Chapter 3042 When the Great Mother Speaks (Part 2)

Chapter 3042 When the Great Mother Speaks (Part 2)

3042 When the Great Mother Speaks (Part 2)

Yet the older Nidhogg's rune was unavailable for weeks now and Bodya's every attempt to communicate with the rest of his family had crashed against a wall of indifferent silence.

He had even tried to ask Jiera's Council to contact his kin on his behalf but the Elders were too busy dealing with the crisis to waste their time with a family squabble. Bodya's reputation was already in the gutter for staying so long in Garlen while Jiera fell apart.

The news of his contribution to establishing the Kingdom's outpost of Darmoq made him nothing short of a traitor. The Council members answered his calls only because they had to.

Bodya was still a member of the Awakened Council and they were grateful for his role in dealing with Thaymos the Eternal Fortress. Yet they kept their answers curt and short when they realized he asked them for help instead of offering it.

Bodya was left with no other choice but to go check on Vothal in person.

"Shit!" When he arrived in front of the entrance to the Nidhoggs' lair, he found out that the stone arc had collapsed. Digging through the ground revealed that the defensive arrays had been altered and the safe paths he knew were now full of traps.

After sending messages via the amulet and transmissions via earth magic requesting a meeting, Bodya explored the area for days before giving up. No one showed up, which meant that the Nidhoggs not only had changed the location of the lair's access points but they were also avoiding him.

At that point, Bodya had gone to the nearest cities of the Wild Empire, looking for a reliable source of information about his family.ReAd latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

"Nidhoggs?" Echoed Pakon the Orthrus, the lesser Fenrir mayor Laska. "They are a bunch of odd and reclusive fellows. When the monster tides appeared, the Nidhoggs were a dependable ally, but after they suffered a few casualties, they stopped sending us reinforcements.

"May the Great Mother curse them. No offense, lad."

"None taken." Bodya had altered his appearance to pass for a member of a different nest. Those who didn't know his energy signature would never recognize him and with his thick Jieran accent, no one doubted he was a local.

"I wouldn't have bothered you, mayor, if my patriarch wasn't worried about our cousins. They have stopped answering our calls and I've been sent here to make sure they are alright."

"Damn, kid. You are good." The Orthrus had a thick Paclean accent due to lack of practice. "Are you interested in a position as teacher? I need people like you to spread the Great Mother's language and honor her."

"Thanks, but no. What about Vothal?"

"He lives here. I'll assign you a guide to bring you to his house." A snap of his clawed paws summoned a Shyf. "Fair warning, Vothal will never leave. Even in exile, he's loyal to his clan and refuses to share any of his bloodline legacy."

"Then why do you give him hospitality?" Bodya asked.

"Because he's a hero and we can use all the help we can get." Pakon replied. "Also, because we are not stupid Nidhoggs. When the Great Mother speaks, we listen. We recognized the truth of her words and are trying to change."

"None taken." Bodya gave the Orthrus a deep bow of gratitude before the mayor once again realized the rudeness of his words and followed the Shyf.

"Damn. Sorry, kid!"

The feline magical beast led Bodya to Laska's lowest level. It was situated right above the mines and aside from security guards, no one lived there.

"Just to be clear, the mayor gifted Vothal a nice lair in the residential district." The Shyf explained. "The old Nidhogg refused and moved down here to be left alone. Please, even if he refuses to move to your colony, try to knock some sense into him.

"Vothal should be proud of himself, not ashamed."

Once they arrived in sight of a large circular opening in the ground, the Shyf turned back and bid Bodya goodbye. As the Nidhogg approached, he released small pulses with earth magic to announce his presence.

The ground started to rumble and by the time Bodya reached the entrance, a colossal snake emerged, giving him a hateful welcome.

"How many times do I have to say that I want to be left alone?" In his Nidhogg form, Vothal was close to 25 meters (82') long. His body was covered in brownish grey scales streaked yellow, orange, and blue all over.

Several straight bone spikes came out of his forehead in a shape that reminded Lith of the frill of a triceratops.