The path to power was ruthless, and even among kin, benefits preceded loyalty. There had been a large amount of dissatisfaction toward his branch of the clan for a long time. His great-grandfather had originally been a normal soldier who managed to rise to his great power through a few lucky encounters.
His prowess had allowed his progeny to enjoy great benefits and resources, even matching that of the main branch’s youth. Ogras suspected that was why his siblings kept dropping dead one after another. He had voiced such concerns to his ancestor, but being a warrior for the clan his whole life, his thought patterns had become rigid. He had bled and fought for the clan for over a thousand years and couldn’t imagine that they would backstab him and his kin like that.
That was why only the two of them were left, not counting his great-aunt, who disappeared to become a wandering warrior two hundred years ago. That was also why he kept this ridiculous persona going, pretending to have become a pampered wastrel not interested in cultivation. The fewer of his clan members who believed he was a threat, the lower was the chance he’d wake up with his throat slit.
That was why he walked around in his gaudy outfits and surrounded himself with useless sycophants. It was another type of armor. And if he could further his ambitions while it looked like he was just being spiteful and stupid, then all the better.
He had almost laughed out loud when the news of the death of Kevoran arrived at his desk. That little prick from the main branch was one of his largest contenders for any potential goodies that would be found on this planet.
While Kevoran was afraid of his ancestor, only the youths and unevolved were able to go through the portal. So his attitude had progressively gotten worse with each day since they arrived. Ogras had used a snide remark as a basis for ordering him to go with a scout’s squad to canvass the whole island, in order to solidify his position while Kevoran was gone.
Who knew the idiot actually would get himself killed? It was a bit of a shame with Kaela dying as well, as her scouting abilities were top-notch among the youths in the clan. But the death of Kevoran more than made up for it. Ogras could kiss the assailant on the mouth if he found him. Just before decapitating him, of course.
Ogras wasn’t overly concerned about the little rats that were hiding on this or some neighboring island. He estimated the number of enemies to be somewhere between ten to twenty, judging from the number of beasts killed. There certainly had to be some elites on this world to be able to kill even his imps and two scouting parties this soon after their world changed, but it didn’t matter.
He was well aware of the rules by which the Ruthless Heavens worked. As long as he stayed safe in his palace, then his mission would be a success in roughly two months. The portal would stabilize, and the area would be within his jurisdiction.
The natives’ group would have to infiltrate his army base, kill their way through the army, and then kill him in order for their quest to succeed. No matter how strong they were, they still were only weak natives, and such an assault was suicide.
If they had actually been truly strong, they wouldn’t have been forced to use trickery to kill his poor Vul. They would simply have slaughtered all his four pack leaders and stopped the invasion before it even started.
Therefore, he would simply stay in the base. Even if everyone thought he was a coward, he didn’t care. He had already planned everything out. He didn’t plan on staying for too long in this world.
Initially, he had planned to stay here for a long time, protected from his clan by the limitations of the gate. It was an advantage for him that he could finally cultivate in peace here without anyone finding out, as the suppression would keep his real prowess hidden in any case.
But something had changed this. The mountain contained treasure.
More exact, it contained a Nexus Crystal mine. Even Ogras had been shocked when he heard the news. Of course, it was only a small F-grade mine, but still, the wealth it contained was staggering. It could at least rival the whole accumulated fortune of some of the elders in the clan.
With that kind of wealth, he could obtain a Fruit of Ascension. It would save him decades on his cultivation time and would leave his competitors among his generation in the dust. Normally, for a clan of their limited power, using such a luxurious treasure on an F-grade cultivator would be considered far too extravagant. But for him, it was a matter of life and death.
The supreme elders and clan leader usually turned a blind eye to killings within the clan, as they believed it created stronger and more ruthless members among those who survived.
But if someone showed enough promise, they would protect their seedlings from the shadows, as they were potential future powerhouses that could bring their clan to greater heights.
And if he just so happened to pilfer enough crystals for him to cultivate in solitude for a decade or so, he could come back one advancement, maybe even two, stronger. Then he’d be the hunter instead of the hunted.
Ogras was giddy as he looked over the report containing yesterday’s haul from the mine. He hesitated a bit and then with a swipe removed a few lines of the report and added back a new tally. This time the extracted number of crystals printed was one thousand lower compared to before.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who had this kind of idea. There had been quite a few children with good heritage that had come with him into the incursion. Everyone was hoping to find the lucky break that would allow them to stand out among the masses.
It was tacitly approved by the elders that the young elite would have a feeding frenzy when they arrived at the new world, as some healthy competition was good for strengthening. As long as enough benefits were lugged back, they did not really care that some didn’t make it all the way.
As Ogras was pondering his next steps, the door to his temporary study opened, and a man decked out in extravagant armor entered.
This time, Ogras was angered for real, as such conduct was a blatant disregard for his authority. Still, he wouldn’t break character for something minor like this.
“Insolence! How dare you enter my chambers like this! I will have my grandfather flog you when we return!” Ogras roared as soon as the man was inside the door.
