Chapter 259: New Plans

The fishpeople poured from the corridor below like an unending tide—relentless, furious, and many. At first, Thalion had considered holding his ground, but as their numbers swelled past fifty in mere seconds, he knew there was no hope of victory here. They were coming fast, with blood in their eyes and vengeance in their hearts.

“There! Up there!” someone roared, pointing toward him with a trident.

Their voices were thick with rage, echoing through the water like war drums. Thalion wasted no time. With a flash of azure flame, he activated his bloodline skill and vanished in a pulse of energy, reappearing within the same corridor he had originally emerged from. There was simply no way forward. He could not carve a path through that many enemies, especially not when they fought like mad beasts, heedless of injury or death. The battle he'd won in the previous chamber had been a miracle. This was suicide.

Even if he ignored their overwhelming numbers, their suicidal fervor made them near impossible to manage. They didn’t care if they lived. They only cared that he died. If he’d taken the form of the Leviathan, perhaps he might’ve stood a chance, but the Tidecaller Serpent wasn’t built for this type of engagement. His body was swift, yes, but not meant to be a bulwark against a swarm.

Thalion shot forward, racing through the twisting, kelp-lined corridors with all the speed his serpentine form could muster. He couldn’t afford for these creatures to guess his true intent. If they realized he was fleeing toward the surface, they might pursue him and worse, they might turn on his allies above. That, more than anything, was a scenario he could not allow.

To mislead them, Thalion conjured trails of flickering blue fire, sending them slithering into alternate passageways. To any who followed, it would appear as though he’d taken a different route entirely. Navigating back through the maze-like water tunnels wasn’t easy. Even with a perfect memory, he had only moments at his current speed to choose the correct path.

Fortunately, the decoys seemed to confuse the enemy, buying him valuable seconds. He surged into the vast, open chamber where the Leviathan had once ruled. Without hesitation, he teleported across the room and slipped into the corridor where he’d once hidden and watched that fearsome battle unfold. As he moved, he extinguished every flicker of flame he created, leaving no trace of his passage. The vibrations in the water still tickled his senses, but they were distant now. If the fishpeople were still searching, they’d lost his trail.

He didn’t slow down.

Instead, Thalion propelled himself toward the place where he had first entered the water. It wasn’t the most glorious retreat but time was precious, and navigating deeper into the labyrinth on a hunch simply wasn’t worth the risk. Who knew how many more fishfolk lay in wait near the pillar? The last group he had faced had been far weaker than those who fought the Leviathan. If even twenty of those elites were guarding the pillar, he stood no chance in his current form.

He had briefly hoped to teleport onto dry land using his bloodline ability, then fight with the crippled Eclipsari form or even as a human. He had also considered taking on the form of Eagly, using lightning to obliterate anything nearby. But the risk was too great. Even now, within the form of the Tidecaller Serpent, he could feel the crushing weight of the deep pressing against him. Transforming into Eagly here might spell instant death.

Still, the gains from this dive were immense. One of his key skills had evolved. He’d acquired a monstrously large mana crystal and the body of the Leviathan—engraved with runes he intended to study and replicate. Thalion knew he might be giving up a shortcut by retreating, but any alternative would require precious time and the impossible task of surviving another encounter like the last.

Better to regroup. Better to find a tunnel. Fighting beside Kael and the elves wasn’t his preferred outcome, but at this point, it might be the only realistic path forward. He would hear what the others had to say. After all, it had been hours since he’d seen them, and there might be only one day left before they needed to destroy the pillar. Worse. There was no guarantee that Ankhet wouldn’t awaken early.

His path back was uneventful. No more fishfolk appeared, and after nearly an hour of swimming, Thalion finally breached the surface. With a shimmer of magic, his form twisted back into that of a man. Without hesitation, he triggered Mistform, rocketing through the air toward the ledge where his people stood guard.

They stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“M-Master Thalion,” one stammered, bowing hurriedly, unsure of what to say or how to address the unexpected arrival.

“Hi,” Thalion said with a small, tired smirk. “Just tell me where Josh, Evelyn, and Kargul are, and I’m off. Oh—and bring a few more guards here. There might be some of those fishpeople coming.”

“Yes, sir! They’re in the next corridor,” the group barked in unison, almost like trained soldiers.
Thalion gave them an appreciative nod before activating Mistform once more, his body dissipating into shimmering vapor as he surged up the corridor. The air grew warmer as he ascended, and light from hanging lanterns shimmered softly against the smooth stone walls. This part of the hideout had taken on a surprisingly domestic atmosphere. Scattered among the makeshift furniture were his people—some seated in conversation, others resting or meditating. Their laughter and quiet murmurs created a momentary bubble of peace. That serenity would soon shatter, but for now, it was a welcome illusion.

