After leaving the dense thicket infested by monsters, the group first searched for shelter. It did not take them too long to find a suitable spot thankfully. Still by the time they were mostly settled down night was beginning to fall.

Sheltered from the ever present rain under the trunk of a half collapsed tree, the group settled down for a hopefully quiet evening.

And it was quiet, be it luck or not their seemed to be a distinct lack of nighttime predators in this region, or said nighttime predators simply did not bother attacking the group. Either way the morning soon came and they once more continued on their journey.

Time swiftly passed as they travelled, they got into some fights, avoided the domains of any truly powerful beasts that they sensed, and fled from more than one wandering beast lord. Like this days slowly passed by for the group of 4.

They got to experience the wonders and horrors of this region of the Endless Forest.

From the wide flowing rivers that crisscrossed the landscape, cutting their way through hills and crashing over cliffs forming majestic waterfalls. To the sprawling vista of the gargantuan trees that reached for the very sky itself.

The landscape always had something that managed to keep their attention. The terrain was just as much of a challenge to travers as the beasts that inhabited it. From vast chasms with whitewater rapids flowing at their base, to the wide lakes that dotted the landscape and acted as natural barriers, forcing the group to detour around them.

Speaking of the lakes, the group noticed that each one held a beast lord, and not just any normal lord. No, from the presences that they felt from them each of these lords was to the leve that even the mighty crocodile they ran from when first entering this region, would be nothing more than an annoyance to this apex being.

That was both a humbling yet strangely reassuring realisation. Humbling because it truly started to show what can be expected when reaching for the heights of power. Reassuring because they knew that their exsistance was so insignificant to these beasts that they did not fear them hunting them down for intruding on their domain. Granted they only ever stayed at the very edge of their domains, never daring to venture too deep into them.

Still even when they stayed away from the various lakes that dominated this region they did still manage to get a good look at several of them.

It was the third day after leaving the thicket, and fresh off a battle with a pack of snakes, the group was cresting a hill. Hoping to be able to spot a good location to set up camp. However when they crested the hill the sight that they saw stopped them in their tracks.

For the past couple of days they had been slowly climbing higher, the terrain naturally rising the further east they went. Yet upon cresting the top of this hill they realised that, that trend would stop for a while.

Before them they could see for miles, this area strangely sparse of trees and allowing them to truly take in the vista before them. Ahead, the ever rising landscape began to drop. They stood at a cliff edge, dropping down a good 50-60 meters, the landscape then continuing to drop well into the distance.

And in that distance they bore witness to a sight of true majesty, the ever present rain momentarily broke some distance away, allowing the first ray of sunshine to fall on this dreary region. Its warm rays fell down and illuminated a series of interconnected lakes, their surface reflecting the sea of emerald trees causing the water to take on their colouration.

The lakes held an unnatural structure, as if sculpted by the hand of an unknown deity. Their were 13 lakes in total, 12 smaller lakes circling around a central large lake. The great river that flowed into these bodies of water ran from north to south, entering into the giant valley that housed the arrayed lakes. The rivers path split into 3 paths at the start of the valley, the central path feeding into the large central lake whilst the two smaller streams fed the first two of the smaller lakes.

From there the small lakes fed into its adjacent neighbor, repeating until the last of the smaller lakes on its respective side of the central one. Meanwhile the large bodies of water in the middle was directly connected to the main river tributary, its outflow being met by the two smaller ones from the east and west lakes respectively.

Within these lakes movement could be seen, beasts not quite suited for the aquatic life rested on the shores of the closest lake. Whilst those within the lake floated upon its surface.

They all remained in place, as if waiting for something to happen. Time seemed to loose all meaning as the group all basked in the view before them, their attention soon refocused by that lake with all the beasts seemingly co-existing in peace. Violet briefly wondered how they had managed that, yet she got her answer sooner than she thought she would.

A massive form soon burst forth from the lake, easily towering over all of its lessers. It crimson carapace glistened in the fleeting sunlight, 6 segmented legs stood on the surface of the lake itself, as if the water had become solid at its will. It had 4 claws that emerged from its front, well 2 claws and 2 scyth like limbs, one of the claws was much larger than the other clearly meant for crushing, whilst the other was much more delicate and meant for finer control. The two scyth tipped limbs rose high into the air, their purpose clear and the threat they posed palpable.

The giant evolved crab lord stood their for some time, its beady black eyes taking in its subjects that cowered in its presence. Then it clicked its larger claw a single time, the sound produced by that singular motion echoing out and soon reaching the party several kilometres away.

From that moment on the lakes before the group exploded into a frenzy of activity.

The beasts that surrounded the giant crabs lake split into two, one side heading north, and the other heading south. Aiming their considerable might at the two adjacent lakes.

This scene was repeated in the rest of the lakes in this giant valley. Hundreds, no thousands of beasts all arriving to defend or expand their lords domains. The lords themselves made their presence known, all blasting their presences out, yet none of them waded forth to engage in the soon to be combat, content to water their subjects wage war first. Curiously thought no beast surfaced from the central lake, no lord rose to stake its claim, and no beast from any of the surrounding domains dared to encroach on its shores.

And a war was indeed being waged, magic of innumerable types was flung forth, the cry's and screams of the beasts ringing out in a cachoponous clamor that rang through the landscape.

Back on the cliff the group of 4 watched in fascination and muted horror as the battle began. Hundreds of beasts were soon slain, the emerald waters soon died crimson with the blood of the fallen.

It was an awe inspiring sight to behold , and it truly set in what it means to be a beast lord. For to be a lord, one needed subjects. Or the strength to win without them.

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