Chapter 79: The Coordinates of Grimlock
"What did that thing just say? Grimlock...has he fallen into your hands?"
Red Spider had intended to join forces with the Dinobots beside him to reduce the golden statue to scrap, but at those words, both he and the Dinobot lowered their laser blasters at once.
Impossible. How could the mighty General of the Dinobots, Grimlock himself, have any connection to this Fallen?
"Do you truly know where our captain is? Did you capture him? We've searched for Grimlock's signal for thousands of years to no avail. You'd better explain yourself right now...or we'll find your hiding place, dig you up, and tear you apart!"
The Dinobot was clearly agitated. After all, their captain had been missing for ages...and that disappearance seemed somehow tied to the ancient Fallen.
"Heh… it seems you all miss your captain dearly. I'll give you some coordinates. Once you find that place, all your questions will be answered. But think carefully before awakening your captain… you'll understand why I'm warning you."
The Fallen's message was cryptic, but neither Starscream nor Darts could grasp its deeper meaning. As soon as he finished speaking, the holographic image before them twisted and reshaped into a map...its center marked by a massive, glowing red dot.
"This… this is the North Pole of this planet? That frozen wasteland? So that's it...our captain was transferred there!"
Apparently, this Dinobot understood the planet far better than Starscream. While Starscream still relied on satellite positioning, the Dinobot had already pinpointed the rough location on sight.
"The North Pole?"
How was that possible? According to the ancient records preserved by General Rylen and his men, weren't the Autobots supposed to be the guardians of China? What were such mighty Transformers doing all the way in the Arctic?
"Damn it, speak! What secrets are you hiding in the Arctic?"
Starscream was never one for riddles. He immediately raised his laser blaster and aimed it at the golden statue before him. But as soon as the coordinates appeared, the light within the statue began to fade, and the ancient energy reaction dissipated. It seemed the Fallen's power could only sustain the vision for a short time...the rest was now up to Starscream and his allies.
"Lord Red Spider, it seems we must preserve this golden statue. I'll go consult with Mud immediately about our next course of action. Let's leave the golden man in the care of General Rylen and his soldiers. As for those Zargoth, you said you'd spare them...and I'll respect that decision!"
Having obtained crucial information about his long-lost comrade, the mechanical pterosaur no longer cared about anything else. However, to ensure no vital clues from the Fallen were lost, the golden statue couldn't be destroyed...yet it also couldn't remain in the hands of the Zargoth. Having learned their lesson, the steppe wolves would no longer dare to trespass into territory.
"No objections from me. What about you, boy?"
Though Red Spider could easily have slaughtered the Hunnic king and his followers, he wasn't particularly interested in exterminating these weak, primitive creatures. What he desired most now was to unlock the full functionality of the Transformer system within his body...which meant there was no escaping a journey to the Arctic.
"I… I will lead my tribe westward. We surrender this battle!"
Though reluctant, the Zargoth Chanyu understood reality: the two Transformers before him were invincible, and his hundreds of thousands of cavalrymen were no match for them. Continuing the fight would only bring more death.
It was clear that retreat was the only sensible choice. And with the two Transformers blocking their path, a dense column of smoke rose on the distant steppe...the sign of a massive Eclipse army approaching. The situation was rapidly turning against the Huns.
"Good. I hate trouble more than anything. But if I see you again, I'll make you disappear just like that black magician...with this laser cannon. Understood?"
Red Spider was an expert at intimidation, but all the Zargoth warriors remembered vividly what that iron giant had done. The memory alone was enough to haunt them forever.
"Wooo… woo-wooo~!"
The long, echoing call of a horn signaled the retreat of the Huns. To the outside world, it would appear that these fearsome steppe wolves had been repelled by 150,000 soldiers, led by the young war god General Rylen, who seized the golden statue from their hands.
But the true story was known only to a handful of individuals. The real cause of the Huns' defeat was the appearance of several mysterious guardian deities of China...one of whom was none other than the legendary Aetherion.
Of course, after this great battle, Red Spider and his companions vanished from the steppe. A far greater mission awaited them...to travel to the Arctic and rescue Grimlock, leader of the Dinobot army.
Although the Huns had retreated, their main forces still survived. They would never again dare to provoke the mysterious East...but this formidable army of the steppe eventually reached a new continent, one clearly unguarded by those fearsome Autobots.
"Chief, are we truly going to attack the European continent? I still miss the lush eastern plains...and those soft, delicate maidens!"
"Fool! You think I don't wish to conquer the East again? But until we receive the Lord's blessing, I'll never return to that nightmare! For the coming years, you'll fight here...exterminating those bastards in their straw and sand huts!"
(End of Chapter)
Merry Christmas and have a good time
I invite you to read my new fanfic about Fullmetal Alchemist. It's 100% my own work, I hope you like it.
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Under the Law of Equivalence
https://www.webnovel.com/book/34562609200143405