Chapter 169: SOREN, YOU WHITE-SCALED BASTARD!

Chapter 169: Chapter 169: SOREN, YOU WHITE-SCALED BASTARD!

"You are in labor."

"Yes, thank you, I noticed!"

"I stay."

"You are the leader!"

"Raku can command."

Outside, Raku roared:

"I HEARD THAT!"

Despite herself, Swanly barked a laugh.

Then the contraction sharpened.

She grabbed Kael.

"Fuck!"

Kael nearly died.

"Swanly!"

"I AM FINE!"

"You keep saying that while crushing my arm!"

"I’M HAVING YOUR RIVAL’S CHILDREN, LET ME CRUSH SOMETHING!"

Soren looked offended.

Kael, somehow, looked delighted.

"That is fair."

"Do not smile!"

Another shout came from the wall.

"THEY’RE SPREADING OUT!"

That did it.

Swanly pointed furiously at Soren.

"If the settlement falls, where exactly am I giving birth?! GO!"

Soren stared at her.

She pointed harder.

"GO!"

His jaw locked.

His scales lifted.

Every piece of him screamed refusal.

Then Nahla slapped his tail.

"Move."

Soren slowly turned his head.

Nahla stared back.

"Do you want your daughters born inside a settlement being attacked?"

His expression became murderous.

"No."

"Then make sure it isn’t."

Soren looked at Swanly.

She glared.

"Go."

He finally moved.

At the entrance, he stopped.

His eyes found Kael.

"Do not leave her."

Kael’s face went cold.

"I was not planning to."

"If something happens..."

"Snake."

Kael’s golden eyes narrowed.

"Go lead your people."

For once, Soren did not insult him.

He left.

Swanly blinked.

Progress.

Weird fucking progress.

⸻

Outside, Ironwood exploded into motion.

Arion was already on the northern platform.

His thick golden hair whipped behind him as he pointed toward the ridge.

"Sunmane archers, high wall!"

Men moved immediately.

"Do not shoot until they cross the marked stone!"

Raku charged toward the rear defenses.

His armored crocodile tail swept behind him.

"Second line! Watch the lower slopes! Nobody gets clever today!"

Tovan appeared carrying rope.

"What about the traps?"

"All of them."

"All?"

Raku turned.

"All."

Tovan’s eyes lit up.

"I have been waiting months for someone to say that."

"Please try not to enjoy this."

"No."

Thalara emerged near the central spring.

Her branch-like horns lifted.

Her purple eye opened.

Roots pushed through the dirt around her bare feet.

Druun appeared behind the shelters.

The giant had already sensed the fear.

His enormous shoulders rose.

One terrible growl rolled through him.

Mora gathered children.

"Cub hollow! Now!"

Kairo protested immediately.

"Our sisters are coming!"

"Yes."

"I need to be there!"

"No."

"I am their brother!"

"You are also small enough for me to carry under one arm."

Kairo looked offended.

Nilo’s eyes were already wet.

"Mama is hurting."

Tilla had briefly stepped out to gather more clean hides.

She pointed at the three cubs.

"Your mama is safe."

Miko stared toward Swanly’s shelter.

"But she screamed."

"She is having your sisters."

"I know!"

His face crumpled.

"That sounds dangerous!"

Tilla crouched.

Her voice softened.

"It is hard. Nahla is with her. Kael is with her."

Nilo swallowed.

"Snake Papa?"

"He is protecting Ironwood."

Kairo straightened instantly.

"Then I should help."

Mora grabbed him.

"No."

"Mora!"

"No tiny guards during a possible attack."

Lumi grabbed Kairo’s hand.

"My mama says babies need quiet."

Miko looked toward the shelter where Swanly had just screamed:

"Then Mama is doing it wrong."

Tilla covered her mouth.

Not now.

She absolutely could not laugh now.

Tavi looked worried.

He held out a dried berry.

"Maybe Mama needs food."

Miko stared at him.

Then slowly nodded.

"Yes."

Kairo’s eyes widened.

"No."

"Yes."

"Miko."

"Mama likes food."

"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DELIVER A BERRY DURING BIRTH!"

Mora physically picked Miko up.

His legs kicked.

"I AM HELPING!"

"You are being relocated."

"I HAVE RIGHTS!"

"You are four!"

"That is enough rights!"

Mora carried him away.

Lumi giggled.

Even Nilo smiled.

Barely.

Good.

They were scared.

But they were together.

⸻

Inside the shelter, Swanly wanted to murder Soren.

Not metaphorically.

Actually.

"This is his fault."

Nahla checked her carefully.

"Yes."

Kael stared.

Swanly grabbed another hide.

"Why are you agreeing?!"

"Because his seed made the babies."

Swanly’s mouth fell open.

Kael coughed.

Tilla returned at exactly the wrong moment.

"What did I miss?"

"Soren ruined my life."

"Again?"

"YES!"

Another contraction hit.

Swanly curled forward.

Kael immediately supported her.

"Breathe."

