Chapter 147: Sharp Locus

Chapter 147: Sharp Locus

A couple more days passed as the three companions climbed The Dagger. The appearance of Wyverns was infrequent, but the higher they climbed, the more often they were attacked. Not only did the number grow, but the size of the reptiles did, as well. Reivyn's Sense Threat Skill notified him that their size was directly related to their Level.

The runts and the young were the ones at the lower parts of the mountain, and the older, smarter Wyverns lived closer to the peak. Reivyn didn't understand why the monsters would separate themselves in such a manner, at first, but after they began reaching the top of the mountain where the air was thinner, it became clear.

Reivyn, Kefira, and Serilla didn't have any trouble breathing the thinner air, and the cold didn't bother them either. The Dagger might be a very large mountain relative to the mountain range it was situated on, but there was a reason The Sword Peaks were named swords and The Dagger was named dagger. The Mana density played a role in allowing the three to live comfortably, but their own inherent strength is what allowed them to take advantage of it.

Reivyn didn't understand the intricacies involved, and Kefira and Serilla said they hadn't learned about it in their education, but the vibrancy of the Mana density did something to allow the air to be more efficient for those that could take it. A mountain of similar height in a Tier 1 Region would actually be more difficult to ascend, and ironically one would need to be even higher Tier in order to climb to the top.

Reivyn walked along with Kefira between himself and Serilla, the mountain pass being wide enough for more than three people to walk side by side. They were walking along a more horizontal level leading up to the next incline, and Reivyn spotted some boulders inexplicably rolling down the hill in the distance. A loud screech from above caught his attention, and he looked up to see a couple of Wyverns diving toward the boulders.

The large rocks suddenly sprung up into twelve-foot-tall behemoths and swiped at the Wyverns lashing out at them with their claws. They were icy blue, much paler than the dark blue of the Wyverns, and Reivyn could see their ugly visage from well over fifty yards away. They had tusks protruding from their lower lips, and he could see saliva dripping off of them to land on the ground where they instantly solidified into ice.

They had swirling patterns on their naked bodies, their modesty only covered by a tattered loincloth. Their muscles bulged, and they roared back in defiance as the Wyverns swooped away, out of reach. The Ice Trolls made to roll up into disguised boulders once more and continued on their path, but another set of Wyverns came charging down, halting them in place once more.

The battle between the two trolls and the four Wyverns that traded places in pairs lasted for about ten minutes, with neither side making any headway until the trolls turned around and clambered back up the incline.

"I guess that's why the higher Level Wyverns are further up the mountain," Reivyn said. "It's not a hierarchy, but self-preservation."

"Luckily for the Wyverns, those were young trolls," Kefira remarked. "If they had been a legitimate hunting party, just the four Wyverns wouldn't have been able to stop them from trespassing into their territory."

"How do you know that?" Reivyn asked, glancing at Kefira.

"There are two reasons: One, there were only two of them. A real hunting party would have half a dozen; And two, they were only twelve feet tall. That means they're like older teenagers. The fully grown adults are fifteen to eighteen feet tall.

"I would guess that they were testing their mettle on a little adventure."

"Are they smart enough for that?" Reivyn asked.

"You've mostly encountered lower Tier Region monsters, and even in Drallo, the monsters you fought were either nuisance creatures or Dungeon monsters. Only the snake people have a bit of wisdom, but if you pay careful attention, you would notice that they're far smarter and more organized than the orcs of the Tier 1 Region. The higher the Tier of the Region, the smarter and wiser the non-nuisance monsters will be.

"These trolls and Wyverns don't have a society as we would understand it, but they're not stupid."

"Yes, I see. That's definitely something to consider. If that's the case, then why are they always so hostile to humans and don't set up trade relations and try to live in peace with people?"

"There are versions of the monsters in Regions that do so, just like the lizaldons. Though it's not exactly fair to refer to them as monsters. A good comparison would be how humans and apes are similar to each other. The lizaldons and the feral nuisance lizards down in that cave are only slightly related.

"One thing that all monsters seem to have in common is extreme xenophobia. Not just toward humans, though, but toward everyone else. They will enslave or use other monsters, but they'll never be allies with them."

"Then what about even higher Tier Regions?" Reivyn asked.

"That's one of the reasons it's so hard to get an established empire above Tier 4," Kefira said, "The smarter monsters have their own little kingdoms, so their opposition to human intrusion is much fiercer. It's not just that they're inherently stronger, though that is also a major factor."

"Good to know."

The two of them ended their conversation as they drew closer to where the battle had just taken place. They weren't going out of their way to move stealthily and hide, but they also weren't advertising their presence. They had been speaking in a low voice, but now that the monsters had dispersed and there was no additional sound to mask their conversation, they stopped talking.

The Wyverns seemed to care too much for keeping an eye on the Ice Trolls, so they weren't bothered by any air dives from them, and there seemed to be an invisible border where the Wyverns wouldn't easily cross. The Ice Trolls seemed like they weren't moving very fast, now that they were trudging up the peak, but their considerably longer legs carried them much further with each stride. They eventually outpaced the trio and were out of sight.

"I think if we're going to fight some Ice Trolls, those two should be it," Reivyn said after a moment. "We can rush ahead real quick and engage them before they rejoin their tribe, or whatever it's called."

"Sounds like a plan," Kefira said. Serilla unsheathed her sword and nodded. "Did you get a chance to use your Sense Threat Skill on them?"

"High Tier 4 or low Tier 5," Reivyn said. "It's still not accurate enough to pinpoint such a large gap."

