FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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Chapter 19

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Kaldor

"Now isn't that a surprise!" Callidus exclaimed with a rare hint of excitement in his voice.

I couldn't blame him for his excitement. I still remember how I felt when Xavier had shown how he was able to use his bending skills to fly. That single accomplishment had been enough to elevate him to Master rank over night. But this was far more impressive.

Xavier was able to propel himself through the air at great speeds, but he was not able to simply hover in the air like Malakye was doing now. A feat which had never been accomplished before. If they didn't make him a master after this then there is something seriously wrong with the council!

So far Malakye had been running rings round them. To most of the crowd it looked like they have had Malakye on the defensive the whole time but that's not what's been happening. Malakye has been going easy on them, after seeing him fight Kamir I know that he was capable of much more than he had demonstrated so far in this fight, but this feat of flying had caught me by surprise.

I could already feel the momentum of this fight shifting as all four of them stood staring at him. Xavier was the first to get his mind back in the fight and barks an inaudible order which gets the others focus back into the fight.

Kassius immediately fired a bombardment of fireballs at Malakye's. How he was able to do that and not only maintain the remaining two dozen plus fire spirits but create more simultaneously always amazed me. Following his lead Malnark and Stern follow suit, hurling water and ice at Malakye as he hovered in the air above their heads.

As expected Malakye didn't simply stay still and take their attacks, he zips through the air with amazing agility and speed with such apparent ease. I didn't fail to notice that Xavier hadn't used any ranged attacks while the others did. I had sparred with him before, his ranged attacks are hard to predict due to the fact you can't see them. You have to rely entirely on your ability to sense his nen, but even at this range I could tell that he wasn't using any ranged attacks.

He was studying Malakye. Callidus had made many comments on Xavier's ability to analyse and stratagize. That was the other reason he was made a master ranked bender, and with it the rank of warlord. He was the only one out the four masters in the fight that could hope to negate the advantage of Malakye's ability to fly by using his own.

To anyone familiar with Xavier's ability it was obvious at difference in skill between Malakye and Xavier. The subtle control it must require to simply hover in the air was unimaginable to me right now. I'm sure Callidus had already thought about it, or was thinking about it even now. The only insight I could possible provide was my suspicion that his use of the area domination technique was what gave him the ability fly as he did.

After an amazing display of aerial acrobatics in dodging his opponents attacks Malakye backed away and created some distance between himself and his opponents. He was going to go on the offensive now; I could feel it. The arena was silent and the air heavy as time seemed to slow down in the few seconds before a predator would strike down their prey.

He rushed forwards, flying low to the ground before he twisted to the right and flew upwards into the air to avoid the incoming projectiles his opponents fired his way. He flew in a large circle around them before diving down towards the ground at Malnark. The drake summoned up a wall of water between them. A moment later the wall of water burst at the center; a hole blown through it by an air burst. Malakye flew through what remained of the wall and collided into Malnark.

The whole arena gasped as Malnark was lifted into the air nearly two dozen feet. We all watched as Malakye released his grip on the drake and began his decent towards the ground. With our wings falling from a height like that is not much of a worry, but Malnark never got the chance as Malakye immediately fires an air burst into him which caused Malnark crash into the ground, unable to slow himself down.

There is a collective wince of pain from the crowd as Malnark hit the ground. He landed on the flat of his back. Stern and Kassius fire more ranged attacks at Malakye but don't come close to hitting him. I see Xavier running to Malnark's side to check on him.

Not an unreasonable reaction, however sometimes in the heat of battle you don't have time to worry for your fallen comrades.

I suspect that falling from that height meant that there was no way that he was going to be able to participate any more in this fight. If he was seriously injured then that would be a concern. Malnark wasn't that young anymore, having left his prime more than a few years ago. He won't just bounce back from an injury like a younger warrior might.

Stern's outrage is apparent to everyone as he shouted and yelled before hurling masses of water at Malakye relentlessly. The display of power is impressive, but futile. Since Stern lacked the ability to freeze water his attacks had little range and therefore he often relied on over powering his opponents with the huge quantities of water he was able to hurl over a short distance.

Stern was Malakye's next target. With yet another display of agility while flying Malakye dived headlong towards Stern while dodging the masses of water being thrown his way. He crashed into Stern just as he had Malnark and immediately began to fly upwards. However Stern wasn't going down without a fight.