The adjoining corridor mirrored the first. A few individuals kept a watchful eye at the entrance, standing loosely like guards waiting for a messenger to burst in with grim news. But even they carried a calm demeanor, as if clinging to the final breath of peace before the storm arrived.

Thalion reformed in a swirl of mist before a circle of couches and luxurious chairs. Sitting atop them were Evelyn, Kargul, Josh, and Jack—his most trusted. But to his surprise, there were two more: Annie and Jakob, the former slaves he had freed long ago. They looked different now—older, sharper. The System had clearly accelerated their growth. Their auras were focused and intense, forged by hardship. Impressive. Jakob, in particular, gave off a hidden weight of power. Thalion suspected he had been concealing his true strength, perhaps to avoid attracting Kael’s attention. The Kael Thalion had encountered in that tense meeting would not hesitate to eliminate a perceived threat.

“Good to see you two again,” Thalion greeted them with a warm smile as he solidified before the group.

“Good to be back,” Jakob replied, grinning. “It felt wrong staying with Kael after everything. You could’ve at least said goodbye before vanishing, though.”

Evelyn leaned forward with a teasing smile. “So, how was the swim?”

“Difficult,” Thalion muttered, exhaling sharply as he sank into a chair. “There’s no reaching the pillar through that path. Not in the time we have left.”

His voice carried the weight of frustration. He hated not having a plan. Fighting beside Kael and the elves was an option he would rather abandon. If it came to it, he’d sooner attack their camps outright and seize control than ally with them.

“Kael and the elves are both struggling,” Annie chimed in. “Ever since the Bloodwitch activated her ritual, the beasts have grown stronger. They’re barely making progress.”

“We could strike now,” she continued. “Take over Kael’s camp while he’s bogged down in the tunnels. A lot of his followers are starting to see through him. If you offer protection, many might join you willingly.”

Jakob nodded. “There aren’t many loyal to him left. And I doubt there’s a significant force guarding the camp topside.”

Thalion leaned back, considering. The plan had merit. In fact, it was likely the only viable option. Better to move first than sit and wait for Kael to strike from the shadows. If they secured the camp, Kael would either retreat to defend it—splitting his forces—or stay in the tunnels, leaving his supply lines vulnerable. Thalion liked both outcomes.

“That sounds like a plan,” he said with a nod. “We’ll seize the camp, then crush Kael’s forces. Once that’s done, we can focus on the pillar without constantly watching our backs.”

With Kael gone, only the elves and undead remained. Manageable threats, especially with momentum on their side. The others agreed swiftly, and a messenger was dispatched to Maike and Kaldrek with orders to ready the fortress and skyships. The moment had come. If something went wrong, they needed to be prepared.

Movement across the underground complex had increased lately, making their operation easier to mask. Food smugglers, particularly, were a blessing. Thalion smiled faintly as he accepted a bowl of steaming meat soup laced with thick, ribbon-like noodles. The warmth spread through him like magic. He made a mental note to reward whoever had the idea—smuggling fresh meals like this into the depths was genius. Spatial rings preserved food, yes, but they always seemed to steal the flavor.

As they waited for confirmation from the fortress, the group talked. Mostly about strange beasts they had encountered. Annie recounted her journey through the Ocean of the Fourth Stage—a realm teeming with titanic, reptilian monsters. Her favorite hunt, she said, had been a massive salamander that grew sluggish as the temperature dropped. Ice magic had made short work of it.

Then the tone shifted.

“So... once Kael’s gone,” Josh said quietly, eyes distant, “that’s when the real war begins, isn’t it? Against the undead.”

Thalion nodded solemnly. “Yeah. It’s going to be brutal. I don’t know how far they’ve advanced, but we’re already behind. We need to move faster.”

Time was slipping away. They had no clocks, but the pressure in the air was unmistakable. One day—maybe less. That was all they had.

“As long as we reach the pillar, it’ll fall,” Jack added, leaning forward. “We still have the bombs from the old lunatic. I doubt he lied about their strength.”

Lucan. The eccentric weaponsmith. Once renowned for his craftsmanship, now obsessed with dangerous experiments. Thalion held no grudge. If the man found joy in forging explosives, so be it. It might just save them all.

They shared stories and ate in the soft glow of enchanted lights until the messenger returned. Maike and Kaldrek were ready. The fortress was armed, the skyships poised.

The time had come.

They would bring down Kael and then begin the final assault on the undead. The last part of the tutorial was about to begin.