Jonathan and the others slunk out of the mist momentarily, and headed along the canyon until they were out of sight of the fog bank. A few moments later, one of the Pterodons burst out of the mist, and let out a screech of triumph as it spotted them. Its rider raised one hand, and conjured a crackling lance of energy there, before loosing it at them. Jonathan turned around and sent out a pulse of Void energy, eating up the attack as it neared.
Then he started running, letting the others follow him. It was a mad scramble to escape, given that none of them were sure of how strong their pursuers were. However, going by the speed of the monsters, they were not too high leveled. In a world where the greatest threat were the mimics, it seemed that the higher leveled fighters were relegated to the front lines, leaving the weaker ones to guard the interior.
“Stop!” One of the Uthraki bellowed after them. “You trespass in the land of Lady Alkar!” Of course, all they did in response was speed up.
More bellowed commands drifted after them on the wind, but they were simply ignored. The rest of the Uthraki platoon emerged from the fogbank a few moments later, and joined the first one in chasing them down. Each flap of the monsters’ wings created a sonic boom, but Jonathan and his followers were faster still. The canyon blurred by, extending into the horizon for as far as the eye could see. Nobody knew when it ended, but it hardly mattered.
Eventually, the group of dinosaur riding Uthraki were left far behind, and they turned back towards the city, likely to report the intruders. Jonathan and the others paused for a break. Even with their stats, miles of non stop running would bottom out any stamina pool among them, or mana pool, in the case of Edgar who used the wind to move.
“This is starting to get dangerous,” Hushar observed. “This realm is filled with Uthraki.”
“Yeah, no shit. Imagine how difficult my life would have been had the last realm been like this,” Jonathan replied. “I would have died after I first encountered the Uthraki there.”
“Are the later realms going to be like this?” Edgar asked. “I am not looking forward to fighting an entire army of higher leveled fighters when we reach the next level of Tartarus.”
“Well, if we beat Slothari, then we likely will have enough power to deal with whatever is to come.”
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“If,” Edgar said in an ominous tone.
After recovering their stamina, the fighters continued along the side of the canyon. Annoyingly, they had no idea where it led, but it was better than simply wandering the land. They could probably find a map of the world in any of the cities of the realm, but such an enterprise would be intensely dangerous. When a powerhouse Peak Tier 3 could be waiting around the corner, there was nowhere truly safe.
In Mire
Tukar, Maranta, Bordeg and Branth hid beneath the layers of earth that blanketed the realm, far below the swamp. A few hours ago, strange lights had flashed in the sky, and the sound of marching feet sounded through the land, across a bridge of solid rock created by high level geomancers. With their advanced eyesight, they could see a mercenary company marching across the swamp, towards the outer reaches of the realm. Their path seemed to pass right by their encampment.
They had quickly dismantled the fortifications, or made them appear more weathered in some cases, allowing them to conceal their presence. Then they dug into the bedrock of Mire, creating a pocket of empty space for them to hide in. It was completely invisible from above, but sight was not the only sense that they had to worry about.
Many people at Tier 3 had access to other forms of detection, ranging from spiritual senses to well honed elemental sight. The Uthraki were no different, as they all possessed a limited ability to scan through rock.
Those senses provided them with a view of the incoming mercenary company. There were a few hundred members, all of whom were around the midpoint of Tier 3, with three leaders at around level 270. Had Jonathan and the others been here, perhaps they could have put up a fight, but as it was, that would be suicide. Instead, they prayed to their god that they would remain undiscovered.
“The hell did all of this obsidian come from?” A faint voice drifted down from above, causing their hearts to freeze.
“Who cares?” Another said. “This whole gods-forsaken place is a ruin. That rock is just as weathered.”
“Quiet in the ranks!” Someone else shouted, the noise far louder. After that, the only noise was the sound of feet striding off into the distance.
An hour later, the group deemed it safe enough to emerge. However, even if it was safe now, it was possible that more patrols would come through later. This was not the haven that they thought it was. Sure, the methodical approach of a mercenary company was easy enough to detect, but if someone purposefully charged towards the ruin with the intent of catching them, there would be too little time to react. As soon as Jonathan and the others returned, they would need to leave.
They emerged from the ground, and began to dismantle the remainder of the fortifications. There would be no need for them if they were to leave this place. Suddenly, a shroud of blackness dropped over the land around them, and each of them felt a sharp prick on their necks. Then they knew no more.