The group of Yeti is slowly filling the plateau, but other than the growling, there are no obviousclues about why they have decided to attack in such large numbers.
Cain should smell like a Dwarf in this form so that it won't be that. Maybe they are hungry?
"How had this last season been for berries and wildlife in the mountains? They aren't hungry enough to start eating dwarves, are they?" Cain whispers to the merchant next to him.
"It shouldn't have been that bad. But this is more Yeti than we thought were in the area. If they have been secretly growing in population, they might have eaten everything they could, and now they're being forced to scrounge or move to find food." The Dwarf whispers back.
That's not good news. Yeti are beasts, brutal even though they don't have access to the system. Cain's interface ranks the adults at just over level 200 but focuses on using the Earth Elemental's senses to complement the sensory enhancements from the Seraphim and Forest Dragon. Like that, Cain can tell that many of them have small forms on their backs.
"Look closely; doesn't it look like quite a few of them are carrying young ones?" Cain asks quietly, and most of the dwarves turn to look at him.
"You can see them? Not just the eyes?"
Cain nods his confirmation. "Not well, but some are carrying a small body."
"It must be the seasonal migration come early. Everyone back up close to the fire and the wagons and wait. Once their weaker members have passed by, the stronger warriors in their clan should follow without attacking. At least, we can hope." The leader mutters, and the scattered group gathers together in one spot.
At first, it seems to be working; the eyes in the dark begin to move, and they can hear walking and growling, but as the last few eyes disappear, Cain feels something moving behind them. The Earth Elemental is sensitive to anything living touching the ground.
"Behind us. Something circled." Cain informs the group, drawing his Scimitar.
If they do have to fight in the dark, he will bring out his spear as well, but for now, this will be enough.
Without any warning, the largest of the Yeti charges the camp, grabbing the closest Dwarf and crushing the life from him. Cain charges in, kicking the four-meter tall beast back out of the fire light where the others won't be able to see the battle, and draws his spear.
The first thrust is blocked and knocked aside by the furry monster, but his sword cuts deep into its side. The Yeti shudders for a second as [Pestilence] takes effect, giving Cain the chance to land another blow, but then the creature's resistance stops the effect, and it is back in action, though with well under a third of its total health remaining.
That is all the fight it needed to know that it was not going to win this confrontation, and it gives an echoing roar before fleeing down the mountain.
Cain rushes back to see a lot of blood on the ground and signs of more headed down the hill, with several wounded Dwarves huddled around the fire. His aura would have been healing them the entire time, so they must have taken some pretty severe injuries to still be in this bad shape.
"The leader fled down the hill after the pack. How bad was it here?" Cain asks, looking over the group.
"We lost six, and unless this healing Totem is extra amazing, we might lose more. The Shaman is in a bad way." One of the dwarves informs him.
Cain can see the Shaman is slowly recovering, but he has a healing reduction debuff that is resisting the aura's attempt to cleanse him.
He most likely will not die, at least not with Cain around, but it might be half a day before he has recovered unless that debuff wears off, and that would be highly suspicious since his Totem won't last much longer.
Cain's luck holds, though, and the debuff wears off before the Totem expires, letting the Dwarf recover enough to cast a fresh one.
"Well, that was too close for comfort. My thanks to the Deep Dwarf for dealing with the Yeti Boss. Unlike you, we aren't part elemental; no way we could have stopped that thing. You didn't take too much damage, did you?"
Cain shakes his head. "What I did take your Totem already cured."
They collect what they can of the bodies into a litter, dragged behind the wagon so that they can adequately bury the dead and head out at first light. After the attack, nobody would be sleeping anymore, and they just wanted to get away from that blood-soaked ledge.
They won't make it to their destination for a few more days, but they get a chance to stop off at a mine and make funeral arrangements placing the fallen merchants to rest in an abandoned shaft, as is Dwarven custom.
The following overnight location is a cave, giving them a much safer feeling than the open-air spot from last night. At least it does once they have checked every corner and crack for possible hidden threats and secondary access points.
They might be paranoid, but they're not going to get ambushed by Yeti again tonight, that is for sure.
The afternoon of the third day finally brings Cain to the modern city of Hygar. Unusual for a Dwarven city, it is built on and under a valley floor instead of being placed most of the way up a mountain.
Cain suspects that is because they reused Ancient mine shafts to form the basis of their city. Since the Ancients are so large, the tunnels would be very well sized for a Dwarven city giving plenty of headroom for ventilation.
The surface level looks similar to the villages in the foothills, with tidily organized stone buildings, clean roads, and a small assortment of Beastkin working and living beside the dwarves. This time it is mostly Bear Kin, and Cain smiles as he adds more varieties of Beastkin to his collection.
You don't see many bears in the desert or in tropical jungles, and the Long Fang Valley is full of Wolf and Fox type Beastkin.
Unfortunately none of these have a system, so as actual summons they won't be of much use, but they are still a variety of new species and forms for his collection. Cain tried the same with the dwarves everywhere he had been, but found that dwarves here are the same as dwarves without a system at home as far as his ability is concerned.
"Welcome to the Low Valley Tavern. How can I help you tonight?" The stout and matronly Dwarven woman working the bar greets them as Cain and half the merchants come in for a drink while the leaders set up to sell their goods.
"We all need Ale, and I'm hoping to learn a bit more about the ancient ruins nearby. The rumor at home was that there is still a good ore deposit hidden there, just waiting for a Deep Dwarf to find it." Cain answers setting a Gold Coin on the bar.
"It is good to see that even travelers speak proper Dwarven." The older lady chuckles pocketing the coin.
"Go three peaks south, then one east. A Deep Dwarf should find the entrance. The ruins aren't out in the open as most looters expect them to be, but they are there. It is bad mojo though, so smart dwarves don't go there. Too much of the lingering evil of the Ancients remains in their places." She explains and Cain nods.
"I have heard all sorts of wild and crazy things about the Ancients, but you never know what you will find after so long. It may be that time has claimed most of it back, or it might be that I will have to go deep underneath to find what I am looking for." Cain's answer makes the dwarves in the bar smile. Of course a Deep Dwarf would end up at the very bottom of a mine shaft in the end. It is their natural habitat, like they are drawn to the depths.
"I've been near them, tending the herds and the aura of the Ancients is still strong in the region. Watch yourself if you want to get closer, they might have left traps to keep out those who would try to steal from them.
Like in the legend of Martin, the human who stole the secrets of magic and shared them with his people before he was caught and tortured into the first of the bog monsters." Another tavern patron explains.
"I don't know that one. But it sounds like a pretty horrible fate." Cain agrees, and that is all the incentive the dwarves needed to turn the subject to stories of the Ancients.
In Cain's time, most of these stories were forgotten, so he is doing his best to remember them in case they can give him insight into raising the twins. They are embellished by fearful dwarves, as expected, but there should still be a hint of truth in most of them.
