The Desolate Mountains (The Divine Elements Book 2) (25 page)

“There are people looking for him.”

“Him? What for?”

Calron inquired, as he stepped towards Laris with a clear distrust in his eyes.

Wearing a suit of armor that closely resembled that of the city guards he had seen before, Calron knew that this blue-skinned woman was somehow related to the city officials. If Calron had guessed right, then she definitely had some connection to Weir as well.

“Easy, birdy, she is also student of mine.”

Tarnila spoke out, as she reassuredly reached up and patted Calron’s wing.

Lately, Calron had gotten so familiar with the raccoon’s mood, that he could sense that Tarnila was being absolutely serious at this moment. Giving a final glare towards Laris, he slowly settled himself back on the ground so that he could be closer to eye-level with the beasts.

“Explain, Laris. Who is searching for this child, and what do they want?”

Tarnila asked in a calm tone.

“We do not know. Recently, we discovered a group of lion variants and they seemed to be searching for another lion within the city. The descriptions they gave appeared to exactly match the young friend we have over here, so I thought that I should come over and inform you since Master has taken that young lion under her wing.”

Laris explained, while the armor on her body slightly rattled with her hand gestures.

“Hmm, could they be his companions or enemies looking to harm him?”

The raccoon whispered to herself as she scratched her chin with her claw.

“Based on our surveillance, this group of lions never caused any problems in the city and usually just spent most of the time searching for the beast. I have personally evaluated them, and they do not seem to be the type that kidnaps beasts or harms the young ones.”

Laris stated in an even tone.

After briefly contemplating this issue, Tarnila suddenly called out to the distant Rebran.

“Rebran, would you happen to know if there is a group of lions who might be searching for you?”

“Huh? Oh, that must be Borgis! Is he here!?”

Rebran shouted in elation, as he swiftly rushed forward towards the raccoon. Avi lazily followed behind him, still full from all the food that she had gorged herself on.

“I’ll try to get some facts from him, and in the meantime, you two should talk.”

Tarnila declared, and left both Calron and Laris to themselves. While departing, the raccoon gave a meaningful glance at Laris, to which the female warrior responded with a sigh.

“So, Calron, how old are you?”

Laris politely started the conversation once her Master had left.

“Why?”

Calron brusquely replied.

Hey, kid, don’t you think that you are being a little harsh towards her? After all, you must always treat a lady with respect!

Ezkael suddenly interjected within Calron’s mind.

Teacher, have you forgotten about what happened back in the Arena? That was all clearly a setup by the Dragon King and she definitely works for him. What if she is here just to gather some information on me and send it to him?

Calron retorted back to his Teacher, as he continued to stare at Laris.

You are not wrong in your thoughts, but at least try not to verbally assault her…

Ezkael said, as his thoughts returned back to the shadows within Calron’s mind.

“Is it because I work for the city’s king?”

Laris softly whispered, as she sat down on the ground and removed several plates of armor from her body.

Calron did not respond.

Showing no signs of being offended by Calron’s behavior, Laris continued on.

“You know, both Weir and I grew up together. Back then, he was just a wimpy kid who liked to run away from all of his problems. Haha, he would kill me if he found out that I told that to anyone!”

The blue-skinned woman laughed, as she laid completely on her back and gazed up at the sky.

Slightly curious as to what the beast was talking about, and why she was even bothering to tell him this, Calron subtly leaned his head forwards.

“He is not really that bad of a beast, Calron. His childhood was simply troubling to say the least, and he has always had problems with letting people get close to him. He never wanted to exploit you or that strange power you have… he simply wanted to ask you for your help in defending the city. However, he just didn’t know how to approach you, and hence the predicament that we are in at the moment. Our goal from the very start had been to protect this city, and that is the root of all our actions. Haha, does that technique of yours prove that I’m telling the truth?”

Laris let out a small smile, as she tilted her head back and glanced at Calron’s astonished face.

While she had been talking, Calron had decided to discreetly use the newly learned technique to glean Laris’s true thoughts as she was speaking. However, even without a lightning element, she was still able to detect his probing.

“No need to be surprised, it’s just something that all Saint stage cultivators have. The power of the soul. Even if you had used that technique against a peak Vajra stage expert, you would have succeeded, but unless you enter the Saint stage and disguise your mental probing with your soul power, it will not work against someone like me.”

