Chapter 300 (2/2)

She clenched her jaw and looked atdown in the nest-bed next to the large, pink egg and sticking her own hand into the golden goopThe Alacryan noble held her breath as she quickly slurped down the

“Yes, eatEat,” Old Broke Beak said encouragingly

Caera and I took turns scoping out handfuls of theuntil only a shallow puddle of sliis andpure, distilled energy, but I could see the change coh she’d stoically done her best to stay in good hu a full stomach made her serly consu within the shell

Turning tobut a small burp escaped her lips insteadCaera’s eyes widened in shock and she raised a hand to her mouth

“Very unladylike,” I co her lips before responding, “That’s sexist”

Around us, aled in a quiet conversation“Red Wings and True Feather have offered their nest to you to rest and recuperateThen, if you are willing, Swiftsure, who brought you to us, will guide you to the Shado villageYes?”

“YesThank you” Caera nodded, heavy-lidded but trying her best to stay awake

“Sure thing, Broke Beak,” I said, feeling more drunk off the aether-rich yolk than full

True Feather and Red Wings stepped lightly aroundshell, snapping off pieces and crunching the was entirely gone

Each of the Spear Beaks gave a splayed-winged bow, then shuffled out of the hut, which was feeling more warm and cozy by the moment

As soon as the last Spear Beak left the hut, Caera slu prone in the feathers and grass, her eyes already closed and breath steady

‘She sure has gotten…co out a hiccup

Stop talking and stay focusedI expect you to at least be at your full strength by to a seat in between Caera and the entrance of the hut

Letting out a controlled breath, I focused on the aether coursing throughout my bodyI hadn’t felt so saturated with aether since I’d taken over the giant millipede’s hoard of aether stones, and I wasn’t about to let it go to waste

However, rather than refiningseated on the ground, I watched as my perception of the world around me expanded until I could see all the particles of a in all directions

I could feel e andstrea God Step while chasing after the Ghost Bear in the stors: one was that, as powerful as this ability was, itsto find the correct path

What was the point of having an ability that could instantly transportto even find the path that could transport o?

So, while Caera slept, I sat and watched, the God Step rune casting a soft golden glow throughout the Spear Beaks’ hutI watched how the aetheric particles moved, how they behaved, and studied any patterns that could help me use God Step s moved quickly when Caera finally woke, bleary-eyed and dull froh I was ht, yWe found Swiftsure waiting patiently outside the hut, eager to set off

Before we left the Spear Beak village, however, Old Broke Beak had so wisdouide you to the other clans’ villages, but a Spear Beak cannot fight against Shados or Four Fists,” he warned darkly“Do not expect to share words with thee is violence, and you must speak it if you wish to leave this placeReturn with the other pieces, and ill give you the last”

With that, Swiftsure led us back out of the hollowbehind us as far as the cliff to send us off with happy clacks of their beaks and raucous squawks that sounded like cheers

I peered down at the steep edge of the cliff while Caera was already preparing herself toup to Caera, I pulled her back to her feet and wrapped my arm around her waist

“U in e of the cliff with Caera in tow, I turned to our guide“SwiftsureWe’ll meet you down there”

I watched the white aetheric bird tilt its long neck in confusion just before I stepped off the edge of the cliff, taking Caera with me

The Alacryan noble let out a squeal of surprise that soon turned into a terrified screahty feet below

‘Uhh, Arthur? Being the cockroach that you are, I’m sure you’ll survive, but I don’t think Lady Horns can…’

I ignited God Step just as ere about to crash and slipped into the aetheric path that would lead us straight down into the ground just several feet below us

My feet hit the ground with al the fall cois uess’

Caera still had her head buried in o

“You can let go now,” I said as her horns dug deeper into me

Caera flinched before she peeked down and realized ere no longer in the airJust to round before pushi+ng herself away frolared at ry huffs before she punched th that could’ve actually broken soe to throw yourself off a mountain, feel free to take the bird!”

I rubbedin pain“Got it…”

Swiftsure landed a few feet away fros as he looked at me in a curious manner“Shado?” he squawked, his tone almost like a question, but I wasn’t sure what heatus back down the switchback trail

Caera was still angry atat ht I wouldn’t notice, looking at me the same iftsure was

‘That’s a pretty cool trick you learned overnight,’ Regis chi the show

I’ll need more time to practice God Step if I want to actually use it in battle, but I’ of it

Once we reached the botto away from the calderaThis rocky, uneven path took us around behind the Spear Beaks’ clifftop village, then we turned right again and marched on in silence for hours

Without the wind and snow, sihOur bellies and cores were full,the hike alht over everything I had seen and heard during our short stay with the Spear BeaksI couldn’t help but linger on Old Broke Beak’s insistence that the other clans were simple, violent aether beastsAfter all, it had been the caution displayed by the Ghost Bear that had in with

It was clear fro from the elder’s walls that there was conflict between the clans, but the little broken bear skull in Red Wings and True Feather’s hut had seemed no more than a cub

‘Didn’t your palace back on Earth have a wholetwo polar bear cubs?’ Regis pointed out

My brows furrowed in annoyanceThat’s not…

I hadn’t htWe saw those bears as only ani their corpses stuffed for decoration

Maybe the Spear Beaks do see the other clans as little more than beasts

‘I’d say we just wipe ‘eotiated for a few ht h of the Spear Beaks’ eggs, we could reach the next plateau of our aetheric pohatever that was

Consu, howeverIt seemed somehow solemn and ritualistic that we had been invited to eat froht about it, I realized I had not seen any obviously young Spear BeaksI wondered how rare hatchlings e creatures

Old Broke Beak had clai, but at the sas represent if not the species’ future?

These and uide, ould so high above, scouting out our pathThough Swiftsure couldn’t speak our language, he had learned a feords and could co

The light didn’t seeh we traveled for several hours, night never fell

I was lost in thought when Swiftsure snapped his beak to draw our attention“Near,” he said in his scraping voice

The Spear Beak stayed on the ground, hopping ahead of us toward a ridge of dark, exposed stoneWhen he was close, he folded his legs under hiround and crept up to the edge, then waved us forith a wing

Caera and I got down on our hands and knees, then began crawling through the snow

“That’s…” Caera whispered under her breath as soon as we arrived near the ledge where Swiftsure was positionedMy eyes narrowed as well

The mountainside tumbled doard into a small dell full of squat, colorless treesWithin the thick branches, a few dozen huts hunkered like fat little birdsSoe

“Four Fists,” Swiftsure croaked