The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 311: Wonders and Horrors (2)

Chapter 311: Wonders and Horrors (2)

Hex rushed toward the creature disappearing at the edge of the branch.

"Help me!"

He barely took a few steps when another cry rang behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw another person being dragged away. This time he got a better look as his eyes had adjusted to the dark. The attacker was a snake.

Blink Step

Thanks to his Dragon Bear Soul he discovered Space Pockets quicker and with better precision. His perception of the elements and energies around him seemed to have improved more than he expected.

He appeared above the snake in a second. The Fiend-stage creature didn’t discover him immediately.

Frost Dragon – Blizzard Strike

Assisted with the high humidity in the air, he froze the beast in place. The cold and the sudden immobility caused the snake to hiss in panic. It writhed and wriggled, trying to break itself free. But Hex grabbed its head and slammed it against the branch they were on. The body of the snake still moved.

Partial Transform – Bear leg.

His leg transformed into the hindleg of a bear, with which he stomped hard against the head. He applied enough strength to it and felt the head squish beneath his leg as a soft ’Puchi’ could be heard.

The strength behind the stomp caused the branch to tremble, causing a few more cries to ring out. Hex finished the snake in less than five seconds. Most of the people around him hadn’t even noticed his actions. Only when they felt the branch shudder, did they look around.

Hex didn’t pay heed to them. He looked over the edge, seeing if he could find the first victim. The dense darkness prevented even someone with enhanced visibility to see far below them.

Even a full or partial transformation wouldn’t be of help. Ever since he fused with the Dragon Bear Soul during its push to improve, he sensed a closer affinity with the soul. In a way, it felt like they were one and the same soul. Perhaps, he mused, they were.

As he peered through, he also realized he had used Blink Step without blanking out. Not when he faced Queen Bae nor a moment ago against the snake. He hadn’t used the Space elements so far.

They were too rare, causing him to be frugal with them. He left them for when he didn’t have any other option.

’I don’t see anything.’

"AH!"

Another shout. He jerked his head up. It came from the other side. Through the veil of darkness, he saw another person disappear. His eyes darted toward the corpse of the snake. It was still there. That could mean only one thing.

"There are a bunch of them."

Gronke’s growled up ahead confirmed his suspicion. He jumped onto his feet and rushed to the front.

"Gather around us," he heard Sterling shout and organize his group. As he pushed through them, Hex heard some sobbing and some curses. In short, the people were in panic. But he left it to Sterling to organize them.

"What are these things?"

Hex demanded as he reached the High Queen. Instead of rushing behind them, he rather knew what he was dealing with. He wouldn’t believe for a second if the High Queen claimed ignorance about the existence of such creatures.

"Shadow Serpents."

Luckily, the High Queen seemed cooperative as far as providing information about their attackers. She didn’t seem willing to assist though. She remained in her spot, keeping her calm expression and maintaining her soft smile on her lips.

"They are creatures of the dark, who feed off the blood and energies of others. They are known to enter the body through one of the orifices and live for a certain amount of time. The creature they inhabit lives and provides sustenance to them."

"Th–That’s horrible," Dollaire, who was close, exclaimed, shuddering in disgust. Hex threw her an annoyed glance. He agreed with her but her reaction increased the unease of the others around her. Some hadn’t even heard the High Queen. But seeing someone they knew to be strong react to something, influenced their emotions.

"How do we find them?"

He didn’t owe the people any help but seeing they spent some time together, he inevitably developed a bond with some of them, even if it was a shallow one. He would like to save them, if possible.

"They are hard to detect. And even if you find them, they are most likely in a nest. Do you think you will be able to save the people inside?"

"Find them. Leave saving to me."

Hex said with a bad feeling inside him. The way the High Queen phrased the question didn’t bode well. He had a strong hunch the difficulty didn’t involve strength, per se.

The High Queen gave him a look with a slightly wider smile and then spread her arms wide. At first, he didn’t notice any change. But soon he sensed it. The energy fluctuation. And then he saw it.

Tiny specks of light spread through the air, wafting in all directions, starting from the High Queen.

They weren’t enough to push the darkness away. No, rather, they seemed to thin the darkness...a little.

More and more specks appeared, spreading hundreds of meters in all directions. Hex didn’t hear the people cry or shout. They seemed a bit mesmerized by the beauty of the light. Hex, however, frowned.

’Is she just lighting the place up so we can look further? Aren’t there better ways to provide sight?’

"I am not giving light," the High Queen said. Seeing Hex turn abruptly at her, she added, "I am not reading your mind. I can’t. But I don’t need to. Your expressions often reveal what you are pondering. You should be careful about what you reveal without meaning to reveal."

’Am I that easy to read?’ Hex didn’t believe that. But perhaps he wasn’t as good at it as he believed himself to be. But he didn’t have the experience some of the high-ranked oldies had. They had years to perfect their control. If he only was as good as the baron.

"I am releasing a pheromone into the air. It makes certain creatures of the dark agitated. The spectacle of light is only a side effect when the humidity in the air is high."

Now she mentioned it, Hex indeed detected a very faint but certain smell in the air. As he was new in Wrixia, he had yet to understand what the normal and abnormal parts were, causing his brains to chalk every strange thing up to being new to him.

’I need to familiarize myself quickly with this place.’ Only then he would be able to use his enhanced senses to their potential. But as he smelled the air, he noticed something unsettling. He looked at the High Queen, who was still looking at him.

"Will the smell affect us too?" He inquired after a bit of hesitation.

"No, only those of the dark," she replied. Hex was certain her smile widened as he could see her white teeth. She continued to look at him. She didn’t even blink.

Hex looked away, seeming to ponder something as he rubbed his chin. Thankfully, his sleeves were wide. He hid his runny nose with it, as subtle as he could. Even with his face turned away, he felt her smile widen even more.

’I hate her.’

He felt a little unsettled by the experience. Only now did he realize that he had never experienced a runny nose in his life. So, why now? Was he a creature of the dark?

Hiss!

His ears perked up as the faint sound rang out. With a start, he turned his head. Seeing everyone alert but without any movement, he knew he was the only one who heard it. Before he could alert the others, another ’Hiss’ rang out.

The way the people stiffened, before some whimpered and others moved, he knew they heard it too.

It came from somewhere down below. Before rushing to the edge, he turned toward the High Queen.

"They are two branches below us."

She replied at once. With a nod at her, he turned toward the others.

"Let me go. You guys leave. It doesn’t make sense for all of us to take the risk."

Sterling gave him a look of unwillingness but he nodded in the end.

"We will leave. But the captain will accompany you."

Hex saw the middle-aged man break away from the rest and walk toward the edge. Hex also didn’t protest. He nodded and walked toward the edge.

Without a word, both men jumped down. They had lost enough time.

They landed on the first branch below them, which seemed to bend all around the area, and peered below. The sight of the nest left them stunned. They expected to see snakes but the nest was filled with...humans.

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