FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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Chapter 24

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Callidus

The room was a hive of chatter. Other than the warlords currently manning the outposts every warlord was in attendance. General Ortavia was also present, his loud obnoxious laughter grated my nerves slightly as he told one of his many jokes; ones which he had told countless times over the years. He always found it hilarious, everyone else laughed politely at the joke so as not to offend him.

I hoped Kaldor would get here soon, then we can get this meeting underway. Everyone was eager to hear the tale of where Malakye has been all this time.

It had been nine seasons since he had supposedly died in an explosion during the wolven attack. Only he didn't die, he reappeared suddenly and defeated a fearsome foe; one whose name is known across the tribal lands for his prowess in battle. Zaraki Kamir, the wolf who killed both my own and Kaldor's fathers two decades ago.

The door opened and everyone in the room turned to see who had entered. It was Kaldor, and surprisingly he was actually wearing the fur cloak representing his status as head of the Anaris house. He always hated that thing. He was obviously trying to impress today, and given that he was going to push for Malakye to be given the rank of warlord and master, it obviously meant a lot to him. This meant a lot to him, more than I had thought if he had willingly worn the cloak without me reminding him. In Kaldor's wake Jovani followed.

"Where is Malakye?" I asked as Kaldor as he approached his seat. Everyone else had fallen silent and the few who hadn't were moving to take their seats. In all there were ten of us in attendance, including General Ortavia.

"He is outside." Kaldor replied. "Did you invite the others?"

"There are waiting at the other entrance." I responded, motioning to the other door at the opposite end of the room to which he had entered. "I still disagree with allowing them to attend."

"They are allowed to attend." Kaldor snapped, obviously not wanting to debate the issue. "Once Malakye is seated Jovani will fetch them."

"Is he even aware they will be attending?" I asked.

"He is aware that they have been invited." He said with a subtle sigh. I tried not to read into that sigh, but apparently the knowledge of the presence had not had the desired effect he had hoped for. "Well then... shall we begin?"

He slid into his seat and Jovani went and opened the door to let Malakye into the room. To my surprise two more dragons entered after him. I recognised one of them as one of Cid's sons, and the Erythean dragoness, Kassandra. Unsurprisingly both of them looked nervous, and yet Malakye was calm and collected; apparently unphased by the fact he was in the same room as the entire hierarchy of Zangar. As he walked I noticed that he seemed to be favouring his right arm slightly, no doubt still feeling the effect of his fight against the tiger yesterday.

When I had examined the tiger there was almost no sign of serious injury. The most serious injuries I could identify were a dislocated shoulder and a serious case of nen burn all over his body, particularly in his right arm. Normally I would have left one of the other healers to go and deal with him, but after hearing Chax's report of the fight and how it ended, a flash of white light, intrigued me to no end. The white light came after the pairs nen clashed. The light of Asurmen. A legendary and almost mythological event.

Everyone knows the stories of how Dalton, the only fur in recorded history, learned how to harness the light of Asurmen. It was an incredibly destructive attack, of which the tiger had apparently suffered the brunt of during the exchange. I'm no fool, I don't believe that Malakye used the light of Asurmen to attack his teacher. More likely it was an unexpected outcome of their fight, when their two nens clashed.

Malakye took his seat in the middle of the left side of the table, the other two sat down on either side of him. I had instructed the warlords to sit on the right side of the table for the duration of this meeting. In part it was to allow me to have an unrestricted view of Malakye, but also to see how this how his so called 'friends' reacted to him. I hadn't expected anyone to enter with him. The fact that Cid's son and the foreigner had entered with him had caught me by surprise.

As they took their seats Jovani arrived at the door on the other side of the room and allowed the rest into the chamber. The two stallions entered, followed by the falcon and then the fox. To my surprise the tiger entered after them, looking none the worse the wear from his fight yesterday; other than the sling his right arm was in. Hidden behind him was yet another Zangarian, another son of one of the farming families. I was well aware of the altercation that had taken place between the young drakes father and the tiger.

