Everyone walked towards the third layer of the abyss. But soon, it was time for Ruri to sleep, and she clung to the whale’s back. Yet, before that, she didn’t forget to send a message. It wasn’t something spoken but rather a simple glance, a look back directly at Runula, who trembled from head to toe. With the message delivered, she fell asleep.
The whale snorted. ’Great job. Keep her in line,’ Alm commented mentally.
’You corrupted her to become impulsive; aren’t you ashamed?’ Bruno grumbled.
’No. If she were a normal woman, she probably wouldn’t care. But even she knows that you’re a dirty lolicon, so her actions are justified.’ Alm responded without hesitation.
’I am you! You’re going too far with this joke!’ Bruno snapped. ’You and I only love one person in our life, and that hasn’t changed and won’t change.’
Alm replied dryly. ’Your way of taking care of a child who has nothing to do with us speaks against you. And currently, because she’s growing up fast, I felt your hidden thoughts. You even imagined how she would look when she’s an adult.’
’It was just a random thought! And that just proves that I prefer adults! But you also take care of her excessively, in a different way.’ Bruno spoke quickly, and Alm just snorted. ’Don’t come and tell me it’s because she’s like a daughter; who pays so much attention to what she’s feeling all the time? That’s almost an obsession.’
After these last words, they fell into mental silence, in a strategic truce. Both noticed something wrong with each other but decided to ignore it, and both knew the reason.
Their lives for thousands of years have been filled with problems, pain, and suffering. Both instinctively created a natural distance in any relationship, even among friends. Ruri was slowly breaking that, first truly as a daughter. But now... every day, she was growing up. And when she became an adult, things would get weird. But that was a problem for the future.
After a few hours, the whale turned around, and its eyes met Runula’s. She was startled but soon saw the round hand waving for her to come closer and lead the way. She obviously had to take them to the clan. But her intelligence was truly limited, and she was just walking behind the group.
Runula ran quickly, understanding her mistake. She stumbled and almost fell; her legs were short, and she seemed clumsy with this body, or maybe she was like that even in her true form.
They then moved, now making a detour to the southeast. A few hours later, the whale took a step and signaled her to stop. Soon, he turned to Almin, Langrum, and Loeus and pointed in two opposite directions.
Almin ran to the right and the duo to the left. Runula was completely confused, but within a minute, the reason became apparent. Then the earth trembled, revealing half a dozen beasts on each side.
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The beasts were all in the middle of the Core Formation Realm, several levels stronger than them. But both fronts won overwhelmingly, with highly skilled fire and sword strikes. Every move was precise and lethal, killing quickly without leaving room for counterattacks.
When they returned, the whale drew his saber, and his power was activated. Runula trembled and muttered in fear. "Sorry, sir... I... I should have taken detours..."
"No need for detours. Walk straight to the clan to get there faster." The whale cut off her words quickly. The whale’s ten dark wings then appeared as he stepped to the side, striking.
It was two strikes, one on each side, while the earth rose. Then two fissures appeared in the ground, and a dense Yin QI emerged from within, multiplying the density around several times.
"Evil bones... so pure..." Runula murmured.
"They were guarding a large set of bones. If there are many together, it means there are treasures worth stopping for," the whale spoke lightly, and Runula nodded in astonishment.
The whale then snorted, saying, "Stay in your true form; it will decrease the danger of being attacked. And you can take these bones for yourself. This way, you’ll enhance your senses. It’ll be payment for the job."
She stood frozen, not understanding, and soon Langrum and Loeus ran and gathered all the bones from the fissures. They handed them to the little female wyvern, and Langrum patted her head to comfort her, but she still couldn’t move.
"Quick! What a waste of time!" the whale exclaimed, and she leaped. Soon, she grabbed the bones and changed her form rapidly.
***
The days passed, and soon, the second week within the abyss went by. At this moment, after facing dozens of beasts and collecting multiple treasures, the entire group crossed the threshold and reached the third layer of the abyss.
Runula had now learned to stay in her true form during the day, noticing that Ruri’s gaze softened a bit. At night, she returned to her human form. In this form, she saved more energy and could joyfully absorb the bones she had gained. The whale divided everything equally among everyone, and she received her share with the excuse of guiding them.
On the third layer, it was much like before. The laws multiplied hundreds of times, but everyone, after spending several days within the abyss, quickly got used to it. Soon enough, the question came to Runula, and to her surprise, it was Ruri who directed it while flying in the skies.
"How many layers are there in the abyss? How much longer until we reach the end?"
Runula descended from the skies, touching the ground, and mentally answered everyone without daring to return to her human form. ’There are thirteen layers until the end. But... the clan houses are distributed according to their power and importance; the closer to the end, the higher the level of laws for cultivation.’
Through her eyes, everyone felt her awkwardness when she finished. ’The Soul Eaters... are placed in the farthest location from the center. And we are considered one of the two lowest-level clans. Our house is on the third level, not far from here.’
Langrum became bitter and clenched her fists; this was already expected by everyone.
The whale took the chance to speak. "Let me guess, the Soul Eaters are one of the weakest, and the other is from another race connected to you. Those with mixed Wyvern bloodline."
Runula lowered her head, and her eyes trembled. ’Yes. My mother is part of the Soul Eaters like me. But my father is part of the Serpent Wings, and they all possess the same Wyvern bloodline.’
"Hm... any Wyvern can join?" Ruri asked dryly.
’My father’s clan accepts anyone with this bloodline who wants to join. All they have are things for Wyverns, and other races cannot benefit. Although our Wyvern Bloodlines are thin, they are still Dragon Bloodlines, so reproduction is difficult. That’s why my father’s clan is so small and weak.’ Runula said timidly.
"Great. We have to make it hatch to gain a bit, master." Ruri commented, looking at the whale.
Bruno and Alm wondered if she was talking about acquiring the Wyvern items Runula mentioned or if Ruri just wanted to kill all clan members and have the egg absorb all their bloodlines. They didn’t ask her about it, though.
***
In three more days of walking, still on the third layer, they finally spotted an area surrounded by stone walls nestled among the black mountains. It had a size very similar to the Divinestone clan, where Alm and Bruno started everything. And it still emitted the same aura of poverty and lack of any resources.
’We left that small and pathetic clan; now we’re going into another one. Almost seems like fate...’ Bruno murmured mentally.
"On the other side, you can see that gigantic mountain. At the top is where the Serpent Wing clan lives. The Soul Eater and Serpent Wing clans are very close... they are the only ones living here and, together, survive against the stronger ones," Runula commented after returning to her true form. She couldn’t enter the clan in any other way.
Ruri narrowed her eyes, but she didn’t care much anymore. Runula kept an excessive distance from the whale and seemed to have understood how to handle the situation. Soon, they entered the clan through the gates.
There were only two demon guards at the gates. They immediately recognized Runula and let them pass silently. But Runula felt something strange in the air.
After entering, something became clear to everyone. They couldn’t sense the presence of other demons. Runula quickly became stunned and looked in a direction, trying to sense something in desperation.
"Yes, everyone is gathered in one place, and they seem to be fervent. From what I know about demons, only blood and violence cause such fervor in them," the whale spoke calmly.
"Master... she must be fighting again!" Runula said, turning and running in her human form, with her short legs and clumsy demeanor.
Thud!
She fell face-first to the ground, and everyone felt awkward. "Let’s go," the whale said and moved on.