Chapter 888 (2/2)
Finally, they had climbed through so many holes that they stood at the flat pinnacle of the pyramid, which was a raised platform about the size of a basketball court. Still without pausing, Decklan continued through the floating grey portal that formed the center of the area.
Although this was very different from how the Ogre Ravine looked, Randidly definitely felt the same sort of warped Aether in the surrounding area as the two worlds bled together. Sensing his Riders and Neveah on the other side, Randidly followed.
There was a second where the transition was extremely disorienting, and then the entire world around Randidly snapped into focus. And once he was there, with his bare feet planted on the spongy ground, he looked around and took in the world of the frog people.
Rain quickly splattered on his face, but he wiped that to the side to get a better look.
The first thing he noticed about this world was a tall and twisting castle that dominated the surrounding landscape. Its high towers and dark walls spoke of money and influence. There was an overflowing moat and a high wall of black stone that protected the bleak looking keep within its encirclement.
More rain hit his face. Frowning, Randidly looked upward. Across all of the sky that he could see, a low layer of clouds spat a chill drizzle of rain downwards over the countryside, framing this ominous castle perfectly. Thunder cracked and rumbled, illuminating the austere architecture.
Randidly’s gaze drifted lower. From the slopes of the castle, Randidly could see an encampment below of a vast army. There were probably twenty thousand people below, ordered in neat rows across the marshy ground.
That caused him to frown. Not only did they have such a twisted and gruesome fortress looming immediately above the portal, but they also had an army waiting below…? Things here were worse than he had guessed. No wonder Neveah believed she needed to be here constantly; the frogpeople were prepared to deal with Earth.
Beyond the army, Randidly caught something that caused him to blink in alarm. What he had initially taken to be a low hill was actually a vast and blank wall of stacked stone. As he slowly spun, Randidly saw that the entire surrounding area was encased in the wall, giving the people of this world the perfect staging point to attack Earth, while preventing any counter-attack from being feasible.
Clearly, the wall was hastily built. As Randidly peered at it, flaws quickly began to emerge. There were gaps for small groups of people to slip through. But none were large enough to allow any more than ten or so people to proceed through unmolested. It would carefully control the flow of any army that attempted to attack.
Grimly, Randidly followed after Decklan’s shadowy form. Not the construction matter. Even if it was well constructed, it wouldn’t be hard for Randidly to break the wall with brute force to send a message to these fools as to what would happen if they fucked with Earth. As they walked forward, Randidly glared around and saw that a small group from the army was heading up toward the castle.
“Good timing,” Decklan said idly. Then he upped his speed.
Randidly’s eyes sharpened. It would be good to see these frog people up close, and have the chance to scan them with his Aether Detection. Because he dearly hoped that this situation wasn’t so dire that he would need to postpone his challenge against Donnyton in order to conduct a campaign here.
On the other hand…
Randidly’s new left arm flexed experimentally. It certainly would be a good opportunity to test the limits of his new equipment. Even if he had to miss the challenge fighting here, getting an understanding of his strength would be a positive outcome.
Randidly and Decklan were moving much more quickly than the small detachment from the lower army, so they arrived at the castle gates at the same time as them. The frog people were… well, basically what Randidly would have pictured if asked to picture frog people. They were squatter than a human and had rubbery blue skin, but otherwise looked a lot like people.
What threw Randidly for a loop was that the frog people flinched and ducked their heads when Randidly and Decklan arrived. Decklan didn’t say anything, so Randidly scanned the group.
None of them were particularly strong, above Level Fifty-Five, yet why had this group come to this Frogpeople Fortress. Could they be messengers or scouts sent to report? Then why-
With a creaking groan, the castle gate slowly lowered before the group that stood waiting. And flanking the opening gate were two of Randidly’s Riders and a dozen people wearing the regalia of one of Donnyton’s Squads.
“You may enter,” The woman who seemed to be in charge intoned, and the frog people scurried forward.
Frowning, Randidly checked what his connection to Neveah was telling him. That Neveah was directly forward, deeper within the looming castle that seemed to ooze an evil villain vibe. A strange suspicion began to emerge in his chest as they proceeded deeper into the castle.
The hallways were ornate and dim, leaving the frog people to stumble around into archaic furniture. At the very least, they were out of the constant rain. Somehow, Randidly suspected it wasn’t often in this world that it wasn’t raining. That might be why the intelligent life had evolved from frogs.
Finally, after almost ten minutes of watching the panicked frogs, they reached a grand hall. Upon entering the room, the frog people flung themselves on the ground. Their leader, a rather rotund frog, called timidly, “Great Demon King! Please have mercy upon this humble messenger, but… the Toad Lords refuse to surrender. Please-”
“If I do not get what I desire…” Neveah slowly stood as she spoke. She was in her natural form at the moment, a twisting evolution that combined human features and that of the bone wyrm. Wide bone wings spread behind her back, hanging above her open maw and burning red eyes.
But most annoyingly, she was wearing on her head a crown that was clearly a cheaply made imitation of Randidly’s Crown of Upheaval and Gloom.
It was honestly kind of insulting.
“...then I will bleed this world dry to teach these fools a lesson!” Neveah roared triumphantly.
Blinking, Randidly tried to rationalize what he was seeing. The frogpeople flinched and begged for mercy, pleading with Neveah that they be given more time to convince the other Toad Lords of the Demon King’s power.
Randidly just watched the whole thing play out. He had quite a few questions.