Chapter 479: Awakened in a Strange Land

Chapter 479: Awakened in a Strange Land

Even abandoned, the structures remained in good condition. Given the amount of time passed, it was an impressive feat. Just looking at them made Dallion feel as if hed ventured into the oldest museum in the world.

Just like walking through Atlantis, he thought.

However, despite the majesty that shone through the sand, plants, and minor wear, there was no denying the fact that the buildings were dead. None of them had a guardian, neither did any object within the canyon. Dallion had entered a few of their awakened realms to find them completely empty despite the high level. A new message was present on the rectangles upon entry:

DESTINY FULFILLED

That was the polite way of saying that they had been sealed. The same fate had befallen the city beneath Nerosal, and might as well have Nerosal itself, if the Star had succeeded. The thought sent shivers down Dallions spine.

Do we explore? Lux asked, brimming with eagerness.

Soon, Dallion replied.

The euphoria of finding the south had quickly worn off when he found that still didnt bring him any closer to his goal. With no guardians anywhere, there was no one to ask, and all attempts to get the information from the local animals had ended in failure. Stull, there was one interesting thing that he had found about this place: there was an alarming number of seagulls everywhere.

Architecture isnt dryad, Gen said from within Dallions realm. Its safe to assume it isnt fury or nymph, either. Could be copyette?

I doubt it, Dallion replied.

While he didnt spend long in the ruins beneath Nerosal, he had seen enough to see the differences. The building style wasnt even close, not to mention that copyettes preferred to be in slime form when they didnt have to infiltrate other races.

It doesnt look dwarfish either, the echo continued. That leaves only two races. Gorgon or human.

Having Eury here about now, or even just an echo of her, would have been helpful. Regardless, Dallion doubted that this was the gorgons doing. Living with her for over a year now, he knew a lot of her habits, as well as a few details about her world. Granted, the awakened world was a far less-modern equivalent, but their nature would remain unchanged. Gorgons disliked sun and sand. And while one could claim that the desert was a recent development, there still was far too much sun to make a gorgon comfortable. That left only one option.

Have humans ever tried to conquer the world? Dallion asked.

Frequently, Nil replied. Throughout history, humans fluctuated between two states: struggling to survive and attempting to take over the world. Same as all races, give or take. The only reason everyone is so quiet now is that humans have become the dominant race.

A cynic would say that meant it was their turn to be banished.

Of course, theres one more option

As much as it was tempting to say Minotaurs just for laughs, Dallion knew exactly what the old echo meant.

Gleam, have you spotted any towers? Dallion asked as the sun was dipping beneath the horizon. Having the Green Moon in the sky, while comforting, didnt provide enough light for Dallion to see what was going on in the patches of sand jungle. Already there had been a few instances when he was only able to avoid quickstand thanks to his habit to constantly combat split while walking.

Nothing nearby, she replied. Theres something that might be a broken tower, or a very high building. It isnt easy to reach, but you can make it within an hour if the shardflies keep helping out.

Lead the way. And let me know if"

Dallion didnt finish his sentence. An unfamiliar presence suddenly emerged, moving towards him at impressive speed. A normal awakened would have paused to determine the exact threat. Hunters knew that in the wilderness, people didnt have that privilege. Like in the westerns back on Earth, if a person wasnt quick, they usually ended up dead.

Bursting into a dozen instances, Dallion leapt in all directions from his current position, drawing his harpsisword in the process. The attacker somehow must have sensed him, for it, too, split into six instances, each taking a vastly different path.

Great, Dallion thought. Splitting creatures were the ones he hated the most. They were always cunning and quite lethal.

Playing a few chords to boost his speed, Dallion then split again, covering the creatures approach paths. Barely had he done so when a large shape leapt at him, devouring two of his instances. For the first time in quite a while, Dallion felt that his reaction trait was way too low. Half of his remaining instances slashed at the instances of the creature. All of them but once disappeared. In what was determined to be reality, Dallion cut through the thick skin of his attacker, only to find that there was no effect. The reason: the creature that had attacked him was a cutling.

Crap! Dallion let go of his weapon, splitting into a new dozen instances, all of which dashed away from the creature. The really alarming part was that up till now, Dallion hadnt even sensed it. No emotions were coming from the creature, absolutely none at all.

Nil, why cant I feel its void? Dallion asked as he quickly drew his hammer.

It must be an effect of the canyon itself, the echo replied. It probably masks emotions.

Just great. Dallion gritted his teeth. That explained why he had felt so few creatures despite the abundant vegetation. Creatures here had specialized to remain hidden, masking their smell, sound, and appearance, as well as their very emotions. Compared to them, Dallion must have been like an elephant in a China shop. The reason why it hadnt bothered him so far was because he was confidentmaybe a bit too confidentthat he could deal with anything until he reached the dragon itself. What the cutling had just proved was that he was very much mistaken.

Lux, Gleam, get back here!

The creature leapt at him again, reducing all vegetation between them to slices. This time Dallion didnt even try to block it, evading the attack, through combat splitting, while also landing a blow with the hammer on the creatures head.

Shards, dont attack it! Dallion shouted to the flurry of shardflies in the air. It only makes it stronger!

Blunt weapons were the only way to deal with a monster such as this. The issue was that, with the exception of the dragon shadow, it was a lot larger than all the Star-spawn Dallion had faced so far. Even a massive blow barely phased it for a few moments, causing it to split into five instances.

Im here! Lux said, as the kaleidervisto appeared in the air. Blue flames surrounded him, after which the object darted at the form of the cutling. Back north, that would have been enough. This specimen, however, was far craftier, splitting into instances again at just the right time to avoid the attack.

Massive claws slammed into the object. Normally such an attack would have been lethal, but since the kaleidervisto was indestructible, it only slammed it into the ground.

Taking advantage of the situation, Dallion charged forward for another strike, hitting the cutlings side with enough strength to push it several dozen feet back. Flying through palm trees like a heated knife through candles, the creature continued for a considerable distance, until it managed to stop. If looks were any indication, the hit had caused precious little damage.

Dallion gripped his hammer tightly. This wasnt the welcome he expected.