Chapter 1093: The Suspicious Owl Monster
Abyss Tyrant and the strange monster marched back together, and the creature dared not try anything foolish, even though Abyss Tyrant walked casually behind it.
"But Lord Commander, I have to ask. You are not a monster, are you? You are something like me, are you not? Are you perhaps antisocial?"
He scratched his head.
"Oh, right, right—a monster like you can’t really know what antisocial means. You know, there is social and then there is anti. And when you can’t do either, you just call yourself antisocial. It’s really a fun thing to be. I am antisocial; that’s why you find me lurking in the depths of a tunnel, cursed to never die."
His rigid, strong tone dropped to a somber whisper. Then he raised his head.
"But ah! There is actually a good side to this curse! Will you guess?!"
Abyss Tyrant glared at him with casual indifference.
Apparently, the bastard took that as an answer, or perhaps was simply being delusional.
"That’s right, Lord Commander! Feathers! I get to have new, fine, beautiful feathers. This time it’s grey; last time it was blue... quite unmatching for an antisocial like me, I know, but it’s not like we get to decide these things. It’s something in our body responsible for it, I guess."
He paused and glanced back at Abyss Tyrant, enviously eyeing his glossy black skin.
"You must shed your skin a lot, Lord Commander, or how do you maintain such flawless skin? Do you use treatments, by the way? Wanna share some tips with this old dude?"
Abyss Tyrant did not respond, so the Owl monster fell silent as they walked further.
As they neared the entrance, Abyss Tyrant stopped, staring forward with a suspicious glare.
The Owl monster shaded his eyes and squinted.
"Oh, looks like there’s a dead boy there. One of yours?"
Abyss Tyrant flashed forward in an instant. The Owl monster, startled, nearly staggered away, looking back—but Abyss Tyrant was still standing there.
And another Abyss Tyrant stood ahead, looking down at the boy with broken glasses, lying in a pool of his own blood.
The second Abyss Tyrant and the abomination trekked forward to meet the other one standing above Erik’s cold body.
He turned his head and looked at them as they approached.
The monster staggered back, visibly startled.
"What? Don’t look at me like that—I didn’t do anything. The whole time, you were dealing with me, remember?"
Abyss Tyrant looked down. Even though his eyes were lightless, the disturbance in them could still be felt.
The Owl monster hesitated.
"Maybe... I could help you check him?"
Abyss Tyrant fixed him with a guarded glare.
"See, Lord Commander, I might look like this, but I used to be a very good physician. It’s a condition that makes a crayfish bend—don’t look down on me."
Abyss Tyrant continued staring with wariness.
The Owl monster glanced down at the boy drowning in his own blood.
"He’s probably still alive and dying as the seconds pass. Will you let me help, or continue to stay guarded and wary of me?"
Abyss Tyrant seemed to sigh. Then he stepped back while the one behind pushed the Owl man forward.
He moved closer to Erik’s body and knelt beside him. He turned him over, revealing three deep, serious gashes carved across his chest and stomach.
"Oooowwieee... that is definitely some serious injury! Needs to be treated quickly!!"
Abyss Tyrant stared at him.
"What? Don’t look at me like that! Don’t you guys have a state-of-the-art medical facility around here?! It’s been a while since I’ve been to the surface world—I’m sure it would be beyond state-of-the-art, cosmo-tech standard for sure!"
He stood up.
"Lord Commander, lift the boy and let us proceed to save his life."
As he rose, Abyss Tyrant grabbed his neck and slammed him against the wall, causing him to cough up black blood, his large eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.
Abyss Tyrant glared at him silently and viciously, making him almost choke on his own saliva as he tried to swallow.
"Look! Look! It’s not that I’m trying to hide anything from you! I’m being earnest! I didn’t do anything! It’s just that..."
He looked sideways, avoiding Abyss Tyrant’s dark gaze.
"I might know who did it..."
The Tyrant’s grip on his neck tightened like a vise.
The Owl monster struggled visibly, his face contorting with strain.
"See... the tunnel has guardians... we’ve been here for so many years that we’ve lost count. Some of us guardians have grown irrational and twisted over the years. There’s no predicting what they will do."
He coughed violently, nearly suffocating. At that point, Abyss Tyrant loosened his grip slightly.
Immediately, the Owl spoke rapidly.
"I am just one of the many monsters that are supposed to be guides of the tunnel. We were meant to watch over the rails and prevent certain catastrophes from happening, but over time, we have been forgotten. Many have grown feral; many have abandoned their posts. I am the only one left in my own tunnel—most of the others have wandered away one way or another. We are all bound by the same curse, so I know that we are all alive somehow.
"Listen, Lord Commander, just let me quickly save the boy. I promise I’m not trying to deceive you or anything. I will get into the details. Is that alright, sir?"
Abyss Tyrant stared silently for a moment. The most chilling and disturbing thing about his glare was that nothing was there—yet it made the Owl shiver uncontrollably.
As he released his hands, the Owl monster crumpled to the ground.
Abyss Tyrant walked forward naturally, merging with his other self and continuing ahead with his staff.
The Owl monster stared down at the body.
"Seriously?! I’m supposed to carry him? I’m the physician, Lord Commander!"
Abyss Tyrant paid him no attention and continued walking forward.
He struggled briefly but managed to sling the boy over his back, whimpering.
"Oh feathers, oh my poor feathers..."