Chương 294: Old Names

I listened attentively as the sound of boots striking against the bars of ladders turned into the sound of boots stepping upon stone. A low, hissing voice sighed exaggeratedly after its owner seemingly hopped off the ladder–The enhancement of my basic senses was actually quite impressive, as I could even make out the faint noises of the person stretching and causing some of their articulations to emit a pop. I could even accurately determine their position compared to mine, even though I was inside another room…

Very impressive! This El Gigante-01 form definitely has some interesting quirks, even if its main purpose is to solve problems with overwhelming brute force. In total, I only made out the sound of four people, and no one else seemed to be coming. They came from opposite ladders and remained as a duo even when they approached one another, putting a good ten meters between the two of them.

"Alright, Snaky… You know I don't like meeting in big cities, what's up?"

"... Don't call me that. Also, this isn't really a big city, right? We're deep underground. Where no one can hear us!"

"We still had to go through Randlac, you idiot" The other speaker sighed, and I'm pretty sure he did so whilst shaking his head from side to side.

"Anyway, what was so urgent? Our two groups are at odds. I'm willing to trust you because I know that you're trustworthy despite being a snake, but I won't give you that much leeway" … I know that guy's voice. It felt familiar at first, but now I am certain. That's the foxfolk from back then. It's the rebel guy who was working with Denaiel. His name was Ririlt, was it? Indeed.

It isn't surprising to see that he and his group are still active, but Auntie Leou would have told us if she worked in any capacity with these guys. They are definitely only here because the supposed snakefolk thought that these sewers would be a good meeting spot Speaking of which, it sounds like there are several groups like Ririlt, and as expected, supposed revolutionaries can't help but form factions antagonistic to one another. They all just want power for themselves.

"Alright, alright! No need to be so serious, man… Listen, I know it will sound crazy–Batshit insane, even–But I implore that you let me explain in full""I am expecting absolute bullcrap, but go ahead""Thanks, Ririlt…"

"... My group and I were approached by an external force. This force is an underground organisation much like the both of us, but the guy who showed up…

He was way stronger than the entirety of our two groups combined, and he needed manpower without alerting the attention of any kingdom or the like" The foxfolk stayed quiet, and I only heard the sound of his boots scraping against the stone as he seemingly turned slightly to glance at the silent person accompanying him, probably to exchange glances with one another.

If he was anything like me, it was probably a glance that meant:'I already don't like where this is going'"I don't know much about the guy, but he's a known name even if he sort of vanished a while ago–Ever heard of Argantis? The curse slinger guy? He's also known for being an incantionist…"

"Argantis? Argantis approached you guys? Mmh… I personally wouldn't trust him as far as I can throw him, but beyond being a weird recluse who was strangely allowed to keep land he unlawfully took in Rootriska, I don't know much about the guy" Ririlt stayed silent for a second before speaking again.

"Though he is indeed probably strong enough to wipe us all out with his hands behind his back. Do you have any more information?"

"I knew it would interest you!"

"It's still shady. Do you know if he works for someone, or if he is on his own?"

"He seemed to be working on his own, but I can't know for certain… Anyway, he wants us to help with messing with the Deep Dream, you know, the bunch of clerics in the cave of… Cave of… Huh…"

"Cave of Somn""Right! Exactly!"

"Now it sounds like a terrible plan. Do you have any idea how powerful a holy church the Deep Dream is? They are mostly peaceful and just do their own thing, but if you've ever run into one of their clerics, you would know better than to try to 'mess' with them. They'll put you to sleep until you die of thirst and hunger, and literally dance around you as you slowly waste away to purify your soul. They're freaks when provoked""You don't get it.

Argantis will agree to sign a soul-binding contract, and once we do this for him, he'll help us with our great mission! Can you imagine? With his assistance, we could actually do something meaningful! We won't have to be wretches hiding in the shadows! The people at large will hear about us! They'll rally behind us to finally bring the royal family down! We'll be able to do what we've always wanted to do! We'll be able to do what we were meant to do! We will free Heldinot!"

There was a long, awkward silence following this passionate speech.

"... Do you really think it is as simple as that? Leading a nation isn't easy. If we take power by force like this, we'll be left with ruins""What's so different from the plan you had with Beelmart?" If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Beelmart and the war they were supposed to start would have acted as a cover. Do you really think the other nations will let us do whatever we want without acting? Even if Heldinot wasn't a part of the Great Continental Alliance, they would immediately act! They much prefer the Felinis bloodline to be at the helm than the likes of us!" Ririlt breathed in and out.

"Also… Why are you so willing to trust Argantis? Just because he promised to sign a soul-binding contract? I don't trust a master freaking mage with one of those contracts. We don't have the qualifications to even check if the one he'll bring is a real one!"

"You are always so pessimistic. This is a golden opportunity! And besides, we can't do shit anyway, so why not test our luck with the one actual chance we got?"

