Divine Beast Ascension

Eventually, the wine stopped flowing and the food stopped coming.

“Now that we’ve had our fill, it’s time we got down to business,” Hurman remarked, standing up and staring back at the task force he had gathered. “Is there anything else you wanted to do or say while still in Iron Town?”

“My nephew will be fine, right?” Marsel shouted, eyeing his sister Ceela with care.

Hurman nodded and laughed, “Of course. We did as you asked and left him with Keldon. That way, worst case scenario, your son will be seen with merchants and not soldiers.”

“Then we’re ready to go!” Ceela called out, teasingly ignoring Marsel’s worried gaze and grabbing her husband’s hand. “Right, Lam?”

“Yeah. I think we’re ready.”

Trying not to draw much attention, Opal leaned over to whisper in Marsel’s ear, “Hey, how come we’re not like that? Is it because you’re afraid to put a bun in my oven?”

Marsel didn’t reply. He didn’t want everyone staring and verbally dogpiling on top of him. Also, he recognized the question as a trap. So Marsel avoided it altogether until he was in a more fitting place to explain and share his reasoning, in private.

.....

Sarpo smiled wide and bowed his head to Hurman. “You know how long we Thunder Jaguars have been preparing for this. I’ve been ready for too long.”

Hurdo didn’t even reply. He just nodded, calmed his drunken smile, and gave Hurman a thumbs-up.

Oli shared a knowing glance with Hurman. It was fast but easy to interpret, especially since Hurman knew all about Oli and his rush to fully evolve his dark-death essence before the prefecture qualifier.

Walking away from the table, Hurman motioned for the others to follow him.

Pauller tried to follow the crowd but Jonon stopped him. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“To say goodbye!” pouted Pauller, doing his best to convince Uncle Jonon to let him at least see his brother and cousins off.

But Jonon just shook his head. “Sorry, Pauller. But I promised your mom that you wouldn’t be leaving the estate until after everyone’s already left through the teleportation circle. Besides, she and Milo were looking for you earlier. So why not go find them–”

“I want to say goodbye!”

“Then go tell them. But you’ll have to stay in the doorway and not run after them,” retorted Jonon, offering a consoling smile.

Pauller then raced after the crowd, reaching the dining hall entryway just after they had exited. “BYE! Don’t die! You all still need to keep training me! Do you hear me, Leon!?”

“I won’t die!” Leon shouted back at his little brother, offering a quick wave as well.

“PROMISE!?”

“I promise!”

Hearing his older brother’s reply, everything else Pauller wanted to say suddenly swelled up and choked Pauller. He wasn’t able to say anything. Only stand there with water building up in his eyes.

Pat, pat.

“I understand how you feel, Pauller.” Jonon stood over his nephew, placing a hand on the growing boy’s shoulders. “You’ve finally become an adept. But you’re not ready for warfare like this. We’re only sending elders. That’s why your brother can only be a squire or assistant, not an actual soldier for now.

“Plus, that means your dad will always have a watchful eye on Leon. That way, Leon can’t pull off something stupid and risk his life.”

Sniffling, Pauller managed to clear his throat and speak again, “R-Really? Dad will protect him? No matter what?”

Jonon nodded. “So will your Uncle Mertin. And we can’t forget about your grandpa. He’s stronger than all of us. Did you know that I tried to convince the patriarch to take me instead of your dad?”

“Really?!” Pauller was astounded to hear that, turning his full attention to his uncle.

Smiling down at his nephew, Jonon explained, “Yeah. I told them that I would be the better choice. I’m a perennial and Lyle had spent a long time out of commission. But Lyle used that same argument against me. Your dad said he needed this to prove to us and himself that he’s still the man he wants to be, that he’s still able to get stronger and prove useful even after the family started serving more powerful and beneficial masters.

“I think Johan, Melinda, and your brother all feel the same kind of way,” reasoned Jonon. “That they want and need to prove themselves. Maybe they’ll feel like failures if they don’t join the war, or that they’ll never be able to stand out and become upstanding powerhouses for the family to rely on in the future. We’ve all got a lot on our plates, even if we don’t always make it clear to everyone else.”

Nudging Pauller back into the dining hall, Jonon patted the boy’s back and passed Pauller the order to gather the rest of the family. It was time for Jonon to assume his role as momentary family head while Hurman was gone, and it would start by checking in with each family member.

By then, Hurman was exiting the Practor Estate with his group in tow.

They kept quiet while going through the streets, though it was impossible to avoid garnering attention. It was afternoon and the streets were plenty full. Though most people made way for Hurman and those that were with him, some still needed a verbal cue and apology to move aside while everyone watched Hurman’s band enter the academy grounds.

The gorilla guard in charge of the academy gate smiled and nodded to Hurman. They did nothing to check or stop anyone in the group as they stepped into the academy.

Then, Hurman led them all toward the teleportation circle. Within seconds, everyone was whisked away in a flash of purple energy.

Reappearing atop a new teleportation circle, Hurman took in a deep breath. “Hmmm… That’s the Trighton air I know so well. Or should I say, the Forell air I know so well? … Let’s move through the city in silence. Cloaks on.”

Everyone either retrieved a cloak from their void accessories or, in the case of the young adults from the Practor family, were handed cloaks by Mertin.

Even Oli took out a black cloak, folding his wings against his back as best he could. Since Vloz had a few cloaks tailored and fitted for each of Oli’s various forms, Oli wouldn’t hesitate to make use of them.

The group made their way out of Forell Institute, the resting place for the territory’s teleportation circle, and into the city. There, they drew a lot of attention but no one had a clue what was going on.

It was only when the group stopped in front of the Libarn Residence that a lot of people just assumed it was a new band of mercenaries for hire.

The guards outside the Libarn Residence were immediately baffled and overwhelmed by the group’s appearance. They had no prior warning or heads-up about such a group visiting the Libarn Family, so they hurriedly put on their best stern expressions. “What do you want–”

“Let them through.”

That startlingly familiar voice shut up the guards immediately. While the guards scrambled to open the gates, a young man walked up to the group from inside the residence, offering the cloaked Hurman a full bow.

“Please, follow me, all of you.”

“Of course, Master Fulkar,” Hurman replied, bowing his head while still concealing his identity.

With the group’s high-influence escort, none of them were questioned by any servants or wandering eyes throughout the Libarn Residence. Soon, they reached a meeting hall and Fulkar opened the door for everyone. “Please, enter.”

The group crossed through the door and entered an open room filled with chairs and cushions. Someone had already activated a silent formation as well, so they all lowered their hoods or removed their cloaks the moment Fulkar walked in and closed the door behind him.

At the center of the room, a blonde, middle-aged man was smiling wide and staring back at Hurman. “It’s about time! I thought you would’ve arrived hours ago.”

“Sorry about that. We ended up needing some extra time,” Hurman replied, taking a seat near Kuldar Libarn. “You already know my sons and grandkids. The others make up my special task force. When we need something handled outside of common protocol or without prying eyes, they’ll be our go-to force.”

“I see… I expected a gorilla and even a jaguar. A few humans on the squad makes sense,” Kuldar said while scanning over everyone Hurman had brought along. “But where in Dominus did you find a Shadow Drake, and how did you convince one to join us?”

“May I speak for myself,” Oli laughed and stepped forward, fully removing his cloak to give everyone a good view of his draconic form. “I’m Vero, and I became a nomad some years back after my family either died or dispersed to only Dominus knows where. So, I’ve been told we get to fight and kill without conventional means. Care to elaborate, now that the raid is underway?”