Dalric sluggishly made his way up the stairs, the quick shower and snack he'd taken did little to reduce the fatigue he felt. He'd need a proper meal and some proper rest, but for now duty called.

The stairs lead to what looked like the back of a mostly barren warehouse. Before he could even turn his head to browse its scant few contents, Ryku's helper quickly pulled him out into the sun. Time was of the essence she claimed. While she tugged him over to the gate he at least got a good look at what the above-ground level of the base looked like. It was much the same as he saw a few days ago, mostly barracks and storage with a few auxiliary buildings in between. It was all very bland and blocky, but it fulfilled its role as cover perfectly. Between all the basic structures, the uneven 'road', and the lack of technology, there was nothing that would lead one to believe a multilayered facility resided underneath. Though, from the glimpse he got the docks may have been the one thing that betray that purpose.

"Dalric!"

Dalric had already sensed Ryku on too of the sentry tower, there was nothing out here to block him, but seeing the tenseness in his expression was unexpected. He wasn't the only one either, there were tens of people standing on top of the wooden wall. The ones that weren't looking forward, looked back at him with relief plastered all over their faces.

Ryku hopped down and jogged over, "We have a problem."

Dalric could feel the tension, "I hear some panthers are looking for me?"

"I believe so. Thank you. Take this to Gio, he'll know what to do." After handing his helper a note and sending them away they both continued towards the gate, "Adlartok has been speaking to them. They won't tell him what they want specifically, but they keep insisting on meeting 'the angel'. Adlartok didn't know who they were referencing, but if I remember correctly you were identified as an angel when you first arrived?"

Dalric raised an eyebrow, "I did look the part. Who's Adlartok?"

And where did he learn the All-tongue?

"I thought so. Do you know why they're looking for you?"

Dalric thought for a moment, but only one thing sort of came to mind, "If they were tigers maybe, but I'm confident I've not come across any panthers."

A look of concern flashed across Ryku's face, "Tigers? You've met the tigers? Are they hunting you?"

"I don't imagine so. Though, we probably aren't on very good terms. Anyway, who's Adlartok?"

"That's the part you—open the gate!—The deonon. older gentleman, very respectful...six legs."

"Ah."

The deonon. A race I've never heard of. Hmm...

Ryku turned to him as the massive wooden gate began to slowly split, "We didn’t speak on it much, but those ‘reigning beasts’ I mentioned? These panthers, and the tigers, are a part of them. I don't know your history with them or why they're so adamant about speaking with you, but they need to be handled delicately."

“Delicately you say...”

Dalric didn't feel all that concerned and Ryku seemed to notice, "They are very powerful. I'm sure you're stronger than any of them individually but they have numbers. And. We, the Paragons, believe there are over a dozen clans that can and will unify at the slightest suggestion of a common enemy. "

"Over a dozen?"

"Yes, and we hadn't even included these panthers."

The gate finished opening its bosom to reveal Adlartok and the two drakens standing in front of four overgrown black panthers. There were no roads so they stood only a few meters out from the edge of the jungle. It was far enough that they all stood outside his ahjer sense's range, but from what he could gleam from the panthers' muscularity they were much more formidable than the first tigers he stumbled upon. If muscularity meant anything that is.

"I'll stay here in case things go wrong."

Dalric slapped his back, "You want to be my student yet you have no faith in me?"

Ryku frowned, "I just have an ominous feeling. They've never behaved like this before. Seeking out people? Coming to a human base? Unless for war, I can’t see why they would go to such lengths. They don't make friends with outsiders and… you don't seem the type to make friends at all. "

Dalric smirked as he walked beyond him, "It'll be fine."

Though he said that, some concern was warranted. He thought back to the strength he felt from Alexander and his group. It wasn't overwhelming. He felt confident he could engage them without much risk, but then he multiplied that power by twelve. Without Thunderfield, that would be an enormous task, just on the fringes of possible. In his current state, with such piss poor ahjer regeneration, it may as well be an impossible ask. Throw in all the canon fodder that could slow him down and 'victory' became just surviving.

It shouldn't come to that though, he hadn't actually harmed any of Alexander's...people. He'd threatened them, but surely that wasn't enough to wage war. War was an expensive thing. Especially if you had to call in allies.

Hmm. They called me 'the angel', not Dalric. Alexander knows my name. If he was sending out his allies to probe me, he'd at the very least tell them who to look for... But what does that mean? He's keeping secrets? They're not allies?

A few more possible explanations popped in his mind, but nothing seemed more likely than anything else. There were just too many unknowns. Again. At least this problem was easy to solve, the answers patiently waited for him.

He continued past the gate and the panthers soon came within his sense's range. What he felt immediately reconfigured the approach he had planned. Three of the panthers were of little note. Their strength was comparable to that of the riftans, not a pushover to the likes of Ryku but not a problem that couldn't be dealt with comfortably. The other one though, their power was a different tier altogether. It was very similar to Alexander's. In other words, stronger than every person here other than himself. Whatever business they had with him, they meant it.

He started at the lead panther intently as he strolled over to them. At first, his stare was met with disinterest, but a few strides in it transitioned to vigilance.

Twenty-meter range? Impressive.

"Who is that one?"

Adlartok replied, "That, Madam Selene, is who we believe you're looking for."

Selene raised her paw, " You think I'm blind? He is not an angel."

Alexander knows I'm a human though...

Adlartok stepped back, "If you would wait just a moment please. After speaking with him, I'm sure you'll find the answers you seek."

