Aiden was stunned as he arrived at the end of the hallway he was placed in.
The tunnel opened into a spacious cave, a grand artificial hall with dimensions that he had never seen.
No, calling it a cave or a grand hall would only belittle the unbelievable sight, this hidden world, it wouldn't do it justice! There were no ends to it. No matter where he looked, -left, right, front or upwards- he couldn't see the end, there were no cavern walls in sight!
Instead, a living, breathing world, a city of sorts expanded before his exotic eyes. Strange, pale block huts lined up in an organized manner next to each other. Between them, bustling streets, lamp posts elevating the atmosphere with the flickering lights glowing in them.
An endless sea of similar, striped-skinks wearing fur clothing. Soldiers and probably guards wearing shining metal plates, holding stone-made primitive spears, clubs, and axes patrolled, keeping up the peace and order.
Aiden was astounded, he couldn't process what he was seeing. These creatures, unlike Thuk's people in the outside world, weren't forced to live on the scraps and trash of others. These creatures have created an entirely new world for themselves. Though strangely, they still kept living below the ground for whatever reason, the fact was that most of them had smiles on their faces. They were content with what they had.
A series of loud clicks and guttural noises broke Aiden's reverie in the next moment. As the trance cleared from his mind and clarity returned to his eyes he saw a small, but sturdy-looking figure wearing shining metal full body armor, with an illustrious dragonhead-shaped helmet as it stepped forward, stopping before him. He held a spear, larger than himself in his right hand.
His tone of voice as it continued clicking and gurgling, sounded arrogant, slightly annoyed. His demeanor was cold, his stature, figure radiated slight killing intent. From the hatred that oozed from each of his words he spat, it was clear he had some issues with the elderly robed skink he was strutting around as.
Still, though he felt he was throwing accusations, and even some threats at him, Aiden still couldn't understand a single word of it.
Not knowing what to do, he continued his ignorant, contemptuous outward display, matching the cold gaze of this commander-, or perhaps captain-like figure with a similar of his own.
His two guards took his silence as a sort of signal for them to take a stand. They saw it as an opportunity to show their master their loyalty. Realizing this, both stepped forward almost at the same time, taking a stance between their master and this armored captain, raising their spears and entering a battle-ready stance in the next moment.
The guard on the right began to shout, throwing some similar-sounding clicks towards the captain. From his tone and the way he heatedly spewed each and every phrase, as well as the increasing red tint on the contorted, angry look, Aiden could guess that there were some colorful profanities involved.
Not wanting to be left behind, and to seem weaker from the two, the guard on the left quickly joined in. His tone was cheekier, yet, each and every phrase he fired, seemed to be sharp as an arrow if only judging by the twitching corner of the captain's growling mouth.
Still, despite not understanding a single word, Aiden could feel that the situation was escalating in a manner that wouldn't be beneficial for either party. He quickly glanced over his system, only to sigh with a displeased look on his face.
[Analysis complete, processing information, creating skill. Remaining time: 0 hours 02 minutes 47 seconds]
Though more than half of the required time had passed, what remained was still much more than he could afford to remain silent and ignorant.
Even worse, he was yet to assimilate the memories of the absorbed elder, he had absolutely no idea what was going on. Who was this captain, what was his problem? Why was he alone, and so aggressive towards them? Did these three do something that went against him?
'Could it be that their visit to me wasn't supposed to happen?' He pondered. With no other hint, this was the only conjecture he could come to.
Though he wanted to spectate more in order to come up with something, seeing how the fight could erupt in every second now, Aiden knew he couldn't hesitate any more.
He stepped forward, and while an audible slithered sigh escaped his closed lips, he released some of the shackles holding his true powers and aura at bay.
In the next moment, the heated argument between the three skinks froze. A heavy, cold wind blew past them. With it, it brought forward a pressure they have never felt. Their knees unable to withstand the sudden increase in the atmospheric pressure were forced to bend.
All three guards, the captain, and the Aiden's two guards were forced to release their grips on their weapons and support their bodies with their hands, lest they would fall face-first on the ground.
They were scared, confused. What was going on? They never felt anything like this!
Though the two guards were also put under this new domain, the fright quickly left their faces when they noticed it was coming from behind them, from their master. Instantly, their eyes revealed a look of joy, they were elated.
This power, this aura! It was unlike anything they have ever experienced! Perhaps, not even the high priest could stand up against him!
The prospects of their future were looking brighter by each passing second, they didn't bother too much of the current situation any more, they obediently, knelt on the ground.
With great effort, they turned their bodies around and began to reverently kowtow towards their master. They looked like devoted servants that wanted nothing more than to please their lord, their god, and master.
On the other hand, the captain wasn't looking too happy. The angry scowl on his face was reduced to a displeased, slightly worrisome frown as he tried his best to fight against this incredible unknown force that came from that arrogant bastard.
He was aware of his schemes, and his moves in the dark. He knew he went and despite the direct orders of the High Priest, he visited the human boy. Yet, something must have happened for him to suddenly grow so much. Although he was a respected priest, a person of power in their society, he wasn't nearly as strong as he is showcasing right now.
Suddenly, his eyes went wide as a terrible, dark thought crossed the captain's mind. He sneaked into the boy's chambers and came back stronger than before. Could it have something to do… could HE have done something?
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AN: Hey there Readers!
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