Verlais huffed and puffed as he held his arm in pain, limping out of the golden arena. Behind him, a large, green Veth roared, victorious and pretty much unharmed. Despite all his studying and planning, he hadn’t even made a dent in the Veth’s defenses.
As Verlais leaned against a wall to regain his composure (and perhaps some of his dignity), he spotted a stretcher being attended to by several Deitics. Lying in it was Lua, who, to put it lightly, had been completely wrecked by the Veth only minutes before Verlais’s brief battle.
“How long did you last, Time-Drake?” Lua tutted as he dismissed his carers and sat up.
“Longer than you.”
Lua rolled his eyes. He knew that the team of Kronaron were likely to beat him and his forced team of idiots. “Thought as much. Against little Ignis, I assume?”
“Yes. Why do you care, Lanex.”
Another sigh. The Deitic growled almost, but held his tongue from being too angry. “I would rather you call me Anexartan. The Lanex are long gone, little Vrekan. As to why I care, I came here not to fight but to study. I crave information on one of the most powerful, and, in my opinion, one of the most horrible, disgusting species in existence. And I feel you would like to know more as well, yes?”
Verlais remained silent. In the distance, he could hear the Veth roaring with glee as it fought someone else. The Deitic was right, he was innately curious about the Veth. But to him, the Veth were almost mythological beings, destined to devour the universe when the Cycle died.
“We have opposite opinions on the Veth. It could come in handy as we find out more about them,” Verlais finally muttered. “If anyone is to defeat them, it would have to be a team effort.”
“And very, very secret,” Lua added. “The Veth act differently when they know they are being watched. We need to find a way to make our presence invisible to them. To all their senses preferably. Did you know, Verlais, that very few beings have observed what Veth do when they are not hunting?”
Verlais shrugged, then suddenly smiled. “I remember, when the Soul Rupture happened, helping capture Veth. We all learned a lot back then. But back then I didn’t know I would end up being a Kronaron and had little time for amassing knowledge…”
Lua nodded, in a seemingly understanding way. As if he understood Verlais’s youthful thoughts. “Veth in captivity are not the same though. They close up. I too was only little during an opportune moment of Veth appearances. I wasted my time. But now we have a better opportunity.”
“So what do you suggest?” Verlais asked.
Lua thought to himself. “Well, first we would need to share what we know. I doubt you have as much knowledge as me, but you may have some small tidbits I require. As for how to better observe them, I think some espionage is in order…”
“We can’t just ask them questions?”
“No. Veth lie to non-morals apart from Kinisis/Thanati. As a Time-Drake though, the Veth do not smell you instantly, if at all. If I can make you invisible, you could observe them up close…”
“Or I could just hide cameras in their living quarters…” Verlais suggested.
Lua roller his eyes, annoyed that he had not thought of something so simple. “Yes, or we can do that… I assume you are ‘in’, as your kind say?”
“I am.”
“Good.”