"I do not trust you."

Selene pounced, instantly incapacitating the two drakens. Her paws radiated mist-attuned ahjer. When she swiped at their heads they reflexively positioned their weapons as guards. They didn't know that mist attunements were nigh-impossible to block without either a spell or an opposing attunement. Fortunately, the attack’s ability to phase through defences came at the cost of a complete lack of lethality. The best it could do was what it did do, knock out opponents for a handful of seconds.

While she handled the two draken, the other three panthers captured Adlartok. He did little to resist, opting to make pleas for peace instead. They fell on deaf ears as he was wrestled to the ground and placed beside the drakens. Both of them came to their senses while he was being brought down, but they wisely refrained from resisting as well. All three laid at Selene's feet.

Dalric watched all of this occur while keeping his stroll steady. He noticed the mist-attuned ahjer as soon as Selene raised her paw. If it was anything else, he would have dashed over, but knowing its limitations gave him calm. If Selene wanted to kill all three of them, she could have done so on her own. Knocking them unconscious was a gesture of peace, or at the very least a willingness to not resort to conflict.

"Tell him to stop at once!"

"Dal—"

Dalric halted less than ten meters away from them, "I don't need a translator."

Selene's vigilance only increased, "A human speaking the tongue? Who are you?

Adlartok tried to cut in, "Madam he—"

"Silence! Speak human, who are you?"

"I do not appreciate your treatment of my people. You asked to see me yet you don't even know my name?"

"I asked for the angel, you are no angel."

Let's see, how much do you know?

Dalric folded his arms, “Because there is no angel to begin with, just me."

"Lies. I know the angel was taken in here, I watched it occur just over there." She indicated the rough area Dalric had fallen unconscious with her paw, "Speak the truth or." The very same paw brandished its claws right above Adlartok’s head.

Dalric recognized the empty threat as what it was. He was far more concerned by the fact they had actually seen his capture. That meant they weren't just here on orders or information from Alexander. They had tailed him, and he had no clue. That was alarming.

It also made sense. The greatest strengths of mist-attuned ahjer were stealth related. Unlike the more common shadow or darkness variants, it could be used to conceal a person in broad daylight. It had just been so long since someone successfully shadowed him that he hadn't even considered it as a possibility.

This was the second time his sense completely failed him though. He wasn't who he used to be and he had to get that fact through his thick skull before something more dangerous did.

Change of plan.

"What you saw was a flying human. The same human that visited Alexander's little town a few days ago. The same human that's standing before you now."

If they were specifically looking for him, this revelation wouldn't matter. If they were a completely separate party from the tigers and needed an angel for one reason or another, this should temper their interest in him.

"This 'flying human' had wings. I see none on you."

Dalric debated casting the spell or not. It would most likely wipe out upwards of eighty percent of his current ahjer. A large and unwise payment. He could use an incantation to do it, but that ran the risk of one of the spectators repeating it. Thousands of years had passed and the dangers of knowing that incantation could very well have passed as well, but he didn't think the probability of that was high. Knowing it had been a death sentence long before he was born the first time, a few more millennia wouldn't change that. On the balance of things, fighting the panthers with low ahjer reserves was the better prospect.

Quicker than a blink of the eye his skin flashed white and a full suit of armor replaced the relaxed robes he wore. Accompanying the suit were the spear and shield he casually threw away last time. He did so again, this time to dispel any thought that he was preparing to engage them.

He fluttered the pristine set of wings that sprouted from his back, “Can you see them now?”

He couldn’t quite read her face, but Dalric intuited that it was whatever translated to surprise for panthers. It left as quickly as it came, however. Instead of a return to vigilance, it morphed into something Dalric couldn’t identify at all. Then she purred.

It was Dalric’s turn to be vigilant. Five more panthers, all more powerful than the three the flanked her, stalked out of the jungle. Four of them came from within his ahjer sense range.

Looking for me specifically, it is.

He took an offensive stance. There was still a small chance things could be resolved peacefully, so he wouldn’t make the first move, but he’d be foolish to not prepare himself. Especially since he now knew it wasn't just Celene that could brazenly hide within his range. There very well could be even more still lying in wait. That unknown made him switch his stance to make a speedy retreat.

He could take the nine in front of him, just about, but he couldn't be sure they would be the end of it. Plus, they had hostages. Which made things more difficult. If they were here for him specifically though, then retreating was the best option. They'd have to chase.

While he formulated his plan, the five conjoined with the rest. They all stared at him, intensely. He got a very different vibe from the original four than he got from the new arrivals though. While they continued to stare, they also spoke to each other, in whispers. They spoke the All-tongue in whispers. He knew dozens of ways to stop eavesdropping, but he couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t even know where to begin with attempting. It shouldn’t be possible to begin with.

More and more things that are beyond me.

Unconcerned with the fresh doses of shock she had provided, Selene stepped forward. Instead of attacking, however, she bowed her head, “I deeply apologize for my rudeness. It is an honor to speak with a descendent of Aegeus.”

This again?

Dalric weighed his options carefully. Pretending to fulfill that role would solve whatever conflict they had right now, but it would lock him into a position he truly did not want. There was also the fact that Aegeus surely still lived to consider. If he could free himself from the Gods, then he’d never have to come into contact with Aegeus. Well, he may have to eventually if his plan worked out and he proved to be a warlord, but in that case Dalric could fight him on his own terms and likely with a lot of backup. If he took the position now, he’d have no control over that timeline.

But what if Aegeus is dead?