Jarrol had come to me in a rage, demanding that I take action against the tiger. I had verbally slapped him down. The tiger had done nothing wrong and Jarrol was an arrogant ass! Unfortunately he did an excellent job in running the farm, one of the primary sources of Zangars food, so I couldn't simply replace him without consequences. Thankfully it would seem that Jarrol had given up on the grudge towards the tiger, for now at least.

The others took a seat at the table. They all sat at the end near myself and Kaldor. Unfortunately the presence of Laguna and Kassandra had ruined my experiment. However given the fact that the tigers arm was currently in a sling, it was understandable that there would be some tension.

I still find it hard to believe that the tiger was able to put up such a fight, if the report from Warlord Chax was to be believed, he had pushed Malakye to his limits. A surprise considering that four of our top benders barely made him sweat in a mal'dov. There were a few other points in those reports that gave me reason to be nervous of our newly resurrected drake, and keep a more watchful eye on that tiger. I was going to use this opportunity to get some answers out of Malakye.

"I suppose we should get started." Kaldor said once everyone was seated.

"What do you want to know?" Malakye asked.

He had a smug smile plastered on his muzzle. He seemed amused by this whole thing. As long as he gives me some answers he can be as smug as he liked.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" I say, quick to speak before anyone else could. I was eager to take control of the direction this 'interrogation' was going to go. "Where have you been all this time?"

"You won't believe me." He said bluntly, but still smiling, as he looked directly at me.

Was that statement directed at me or everyone? The way he looked at me suggested it was aimed in my direction. Curious. Why would I not believe him? I have no doubt I'd be sceptical of any answers he gave, but to outright not believe him?

"I promise to keep an open mind." I assured him.

He stared at me for a few moments before answering. "Aaru*."

That single word rolled of his tongue gracefully, eloquently and articulately. However it sounded alien as my mind began to process and consider the ramifications of what it meant if it were true. There was a quiet rumble of chatter between several of the spectators to this meeting, and the warlord themselves as everyone in attendance came to the same conclusions I had.

"BULL SHIT!" The abrupt outburst came from General Ortavia. "You expect us to believe you've spent the last... fuck knows how long in Aaru!?"

I could understand the Ortavia's disbelief. But why would he lie about such a thing? He already stated that we wouldn't believe him. So either he was trying to throw us off, and lead us away from the truth, or... somehow he was telling the truth.

Lying to us served him no purpose. He had already stated his intention of leaving to complete what ever mission, or duty, he felt he needed to complete. He would have been welcomed back with open arms regardless. Lying served no purpose so, unless he was playing games with us I should take his statement to be truth.

"Calm down Ortavia!" Kaldor snapped. He made no attempt to hide his annoyance. "You are here to listen. If you can't do that then I will ask you to leave!"

"You can't do that!" Ortavia argued, his tone argumentative and filled with disbelief.

"Do you want to test me!?" Kaldor slammed his fist against the table top, making it shake under the force. His nen flared as his anger got the best of him momentarily.

Ortavia hesitated, obviously wanting to say more but thought better of it. The General leant back in his seat; defeated for the moment. Eager to get the meeting back on track I turned my attention back to Malakye. I wanted to clarify his last statement.

"Now... Malakye please explain. Why were you in Aaru?"

"I was taken there."

"By who?" I asked curiously. Kaldor didn't seem to mind that I was asking questions, and so long as he didn't object I would continue to do so.

"Callen."

A single word answer again. However once again it sent a ripple of disbelief and possibilities running through my mind. There was another quiet rumble that rippled throughout the room as everyone reacted to the answer to the question.

Everyone here would immediately assume he was referring to the Guardian deity, understandable given the previous Aaru comment. Aaru. The mythical land where the deities resided. But it was possible it was some fur named after the deity, in a place named after the realm the Guardian Deities lived. I needed to ask more open question, ones which required him to give him more details.

