"We need to do something," a deep voice echoed inside a dark chamber.

The air trembled under the powerful voice.

Seated in a circular pattern, elders of the Scorpion Clan could be seen. Each exuded a more intimidating aura than the last.

Their muscles bulged under their clothes, and their scales gleamed with bright luster.

At the center was a massive throne over three meters in height.

Compared to the Scorpion elders seated below, the space around the Scorpion Man on the throne trembled continuously as if it was going to shatter.

His scales and muscles were no different from blood.

Crimson to the extreme.

He was still like a stone, and his eyes were closed. If not for the faint pulsating energy from his stinger, many would have thought he was nothing but a statue.

However, the elders knew better.

Their king was nothing but a calamity that must not be provoked. For anything that was not related to the extinction of their clan or related to the history of their existence, their King was too lazy to participate.

Even at that, every meeting must be conducted in his presence. Even though many were confused, the wiser among them knew this was their King exerting his pressure on them.

Also, to make sure they did not make any stupid decision like the last time.

The dark chamber was ancient.

Strange crimson stones lined the walls, and old carvings of scorpions, moons, ruins, and unknown races covered every pillar.

"Of course we are going to do something," another Scorpion Elder responded sharply.

"The Mantis have ignored our warning and good intentions. We must show them why we are the rulers of the Crimson Dunes."

Many nodded in agreement.

They, the Scorpion Clan, had ruled the Crimson Dunes for centuries, and they would never allow some weak ants to bare their fangs at them.

To them, the Mantis Men had always been soft.

But now, that same clan had dared to stand behind humans and ignore the Scorpion Clan’s order.

Such behavior was no different from rebellion.

"I do not think the Mantis are the real problem," another Scorpion Elder said slowly.

Listening to his voice, all the Scorpion Elders creased their brows and looked at the elder. The elder was crooked. His scales were not as glistening as the others, and his muscles had withered.

Yet, the imposing aura around him spoke volumes.

"Elder, could you explain?" an elder asked.

"You must all know, the Mantis are nothing before us. But what about the humans?" the old elder continued. "They are like cockroaches that refuse to die."

The chamber was deathly quiet. Everyone listened attentively to the old elder.

"We do not know where they come from. All we know is that they appeared in our world and tried to dominate it. To enslave us and take all our secrets and history as their own."

"They are the real enemies." The old elder paused for a moment, but he was far from being done.

"I know many of you, because of your greed and what you will get from the humans, have forgotten your roots. What we have today is because our ancestors paid the price."

"Are you going to throw all that away because of your greed?"

"If you think humans like us and want to befriend us, you are nothing but fools."

His voice echoed inside the chamber, making all the Scorpion Elders shift on their seats.

Even the King’s stinger moved slightly, yet the old Scorpion Elder seemed not to have noticed.

"Some of you are even sharing our preserved records with humans. What a shame." He spat.

"Elder..." one of the elders wanted to speak, but he was interrupted by the old elder.

"I am not done yet," the old elder cut him off.

"I have seen this many times, but it has never been this bad," he continued, his piercing gaze moving from one elder to another.

"We have dominated this desert for many generations, and many of you have begun to think we are undefeatable."

"Let me remind you, what happened to Gorv, Sarr, and Draxx?" he questioned, his voice rising to a crescendo.

"They are gone."

"The Mantis and humans that you did not regard have killed them."

"Let me tell you, that is just the beginning."

"Since they can kill Gorv, Sarr, and Draxx, what do you think is stopping them from hunting you down?"

Listening to the cold, brutal truth, all the elders could not help but tremble in their seats.

Even though Gorv, Sarr, and Draxx were not the strongest among them, their disappearance could not be ignored.

When was the last time three of their own vanished without a trace?

They could not remember.

For centuries, the Scorpion Clan had been the hunters.

But now, three Scorpion Elders had vanished on their way to Mantis Town, and the clan did not even receive their bodies.

That fact alone was enough to make the oldest among them uneasy.

Seeing that they had all understood the gravity of the situation, the old elder struck the iron while it was still hot.

"Reports from our spies say hidden ancient ruins are being discovered throughout the desert. And we all know what that means."

"We cannot allow humans to explore those ruins, but now, they have already started."

"Now is the time to stop it before more important ruins are discovered."

"This should be our priority. The humans. We must chase them out of our land so that our home can remain safe," the old elder concluded and relaxed on his seat.

For a moment, the chamber was quiet. Each elder was trying to process what they had just heard.

Some elders did not even know the full truth, but they knew enough to understand that certain places must never fall into human hands.

"Humans are many. Who among them should we target to serve as a message for everyone?" an elder asked.

"Of course, we destroy the human behind the discovery of all these ruins."

"Which is?"

"The Grim Reaper."