The depths of the Negaverse, The Rift, or whatever they called it was an interesting place. Uvarovite hadn’t ever ventured far into it knowing how dangerous the area could be but the sprawling wasteland made for good hunting practice and a good place to think where no one was likely to bother you. It was becoming a regular spot for him when he wanted time away from the younger members of the Negaverse.

While the youma in the area he usually wandered to weren’t hostile they weren’t exactly friendly either. After his first trip though they at least had figured out he wasn’t worth the effort. Those that had seen him before were wary of him and unlikely to bother him and those that hadn’t learned fast enough.

He supposed though that ‘not bothering him’ wasn’t exactly right. They would still bother him, follow him around, but they wouldn’t attack him. Most were either curious or they were hoping for a treat in the form of an energy crystal.

The area seemed to be a gathering ground for the weaker youma, smaller ferrals and the like. Those that followed him were usually the ones that had been around the first time he’d ventured into the Rift. They’d seen what he could do and were wary enough but also curious. They were at least smart. The ones that weren’t so smart? They could be dealt with easily enough either through force or with the promise of a treat.

Today though he was wandering the area so he could clear his mind. The General, his General, Aurostibite had offered him the chance to help out with an energy gathering plan. One that was bigger than the things they usually did. His connections with the DCU made it easier to have him help, easier to work their plan into one of the colleges annual events.

He had a feeling this wasn’t something that a lieutenant was usually allowed to do but he was not going to complain about being allowed some extra perks.

The annual easter event had seemed like a good option. Lots of people, plenty of targets, and no one would suspect anything until it was far too late. It was easy enough to talk to the directors into letting Romano’s be the school that painted this years prize eggs and easy enough to switch out the usual ceramic ones with their own devices. They looked and felt the same but they were anything but.

No one was going to be the wiser.

Now they just had to wait for the event and perhaps some of the participants would then be joining the small crowd of youma that were following him around the Rift. He was lost in that thought for a bit before the sound of hissing and scratching started up behind him. Some of the youma had decided they didn’t like the look of each other.

Uvarovite raised a brow before taking a few steps to the side and away from the fight. Two youma seemed to have gotten in some kind of disagreement and he didn’t want to accidentally be caught in the middle. Others seemed to be gathering and encouraging the fight. Shaking his head he vaulted himself up onto a rock formation so he could stay out of the mess. The lieutenant watched the scuffle for a bit, content to watch and not get involved. He was relatively safe where he was.

At least he thought he was until he hear something coming up behind him. The scratching sound of a youma’s claws paused beside him and he slowly turned his head to see what was making the noise. The move brought him face to face with the grin of a rather large youma. This one wasn’t like the ferrals that were usually in the area. It was, for the moment, on all fours and almost matched him in neight and he had a feeling that if it stood up it would be much taller. His thoughts were confirmed with after a moment the creature cackled, standing up before jumping down into the middle of the frey. Most of the ferals were smart enough to get out of the way but those unlucky few who were too slow or who weren’t paying attention ended up under the creature's claws. Those that got caught were torn to pieces or if they were small enough eaten.

The creature was interesting and he was rather sure that a certain part of the internet would fall in love with it. He couldn’t quite tell what sort of animal the youma was an anthropomorphized version of, perhaps a few, but whatever made up the creature certainly worked. Long arms meant it could easily catch the ferals trying to get away from it and the large tail was heavy enough to be used as a weapon. The youma also seemed to be occasionally saying something to the smaller youma but he couldn’t make out what from where he was standing.

Quickly enough the rest of the ferals scattered leaving Uvarovite with the creature while it picked bits of dust and youma off it’s claws.

If it attacked he was well outmatched and he pondered if anyone was likely to find the pieces of him in that case. Luck was on his side it seemed though and the youma grinned up at him, tipped one furred ear in his direction, and slunk away through the rocks.

He watched as it’s stripped tail disappeared out of view and only when the ferals started to reappear did he think to finally move. Shaking his head to clear it he started back toward the castle. He would have to be more careful if humanoid youma were going to start coming to that particular area of the rift. The last thing he needed was to either explain injuries received from the creature or deal with the posthumous mortification of being killed by one of the creatures the Negaverse employed.