Free Web NovelChapter 111: Good riddance, as they say
"Do I make myself clear?"
"Understood, mine," Caspian rumbled instantly, his chest expanding as a dark, proud flare of heat rippled across his scales.
Kulu gave a sharp whistle from the high branches above, the sound cutting through the mountain air like a blade to signal his absolute compliance.
Beside her, Raiden felt a sudden, frantic thud in his chest. The sheer, dominant weight of her words completely crushed the lingering dread of his mother’s warnings.
He nodded quickly, his emerald eyes locked onto her face with a heavy, unblinking devotion. "Crystal clear, Hana."
Hana finished the last of the steamed potato, wiping her fingers and she checked her tablet one final time. The live feed of New Eden showed the automated grid humming perfectly. There was nothing out of the usual.
"Good," Hana said, sliding off the rock as she adjusted her harness over her chest. "Let’s move. I’m not wasting any more daylight."
But she couldn’t trek any further so she had Caspian carry her the rest of the way until she felt they were close and had him put her down.
It took another hour before the wild, dense jungle began to thin out. The air changed, the mountain air began to stiffen in a way that made the hairs on Hana’s arms stand on end.
"We’re at the border," Raiden said quietly, stepping in front of her to intercept the path. "I can feel an old magic shield. Stay right behind me."
They walked through the heavy, vibrating air, and the wild wilderness of the Peak instantly vanished.
Before them lay a massive estate with high white stone walls, heavy granite pillars, and elegant, curving pavilions built deep into a sunken valley.
It looked old, fancy, and hidden away from the rest of the world. But Hana didn’t care about the architecture. Her dark eyes snapped right to the center of the main courtyard.
There sat two massive, rectangular metal structures embedded into the stone.
Aegis Bunkers.
They were heavily weathered, covered in green vines and old dirt, but they looked completely intact from all the way here.
Hana’s breath hitched slightly, her eyes widening as a sudden wave of surprise hit her. She had found the first bunker at the red peak of Kulu’s tribe, and the second in the Whispering Ravine of the fox tribe, but seeing two of them sitting right next to each other in the exact same spot was a massive jackpot.
This fox tribe had built their entire palace directly around them, treating the old-world steel like holy ancestral shrines. Gosh, these foxes were all the same.
Before she could even run the calculations on this breakthrough, a loud, triumphant chime exploded right inside her skull. The neon blue interface flared to life, flashing bright golden text across her vision.
> [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: ARCHAEOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH]
> Achievement Unlocked: The Twin Pillars.
> Discovery: 3 and 4 of 7 "Lost Aegis Bunkers" located.
> Analysis: Dual military command units detected. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
> Mainframe integration available. If all seven bunkers are reclaimed, the global infrastructure can be rebooted.
> Bonus Reward: +30,000 Karmic Points.
> Civilization Progress: 25.5% -> 29.5% (New Eden In Progress) freewēbnoveℓ.com
> Current Balance: -612,880 Karmic Points.
A cold, genuine smirk touched Hana’s lips. Thirty thousand points dropped straight into her balance, and her civilization progress took a massive leap.
This changed everything. If she cleared this mission as well as rake in small points, and then grabbed the half-million point payout, she would finally be entirely free of her debt.
Good riddance, as they say.
Red silk banners with a thorned fox skull crest hung over the heavy doors, and guards in red robes stood outside with old iron spears, looking silly next to the ballistic plating.
Hana’s system chimed again, pulling up the primary mission parameters underneath the achievement log.
> [LOCATION DETECTED: CRIMSON COURT SANCTUARY]
> Reward For Quest Completion: 500,000 Balance Points / High-Tier Blueprint: Advanced Laboratory Sector.
> Quest Progress: 30%
Half a million points made perfect sense now. These foxes were squatting on military hardware and they would not let it go so easily just because she knew how to open the door.
Things just got more messy.
The white fox messenger from yesterday was already waiting by the iron gate. He ignored Caspian and Kulu, looking straight at Raiden’s tactical coat and pink tails with a smug smile.
"The runner has come back," the messenger called out. "Follow me. The High Matriarch doesn’t like to wait."
But Hana wasn’t exactly the type that liked to follow. She walked past him and said to her men, "Keep moving," she glared at the fox before walking by and her men did the same.
As they entered the main courtyard, the heavy metal door of the primary Aegis bunker groaned open. A female beastman stepped out into the sunlight.
She was incredibly beautiful, with long silver hair and sharp green eyes, wearing fine red silk robes. But the most shocking part was her tails—she had eleven bright red tails fanning out behind her. She was Raiden’s aunt, the High Matriarch.
She held a thick piece of old paper with a gold seal. Her eyes drifted over Caspian’s scaled body, and Kulu’s wings before stopping on Hana’s big, round belly.
"So, you’re the human female living on our lower ridge," the aunt said, her voice smooth and polite. "And you brought my sister’s boy back to us in these strange clothes. How interesting."
Raiden didn’t say a word. His nine pink tails went completely stiff against his legs, but he kept his chin high just like Hana ordered.
The aunt stepped closer, unrolling the paper. "The Crimson Court doesn’t want a fight. We have ancient contracts, you see. By bloodright and old law, you are the last male heir of our family line. You belong to the Court, and you will stay here to father the next generation."
A fancy fox warrior with five red tails stepped out from behind the aunt, glaring at Raiden’s pink hair with pure disgust.
"You should be on your knees thanking the Matriarch, you scum," the warrior sneered, stepping right into Raiden’s face. "A diluted, pink-tailed peasant from a mud hut doesn’t get to stand tall here. Your mother was a traitor, and you’re just an asset we’ve come to—"
CRACK.
Caspian moved too fast for anyone to see. Before the warrior could even try to bare his claws, Caspian’s big fist smashed directly into his chest.