Unlike Malnark Stern was doing everything he could to hurt Malakye now that they were muzzle to muzzle. Stern punched, kicked and elbowed at Malakye. He clung onto my son. It took Malakye a few moments to slip free from Stern's grasp but finally escaped.

Stern hovered in the air for a moment before he began to fall, his wings flicked open at the exact same moment Malakye surged forward with a punch to Stern's muzzle. Malakye zipped round behind Stern in a flash and then laid into him with several punches and kicks while both of them were air-born.

Stern began to fall, his wings no longer supported him, either it was an attempt to escape Malakye's barrage of attacks or because he was unable to anymore. Before he got very far Malakye dove towards him, his body spun elegantly as he plummeted towards Stern and delivered a powerful looking kick to Stern's midsection.

Stern was in total free fall for a few seconds before he managed to spin himself round and open his wings before reaching the ground. He opened his wings in time to glide a short distance before he crashed into the dirt floor of the arena, but he hadn't landed unscathed; as he rolled across the ground. The entire arena groaned in sympathy. He had managed to take the brunt out of the fall by using his wings, but it was obvious that he was hurt and wouldn't be getting up any time soon.

That left Xavier and Kassius, the two drakes that Malakye had specifically asked to fight, both of them left alone to face the onslaught that Malakye was bringing.

"Xavier could have intervened there." Callidus said judgementally. "But instead he was worrying about Malnark. If he had kept his focus Stern might still be in this fight."

"Xavier is soft hearted." I say, feeling slightly smug having thought along the same lines just a few moments ago. "It's not always a bad thing but on the battle field it can get others killed." All I get was a noise of agreement from him, but both our attentions are still firmly on the fight.

We all watched as Malakye glided down so he floated a couple of feet off the ground, his wings spread wide and his nen surging powerfully enough I could sense it clearly from this range. Xavier stood before him, glaring up at him. They exchanged words, impossible for anyone in the stands to hear. But you could tell they weren't having a pleasant chat.

Moments later Xavier charged, Malakye quickly surged upwards, his body spinning in a spiral as he did. Xavier gave chase, thrusting himself into the air using his own bending skills. Xavier's ability to fly was far less graceful, he relied on large bursts of speed, but he had the experience in using it over Malakye. However neither one had probably ever faced another opponent who was able to fly before.

As Xavier came to the peak of his first thrust which had lifted him from the ground, taking him a couple dozen feet off the ground, he back-flipped to adjust the direction he was facing before propelling himself towards Malakye in a single graceful manoeuvre. Malakye avoided the charge by gliding to the side, but Xavier was surprisingly fast at changing direction. The moment he had realised he'd missed Malakye he twisted his body around and in one single motion with his wings, and a surge of nen, was once again charging directly at Malakye.

The pair clashed, their exchange brief but violent. Malakye struck Xavier with a punch that not only knocked him away, but knocked him backwards. I expected him to follow up with an attack similar to what he had done to Stern, but Kassius stopped that with a several well timed fireballs. Kassius was obviously trying to make it difficult for Malakye by firing fireballs into the area around Malakye as well as directly at him.

But Malakye dodged the attacks gracefully, weaving through the air almost effortlessly. The attack had the desired effect however, taking Malakye's attention off of Xavier and giving the drake time to recover. Malakye had his back turned to Xavier as he tried to avoid Kassius's attacks. Xavier recovered before he hit the ground and propelled himself at Malakye's exposed back.

Somehow Malakye dodged it, allowing himself to free fall for a couple of seconds to duck below the charge. A quick glance at Callidus told me he was as impressed as I was. To have the presence of mind to avoid the attack from behind while dodging a literal barrage of fireballs is no small feat.

As Xavier spun himself around to face Malakye, Malakye took that moment to attack. He barrelled headlong into Xavier, the force carried them upwards, and they kept going up, and up, and up until they struck the ceiling. After crushing his opponent against the ceiling Malakye released Xavier and watched him tumble limply through the air towards the ground.

There was a loud gasp and I knew that like me everyone held their breath as they feared the worst. What was mere seconds felt like minutes as we all watched Xavier's limp form fall towards the ground; his wings fluttered uselessly as he fell. At the last second Xavier sprang to life and with a flex of his wings and a surge of nen propelled himself upwards a few yards before gliding down to the ground safely.

He crouched on the ground but clutched at his ribs. He was hurt. But was he so hurt that he could no longer continue? Everyone waited and watched as Kassius was busy trying to buy his last remaining partner time to recover.

But it wasn't much time.