A Saint stage expert!?

A shock of alarm went off in Calron’s brain. This whole time, he did not even know that this easy-going female beast was that powerful.

“I do not know how to convince you with my words, but know this. If you ever want to leave the city or go your own way, I will not stop you and neither will Weir. You probably do not know this, but our city is actually one of the weakest within the Desolate Mountains. Our city’s armed forces are pathetic, and if not for the superior strength of the Nobles under Weir, then we would have long been invaded by another city. We do not even have any money to hire a Gold-rank mercenary… I am not telling this to you to get some sympathy. These are our current circumstances and this is the burden that Weir has on his shoulders.”

Laris quietly talked, while staring at the patterns of the clouds above.

“Do you truly mean that?”

Calron finally spoke after a long time.

“Letting you out of the city? Yes, I mean it.”

Laris solemnly stated.

“So, who are these ranked mercenaries?”

Calron curiously inquired, as he crawled towards Laris’s form on the ground.

Elated that the bird was finally opening up to her, Laris quickly sat up straight and began talking about the special forces of mercenaries that existed within the mountains.

………………………

Laris, it’s Xardoth… he’s here!

Suddenly, a powerful mental command burst into her mind, as the sound of Weir’s voice resonated within her conscious.

Abruptly stopping the current discussion she was having with Calron about the famous mercenary who had once challenged the Beast Emperor himself, Laris frantically got up and rapidly began to re-adorn her armor.

“What happened?”

Calron worriedly asked her, detecting the nearby Tarnila also swiftly rushing towards them with a worried expression on her face.

“Our city is finally at war.”

Laris replied in a heavy voice while holding Calron’s gaze.

……………………..

“How many of them are there?”

Weir muttered with rage, as he looked down at the distant multitudes of beasts marching towards their city.

Standing on top of the palace balcony, the two friends observed the chaos about to unfold within their home.

“Roughly around a hundred thousand…”

Jarken calmly replied, but traces of uncertainty could be seen in his eyes.

“Has he gone mad? He would dare risk so many lives for a battle against me?”

Weir rasped, as thoughts of how he was going to defend the city surged within his mind.

“There seems to be something deeper in play here. Xardoth is rash, but he is not foolish. I will go summon the Nobles.”

Jarken stated while turning to face the draconic figure next to him.

“No need, I will summon them all now.”

Weir seethed with fury, as the silver scales on his body began to enlarge and distort.

The true form of the Dragon King was about to appear once again.

“Human, we have a major crisis on our hands.”

Tarnila seriously stated, as she walked towards Calron with Rebran in tow behind her. Avi appeared to be taking a nap off in the distance under the shade of a tree.

“I know, Laris told me just before she left.”

Calron replied while gazing in the direction that the blue-skinned woman had just departed.

He was still not sure how he felt about her and what she said about the Dragon King, but he knew one thing for sure: she did not tell a single lie the whole time she was with him.

“No, the problem is not the war – it’s him!”

The raccoon sighed, turning her head to glance at a nervous Rebran.

“Huh? What does he have to do with the war?”

Calron asked with a confused expression.

“Tell him.”

Tarnila urged the young lion by nudging his shoulder.

“Um, the one who is waging the war on this city is probably my father…”

The lion whispered, hanging his head down. Rebran anxiously looked up at Calron to see his reaction.

However, contrary to what he was expecting, the golden bird remained static and emotionless.

Hahaha, it doesn’t get any better than this! So, kid, what do you plan on doing now?

Ezkael roared with laughter, amused that his student had found yet another problem that latched onto him.

Dammit! I knew I should have taken him more seriously when he said that he was the son of a king. I thought he was just a random beast separated from his guardians… besides, what the hell am I supposed to do in this situation?

Calron inwardly thought.

Well, the choice is up to you. I cannot tell you each time what the best course of action is. Whatever you decide, I will support you.

The Voice said with a slight smile.

He was proud of how much Calron had grown from the dark and moody child that he was a few years ago, and to the man he was becoming right in front of his eyes. Although his student might complain about the baby beasts, it was their very presence that had slowly brought out a compassionate side to Calron.

With Avi, the boy now had someone to care for and he knew that he was not alone in this world any more. His student needed to learn to let others into his life and not shut them off, and that’s why Ezkael wanted Calron to make this choice on his own.

