Our journey northward took us through a number of Purgatory Shadowcat territories of which so belonged to those who took part in the succession war. However, upon recognizing us, they didnt try to trouble us but instead treated us warmly, going so far as to offer us barbecued Ashen Fur Mice while enquiring about a certain cat couple
The mont I said Anmi is going to kick the bucket, they all chuckled devilishly with their unique feline Nyahaha before then expressing their good wishes while gushing about how fortunate Anmi was to marry a princess. Deep down however, they were laughing at the poor guy(cat), that much was certain by looking at their eyes.
For the most part, our journey went rather smoothly and quickly thanks to our fair bit of strength. In roughly one month alone, we traversed through over a dozen Purgatory Shadowcat territories and formally entered Warhorse lands.
Having left that terraford region, the first thing that struck was how drastic the change in environnt was. Gone were the teeming plant life and scampering animals, instead we found ourselves surrounded once more by the characteristic lava lakes and blackened soil of Purgatory.
That wasnt to say that there werent volcanoes in the Shadowcats territory, rather they were simply sealed so as to prevent any potential eruption that could wreck havoc on the lands.
Speaking of horses, my first impression of those beasts was that they were very fast, and that they ate grass.However, unlike the Shadowcats lush territories, the Warhorses lands were just filled with solidified magma. Without any grass to speak of, what exactly did those horses feed on?
If I had to hazard a guess, it would probably be at and souls. Being a fiendish creature themself, they possessed the ability to feed on souls, just like most fiendish creatures. Upon entering their territory for the first ti, we so happened to stumble upon one of their hunting expeditions.
Over a hundred Warhorses were in the midst of surrounding and attacking three gigantic monsters made entirely out of dark red molten rock. The biggest of the three had to be at least ten ters or so, the smallest, eight or so at the very least. Gazing at them, I found that their bodies were actually composed of irregular black rock with red sections that glowed. From ti to ti, these flowing red sections would shimr as if they blood vessels.
Seeing that, I was reminded of those breathing lights I used to have on my PC mouseit really did look like that, huh.
The rock monsters were humanoid in shape, but in terms of body proportions alone, they were more dwarven in stature than human. With burly limbs, they kind of looked like winter lons to . As for their facial features, they were mostly a blur to , with the rough shape of a pair of eyes and nose being the only visible parts. Their eye sockets were sunken in and within those pits, I managed to make out a pair of deep red crystalline objects that seed to be in a burning state.
Compared to those giants, the horses were noticeably smaller. An adult Purgatory Warhorse was at least two ters tall when standing and for the stronger ones, they could even grow to three ters tall.
In terms of appearance, the Warhorses were basically horses. Their fur was pitch black except for the tip of their tails which had a tuft of red fur. Their eyes were of a blood red hue and their teeth resembled that of a wolfs, the kind that seed on edge no less. Mostly, I could tell that their bodies were extrely well-built and brimming with power. Whenever they galloped, flas would roar to life around them, giving one the impression of speeding fireballs when seen from far.
Our unexpected arrival naturally caught their attention but upon discovering that we had no intention of approaching, they chose to continue with their hunt and rely ignored us.
A while later, we ca to a stop on a relatively tall hill where we were afforded a decent view of the ongoing battle. There, mostly out of curiosity, I pointed at the two species battling it out several hundred ters away and said: Those black horses are the Purgatory Warhorses, I assu, what about those rock monsters? Are they Earth Elentals?
Those monsters are known as Demon Fire Igneous Giants, a subspecies of the Giant clan. However, theres also another theory that their bodies were actually ford of Igneous Rock Elents and had turned into the monsters you see before you now because of the Fire Elents in Purgatory.
From the way Sinmosa had such information on hand, my guess was that she had interactions with these giants in the past. Igneous Rock Elent is one of the evolved form of the basic Earth Elent. For the most part however, Igneous Giants resembled the Demon Fire Igneous Giants.
There sure are a ton of creatures in Purgatory Truly, this was an eye-opener for and proved that my inherited mories wasnt all-knowing either. For example, this Demon Fire Igneous Giant she spoke of wasnt in my mories at all so I had no information about them. Well, whether or not they were actually giants or just elentals, that I didnt know, but there was one thing I knew for sure, and that was that they were strong. Still, the two races were clearly as different from each other as horses and cows so what was up with those Igneous Giants?