Malakye soared close to the ground at speed towards Xavier. Xavier turned around too late to notice and was struck full on and was sent tumbling across the ground. I was fairly certain that that was the end of this fight for him. Malakye landed after the collision with Xavier, and was now standing crouched staring at the drake before he stood upright and turned to face his final opponent; Kassius.

"As good as Kassius is I don't think this fight is going to last long." I say.

"Out of all of them I give Kassius the best chance." Callidus countered. "He specialises in long range attacks and defence. If he can keep Malakye at a distance then I'd put my coin on him."

I had forgotten briefly about Kassius's 'minefield' defence. He had developed it while training with Xavier, so had developed it while learning to deal with flying opponents. However Malakye was also a fire bender, so he could potentially force his way through the wall of fire spirits that Kassius used as a shield. But it was as Callidus said. If Kassius could keep Malakye from getting close then there was a chance he could outlast Malakye.

Malakye's nen was impressive, easily in the class of a grandmaster, but he was using his nen heavily, while Kassius used basic techniques which required little nen to preform to great effect. I don't know if he could hold back Malakye for that long though. Malakye had already proven that he was highly adaptable in combat.

Kassius and Malakye stared one another down. There was a brief exchange of words, but it was completely inaudible at this range, never mind the noise from the crowd. They didn't talk for long, Malakye immediately dashed forward, seemingly choosing to no longer use his ability to fly, running directly towards the barrier of fire spirits Kassius had formed.

In response the fire spirits shifted to intercept Malakye. He blocked several fire spirits using his bending skills but it was obviously apparent that he was being quickly over whelmed by the sheer number of them. He leapt backwards, creating distance. Kassius didn't let up on him though, he fired several fireballs at him. But now that he wasn't dealing with dozens of approaching fire spirits he easily managed to block them using a shield of nen.

Kassius's attacks had no effect against Malakye's defence, and once he had blocked them all Malakye began circling Kassius, sprinting round the barrier of fire spirits; looking for an apparent weakness. But I knew that he wouldn't find one. Kassius had a strong defence and had secured his position next to a brazier, which meant he had a source of fire to continue to enhance his defence and replace any fire spirits he may lose. If Malakye wanted a chance to beat him he would need to either force Kassius away from the brazier or find a way to break through his defence.

Malakye apparently didn't find a weak spot, he had run around Kassius's barrier twice now, and surprisingly Kassius didn't make a move. Was waiting to see what Malakye would do? He had the advantage at the moment but if Malakye decided to use his wind bending again then I'm not sure his defence would hold up. It would appear that Malakye, for the moment at least, was testing his own fire bending abilities against Kassius. Kassius needed to use that to his advantage while my son continued to test himself if he wanted to stand any chance of defeating him.

Kassius seemed to come to the same conclusion I did as I felt a significant increase in his nen. He was gathering a large amount of nen and flames into a single attack. He was going so far as to use nearly half of the fire spirits in the attack, reducing his defensive capabilities, which meant that he was gambling a lot in this attack.

Seconds later he launched his attack, sending forth a large mass of flames straight at Malakye. The attack missed Malakye as he leapt to the side, I got quite a shock when the mass of flames suddenly began to change direction, veering to the side and heading towards Malakye. I couldn't help but stand as the mass of flame changed shape to take the form of a flaming dragons head.

"Most surprising!" Callidus exclaimed. "I was not aware that Kassius had learned such an advanced technique."

"Nor had I."

The dragon fire attack was an incredibly advanced technique. It required large amounts of nen to execute, and the size of the attack was impressive. The size showed Kassius's strength of nen, and the ability to manipulate the flames to take the shape of a dragons head demonstrated his technical skills.

The attack was advanced not only for the shape of the flames, but also because it meant he had managed to maintain control over the attack at range, which meant he could also make it change direction.

Right now Malakye was busy trying to avoid the attack, the attack changed direction each time Malakye avoided it, and Kassius was making it more difficult for Malakye with a few additional fireball attacks as well. Malakye came to a stop next to a brazier and I felt his nen surge. He not only drew on the flames but pulled the fire itself from the brazier; leaving the nothing but smoking, smouldering coals. He threw the flames at the dragons head, the two attacks collided, there was a small wave of heat that washed over everyone in the arena, nothing remained of the attacks but a large cloud of embers.

"Impressive counter." Callidus smirked. "I think after that display we might need to begin considering Kassius for a grand-master position in the near future. Perhaps you could show him some advanced skills and see if he is capable."