"Why did Callen take you to Aaru?" I asked.

"Because... it was custom." He said.

"What custom?" Kaldor asked, beating me to the punch. But it was more or less the same question I was going to ask.

"I am a k'tan*."

"Well yes..." Kaldor responded. He glanced at me with a confused expression. "We know that you're a k'tan. But what does that have to do with you being taken to Aaru?"

Malakye didn't say anything, but he looked at me with cocky smirk. I stared back at him, pondering his amusement. He wasn't looking round the table, his attention was fixed solely on me, as if he was somehow challenging me. He obviously expected me to... an idea flashed into my mind. An obscure text I had read many years back. It didn't make sense... unless... but if it was true then that could answer a lot of questions.

"You mean..." I trailed off, not sure how to say it. Malakye smiled at me, as if knowing my deduction.

"What the hell is he talking about?!" General Ortavia sputtered. "Out with it Callidus!"

"He is a k'tan." I repeat Malakye's words, searching them for the meaning I thought he meant. Theoretically it was possible. But what were the odds?!

"Well obviously!" Ortavia huffed impatiently. "But what the hell did he mean?"

"He is able to bend elements just like any other Zangarian k'tan." I began. My eyes locked on Malakye, searching for and sign of verification from him that I was on the right line of thought. Waiting for him to tell me I was right or wrong. "But he is also..." Malakye nodded as if to confirm that he knew I was about say the right thing. "A wolven k'tan."

I could tell from Malakye's body language that what I said was what he had meant. A heavy silence fell over the room as everyone tried to process the revelation. It was incomprehensible. The odds of a Zangarian and a wolf being able to conceive a cub together were infinitesimal given our differences; both physically and politically. Then for that off spring to become a k'tan, of not one but two races... mind boggling.

"So he's like Kamir?" Kaldor asked, his tone confused. He was obviously struggling to come to terms with the revelation.

"I don't know." I admitted. "I think your son is going to have to explain some more."

"I am both a wolven and Zangarian K'tan." Malakye reiterated. "Over the centuries wolves have become ignorant of their latent abilities. This is why there are so few active wolven k'tan."

"So what are their latent abilities?" I asked, my mind curious as to why wolven k'tan never seemed to have the same powers or abilities.

"Essentially they are shaman*. They find it extremely easy to channel spirits and deities and exorcise demons. However they are able to channel spirits so easily, that spirits can use them to channel themselves. If the spirit is strong enough they can take over the host, possess them; permanently. Their ignorance protects them from these spirits, as only spirits who are compatible with the shaman can force themselves upon them."

"So Kamir... he was possessed?" Xavier asked. "Sorry... I didn't mean..."

"It's fine Xavier." I assured him. "It's a relevant question. One I'd like to know the answer to."

"Yes. The spirit that possessed him attempted to take control. It's not a quick process. In part due to the ignorance of what is happening to them. Their ignorance is a barrier that protects them, but that barrier will only last so long." He paused a moment before continuing. I will admit I found the whole thing fascinating. If this information was correct it was a significant insight to the nature of wolven k'tan. I would need to document this information for future reference. "As the barrier fails and the spirit begins to break through they suffer symptoms like hallucinations, nightmares..."

"You used to have nightmares." Kaldor stated as if remembering something significant.

I remembered him mentioning that in the past. I had dismissed it as past trauma. Given that he had been raised in a wolven village I had no doubts he would have suffered numerous traumas growing up. I had assured Kaldor that he would get over them. That living in Zangar would help him get over his past life amongst the wolves, but at the time it had simply been words to soothe the worries of my closest friend. But now it was apparent that those nightmares were caused by something more significant than some bad memories. Something more dangerous than him suffering some sleepless nights.

"Yes." Malakye responded. "Those nightmares were the result of my mental barriers breaking down."

"And that's why you were taken to Aaru*?" I asked.

