Chapter 186: Shadows in the Heights

Kellar and the hunters climbed into the mountainous zone where they had slaughtered the eagles’ roost. All around them, the terrain showed deep fissures, pulverized stone, and rows of carcasses sprawled across the slopes.

Grok walked by his side, taking in the massive gouges carved into the summit wall.

"I’m still amazed by the level of destruction," said Grok, gazing over the landscape.

"Someday, reducing mountains to rubble will be the most normal thing in the world," Kellar replied, adjusting the war club on his back with a smile.

"I look forward to that day," Brak agreed with enthusiasm.

A swift movement among the shadows of collapsed boulders made Kellar tense up.

"Heads up, we’ve got company!" shouted Kellar.

Brak bolted forward without a second’s hesitation. Covering the ground in a couple of strides, he reached the crevice and, with a clean slash, split the shadow in two. Kneeling to inspect the corpse, he let out a scoff and called back to the group.

"It’s a mountain rat!" shouted Brak, wiping the blade clean.

Everyone relaxed, letting out a breath. The tension among the soldiers was palpable; they still remembered the chaotic battle from days ago and had their nerves raw.

Kellar took in his troops’ reaction and stepped up to direct them.

"Keep formation, we need to be careful," Kellar instructed with authority. "Split into groups of five and begin scouting the area. Watch out for unstable rocks; the explosions could have created cave-ins, so don’t walk blindly."

"Understood, Shaman!" the squads called back.

The five-man riflemen squads fanned out in different directions, advancing with caution as they inspected the ledges and slopes. Kellar began walking among the rock formations as well. Focusing his mind, he activated his Alchemy skill to inspect the vegetation, looking for sprouts or roots that might have absorbed the surrounding energy.

Grok, trailing close behind as his guard, stepped up upon seeing him kneel beside some bushes.

"Find something, Shaman?" Grok asked him.

"Nothing yet," Kellar said, standing up after examining a few leaves. "Just common herbs. But I’m intrigued; if there’s an Eagle King, there must be something important in this area."

"If there’s anything good, it’s got to be at the top of the mountain," Grok suggested, pointing up toward the frozen heights looming above them. "I remember when the Eagle King appeared, it flew from that direction. Should we head deeper into the mountains?"

"Let’s go," Kellar answered, looking up toward the peak. "If there’s something good, I want to see it. I don’t believe a beast of that caliber wouldn’t have something valuable."

Just then, Brak jogged down from one of the upper crags.

"Shaman, we checked the nests," Brak reported, wiping sweat from his brow. "They were all brought down. There isn’t a single intact egg."

Kellar nodded slowly, making a decision based on the report.

"Get everyone ready," Kellar ordered, raising his voice so the nearby squads could hear. "We’re going deeper into the mountains. We need to find the Eagle King’s nest."

Grok stepped forward, raising his axe to point toward a colossal peak silhouetted against the sky, shrouded in a blanket of low clouds.

"I’ll lead the way," Grok offered, tightening his grip on the shaft. "If I recall correctly, that mountain should be where the Eagle King came from; it’s the only one large enough to house a beast of that size."

"Climb every mountain, we need to search for the eggs," Kellar ordered, raising his voice so all squads could hear him clearly. "If they’re intact, we take them; if not, we leave them behind. We can’t allow a second Eagle King to be born; leave no nest unexplored."

The soldiers dispersed into search parties, scaling the adjacent slopes with ease. Kellar advanced toward the main mountain. The summit was barely visible from the base, but the hunters, accustomed to mountain life, climbed the rocky ledges with agility. Only Kellar didn’t know how to scale such a steep wall.

Ignis, trailing them at a distance and shaking the ground with his massive runic paws, looked at him and trotted over.

"Master, do you want to get up there?" Ignis asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah, Ignis," Kellar answered, staring up at the stone wall. "I think that was the nest of the giant eagle we killed."

Ignis sniffed the icy air and let out a huff of warm vapor.

"Climb on me, I’ll carry you," the bear offered.

Kellar raised an eyebrow, measuring the vertical incline of the rock pillar.

"Can you scale mountains?" Kellar asked him.

"I am a great bear, I can scale anything," Ignis said, pride rumbling in his voice.

Kellar didn’t hesitate and leaped onto Ignis’s back, gripping the dense fur around his neck. The bear dug his claws into the mountain wall; despite being solid rock, his white-hot claws sank in as if it were soft clay. With raw power, the bear began climbing at a speed superior to that of the veteran hunters, blowing past the climbing squads halfway up and reaching the peak ahead of them.

Upon reaching the upper crest, Kellar dismounted from Ignis’s back and walked to the edge of the precipice. He looked down, and a wave of vertigo washed over him.

"Shit, this really is high..." Kellar muttered, gritting his teeth as he grounded his posture.

He could barely make out the people below; the soldiers and riflemen looked like tiny ants moving across the gravel floor. However, the view was breathtaking: the entire mountain range and the mouth of Ash Valley stretched out before his eyes under the crisp morning light.

A few minutes later, Grok pulled himself over the final ridge through a stone chimney, panting lightly. He stepped up beside Kellar and took in the horizon.

"I never thought we could climb all the way up this mountain from here," Grok admitted, running a hand over his chin. "We never dared to venture this deep... this really is impressive."

"This mountain would make a grand fortress," Kellar noted, a smirk spreading across his face as his eyes calculated the tactical value of the terrain. "Imagine armies trying to climb up while we rain fire down from this position. A formation on each peak would turn this place into an impenetrable site."