If this continued, doom was inevitable.
By mind raced, his eyes darting to the snowladen peaks below.
In their pursuit, they had already trespassed into the mountains domain.
The surrounding terrain struck him with an odd familiarity.
The cave where he had once vanquished the Frostfong Wolf.
The cavern lay just ahead, nestled in the mountain side.
Before he could reach it, however, the pursuing mage entered attack range.
With a chant and a gesture, eight magic circles materialized around by you, sealing off every avenue of escape.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! A storm of wind blades reduced the griffin to a rain of gore in an instant.
Yet Bayou had already teleported to the mountains opposite face, landing before the entrance of the Frost Fong Cavern, now concealed from the mage's line of sight.
The cave bore signs of recent disturbance, suggesting possible occupants within, but facing imminent death at the hands of a monarchier mage by you had no choice.
Swiftly erasing his footprints, he slipped inside and resealed the entrance.
Only close scrutiny would betray any trace of his presence.
The mage, having witnessed the griffin's demise, and by you's disappearance, scan the area briefly before departing without further pursuit.
Now standing at the cavern's threshold, Bayou found himself staring at two hulking tiger men guarding a central slope.
A sheepish smile tugged at his lips.
"Oh, hello.
" Chapter 155.
Exchange of intelligence, the two tiger men were bewildered upon encountering the cloaked figure before them.
Unable to fathom how such a secretive cave could be discovered.
Realizing the imminent danger, they wisely turned and retreated deeper into the cavern.
After all, their lair had been compromised, and with so many of their kind present, it would be folly to confront the intruder headon, their immediate course of action was to seek assistance.
To their surprise, the sight of the cloaked figure sent them fleeing.
Furthermore, the creature appeared different from the one they had previously encountered.
Slimmer perhaps.
Surely it could not be starving.
Whiteu settled at the cave's entrance, choosing to disregard the fleeing figures.
Engaging in combat with the tiger men seemed ill- advised given the perilous circumstances outside.
Uncertain of the whereabouts of the sorcerer, she feared that discovery would spell disaster.
She could only hope that the tiger men would refrain from instigating trouble.
A flicker of anxiety coursed through Whiteu.
She was apprehensive that among the tiger men there might be a royal.
Thus, she remained at the cave's mouth, ready to flee at a moment as notice.
Yet, upon reflection, the likelihood seemed slim.
Their efforts to conceal themselves indicated that if a royal truly existed among them, they would have already emerged in a display of arrogance.
The two tiger men stumbled back to their stronghold, their expressions a mixture of urgency and distress.
Most of their kin were still slumbering with only a few guards vigilantly stationed before the secret chamber.
Upon witnessing the frantic return of the two, one guard exclaimed, "My lord, we've been discovered.
There is a human at the cave entrance.
" The guard instantly grew tense.
The safety of their queen who remained in slumber was paramount.
"Is it just one?" he inquired.
"Yes, my lord.
We are unaware of her strength.
She did not attack us, but upon entering, she sealed the cave entrance, cutting off our escape while awaiting reinforcements.
The two tigermen reported in a flurry of anxiety.
The guard's apprehension intensified.
If this were indeed the case, they were in grave danger.
Without delay, the guard summoned all the robust and combat capable tiger men, preparing to eliminate this unpredictable threat.
They resolved that even at the cost of their lives, they could not allow harm to come to their queen.
The guard led a multitude of tiger men from the stronghold, leaving two commander-level warriors to safeguard the queen's chamber.
Soon, they ascended the slope, encountering White U, who sat at the cave entrance, her gaze sharp and vigilant.
The guard's eyes narrowed.
Indeed, she was lying in wait for reinforcements.
White U recognized the leading tiger man as their chief, prompting her to rise and take a cautious step back, ever ready to flee.
Without uttering a word, the tiger guard unleashed a barrage of ice spikes from within the cave.
But Whiteu felt a wave of relief wash over her.
The magical force was not formidable, implying that the adversaries could not be royal.
If they were not royals, what was there to fear? Before Bayou, a wall of ice rose, effectively thwarting the attacks of the tiger guards.
However, the force of their onslaught caused the entire cave to tremble, stirring a sense of unease in Bayou, who feared detection.
As the ice wall shattered, a tiger guard thrust a slender ice spear towards Bayou.
Grasping it with one hand, Bayou emanated intense heat, causing steam to rise as the ice spear melted away.
With a swift kick by you sent the tiger guard staggering back.
Can you comprehend human speech? I'm not here to provoke.
I merely seek refuge.
Do not force my hand.
Were it not for the concern of being discovered by you would have already vanquished them without a word.
Upon hearing Bayou's declaration, the surrounding tiger guards ceased their assault.
Having sensed Bayou's formidable power and realizing they were outmatched.
It would be most advantageous to converse peacefully.
If conflict is unavoidable, know that the loss of many of my kin would be an outcome I dread.
Why must you seek refuge here? Is there no other place you could choose? This is our territory, the tiger guard retorted, fixing its gaze upon by you.
Should you be pursued by a royal beast? Would you still have the luxury of choice regarding your sanctuary? Furthermore, I was the one who initially cleared this cave.
When did your kind from the snow mountains come to claim it as your own? Bayou loathed conversing with other species.
Despite their intelligence and ability to speak, their thought processes diverged starkly from those of ordinary humans.
Rendered speechless by Bayou's retort, the Tiger Guard reflected on the fact that when they first discovered this vast vacant cavern, it had clearly been previously inhabited.
The cave's secluded location was remarkable, yet it had still been found by the human before them, compelling the guard to accept Bayu's assertions.
However, the Tiger Guard grasped a crucial piece of information.
Bayou was fleeing from a royal pursuer.
Corroborating intelligence received just days prior.
It seemed the Snow Mountains were fraught with peril.
Their choice to venture here had indeed been a grave error.
The Tiger Guard harbored fears of their hiding place being discovered, and until their queen awakened, they dared not leave the cave, leaving them nearly ignorant of the outside world after 2 days.
Is it a werewolf that hunts you? The Tiger Guard shifted the topic away from territory, posing other inquiries to Bayou.
Bayou paused, realizing the implication.
If the Tiger Guard spoke thus, it confirmed the existence of a royal werewolf seeking his demise.
"I shall not divulge that information," Bayou replied, tilting his head defiantly.
Though trivial, he saw no reason to share such details freely.
The tiger, puzzled, thought to itself, "Is the manner of human speech always this peculiar? Truly, their queen must have been influenced by human traits.
My lord, we could exchange intelligence.
The tiger guard suggested, "By you undoubtedly possessed more information than they did, a far safer option than risking their kin in dangerous reconnaissance.
Where carelessness could lead to death and increased exposure, Bayou gazed upon the somewhat emaciated tiger folk, and she was almost certain that they were suffering from hunger.
It was not merely Bayou who was fleeing.
Rather, they appeared to be the ones in desperate flight.
Considering their status as an alien race, it was doubtful that this group of tiger folk possessed any substantial intelligence.
What occupied by you's thoughts most was the reason behind the sudden congregation of so many formidable beings in the snowcapped mountains over the past few days.
Nevertheless, her curiosity prevailed.
She could inquire about their purpose for being in the snowy peaks.
After all, the information circulating outside regarding the mountains was hardly more than trivial gossip, and sharing a few words with them would not be a burden.
Very well, I consent to the exchange of information.