Echo Of Infinity: 100× exp

The Echo of Infinity: Chapter 30 - Watched from Above

The discovery of the destroyed caravan cast a pall over the entire group. Torvin doubled the watch rotations and ordered the wagons circled tightly each night, reinforcing the perimeter with wards from Seraphina and earth barriers raised by Lysandra. Travel during the day became slower, more cautious, with Kael and Zephyr scouting further afield, constantly scanning the skies as much as the ground.

Kael felt the pressure mount. His real skills ([Shadow Scout Lv. 20], [Mana Weaver Lv. 19]) provided incredibly detailed information – subtle air currents, distant cries of birds changing patterns, faint energy fluctuations – but he had to filter it, present only believable snippets attributed to his Lv. 15 [Duelist] 'artifact senses'.

```
[ Shadow Scout reached Lv. 20! ]
[ Attribute Points Gained: +2 (Allocate Manually: DEX +1, WIS +1) ]
[ New Skill Available: [Shadow Scout] - [Eagle Eye Lv. 1] (Passive: Enhances long-range vision) ]
[ Class Evolution Ready: Choose Path (Ranger / Infiltrator / Nightblade) ]
```

He now had both primary classes ready to evolve beyond Tier 1 recognition. He mentally selected [Nightblade], the prerequisites met thanks to the shadow magic encounter, but held off activating it.

One afternoon, while scouting a ridge overlooking the road ahead, Kael’s new [Eagle Eye] skill picked up something Zephyr missed initially. High up, circling near the jagged, cloud-wreathed peaks of Dragon's Tooth, was a speck. Too large for an eagle, too fast for a condor. It moved with unnatural grace against the turbulent mountain winds.

"Zephyr," Kael whispered, pointing subtly. "High. Eleven o'clock. See it?"

The Elf shielded his eyes, focusing his keen vision. "Aye... Dark shape. Wings?" His voice held uncertainty. "Too far to be sure. Could be a trick of the light, or..."

"Or what the locals whisper about," Kael finished grimly.

They watched for several minutes. The shape remained distant, circling lazily, before finally vanishing behind a towering peak. Whether it had seen them or was simply patrolling its territory, they couldn't know. But the feeling of being watched intensified tenfold.

They reported the sighting to Torvin. The Dwarf listened stoically, his knuckles white where he gripped his shield. "We press on. Stonefall is only two days' ride. We stay alert. Lysandra, Seraphina, be ready with defensive spells at all times."

The next day passed under extreme tension. Every shadow seemed menacing, every gust of wind carried imagined wingbeats. Kael found himself constantly scanning the skies, his hand never far from his sword or the Resonance Stone. He noticed Lysandra quietly tracing runes on the ground whenever they halted, reinforcing earth defenses. Seraphina murmured prayers almost constantly, her silver mace glowing faintly.

That night, they camped in a relatively open area, sacrificing cover for better visibility. The double watch scanned the skies relentlessly. Kael took the midnight watch with Grokk. The Orc, usually prone to loud snoring, was wide awake, nervously hefting his maul.

"Sky-things," Grokk muttered, staring up at the star-dusted sky. "Grak hate sky-things. Can't smash 'em good if they don't land."

Suddenly, Shadow, Zephyr's Lynx companion who often stayed near the perimeter even off-watch, let out a low, guttural growl, its fur bristling as it stared intently towards the dark peaks.

Kael's senses screamed. [Detect Presence] flared, registering something *massive* moving high above, still distant but approaching. [Sense Mana] picked up that same, faint primal energy signature he'd felt at the wreckage, stronger now.

"Incoming!" Kael yelled, drawing his sword. "Something big, from the peaks!"

Alarms rang through the camp. Torvin bellowed orders. Lysandra and Seraphina scrambled to reinforce the wards. Heavy crossbows mounted on the wagons were cranked and aimed upwards.

Then they saw it. A colossal shape blotting out the stars, descending rapidly towards them, wings spanning wider than any wagon. It wasn't a dragon of myth, not exactly. It was leaner, covered in dark, iridescent scales that seemed to absorb the starlight, with whip-like twin tails and a head built for speed and rending bites. Its eyes glowed with cold, blue intelligence. A Wyvern? No, something older, stranger. A Sky Tyrant, perhaps, from the Age of Myths. Its Tier was impossible to gauge, but the sheer pressure emanating from it felt overwhelming, easily Tier 3, maybe higher.

It let out a piercing shriek that vibrated in their bones, a sound of pure predatory dominance. And then it dove.

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Publishment Date:  8/4/2025