from Aron. "I'm sure you're already aware but we've ran into hurdle, how do you think we should proceed." Lady Rose's voice resounded from the pedestal and asked.
Aron took a moment to analyze the runes on the pedestal but he didn't inquire and proceeded to answer her question. "We should stop here, with their speed it wouldn't be hard to warn the other settlements and or set a trap for it. As strong as that serpent is it can probably be taken out if the clans choose to work together so instead we should..."
...
While Aron and Lady Rose began to rework their plan, Jagu continued to wait around Goovin who had now healed significantly but still laid down on the ground.
"That Aron... what is he?" Goovin inquired of Jagu but he simply remained silent. Despite the situation the bull clan was on hostile terms with Jagu's own clan.
"Hmph, it's not that you don't want to answer, it's that you don't know either. I could also see you held some surprise at his words earlier which makes me doubt their authenticity." Goovin although boorish and arrogant spoke rather well for a chief of a clan that was known for their savagery above all else.
"You're free to believe whatever you want. If you think you can understand Aron just after meeting him then you're dead wrong." Jagu sneered in irritation with his usual haughty attitude, no matter how he felt he would never allow himself to look weak in front of a possible enemy.
"You have no obligation to answer, but you should know those who lie to me even my own clansmen do not meet proper ends." Goovin humphed and wriggled his nose irritatedly before turning his gaze away from Jagu.
"Then for your sake you should hope he was telling the truth." Jagu replied and said nothing more.
...
Meanwhile not too far from the Komi Islands, the La Belle was roaming high up in the skies and was fast approaching the Islands.
Unlike Sayiva's airship and the Sovereign, the La Belle was not in a state of camouflage and it moved rather freely meaning if one's vision was good enough they would see it.
On the deck of the airship, Sharla currently stood beside Lucas who was one again left to handle some matters as Juliet went into her quarters.
"This way of approaching is far too risky, the Komi are fairly hostile to outsiders, especially humans." Sharla expressed her worries to Lucas because she had already tried telling Juliet of this but she seemed rather uninterested.
The more they spent time together the more she began to hate that attitude of Juliet's, the way she carried herself as if all of them were beneath her so she paid no mind to them and simple affairs.
"I'm sure Lady Juliet has a plan Sharla, she wouldn't endanger our lives like that otherwise right? The guys also think that's the most reasonable explanation." Lucas replied causing Sharla to frown and furrow her brows.
In that moment Scarlett also appeared on the scene chuckling at the exchange before showing a grin. "What do ye expect from men Sharla, it's your word against a beautiful, bountiful noble woman after all." She said before shrugging her shoulders slightly which served to only irritate Sharla further.
Lucas saw this and showed a look of awkwardness before trying to salvage the situation. "No, it's not like that at all Sharla. It's like you said this is our chance to prove ourselves so even if she spends most of her time in her quarters we have more time to grow together which I really enjoy!" Lucas said confidently but his words came across rather differently from what he had in mind.
"My, ain't ye a bold one." Scarlett's grin grew wider after hearing Lucas's declaration while Sharla looked slightly flustered with no more signs of that anger she had before.
Without saying anything else she quickly excused herself to avoid the already awkward moment that arose. However before she could get far a loud cry was heard behind her although this time it was far clearer than when they way further away.
*Hisssss!*
Sharla, Scarlett, Lucas and a few other members present on the large deck looked ahead and could vaguely see what looked like a worm wriggling around with flies swarming around it.
Given the distance they were at this was all they could see, except Sharla whose vision was naturally better than that of a human. Although not very detailed she could definitely see the serpent but as for what was flying around it, that remained still slightly difficult to make out.
Everyone quickly began discussing what they thought that was and what was happening. This was everyone's first time in the Komi Islands so they had no idea what was considered normal and what wasn't.
Of course this was only because they were yet to get closer, the dense jungle and the cover of night prevented them from seeing just how badly settlements near the water were hit.
Their discussions were soon brought to a halt by a loud valiant voice.
"Here me fellow Komi! I Yugar the King of all Crown Rigars declares Loch-Dil-Har! We must unite and fend off this creature that has invaded our lands and killed our brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and even children! I encourage you all to evacuate to settlements deeper on land for your own safety! ]
This loud declaration was head clearly by the everyone within the territory of the Komi Islands.
Those on the La Belle were largely confused as to what was even going on. "What's happening?"
He had turned to Sharla to ask as she showed a look of slight understanding and she did to some extent. "The King of Crown Rigars has just basically declared that a threat to the entire Komi Islands has appeared and that all leaders should put aside their differences to unite and repel it. The only other time I know of in written history when they did this was when Ettenheim tried to invade..."
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