"Yes. Once it is apparent that the host is unable to suppress the spirit, they are taken to Aaru* to be trained. They taught me how to create a new barrier, one which I could maintain, to keep the spirit from overwhelming me and taking possession of my body. Eventually I might learn how to suppress it all together and like Kamir learn to channel the spirits power."

"Why learn to control it?" I asked. "If its dangerous for the spirit to be within you why not exorcise it? You said that one of the wolven k'tan abilities was to exorcise spirits and demons?"

"True." He sighed, which told me that there was something stopping him from doing it. "In some cases that is possible. However in my case the spirit has latched on to me for so long... etching itself into my nen. Impossible to remove or exorcise without causing irreparable harm, or killing me. It feeds off nen, growing stronger while its host, me, grows weaker. The more I used my nen the more I fed the spirit, allowing it to tighten its grip on me."

"So every time you use your nen your at risk?" Kaldor asked. "Then stop using it!"

"And deny a part of myself?" Malakye argued. He wasn't angry, or sad. His question was one that every bender could relate to. To give up bending would be like asking a dragon to cut off their wings and tail. "Even if I did it would only be a stop gap. Eventually it would still take over. But I can use my nen to suppress it as well. But that also is just a stop gap. I am at a critical point in my training where I need to learn to totally suppress and control the spirit or..."

His statement didn't need to be finished. We all knew what would happen. This was the reason he couldn't stay here in Zangar. Once he completed his mission he would go back to Aaru to finish his training. But that then begs the question... if he was at such a critical point in his training, what mission was so important enough to interrupt his training?

"What is your mission?" I asked.

"Does it matter?" He asked.

"I admit to my curiosity." I replied. "What could be so important, important enough to interrupt your training, which as you said was at such a critical point? It would have to be something that only 'you' could do."

"I want to know as well." Kaldor said. "I want to help you. I will support you in any way I can!"

Kaldor's determination in aiding his son was commendable. I would doubtlessly do the same for my own kin. But something told me that he was not going to be able to help Malakye to the extent that he wished he was able.

"There was a report of a demonic servant in this region. I was tasked with killing it."

"A demon?" Xavier asked. I knew immediately what he was thinking. "We may have sighted it."

"No you didn't." Malakye replied bluntly. "What you encountered was no demon."

"Wait... you know what... it was you!" Xavier spluttered as the revelation struck him, losing his usual calm composure. "You were the one who attacked the wolves? Attacked us?"

"I only did what I needed to do to hide my identity."

"Why?" Xavier asked.

I was happy for him to continue for the moment, out of curiosity, but I wouldn't allow this line of questioning to continue for too much longer. Malakye didn't respond and after a few moments I decided to put forth my own theory.

"He didn't know if the demonic servant was wolven... or Zangarian." My statement cast a heavy silence over the room, but from the look I got from Malakye it would seem that I was right.

"Zangarian?" Ortavia spat. "How in the hell would we have a drake possessed by a demon and not notice?!"

"You misunderstand." Malakye said. "This is not a possession or a demon. This is an individual who has aligned themselves with the Demon Lords*, and is conspiring with them in order to open a gateway to the Underworld*."

Such a thing would be disastrous! If a gateway to the Underworld was opened, it would spell doom to the world as we know it. A repeat of the war that nearly wiped out all life two millennia ago! The only reason we won that war was due to the creation of the k'tan. And while there are certainly more k'tan now than there was back then, if the strength of the heroes of that age were to be half of what was described in the stories, not even Kaldor or myself would be able to come close in comparison. The power of the k'tan, though still powerful in this day and age, had become weak; watered down through the generations of breeding.

I felt a twinge of fear grip my chest as I considered the ramifications of what would happen if the Demon Lords managed to escape the Underworld and reek havoc upon the world. There was no doubt that we would have to aid Malakye in any way we could. The war with the wolves was nothing but a petty squabble in comparison to the war that would result if an army of demons managed escaped the Underworld.

