The massive waterfall let out a loud noise covering this part of the forest. Little particles of water floated around the river basin. However, the waterfall's massive current did not seem to continue down the river.
Instead, it seemed to calm down right at the bottom. This was because the river basin was quite deep. It was the home of the river serpents, and they had made quite some changes to it.
For starters, the basin extended deep into the cliff, a testament to the digging capabilities of the basilisks. There was also some built in shelters in the mountain that were above the water level but still underground, forming a massive cave.
There were special green and blue gems embedded on the walls of the cave, so as to provide some light in this underground cave. The serpents had invested a lot of time and effort to modify the cave to make it comfortable for them.
It was in this cave that a powerful looking river snake stood towering over the juniors that had taken part in the competition. His face was wrinkled with disappointment and contempt.
"Defeated by fairies smaller than your own face!" Erebus sighed once more. He was not talking to anyone in particular, which made it even worse. "Be gone! And await a heavy punishment!"
Erebus then retreated to his chambers, which was nothing more than a hole in the ground. The other serpents moved out of his way, afraid of his temper. This was worse than anger. He was disappointed, and to any junior, this was much worse.
However, as he made his way, a small junior came sprinting out of the water. As he approached the massive elder, he slowed down, afraid to speak his message.
"Well..." Erebus prompted, turning his attention to the junior. In his mind, he thought that it couldn't get any worse. How wrong he was.
"Senior, a human stands on our shores," The junior whispered.
"Human? Simply consume him, do I even need to tell you this?" Erebus shouted in anger. What a trivial thing to bring to his attention.
"Senior," the little junior hesitated, "it is the same human as last time, the one who killed some of our seniors, and took the other members away. We thought it prudent to call you."
When Erebus heard that, he grimaced, his entire countenance falling. Of all the news he would have wanted to receive that day, this was the last he had imagined. What was that madman doing here?
Without much ado, he quickly dived into the water and came out on the other side. Rising above the water level of the river basin, Erebus found his guest sitting on some rocks by the river.
The human looked quite tall, rising well above six feet. He was also very muscular, with a lean face and a well-chiseled body. He was wearing a simple vest, showcasing the impressive features of his upper body.
"You've kept me waiting," The human said as he chewed on some grass by the river, looking as though he was having the time of his life. One could be tempted to ignore such a simple statement given in such a carefree manner, but Erebus knew better.
Buried inside the veneer of carefreeness was arrogance and pride. That simple statement was not that simple. However, Erebus could not show weakness, otherwise his people were in danger.
"I did not know you were coming," Erebus answered simply. What kind of foul reasons brought this kind of trouble to his shores? He wondered.
Turning his head to give the basilisk a look, the human simply stated, "I have come to collect."
Hearing those words, Erebus was stunned. Had it really come to this? The most infuriating thing was how casually these words were spoken.
Seeing the serpent go quiet, the human looked impatient, "You know the drill, or do you want me to take you?" Another simple statement. It did not even sound like a threat, more like a statement of fact. This went to show how splendid the human's confidence was.
After a few more seconds of silence, where the human got even more impatient, Erebus sighed. It was laced with apathy. With a deep breath, he shouted, "Manati!" After a few minutes of waiting, a serpent's head rose above the water, catching the attention of the human.
"Come on out, don't be shy," the burly man said as he looked at the young serpent. He had on a sinister look. Turning its attention to his senior, the serpent named Manati glided forward, its head lowered.
This was the same serpent that had fought head-to-head with Sifa. Now it was being offered up to the human.
"Where are you taking him?" Erebus asked. He could feel a deep pain inside him, as he lamented the loss of one of his own.
"What's it to you? Even if I want to make soup out of him?" The human callously answered, seeming unbothered by anything. Even Manati paused for a moment.
"Worry not child, he's only jesting," Erebus stated, when he noticed Manati's movement, or lack thereof.
Erebus was half-sure of his statement. As a species, while they were not right up there with the dragons, basilisks and other creatures of myth, they were still quite valuable. They were intelligent, magical and serpentine, a single one of them would fetch a mountain of gold while sold as a pet. This is where his confidence lay.
He had spent much of his life around humans, revered as a powerful mascot beast of a small kingdom. The entire kingdom regarded him as a symbol of their sovereignty of their kingdom.
Ah, those were the good days, Erebus reminisced. It all seemed as though it was several lifetimes ago. So much had changed, now he was little more than a slave, worse, a breeding machine. Alas, how the mighty had fallen.
"Erebus, is there something on your mind," The human seemed to sense something was off about the serpent.
"Don't you want to hear about something interesting I discovered," Erebus teased.
"Alright, I bite," the human said gesturing, "speak up."
"Let my kin go, and I will tell you," Erebus stated. He wasn't much attached to the young serpent, but their brood needed numbers. Plus, the young serpent had proven quite formidable.
"That's not happening," the human answered.
"Then at least tell me where he's going, for real," The human smirked. The serpent was driving a hard bargain.
"I have a willing buyer," the human said. Erebus waited but nothing else came. This human did not seem that chatty.
"I have found something interesting in the forest," Erebus said, taunting the human with his information.
"Yes, you've already said that. What is so interesting?" The human asked, getting impatient.
"Fine, fine, I will tell you," Erebus said, trying to sound disappointed.
"Say it already!" The human shouted.
"I have found fairies in the forest," Erebus said, and simply went quiet.
"Go on," The human said after waiting a while. He could see the serpent was toying with him, but he allowed it these simple pleasures.
Erebus then proceeded to tell him all about his discovery, and what transpired after that. He even described the bout, and how the fairies handled themselves. He didn't disclose the full story, only making out some bits of strength of the fairies.
His purpose was simple. Since both sides had come seeking trouble, he was going to let them duke it out. It would bring some much-needed relief from the human and transfer their interest over to the fairies. That way, his brood would get time to mature, and maybe he could even dream of escape.
"Where did they come from?" The human answered, "which direction?"
"I did not see where they came from, but I saw which direction they went after their return," Erebus answered.
"You, find them for me," The human signaled to Manati, and he simply walked off. For a moment, Manati thought of running off into the jungle, but he did not. If this human could intimidate his senior, he was sure he wouldn't get far.
Soon, a human and a serpent walked off into the jungle. Turns out, the serpents had a very powerful sense of smell. Since fairies were impossible to track by foot, the next best thing was to follow their scent.
Kigen, who was miles away, remained blissfully unaware that he was about to receive a strange guest.