Chapter 101 – News of War

“The Blood Legacy…”

After breaking into the Vajra stage, Calron’s entire focus had been on cultivating his lightning essence. So much so, in fact, that he had completely forgotten about his inherited legacy.

Teacher, how will I even pass on the legacy to him? Master Elias never taught me how, and besides, we know nothing about this beast.

Calron conveyed his thoughts to Ezkael.

That is true. There is something strange about this beast… with his crippled cultivation, there is no way that he should have been able to survive in the wild and yet here he is. Moreover, his mind is still too undeveloped and uncunning for a beast that is traveling alone. Things don’t add up here, so remain vigilant until we discover the truth.

Ezkael warned his student.

Hmm, this little lion seems to be more trouble than I thought. Should we leave him and go on our own way?

Calron asked while continuing to observe the young lion’s behaviour with Avi.

You suggest that after I’ve been telling you from the start not to meddle in other people’s affairs?

The Voice burst out with irritation.

Well, he was about to die… I had no choice.

Calron grumbled, but had to agree with his teacher: he always rushed into things before thoroughly thinking them out.

Let’s drop him off in the city and part ways. Something tells me that this young beast did not come here alone.

Ezkael stated in a calm tone.

That might be a bit difficult to do right now…

Calron inwardly sighed when he saw that Avi was rapidly bonding with the young lion.

As a little beast herself, Avi had no one to play with and although Calron entertained her, it was different from playing with someone around her own age. The white lion was still older than her by a few years, but his mind was similar in age to Avi’s.

“Hey, do you want to help me search for my ball? I promise to let you play with it as well!”

Rebran inquired, as he bent down and playfully nudged Avi’s shoulder.

“woof!”

Avi eagerly nodded her head in excitement, and rushed behind the young lion as he darted into the forest.

The ‘ball’ that her new friend was talking about seemed very fun, and Avi definitely wanted to play with it or eat it, if it was delicious. Of course she wouldn’t tell the lion about the last part.

“Well, birdy, I’m off to take a nap. Come tomorrow to my hut and we will start your training. Until then, make sure those two don’t get into trouble.”

Tarnilla shouted from the distance, and vanished from the area in the midst of sparks of lightning.

“WAIT! You didn’t even tell me where your hut is! And why am I the one taking care of the lion as well?”

Calron bellowed out, as he leapt off into the air to locate the raccoon.

“Sh*t! How is she so fast?”

Calron spat at the ground in annoyance, realising that the old raccoon had already dissappeared from the area.

Now, where did these two brats run off to…

Calron pondered, as he began flying towards the two little beasts’s direction.

With the passing of each day, it seemed like Calron was becoming more and more like a beast nursery caretaker than a fearsome cultivator.

……………………

“So, Xardath has finally decided to make his move.”

A deep voice reveberated within the large throne room.

“He has an army of beasts camped a few miles away from our city. I estimate that they will be at our wall by next week, your highness.”

A giant eight-foot ape declared as he crossed his unnaturally massive arms across his chest.

“What do the rest of you think that my next move should be?”

Weir asked solemnly, while glancing at the gathered beasts in front of him.

These were the elite Nobles within his city, and the group that directly served under him. Each one of them was at least at the peak of the Vajra stage, and some had even broken into the Saint stage.

“This is not the first time that an enemy Beast King has tried to invade our city. We need to face him head-on and fight a full-on battle.”

A lizard-type beast spoke out, as its tail tapped against the floor.

“If we do that, we put our citizens at risk. Our best strategic move is to bide our time and fight a defensive battle from within our walls. We can minimize the loss of our troops this way.”

A large turtle stated in a calm and cool voice.

“You are forgetting that Xardoth’s elite troops belong to the griffin race. They can easily fly over our walls and masacre us from the inside. Have we considered any diplomatic talks?”

Another beast refuted while shaking her head.

Soon, the Nobles burst into a series of arguements on what the next course of action should be.