"Perhaps." I smirked. "But right now I'm more concerned with how my son is doing."

Kassius had begun rebuilding his defence, but despite it's weakened state it would still be a challenge for Malakye to force his way through. Malakye strode forward at a steady rate. He was not rushing in to attack, just closing the distance between them. As he passed a brazier he did the same as before, extracting the fire itself from it and continued to walk forward; the flames hovering in the air behind him. He came to a stop at another brazier and once again did the same thing.

"It would appear your son is planning on finishing this." Callidus mused. "I wonder what he has in mind?"

I wonder as well. It was unusual for a fire-bender to be able to rip the flames entirely from a source of fire, it required a strong control over fire. It was also unusual because in doing so left that source useless to the bender. If he was doing it then he intended to end this fight with a single attack, and was confident enough that he would succeed that he didn't leave himself a second chance.

He stood with the two burning masses hovering either side of him, Stern had already renewed most of his defences. I felt a shift in Malakye's nen, this wasn't a surge of power, it simply changed. It was like a bitter taste in the back of my throat. It was just like his nen when he fought against Kamir. A moment later the flames on either side of him suddenly grew in size and the flames turned blue!

Callidus rose from his seat as I did, both of us surprised at the sudden change in the nature of the flames. Blue flames meant that they were burning especially hot. Which meant they used more fuel to maintain themselves. No bender I knew of had ever been able to do that with only their nen! He threw one of the masses at Kassius. Kassius responded by quickly gathering nearly half of his fire spirits to form a wall of flames. A fire wall, the strongest defence against a fire based attack.

Malakye's attack collided with the wall and erupted, Normally the fire wall would deflect the attack, but Malakye's attack seemed to over whelm it, breaking through it. Kassius responded by forming another fire wall with the majority of his remaining fire spirits. That's when Malakye threw the other mass of blue flames.

Like before the attack erupted when it struck and completely over whelmed Kassius's defence. Using the brazier he summoned up a barrier of flames to surround him. The crowd gasped as the blue flames washed over Kassius. A couple of moments later the flames disappeared leaving Kassius's final flame wall standing.

While Kassius was obscured from sight by the combination of their flames, Malakye dashed forward. Kassius dropped the wall of flames he'd used to protect himself, only to be met with the sight of Malakye a few feet away. Malakye caught Kassius by surprise and with a leaping kick, drove his foot-paw into his chest, and knocked him to the ground. He then grasped the flames from the brazier Kassius had been using and drew out all of the flames. The flames surged with power, they grew in size and turned blue as they burned hot.

Malakye had Kassius dead to rights.

Another surge of nen, but this time from Stern. A quick glance told me that he was still hurt but he had been playing possum waiting for a chance to strike. He summoned a large amount of water from the ducts that ran beneath the arena floor and fired it as a powerful jet of water at Malakye, who had sensed Stern's nen just as we had and sent a stream of blue flames at Stern.

The two attacks collided and a cloud of steam erupted from where the two attacks struck. It became difficult to see what was happening due to the stream but it was obvious that the two attacks were equal in power. A surprising turn of events given waters advantage over fire.

Just what was that technique?

During the stand-off Xavier sprung to life and used his flying ability to propel himself towards Malakye at great speed. Malakye sensed him coming and rolled out of the way of the attack. The interruption broke off the stalemate between Stern and Malakye and Stern fired several water spirits towards him, Malakye leap backwards and sideways to avoid them. That distraction gave Xavier enough time to change direction and was once again barrelling towards Malakye. Malakye leapt into the air and somehow managed to kick Xavier across the muzzle. Xavier tumbled off to the side, and crashed into the ground.

Malakye landed in a crouch and fired a burst of nen in Stern's direction. We could all see Stern recoil from the impact of the air-burst attack. Malakye fired another and then another, each one staggered Stern, after the third attack Stern fell to one knee. Malakye was merciless. He hit Stern with one final air-burst which knocked Stern over onto his back. Given the injuries that he undoubtedly sustained during this fight he would not be getting up quickly.

Kassius had managed to get back onto his foot-paws and while Malakye's attention was on Stern attacked him from behind. He had drawn his sword and suppressed his nen. No doubt hoping to catch Malakye by surprise since he would no longer be able to sense him coming. But the moment he stepped into the bubble of nen surrounding Malakye my son knew he was there. Almost too late. Malakye spun round and back stepped to avoid Kassius's blade, but apparently didn't manage to avoid it entirely. I was too far away to see, but it didn't look to be serious. The tip of Kassius's sword had grazed across Malakye's chest. It probably drew some blood but was superficial. That didn't stop my heart from pounding in concern.

