“To hell with it! I’m going to recover that egg.”
The griffon’s claws sank into the crystallized skin, searching for the exact point where the core rested.
It shouldn’t be too difficult to recover it, but he couldn’t afford to lower his guard. Not after sensing someone watching him, that subtle presence that had almost escaped his notice.
The claws found their target. The hydra’s core pulsed weakly, its power still active even after the beast’s death. Its last breaths resonating with diminishing strength.
‘Someone was there,’ he thought while working. The mana marks in the air were subtle, small distortions where someone had transported themselves, like ripples in an invisible pond.
‘A Will-o’-the-wisp spirit? A mineral light fairy? A shadow wolf?’
All 3 were possibilities, but they had something in common… They were very expensive beasts, the kind only the truly privileged could afford.
Well, the wolf depended on luck but was still quite expensive.
The core finally yielded to his expert touch.
Even if for some reason he couldn’t recover the egg, this would be his insurance.
Transforming his mouth into the scorpion’s, he took a large piece of the hydra’s mana-rich flesh and consumed it, feeling the power course through his mutated body.
The pathetic monsters at this depth would feast on the wounds he’d left in the hydra’s body… Some would surely rank up, they didn’t deserve it.
Just like the idiot who stole the egg didn’t deserve it either.
He stored the core in his backpack and began his ascent. The trail of the person who had watched them was clearer now that he approached the spot where he’d sensed the presence, small points where space had been briefly distorted by mana.
Though honestly, it wasn’t necessary. Before him…
The destruction the hydra had caused in its pursuit also marked a quite clear path.
Pulverized walls, tunnels violently widened, telling the story of a desperate chase.
‘Could it have been the same person?’ he wondered while climbing.
At 200 meters he found the first signs of regular occupation, methodically worked tunnels, tool marks. He was entering mined territory.
The frozen slope appeared before him at 150 meters.
It seemed they had wanted the hydra to give up the chase.
An improvised but effective idea, the ice was thick enough to make ascending complicated even for a beast of his level.
But the most interesting thing was what he sensed on the other side.
A presence hidden among the rocks. Weak, barely perceptible from this distance… bronze rank, probably. The scorpion stirred, eager to eliminate the witness.
‘No,’ he thought while studying the situation. ‘Could have information.’
He pulled out his map, calculated his position and overlaid it with another that his employer had obtained from the city of Yano, studying his location carefully.
‘The central academy,’ he realized with surprise. ‘We’re under one of Yano’s most prestigious academies.’
A smile formed on his lips. If the egg had made it up here, maybe recovering it wouldn’t be difficult. An institution full of weak students, with only a few professors dangerous to him.
But then that presence could have been a rich student… It was particularly weak and didn’t seem to be hiding its mana.
The presence on the other side of the slope moved slightly. A miserable school guard, perhaps? Someone in charge of stopping students, dealing with wretched worms or delaying hordes, surely… Even better, someone who had probably seen everything that happened.
His scorpion fully manifested its tail, abyssal venom dripping softly.
Time to ask some questions.
♢♢♢♢
“You see…” Ren tried his best innocent expression, “I was looking for the flower for you when I heard a roar and a strong vibration. I tried to return through my tunnel but it had partially collapsed…”
Lin kept her eyes fixed on him, her expression skeptical.
“So… I had to take the long way. Through the main slope, though I knew the guards would scold me,” Ren continued, avoiding her gaze. “And well, that’s when the hydra saw me.”
“The hydra saw you?” Lin crossed her arms.
“But it was very tired!” he added quickly. “Could barely move. That’s why I could escape.”
“And if you only did that much then why did you have such strong mana poisoning?”
Ren started sweating. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed nervously while he searched for another credible explanation.
“Well, you see, when I was…”
The sound of hurried footsteps in the hallway interrupted him.
A group of students ran past the infirmary. Luna appeared in the doorway, her breathing agitated.
“Everyone to the shelters,” she announced, her usual composure replaced by contained urgency. “Master Yang is evacuating the students.”
Taro, who had been pretending to be invisible in a corner, straightened up. “Evacuating? Why?”
Luna ignored him, her eyes fixed on Lin. Something silent passed between them.
“I suspected as much,” Lin stood up, her expression becoming serious. “It’s time.”
“Time for what?” Ren got up, but Lin gently pushed him toward Luna along with Taro.
“You two,” she pointed to Ren and Taro, “go with Luna to the shelters. No detours, no secret tunnels,” she looked meaningfully at Ren, “straight to the shelters.”
“But…” Ren began.
“This is not negotiable,” Lin’s tone left no room for discussion. “I’m going with Yang. Luna, make sure they reach the shelter.”
Luna nodded while waiting at the door.
“Lin,” Ren called before she left, “what’s happening?”
“With luck, nothing,” she responded without turning. “With bad luck… well, that’s why we have shelters.”
“Teacher Lin!” Taro shouted.
“Yes?”
“Do you still want the flowers?”
Lin disappeared down the hall without answering.
“Move,” Luna ordered. “And no walks like during the excursion, mushroom. It’s not time for your secret adventures.”
Ren and Taro exchanged looks while following Luna. More students ran through the hallways, some scared, others simply confused.
“Hey,” Taro whispered while they walked, “you think this has to do with your…?”
Ren shook his head, silencing him. “I don’t know, but it shouldn’t be… if in the end it went back down… But lie about it,” he whispered.
Something was happening. Something serious enough for Lin to leave her interrogation unfinished.
And somehow, he had the feeling it was related to the strange behaviors in the depths.
♢♢♢♢
The tunnels were too quiet. The agent advanced cautiously.
The guard he had interrogated was left lying motionless on the frozen slope, he had resisted until the end, not releasing information even when the abyssal venom had begun to corrode his organs.
‘Tougher than he looked.’
The hippogriff remained manifested, its senses alert. The scorpion pulsed restlessly under his skin, the abyssal mutations making it more sensitive to threats.
‘Not a single guard,’ he thought while approaching the exit. The checkpoints were empty, the mana lamps still lit. As if everyone had suddenly disappeared.
Daylight filtered through the mine entrance. Too bright after so long in darkness, he didn’t exit, his eyes would need time to adjust.
He stopped several meters from the exit, keeping to the shadows. His beasts tensed, detecting something they couldn’t fully identify.
The silence was unnatural. Not even the wind seemed to dare blow.