“My apologies,” the man answered with a face that spoke of no regret. “I wonder what steps you have taken to capture those responsible for my cousin’s death.”
The man in front of him was Rydel Azh’Rezak, one of the heirs to the main branch just like the departed Kevoran. Different from him though, Rydel was one of the most heavily nurtured youths in the clan and also one they had spent the most Nexus Crystals to allow to retain as much power as possible when going through the incursion.
The more power you retained in an invasion to a baby world, the better your survival rate would be, and the better your position would be when contending for resources on this new world. But the Ruthless Heavens never just gave anything for free. It charged an exorbitant number of Nexus Crystals if one wanted to keep more of their strength when passing through. And of course there was a limit, or the purpose of the incursions would be lost.
Clan Azh’Rezak wasn’t overly wealthy and could only pay up to a point for each daemon going through. Any more and the risk of the invasion turning unprofitable would be too big. The rest would have to come out of their own pockets.
Most of the soldiers couldn’t afford it or only got a few levels extra, but the scions of their clan, of course, got some special benefits under the table, either from their elders or even from the clan itself.
Maybe not even Ogras himself was a match for Rydel, though he had a few hidden aces in case they ever came to blows. And it might actually come to that, as Ogras had a strong suspicion that Rydel had been sent through the portal to both keep an eye on things and, if possible, neutralize him. That would eliminate any threat of a branch family becoming too strong in the clan.
“The crystal mine isn’t going anywhere, and it would seem a waste to attach such large
manpower to quickly excavate it. Also, a large portion of our mages are occupied building your… palace. In my opinion, it would be more pertinent to…”
“It doesn’t matter what your opinion is, Rydel. The clan decided I was the most suited for this task, so my orders are what goes. Now leave my study, and remember your manners in the future, or there will be repercussions!” Ogras practically screamed, looking very much the part of a fool enjoying his newfound power.
Rydel only sneered and performed a barely acceptable salute and left the study without another word.
Left silently brooding behind his desk, Ogras prayed that the natives and Rydel would find and kill each other, solving all his problems at once.
35
The Fourth Beast
Zac sat perched on a branch in a large tree, eating an apple he had foraged earlier. The tree was one of the few in the vicinity that still stood tall and unaffected by the corrosive effect of the incursion, and its dense branches provided natural insulation from prying eyes. He had chosen this tree to be his temporary shelter to spend the night yesterday.
He had spent two nights close to the incursion now, trying to gain as much information as possible. Yesterday, he had kept scouting around the demon city and up toward the mountains.
He had made some interesting discoveries. First of all, he had realized how the third skill quest progressed. It was based on time. It seemed that he had to be out in the forests fighting roughly eighteen hours for the quest to progress by one point. That meant that he had to spend most of his time awake fighting every day. He didn’t mind, though, as he was planning on doing that anyway.
But it also meant that it would be an extremely close shave to actually manage to complete it before the two-month deadline. He had already decided he didn’t dare to wait; he’d kill at least the two remaining heralds as soon as possible. He didn’t want to repeat what happened with Vul, being incapacitated and missing his deadline due to waiting until the last moment. He needed time to recuperate in case he got hurt from the fights.
He had also found the fourth type of beasts that the demons had brought through the portal. They were magic monkeys. Or rather, they were called stone monkeys by his [Eye of Discernment] and did not look quite as demonic as the other three animals.
They were roughly up to his chest in height but had a bulkier build. They were an anthracite gray and surprisingly had no fur. Instead, it looked like they had plates of rocks covering most parts of their bodies, forming almost a natural armor. The aspect that made them look somewhat demonic was their shining red eyes.
The stone monkeys were the most well-rounded of all the demon beasts so far. The barghest was all brawn and no brain, the gwyllgi high speed but low strength, and the imps were incredibly dangerous but also incredibly frail.
The stone monkeys were strong, agile, and also durable. Even more annoyingly, they seldom moved alone. They seemed to be united in one large group, and Zac suspected that the fourth herald was the pack leader. He hadn’t seen it, however, as he didn’t dare venture too far into the mountains, as it was crawling with monkeys.
That meant that the final herald apart from the monkey was either a juiced-up gwyllgi or an imp, depending on which of the two he had managed to kill with his lucky roll for survival. He wasn’t sure which he preferred to be alive, as both felt like they’d be a pain in the ass to fight.
It seemed that the monkeys stayed in the mountains due to their affinity with rocks. Zac often saw them perched and completely immobile on outcroppings as though they were gargoyle sculptures. Their natural habitat was likely in mountainous regions back on their home planet.
He had been happy to notice that each stone monkey gave a lot of Nexus Coins upon killing them. However, he still would rather farm the less lucrative barghest after his only encounter with the monkeys.
Zac thought he had finally managed to single out a solitary stone monkey. It was far away from any demon activity and seemed to be randomly walking around close to the foot of the mountain. Zac had planned to fight it to test it out.
What followed had truly exceeded his expectations. As soon as the monkey noticed Zac, it didn’t try to fight. Instead, it screeched at the top of its lungs and started fleeing back up the mountain. While it was faster than a normal human, it still was no match for Zac.