This was obviously a last ditched attempt from Kassius to defeat Malakye. By this point I could have called an end to the fight, Malakye had clearly displayed his superior skills. This was a matter of pride and I while I wanted no harm to come to my son, I would give Kassius his pride.

He attacked fiercely, his attacks crisp and there was no sign of any hesitation in his willingness to try and harm my son. But Malakye calmly avoided Kassius's attacks, until he grabbed his arm and struck him across the muzzle, before dragging Kassius to the ground. In a matter of seconds he had him pinned to the ground.

"That's enough!" I announce. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" I shout again with a loud a voice as I could muster. My first announcement lot amongst the cheers of the crowd.

The crowds cheers fell silent and Malakye turned his head to look at me. He had what looked to be a knife pressed against Kassius's throat. He pulled the blade away, stood up and walked away from his opponent. He wasn't going to hang around, he was heading for the metal doors that served as the entrance into the arena fighting pit.

Now the fight was over several warriors ran into the pits. They each ran to one of the four warlords. Kassius was seemingly unhurt as he stood unaided. Xavier was also standing although he was obviously hurting. Stern was limping badly. Two of the warriors helped to support him. Malnark also required aid. He was conscious but was having trouble moving.

By the time the four warlords had gathered in the center of the pit Malakye was gone. I was annoyed but not surprised. I would speak to him later.

"Well fought!" I say giving the warlords a clap of my paws, an act which was reciprocated by the crowd, many gave them cheers of encouragement. "It was an incredible fight. You all fought your hardest and have nothing to regret. Our winner... seems to be a little shy." My comment earned a spattering of laughter from the crowd. "Now please go rest and see to your injuries. Thank you all for joining and making this festival a success!" I end the speech and turn to Callidus. "Callidus..."

"I will go see what I can do for healing them." Callidus interrupted already knowing what I was going to ask him.

"Thank you."

"Your son is an impressive fighter. I do hope he is on our side." He gave me a look of concern, but before I can object to his comment he continued. "It seems to me that he is on his own side."

"What do you mean?"

"I know why you made this a mal'dov Kaldor." He says sternly. "And I agree we need to give him a reason to stay. He would be an asset to Zangar. But I don't think giving him a rank of warlord and master will be sufficient to convince him to stay. Even if the council are willing to grant it to him."

"You think they won't?"

"After that display I think they'd be fools not to. He has the skills and smarts to make an excellent master and warlord. But some may have concerns as to where his loyalties lie."

"Then we shall address those concerns."

"And how would you propose to do that? We don't have any answers for them."

"Yet." I countered. "He's promised to give us answers. So we shall have him give them to us before the council itself."

"That may work." Callidus pondered the idea but I could still hear some doubt in his tone. "Then at the meeting tomorrow..."

"No." I cut him off. "We shall have the meeting in three days."

"Why?"

"There are some others I wish to be present when hearing him give his story." It takes a few moments for Callidus's confused scowl to give way to a nod of understanding.

"Yes... they should be due back any day now. Do you think that he will wait to give us answers till then? I get the impression that he doesn't want to linger too much before resuming this 'mission' of his."

"I'll deal with that. If I can I intend to help him as much as I am able to." I let out a sigh. "I hope that will be enough to convince him to wait. Plus three more days in Zangar might help him find a reason to stay."

"You're shrewder that I give you credit for Kaldor." He smirked. "Very well, I shall reschedule the council meeting for three days from now. If you can manage it try and convince your son to appear at the party tonight. I suspect he won't be particularly willing, but it will help to address some of the concerns and rumours that I have no doubt will be gathering momentum amongst the populace as we speak."

"I'll see what I can do." I assure him. "Now we'd better get going. Jovani will no doubt have everything for the party well underway and I will need to work my way through the crowd wanting answers before I can get home and speak to my son."

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It took me nearly two hours to get home. The amount of drakes with questions about Malakye's reappearance had been shocking. I should have expected it but with everything else going on I hadn't considered it. By the time I stepped through the doors to my home I felt drained and exhausted. But there was a party to prepare for. Jovani appeared moments after I had closed the door.

He started reeling off various bits of information which I half listened to as I walked around the house. The house was a hive of activity. Servants were busy with last minute cleaning or transporting food stuffs to the ball room. While I had only half listened to what he had said it was obvious that Jovani had everything in paw.