"You can do what you want, but neither my group nor I will take part in it""What a joykill you are, Ririlt… I assure you, it is our ticket to actually having some damn importance!" As they were going back and forth, I lightly pushed a shelf into the equipment room, causing it to sway back and forth, and thus leading to some of what was stocked on it to fall to the ground loudly. The beastfolks stopped speaking immediately.

"Shit, I think someone is in there""Must be a sewer worker…"

"If they report us, we're screwed! We'll have to silence them""Silence them? They're most likely a fellow Heldinotian beastfolk! Isn't that who we're supposed to be fighting for?"

"The Felinis are Heldinotian beastfolks, too, and it never stopped you from trying to find a way to kill them, did it?" With a hiss, the snakefolk sent the silent individual with him to investigate. Oh, a lone victim? How nice of them to make this as easy as possible for me.

"Are you not going with him?"

"He's strong enough to take care of himself" The door to the equipment room was kicked open, and the dim lighting of mana crystals that illuminated the wide area seeped in even so slightly, causing the shadow of the beastfolk to be cast forward. A bullfolk, heh? He was somewhere around two meters in height, but he seemed quite small compared to me right now. The man stepped inside, puffing air out of his bovine nose as he looked around and looked down the paths made by the various shelves.

Seemingly wary that he was going to be ambushed. I could commend him on that, even if he believed that he was up against some regular worker. He was being careful. Unfortunately, not only did he make the common mistake of not looking up when entering the room, but even if he hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to see me, as I was absolutely submerged in darkness and in a place where the glow of the mana crystals couldn't reach.

"Do you see anything?" The snakefolk yelled from a distance. He hadn't budged at all from his initial position.

"Just that a shelf is still moving… This definitely was caused by someone or something, but I don't see any sign of life just yet… I might need a lantern, this place is way too d-" His sentence was cut off as I snatched him off the ground. The suddenness of my action, coupled with my grip that was only gentle enough not to send blood splurging everywhere, made it so that he couldn't even make a sound as I threw him into my large maw, devouring him in a single bite.

It would appear that my devouring ability is also greatly enhanced in this form. He basically popped out of existence without having the chance to even leave a single drop of blood behind. I threw his torn clothes into the back of the dark room and remained in place. … I could hear the heartbeats of the three other beastfolks as their hearts began pounding faster inside their chests from fright, just in case I couldn't tell by the fear they were now emitting.

"Did he just get killed?"

"He might have just been knocked out, but… We didn't hear him fall to the ground, and his sentence just… Stopped instantly without any other noises… Or did any of you hear something?"

"Wasn't there a big woosh, like… A gust of wind?"

"Now that you mention it…" The snakefolk hissed loudly.

"I doubt a monster could get into the sewers. It doesn't connect to the outside, and Leou Palf is a maintenance freak. If there had been a breach, she would have fixed it, combed the entire sewers, and if there was a risk of danger, she wouldn't have kept it a secret from the people of Randlac""You seem to know a lot about Leou Palf""... A man can dream, Ririlt""Aren't you popular with other snakefolks?"

"What if… Now is not the time! Someone might have just been killed! If… If it is a monster, then it can only be her" The foxfolk didn't respond, but he must have made some sort of motion or expression, as the snakefolk sighed loudly.

"Do you not keep yourself updated?" He seemed to reach into his pocket as the sound of paper being crumpled rang out.

"This monster. Mara Maeve Maya Nebulo. Nearly the entire continent has heard of the hunt for her, and you don't know about it? Lots of people are saying that she's in Randlac""And you thought that this city was the best place for a meeting? Can I have this piece of paper?"

"... Sure" The foxfolk seemed to take a long look at it and then whispered something to the other beastfolk with him. I heard it clearly, but the snakefolk was left confused as the beastfolk accompanying Ririlt walked toward the equipment room, went inside for a few steps, and then began anxiously writing something on the back of the piece of paper, quickly putting it down before swiftly going out of the room. Huh…

"What was that about?"

"I'm just checking something… But anyway, I think we've talked enough, let's get out of here""Wait a minute, something is fishy here" I dropped down from my elevated position, making the area shake violently as I rapidly squeezed through the door of the equipment room, moving on all four, as it was actually faster than standing up, bringing my open palm down on the snakefolk, who was turned into a smear of crimson before he could even process what was happening.

All he saw was a massive figure crawling toward him, accompanied by the loud banging of my hands and feet slamming against the ground. All flesh and blood was gone by the time I removed my hand. All had been absorbed through the steel of my hand, leaving only clothes and any item that hadn't been made of steel. I turned to Ririlt and his follower, a colourful birdfolk.

"You have balls, Mister Fox" My attempt at a normal speaking voice made the two beastfolks clutch their ears in pain, so I had to whisper, but it really didn't sound like a murmur at all.

"So, is it tru–true? If you can't prove it right now, I'll rip off your limbs one by one like the petals of a flower""... I am pleased to meet you again, Miss Maeve…"