Chapter 315 - Flight from Liria (Patreon)

I can't be exactly  sure but the shape of the basin and the terrain around the robed figures' feet  gives the impression of liquid being brought up from below ground and running  downhill to be collected. If they are bringing a liquid up from the Dungeon, what  could the liquid be but mana? I mean, I've never seen liquid mana, but unless  they are bringing up some sweet natural spring water in order to give the  biggest Crocodile in all the worlds a soothing bath, perhaps followed by an  exfoliating scale scrub, revealing skins' freshest layer, then what does the  Croc need that can be found in the Dungeon?

Mana.

I know it can be  condensed, I have the freakin' skill to do it! Perhaps I've never seen  something like this, but that doesn't mean it can't be done!

[They're feeding  Garralosh mana! Using some sort of voodoo technique to compress the mana in  the Dungeon and letting her absorb it! That's  how she's able to hang about on the surface!]

My minds race,  connecting the dots now that I have this information.

[This is why she  isn't dead!] I exclaim to Morrelia, [she was never  starving of mana. Whoever these people are, they've been supporting Garralosh  within the Dungeon and keeping her alive, feeding her mana, controlling her.]

Oh snap! If these  guys and gals can regulate the flow of mana to Garralosh then she is dependent  on them, completely at their mercy. If they decide to turn the tap off then  big momma croc has no choice except to fade slowly away as her core bleeds  dry.

[This is insane]  Morrelia ground out, her eyes burning with rage, [who the hell are they?!]

That is the  question of the hour. The two of us remain with our heads poked over the top  of the city wall, straining to make out any details.

Just then,  something new caught my eye. Movement to one side of the basin as something  that had buried itself beneath the dirt rose up, shaking itself free of the  loose soil which cascaded from the large creature and onto the ground. What  the heck is this now? Another monster?

When the dirt  finally fell away what was revealed was not a hideous monster or another  deformed Croca Beast variant, but a large lizard that appeared to be draped in  what I can only describe as luxurious robes and golden jewellery. 

This lizard was large. Although it was dwarfed next to  Garralosh it was still a hefty ten metres long from nose to tail, but not  nearly as bulky. Something about the creature, perhaps its dull scale colour  or wrinkly skin, seemed to speak of incredible age. I got the feeling that  this lizard had been around the block a few times.

I could almost feel  the weight of its gaze and it stared at me.

Wait a sec.

[Morrelia? Is that  giant lizard staring at us?]

[Kaarmodo!] she  hissed and jumped from the wall.

What the heck?!  We're like eight metres up!

[Hurry up!] she  hollered at me across our mental link and I watched stunned as she neatly  rolled on landing and began sprinting away from the city.

[I'm not up to  speed here? Why are you running?] I asked as I hesitated at the top of the  wall.

Then I noticed  something. Inside the wall, not only was the lizard looking at me, but  Garralosh herself had turned to face me.

And so had every  monster inside the walls.

  I leaped from the wall, legs flailing in  the air as I attempted to flap my way to freedom. Why the hell didn't I give  myself wings?! I know I live  underground 99% of the time, but still, wings!  

THUD.

I smacked into the  ground with a dull thump, the impact sending shockwaves through my carapace.  Thankfully my sturdy exoskeleton and its inner plating managed to absorb the  force without cracking, since I didn't trust my legs to do the job. Not  wanting to break any limbs at this critical juncture, I'd wisely tucked them  up so my body would hit the ground first. Repairing a broken leg right now  would be a little awkward to say the least.

[RUN!] I shouted at  my two pets as they watched from a distance away from the wall, [let's  gogogogogogogogoooooo!]

The moment I had my  legs under me I was dashing, holding nothing back in my desperation to get  away. Morrelia was way ahead of me, not pausing in the slightest when she  realised I hadn't moved as quickly as she had. That's cold! Sensible, but  cold!

[What the heck is  that giant lizard?] I wailed at her.

[It's a Kaarmodo!  They are not monsters, they're a  sapient surface race, like humans!]

[How in the heck is a giant lizard like a human?]

[Listen] she  growled back at me as we sprinted, [they are one of the elder races that  existed on Pangera before the Dungeon opened. They are powerful mages and live  for a very long time. Those robed  figures we saw are it's Setsulah,  bonded servants.]

[And why is it  helping a giant Crocodile Monster slaughter a heap of humans?]

[I have no idea!  Would you please focus on running for  your life?!]

Good advice!

HUUUAAAARRRRRRR!!!!

The sound of  thousands of monsters bellowing in rage at once rattled against my ears and  the ground beneath my feet began to rattle like a snare drum. It became  apparent why not long after as monsters began to flood out of the gates and  over the wall as a tide of death.

[Move those fancy  feet, Tiny! Do NOT stop to fight, do NOT turn and do battle. This is NOT the  time to fire up! We are a Jamaican Bobsled team, keep cool and run!] I  bellowed at my most wilful pet and with me keeping up the flow of constant  orders and reprimands, for once, he wasn't able to turn fight against  impossible odds as he so wished.

[Where are we  running to?] I gasped at Morrelia, the strain of constant dashing already  starting to catch up with me. I am taking care of this problem when I evolve  next, no doubt about that!

[I don't know] she  rasped, the usually unflappable warrior looked a fair bit flapped as she ran,  [any bright ideas?]

[I think so! This  way!]

As if the demon  hordes of hades were on our tail, which they sort of were, we ran with all our  strength, feet growing leaden and weighed down the further we got. Across  fields, around fences and down roads we ran with the constant rumble of  monsters feet shaking the ground behind us. I didn't even want to look behind  but my stupid eyes with their near three-sixty degree vision granted me  tantalising glimpses of a monster horde greater than any I had ever seen by  far. No way I was going to turn and fight this, even ten Gravity Bombs  wouldn't be enough to swallow the entire horde, we had to get to safety.

Fortunately, it  didn't take too long before it came into sight.

On a hill in the  distance I could see a small church building, still standing somehow when so  much of the buildings around here had been flattened. The church was a centre  point of a modest town that I had visited before, and I happened to know that  I path into the Dungeon could be found in that church!

[Let's go to  church!] I bellowed at my companions.