"Is Malakye home?"

"I'm not sure Master." He said taking a moment to think. "If he has returned then no one has reported his arrival to me."

"That's fine Jovani." I assured him. "I will head up to the family area and check for myself. Let me know the moment guests start to arrive."

"Of course Master." He bowed his head slightly before heading off to deal with one of many tasks that still needed his attention. I honestly don't know what I'd do without Jovani.

I made my way to the family area upstairs, taking a moment to see Harold as I passed the entrance to the kitchen. The smells were maw watering. The little yellow drake was busy preparing countless dishes. He was so busy I didn't want to disturb him, but he certainly looked in his element. That little drake loved to cook!

As I entered the family area I was welcomed by the warm welcoming light of a roaring fire. The room was pleasantly warm and in comparison to downstairs it was peaceful and restful. I looked around the room and saw the figure of someone sitting in one of the chairs by the fire. I didn't need to look hard to know it was Malakye. His distinctive red head fur could be seen over the high backed chair.

I walked forward and took a seat in my favourite seat. I sat in silence, just watching him for the moment. He gazed longingly into the flames. I could see several pink wounds on his arms and chest. No doubt a result of Malnark's water whips. I was quite familiar with those kinds of wounds having sparred with Callidus on countless occasions when we were younger. There was also a thin slice through the scales of his right pectoral, no doubt the wound he suffered from Kassius's paw. The was no blood, so it probably hadn't sliced through all the scales.

"Quite a fight." I say, seeing if I could lure him into a conversation. "I have little doubt that the council will approve you becoming a Master."

"Mmm." The non verbal response was a start. At least he was responding to me. A few moments later he spoke. "So are you wanting me to answer your questions now?"

"Not yet." I reply, taking a moment to compose my following statement. "I want you to give your story to the council as well as me. As much as I want to find out what's happened to you while you were gone... I'm sure there are many others who are curious as well. I'd rather you give your story to as many drakes as possible."

"Fine..."

"The meeting is in three days." I hesitated, not sure what kind of response I was going to get. "I know you're eager to get on with your mission... but I'm sure there are a few friends who would like to see you again."

"It's fine." He said coldly. "I still have a couple of things I need to do before I leave."

"I want to help you." I try not to sound desperate. "I'll do everything I can to support your mission."

"You don't have to."

"But I want to!" I blurted. "I'm your father. I want to help you." He didn't respond. He just looked into the fire, as if in a trance from the flickering flames. "So... what are you doing tonight?"

He cast his gaze in my direction. I'm pretty sure he knew what I'm going to suggest. There was no way he could have failed to notice all the commotion downstairs, even if he did manage to sneak past everyone.

"Hmmm."

"And what does that mean?" I ask, unsure what his grunt actually meant.

"Are you going to insist?"

"I would appreciate it." I say. "A lot of folks are going to want to meet you. You won't have to answer their questions... but I'm sure they will have a lot of them."

"I'll consider it."

"That's all I can ask." I say rising from my chair. "If you decide not to I'll understand. Just find one of the servants and they will fetch you something to eat. From the looks of it Harold has prepared quite the feast."

He doesn't respond and I head towards the door leading to the bedrooms to go and get washed and prepared for the party. As I pull open the door a thought occurs to me.

"Most of your friends are away on trade mission, but will be back in the next few days. Your master... old master..." I correct myself. "The tiger will be coming tonight. I'm sure he would like to see you again." I leave it at that and head to the bathing chamber, hoping that he will choose to join the party of his own accord.

************

"Xavier! Kassius!" I smile warmly as the warlords made an appearance with their families. "How are you?"

Neither of them looked to be in pain from any potential injuries that they suffered during the mal'dov with Malakye. Not that I'd expect proud warriors to allow themselves to show discomfort from any minor injuries. Both Stern and Malnark had arrived earlier, and while both of them showed some level of discomfort while walking, neither made any complaints. They had both suffered worse injuries than Kassius or Xavier.

Both of them wore a variation of the traditional warlord attire. Xavier wore it with a combination of whites and light blues while Kassius wore a combination of red and black. Much like how myself and Callidus wore the traditional formal attire as the respective heads of our houses. I grudgingly wear it on occasions like this to appease my best friends need for tradition and pomposity. I hate how the fur collar make my scales itch. But that minor inconvenience was better than the alternative; a scathing, and never ending lecture from Callidus.

