“What? Do you want to return to Dracoterrum with us? Why?” Ean asked, a little taken aback by Kita’s question.“Oh, that’s an easy one. My family was removed from royalty and is now shunned,” Kita replied in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.“Hang on. Your mother was the patriarch but was then removed by Kygel, that was her name? And now your family is shunned?” Ean asked, “But it should still leave yourself and your family with a little respect from the elders that favoured them, yeah?”“No. If you truly knew our ways like you both claim, you should know strength dictates the level of respect given and the right to rule. None of my family was strong enough to challenge Kygel, so my mother accepted instead of using a champion and lost in fair combat,” Kita replied, her eyes going distant as she spoke.“Ah, so your mother was demoted to serve under Kygel instead?”“No. My mother serves Purkhan now,” Kita replied, shaking her head.“That name sounds familiar. I know it’s a deity of some kind
“We are going to tie Dilo up, I’m not killing her,” Rex said, looking between the three women all standing close to him.“She has surrendered to you, perfect for execution!” Teema squealed, pointing accusingly down at Dilo, who did not move.“I’m no murderer, had she fought me to the death, and I killed her, that is a different story. I will not kill someone who has surrendered unless given a reason,” Rex replied with a frown, his intense stare causing Teema to take a step back away from him, “So unless she decides to try harming one of us, then I have a different plan in mind for her, I’m just hoping it works,” he continued, his tone softening a little, tilting his head at Dilo thoughtfully.“You only look like that when you either know something everyone else doesn’t, or you’re going to try something stupid,” Kealy said, half smirking and half frowning.“Er, maybe a little of both categories,” Rex shrugged and then smiled.“Um, can I ask a question?” Venya chirped in, the suddenness
“Rex!” Kealy hissed when they were a few paces from the forest, “We need to hide. They are here.”Nodding in acknowledgement, Rex dashed forward to gain a short distance between himself and the women, and after entering the forest, he placed his second hand on the sword pommel to ready for an attack, darting his eyes as quickly as his brain would register the new environment as possible.Slowing down once he was twenty paces into the forest, Rex took his time to get his bearings. He could see a few snarling teeth and yellow eyes slinking away into the darkness in the far distance, a few what must have been herbivores scurrying away from his domineering presence, some finding holes in the earth, some darting for gaps under felled, old wooden tree trunks. Taking a deep breath in, he noticed something that seemed familiar like he had been in a similar situation before, feeling the certainty of unseen eyes on him. His scanning and thoughts were interrupted by Venya grabbing him by the bic
“It’s been a few hours, it seems like it’s my turn for the next watch,” Rex said, beginning to burrow his hands under Kealy and Venya to try and pry himself away.“Bullshit it is, Venya, you’re up,” Kealy groaned, sliding her hands under Rex’s arm and pulling herself closer.“Someone…needs to hurry…it is so kraznok’s cold out here,” Teema said through gritted teeth, leaning on one knee next to the shallow hole Rex had dug into the earth to help keep them hidden from eyesight.“Sister, you need to stop swearing. I don’t have our bokor, so if we are attacked, I can’t fight them off,” Venya said, reaching out and pushing Kealy away.“Where was that logic when I had to be the first watch?” Teema seethed through her clamped teeth.“Ugh, fine. I’ll go,” Kealy sighed, exhaling loudly when releasing Rex and slowly getting to her feet, “Holy shit, it IS cold out here.”“Remember, no starting any blasted fires no matter how cold you get, it will draw everything here,” Teema said, lowering herse
Rex and his companions had only moved a few hundred paces when two sunken pale-skinned people dropped from a short branch, blocking their current path. Being able to see quite clearly helped Rex see that there were currently another ten hiding further back, either in tree crutches or crouched on branches. “Look, I don’t want to have to kill any of you. Just let us pass peacefully.”One of the men blocking their path snarled and turned to the other and spoke a language Rex didn’t recognise before turning back to them a few minutes later with an evil gap-toothed bleeding gummed smile, “We is takin’ one of ya’s for food.”Sighing loudly, Rex ordered Kealy to watch their backs while he engaged the men who refused to stand aside, “Well fellas, it looks like it’ll be the hard way then.” Clutching the great sword in his hand, he started forward slowly, being sure to show extra vigilance in case there were some hidden cannibals he had not seen or heard.When Rex was only five feet away from t
“Well, that wasn’t scary at all,” Teema said, stepping carefully over the recently made corpses of the cannibals Rex had just finished slaying, squealing when her foot clipped a partially beheaded man’s scalp and the head parted from the neck with a squelching sound. “Just imagine how scary it would have been if Rex hadn’t parted his head from his neck. He may have been the one removing yours to eat your insides,” Venya chimed, patting Teema on the arm gingerly when she caught up and looked down at the cannibal with a grimace. Looking up at Rex, she asked “Can we leave please? This place is already quite smelly now.” “Trust me, with all the blood now on the air, we are leaving right now before bigger predators come to claim this as their food,” Rex said, ushering the women through the mass of bodies and moving further along the trail. “Some people cannot be bargained with,” Venya said, catching up to Rex and squeezing his arm, “I heard you try and reason with them to avoid a massacr
