The Mourning After - Chapter 10 (Moving On)
#10 of Malakye's Story - Part 3 (The Mourning After)
Xavier finally returns to Zangar to give his report. What will Kaldor do when he hears that demon is running loose in the mountains?
The Encyclopedia I have written detailing places, races and various parts of history will come in handy if you come across a word or phrase with a * at the end of it. This symbol (*) depicts that there is an entry in the Encyclopedia so you can have a more indepth knowledge on the subject at a moments notice.
This story will have mature and adult rated chapters along the way, if you find yourself unable to find missing chapters please check that your age-rating (or your SFW settings) are set appropriately so you can view them before notifying me. This happens a lot more than you'd think!
I always appreciate feedback and constructive criticism.***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
"You two." I said, pointing at Micq'al and the warrior next to him from Sterns squad. "Protect them." I said motioning to the two fallen warriors. "The rest of you I want to guard the entrances. Don't let anything get past you!"
"Yes sir!" The two drakes next to us said before splitting off to join the others already standing near the entrances.
"I guess that means we're going hunting." Stern grinned, twirling his axe in anticipation as we began to walk towards the center of the camp. "I assume you have a plan?"
"Not so much..." I admitted. "I just don't want the warriors to engage what ever this thing is until we know more about it."
"Well first we need to find the damn thing!" Stern mused.
We stopped in the center of the camp and suddenly I wished that at least one of us was a fire bender. The numerous camp fires would make this an excellent terrain for a fire bender. While we had fire benders in our squads I still didn't want to involve them unless I had to. But Stern was right, first we needed to find this thing!
"I'm going to try using it."
"You've mastered it already?" He asked with a slight tone of surprise.
"No." I admitted. "I've never used it in a battle situation. It takes all my concentration to do it, so I'm going to need you to protect me."
"You got it!"
The technique I was going to use was an old and difficult one to use. It was essentially an alternative to the area domination technique; much like Malakye was so able to do without trying. It would allow me to detect anyone with the range of my senses. The furthest I'd been able to detect anyone was fifty paces, and the furthest point from where I currently sat was perhaps forty paces. If what ever that thing is was still in here with us, I'll be able to find where it was hiding.
This technique didn't require much nen, but instead an extreme amount of concentration to execute. As far as anyone knew only a pawful of drakes had mastered this technique enough to actually use it in combat; all of them grand-masters. I had no delusions that I'd be able to join that esteemed group, but if I could at least use it to detect what ever it was that was in here with us, hunting us, I would be happy enough with that.
I sat down on the ground cross legged, closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. The tiger Aceh had helped me learn how to meditate properly, a technique which so far had proved invaluable to executing this technique. I allowed my conciousness to drop away, let it melt into the depths of my mind and let it bleed out into my surrounds.
As it spread the environment around me took shape in my minds eye, this was where it got tricky. I needed to maintain my focus of my surroundings and maintain control of my nen in order to pull this off. In this state the environment appeared different from how it looked through my actual eyes. The fires that burned no longer cast a warming light, the flames where white, their light existed only within the flames, everything else was just a mix of greys and blacks. Stern was almost blinding, if my eyes weren't already shut I'd be squinting, his nen was as strong as you'd expect from a master level bender.
Soon I could see the rest of our respective squads standing guard at the entrances; the lights they gave off respective to the strength of their nen. I cast my sense out further, now able to see the four drakes at the back of cave, two of them unconscious on the ground. Soon my conciousness had filled the entire space... but I couldn't see anything other than the Stern and the other ten warriors that formed our squads.
There was nothing at all...
No the was something! I could feel it... like how you knew someone was watching you. I could sense their presence... but I couldn't see them. Could this creature have a way of hiding itself from my sight?
Before I could do anything else there was a surge of movement, it was nothing but a blur of shadow but I could see it! It ran from the far end of the cave and towards the entrance to my left, the same entrance my squad had entered by.
