Chapter 28: A Bigger Abomination

[A/N: Technical Issues yesterday and a few minutes late today.]

CHAPTER 28: A BIGGER ABOMINATION

Huey trailed the messenger through the winding tunnels away from the Operating Theater, both men maintaining a stoic silence until they reached their destination. "It seems the outsider has arrived. Let's proceed with the briefing," declared a Native youth, his muscular frame commanding attention among the armed and rugged warriors. Ignoring the hostility in the speaker's voice, Huey quickly surveyed the chamber and its occupants. 

The messenger had led him to a spacious chamber, easily accommodating over fifteen people, with a large table at its center around which the attendees were gathered. Amidst them, Huey spotted a few familiar faces, sparking a glimmer of recognition.

One of them was the short, silver-haired lady from Barak's previous patrol team. She fixed an icy stare in his direction before slowly turning away. The scar across her eye had healed completely by then. Beside her stood the other survivor from Barak's team, whom Huey had scarcely acknowledged. Her animosity toward him, particularly for the death of her sister, was palpable. 

As for the others, unfamiliar faces met his gaze, which he promptly disregarded. It was only then that he noticed the presence of an Elder among them—a frail old man with pale, wrinkled skin and the distinctive blue eyes of the Natives, yet with a lively spark dancing within their depths.

He held an intelligent gaze in his eyes as he stared solemnly and indifferently at the newcomer, and if he had any such animosity as the rest of those present displayed, he was damn well good at hiding it.

Huey didn't recognize this elder in particular. Actually, other than the snarky, irritable elder who attacked him first in the meeting, he couldn't put a face to the rest of them. The old man's appearance and garments, like the number of colorful feathers on his head and clothes, were what gave away his social standing.

From the side next to the young muscular man about to begin the debriefing, the elder stood.

Without even waiting for Huey to approach closer, the young man began.

"As you all know, a dangerous Den has been discovered deep within our territory, full of dreadful and abominable Elder Gods. We also know it's not uncommon for Elder God Dens to emerge from anywhere at all, provided there's a dense accumulation of 'Mana' in the surroundings."

Dens are unusual habitats for Elder Gods on Earth. They are places where a multitude of abominations gather and reside to feed off the dense accumulation of radiation in the environment. Simultaneously, the number of Elder Gods present in the Den also multiplies the 'Mana' radiation present in the atmosphere, and vice versa. Dens are truly terrifying places because of this; they directly imply a large number of Elder Gods residing in a single place, and each and every one of those creatures is three times more dreadful than any rogue you could find in the apocalypse.

But as a result of the concentrated radiation, rare 'Mana' crystals of incredible quality could be excavated. If... they managed to survive.

Without awaiting a response or reaction from the members present, the young man continued with his briefing, placing a finger against a point marked on a wide map spread out across the large table. The map detailed sections of the abandoned tunnel and was also revised to fit the current situation of the subway-turned village.

"Dens are particularly dangerous because of their chances and ability to quickly expand over an entire territory into something different. And it goes without saying, in this case, this Den is no ordinary one like what we're used to. We wouldn't all be here if it were so," saying so, the man shot a not-so-subtle glance at the unwelcome visitor who pretended to ignore it with his feigned poker face.

As soon as he said so, the expressions of those present turned grim, understanding the underlying problem.

"We've had various subjugation teams deployed and failed. None of them have returned alive since the discovery of this particular habitat. And the rate at which the Den is quickly expanding across our territory is far beyond alarming at this point," the man's voice grew heavier. "The residing Elder Gods are also behaving erratically and unusually. They have become more proactive and coordinated as they actively move out of their comfort zones and try to invade and plunder ours."

The emergence of a Den wasn't so uncommon during this era. There was "Mana" radiation all over the Earth, and some areas became more concentrated over time, inviting the presence of various Elder Gods. This was already interesting enough as these creatures weren't known to move in packs or colonies, but rather to viciously feast on each other, so a Den was a rare and peculiar case where a number of Elder Gods equally resided.

The more Elder Gods in a Den, the higher the increase in the radiation ratio, attracting more Elder Gods and causing an expansion in the size and territory of a Den. This action poses a serious threat to the last remnants of human civilization in their fortress, as a Den outbreak could cause a large-scale wipeout of a human city or citadel. This was why Dens were usually plundered and subjugated before it was too late or got too big.

But the Den within the Ntuli territory was much more bizarre than any other they had experienced. Not only was the expansion of the Den deeply disturbing at an alarming rate, but the resident Elder Gods went out of their way to plunder their surroundings outside of the Den.

"We have had large waves of Elder Gods lay siege to many of our Districts and Compounds, and innocent men, women, and children have died as a result!" The venom in the man's voice was prominent; he slammed his hand against the table and trembled while he struggled to restrain his rage.

Observing the current state of the young man, the Elder next to him decided to take over while he recovered. Contrary to what Hue expected from his looks, the old man's voice was quite clear and leveled. Smooth even.

"We managed to quickly evacuate the last district without casualties during the last enemy raid, but if this keeps up, the Den's authority will spread and swallow up all of your territories if we do not stop it. For this, we have reason to believe the Elder Gods are being 'coordinated' by... something."

As he heard that, a deep, dark suspicion brewed dreadfully in Huey's heart for the first time since the meeting started. Before the unnoticed gaze of all those present, Huey's expression became even colder as his eyes narrowed and appeared lifeless.

"Coordinated? Are you saying there's something that's controlling them? Like, actually controlling the feral Elder Gods and telling them what to do?" The one who voiced the doubts and worries of all those present was the lady next to the platinum-blonde woman.

The Elder calmly continued, unperturbed by her outburst. "It is precisely as you say. The first times our villages were sieged and plundered, many of our villagers were kidnapped rather than instantly being killed. It is like they periodically go out for hunting... on the orders of something. By the time our reinforcements arrived, the Elder Gods hadn't wasted any time fighting against our forces and simply withdrew with their 'game'. Other times, their numbers were simply far too overwhelming, and we were forced to retreat and abandon our districts. This has happened time and time again." Of course, all those present, with the exception of Huey, knew all that without needing to be told. But it just served to qualify their fears and make them realize how true it all was.

"If there isn't something at the top of the food chain, telling those monsters what to do, then how do you explain their bizarre actions?" Having seemingly regained composure, the young man interjected. He surveyed his companions and those present, then added, "If there really is something controlling those creatures... then that 'something' has to be an abomination in its own right." His words rang clear, 'what kind of abomination could control over fifty Elder Gods and lead them as a hive?'

 An even bigger abomination.

They all gulped.

Clenching his fist reluctantly, the young man turned his slanted gaze at Huey, before squeezing the words out. He said, 

"That's where you come in."