"How do you know what they intend to do?" Ortavia asked.

"There is a deity who resides in Aaru*. They are what is know as a farseer, or an oracle. A being with the ability to see visions of the future." He explained. I was shocked that such a being could exist! Imagine the possibilities when you could predict events before they occurred. "Unfortunately the visions are hard to interoperate and she is unable to control them. All she was able to deduce was that the individual who had fallen into service of the Demon Lords* was in the region around the Zangarian mountains."

"That is a lot of ground to cover." Xavier commented. "There are numerous settlements that could include."

"Yes. However she was able to narrow it down to the northern region of the Zangarian mountains. I've already search Yanzomien* and New Zangar. All that was left was Zangar and Rengilar."

"How would you be able to tell who the demon servant is?" I asked.

"Demonic energy is very noticeable, and lingers in the area it was used, those with the ability to sense nen should be able to sense it." He explained calmly, but I could tell he was slightly annoyed at having to explain this. "I believe someone with the nen of master would be able to clearly distinguish demonic energy from regular nen."

"So you'd be able to tell who it was if they were using the demonic energy." I summarised. What if they weren't using it? How could you tell them apart from everyone else in the area?

"With this." He reached behind him and pulled out a sheathed knife. He placed it upon the table and slid it towards me.

I grabbed the handle as it came within reach and stopped it. I lifted it up and pulled it from the leather sheath and stared at the bizarre blade. It was beautiful! It was like clear glass that glowed with a pale blue light. The edges of the glass were lined with black metal; undoubtedly gallium! Another memory flashed through my mind. I knew exactly what this blade was! I had only ever seen drawings of them!

"This is most unexpected!" I exclaim. The rippling, sky blue light that rippled along the length of the glass like substance that formed the majority of the blade was a perfect, pure perception stone*! It rippled with the nature of my nen without me even having to channel my nen into it! "I expected many things, but the fact that you had risen to the rank of daemon* was not one of them!"

"Daemon!?" Ortavia exclaimed.

"You really are too smart for your own good!" Malakye huffed.

"But that's impossible! There hasn't been a named daemon in over two centuries!" Ortavia continued to voice his disbelief.

"Because once their identity becomes public it becomes difficult to operate in secret!" Malakye glared. "I would ask that you keep this information to yourselves! Only to be spoken if the need arises! That does not include your wives or lovers!" Malakye glared at everyone in the room, but noticeably glared at Ortavia for longer than anyone else.

"Understandable." I agreed. "I have little doubt that that everyone here will not discuss this with anyone without my own or Lord Anaris's consent!"

"Absolutely!" Kaldor growled. Apparently now over his own shock at the sudden revelation. "Anyone who does will spent the next decade in the dungeon! Is that understood?"

Everyone agreed either verbally or with a nod of their head. Including our 'guests'. I looked across the shocked and confused expressions of Malakye's so called 'friends'. It would seem that the significance of Malakye becoming a Daemon* was not lost on them. There are many legends and fire side stories still told to this day about those who have risen to the rank of Daemon.

The first Daemon where those who had distinguished them during the great demonic war, chosen from the first k'tan. Those who had demonstrated great skill and strength on the battlefield. It was said that the most powerful Daemon were capable of defeating a Demon Lord in battle! The two Daemon rumoured to be the most powerful k'tan of all, even to this day, were Tau'ruc and Dalton. Tau'ruc was the father of the three sons who would go on to form the three houses of Zangar; Anaris, Valelor and Killik.

Dalton was the first wolven k'tan. The equal to Tau'ruc, and together had changed the course of the war. It was rumoured that the pair were best friends and always fought together. Hard to believe when you consider the long and bloody history between their respective races. I have spent many a night pondering what had happened in the past, to cause the war between the wolves and dragons, when their most distinguished warriors were such close friends?