“Just challenge him to a one-on-one battle, your highness.”

A smooth and equally powerful voice sounded out, overpowering the voices of the others in the room. A dark panther prowled ahead to the front, as he bowed before the Dragon King.

“Jarken…”

The other Nobles whispered amongst themselves when the mysterious panther appeared.

Although most members of the Nobles were somewhat equal in power, Jarken was a beast with a special bloodline and his bloodthirstiness was something that even they feared.

If anyone had to decide who the most powerful among the Nobles were, the name ‘Jarken’ would be the first thing that would come to their mind.

“You think he will accept that?”

Weir asked with a slight smile on his face.

Jarken was the closest person he had whom he could call a friend besides Laris. If not for his nature of disappearing and travelling throughout the Desolate Mountains, then Jarken would have been made in charge of his army instead of Laris.

Many thought that the powerful panther was a cruel and cold-hearted beast, but Weir knew that Jarken was one of the most intelligent and caring beast among them. His reputation of a savage beast spread a few years back, when Jarken had mutilated an entire group of bandits.

Some had their limbs chewed off, some with their intestines spilling out of their stomachs, and the rest simply had their bodies severed into several parts. Towards the end, none of the five hundred bandits resembled their original form, and their gut-wrenching cries of agony had haunted any that came close to the newly formed graveyard.

When one of the Nobles had found the panther in the middle of the night, Jarken had his jaws clenched around the head of the Bandit Leader, and crushed it while staring into the eyes of the Noble. The rest of the Nobles soon arrived and gazed at the carnage around them.

With his dark coat of fur stained red, the large beast let out a savage roar and ripped the flesh off the Bandit Leader bit by bit.

That scene had been so deeply etched into minds of the Nobles that many were scared to even be in his presence.

The only ones who knew the reason for the bloodbath that day was Weir and Laris.

“He will. His goal is to defeat you, not the city. The troops are there in case you don’t face him and to forcefully draw you out into battle. When he comes to the city gates, challenge him to a battle, and he will definitely agree. His griffin race is already very few in number, and he will not want to risk their lives.”

Jarken spoke in a calm and collected voice.

“Sigh… why does he have such a grudge against me? We will discuss this matter later, and don’t let any news of this matter leak to the citizens yet. Dismissed.”

Weir said in a tired tone.

“You seem to have a lot of things on your mind.”

Jarken chuckled once the rest of the Nobles had left the room.

“Not many things… just a single person… let me tell you about him.”

Weir stated while rubbing his forehead.

………………….

“F*uck! Where in the heavens did the little master go?”

The black lion cursed out loud, while inspecting the various shops in the city.

The tracks had let them into the marketplace, but after seven hours, they still had not found any traces of the young white lion.

“Let’s stay at an inn tonight, and we’ll resume the search tomorrow morning.”

The black lion commanded his subordinates, and they began walking away with worry in their hearts.

Their little master was very innocent and weak. The guards sincerely hoped that no misfortune had befallen on the young griffin.

…………………..

“Hahaha, you are so slow!”

Rebran laughed while glancing back, as he continued to sprint ahead.

“awwoooo!”

Avi howled in excitement, as her tiny legs rapidly tried to catch up to the lion.

This was the first time that she had ever run this fast, and her wolf instincts were kicking in, allowing her to swiftly speed up across the rough terrain and keep track of everything in front of her.

Her bright purple eyes shined with a mysterious glow, as the dark fur on her body fluttered in the wind.

However, it was at that moment, that Avi saw several figures standing still ahead of Rebran. The young white lion had not yet discovered their presence.

“AWOOOO!”

Avi let out a loud and panicked howl, hoping her new friend would stop but Rebran continued to race ahead.

Racing directly towards the group of obscured figures.

Avi had a feeling that these were dangerous people, and wanted to hurt them.

She let out another desperate howl in an attempt to call out to her guardian and protector.

Calron!