Within a few seconds, he had caught up to it, and a brief struggle erupted. The monkey’s fighting style was a full-on brawl, and it was a whirlwind of punches and kicks in a disorganized and confusing manner. It also had a set of sharp teeth, which it tried using when an opportunity arose.
Zac estimated the Strength of the beast to be somewhere in the 60s, almost on par with Zac’s before he got his class. Its other stats were quite good across the board; even its Intelligence seemed higher compared to Earth’s normal primates.
Of course, even with its strong stats, it was no match against Zac. He had grabbed an arm with his free hand and threw the monkey down on the ground. A quick swing and it was dead. The stone plating on the monkeys was quite hard but offered little resistance to his weapon.
The problems came after. The screech of the monkey had pulled a swarm of his brethren over, who all had seemed extremely enraged upon seeing their fallen comrade.
Thus Zac had been beset by an avalanche of angry fists and kicks coming in from all directions. Every swing of his axe had maimed or killed a monkey, but they were endless and fearless. Finally, he had escaped, only because the monkeys seemed loath to leave the mountain and enter the forest. They had stopped right at the foot of the mountain, angrily roaring at Zac.
Zac was completely exhausted by then, both physically and his Cosmic Energy. Even his new and improved pathways had barely managed to sustain him in his escape. He wasn’t sure that he’d make it out if that onslaught had started a bit further up the mountain. He’d be drained and then finished off.
The upside from that experience was that it had been the most efficient farming of currency and Cosmic Energy he had ever done, except from when he killed the heralds. In that free-for-all brawl, he had gained a level and over 10,000 Nexus coins. He wasn’t sure how many he had actually killed during the escape, but it seemed that the monkeys each awarded around 350 to 400 Nexus Coins.
The individual gain wasn’t at the level of the imps, but there was a horde of monkeys and only a scant few imps from what he had seen so far. Of course, there still were many locations on the island he still hadn’t ventured to, and there might be a cluster of imps somewhere.
If the monkeys weren’t so territorial and had such teamwork, he’d never want to leave the mountain again. He’d gain enough Nexus Coins to buy the movement skill [Steps of Gaia] in no time. But he deemed it too large a risk to farm these beasts, at least for now. He would have to venture up the mountain again soon, though, as the herald was probably hidden somewhere in there, maybe in the form of a monkey king.
He’d wait until he had his class skills first until he ventured back to the mountain.
He had also figured out the general composition of the demon forces. He estimated that there were somewhere around five thousand demons on the island in total. Their current activities could generally be divided into three parts.
The first part was the construction of a giant palace in the middle of the town. It still wasn’t finished, but Zac was amazed by the design even before seeing the finished product. It looked like medieval Eastern architecture had been fused with nature. The structure was made both from stone and trees.
And by trees, he didn’t mean chopped-down lumber, but actual trees. There were dozens of mages who reminded Zac of the root mage he had killed, who grew large black trees out of the ground. They then somehow forced it to grow in shapes that would constitute rooms and walls. It took less than an hour for a few mages to grow one of the house-trees into its final size. There were also mages who summoned rocks out of the ground. Under their care, the rocks seemed like clay, allowing the mages to form them to their will
to form a natural feeling to the walls and other stone features.
The palace was only three stories tall at the highest point, but it was expansive, featuring multiple buildings, beautiful gardens, sky wells, and courtyards. The gracefully curved roofs were made with tiles, with their eaves hanging out a few meters from the structures. The most central building in the complex had two layers of eaves, giving it an even grander feeling. Zac supposed that was either the general’s living quarters or some type of throne room. Surrounding it all was a black hedge roughly two meters tall. It felt decorative rather than providing any protection, as anyone would easily get through or above it.
The only thing that took away from the grand structure was the dull colors. The palace was mostly in shades of black and gray, giving it a very foreboding feeling. The only flashes of color were splotches of red in some details, the shade reminding him of the shining pillar.
The second group moved back and forth between the town and a cave in the mountain. He wasn’t exactly sure what they were doing there, as they held no equipment or the like when moving. They likely had magic pouches just like him, obscuring any hint of what was going on inside. He didn’t dare sneak in, as there seemed to be activity inside the cave at all times.
His two guesses were they either were mining or there was some sort of huge area beneath that they explored. He hadn’t seen anyone hurt or wounded when walking back from the cave, so it shouldn’t be full of subterranean monsters at least.
The last group, and also the smallest, was small parties heading out of the town and in different directions of the island. They looked like small search parties, but not like the ones he had encountered so far.
It seemed that the demons had learned their lessons from their two missing groups and had improved the power of the parties. They all held at least five demons, but that wasn’t all. Accompanying them was a varied number of beasts. They all had a few gwyllgi running around to the front and the sides of the party, seemingly acting as scouts. There were also a couple of barghest that moved in the front, filling the role of meat shields. A few parties even had an imp or two subserviently following the demons.
Defiance of the Fall: A LitRPG Adventure Page 18