Sigh, you already know what my answer is, don’t you?

Calron stated as he briefly closed his eyes.

Haha, well, you are my student!

Ezkael replied, and Calron was sure that his Teacher was currently grinning.

“Alright, I’ll make sure he reaches safely back to his father, and hopefully that will put an end to this stupid war.”

Calron spoke out, abruptly opening his eyes and glancing at Tarnila.

“How did you know I was going to ask you that?”

The raccoon asked with both her eyebrows raised in surprise.

“If you were going to do it yourself, then you would not have come to me. Also, take care of Avi until I return.”

Calron responded to Tarnila with a slight smile.

“Get on my back, Rebran, and let’s go stop this war before it blows out of proportion.”

Calron commanded the young lion as he slowly brought his body closer to the ground.

“Eh? Y-you are not mad that my father is here to capture your city?”

Rebran stuttered, but began to quickly climb onto the bird’s back.

*whoosh-whoosh*

Calron started to vigorously flap his powerful wings, and turned his head back to answer the young beast.

“You got one thing wrong, Rebran… this is not my city.”  

*SCREEEEEE*

With a thundering screech, a massive golden bird spread into the sky.

…………………..

“This human surprises me with each passing day.”

The raccoon whispered to herself, gazing at the disappearing figure of the large bird.

She did not show it on her face, but Tarnila had been shocked at the rapid pace at which Calron had adapted to the lightning techniques that she taught. Usually, any cultivator would feel a draining amount of resistance from their lightning element when they commanded it to follow their wishes, but for Calron, the lightning simply obeyed.

“It’s at times like these that being an Elder is more useless than being a common soldier… I wonder how the others are doing…”

The raccoon muttered quietly while picking up the sleeping wolf pup and vanishing from her spot under sparks of lightning.

………………………

“Tell me when you see them.”

Calron yelled back to Rebran, as he flew over the city.

The whole place was in chaos with beasts wildly running around and gathering all their close ones and loading their belongings onto a caravan. Simple citizens had no way of protecting themselves against combat-trained beasts, and the only option that they had was to run to a safe distance until their own army prevailed over the enemy.

“I d-don’t see them!”

Rebran shouted back as his head darted back and forth at the scenery below.

His mind was in shambles, seeing the panic and fright written over all of these beasts’ faces. The children kept crying as they held onto their mother’s legs, asking why they had to move and why everyone was so afraid.

The cause of this entire situation was one person.

His father.

*Thump-Thump*

“No… please not now…”

Rebran groaned with pain, as he tightly clutched his chest.

It was acting up again.

I must find father… I need to stop this!

The young beast’s thoughts raced on, desperately trying to push back the pain.

“Hey kid, what is happening? Are you alright?”

Calron inquired, sensing that something was strange with Rebran.

“Yes, I’m alri-“

Suddenly, Rebran’s eyes rolled back and he started to lose his conscious.

“Oh fuck!”

Calron cursed, as he summoned his lightning essence and sent it all towards his wings.

BOOOOOOOM!

With the sound of an explosion, Calron’s figure rapidly vanished from above the city and towards an isolated alley.

While mid-air, Calron quickly transformed back into his human form and gripped Rebran’s body as it was falling down.

Gently placing the beast on the ground, Calron checked his heart-rate and breathing.

“Not good… it’s worse than last time. Is his disease something more than crippled meridians?”

Calron pondered, as he tried shaking Rebran to rouse him awake.

Hearing the distant sounds of chaos, Calron felt helpless as he stared down at the immature youth in front of him.

His emotions were in turmoil. On one hand, there was a possibility that this entire war could be stopped with Rebran’s interference, and on the other, if Calron decided to go along with what his heart was telling him, then there might be unpredicted consequences to his actions in future.

No matter what, I believe in you, kid.

Ezkael’s soft voice breezed from the side of Calron’s mind, soothing his thoughts.

“I hope my feelings are right about this one, Teacher…”

Calron breathed out, and in the next instant, his eyes turned to a dark crimson red.

Bringing his right palm to his teeth, Calron bit on it until traces of blood started to flow.

“From this day on forth, you will walk the same bloody path as me. This is our legacy, Rebran, the legacy of blood…”

Slowly, Calron placed his wounded palm over young lion’s forehead.