Void's eyes widened in alarm. [I think we should get out of here.]
But the Kragg was swift to react. He shook his massive head, his long hair swaying with the motion, and stood up on his enormous feet.
[Or not.]
"You know, this would be a lot easier if you just talked," Octavius said, exasperated.
The Kragg exhaled a deep sigh of relief and muttered, "Finally, you got it."
Octavius's and Void's shared a look in surprise, their faces mirroring each other's astonishnt.
"Wait, you can talk?" Octavius asked the Kragg.
"I've been communicating with you," the Kragg replied, "but you don't understand my language."
Octavius's eyes widened again, slightly, as he noted to himself that the Kragg's voice sounded feminine.
[If she's a female, I've got to give it to your dad – he's a legend. He got the 'Qing' Kong in his tiline]
Octavius ignored Void's words, and asked the Kragg instead. "How did you know my father?"
The Kragg's response however wasn't sothing they could understand. She raised a clawed hand, pointing at Octavius making him frown.
For a mont, he wondered if they had reverted to communicating in the Kragg language.
But then the Kragg spoke, her voice low and raspy. "You... sll... like him."
Octavius tried to press for more answers, but the Kragg seed utterly disinterested in interacting with him. She would stare at him with an unblinking gaze, as if he were a peculiar gemstone nestled among the cave's treasures. Other tis, she would gesture vaguely with her hands, her long fingers waving in the air like tendrils of smoke.
Void watched this exchange with growing impatience, his eyes rolling in exasperation.
[It's ti to head back, ] he let out. [If we spend any more ti here, you might get disqualified or better still, won't make the top ten list.]
But the Kragg was having none of it. She sprang to her feet, her massive fra towering over Octavius, and let out a thunderous roar. The sound echoed off the cave walls, making Void wince.
[Just great], Void muttered, shaking his head. [Your father's toxic ex makes think dusa is a sweetheart. She turns you to stone if you look at her wrong, while this one simply wants to eat you if you breathe too loudly.]
Octavius ignored Void's sarcastic remark, his focus fixed on the Kragg. He took a step forward, trying to reason with the towering creature.
"Is there sothing you want?"
Void side stepped him. [Man, this is not the ti to be a hero. We have a plan, so it's best we stick to it and leave out distractions.]
Octavius knew void had a point, and the longer they stayed here, the more it might delay their entry into the Academy.
Yet, he couldn't help but try to understand why the Kragg didn't want him to leave.
"If we help her out, maybe she could be useful to us." Octavius tried to reason with Void.
[You an eat us, but do you.]
Octavius tried to communicate with the Kragg again, but she wasn't forthcoming with her explanation, making the whole situation even more perplexing.
After a while of back and forth, Octavius decided to stop trying.
"I'll co back," he promised, but the Kragg responded with a low, rumbling growl, as if disagreeing with his offer.
"I have my own issues to deal with, and I wish i can help you but you're not making that easy. Sothing happened to your friend that I need to uncover."Octavius explained, pointing at the stone statue.
" After seeking my father, I'll tell him about you and maybe then I'll be able to help you. I promise I'll try to co back and visit, but I have to leave now. I have a contest to win, and I'm already at a disadvantage without the right materials."
As Octavius's voice faded away, he gazed up at the Kragg with a mixture of hope and desperation, willing her to comprehend the weight of his words.
The Kragg's expression softened, and she let out a mournful huff, the sound echoing through the cavern like a lant. She slowly sank to the ground, her massive fra folding into a seated position, her eyes cast downward in a sorrowful gaze.
Octavius's attention was drawn to the Kragg's sudden movent as she shoved her hand into the folds of her tattered, leather-like garnt – which resembled a bizarre cross between a cloak and a poncho – and produced five Aetherstones.
The gemstones clattered onto the rocky floor, their gentle impact resounding through the cavern.
Octavius's eyes widened in awe as he beheld the Aetherstones, their ethereal beauty surpassing anything he had seen in books or imagined. The stones pulsed with an otherworldly energy, their crystalline structures reflecting the flickering torchlight in dazzling patterns.
Even the illustrations in the ancient tos he had studied couldn't do justice to the srizing allure of the Aetherstones in real life.