"That sounds about right. They're almost adults, but not quite."

"Let's go."

Reivyn also unsheathed his sword, and he dashed ahead. He knew that they were supposedly nearly immune to Magic, but he readied a couple of Fire-attuned Spells anyway. Even if the Mana didn't harm them, the heat should, and he knew from talking with other Adventurers that fire was a weakness to trolls of all kinds, so it should be doubly so for the Ice Trolls.

Luckily for everyone, besides some of the villagers they had interacted with, that had been around Reivyn, everyone had been in armor that hugged their bodies. Kefira and Serilla knew about his Skill, but they didn't know the extent of how detailed it could be. They hadn't thought to question whether or not he could see underneath, and they had just taken for granted they he was only seeing them as they were.

There was no way he was going to inform them of the truth, for their peace of mind. He was sure Kefira would get over it very quickly, but Serilla might take some exception to it. It wasn't like there was anything he could do about it, though. All he could do was move away from the two to allow Kefira to inspect and deal with the wounds without him being nearby.

After several minutes of sitting in silence by himself, Reivyn saw them come up to him through his Divine Sense, and Serilla gave him a nod in thanks after walking up to him. Reivyn simply nodded back before looking to Kefira.

"Ready to keep going?" He asked.

"Yup."

The three didn't engage with any more Ice Trolls on their way to the top. The Dagger was large enough in circumference that there was plenty of space for them to move about without intruding on the domains of the monsters. There had been a couple of close calls when boulders had suddenly come to life next to them, but they had always been able to jump away to safety thanks to Kefira.

It took them another day to reach the peak of the mountain. The last little bit to the top wasn't that high of a cliff, and Reivyn had convinced Kefira to just climb up the normal way. Reivyn lassoed a rope over a protrusion, and the three climbed up the final stretch.

Reivyn turned around and extended a hand to give Kefira some assistance, as she was next in line. Serilla brought up the rear.

As Reivyn was pulling the girl up, his Divine Sense picked up two people materializing out of nothing behind them. He didn't have time to think, and he used his full strength to bodily haul Kefira to the top as he spun around, pulling out his sword in one smooth motion.

Kefira stood next to him, momentarily stunned by the rough handling and not recognizing what was going on right away, but after a second, she noticed the two people standing there as well.

The very top of the Dagger was like a pillar about twenty feet in radius, and on the far end from where Reivyn and Kefira ascended, a point jutted into the air in a sharp point another fifty feet or so up. There was no good way for one to stand on the tippy-top peak of the mountain, so everyone recognized this final spot as the final top.

Standing in the center of the circle were a man and a woman. The man had long, flowing hair to his waist, and it blew in the breeze. His face was gentle and his skin was unblemished. He stood proudly with his chin up and shoulders back as he turned his head about, taking in the sight of the peak of the mountain.

The other person was a young woman who looked similar to the man. Her hair was tied in a bun with an intricate hairpin, and she was hugging a sheathed sword to her chest.

They were wearing matching white and blue robes without any apparent armor. The robes were similar to the ones that Reivyn fancied, and they didn't look like the garb of a Caster. The two of them appeared to be of a similar age to Reivyn and Kefira, but it was hard to determine sometimes.

The girl stood a little behind and to the side of the young man, and she stared at Reivyn and Kefira as her companion looked around. She didn't look like she was ready to fight, but Reivyn got the sense that the sword in her arms could come out much quicker than expected from how she was holding it.

"What a breathtaking view," the young man said. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "The air is crisp, though the Mana is a bit sparse."

The Mana is sparse? Reivyn frowned. What is this guy talking about?

"I see that we're not alone on top of the world," the man's eyes opened and focused on Reivyn.

Reivyn was standing at the ready, sword out and prepared to strike. The two sudden interlopers didn't seem to care, though, and they directly ignored the implied threat of violence. Serilla popped up, and she immediately unsheathed her sword as well.

"Ahh, another one. Welcome!" The man smiled at the appearance of Serilla. "No need for hostility. We're not going to attack you or anything."

Reivyn slowly stood up and sheathed his sword. He didn't get the feeling of danger from the two, and he had mostly been surprised at how they had just suddenly been there from nowhere.

"Forgive me, but you just appeared out of thin air," Reivyn said. "I was startled. How did you get here?"

"Oh, we teleported," the man answered cheerfully.

"Are you sure about that?" Kefira questioned. "I didn't feel any Space emanations or Mana fluctuations."

"Of course not," the man laughed. "I'm not at liberty to give details away, so I apologize for that, but I'm not lying when I said we teleported here. Anyway, how rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Szaine, and this is my Junior Sister, Virna. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise," Reivyn automatically responded. He mentally shook the cobwebs out. "My name is Reivyn, and these two are Kefira and Serilla." Reivyn gestured to the two in turn. Kefira nodded her head in greeting, but Serilla maintained her stance with her sword out, eyeing them warily.

"As much as I would love to stick around and chat, my Junior Sister and I must really be going," Szaine said apologetically. "Hopefully we can meet somewhere more civilized in the near future."

The man turned and walked to the edge of the cliff, his "Junior Sister" following behind... and they just kept walking, stepping out into the air. Reivyn fought to keep his jaw from dropping as he watched them descend in the air like they were walking down a flight of steps. It only took a couple of minutes for them to be far enough away that they were nothing more than dots in the sky.

Reivyn turned to an equally astonished Kefira and Serilla.

"Well..." Reivyn said, arresting Kefira and Serilla's attention from watching the two depart, "that was new."