Chapter 468 - 468: Invasion [34]

Elsewhere...

Drel, who had left Zarah to continue her battle with Wes, was making his way toward Narg. He needed to inform him of the situation and, more importantly, warn him that the graveyard could be in danger.

As he moved through the settlement, he suddenly heard the sound of fighting up ahead.

It was unmistakable.

The sheer force behind the attacks was enough to make the surrounding area tremble, and every few moments, another thunderous explosion echoed through the clan as powerful attacks tore through buildings before finally coming to a stop against the clan's barrier.

Drel's expression became serious.

Either Narg or Caius could be there.

He increased his pace.

But when he finally reached the area, he caught sight of no one.

Neither Narg nor the enemy was anywhere to be seen.

Drel stopped and looked around, his eyes scanning the ruined surroundings.

"What the hell? Where did they go?"

The destruction was everywhere, yet there was no sign of the battle that had caused it. It was almost as if the two combatants had simply vanished into thin air.

Drel frowned.

Could they have moved somewhere else?

He didn't have time to investigate.

If Narg had already left, then there was no reason for him to remain there.

Drel turned and continued toward the next portal, where Caius was supposed to be, but he hadn't gone very far when he suddenly came across an orc.

The orc was digging through a pile of rubble, tossing broken pieces of wood and stone aside as though it were searching for something.

Drel slowed down.

The orc hadn't noticed him yet.

Looking closer, Drel realized what it was searching for.

A goblin was trapped beneath the rubble.

The orc was trying to find him.

The orc noticed Drel and immediately shifted its attention away from the rubble. Whatever goblin it had been searching for was forgotten as it turned toward the new threat and raised its spiked mace.

With a roar, it charged.

Drel didn't slow down.

The orc swung the mace downward with enough force to crack the ground beneath it, but Drel suddenly leaped onto the weapon's shaft, using the momentum of the swing to propel himself upward.

THUD!

The mace slammed into the ground with tremendous force, cracking the earth beneath it.

Before the orc could recover, Drel was already above it.

He descended just enough to rake his fingers across the orc's face, his nails scraping through its skin before he twisted his body and landed lightly on the other side.

He didn't stop.

Drel immediately continued running toward his destination.

Behind him, the orc stood frozen for a moment, seemingly unable to understand what had just happened. Then it turned and charged after Drel.

It managed only a few steps.

The orc suddenly stopped.

Its entire body stiffened as one of its hands flew toward its face. Then it screamed.

"AAARGH!"

The orc staggered backward, clawing desperately at its face as though trying to rip something out from beneath its skin. Its fingers scratched across its cheeks and around its mouth, but whatever was happening was already beyond its control.

Drel didn't even bother looking back.

He knew exactly what was happening.

Suddenly, something burst from the orc's facial orifices.

SHIEKK!

Thin green vines erupted violently from its mouth and nostrils, tearing through flesh as they forced their way outward. They twisted around each other, rapidly growing across the orc's face and neck.

Blood and grime coated the vines as they continued to spread.

The orc's screams became muffled beneath the vegetation.

Then it fell backward, its body hitting the ground with a heavy thud before becoming completely still.

Drel ignored the kill notification that appeared in his vision. He had no time to stop and check it.

He continued running.

But after a few seconds, he heard light footsteps behind him.

Drel's ears twitched.

Someone was following him.

He glanced over his shoulder and immediately slowed when he saw what was chasing after him.

"A fox," he muttered.

The creature was running toward him, its numerous tails swaying behind it as it effortlessly kept pace.

"Wait! You! Goblin! Stop!" the fox yelled.

Drel came to a halt and turned to face the creature.

It wasn't the first time he had seen the fox.

At first, Drel had assumed it was nothing more than some strange animal the clan had decided to accommodate, afterall the chief had a habit of bringing unusual creatures into the settlement.

But this one had seemed like little more than a pet that wandered around whenever it pleased. It was particularly chummy with the chief and the commander, Zarah. It even slept in their quarters.

Drel stared at it for a moment before his eyes narrowed slightly. Then he realized something else.

The fox had just spoken to him. He didn't know it could talk.

"You can speak."

Drel's voice carried barely any amusement as he said it. It wasn't the most unbelievable thing ever.

"Yes," the fox replied. "Why doesn't that surprise you?"

Drel shrugged.

"I figured you could talk, given how the chief always spoke out loud whenever the two of you communicated. Though I could've chalked it up to the chief being insane, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Ariel nodded slightly.

"Calling him insane isn't far-fetched either."

She paused for only a moment before turning around.

"But enough of that. We need to head to the graveyard quickly."

Ariel immediately began leading him away, clearly expecting him to follow without wasting any more time.

"The graveyard?"

Drel followed, his expression becoming more serious.

"I mean, I heard it's in danger, but..."

The fox interrupted him without slowing down.

"I know it had been moved. But that doesn't change things. If it gets destroyed, the clan will be screwed. We have to protect it."

"I get that."

He didn't.

"But I mean, Zarah killed Kharos to..."

"There's no time to waste, goblin," the fox interrupted once more, her tone becoming more serious as she continued moving. "We have to leave now. The enemies might have located the graveyard as we speak."

Drel sighed.

He wanted to explain that Zarah had killed Kharos strategically for exactly this reason. But Drel quickly concluded there was no point in explaining that now.

That plan had never been guaranteed.

There was still a chance that Vale could find the graveyard before Kharos managed to resurrect, and if that happened, the situation would become even worse.

Besides, Vale might not be the only one searching for it. And the longer they wasted time talking, the greater the chance that someone would reach it first. So Drel followed the fox.

Meanwhile, Vale was already searching for the entrance to the graveyard somewhere along the mountain.

His expression, however, had gradually shifted from confidence to confusion as he searched the area.

Raghul had specifically told him that the graveyard was somewhere up the mountain to the west. There was no reason for him to doubt the information, especially considering Raghul's ability to sense mana and the unique aura given off by the graveyard.

Yet Vale couldn't find the entrance.

He searched one area, then another, carefully examining the mountain's surface and the surrounding terrain. But he found nothing.

He frowned.

Where the hell is it?

Raghul couldn't have been mistaken. Could he?

Vale continued searching, growing increasingly frustrated with every passing moment.

Even more...