Echo Of Infinity: 100× exp

The Echo of Infinity: Chapter 29 - Dragon's Tooth Foothills

With his new Iron Rank and 'stabilized' [Duelist] class, Kael found himself eligible for more challenging quests. One posting immediately caught his eye: 'Caravan Escort: Riverbend to Stonefall Outpost'. Stonefall Outpost lay deep in the foothills bordering the Dragon's Tooth Peaks. It was the exact region where caravans had been vanishing.

The pay was excellent, reflecting the perceived risk. The merchant consortium hiring the guards spared no expense, requesting a full team of six Iron Rank or higher adventurers. Kael signed up immediately, driven by a mix of curiosity about the 'Wyrm' mystery and the allure of high EXP potential far from Riverbend's scrutiny.

The team assembled was diverse and experienced:
*   **Torvin Stonefist:** ([Dwarven Defender Lv. 22 - Tier 1]) - The designated team leader. Stern, reliable, clad in heavy plate.
*   **Lysandra:** ([Human Elementalist Lv. 21 - Tier 1]) - Calm, intelligent, specializing in fire and earth magic.
*   **Zephyr:** ([Wood Elf Ranger Lv. 20 - Tier 1]) - Quiet, sharp-eyed archer with an animal companion, a Lynx named Shadow.
*   **Grokk:** ([Orc Barbarian Lv. 19 - Tier 1]) - Less berserker rage, more brute strength and intimidation. Wielded a massive maul.
*   **Seraphina:** ([Half-Elf Cleric Lv. 18 - Tier 1]) - Focused on healing and holy wards. Carried a silver mace.
*   **Kael:** ([Human Duelist Lv. 15 - Tier 1]) - Officially. (Real: [Duelist Lv. 21], [Shadow Scout Lv. 19], [Mana Weaver Lv. 18]). His role was flank security and scouting alongside Zephyr.

Torvin laid out the plan curtly. Maintain a tight perimeter around the ten merchant wagons day and night. Zephyr and Kael handle forward and flank reconnaissance. Lysandra and Seraphina provide magical support. Grokk and Torvin himself form the frontline defense. Standard procedure, but the tension was palpable. Everyone knew about the vanishing caravans.

The first few days of the journey were tense but uneventful. They traveled north, then branched eastward onto the less-maintained trade road leading towards Stonefall. The landscape became increasingly rugged, dominated by windswept hills and distant, jagged peaks shrouded in cloud – the Dragon's Teeth.

Kael worked closely with Zephyr. The Wood Elf was quiet but observant, his Lynx companion, Shadow, an incredible scout in its own right. Kael used his [Shadow Scout] skills (the real Lv. 19 versions), carefully feeding information through his fabricated Lv. 15 [Duelist] persona. "My artifact helps me sense ground vibrations," or "The stone feels colder when we face that direction," became his excuses for detecting things beyond normal perception. Zephyr accepted these explanations with typical elven reserve, more interested in results than methods.

They spotted signs of trouble – old bandit camps (long abandoned), tracks of large predators (Cave Bears, Mountain Lions – Tier 1), but nothing directly threatening the caravan. Yet, the atmosphere grew heavier the deeper they ventured into the foothills. A sense of being watched pervaded the landscape. Even Grokk seemed less boisterous, keeping his maul close at hand.

On the fifth day, while scouting ahead, Kael and Zephyr found it. Tucked away in a narrow canyon off the main road – the wreckage of a caravan. Not bandits. The wagons were splintered, smashed by incredible force. Cargo was strewn everywhere, untouched. There were no bodies, no bloodstains, no tracks of any discernible creature around the wreckage itself. Just... absence.

"By the Ancients," Zephyr breathed, his usual calm shaken. Shadow the Lynx paced nervously, fur bristling.

Kael scanned the area with every sense he possessed. [Detect Presence] found nothing living nearby. [Sense Mana] picked up... ozone? Like after a massive electrical discharge, but faded, days old. And beneath that, incredibly faint, almost undetectable traces of something vast and ancient. Not magic as he understood it, more like... pure, primal energy residue.

He focused on the ground near the smashed wagons. No footprints. But there *were* strange, shallow depressions in the rock itself, almost like landing impacts, spaced far apart. And faint scorch marks, consistent with intense heat or energy discharge.

"What do you make of it, Kael?" Zephyr asked, valuing Kael's 'artifact sensitivity'.

"Something big," Kael said truthfully. "Something powerful. Hit fast, hard. Left almost no trace." He pointed out the scorch marks and depressions. "Not like any beast I've heard of."

They reported back to Torvin, who ordered the caravan halted immediately. The dwarf examined the wreckage site himself, his face grim. "This confirms the rumors. Not bandits, not beasts." He looked towards the looming peaks. "Something flies from those mountains."

The 'Wyrm' whispers suddenly felt chillingly real.

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Publishment Date:  8/4/2025