NOVPUB
Chapter 345: 345
A shadow appeared at the ravine’s edge. The apeling princess, accompanied by her warriors, surveyed the disturbed earth with a knowing gaze. Her eyes traced his hurried descent, lingering on the overturned stones and scraped earth. She raised her hand with a measured, deliberate grace, her powers causing the rocks around the ravine to shift and constrict with a grinding groan. The spy felt the vibrations resonate through the stone, and a chill raced down his spine as the walls closed in.
The princess and her people were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a thick mist. As the thick mist suddenly descended, the princess and her people tensed, their senses heightened by the unnatural arrival. Amid the fog, the princess felt two powerful presences closing in—one of them unmistakably stronger than her own, radiating an energy she couldn’t ignore.
"Walls," she commanded, her voice cutting through the dense mist. At her command, the earth around them shifted and rose, forming a towering barrier with her warriors poised along its edge, each scanning the mist with wary eyes. They stood ready, alert to any movement beyond the wall’s formidable protection.
A tall figure emerged from the mist, shrouded in a dark cloak that concealed their face and form. The princess’s gaze narrowed as she watched a small, familiar shape—a rabbit, clutching a branch—bound over to the figure, leaping up to rest on their shoulder. Her heart sank, a realization taking root as she recognized the stolen branch in the rabbit’s grasp.
For a long moment, her eyes met the figure’s across the divide, each of them appraising the other in silence. Then she ground her teeth, acknowledging the tactical disadvantage. She sensed a subtle, rhythmic pulse in the earth around her—the figure had laid traps or signals, threads of energy that resonated with the terrain, reinforcing their position.
"Let’s fall back," she said, her voice low but decisive. "We’ll inform Father of this... development."
Though she itched to confront them, she knew her forces were outmatched and the enemy too prepared. The princess turned, signaling her people to retreat, their movements swift yet disciplined.
Nwadiebube, concealed beneath his robe, took a deep breath as he watched the princess and her people depart. He knew they had to be far away soon; he estimated they had only a few minutes, perhaps an hour, before a search would begin.
He accepted the branch from the camouflaged rabbit, who transformed back into human form as he knelt, trembling with relief after his narrow escape from death, expecting some praise from Nwadiebube.
Nwadiebube placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, a sharp crack was heard as the kneeling man’s neck twisted backward. Behind Nwadiebube, a woman emerged holding a staff.
She murmured something under her breath, and the corpse began to twitch. Moments later, it stood, its neck cracking back into place as it returned to a normal position. The man’s face, however, had lost all signs of life, and he quickly began to grow pale.
Without watching, Nwadiebube commanded, "We leave immediately. Everyone should take a different route and remember: better death than capture."
With that, he broke through the sound barrier as he sped away. The others nodded and followed suit, quickly exiting the apeling territory. He had Killed the man because he was unsure of what method the apelings had on them, but he knew one thing for sure as his people dapple in death and its nature. There is no way to make a dead person talk.
As Nwadiebube ran, he couldn’t help but wonder how the apelings would respond to this incident. Would they close their borders again? Would they suspect him and his people? After all, the dead priest and his men’s bodies could easily implicate him, a man who had once been an ally.
From the start, Nwadiebube had known the priest was heading toward death, but then he had also entertained the possibility of gaining something from it. When he first heard of the priest’s proposal, talking of a treasure, it piqued his interest, especially having previous knowledge and encounter with artifacts that had fallen from the sky. He wondered what kind of artifact would attract a god’s attention and be granted to his son.
There were still gaps in the story, yet Nwadiebube’s family had long had what seems to be a close ties with the apelings. He had heard whispers of the four cursed apeling clans, akin to human nobility, and of their possible hidden secrets. He had encountered only one member, Zephyr, who had once posed as the apeling king; only later did Nwadiebube realize it had been a ruse and that Zephyr wasn’t the real leader.
He still hadn’t seen the true leader but knew it wasn’t Zephyr. He was certain of this because, unlike humans, the apelings adored alcohol and all manner of interesting drinks. His people’s primary trade with the apelings was the alcohol business. In an attempt to extract information through drinking, Nwadiebube had once invited one to his home.
If not for his strong will and sense of purpose, he would have given up after they downed the fiftieth bottle. It took everything in him to get the apeling drunk. When he finally mentioned how great of a king Zephyr was, the apeling looked at him in confusion and replied, "Human, you seem to have drunk too much. Zephyr is the prince, not the king. He still has a long way to go to measure up to our king’s greatness."
That was all Nwadiebube managed to get before passing out on the table, remaining drunk for an entire week. Worse still, the apeling he drank with kept inviting him back for drinks all week. Nwadiebube hid from him, convinced the apeling was trying to drink him to death. But these encounters only fueled his belief that the apelings harbored secrets, and he was willing to take risks to uncover them.
What better opportunity than during the apelings’ annual celebration? and lately they have had their border down so it wasn’t unusual to see humans in the apeling territory. As he ran, Nwadiebube could feel the powerful energy within the branch he carried. He didn’t know its full potential yet, but he was certain it would bring him and his people closer to their goal.
Back in the apeling capital, although the sun had set, the festivities continued. Streetlights illuminated the scene as apelings and visitors alike ate, drank, and laughed together.
The first day of the competition had ended in a tie between the harpies and a member of Zephyr’s clan, both prideful races of godly origin. Losing ground in a domain they considered their own had been a blow to both their egos.
In the following rounds, they no longer focused on each other, instead channeling all their energy into increasing their speed. Flags were claimed before other competitors were even halfway there.
This trend continued over the next few rounds, with both of them securing and tied at eight points. In second place were the Mermen, who performed exceptionally well in underwater zones, securing seven points. Close behind were the Ripple clan with six points.
The werewolves came next with four points, followed by the apeling students with three points, and then the Terra clan with two points. For the Terra clan, it seemed they used up their luck getting to the first flag.
They had thought of acting like the Harpies and Zephyr’s by sabotaging the stage but having seen how that usually turns out, they held back and instead ran the normal route to get to the flags.
With two teams tied for first place, a tiebreaker race was scheduled for the following day to decide the overall winner. After that would come the highlight of the competition: the combat rounds.
Meanwhile, Ikem and Ursula were nowhere to be seen, but the princes and princesses were gathered in the throne room, indulging in their own kind of fun. Smoke filled the room as they played card games, laughter occasionally breaking through the haze. Suddenly, everyone’s attention shifted to one person.
Terra, who had been laughing a moment ago, now wore an expression as cold as stone, his eyes narrowing with a sharp edge.
Ripple noticed her brother’s sudden change and asked worriedly, "What is it, brother? Is everything alright?"
Terra dropped the card he was holding, his gaze sweeping across the others at the table. His voice cut through the jovial air like a blade. "My clan was attacked, and the attackers managed to take something of great value."
Zephyr, who had been lounging with a drunken grin, instantly became sober, his gaze hardening. He spoke to the shadows, his voice laced with steel. "I want news on everyone—not Apelings or invited guests—who’ve entered or exited our borders in recent months."
Turning to Wulv and Drowz, Zephyr offered an apologetic look. "I apologize for the unsightly behavior. Once this is resolved, I promise to make it up to you both."
