A woman with bright yellow skin on her upper body and light red skin on her lower body, dressed in a similar protruding bracelet and covered in thick wooden armour, held a crudely made sword in her grasp as she swam forward from the nymph group.
They all halted a small distance from Orion, scrutinizing him closely despite being unable to see through his mask. Their eyes lingered on Aurora; it was easy to understand that they sensed the godly aura around her and were entranced by her beauty.
However, they immediately withdrew their gazes and looked away, fear, doubt, and confusion evident in their eyes.
The others behind them also wore masks, making it difficult to determine their race.
Orion toggled on the mask's function to glance at the three individuals' energy levels. This was one of Seraphina's new improvements to the mask. Although he appreciated viewing the energy levels of those around him, having the words float in front of the person he spoke to was a little annoying, so he was pleased with the improvements.
The bulky half-tailed man's energy level was 1550 BEM, indicating his formidable strength. The human man's energy level was 1200 BEM, showing he was also a strong warrior.
The tree nymph's energy level was 1195 BEM, placing her slightly on par with the human man's strength. This indicated that their strength was comparable to that of three-star warriors. As for those around them...
[ Energy Level - 401 BEM]
[ Energy Level - 350 BEM]
[ Energy Level - 549 BEM ][ Energy Level - 700 BEM ]
...
Only the Prismerion at the forefront, and a few others had slightly above 1000 BEM energy levels. Despite that, they were still weaker than the two beside them.
They weren't wearing Devourer bracelets or anything similar on their wrists, making Orion wonder if they could also create Vylkr containers like them.
The only clue he could come up with was the protruding breastplates and pauldrons they wore. Orion couldn't help but wonder how they fought in them.
Nonetheless, he found their energy levels reasonable, as Vylkr energy was highly lethal and could only be controlled by a few. Only unique individuals like him, Tala, Seth, and the others could become four-star warriors, with the rest needing some assistance, like the Vylkr Fusion Armlet, to go further.
The gods' chosens were an entirely different case. They utilized diluted Vylkr energy, compensating for the loss of quality with quantity. As such, their progress was much slower and required more resources, along with the Vylkr Compatibility Test, which determined their limits.
Orion understood why so many chose to defect to higher-grade Runaway Cities and why those who remained were much more loyal to their Runaway City and wouldn't easily betray them.
As Orion concluded his thoughts, he toggled off the energy-level display.
The others behind Orion, waiting for the environment to calm down, did the same.
"I am King Izak, ruler of the Tidal Depths Kingdom," King Izak introduced himself. "Although I am thankful for the aid you've given us, I can't help but be suspicious of your identities. I have information about this entire ocean, from east to west, and I know that strangers don't just pass through here. It would be different if the others recognized you since you mentioned that you're from the same race, but they don't."
"Of course, I am still ignorant of many things, such as the Harbingers' abodes and the tainted," he said, pointing at the headless spawn swimming around them defensively.
He continued, "So I hope you can tell us who you are to dispel the suspicions in our hearts." His tone and expression were calm, but inwardly, he remained fearful of their response.
What if the other party chose to attack him for asking such questions?
What if they genuinely had vile intentions but wore masks to hide them?
Upon hearing Izak's words, Orion raised a brow in surprise. "What are the Harbingers' Abodes and the Tainted?" he asked curiously.
He had a vague idea about what Izak meant by the 'Tainted' from his gesture, but none regarding the Harbingers' Abodes. It seemed like the two were connected somehow, but he needed proper clarification to understand what Izak was talking about fully.
As soon as Orion finished speaking, Izak's expression and that of the group behind him morphed into shock before heavy frowns appeared on their faces.
'Impossible! They don't know about the Harbingers and the Tainted?' Izak thought, internally stunned by the revelation.
Clearly, one of them was controlling the bizarre, headless, winged tainted, protecting them from the hordes of other tainted. Yet, they seemed unfamiliar with what the tainted and the Harbingers were.
'Could it be...?' A spine-chilling thought crept into Izak's mind.
Suddenly, the man who had swum over from the human side spoke up. "I am Knight Darian, a warrior from the Bastion of Ashen Hope territory," he said, bowing to Orion and the others.
"It appears that you are travellers from a distant land. If you don't mind, why don't you accompany us to our territory, where you can rest and have a proper conversation with our leaders? I'm certain they will be glad to answer all your questions."
He gestured toward the headless, winged creatures surrounding them. "Although I cannot accurately gauge your strength, based on the chaos here, it will become troublesome if we linger. It's best to leave right away."
Knight Darian then pointed toward Orion and the others. "Also, I apologize for the king's disrespectful words. He has allowed his authority to go to his head and doesn't see anyone as his equal, so he demanded an explanation from our saviours without offering them rest first." "If you wish to punish him to appease your anger, please take it out solely on him. I'm sure the residents of the Tidal Depths would be thrilled to see the end of his tyranny."
'How shrewd!' Orion thought after hearing Knight Darian's words.
While Izak had thanked them for their aid and spoken directly as a leader, seeking to uncover their identities to protect his kingdom and authority, Knight Darian had cleverly invited them to his territory to talk with his leaders. He had also thrown Izak under the bus, persuading them against him by subtly appealing to their sense of morality, mentioning the king's oppression to test their character.
But how could Orion, who barely knew the situation within the pocket dimension and was focused on gathering information, intervene in their conflict?
Nevertheless, Orion realized that he might as well use the opportunity to show that they were not only good-natured individuals but also possessed a certain level of shrewdness.
'That treacherous guy,' Izak swore in his mind, clenching his teeth in frustration.
He had taken the lead, thinking the other groups would support him since they were suspicious of these strangers' mysterious identities. But now, the treacherous human beside him had taken that lead.
Izak could only hope they wouldn't fall for Darian's words.
As Orion contemplated his subsequent response, the tree nymph from the last group spoke up. "I am Knight Mayril of the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled. I advise you, travellers, not to take their words to heart. One is impulsive, and the other has no good intentions."
"It would be much safer if you came with us to our territory. The Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled is more hidden and far safer from the tainted than any other territory. I will make sure you are given proper comfort to rest from your long journey, and our leaders will gladly answer all your questions."
Sure enough, even the tree nymph wore many masks to hide her motives!
Orion observed the unfolding scene with a raised brow.
It was entirely different from their encounters in the Runaway Cities. While the leaders and gods' chosens there were willing to lay down their lives if it would make a difference, the inhabitants of this pocket dimension seemed eager to invite strangers with mysterious identities and unknown intentions to their territory.
It only took a moment for Orion to understand why-it was survival. Their desperation was apparent. Despite their injuries, they didn't hesitate to reveal their intentions. They had been in constant dread and were willing to take any risk.
Fortunately, Orion was pleased with their response, which aligned with his plan.
"First of all, I will remove my mask to clear away any suspicions you may have," Orion said, removing his mask and revealing his human features.
A look of surprise crossed the faces of Izak, Knight Darian, and Mayril as they saw Orion's
face.
"I won't force my companions to do the same. It's their choice whether they want to remove their masks," Orion added, gesturing to Fifi and the others behind him. Understanding that the man before them was telling the truth about his race being similar to one of them, they all shook their heads.
"There's no need for the rest of your companions to remove their masks. Your actions alone
are enough for me to believe the rest of your words. Please forgive my rudeness," Izak said,
bowing respectfully.
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