Chapter 73.

A trace ! Finally, a footprint in the light brown soil appeared. It had been almost two days since the trio had begun their new exploration of the tunnels, and only then did they find something. What a relief ! The hint on the ground was relatively small, definitely left by a Grey Devil, but also quite deep. The space around it for a few meters was weird too as if someone had used a broom to erase any trace. If they really had tried to do something of the sort, then this one print was the result of carelessness. Maybe.

Still on guard against what might be a trap, Enora, Nick and Rose kept going, following the direction of this clue towards the deepest parts of this underground world. After an hour or so, something unusual came up : scouts. That was a good sign since nobody would send scouts without a good reason. Meaning there were more monsters nearby, just like back at the coal mine in the Maze. These scouts were only five Aaterpas. They did not stand a chance against the human's ambush and quickly fell, the ground absorbing their blood like a sponge. While frisking the bodies, the mages began planning.

(Nick) What do we do when we find them ?

(Enora) What do you mean 'what' ? We kill them if we can or go back to Sephayis to sell the info to the Captain if we cannot.

(Rose) It is weird though. These ones have been trying to hide their destination, which means they are at the very least not as stupid as before. Also, why would they hide ?

(Nick) Too weak maybe ?

(Enora) If they were weak to the point of sweeping the dirt behind them, they would not have attacked a militia squad.

(Rose) Exactly. There is something wrong here …

The scouts they had just taken out were different from the Grey Devils closer to Sephayis. They were better fed and equipped, and they looked healthy. An outline of the situation seemed to be drawing itself in the three human's mind link, making them more cautious and vigilant while looking around. Two other scout parties encountered their doom in these tunnels, losing limbs, lives, and belongings in the process.

Then the strange events continued. An odd sound began, a mix of many small noises and loud drumming. The closer they got to it, the more the ground rumbled, and the walls let go of small pebbles as if those tremors eroded the environment. An entrance finally opened. Sadly, the view was not great : an enormous cave, almost as big as the one sheltering Sephayis, filled with a multitude of 'people'.

(Enora) What the fuuuck ?

The other two had nothing better to say. In front of them, in this enormous space, a horrifying number of monsters had gathered. How many ? Thousands ? Probably more. On the outside of this round place, small huts and tents made of grey wood and skin. The closer to the centre, the less of these, until no home at all. In the middle, a hundred meters wide circle was formed, covered by a golden hill. That's right, a golden HILL. A hill made of gold, several meters high, towering over the entire cave, with a throne at its top.

The light from crystals in the walls was reflected against the shiny metal, illuminating the whole place with its splendour. The kingly seat itself was empty, but nobody dared approach the gold, keeping several meters away. The crowd was relatively quiet, made up of mainly Grey Devils of all ages. It was, in fact, the first time for the trio to see what the babies looked like : exactly like their parents, just smaller. There were also many Ash Trolls walking around, carrying large drums and pounding powerfully, followed by smaller monsters. It was hard to understand what was happening. What were they all waiting for ? Why were the Bareteli making music, and why did others follow them ? Such a weird sight.

Soon, a peculiar being came out of the crowd, near the hill. It was hard to see from where they were, but the trio did their best. At some point, Enora thought of something and tried immediately : she gathered a small quantity of basic energy into her eyes, focusing on the idea of zooming. A second later, she could see precisely what she wanted to the smallest detail. It was like using binoculars while keeping the human's field of vision and, of course, the Nexus of Minds made the discovery known to the other two. Consequently, they did the same at once.

Through this new technique, they could detail the singular being. It was neither a Grey Devil nor an Ash Troll, and even its skin looked different. Was it close to Magnire ? It was ! It looked like an uglier, less graceful version of the mage blacksmith. Its skin still had the sickly pallor of the creatures, but one could clearly see it getting close to a more yellowish tinge. The eyes were glowing red, of course, but stable and calm, while the rest had seemingly lost a part of its monstrous side in exchange for some more evolved look. It would not be too shocking to see this creature inside Sephayis, which made the trio wholly uncomfortable.

Slowly, that 'thing' walked to the throne, climbing the gold with calm and controlled movements. Once in front of the seat, it turned around, not faltering for a second when faced with so many savage beast's and voracious monster's gazes. Seconds later, the drumming stopped, and an eery silence took its place. Nick had goosebumps, Rose catching his arm with her trembling hand while Enora tightly gripped her spear and frowned. Then, it spoke. It spoke gibberish.

The crowd began getting restless, softly stomping the ground as this 'speech' went on, and each of these rough words pronounced with a relatively melodious voice got stronger and stronger. Every sentence seemed more powerful than the last, and with this power increased the noise made by the spectators, until a grand finale. Then the whole cave erupted in a violent and chilling cheer, with the clanking of weapons against shields and screams filled with anger. This was bad.

Aaterpa(s) : magical name for the Grey Devils.

Baterel(i) : magical name for the Ash Trolls.