The wolves snarled and I saw numerous sharpened fangs on full display as the pack approached.
The Alpha was at the forefront, but instead of reacting viciously at the loss of his pack, he regarded me with a look that seemed calm, even curious as his eyes poured over at my strange looking [Pit].
Ophelia was over on the side, staring at us with glittering eyes, as if she was witnessing something very important and I was a little suspicious of what she had told him.
[What did you say to him?] I asked her with [Thought Transference].
[Hm...nothing much.] Ophelia casually replied. [He's the one who wanted to meet you.]
Huh?
Several of his wolves were staring at me with provocative eyes. Seeing how many they were was enough to bring back flashbacks to when I was a little snake.
So, I was surprised when the Alpha glared at the offenders in his pack until they looked down. And then, he raised his head in a fierce howl.
Soon, the wolves that were hostile began to join in with howls of their own in a loud chorus that swelled in volume, drawing the attention of every monster present, both nestlings and Abyssal creatures alike, aside from Sylrin, who remained unbothered where he rested.
I was surprised the Alpha didn't attack - not once did I think we would ever come face to face without either of us trying to kill each other. Besides, I already killed a fair share of his pack so I was even more suspicious of his intentions.
But Ophelia whispered to me. [He's greeting you. Say something nice back!]
Oh heck no.
Eventually, the howling came to an end, and the Alpha looked at me, clearly waiting for a response.
I wasn't sure howling back was the right way, neither was suddenly speaking to him with [Thought Transference] so I gave him a curt nod instead.
Thankfully, that seemed to be enough and the Alpha met my eyes before striding away to settle beside Sylrin.
What just happened?
Once more I glared at my Captain who seemed far too excited for her own good. Ophelia flew over to my side, openly looking in the Alpha's direction, particularly at his thick fur.
I might have been wrong, but I hoped she wasn't eyeing him as a potential mount.
[Why is he so calm?] I questioned her. [Did you 'influence' his mood?]
[Hm?] Ophelia muttered distractedly, but then it dawned on her. [Oh no. I didn't! Really.]
I appraised the Alpha to see how strong he was.
--------------
LV40 Lordirus
Specie: Ailith Lycaon
HP: 680/680 Defence: 550
MP: 310/310 Intellect: 306
SP: 756/756 Magic: 280
Attack: 585 Agility: 675
--------------
His stats were strong, but Ophelia in her current state was far stronger. If she wanted to, she could have done so easily.
[You didn't compel him?] I asked.
[No.] Ophelis stubbornly replied. [He is not a threat to us, and that's just wrong.]
I was worried the Abyss might influence her in some way but it seemed she didn't even consider it.
She even acted the same.
[Actually, he did mention something!] Ophelia exclaimed.
I knew there had to be a catch!
[He told me his pack is often attacked by a kind of monster they can't see. It hides in the dark so the wolves don't know what it is, but its victims are always picked off quickly and quietly. Their numbers would have reduced much more by now, but they haven't been attacked as often since they started staying near our cave.]
I swallowed.
Hearing this gave me a sinking feeling because that sounded an awful lot like...me.
[He is looking forward to working together to end the threat of his pack. If you would have him, of course.] Ophelia innocently relayed the Alpha's words, not even realising I had gone quiet.
There was no way they knew I was responsible...right?
Surely if the Alpha knew, he wouldn't have brought his pack right to my doorstep, and I glanced at Ophelia who peered eagerly at me.
It seems she was waiting to be complimented.
|[You did a good job.]| I smiled at Ophelia and she began to circle around me.
[Really?] She hissed with pleasure. [Does this mean they can stay with us?!]
I sighed in defeat. If some Abyssal monsters could join my Pit and not kill the nestlings immediately, then the wolves were a considerably safer choice.
|[You want them to join?]| I asked.
[Yes, please!] Ophelia replied.
|[Alright, but only if the Alpha agrees.]| I warned her. |[If he doesn't, then you can't force him.]
[Okay!] Ophelia happily replied.
The Alpha was already strong, and I had to wonder if his stats would change if I named him like the Nymph. Regardless, Ophelia's reaction was far too much to contain, her speed increasing even more as she flew.
As we headed back to the cave, I took one last look at the Alpha and his wolves who had settled around Sylrin - It seemed I had to take them off my menu for good.
Entering the cave we were met with cheers from the nestlings. It was just as lively as outside with Typhon instructing them to take in the hunt in an organised way. Now with most of the hunt inside, the nestlings soon returned to training.
Among the group that was sparring, I spotted Arsinoe sparring with Oteiza and Otreia, while Morgana was sparring with Aquila.
However, when Arsinoe launched her water magic, it was incredibly weak, with the same ferocity as a wet puddle.