"I AM BREATHING."

"Slowly."

"Do you want to die?"

"No."

"Then stop coaching me!"

Kael shut his mouth.

She squeezed his hand anyway.

He let her.

Outside the cave, her scream carried farther than anyone expected.

"SOREN, YOU WHITE-SCALED BASTARD!"

Outside the wall, Soren froze.

Raku slowly turned toward him.

"What did you do?"

Soren’s silver eyes remained fixed on the northern ridge.

"I believe she is blaming me for conception."

Raku stared.

Then nodded.

"That seems reasonable."

Soren looked at him.

Raku’s mouth twitched.

"This is not the time to threaten me."

"I was considering it."

Another scream echoed.

"I AM NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN!"

Raku looked toward Swanly’s shelter.

Then back at Soren.

"My lord."

"What?"

"I would not argue with her today."

"I am not suicidal."

Good.

At least the snake possessed one survival instinct.

⸻

The strangers remained along the ridge.

Too many.

All male.

All watching.

They looked like ordinary beastmen.

Wolf.

Tiger.

Boar.

Deer.

Bear.

But Soren knew better now.

Veilkin.

Some wore injured expressions.

Some carried crude weapons.

None crossed the visible boundary.

One raised both hands.

"We only need shelter!"

Soren stared.

"No."

"You will leave us to the infected?"

"Yes."

The male’s face twisted.

"We are dying!"

"Then die farther from my walls."

Arion looked over.

Even he seemed impressed.

Raku muttered:

"Very compassionate."

"I am occupied."

Another scream tore through Ironwood.

Soren’s eye twitched.

The Veilkin male actually glanced toward the sound.

Soren’s face changed.

Cold vanished.

Something worse replaced it.

"If any of you look toward that shelter again..."

His silver pupils narrowed to slits.

"...I will feed what remains of you to the Rot."

The stranger slowly looked away.

Raku whispered:

"That was excessive."

Soren hissed.

"Was it?"

"No."

⸻

Labor moved faster than Swanly expected.

Not easy.

Definitely not fucking easy.

But manageable between the worst waves.

That surprised her.

She had spent months imagining hours of nonstop screaming agony.

Instead, there were breaks.

Moments where she could breathe.

Drink water.

Complain.

Threaten Soren.

Ask whether the babies were fine for the seventeenth time.

Nahla answered for the seventeenth time:

"They are fine."

"Both?"

"Yes."

"Still?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

Nahla stared.

"I will throw you outside."

Swanly clutched Kael.

"She hates me."

Kael rubbed her back.

"She does."

Nahla pointed.

"You too."

Kael wisely looked away.

Swanly shifted.

Her back ached.

Her thighs trembled.

Pressure was building lower now.

Much lower.

Stranger.

Heavier.

Her body seemed to know what it was doing even while her brain screamed that it absolutely did not.

Then the next contraction hit differently.

Swanly gasped.

Her fingers dug into Kael’s arm.

"Nahla."

The healer looked immediately.

"What?"

"I need to..."

She stopped.

Her eyes widened.

"I need to push."

Nahla’s entire demeanor changed.

No jokes.

No irritation.

She moved quickly.

"Tilla, clean hide."

Tilla moved.

"Kael, support her."

He was already doing it.

Nahla checked Swanly.

Then looked up.

"Good."

Swanly almost laughed hysterically.

"What is good?!"

"The first young is coming properly."

"Properly?"

"Head first."

Swanly went pale.

"Oh my God."

Kael kissed her temple.

"You can do this."

She turned.

"I swear if you say that again..."

His lips closed.

Smart male.

Nahla positioned herself.

"When your body tells you, push."

Swanly stared at her.

"My body has been telling me many things today. Most of them are profanity."

Nahla almost smiled.

Then another contraction came.

Swanly screamed.

⸻

Outside, the ground trembled.

Very faintly.

Nerin felt it first.

His broken silver antler throbbed.

He stopped.

His green eyes widened.

No.

He touched it.

Pain shot through the damaged base.

Deep movement.

Below.

Not footsteps.

Not Druun.

Not Thalara’s roots.

Something else.

"Nerin?"

Arion glanced toward him.

Nerin’s face drained.

"The ground."

Soren turned immediately.

"What?"

"It’s moving."

Raku froze.

Nerin pointed down.

"Under us."

Soren’s blood went cold.

The system’s warning.

Creatures capable of bypassing the claim from beneath.

"EVERYONE OFF THE LOWER GROUND!"

His roar tore through Ironwood.

Too late.

Near the rear storage caves...

CRACK.

A thin fracture ripped through the packed earth.

Tovan stared.

"That wasn’t there."

Another crack.

Longer.

CRACK.

People backed away.

Thalara’s central eye snapped open.

Her face changed.

"Move."

Druun roared.

The earth bulged.

Once.

Twice.

Then exploded upward.

DIRT BLASTED INTO THE AIR.

A clawed hand punched through the ground.

Then another.

And another.

All across Ironwood, the soil began to break.