"Lord Valelor did a good job healing us." Xavier smiled. "I'm sure we'll be back to full strength in a couple of days." A nod from Kassius told me he agreed with Xavier's statement.

"That's good to hear." I say, turning to greet their respective wives. After a brief exchange they headed further into the ball room to mingle with the other guests.

The party was in full swing. Most of the guests had arrived and shortly the band would begin playing music and the dancing would ensue. A gentle nudge from Jovani turned my attention back to the entrance of the ball room. My mild surprise was quickly replaced with a smile. Malakye lingered by the door, showing more fear than I'd seen in him while facing down Zaraki Kamir. He never had liked large crowds.

He looked rather dashing in one of the outfits that I'd bought for him shortly before his disappearance. The shirt was a mesmerising combination of orange, black and red. It would look good on any Zangarian, however it just seemed to look that much better in combination with his red head fur. He wore a matching pants, mostly black but trimmed with the same colours as the shirt.

He saw me approaching and his expression tightened up. He didn't want to show that he was nervous. Understandable. Yet he had every reason to be nervous. I'd be nervous in his position. This wasn't like the public appearance he made earlier when he could simply focus on the fight. No here he would have to converse and interact with others. And I'm sure everyone here had questions for him.

"You look good." I say. "The ladies will be all over you."

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sure a few of the males will be as well." I joke. He scowled at me.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know." I smirked, giving him a playful shove. "You are welcome to stay by me. I'll make sure no one bothers you."

"I don't need a care taker." He scoffed. Obviously not wanting to appear weak. "I can take care of myself."

"You may be able to handle yourself in a fight, but this is a much scarier arena." I say. "Trust me. I'm terrified myself most of the time."

"I've done this before." He said coldly. "I can handle myself."

"Good. Because Callidus gets rather moody when I say something out of turn. So maybe you can help me out."

He grunted and walked away from me. Obviously that last joke wasn't funny. Or perhaps he just wanted to get it over with. The first few minutes will be the most awkward I'd imagine. I followed him but keep my distance. He's noticed within seconds, but no one approached him. They stared at him with wide-eyed amazement, muttering amongst themselves.

"So the prodigal son returns!" General Ortavia declared loudly.

Anyone who had been ignorant of Malakye's presence was now well aware of it thanks to the loud mawed General. Ortavia had forgone wearing his usual armour and was instead wearing a rather flashy outfit that was more suitable for a drake less than half his age. His four wives were following in his wake, including the young female who was his most recent wife. The timid young thing was younger than his daughter Luna! His charge, a young drake who Malakye had befriended - Flinn - was no where to be seen.

Malakye turned to face the General but didn't greet him, or appear friendly towards him. He stared at him with a look of disinterest and mild annoyance. Ortavia wasn't phased by the lack of acknowledgement and walked around Malakye, as if examining him like you would a some prized cattle.

"You put on quite a show today." The General smiled, taking a sip of wine from the silver tankard he carried. "Defeated four of my best. Quite the show."

"Your point?" Malakye asked coldly.

"No point." Ortavia chuffed in amusement. "Just wanting to congratulate you on your win. And your sudden resurrection."

"I wasn't dead."

"Everyone thought you were."

I was hoping the Ortavia wouldn't say anything to offend Malakye. I was wanting to try and encourage him to stay, but Ortavia was obnoxious enough to potentially drive Malakye to away. Not to mention the fact that if he assaulted the General then that would simply complicate matters.

"You're looking well tonight Ortavia." Callidus smiled as he strode up to the General's side. "Is that a new outfit?"

"Why yes it is." Ortavia grinned. Proud of his outfit. "I had Garibaldi make it for me. Quite stunning."

"It is indeed... stunning." Callidus smiled. It was a good act. It was enough to fool the Ortavia but I could hear the sarcasm. "But not as stunning as your wives."

"No." Ortavia laughed. "They are as radiant as ever. Even this outfit can outshine their beauty."

His wives were obvious awed by the compliments and attention. With the General sufficiently distracted Malakye slipped away. If I hadn't been paying attention I would have missed it. He walked away casually, passed by several drakes who barely looked at him. Unusual. Their lack of interest wasn't from discomfort or fear of my son, but rather like he didn't exist. A moment later he disappeared from sight. I pushed through the crowd, desperately trying to find him. How did he disappear like that. I was looking right at him and it was like he just vanished.

I found him a few minutes later sitting at an empty table near the back of the room. He'd gotten himself a drink and sat down. It would appear that he made the appearance for my sake. A touching thought. However I wanted him to make friends and connections that would encourage him to remain in Zangar.

