LEVEL EVERYTHING UP in my Eldritch Tribe

Chapter 73: Moving in shadow

The Blast Ape soldiers, burly and tense, shifted uneasily as the masked creature approached their territory.

They stood on alert, with their massive bodies quivering with a sudden aggressive tension.

The thick, heavy brows of the largest one furrowed deeply, and the muscles of its broad shoulders twitched with suspicion. Their round, deep-set eyes glinted with wariness, narrowing at the strange figure stumbling toward them.

The air grew taut with twistedness as they flexed their fingers, revealing the explosive seeds gripped tightly between them. Thump, thump, thump, went the subtle footfalls as they positioned themselves to throw, ready to obliterate the unknown threat in seconds.

"Hrrmph… krrraagh," grunted the guard leader, his eyes flicking back and forth between the masked figure and his comrades. His nostrils flared, snorting heavily as if trying to detect any familiar scent from the strange creature before them.

The other Blast Apes mirrored his posture, their hulking forms shifting restlessly in the tall grass, and their feet were pounding the earth with impatience.

Hidden in the shadow of a towering tree, Lyerin watched with an extreme focus, his body as still as the air around him. His breathing was measured, his pulse steady.

He watched every movement of the Blast Apes, eyes flitting from one suspicious gesture to another, his mind calculating the timing, the response, the possibility of passing undetected. He observed how the explosive seeds gleamed in their hands, with an aggressive trembling tension in their muscles as they readied themselves to hurl destruction upon the intruder.

One wrong move, and the plan would be lost.

Meanwhile, the teenager Blast Ape swayed on its feet, the crude mask of the Cragar'Throm Clan Mana beast still loosely covering its face. The creature emitted a low, confused groan, "Urrf... Huungh."

Its staggering steps kicked up small clouds of dust as it struggled to keep balance. Its mouth opened slightly as if to speak, but only a strained sound escaped: "Auurugh…"

The Blast Ape guards stiffened at the noise, with their eyes widening in shock.

Immediately, they glanced at each other, startled by the sound.

Their heads bobbed up and down, muscles rippling beneath their thick fur as they communicated in their grunting language.

"Kroo… krah?" one of them vocalized, its head tilting in question.

"Hrruph… wrah-wrah," the guard leader responded, shaking his head in confusion, unsure of what to make of the situation.

A few of the guards clenched their fists tighter around the seeds, poised to throw.

Tension buzzed in the air like the hum of angry wind.

The grunts became louder, more insistent, as they tried to decide whether to act or wait. Their hands twitched and their eyes were narrowing as they prepared for the worst.

But before they could react, the teenage Blast Ape, disoriented and stumbling, reached up and yanked the mask from its face.

With a clumsy move, it dropped the Cragar'Throm Clan's grotesque head to the ground.

The Blast Ape guards froze, their eyes widening in disbelief.

"Wurph!" one of them exclaimed, its massive jaw dropping open.

The other guards exchanged shocked glances, the confusion in their eyes turning to realization.

Then, the silence broke with a deep, rumbling chuckle, "Hur-hur-hurrr." One of the guards began laughing—a low, raspy sound that echoed through the clearing.

It was soon joined by another guard, who slapped its hand against its thigh, its hoots of laughter shaking its body.

"Harrr-harrr-harrr!" The laughter immediately became infectious.

One by one, the Blast Apes started laughing, doubling over as their hoots filled the air, their booming voices bouncing off the trees.

Even the guard leader, who had been on the verge of commanding an attack, snorted in amusement, covering his face with a large, hairy hand.

Lyerin, from his vantage point in the shadows, felt a slow grin tug at the corners of his mouth.

He had expected this reaction.

Blast Apes, though brutish, had an odd sense of humor. Their nature was one of camaraderie, and they often found humor in the clumsy antics of their own kind. It was precisely why Lyerin had bet on this moment of confusion to buy time.

The laughter allowed him to fade deeper into the shadows, slipping away unnoticed as tries to go deeper in the Blast Ape community.

The Blast Ape guards, now thoroughly entertained, decided to play along. One of them stepped forward, shaking its head with a playful grunt. "Hrraaarph," it chuckled as it picked up the Cragar'Throm Clan's mask and placed it back on the teenage Blast Ape's head.