I snapped open my eyes, drew on my nen and spun in the direction of the shadow. The three warriors guarding it let out a cry of surprise. All I saw was a dark shadowy figure disappear through the large hole in the ceiling. I ran and stood beneath the hole and stared up, I could see the star filled night sky and that was it.
"It's gone..." I muttered.
"It's fast." Stern grumbled.
"It's smart." I said. "It knew I was looking for it... but it found a way to hide itself."
"It can do that?"
"Apparently so..." I trailed off. "I've never heard of anything being able to hide its life force before.
"If I had any doubts before... I believe it now. We need to tell Lord Anaris and Lord Valelor about this!"
"But first we need to get through the night." I countered. "If that thing comes back to do to us what it did to the wolves..."
If we were lucky it wouldn't show itself again. But I didn't like to rely on luck and it would be too dangerous to try and travel at this time of night, especially with something hunting us. Something we couldn't see it the darkness of the night. We will need to fortify this place and try to wait out the night till morning.***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
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CHAPTER 10
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Kaldor
A chirp from behind me told me of Spyrte's arrival in the kitchen. I looked round from my breakfast, some porridge laced with a few dried fruits, to see the small dragon shaped creature which I had known all my life glide swiftly through the air round Harold's head. The little yellow dragon's maw was open wide with ecstatic glee, but was otherwise silent as he tried to grab hold of Spryte who remained just out of reach and chirped happily as Harold attempted to catch him.
I chuckled quietly to myself and returned my attention to my breakfast while considering the day ahead of me. Soon Callidus would arrive to give me the update on the festival's preparations, and more importantly the tournaments participants. I would ensure that the citizens of Zangar got the much need moral boost they needed in order to weather the coming moons as this war dragged on.
"Kaldor." Came the familiar tone of my life long friend as he entered the kitchens.
"Callidus." I smiled, giving a nod of welcome. "Morning."
"Good morning." He replied before placing several rolled scrolls, tied with red ribbons, on the table in front of me. "It was not easy, but I have done as you asked. "After several long meetings with Ortavia we have decided that up to thirty dragons may participate in each tournament."
"Excellent!" I couldn't help but clap my paws together at the prospect. "Thanks to you it looks like this tournament will go off without a hitch!"
"Don't speak too soon." He grumbled. "While the tournament participants are accounted for we are surely lacking in ranking officials to help maintain order among the contestants ranks."
I rolled my eyes. It was traditional that for every twenty participants one warlord or master ranked officer needed to be present in the rooms where the tournament contestants resided to prevent any fights from breaking out and to maintain order. In addition to them there also needed to be a referee and potentially more officials in order to ensure everything ran smoothly.
"So what's the problem?" I asked with a tone of impatience I didn't care to hide.
"Well we just don't have enough warlords to spare in order to watch the participants." He sighed. "At the moment we only have Kassius available. All the others are either out on patrol or busy with other duties that simply cannot be ignored."
"Well that is just..."
"My Lord! Warlord Xavier is here to see you." Jovani announced.
My rant having been cut short I snap at him. "Is it important?!"
"He assures me it is of the utmost urgency." Jovani responds, seemingly unphased by my temper.
Hang on... if Xavier is back then we can use him to help with the tournament. "Show him in!"
"I know what you are thinking Kaldor." Callidus said with a tone of suspicion.
"What?"
"You are thinking of using Xavier, but he will be back out on patrol before long."
"We will suspend his patrol until after the tournament."
"Even so we are still one drake short..."
"My Lords!" Xavier declared as he entered the room, placing his fist to his chest and bowing his head in greeting. The gesture was rushed and was over so quickly I couldn't respond before he continued speaking. "We have a situation my Lords!"
It was then that I noticed how exhausted he looked.
"Are you all right Xavier!?" I asked rising from my seat.
"Just a little tired my Lord. I will be fine."
"Here sit! I'll have Harold get you something to eat."
"My Lord!" The sharpness of his tone stopped me in my tracks. "My well being can wait for the moment. I must make my report."
"Make your report Warlord." Callidus said as he took a seat himself and settled himself to listen to the report. "I assume from the urgency you found some wolves."