After managing to excuse myself from the conversation with a couple of nobles who'd approached me, I began making my way over to Malakye when I saw someone approaching him. It was The tiger, Aceh, and three of his students. Karnal and Barnus wore the distinctive red dojo uniforms while the third wore a white one. If I wasn't mistaken that was one of Jarrol's sons. Reece... if I wasn't mistaken.

The young drake certainly had grown since I'd last seen him. I had heard a report of an altercation between Aceh and Jarrol, something related to his son, but Callidus had dealt with it. Or had at least looked into it. He had assured me that it wasn't anything to concern myself with. Perhaps I should ask Callidus for some more details. I had extended Jarrol and his family an invitation to the party, he had not yet shown himself yet; if he was going to come at all. But should he see Aceh and his son here then there might be another altercation.

The tiger approached Malakye and the pair regarded each other silently. It was Barnus who seemingly made the first comment. I couldn't hear what was said, but the scowl that Malakye gave him made it obvious it was far from friendly. Aceh silenced Barnus with a single word, the winner of today's tournament falling silent and stepping back. I moved closer so I could hear what was being said.

"It is good to see you again." Aceh said with what was nearly a smile. Malakye remained silent and after a few tension filled moments Aceh spoke again. "I've missed you. We all have. Cody inparticular."

He had been close to the fox. Cody had spent the night in his bed on regular occasions. The little fox had taken his death hard, possibly harder than me. If I hadn't been so lost in my own grief I might have been able to console him. Looking back at it now I realised just how much I'd been lost in my own little world... how much Callidus and Jovani had supported me.

"I have nothing to say." Malakye responded.

Even the tiger couldn't hide the expression of hurt that flashed across his muzzle at the cold bluntness of the comment.

"Why you!" Barnus stepped forward, offended in his masters place, but was stopped by an outstretched paw from the tiger.

Before anyone else could say anything Malakye stood up and began to walk away. He stopped some distance away before turning back to face the tiger.

"Lun kinyar nas'kari garnait. Yu'wo" Malakye stated confidently and fluently in a language I couldn't understand. I sounded like old tongue*. I wasn't sure what was going on but the tiger seemed to understand. A single nod in acknowledgement from him and Malakye barked one last thing at him. "Crar'bak." He then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

I wished Callidus was here. He was no expert in the language but he would at least be able to interoperate the meaning of Malakye's statement. I approached Aceh and his students. Reece went wide-eyed at my approach and half hid behind the tiger.

"Lord Anaris." Aceh greeted me with a near smile and a slight bow of his head. He reached around and placed a paw on the young drakes shoulder in a reassuring embrace that seemed to calm him..

"What was that about?" I asked looking in the direction my son had walked off.

"It would appear Malakye will be coming to pay me a visit soon."

"It didn't sound like it would be a friendly visit." I retort hoping to get some clue as to what he'd said.

"He will be challenging me much as he did the others earlier today." His brow furrowed. "It is not uncommon for students to challenge their masters to see if they have surpassed them."

I was vaguely aware of that tradition. It was never used in Zangar as far as I'm aware, far more common in the South however. In most cases it was after the student felt slighted or sought retribution from their teachers, to prove that they had surpassed them. I was not aware of any bad blood between them so I had to imagine this was simply yet another test of strength Malakye had planned for himself.

"He has grown strong." The tiger sighed. "It will not be an easy fight."

"He won't be fighting you until he gets through me!" Barnus exclaimed. Punching his chest as if to prove his determination.

"There is no need!" Aceh said.

"He insulted you! If he thinks I will stand by and let him do that then he is crazy!" Barnus argued. "He will not get to challenge you until he has defeated me!"

Karnal took a step forward and nodded in agreement. Apparently just as eager to defend their masters honour as Barnus was. They were strong. But they had to have seen Malakye's display of strength earlier today. They had to know that they stood little chance. Perhaps if Malakye didn't use his nen... but even then I had my doubts.

They may be trained fighters, and warriors besides, but I've seen my son fight. He knows what it means to survive. To fight an opponent who was trying to kill you. The main issue was that most of our warriors had no real combat experience. They knew how to fight and were well trained, but lacked the experience of real battles.

But they were brave and honourable drakes, making a bold statement in defending their teachers honour. No one could fault them for that. I just hope that when Malakye does finally challenge Aceh that no one is seriously hurt.