The creatures that had invaded Faluel mines were divided in three groups and judging from their angry faces they didn’t get along very well.
The first group was comprised of huge wolf-like creatures that greatly resembled lycanthropes from Earth’s horror movies. At a first glance, they looked like the hybrid form of an Emperor Beast, yet their form was unstable.
Their silver-furred bodies kept shrinking and expanding, growing new tails or limbs that lasted barely a few seconds before being assimilated again.
Right beside the hairy giants stood several humanoids of exceptional beauty with six arms whose skin shifted non-stop between pale white and pitch-black.Â
Their leader was an androgynous man with elegant features that Lith was certain to have never met before and yet looked familiar.
The members of the second group wore fancy clothes as if they were going to attend a party rather than work in a mine. Some of them had turned part of their bodies into a living liquid while others had their skin glistening like precious stones and a few of them emitted a black steam from their exposed limbs.
Only a faint red light in their eyes along with their bared fangs and stretched claws betrayed them as different unknown species of undead. Even though it was morning, none of them showed signs of being weakened and emitted a powerful aura.
Their leader was a woman, clearly a Vampire, in her Chiropteran form.
It was supposed to be a giant hybrid between a human and a bat.
The woman was 2.5 meters (8’2″) tall, towering her much shorter competition. Membranous wings connected her hips to her hands, where ten centimeters long razor-sharp talons replaced her nails.
Yet the creature lacked the giant ears and the thick fur of a bat, having her body covered in small scales and her head deformed in a long snout, making her almost look like a Wyvern.
Only the members of the third group were males and females of the same species as their leader.
They were all over 2.3 meters (7’7″) tall, with hair of the six colors of the elements. Lith would have thought of them as humans, if not for their unusual height and the perfection of their bodies.
Each one of them looked like the masterpiece of a sculptor obsessed with fitness. Their toned muscles looked like they had been chiseled rather than trained. They wore comfortable silk pants and loose vests that left most of their backs exposed.
Their leader was a man slightly taller than the others, with a beard and several odd deep expression lines on his face that ruined his otherwise handsome features.
All the members of the three factions wore a Harmonizer and only the presence of their respective leaders in the middle of the corridor kept them from jumping at each other’s throat.
They pointed fingers while talking at the same time, making it impossible even for Protector’s fine ears to understand a word they were saying.
‘Relatives of yours?’ Morok asked Friya while pointing at the third faction and in particular at the women, shaping an hourglass with his hands.
‘No, but you got a point. Even if those guys really are human, how can there be so many Awakened with six elemental streaks gathered in one place? I’m supposed to be a unique case.’ She inwardly cursed at the geyser blocking her Life Vision.
‘I’m more troubled by the undead.’ Nalrond said. ‘I know that we are deep underground and that some of them can move during the day, but that’s something that takes centuries of experience.
‘On top of that, how can they manifest the elements like that and how can they emit an aura? Isn’t that supposed to be something that only Awakened can do without a spell?’
‘Yours are all excellent points, but we’ll never learn anything if we stay here. Friya, can you open a Scope near them so that we can overhear what they are quarreling about?’ Lith asked.
‘Too much light and too many people. We have no idea of what we are against and the dimensional fissure works both ways. The wolf creatures might smell us, the undead might perceive our heartbeats, and the tall guys might… I don’t know, anything!’ She replied.
Lith thought about sending Solus, but it would mean exposing her existence to Morok. Also, as Friya had said, it was too dangerous to send any of them near a bunch of unknown creatures.
He moved back into a side corridor, letting his feathered wing out of his back and Locrias out of his feather. The Demon of Darkness became a black puddle and Lith used Scope to move Locrias to a shadow zone near his targets unnoticed.
The dimensional fissure lasted the blink of an eye, leaving the former Captain of the Queen’s Corps just a few meters to cover.
‘I often used to say that a real spy can walk through the shadows to remain unseen, but it was just an expression. I never expected that one day I would be capable of doing it for real.’ He thought while adjusting his shape as he moved from a dark space of the cave to the next.
The good thing about tall creatures squabbling under a strong light was that they projected long shadows every time they gestured, offering Locrias the cover he needed to never leave a part of his body exposed.
“I don’t care about your whining, Lekha, only about our initial deal.” The androgynous man said as the Demon got close enough to hear over the echo and the many thunderous voices.
While the others yelled, the three leaders talked quietly. Their posture was apparently friendly and relaxed, yet each one of them emitted a powerful killing intent that made Locrias shiver.
“I’m not whining, Protheus. I’m just reporting the orders of the Dead King. You freaks have already received enough crystals. Our numbers are greater than yours and we should split the resources accordingly.” The Vampire-Wyvern said.
“I serve no King, only the Queen.” Protheus replied, his eyes ablaze with yellow mana at the word freaks.
“We started this project as rivals, but now we are allies. What benefits us will also benefit you.” Lekha replied.
“Maybe, and maybe not. I’ve been sent here to make sure that your masters keep their end of the bargain and that’s what I’m going to do.” Protheus pointed at the other two leaders.
“Don’t overestimate yourself, slime.” The vampire’s raspy voice turned into a cackle that sounded like a dry cough. “You’ve been sent here solely because your Queen’s precious freaks need a babysitter and because she’s scared of giving a Harmonizer to a Skinwalker.
“You are nothing but a pale imitation of what they could become if along with their core they regained their mind as well. One bite. One bite is all that it would take to a single Skinwalker to replace your precious Queen without any of you noticing.”
“Too bad that your brain didn’t grow along with your head, leech.” Protheus lips curved up into a smile as his body shapeshifted.
He grew over 5 meters (17′) tall until his eagle head grazed the ceiling. Emerald energy flooded his talon-ending fingers while his lion tail whipped the air with fury.