“Depending on what your request is will determine if I agree or not,” Rex replied, unlatching Kiri’s fingers from his arm slowly.“Hm, very well, let it be known I am not a forceful woman. You no doubt heard me communing with another male earlier?” Kiri asked, turning her back to the group and walking a few steps away and gazing back in the direction she had appeared.“Well Rex stopped us because he heard something we did not,” Kealy said with a scowl and a quick shrug of her shoulders.“That was who I was talking about, I have no doubts an alpha hunter like him would pick up on things you lesser, should I even call you three ‘huntresses’ yet?” Kiri said, turning to scowl at Kealy, “He is not quite as adept as me, for I am an elder spirit of the hunt and Rex has only just started on the road of the hunter. I sensed your ambush of the half-orc woman, which I would like to know how her essence disappeared quite suddenly too, and of course, the debased humans that were no match for your
“Ok Kita, how are we going to catch this dorphan? And does it have to still be breathing to cash in the benefits?” Ean asked.“No, it does not. Most of the beast's value is after its death. Rector can use a magic negating ritual circle to prevent the beast from using its earth magic, and then you and I can end its life. Once overwhelmed it is known they can travel at remarkable speeds under the earth and without a tracking spell, would prove almost impossible to catch,” Kita said in a clear commanding voice.Ean turned quizzically to Rector, “Ritual circles? Isn’t that wytchcraft only used by the strangers and mage women from Winterwurm?”“I can only use a select few spells in that department. Protection, healing, those sorts of things,” Rector coughed, “The ones that lean to a darker side of magic, I am unfamiliar with.”“I do not know what these supposed strangers or witches are, but our Illiad’s use ritual magic,” Kita started to say.“We know. The women that are selected provide a
The moment Rex allowed Karinna to join him, she immediately started to mutter under her breath with her hands outstretched, slowly walking towards the young, downed woman.“What are you doing?” Cassius asked, taking a step forward to attempt to get a better view as to what Karinna was doing.“You need to stay back, the magic woven into this woman is highly unstable,” Karinna snapped, shooting a sharp glance toward Cassius, stopping him in his tracks.Raising his hands defensively, Cassius, along with Grug, retreated a few paces back and away from Karinna and the downed woman.“Grub be thinking how such small girlie make all buggies dead,” Grub asked, squinting suspiciously toward the young woman.“This poor girl has been subjected to a horrific amount of opposing magic. I am surprised she has not exploded already and killed us all, bringing this entire nest down in the process,” Karinna said, pausing her spell-casting to check the young woman’s pulse. “Before she can be moved, I must
Rex, Cassius, Hussin and Grub were on full alert as they moved through the archway and entered into the well-lit, large cavern. The first thing Rex noticed was the amount of crazak bodies strewn around. He estimated there were at least thirty here, all looking like they had died while trying to fend off an attacker.“Be alert of your surroundings,” Cassius said after leaning over and pressing his hand onto the shredded chitin of a downed crazak that was closest to the archway. “It’s still warm, I would say the fight happened only 15 minutes ago.”“These quilix died in fighting circles,” Hussin said, surveying the carnage. “It is our most used tactic for our primarily non-combat nest members. Whatever did this used raw power to overcome all present.”“To slay this many buggies, thing must be strong,” Grub said, kneeling down next to another crazak and running his hand over its limbs, tracing the deep gouges in its tough chitin with his finger. “This buggy was ripped in pieces. With stro
Godking Darius had never slept much in his old life, this habit leaked through to his current reincarnation. This worked well to keep his entourage of close advisors on their feet, as well as not allowing anyone to catch him unawares, which was in his top three of most despised things.He was currently perusing through his latest report papers, lounging back on his large high-backed throne chair, just sitting slightly offset to his large black obsidian desk. He always sat facing the doorway allowing him a good view of anyone who entered into his chambers. Feeling a pulse of energy approaching, he smiled evilly. Darius knew this weasel-featured advisor well. Turning slightly back to his table, he stashed the papers he was reading and turned back to face the door, interlocking his fingers across his chest and waited. A few minutes later, a soft knock on the door could be heard.“Enter,” Darius said, allowing a slight sliver of magic into his voice. He had learnt from his earliest time s
