Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 671: Introspection

Chapter 671: Introspection

Within the monotony of the outback, a barren land filled with gorges, gullies, and valleys of varying sizes, two individuals walked, with one leading the way while the other rode atop a flaming fox.

There was barely any conversation, with both intent on keeping watch on their surroundings as they were well aware, courtesy of Ulysses’ warnings, that the outback was filled with several strange and dangerous mutants.

Considering the fact that the Solomon Alliance was at war with itself and the Goddess of Automation was nowhere to be found, it was expected that those mutants would become more active, seeking to enjoy the little freedom afforded to them.

So far, apart from the mammoths, they had also come across Carrions, a mutant race that shared relations with vultures, with the only difference being their desiccated skin and their surprisingly large physique, which was comparable to an adult man.

But perhaps the most troubling thing the duo had to look out for wasn’t the mutants but was instead the roaming barbarians who took advantage of the chaos within the Solomon Alliance to do as they pleased.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Victoria struggled to ignore the unforgiving rays of the Lightbringer even with her hooded cloak.

It took everything to not grunt whenever the rays touched her porcelain white skin, resulting in sizzles that did not escape Alex’s notice.

"We might have to find shelter soon. Any word from Opal?" Alex asked.

"None yet," Victoria said. "Also, we can’t keep stopping. The more time we waste, the worse your condition gets."

Instead of a response, Alex chuckled, shaking his head as he did, causing Victoria to glance back at him, her brows raising in a questioning manner.

"Isn’t it amusing?"

"What is?"

"Thinking back, there was no reason for me to charge out the way I did. My actions were risky and in all honesty, rather foolish. Don’t you agree?"

Victoria maintained silence but that didn’t mean she disagreed with his assessment.

"Rather unlike me, I’d admit. At that moment, a heroic desire mixed with some foolishness pushed me forward without thinking of the consequences. My apologies."

"You don’t have to apologize."

"But I do, after all, my stupidity is what got us into this mess."

Taking a deep breath, Victoria turned to focus on the path ahead as she remarked. "Just be more careful."

"I will."

After several minutes passed in silence, Victoria paused to reach out to Opal only to be met with some rather unfortunate news.

"Nothing yet," Victoria muttered with Alex letting out a sigh.

"Let’s set up camp, it’s getting dark."

"No, we are wasting time."

"Victoria." Alex calmly intoned. "That’s enough for today. Being hasty is what got me into this mess, let’s not make another mistake."

Albeit unwilling, Victoria decided to heed Alex’s words and had just gotten across to Opal, seeking to recall him when a golden portal materialized beside them.

Out of the portal, Elena emerged, looking quite exhausted and in need of rest.

"Are you alright?" Alex asked, barely able to feel excited due to her demeanor.

Elena nodded. "Something like that."

"You look troubled." Victoria pointed out.

"I am, but it’s fine; I’m sorry for being late."

"How’s Ulysses?"

"Surviving, I’d hope, I might not be able to enter the Abyss as quickly as we thought."

"Have you checked on Ana’s group?"

"Not yet." Elena shook her head. "I thought to check on you first, then I’d head over to them."

"Perhaps that’s for the best given our current state," Victoria remarked.

"What happened to you?" Elena asked, noting Alex’s fragile state.

"Mistakes were made, lessons learned," Alex replied. "Any chance you could find us a town?"

"Give me a moment," Elena muttered before proceeding to close her eyes and expand her consciousness.

Ever since her brawl with Riona, Elena had been experimenting with the same thing she did that brought her back to life, transcending the limits of space-time, growing from 3D to 4D.

In that brief moment, she felt almost omnipresent and it allowed her to locate what was required.

She opened her eyes, gasping as she took steps back before tripping over a rock, only saved from falling by Victoria’s quick reflex.

"Are you alright?" Victoria asked as she helped back up, to which Elena responded with a silent nod.

She gestured for Alex to come closer with the latter dropping down from the flaming cat to grab her outstretched hand.

The next moment, the trio vanished into thin air along with the cat.

Seconds passed before the ground began to tremble almost as though struck by a minor earthquake.

***

En route to Nysodosia, Ana utilized her dragon form as transport while Nadia kept them hidden using her spells.

As for the caravan they had joined, its master opted to return to Tesus, unwilling to put anyone else at risk, an understandable sentiment considering what they’d been through.

"Isn’t it weird?" Nadia asked no one in particular after a long bout of silence amongst the trio.

"What?" Ana asked, utilizing dragontongue to imprint her thoughts in the surrounding space.

"Why didn’t we do this from the beginning?... Flying is way faster and we could have easily avoided what happened with the caravan."

"Well, that’s because..." Ana trailed off, her facial features shifting as she couldn’t quite pinpoint why they hadn’t just flown from the beginning.

It would have been smarter to leave the city alone and after putting some distance between them and the city, they’d take to the skies, avoiding any sort of conflict.

However, they had opted to remain in the caravan, a journey that would have taken weeks to conclude given their previous pace.

Thinking back, their actions were rather... foolish.

Meanwhile, as Ana pondered the lack of wisdom in their previous actions, in another location, hidden from the material world, in a carnival that belonged to an ascending deity, Harlequin clapped her hands as she watched the ever-changing scenery within the living map.

Currently, the red, which represented the aggressors, had eaten up a good portion of the defender’s territory, revealing that a major deciding battle was at hand.

Elsewhere, King Ull and his forces had begun to move again, seeking to strike once the situation presented itself.

As all these chess pieces were getting into place for the final act, an illusory hand began to take shape above the map, its fingers completely covered in thin strings that connected to several individuals on the map.

Seeing such a sight, Harlequin muttered. "How exciting!"