[It's been happening to everyone and I'm not sure why.] Ophelia nervously explained. [And I keep telling them it's because they aren't controlling their magic well enough.]
Arisinoe seemed just as confused as the others, but she became aware that she had an audience, she forced her magic to improve, this time able to mount a proper attack on her team.
It was clearly the lingering effect of the Abyss, but it did make me realize something. If using their magic here was more difficult, perhaps their abilities would become more superior on normal ground.
|[Don't be too hard on them.]| I muttered. |[Just make sure they train regularly.]|
[Okay.] Ophelia nodded.
|[And what about you?]| I asked. |[Are you experiencing any difficulties?]|
Ophelia seemed to think and the ground around her suddenly frosted over with cold.
Floating around her were multiple spheres of poison as well as the water spheres she had generated.
[No difficulties.] Ophelia cheerily replied.
That shouldn't have been the case.
If her magic functioned like usual then the only ones unaffected were Ophelia and myself.
[Is something wrong?] Ophelia asked.
|[If you ever feel strange, make sure you tell me…]| I started to say, but a nestling slithered past the fighting pits in a depressed slump, a visible cloud of gloom over his head.
All the nestlings around us were happy, so one that was sad was very easy to spot.
|[What's wrong with him?]| I asked.
Ophelia followed my gaze to Artemis and sighed.
[He's been like that since his plants died.] She explained. [Then all the Veladrys left without any explanation. He hasn't been the same since.]
How could I forget his poison garden?
I had failed to account for other aspects that the Abyss had destroyed.
Instead I called him over to tell him the good news. |[They will return soon. Their Queen Mother just evolved.]|
[Really?] Artemis perked up immediately. [That means they'll be stronger!]
I nodded in agreement, recalling their dishevelled, overgrown states. It would take more than a prune to return them to their former beauty - perhaps he was better off not seeing them now.
[That's amazing!] Ophelia was overjoyed. [I really want to meet her sometime. Typhon already did.]
|[You will. You can come with me next time I visit.]| I replied.
Unfortunately, it was always best to have either Ophelia or Typhon watching over the [Pit], so they couldn't both be absent. Most of the nestlings were sparring now, but who knew what mischief they would get up to with them gone.
In particular, my eyes were drawn to two serpents lurking around the nestlings with less altruistic motives. Cassio and Andromeda seemed to be looking for victims for their mining endeavours. Their scales even glimmered where they were embedded with gold fragments and other precious gems.
They eyed Arsinoe like hungry wolves, but she made it a point to ignore them.
|[I hope they are being careful.]| I muttered. I didn't want any more mining accidents.
[I went down to see it myself.] Ophelia offered. [They are very quiet while digging now and there's no more worms. But there's more gold now than we know what to do with. I advised them to gather it all in a safe place to keep for later, but they want to keep on digging.]
I was sure they would greatly benefit by having somewhere to store it all like say, their own [Dimensional Box]. But with Sensei gone, I wasn't sure how the system would function.
I checked it all the same to see if it still worked and the menu came up like usual.
Skills and items were still available to purchase, but in addition to that, there were several new quests waiting for me.
And very generous ones too!
--------------
[Novice Level Quest - Go mining with your nestlings. Reward [50XP]]
[Novice Level Quest - Go swimming in the Middle Stratum. Reward [500XP]]
[Novice Level Quest - Expand your Pit. Invite the Alpha to join. Reward [100XP]]
[Novice Level Quest - Name every Pit member. Reward [300XP]]
[Novice Level Quest - Bring Galahad back. Reward [400XP]]
[Novice Level Quest - Visit the Serpent Clan. Reward [2500XP]]
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Woah! I was too surprised to speak. But it was just the beginning.
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[Adept Level Quest - Practice Abyss Magic. Reward [200XP]]
[Adept Level Quest - Get to Level 50. Reward [400XP]]
[Adept Level Quest - Defeat the Scorpion Queen. Reward [550XP]]
[Adept Level Quest - Defeat the Ape King. Reward [600XP]]
[Adept Level Quest - Destroy the Grandmaster's Journal. Reward [500XP]]
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There were some I didn't understand like these.
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[Adept Level Quest - Defeat the Elf Commander. Reward [750XP]]
[Adept Level Quest - Rescue the captured hostages. Reward [1000XP]]
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And then there was this insanity.
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[Expert Level Quest - Defeat the Elf Grandmaster. Reward [5000XP]]
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Had the system been placed on some easier setting with Sensei dormant or had it reverted to something else, because it seemed to have gone crazy…in a good way!
Things just couldn't get any better, and I settled on the easiest quest before calling my greedy nestlings over – it was time to go swimming!
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