I bet youre wondering right now which race they actually belong to. In truth, this question has been debated for a very long ti because the Demon Fire Igneous Giants possess both the traits of giants and elentals. The defining feature of an elental is that they are comprised of pure elents and require nourishnt in the form of elents to survive. The Demon Fire Igneous Giants satisfy such a criteria but they also possess sothing similar to blood flowing through them. That, is sothing only creatures of the flesh can possess.
Noticing my confusion, Sinmosa continued explaining, going the extra mile of being as detailed as possible: Im sure youve already seen those that blood vessel-like sections on them that periodically gives out light. Thats their circulatory system and thats also the reason why the Purgatory Warhorses are hunting them.
Entranced by the topic, I pursued this avenue even further: So youre saying the blood that runs through them is precious?
Thats right. For most creatures in Purgatory, the blood of a Demon Fire Igneous Giant is a rare treasure that not only enhances ones Fire Elent, but also enhances ones body as well. Having said that, she couldnt help but throw an envious look at the herd of Warhorses before saying: Its precisely because of this blood that the Demon Fire Igneous Giants arent pure elentals.
I bet that blood would co in very handy for Cinderel. Just from her description of that ingredient alone, I could tell that it was extrely suited for Cinderel. After all, that poor puppy was born prematurely and wasnt even going to survive in the first place had it not been for that Fire Elental Core I fed her at birth. However, it was precisely because of that reason that she ended up being born with a rather special constitution that required her to maintain a certain level of energy, or fall into a critical condition.
Truth be told, the reason why Sinmosa and Sasani were still willing to follow now was probably not due to so sense of gratitude at all, but rather it was due to their daughter. Given their current status in the clan, there was clearly no way Cinderel would get the nourishnt she neededIn that case, why not just try their luck in the ruins of the Sable Radiance Palace? For all she knew, she might just get lucky and find so kind of treasure.
While there was no doubting that our combat strength was ratherpatheticthat had nothing at all to do with luck, mhm.
Too bad, theres just too many of them She left her words hanging there but just from that brief snippet alone, I could glean a lot. She had clearly thought about trying to snatch the blood from the Demon Fire Igneous Giants but thankfully, her rational side stepped in and showed her the vast difference in strength between our parties.
At tis, knowing when to give up was a victory in of itself; at the very least, we wouldnt end up dead for so inane reason
Oh right, is it really all right for us to stand here and watch them hunt? Given that we were at least two hundred ters away from the battlefield, interfering in their battle was basically impossible so they shouldnt mind our presence, right?
Us Hellhounds do not have a great relationship with them, but its not bad either; standing here should be fine. As long as we do not interrupt them, they shouldnt try to trouble us.
In that case, ti for the popcorn then. At tis, watching soone duke it out was fun too and with that in mind, there was no way I would miss out on this valuable opportunity.
Popcorn?
Sinmosa paused for a second before asking. Clearly she wasnt familiar with the term popcorn or the point of eating it.
It just ans to spectate.
Got it. Still confused, she, however, chose not to pursue this topic any further.
The attacks of the Purgatory Warhorses could only be described as being both frenzied and violent. In their galloping state, a single full speed ram was more than enough to stun a Demon Fire Igneous Giant, causing bits of rock to fall off it in the process. Having done so damage, each Warhorse would swiftly back away from any potential counterattack. However, given its massive girth and size, its defenses were extrely formidable as well though that ca at a price its speed.
Upon receiving that fiery shock, the giant imdiately tried to strike back but unfortunately for it, its clumsy swings were destined to miss their marks. Just as one Warhorse backed away, another promptly charged in a blaze of fire to take its place. This ti, its powerful strike took a sizable chunk out of the giants right arm.
Rocks pitter pattering in the background, there was now a noticeable hole in the giants arm.
Just like that, over a hundred Warhorses took turns ramming the giant, each taking care never to face off against it directly. Instead, they rely galloped around and waited for their turn to attack before swiftly backing away right after.
Mama, that stoneman is so clumsy, it cant even hit those horsies. As Mo Na sat atop her usual seat on my shoulders, she would hug tightly while throwing out the random comnt or two.
Its not the giants who are clumsy, its the Warhorses who are too quick. Honestly, those giants are extrely dangerous and powerful. When at the sa Star-level, those Warhorses wouldnt dare to try and take its hit.
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