As soon as Aiden took just a couple steps into the room following right behind his escort, Lady Circe, the other robed figure sitting at the helm nodded and gave a courteous bow as she gave her formal greeting.
"[Reptilian] Greetings to the esteemed lordship to brace us with his presence. This humble one is truly honored to be able to entertain such a prestigious figure."
Her tone was calm, somewhat melodious, and even somewhat frolicky as she spoke. There were no fluctuations showing any underlying negative or hidden emotions in any of her spoken words. Nor could Aiden sense any underlying meanings or intent.
Still, she still sounded way too theatrical, too polite to be fully honest, making Aiden slightly frown under the hood as he accepted the formal greeting.
Whilst keeping his left hand over the back of the hanging little snooze bag, Aiden returned the overly formal greeting of the mysterious Dark Shadow leader with a wave of his right hand and proceeded to take the seat that was already prepared for him, at the opposite end of the large stone table, facing directly the robed and masked leader.
Giving a slight nod of his head to greet his four hulking beasts of servants, Aiden turned his attention towards the mysterious and secretive figure situated at the far end. After the slew of system notifications, he suddenly had a much clearer picture of what was going on. Added that such an illustrious skillset, this mastery over the shadows and affinity towards the Darker Arts of the Arcane seemed somewhat strange, off-putting for these small mutated species of reptilians.
From a first glance, Aiden was long since numb to the shock and surprise that this world seemed to have an ample resource to pool from. For one, after learning a bit about this special species of Skinks, having their origin traced back to that of the once Mighty Dragons that have lorded the multitude of realms, one would have normally expected an innate talent with Flames, fires, or overall… heat.
One could even accept a higher than average physical fitness, or even might… Heck, if some of them would have been mutated and have grown a pair of leathery and boney wings it would still be understandable.
Yet, from his experience, none of these traits seemed to be present in any of these little creatures. They seemed to mostly keep their original traits, and tribal-like behaviour, even if they had to ditch their fabled Temple-Cities in turn for an ancient city. They were still somewhat reliant on their brethren, sparsely seen acting by themselves, instead preferring this horde-reliant mental attitude.
Talent in the arcane seemed to be just as rare as it was in most other races even back on Eora. They were like diamonds in the rough, rarely seen appearing in the midst of the rabble.
Yet, despite all of that, this organization, this Dark Shadow was the one abnormality, the one inexplicable peculiarity in everything. An organization tied close to the darkness, the corruption that seemed to be present in every world Aiden had so far visited and was slowly, but surely taking over the realms by twisting the very nature of its residents by their core. Turning the once good, the normal into twisted creatures, haunted by their own mental demons, stripping away all sense of normalcy they once had.
Despite all of this, going against all reason, they have embraced this very same darkness, even gradually learning how to tame it, how to 'ride' it, instead of fighting against it. They have managed to withstand its alluring, seductive whispers, and instead utilized the power it granted to them.
They have become masters of the darkness, the weavers of shadows, the true hunters and huntresses of the night. Their ability to mask their presence to the degree of even hiding from the almost omniscient gaze of the Ancient One, the last surviving traitorous guardian of this realm was something that even Aiden couldn't help but be appreciative towards.
…
Taking a look at the masked figure, Aiden recalled the system messages he had just gone through before stepping foot inside the room.
'Divine Grade Servant… Exile Guardian? Is she the one?' He pondered inwardly as he spectated the calm looking figure.
'[Yes, Aiden. Although the system cannot sense any threat or substantial power from her, I would advise to still be alert. Judging from the fact that how even her second in command was capable of masking her entire presence from the evolved sauruses, we cannot be certain. Adding to the fact that she might very well be the Divine Grade Servant that you may have a chance in contracting, her strength could very well match yours in its current state. I advise you to be cautious.]'
Suddenly Enya's warning came, resounding in his mind and warning him to not act recklessly. If she was truly one of the guardians that were supposed to have died in the still not completely unveiled cataclysmic event that has also ended life on this barren, scorched world, then her true power was not something he could take lightly.
Still, despite all of that, Aiden couldn't help but grow more and more interested in finding the truth out.
Taking the initiative, he slowly patted the little Tolliah on her back and placed her down on the seat next to his. Then he proceeded to reach for the edges of his hood that have so far covered his face ever since he had stepped foot in the enemy territory and hadhave slowly pulled it back.
Once he did, not just Lady Circle or the Dark Shadow Leader looked with apt attention, but even Captain Dragha and the rest of the Saurus Captain looked with surprise as his face was slowly revealed.
They were shocked to see that once again, the leader as they have known himer, have a slightly new, rejuvenated appearance. Gone was the old, wrinkled, tired-looking skin, the baggy eyes, and the drooping nose.
A vigorous youthful appearance was looking back at them. His eyes, glowing golden with a slightly different mysterious glint glimmering in it. His scales, his skin was looking vibrant, brimming with vitality, looking as if he had regained decades in just a short span of an afternoon.
Aiden gave a warm, gentle smile to his trusted subordinates before his eyes slowly wandered off and landed on the masked individual sitting opposite of him. He looked at her slyly.
"[Reptilian] There is no need for formalities, miss. Much less for secrets. Since our goals are aligned and I believe both parties wish to work together, I find it odd, you still try to keep your identity a secret." Aiden chuckled.
"[Reptilian] I have to apologize to the Young Lord for my rudeness, but the truth about my identity is rather… sensitive. It's best if you-"
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