King Of Limbo

After some time, the once-loud mountain became silent.

It had become little more than a valley of broken and destroyed rocks in what had once been the home of the western blue-scaled Drakar.

Numerous burned and/or decaying corpses were strewn around on top of this heap of debris without regard for order.

The southern commander, Greile, who was alone and hanging in the sky above, was observing this horrific spectacle.

Her scaly, Dracona-like visage twisted into an expression that appeared to be indignant at what she was witnessing.

"I assumed you'd be pleased to see your opponent die."

She heard a voice above her and raised her head in dread when she realized who it belonged to.

"Osar!"

She worriedly narrowed her eyes and spread her wings, putting some space between herself and him.

"Relax, I'm not here to argue. I'm here for the same reason you are: to find the truth behind what really happened here." In contrast to the sardonic and self-assured expression he had throughout the altercation, Osar descended slowly and sported a more composed look.

"The truth?" He nodded subtly in response to her hesitant question.

"Yes, this entire situation made no sense to me. All of us wanted to assimilate Manuvv, but none wanted him to perish, it's a loss to our kind as a whole. I need to know the truth lest this happen to one of us next…" His words stumbled as he started to scan the surroundings for any hints.

"The truth? Then why did you kill Manuvv?"

Greile remained skeptical and didn't accept the words she was hearing right away, even though they made sense to her.

"Manuvv was the biggest threat to the ideals of the olden ones. Let's say it was their plot to kill him; if we didn't go along, then they'd realize we are no longer the dull-minded creatures they enslaved long ago. His death was unavoidable, but…"

Osar landed on the stony surface and moved toward the largest scorched body before proceeding.

"But if this wasn't a scheme by them, then allowing him to be taken alive to them would be tantamount to giving them information on the subject."

Osar sighed heavily from exhaustion as he stared at Manuvv's corpse with a difficult-to-read expression.

Greile descended as well, but she kept a safe distance from Osar.

"Suppose I believe you; why reveal all this to me? Aren't you afraid I will tell the olden ones of your schemes?"

Greile's warning was met only by Osar's loud, mocking chuckle, as he saw her as a complete moron.

"The olden ones trust no one more than me. Besides in the scenario where it wasn't any of us, Drakar, or the olden ones who plotted against Manuvv, then it leaves only one option, Tulsa."

Greile recalled the frightening moment she saw the deathly valley being caused by a single group of Tulsa, and Osar's words made her shiver.

"But when we reported this you said it was nothing but an excuse and had the olden ones dismiss it… wait. You did that so they couldn't be aware of the threat? But if it's this big, then we cannot handle it alone."

Greile was starting to realize that Osar was more crafty than anyone had thought possible because he had given the situation a lot of thought.

"If it is a threat too big for us, then worst-case scenario, I admit I was wrong. Right now the Tulsa are seen as nothing but playthings, so the olden ones are none the wiser, if this was really caused by the Tulsa, then it's clear they are here to save their kind… That means they have a weakness. For now, go and question the captured Tulsa in your dwelling and ask them who their strongest individuals are and the details."

Osar believed his deduction was accurate, giving him the upper hand over their alleged Tulsa foe.

He had no idea that a small inaccuracy in his reasoning would turn out to be his own vulnerability to the enemy.

…

The opponent in question was climbing yet another peak in broad daylight since his camouflage had prevented anyone from noticing him.

'At this rate, I may run out of this variant mana allowing me to use this ability before I cover the entire mountain range...dammit.'

Aron had only taken the mana from a single Scholopedera, this meant the amount he could use wasn't much to begin with.

He had been using it consistently for more than twenty kilometers. That wouldn't have been an issue if he had been traveling at his top speed, but he had to be careful not to stir up any debris.

If he walked too quickly, there would be a strong wind gust, the sound of heavy footfall, or perhaps the raising of dust.

He couldn't take a chance because he didn't know how keen the Drakar's senses were.

'Thankfully I've made it here…'

He made the decision to keep his thoughts on the present situation and avoid ruminating too much.

He felt some relief after climbing to the mountain's summit and seeing what lay on the other side.

The homes of the southern gray-scaled Drakar were located below the mountain on the other side.

They had a significantly larger population than the western dwellings, making the setting much livelier.

While the elder Drakar were either patrolling the skies above or keeping an eye on their dens built into the surrounding mountain sides, the younger Drakar could be seen flying around much closer to the ground as they played carefree.

"They must number at least a few thousand here."

It was only normal to see so many of them, given that the residence stretched for tens of kilometers.

But that was a figure he hadn't anticipated.

'I don't have enough sheets to create explosive runic slips... Even if I did, the structure of this mountain valley is too open to cause much damage.'

Aron's plans had come to a halt, forcing him to reconsider all he had in mind for the other Drakar.

Making matters more challenging, he now had to operate under the presumption that there were either an equal number or more Drakar in the other dwellings.

The heavens thundered loudly while Aron considered his alternatives, grabbing his attention as well as that of the Drakar who were on patrol.

He cast a narrowing gaze upward at the ominous clouds; everyone could see what that thunder meant.

'Rain... it seems they were longing for it too.'

Aron could see a great deal of happy Drakar cheering from the homes below, as they were all looking up in excitement.

He pulled his gaze away from the sky and started to descend the mountain, not understanding why the rain was causing this much excitement.

He needed to drastically reconsider his plans because there were much too many Drakar for him to roam freely across the homes.

He hurriedly entered the closest lair he could find because he knew the rain would make it difficult for him to move undetected.

Once inside, he explored further and discovered a solitary female Dracona curled up on the floor, holding two eggs that were roughly the size of a human head.

His target was the far end of the lair, close to that specific female Drakar, so he breathed more slowly and went even more slowly than before.

Aron made the decision to move closer to the walls and maintain a 10-meter proximity to the sleeping female Drakar.

'Now we wait.'

He sat on the ground, crossed his legs, and leaned against the wall in a safe position for the time being. His camouflage was still very much in effect.

His breathing and pulse rate had both significantly slowed down, but every other aspect of his being was nearly in a condition of hibernation.

He stayed that way for quite some time, only opening his eyes when he detected the arrival of another fragrance.

He raised his head just enough to see a male Drakar enter carrying a human being's dismembered body in its bloodied palm.

Awakened from her sleep by the new presence, the female Drakar roared in the direction of the door as soon as she saw it.

"It's just me, Ulilar; I brought you a meal."

The male approached the female with considerable caution and appeared to be submissive to her.

The male brought the human torso close to her and then stepped back, waiting for her to speak.

She inspected the torso with her eyes first, then sniffed it and scowled at the male.

"It's not fresh, and it lacks blood and tenderness." With tremendous displeasure, the woman revealed.

"The olden ones have said to keep the Tulsa alive and breed them. I was fortunate to even get this part because only damaged ones could be eaten. I will go hunting again tomorrow alongside the other males once the rain descends. I will bring you a feast!" The man boldly proposed, but the woman was unimpressed.

"Fine. Leave my den then." She replied dismissively before going back to sleep.

Aron glanced at the testosterone-drenched man and could almost grasp what the gift of meat meant in this situation. Unfortunately, the man's attempts to explain it failed, and he was forced to depart.

However, his comments gave Aron a chance, and now he smiled a little.

'A hunt in which the majority of the males will have left the area and the females will be confined to their dens, caring for their eggs. This will function well...'

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