The Vertical Pupil Beyond the Door

After becoming half-undead, Tulas occasionally found his thoughts returning to a rare clarity, recalling fragments of memory with neither beginning nor end.

He remembered that his ship was the Savage Beast, and that his goal was to sail the Savage Beast away from this land of dead silence.

Thus, when he discovered Angel had gone to the Savage Beast, his obsession drove him out to block Angel. But obsession ultimately could not outweigh his own safety. When he saw that strange weapon that had caused him such unbearable pain appear in Angel's hand, he fled again in terror.

This flight lasted another half day.

Angel's pursuit was agonizing. It was not that he could not catch up, but every time he did, Tulas escaped through spatial translocation. Moreover, Tulas's undead nature left Angel somewhat unable to bring his spells to bear in battle.

When Tulas appeared in that mountainous region once more, Angel's heart skipped a beat.

Don't tell me this guy is planning to hide again?

A grim look surfaced in Angel's eyes, and he silently resolved that if Tulas truly hid again, he would hollow out the entire mountain if that was what it took to dig him out.

As for whether digging up the mountain would leave traces for later arrivals to discover, Angel could no longer spare that concern. At worst, he would clean up after himself more thoroughly. If that still failed, he had Boundless Silence, along with the newly refined Blood Night's Shelter. They should keep anyone from tracing his identity.

After Tulas entered this region, the half of his face that was soul showed a flicker of dazed confusion, followed by delight. The heart of the mountains was his hiding place. As long as he could hide inside, he would be safe...

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