Chapter 767: The Central Lair

Following the golden-streaked Mountain Stalker, Moon and his team arrived at the bottom of the mountain.

The peak where they’d first spawned was no longer visible from their position, lost somewhere far above, hidden behind the thick fog and drifting clouds that wreathed the mountain’s heights. They’d descended the entire treacherous range, a journey that had taken them more than a full day of fighting and climbing, and now at last, they finally stood at its base.

"That Stalker saved us a lot of trouble," Priya said, approval clear in her voice. "It took us through routes we’d never have found on our own. Hidden trails, shortcuts, and ways around the worst of the terrain. We’d have spent another full day picking our way down without it."

Garrett, Dmitri, and Theo nodded, sharing the sentiment. The controlled beast had turned what should have been a grueling, dangerous descent into something far more manageable, guiding them along paths known only to the creatures that lived and thrived here.

"It’s all thanks to Moon’s ability to take control of it," Theo said, glancing at the leader. Then he looked around at the base of the mountain, taking in the new rockier, flatter terrain. "But that raises the real question. Where’s the den? We’re at the bottom now, and I don’t see anything that looks like a central lair."

Moon smiled, saying nothing of what he already knew through the Curse connection.

"You’ll find out soon enough. Keep following it."

The golden Stalker pressed on, leading them across the mountain’s base, and Moon could feel through their link that they were close now. The beast’s instincts pulled toward a single destination, the heart of the mountain’s Stalker population, where the creatures answered to whatever ruled them.

Whatever had been commanding the endless packs, whatever constituted the true objective of this strange, sprawling gate, lay just ahead.

The team followed in formation, weapons ready, the fatigue of the long descent set aside in favor of anticipation. After more than a day of fighting and patient hunting, the end of the gate was finally within reach.

The controlled Stalker rounded a massive outcrop of stone, and Moon’s senses sharpened as the beast’s instincts flared.

The central den was just ahead.

The golden Stalker led them around the outcrop, and a valley opened up before them.

It sat nestled between two smaller peaks at the mountain’s base, a wide, sheltered basin ringed by towering rock walls. And it was teeming with life, or rather, with death waiting to happen.

Mountain Stalkers filled the valley, far more than the team had faced in any single den before.

But these Stalkers were much stronger than the ones they met at the top of the peak. Their golden-streaked coats marked them as the elite of their kind, the core population that dwelled at the heart of the mountain. Where the outer packs had been scattered and comparatively weak, these beasts radiated real power, each one looking capable of giving even Garrett a serious fight.

The valley was the beating heart of the Stalker population, and its inhabitants were the strongest the species had to offer.

But that wasn’t all.

Among the Stalkers, scattered throughout the valley, the team finally spotted other species. Different beasts, creatures they hadn’t encountered anywhere else on the mountain. For a moment, it offered a flicker of variety after a full day of fighting nothing but Stalkers.

Then the team understood their position.

The other species weren’t rivals or threats or anything of significance. Simply put, they were prey, and livestock.

The Stalkers had herded them, penned them within the valley, and they existed for one purpose only, food. The team watched as a pack of golden Stalkers descended on one of the other beasts, tearing it apart casually while it bleated and struggled uselessly. The valley wasn’t just a den, it was a larder, a hunting ground the Stalkers had stocked with captured prey to sustain their massive population.

"They established a farm of prey," Priya breathed, a note of unease in her voice. "That’s... I’ve never seen pack predators do something like that."

"Indeed, they are very well organized for beasts," Dmitri added, his eyes scanning the valley for threats. "Still, I don’t think that they are all this intelligent. There must be a master-mind behind this, and it’s likely the cause of this phenomenon.

Moon took in the scene as his team-mates discussed various sightings.

A central valley, the strongest Stalkers gathered here, captured prey herded in as food, the whole lair running with an unnatural level of order. This was the heart of the gate, without question.

Some apex Stalker, or something greater, was ruling this entire population from within the valley and Moon needed to find who that was and how strong they were.

"This is it," Moon said quietly, surveying the basin full of golden-streaked predators. "The central den representing everything we’ve been looking for. Whatever commands this whole population is somewhere in that valley, and clearing it is how we clear the gate."

Moon did a quite mental count of the elite stalkers. Their sheer number would have frozen any other Evolver team, but they wren’t just any other team, there were the creme of the crop.

’Over a hundred of these beasts are around, split into packs of five to ten... this is going to be a long fight. But it’s not something I’m afraid of.’ Moon thought internally, as he began turning over the plan on how to approach it best for his team.

"Okay, we can either try to divide and conquer the Mountain Stalkers one by one, which will likely make the battle thrice as long, or we can just charge in and kill everything in sight, which will make things quick but also more dangerous."

Moon reached through the Curse connection, probing the beast’s instincts for the location of its rule. Unfrotunately, it wasn’t so easy to find that out.

Whatever used to rule the Mountain Stalkers was smart, and didn’t let any random Mountain Stalker enter except for those closest to it.

"Well, if it doesn’t want to show its face. Then, we will force it to do so."