Half a day after the group of humans left, Paul went back to where the body of the queen was left.
He had observed the place for a while to make sure nothing unexpected happened.
Scorch marks and torn up pieces of earth were strewn around, reminders of the fierce battle that had taken place, however none of the participants were in sight. All that remained was the corpse of the Salamander queen, which had the majority of its scales missing among other parts. Her claws and half her tail were also gone. There was a deep cut on her chest, which just like the other cut off parts was done in a crude and clumsy manner.
Paul landed beside the body and walked around it, looking at the state it was left it.
(How nice of them, they descaled it for me)
After her death, Paul wanted to stay since the other Salamander were so delicious. If the other ones were that tasty, how good would the queen be. The question ran constantly through his head, but he wasn't going to risk a fight with the humans at the time. All the other monsters inside the mountain tried to kill him once they got near and he didn't know how they would react to him.
He had spent more than half his Fey when he summoned the boulder that killed the queen and he didn't feel confident in his chances back then, whilethey were strong enough to hold their own against the lizards and the last thing he needed was even more trouble.
That still didn't mean he was going to pass up the chance for this gourmet meal though.
One thing he had learned, was that his Fey recovered faster by eating monsters than it did when he ate the moss in his first nest. Not to mention he didn't have a lot of chances to enjoy himself, since he had to focus on survival first and foremost. Thus Paul spent hours on end keeping watch over the area from afar until the group of humans left. Then he waited some more to make sure there were no nasty surprises there. He had been on the run from the Salamanders for days and now that their queen is dead, it was time for them to stop pursuing him.
Nom, nom, nom
Without any reservation he started chomping down on that delightful meat. As usual it was cooked to perfection and melted in his mouth like butter. Every amazing bite brought him an undeniable sense of satisfaction and so he savored it to the utmost limit, one bite at a time.
He continued eating more and more until his stomach started bulging and he nodded contently as he noticed his Fey climbing back up to full capacity.
Burp!
Eventually he slumped to the ground like a roosting chicken once he ate his fill. He shifted around until he was comfortable enough. His bloated stomach and fluffy feathers made him look like he was two sizes bigger than he actually was.
(That hit the spot)
Paul took the time to enjoy the moment. After so many days of running and worrying, now he could finally relax. No longer was he being chased, he wasn't in danger and he had a full belly. The only thing missing now was a safe nest. For some reason he could only take a guess at, being in his Phoenix form he barely noticed the heat emanating from the nearby lava. In fact now that there weren't any other pressing matters he had to focus on, it felt cozy and warm.
(Wait! Now's not the time for this. I finally have a way out and I'm gonna use it)
He stood up in a hurry and looked towards the tunnel the humans had used before. That was his ticket to the outside world. Even if he was now moderately safe, he had already made up his mind to enjoy himself in this new world.
(Whatever danger is out there doesn't matter, I'm not gonna waste away in this volcano. It's just a shame about this)
He turned and saw his 'leftovers'. Not even a fifth of the queens body had been consumed and sadly for him, he simply wouldn't be able of taking the rest with him, since she was many times bigger than Paul. However the disappointment wouldn't last long, as the outside awaited him.
So far things had gone contrary to his expectations.
Despite getting a second chance in a fantastical world, he was now reduced to a miscolored pigeon. Instead of gaining overpowered skills, they turned out to be powerful in name only and rather then breezing through an exciting adventure, he had to fight for his life on a regular basis.
But that would surely change as long as he reached the outside, his isekai adventure life would finally begin.
Giggling in anticipation Paul headed towards the dark tunnel.
For the trio that came through there before it might have seemed a little narrow, as a place where they might have to fight off potential threats but for Pauls smaller Phoenix form, it appeared much larger. He had ample space to move around in and his biggest worry was his limited vision within the darkness of the tunnel.
He could barely recognize anything in the shadows, even the walls were only visible from up close.
Had Paul been in his human form, he wouldn't have seen his hands in front of his face.
Unknown to him, the inhabitants of these tunnels had used their skills to reinforce the shadows, making them an unnaturally dark, after the recent intrusion.
However he wasn't completely blind, thanks to a discovery he had made while being chased for the last few days. It was also the reason why he remained in his Phoenix form, despite the inherent danger of all monsters attacking him on sight.
Paul realized that his senses were no longer what he remembered from his time as a human.
When he hatched from his egg he hadn't noticed a difference, but after swallowing the simmering fire fragment and reaching the iron grade, a lot had changed.
For starters his eyesight had improved by leaps and bounds, just like predatory birds could spot a mouse from the sky. He had used this keen eyesight to observe the humans from afar and even now it allowed him to perceive the outlines of rocks and other objects that were in his way.
His eyes also enabled him to see colors in a richer way, which was the reason he could differentiate the darker shadows from the lighter ones.
Another little trick he discovered was related to his feathers. When he puffed up his plumage a little, he was able to sense even small vibrations from the surrounding airflow. It was very helpful while flying, but Paul had considered it otherwise useless. However now that very same ability might now lead him outside, if he just followed the airflow coming from the outside.
It took some time until these new capabilities became apparent enough, as they were underdeveloped as a newborn Phoenix, but now he was glad to have them and he was eager to see how that would develop for him in the future. After all his senses becoming sharper was a great boon to exploring this new world he found himself in.
Although first he would have to make it out of mount Ignaz and after almost an hour inside the tunnel his smile was now gone.
(It feels like this darkness goes on forever)
Paul continued walking through the tunnel, but there didn't seem to be an end in sight and it was slowly reminding him of the time when he nearly got lost in the Emberant colony.
Where in the beginning he was in a jubilant mood, it was now turning into impatience. He advanced one tiny step after the other at an accelerated pace, hoping to reach the exit a little faster.
His improved senses continued to lead him down a straight path to the outside, but he was also picking up something else.
From time to time he would come across strange vertical protrusion connecting the floor and the ceiling and at first he simply though they were stalactites, however he then discovered some of them were horizontal going from wall to wall. Some of them went sideways and even intersected, yet without any light source he could only perceive a vague silhouette, not what they were made of.
He had never heard about stalactites or stalagmites like this and this was merely the start of the increasing amount of oddities.
The deeper he went the more the shadows seemed to squirm and wriggle around, almost like there were alive. Occasionally he felt a soft breeze, which made him shudder as if someone was breathing down his neck.
This caused him to feel creeped out to no end, giving him the impression that the tunnel had gained sentience along the way and he was walking into a monsters maw.
Eventually the amount of obstacles became too numerous and Paul had to strain all his senses and fully focus to dodge all of them.
(How the hell did those humans get through this? If not for my size I wouldn't be able to squeeze through here)
Squish!
He ended up stepping on something soft and stretchy after momentarily getting distracted by his own thoughts.
This sensation was entirely unexpected. Why was there something squishy in between the tunnel made of earth?
But before he could ask any further, something massive emerged from the shadows and closed its mouth around Pauls torso, its teeth puncturing his skin and sinking into his flesh.
Squelch!
A wet and warm liquid spread across his feathers, as he struggled to break free from the beasts jaw.
But the grip on him didn't loosen even a tiny bit. This monster wasn't like any Paul had seen so far.
This monster stood one meter tall with a slender and lean two meter long body, whose deep black body hair blended into the darkness. Its eight legs ended in a padded paw, which made its every step completely silent. It was one who specialized in ambushes from the shadows, one who caused humans to be afraid of stepping into the shadows and thus was nicknamed as the shadow stalker.
Also known by the name of its species, the Obscuranoid nox.