Once everyone in the room had given some form of agreement to keeping Malakye's secret Kaldor let out a grunt of satisfaction.

"Good. And I swear that if word of this gets out I will personally hunt down the individuals responsible!" Kaldor added with a venomous tone that left no doubt to how serious he was.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Malakye sighed in relief.

"Well then..." I pause as I try to think of yet another question. "I assume you have not found the culprit in Zangar?" I asked.

"No. They were not in the outposts or the wolven camp either, although there were signs that they had been at the camp at some point."

"How do you know? How does the blade work?" Kaldor asked.

"Demon servants have the dark energies of their masters coursing through them. Once I'm within a few yards of them the blade would start to glow a faint red. If the blade was to touch them, it would turn crimson or black."

I looked down at the blade in my paws. Still awed at the flawless workmanship. The fact that the perception stone that formed the length of the blade was as clear as glass was impressive. No Zangarian smith over the centuries had ever managed to craft one as flawless as this. That added to the gallium steel that was seamlessly melded into the edges of the stone to form the sharp edge of the blade, made it obvious that this was the work of Gallium; the legendary Guardian Deity*. I slid the blade back across the table to Malakye.

"So if you're certain that the demon servant is not in Zangar then where else would you look?" I asked.

"As I said, I've already scouted Yanzomien and New Zangar." There was a mumble of chatter amongst the furs that Kaldor had invited. Obviously surprised since they themselves have been to Yanzomien on several occasions in the past weeks. "Since there were no signs of them in either place the last settlement to check is Rengilar*."

"Rengilar is under wolven control." Visnar stated. "According to our scouts that is their main encampment in the North."

"True. Scouting Rengilar will be risky and dangerous." I added.

"I can handle it." Malakye said confidently.

I was sure he could. If he had been able to scout three of the outposts without anyone noticing his presence then either our security was far weaker than I thought, or he had some excellent stealth skills at his disposal. Given the talents he had displayed thus far I was convinced it was the latter. Either way I'd be ensuring the security at the outposts was tightened going forward.

"I'm sure you could." I replied. "But I'm sure we could come up with another option."

"Such as?"

"Well I'm sure that the wolves would be just as eager as we are to prevent the Demon Lords* from escaping the Underworld*. So why don't we approach them and ask for their assistance?"

"You expect the wolves to help?"

"Despite our opinions on them, they do follow the teachings of Jan'Zar; the deity of war. They would be open to negotiations." I say, trying to sound as confident as I could. I didn't entirely believe the statement, but it was known that many wolves still followed the teachings, while others only pretended to.

"I doubt it. They'd probably shoot arrows at you the moment they see you!" Ortavia scoffed.

"We will go with Callidus's suggestion!" Kaldor announced. "Unless anyone else can come up with another option?"

"You don't have to risk your lives!" Malakye insisted. "I can sneak in and find them by myself!"

"We are going to help you Malakye!" Kaldor countered. "And don't even think about running off! We will approach the wolves with our proposition regardless!" That last statement visibly irritated Malakye.

"Why would you? Dozens of Zangarians could die for nothing!"

"Because this is bigger than just us! The entire Tribal Lands are at risk! If the wolves are too blind to see that then we will deal with that then!"

He was also doing this out of the love of his son. But saying that would only show his reasoning for doing this as emotional rather than rational. No one here would openly accuse him of such, even if they knew it to be true.

"Well then... I think that we have gleamed all that we can." I say, eager to move onto planning our next move. I still had questions for Malakye, but at this point continuing the interrogation would be more counter productive. "You are all excused." I say to Malakye and his friends. "The council will now need to plan the logistics of this mission. I trust none of you will mention anything you have heard here today?"

They all made noises or movements of confirmation before rising to leave. They all leave through the doors they entered. The two groups leaving separately. If it wasn't for the urgency of our new task I would have taken the time to ponder the fact of why they had left separately. But that would have to wait. There was lot to plan for, and time was of the essence.