Bernar and I made our way toward the distant cloud of dust in record time. Our training with Kanarin had certainly paid off, as within less than twenty minutes, we cleared more than half the distance from Tason'Gare to Grayeater Bourg; roughly the equivalent of Myrdin to Escea.
We avoided using the portal again on purpose, since Thran had keen senses that let them detect prey from kilometers away, enabling them to set their traps accordingly.
Naturally, this also meant we had to subdue our presence the entire way there.
We reached the top of the ravine they were traveling along, taking note of the sharp boulders protruding from its walls, as if a slab of granite had been split in half. We sat quietly for a moment, merely observing the ones that the dust cloud had mostly hidden from view.
There must be over a million of them. Even with all our training, how the fuck are we supposed to stop them? Bernar sent me with a worried look.
As I observed our surroundings, rather than the horde sprinting down the ravine, I started looking for anything we could use to stop them. Wait a minute, I have an idea, Bernar began with a wicked grin.
He shared his idea with me through our connection, and I must admit, it was a pretty solid plan.
However, that will leave me entirely exposed. Are you sure this is the best way to do this? I asked, even though I already knew the answer. Oh, you'll be alright. Besides, it's not like they can catch you now, he said with a wink, immediately vanishing from sight a little further down the ravine to our right.
This is about to suck, isn't it? I sighed and shook my head before leaping off the edge of the ravine and straight into the belly of the beast.
I broke my fall using the odoruki technique, one I knew they couldn't sense, and stood right in the middle of their path that was at least a hundred meters wide, watching as the dust cloud drew nearer. I felt a deep rumbling come from behind me, a signal that it was time to set the bait.
It was me. I was the bait.
With a strong pulse of mana, I revealed my presence to them, watching as the half-moon of mana careened down the path. It rounded the furthest corner I could see, and within mere moments, the leaders of the Grayeater pack showed themselves.
The moment their leader noticed me, he raised a balled fist that jingled with the bones of fallen prey, causing the horde to slow to a halt about half a kilometer from my position. I could tell there was a derisive sneer stretched across his wolf-like features, and that he stood more than a few heads taller than me.
"Wait here, I'll go an' see what this is all about," a thick-accented voice bounced off the ravine walls. I stood there, immobile and with the most stoic expression I could muster as he dashed over to me.
Like the other leaders I'd encountered of their kind, this one had a thick, leather belt riddled with small skulls and more than a few kataki trinkets that had been filed down into bars. By my initial count, there must have been at least a hundred of them lining the top of his belt, gently clinking with every heavy step he took.
Needless to say, I did my best not to show just how little more I could wait before cutting this fucker's head clean off his shoulders and parading it in front of the horde.
Patience is a virtue, or so Aurae tells me, I mentally sighed.
"Well, well, well. What have we here? Hmm?" he said, placing a strong pair of fingers up to his chin, running his long-clawed fingers through a scraggly beard that still held grease and meat from the night before. "You're not from this realm, are ya?" he asked, prompting me to shrug. "Nope. Can't say that I am," I said with an upturned lip.
"Right, see? I knew that, but that dark armor you're wearin' there looks an awful lot like those damned Plumers," he spat and shook his face, causing his cheeks to flap and send dribble flying in all directions.
"Plumers? You mean the Iron Plume clan?" I asked, making sure I'd understood him correctly, since his accent was palpable. "Riiight, yeah. I knew you'd know who I was talkin' about," he continued, baring his teeth with a predatory grin. "And I take it that you're all on your way to take care of them?" I asked, but apparently, he found my question amusing more than anything else.
"Well, that'd be one way of puttin' it, yeah. You see, we've a long-standin' gripe with them, and we're on our way to settle the score. Care to join us?" he asked, extending a forearm that was roughly twice as thick as my thigh.
Hurry up, fuck ass, or I'm going to get started without you, I sent Bernar. Give me a second here, shit-stain. Just a few finishing touches, he replied, nearly making me sigh audibly.
"I'd rather not, honestly. I just came here to make sure that's what you were on your way to do with your, uh, horde," I replied, holding up a hand in a futile attempt to stop any further attempts. "Aw, c'mon. It'll be fun to watch their brains leak out of their armor when I crush their skulls," he said in a tone that told me they must have done it for sport rather than necessity.
"What's in it for me if I do decide to go with you?" I asked, trying to buy more time. The titanic Grayeater burst into an amused fit of maniacal laughter, spreading his arms widely as his broad shoulders rose and fell. "The glory of killin' The Annihilator herself, if you can, that is," he said, lowering his head to better match the height of my eyes.
However, the moment he genuinely looked at me, I saw a hint of fear trace across his features. Whether that was due to my slitted pupils or perhaps the fact that I purposely let my intent slip out of control for a split second, I didn't know.
In all honesty, I never did find out, as the next thing I knew, I felt my brother send me a confirmation signal that he was ready.
Don't worry, I heard it, too, and I'm ready when you are, he sent me from what felt like a good distance away. Where are you? I asked, sensing him moving further and further away, but all I got in response was a pulse of his location and a mental chuckle. Heh, you bastard. Let's do this, I sent him as soon as I understood where he was.
I immediately formed my kataki blade and cut cleanly through the base of the leader's neck, sending an arc of dark blood high into the air before reforming my blade around my wrist. "What the…? Oi, Rantuur, what was that?" one of the other Thran from behind him asked.
As Rantuur turned to face them, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his tongue flicked in and out of his mouth violently as his head rolled onto the ashen ground of the ravine.
The others watched the head roll for a heartbeat before turning their attention to me. "You!" another one shouted angrily as blood from Rantuur's carotid arteries soared into the air.
I quickly put my hands up and feigned a look of shock. "I-I don't know what happened either. We were just talking and he ju-..." I trailed off as the one who accused me dashed in with a snarl.
A large, two-handed sword that was little more than a two-meter slab of metal swung from above. My hands were still raised innocently, but the moment the blade got close enough, I pushed it aside with the back of my left hand, while striking at its torso with a well-placed punch to where its core would be.
The resulting force caused the top half of the creature to turn into little more than a chunky mist, while its hind legs flew in different directions. The absolute horror on their faces told me everything I needed to know about what to say next to steal the focus from their mission.
I stepped over the larger pieces of entrails left behind by my attack and moved toward them slowly. "You all wanted the Annihilator, right?" I asked, earning me a few cautious glares and bared teeth. "Unfortunately for you, it looks like you've all forgotten what she's truly capable of, but I'll give you a reason to remember it," I said, subduing my presence in the heartbeat that followed and moving toward the nearest creature, giving it a similar treatment to what I'd given their leader, only this time, I'd severed it in half.