Callidus's cool calculation made my eyes widen in realisation.
"We did my Lord." Xavier responded.
"Where!?" I demanded.
"My Lord Anaris, it would probably be best if I start at the beginning."
"Very well." I said, forcing myself to calm and listen to Xavier's report in full.
"Please continue." Callidus said.
Xavier bowed in thanks before continuing to speak. "Three days into our trek we found a wolven encampment, along the Acanari ridge, there we found four wolves; all of them dead." He paused as he considered his next words, but Callidus was quick to ask the question that was on my mind.
"Dead?"
"Yes my Lord." He responded wearily. "All four wolves were slain, all evidence suggested a single attacker but that is still speculation... or at least it was."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Four days later we followed another wolf pack." He continued, ignoring my question. I felt irked but knew that Xavier would get to the point. "We encountered Warlord Stern and his group who were also following a pack of wolves. We trailed them to their camp and later that night planned to attack them. But we weren't the one ones to attack them."
"The warrior who killed the other wolves?" Callidus asked.
"My Lord... we heard the fighting break out. But less than a minute later we entered the camp to find all of the wolves, nearly two dozen of them, all dead."
"Two dozen!" Callidus gasped.
I could scarcely believe it myself. To kill that many wolves in such a short amount of time... and Xavier expects me to believe that single warrior was capable of them. The only warriors I could imagine being capable of that would have to be grandmaster level bender.
"So a single warrior killed all these wolves? What species?"
"We... we believe it was demon sir."
I stood bolt upright and felt my blood run cold at the very suggestion. There had not been a report of any demons escaping the depth of the mountains in at least a century.
"Are you sure?" I asked, using a tone that made it clear that I being deadly serious.
"We didn't get a good look at it sir." He admitted. "It hid in the shadows... and when I attempted to locate it using the sight it was able to hide its life force before escaping."
"You can use the sight? How good are you?" Callidus asked.
"What does it matter how good he is at using it!?" I snapped.
"It matters!" Callidus snapped back. "Now how capable are you at using the sight?"
"I am fairly skilled sir. But I need to be in a state of meditation in order to use it."
"You said Stern was with you. Why is he not here giving his report?"
"Warlord Stern is currently dealing with the drakes in our squads. He is explaining to them not to mention anything of this, to anyone." He explained. "And the consequences they will suffer if any of them should speak of it."
"Good." Callidus said. "He will make his report to us at his earliest convenience, and I will speak to the drakes in your squads myself, to ensure they understand just how imperitive the matter of their silence is." The tone Callidus used made a shiver run up my own spine. I felt a little sorry for those drakes but their silence was important.
"I will tell him my Lords."
"Once we are rested we will head out once more." Xavier said. "We will hunt this demon down and kill it before it can hurt anyone else."
"No!" I interrupted. "You will remain in Zangar until the tournament is over."
"Kaldor! This is not the time for worrying about the tournament!" Callidus snapped at me. "We must hunt down and kill this demon before it attacks Zangar!"
"And how are you going to explain away why the tournament has been cancelled?" I countered. "We have already made the preparations, and by now the most of the warriors willing to compete will have put their names forward."
"We shall simply tell them we were unable to fulfil the...."
"Cut the crap Callidus!" I snap. "The tournament is going to go ahead as planned!"
"Kaldor! Your being unreasonable!"
"If you cancel the tournament questions will be asked! And rumours will spread about the shadow that those warriors saw while out on patrol! It will cause a panic!" I say pulling ever feasible reason I could out of my ass. "We need to distract them while we come up with a plan to deal with the demon."
"My Lord!" Xavier protested.
"And both you and Stern are going to stay and help with the tournament!" I commanded. "You will not leave Zangar without my permission!"
"Kaldor..." Callidus gave a sigh of exasperation. "You are being unreasonable!"
"Those are my orders!" I said defiantly. "The tournament will go ahead as planned. Once it is over we will organise the hunt for the demon!"
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