The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 309

Chapter 309

I could feel Old Broke Beak’s blood pumping frantically through the fragile neck I held in my grasp as he jerked in shock .

Two of the three scarred warriors that surrounded their chieftain immediately reacted, whirling so that their sharp beaks were aimed at my throat, while the largest of the three remained still .

A deathly silence descended on the cliff at the sudden turn of events, no one willing to make a move as I held their leader’s life in my hands .

I leaned forward to the quivering chieftain, my gaze locked on his guards . “Are you willing to gamble your life on the chance that your soldiers might be able to kill me before I snap your neck...or will you call them off?”

The old bird stiffened at my threat but remained silent .

“I thought you were smarter than that,” I muttered as I stamped my foot . An audible crack resounded as Old Broke Beak’s left leg snapped near his ankle . The chieftain let out a hoarse honk as he writhed in pain .

Panicked cries echoed through the peaks as the three soldiers brought their menacing beaks closer to me .

“Shall we try again?” I asked, voice frigid .

Old Broke Beak let out a pained caw while motioning the two guards away with his gray wings .

“Th-there! Old Broke Beak has told everyone to stay back, yes!” he squawked, hobbling on his good leg .

“Good . ” Keeping my grip around my hostage’s neck firm, we slowly made our way to where Caera lay unconscious . “Now, you’re going to guide us to where you hid your tribe’s portal piece . ”

The chieftain nodded his gangly neck fiercely . “Yes, yes! Then ascenders will let Old Broke Beak go?”

“I’ll let you go after we have the portal piece,” I confirmed as I picked up Caera’s limp body from the snowy ground . She was breathing much more comfortably now, but with Regis deep in recovery mode, I stayed on edge . “Where to?”

“B-back to this one’s home!” he stammered, his single violet eye shifting from me to his broken leg .

With a crackle of violet lightning, the three of us arrived in front of the chieftain’s humble straw hut . Above, I could see the tribe had exploded into a frenzy as they descended from the cliff we had teleported from in an attempt to follow after their leader .

I looked around at the empty village . “Where is it?”

“Down below, in a hollow beyond the village, yes!” Old Broke Beak squawked, his cracked beak chittering anxiously .

I God Stepped once more to put some distance between us and the crazed Spear Beaks, but with two passengers and an aether-hungry beast feeding off my core, I could feel my reserves plummeting with each use .

“I don’t see anything,” I said, my patience growing thin .

“Difficult to get into, yes! Need to go around that bend,” the chieftain said, pointing with a wing .

My vision swept across the narrow canyon, which was tucked into the steep cliffs at the edge of the Spear Beaks’ village, and after sifting through the information each of the aether paths had relayed back to me, I God Stepped once more .

I could see Old Broke Beak sneaking glances behind us to where the Spear Beaks circled in the sky, waiting for their chance to dive in .

Letting out a sigh, I gently placed Caera on the ground and wrapped my free hand around the base of Old Broke Beak’s right wing .

A clean snap echoed off the canyon walls along with the rasping squawk of the old bird as his wing jutted down at an impossible angle .

Bringing Old Broke Beak’s face next to mine, I spoke calmly . “If the piece of the portal isn’t within arm’s length of me after your next set of directions, the next thing I break will be your neck . ”

“Y-yes...” he wheezed before giving me a set of lengthy instructions . As I expected, the chieftain had been trying to buy time and waste my energy in hopes that I’d run out of God Steps like the Shadow Claws .

The old bird’s instructions led us farther down into the canyon to a hidden cavern, which was covered by a woven net laced with feathers and layered with snow so that it blended seamlessly with its surroundings . If the chieftain hadn’t guided us to this exact location, I knew that it would’ve been near impossible to find the portal piece .

“Into the tunnel, straight ahead,” he said weakly, his broken left leg dragging in the snow .

Adjusting Caera, who was again slung over my shoulder, I walked farther into the dark, unlit tunnel until it opened up into a dead end .

Despite how dark the cavity was, I was barely able to make out the sight ahead, and what I saw left me speechless .

Piled up like a greedy king’s hoard was a collection of gold coins, precious jewels, and artifacts . And while it surprised me at first, the sight of this trove of priceless treasures made me even more angry .

