Legend of Mautau: Angelorum Lux

Ch 7: Terror of Nosus

As the hover car made its way down the road from the South Gate exit towards the main road, Amy continued to stare out the window at the grassy plains, the edges of forests, the towering Montorium mountain range in the distance. It all looked quite empty in the darkness of night, illuminated only by the weak moonlight. Humanity had once had a population so large it numbered in the billions, but after the Dark Age it’s numbers dwindled, and even now after more than five hundred years of prosperity it did not come close to being as numerous.

That was half the reason much of the world’s land was still unreclaimed. The other half was because of the fierce beasts that inhabited the wilds of Teramis, lurking throughout forests and ruins. It was not wise for travelers to stray far from the roads, and it is rare for anyone other than traveling merchants or supply transports to travel by land at all, especially now that strange creatures known as anomalies have started to appear during the past thirty years. It is believed anomalies are created from corpses that are affected by EDE in a way that somehow reanimates them, but scientists still can’t say for sure. Amy could only wonder how Altera Veritas actually managed to control them.

“Alright, we’ve managed to escape the city, and it looks as though we’re not being pursued…” Alexander said as they drove on.

Then he turned to Grey and asked, “What now?”

Grey seemed to think for a moment, and then he replied, “I found records in the Imperial Library of some suspicious shipments to Abnoct. I want to head there, but that’s the nearest town… It’d be the first place the Guild would look for us…”

In agreement, Alexander said, “You’re right, we need to lay low somewhere for a while. There’s a forest up ahead. We can camp out there I suppose.”

Hearing this, Amy turned her attention away from the world outside the window to look at Grey and Alexander in concern, saying, “We’re going to camp out in a forest?! What about monsters, or… or wild anomalies?!”

Grey turned to look back at her with a smirk as he said, “I’m sure me and Alexander can handle it.”

Suddenly Serius, who was still on the roof of the hover car, interrupted the conversation, leaning his head over the side of the roof to look into the driver’s side window as he said, “Alexander, my strength is fading. I cannot maintain this form for much longer…”

Grey and Amy both looked at him with a confused look, but Alexander simply said, “Alright Serius, we’re just about to stop and rest. The forest is just up ahead.”

Serius retracted his head, and as Alexander drove on, Amy and Grey looked at Alexander expectantly.

Alexander ignored their stares, and Grey finally asked, “What the hell was that about? Who is that guy anyway?”

Alexander kept his attention on the road as he said, “That man has been a friend of mine for a very, very long time. Without him I wouldn’t be here and…”

He glanced at Grey as he added, “…neither would you.”

Turning off the road as they approached the edge of the forest, Alexander steered the hover car between trees and through dense foliage. They came across a clearing a short ways into the forest, illuminated by the dim moonlight, and Alexander decided it would make a perfect spot for them to camp out. As they all exited the vehicle, Amy looked around with caution, searching for the presence of any dangerous creatures.

As Grey noticed this, he let out a sigh and said, “Amy, you don’t have to worry so much. Like I said, me and Alexander can take care of anything this forest can dish out. Besides, it’s not like monsters lurk around every corner. I know it’s been awhile since you’ve been outside the city, but it’s really not as bad as most people think.”