During their trip from the throne room, Paool questioned Rex about his incredible ability to heal wounds.After seeming somewhat satisfied with Rex’s vague explanation about being bonded with an ancient creature and sharing some of its traits, Paool then asked about how he was hiding the presence of other beings, explaining he could sense multiple scents emanating from him.“Why does smart buggy not be asking Grub about him?” Grub suddenly blurted out, appearing next to Paool, startling the crazak.“Uh, this one does not know what to ask of you delicious-smelling one,” Paool replied after a few seconds, his name for Grub eliciting a chuckle from Cassius.Before Grub was able to respond, Paool stopped suddenly, his action not being noticed by the others for another two steps.“Everything ok Paool?” Rex asked, instinctively resting his hand on the pommel of his sword while his eyes darted between both ends of the tunnel they currently traversed.“Yes, blessed one. This humble one was ju
Chapter 104Thirty minutes later, and with great effort, Rex was able to be upright without nausea or a pounding headache and was now seated at a small table in the cavernous room he was placed in.“Uh, I feel worse than ever,” Rex said, reaching out and picking up a strange blood-red coloured food object he guessed was fruit from a stone bowl in the centre of the table he was sitting at, Grub to his left and Cassius to his right. Both men, he could see, had a worried expression poorly hidden in their facial features. Turning the food over in his fingers, he could not attribute the shape nor colour to any fruit he had seen, during his time in Oak, nor even during his time in Dracoterrum and this realm.Clearing his throat slightly before speaking, Cassius broke the silence that came after Rex’s declaration, saying while also looking at the food Rex was studying, “They call it a “Smuur”, whatever that means. I have not been able to ascertain a translation to our tongue, but I believe i
“Now now Dorian,” the younger, gentler female voice said in an almost sing-song tone before Rex could reply, “I remember, gods quite a long time ago now, where a man once told me, ‘A man’s secrets are his very being. The ability to strip a man’s secrets and lay him bare is a travesty to his core.’ With that in mind, how could you allow any of us to assault his mind and take away that which doesn’t belong to us?”“Sounds like Tillian has found herself a young interest,” the older woman’s voice said, almost mockingly.“I can admit, unlike some of us, that this young…I am sorry, Rex was it?” the voice from Tillian said.“Yes, my name is Rex,” Rex nodded, finally being able to have a voice amongst the seemingly ending squabbles of beings unknown to him.“I had forgotten if you classed yourself as an adult or child still,” Tillian’s voice said softly. “I know so little about your race I’m afraid. I doubt even Gillart could shed any light on this.”“Hullans would be the closest to his race
Doing his best to keep his heart rate and thoughts on the correct path, Rex took a step back out of instinct, causing the hive queen to stop one step above where he stood and raise the two eyebrows on the left side of her face.“Do you not intend on agreeing to our deal?” she asked, her voice going flat.“Uh, sorry. Old habit to give myself room for a fight if needed,” Rex said, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead as he realised he had also unknowingly taken an unarmed fighting stance.“Hold out your hand,” the hive queen said, smirking seeing Rex relax from his fighting stance in seconds.Doing as requested, but keeping his muscles taut and ready to react at a moment's notice, the hive queen strode forward, striking the tip of his thumb with one of her claw tips so fast Rex did not even see the queen move her hand. After feeling the pinch, he looked at his thumb, seeing the blood now slowly trickling out from the tiny wound.“Uh, that’s strange,” Rex said, still staring curio
“Balrog!?” Rex spluttered, his mind whirling. “But Fafnir said she was…”“A demon?” The hive queen said, her voice almost like a low growl sending a tingling sensation down Rex’s spine.“Uh, yeah,” Rex sighed, hoping his admission did not seal his fate earlier than expected, “I believed it because he was a dragon and she didn’t look anything like the crazaks that attacked earlier on my journey, or now I’ve seen you, doesn’t resemble you either.”“Do all humans look the same?” The queen asked, raising two eyebrows over two eyes on the left side of her face while looking down at Rex.“Well, no,” Rex replied. Then it dawned on him, “Same race, look differently. I must admit I’m now curious about how that happens. Our looks differ due to quite a lot of things like race, gender, and heritage of the parents, is that the same for you?”“No,” the queen replied with a quirk to the edges of her mouth. “You are tempting and intelligent, quite the tantalising mix indeed. Our looks depend on our l
Taalook had only led the group a few hundred metres toward a large archway leading into a dimly lit tunnel when Rex stopped two paces from the doorway. “What’s this?” Rex asked, tracing his eyes over the archway, one eyebrow raised. “What’s what Rex?” Cassius asked, halting beside Rex and staring, confused at the arched doorway. “There is another film of magic over this doorway. Another shield?” Rex asked turning to face Taalook and Hussin. “You can see the zone magics?” Hussin asked, his small beady eyes growing a little larger in surprise. “Zone magics?” Cassius asked, snapping to look at the archway once more, squinting heavily before sighing and turning to Rex. “I don’t know how you do it. Is it something you can teach?” “The queen has the zetas set zones that allow certain types into certain zones, preventing those from going into places they shouldn’t be,” Taalook boomed. “Hussin can tell you about it once we meet the queen, and if you are allowed to continue living afterwa