How many ascenders had the Spear Beaks tricked and killed in order to get all of this? While the question hung on the tip of my tongue, another part of me didn’t want to hear the chieftain’s answer .

“G-Grey?”

My eyes widened . “Caera!” Abandoning Old Broke Beak, I lowered the Alacryan noble to the ground and leaned her back against the cavern wall . “How do you feel?”

“Heavy and—” Caera let out a sharp breath as her eyes fell on Old Broke Beak . “He...why is he...”

“Someone needed to help us find the portal piece,” I said with a soft smile . “Don’t worry, he won’t be able to do anything . ”

“The Creator’s piece is here, yes! But hard to see without light, hard to find,” the old bird said, gesturing to the pile of artifacts with his good wing .

Letting out a scoff, I headed toward the back of the pile, where a particularly strong aetheric presence glowed . Moments later, I had the smooth slab of white stone in my hand .

Caera let out a sigh as she sunk back into the wall . “Finally . ”

Old Broke Beak stared dumbly at the portal piece I held before nodding his head . “G-great ascender has found the piece . Old Broke Beak will be released, yes?”

“Not quite yet . ” I turned to the Alacryan noble, pointing back to the large pile of treasure . “We don’t have much time, but we shouldn’t let this all go to waste . ”

Caera glanced back at Old Broke Beak, whose eye quivered in dread, before giving me a smirk .

~

Holding onto the Spear Beak chieftain, I let Caera go through the pile in search of anything she wanted in particular .

Even with Caera’s dimension ring broken, I had expected her to try and take quite a bit of artifacts, but she came back carrying only one item .

“Is that all you’re getting?” I asked Caera, staring at the thin metal bracer she held in her hand . Lines flowed through the simple piece of armor, but aside from its elegant design, I couldn’t sense what it could do .

“Mhmm . When I touched it, I could feel it trying to absorb my soulfire,” she explained . “I don’t know what it does, but among the countless artifacts I’ve held, this is the first one that’s interacted with that part of my power . ”

I shrugged . “Are you sure you don’t want to claim anything else? Even if it’s worthless, you could probably make a lot of gold . ”

Caera slipped the bracer over her left hand, and I could have sworn the metal band shrunk to fit her forearm . She held up her new artifact and gave me a haughty look . “I already have more gold than I can care to spend . ”

I rolled my eyes . “Show off . ”

Seeing Caera only take one item, Old Broke Beak let out an audible sigh of relief that was cut short right as I imbued aether into my dimension rune .

In a matter of moments, the treasure pile that was about as large as a Four Fist was completely gone .

Caera chortled . “That’s showing off . ”

“N-now Old Broke Beak can go?” the chieftain asked as he ground his beak together in seething anger .

Letting go of his neck, I pushed him forward . “Sure . ”

The old bird hobbled on one leg, barely keeping himself from tumbling over by using his good wing to keep himself steady .

“Is it wise to let him go this soon?” Caera asked, her voice icy .

“I have a plan,” I said softly, going down on one knee . “Here, get on my back . ”

“I-it’s fine . I should be able to run in a minute,” she stammered, taking a weak step back .

Raising a brow, I asked, “Would you rather I carry you like a sack of rice, or have you recently developed the ability to teleport as well...”

After a pause, Caera cleared her throat and slowly wrapped her arms around my neck .

“Thank you,” she said, pressing herself against my back as I stood up .

Regis . Stop consuming my aether until we’re out of here, I sent, snapping my companion from his hibernative state .

‘What’d I mi—ooh la la...that’s quite the skinship you two have going on,’ Regis sang .

Shut it, I growled .

Taking an even breath, I turned my focus completely to my surroundings . I could sense Old Broke Beak hobbling closer to the exit .

I didn’t have much time .

“Caera, as soon as I God Step, I’m going to need your help,” I said .

“Of course . ”

After explaining my plan to her, I began to take in the information provided by the countless branching routes of aether, seeking out one in particular .

At the same time, I worked to replenish my core to the point where I could make the long jump with Caera .

Filtering out the aether-laced surroundings, I focused on the unique signatures that each of the Spear Beaks had as more and more of them arrived at the mouth of the tunnel .

Not enough...

Minutes trickled by as my concentration continuously shifted between the aether routes and the Spear Beaks that were amassing right outside .

I could feel Caera’s heart beating faster against my back while even Regis remained silent and tense within me .