The drunken creature swayed once more, too dazed to react properly, and the guards burst into another round of belly laughs.

"Harrr-harrr-harrr!"

They led the teenager deeper into the heart of the community, still chuckling at the ridiculous sight. Inside, the other apes halted their activities as the masked figure stumbled past, their eyes wide with surprise.

The air inside the camp was thick with the scent of damp earth and fur, and the towering trees provided a thick canopy, casting everything in dim light.

Apes, large and small, lined either side of the dirt path, watching in stunned silence as the masked creature made its awkward entrance.

At the center of the camp, a massive Blast Ape stood tall, its presence commanding and imposing.

It was the community Blast Ape leader, its muscles rippling beneath its scarred, thick hide. Its sharp eyes gleamed with intelligence, and for a moment, they narrowed in suspicion as the masked teenager approached.

The other apes, watching from the sidelines, whispered among themselves, exchanging puzzled glances.

Their wide mouths hung open in disbelief.

A few of the larger ones tensed, their hands instinctively reaching for the explosive seeds at their sides.

But then, just as quickly as they had readied themselves for battle, the masked teenager stumbled once more and yanked off the mask.

The head of the Cragar'Throm Clan fell with a soft thud to the ground, revealing the teenage Blast Ape's confused, drunken face beneath.

The entire crowd fell silent, with their eyes immediately flicking between the leader and the disoriented teenager.

For a heartbeat, the tension hung heavy, scraggy and wild in the air.

Then, slowly, a deep rumbling began to emanate from the community leader's chest. His face contorted into a wide, toothy grin, and his heavy brow were lifted in amusement.

"Hurr-hurr-hurr," the community leader chuckled, his deep voice echoing through the camp.

The other apes, seeing their leader's amusement, began to laugh as well. "Harrr-harrr-harrr!" they hooted, slapping their thighs and stomping their feet.

The noise grew louder and louder, a cacophony of ape laughter that shook the very ground beneath them.

The teenage ape blinked in confusion, unsure of what was so funny. He looked around at the laughing apes, his eyes narrowing in anger.

"Hrraaah!" the teenager growled, his face twisting in frustration. How dare they laugh at him! His fists clenched at his sides, his chest heaving with fury. His vision blurred, his breath coming in short, rapid gasps.

Then, without warning, his eyes began to glow red, the veins on his forehead pulsing with violent energy.

The laughter around him faltered and stopped as the other apes noticed the change in his demeanor.

They stared at him, with their smiles fading as confusion turned to concern.

"Boom!"

The teenager's head exploded with a deafening sound, sending chunks of flesh and bone flying in all directions.

The camp fell into stunned silence once more because of that, as if the blast was still ringing in their ears.

For a long, tense moment, no one moved.

The ground seemingly tries to pull them with the smell of burnt flesh and blood.

The apes stared at the spot where the teenager had stood, and then fell down with a thud, making their faces blank with shock.

Then, slowly, the community leader began to chuckle again. "Hurr-hurr-hurr," he rumbled, his laughter deep and booming.

It wasn't long before the others joined in, their laughter growing louder and louder until the entire camp was shaking with mirth once more.

They didn't seem to care about the bloody mess; in fact, it only seemed to add to the absurdity of the situation.

"Harr-harr-harr!"

Meanwhile, Lyerin watched from a hidden spot near the edge of the camp. He leaned back against the rough bark of a tree, pulling something small and bitter from a pouch at his waist.

He popped it into his mouth, wincing as the acrid taste flooded his senses. His face contorted with discomfort, his lips pulling back as if he had bitten into something rotten.

"Ugh," Lyerin groaned quietly, his nose wrinkling as he forced himself to chew.

The bitterness was overwhelming, but he needed the sharp focus it provided.

His eyes narrowed as he glanced back at the laughing apes, their booming voices echoing across the jungle. He could feel the burning taste still seeping into his tongue, but after a few moments, the bitterness began to fade.

Lyerin's lips curled into a small, satisfied smile. It worked! He had sent the Blast Apes into chaos, and now, they were none the wiser about his presence. They laughed, oblivious to the game they were playing—one that he had carefully orchestrated from the shadows.

And just like, he disappeared and could be seen speeding like a blur of shadows, unafraid to be discovered.