"You want to have them?" Octavius asked, seeking confirmation, his eyes locked on the Kragg's face.
The Kragg nodded almost unnoticeably, her gaze still cast downward.
"Thank you," Octavius said sincerely, his voice filled with gratitude. He carefully gathered the Aetherstones and placed them in the bag provided to him, ensuring they were secure.
With the stones safely stowed, Octavius turned to the Kragg with a hopeful expression. "Can you help us get back to the others?" he asked, hoping the Kragg would escort them back as she had brought them here.
However, the Kragg's response was curt. She raised a clawed hand, pointing toward the cave exit without lifting her head, her gesture a clear indication that they were on their own.
Octavius felt a pang of guilt as he turned his back on the Kragg, but at this point he could only prioritize his own goals like Void had suggested before taking on any additional responsibilities.
With a deep breath, he led the way out of the cave, and to his surprise, they erged at the exact spot where they had first encountered the Kragg.
Octavius spun around, astonished, expecting to see the cave entrance behind him. But instead, he was t with the familiar sight of the dense forest, the trees looming tall and silent. The cave had vanished, leaving no trace of its existence.
Before Octavius could turn to Void and ask how they had managed to get back here with no sight of the cave, Void's urgent yell pierced the air. [Duck!]
Octavius dropped to the ground instinctively, avoiding an arrow that whizzed past his head, its deadly trajectory re inches from his ear.
Octavius rolled onto his side, seeking cover behind the thick trunk of a nearby tree. He cautiously peered around the edge of the tree, trying to make sense of the chaos unfolding before him.
What he saw made his blood run cold. One of the contestants, his eyes wild with a feral intensity, was repeatedly stabbing his sword into another contestant, who lay motionless on the ground. The scene was grueso, and Octavius's mind struggled to comprehend the brutality of it all.
Before he could process what he was seeing, a hand clamped down on his shoulder from behind, spinning him around. A blade glinted in the sunlight, poised to strike Octavius down. But with lightning-quick reflexes, Octavius skillfully disard his attacker, sending the weapon flying from their grasp.
"You didn't think to tell soone was onto ." Octavius turned to Void, sounding annoyed.
[I don't know, Maybe give one of your eyes to install at the back of my head?]
Octavius didn't bother responding, his attention focused on the more pressing threat. The girl, her eyes now completely white with red veins bulging at her pupils, lurched forward again, with another blade flashing in the sunlight as she prepared to strike.
With swift precision, Octavious dismantled the blade and subtly pushed her away, defusing the attack.
Void's expression darkened, his frown deepening in disapproval.
[As a devout feminist, I refuse to say you hit like a girl]
Octavious shot him a sheepish glance. "She's a girl, I couldn't hit her," he explained, in a low tone as if hoping to avoid provoking the girl further.
Void threw up his hand in exasperation, spinning back to face Octavius with both hands stretched out and pointed to the girl, to emphasize his point. [Does she look like she gives a flying fuck?]
When Octavius shoved the girl aside once more, Void urged him to let him take control of his body. Octavius initially ignored the request, instead opting to issue a stern warning to his attacker.
"I don't know why you're attacking , but it would terrify you to know I don't plan on letting anyone cause harm to , irrespective of their gender," Octavius cautioned, his eyes locked on the girl's determined face.
Void threw his hands up in exasperation again, while the girl, undeterred, lunged forward with a dagger aid at Octavius's chest.
[Let in, goddamnit!] Void yelled in frustration. [what if more people are on their way to harm you? Stop wasting your ti on her and fight her, or let do it.]
This ti, Octavius didn't hesitate. Apparently unwilling to be the one to harm a woman, he acquiesced, allowing Void to take control.
As soon as Void dissipated into Octavius's body, he swiftly kicked the dagger aside and slapped the girl, rendering her unconscious.
[Don't worry, she's not dead], Void reassured Octavius, noticing the flicker of concern in his emotions.
Octavius's gaze lingered on the unconscious girl, his brow furrowed in puzzlent.
"We didn't even get to know why she was attacking us,"
As they surveyed their surroundings, they were t with a grueso sight: nurous bodies littered the ground, so of them contestants, others... unclear. The air was heavy with the stench of blood and death.
[Isn't it obvious?] Void asked, [This isn't a competition, it's an execution]
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