FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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

CHAPTER 28

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

"WATCH OUT!!"

I spun round after hearing the warning to see a massive Graug throwing the remains of a smashed tree trunk at me. I used my wind bending to propel me backwards out of the way. The tree truck struck the soft ground and impaled itself. I'd be dead if that had hit me!

"REGROUP!" Captain Ugomi yelled. "We cannot allow them to breach the walls!"

Khaine and I had been brought along with a unit of Rukan'dokra to aid a settlement that had been under attack from a pack of graug. I had studied about graug, and had learned traditional tactics in how to combat them, but this was my first time seeing one in the flesh. They were much larger, most of them standing over twice the height of the tallest fur, and far more aggressive that I'd imagined! A single blow from them was capable of killing someone with ease.

They were carnivorous beasts that would eat anything and anyone they killed. This area had been unfortunate enough to fall prey to a pack of over a dozen of them! Normally they would be dealt with before they grew to this many in number, but they had been discovered too late, and now the town was under threat. The only thing that had kept the townsfolk alive up till this point was the sturdy stone walls that surrounded it, but even that was starting to wane under the brute strength of the graug's attack.

When we had arrived on the scene the town was under attack, and the Western wall was all but breached, a sizeable hole had been knocked out of the wall. A single graug would easily have the strength to break down the wall, and after that it would be all but impossible to keep them out. Captain Ugomi immediately took charge of the scene, focusing on the defence of the failing outer wall, and then organising the towns warriors for a counter offensive.

So far, we had successfully managed to keep the graug away from the damaged wall, but their numbers were a serious problem. It normally took two dozen warriors to deal with a single graug effectively. But due to the urgency of the situation, and the need to travel at speed, a small elite unit of warriors had been selected, only had thirty Rukan'dokra had been dispatched, so we needed to utilise the local warriors in order to effectively deal with the threat; but organising them would take some time. Khaine and I had been ordered to join the unit by Jan'Zar, ordering us to follow Captain Ugomi's orders as if it were her own.

Jan'Zar was organising a secondary force that wouldn't arrive until tomorrow morning at the earliest. I wasn't sure if we could hold on that long, unless we could drastically change the tide of battle soon. As time pushed on, our warriors would eventually start suffering injuries, or worse. But if another part of the wall began to succumb to the beast's attacks then the town, and all of its inhabitants would be in serious trouble! There were more than three thousand furs in this town. The death toll would be unimaginable!

I was part of the group that was ordered to protect the damaged wall at all costs. But we, like everyone else, were struggling. The brute strength of these creatures made them difficult to handle. The others were attempting to lure them away from the walls, but they were as stubborn as they were strong. But they were just simple-minded beast's, acting on instinct. And that gave me an idea.

I drew on the spirits power; over the past two cycles I had mastered how to draw upon their power without them having to willingly give it to me. I flew up into the air, and pulled two firris stones from where I kept them hidden in the bandages wrapped around my right wrist. I tossed them into the air, into a cloud of the spirits nen, causing the nen to ignite and create a massive ball of flames.

"GET CLEAR!" I yelled.

I watched as the warriors all looked up at me and then immediately retreat, understanding my objective. I unleased a stream of blue flames at the ground creating a powerful wall of flames between the graug and the wall of the town. As I'd hoped the graug backed away from the flames. They flinched and then began to retreat towards another section. I glided back down to the ground.

"Good work Malakye!" Captain Ugomi praised me. "How long can you maintain the barrier?" He asked.

"For a while." I assured him. "But if I have to extend it to other areas the time will reduce dramatically."

"I understand. Maga, Juu! You two stay here and support Malakye! The rest of you follow me! We need to go and reinforce the other battle zones. Once those beasts join them, they will be in trouble!"

"Yes Sir!" Everyone said in unison, while immediately running off towards the battle line.

We remained as ordered, and there was no sign of any other graug nearby, but I kept the flame wall burning, not wanting to risk the lives of the townsfolk. I only had another two charged firris stones remaining. Once I used them, I would have to rely on fire sources in the environment in order to use my fire bending.

"Has there been any word on how the fight is going?" Maga, a broad chested boar, asked one of the towns warriors after a short while.

"A messenger came by a short while ago." The guard atop the wall called back. "They are being led away from the wall, slowly but surely."

"That's good." I smiled.

"The real fight is yet to come. Even if we drive them away now, the graug will return." Maga stated.

"Until we finally slay them." Juu, an overly serious Jaguar, added.

"Well, I have no..." Maga began before being cut off by a ferocious, primal roar, which was followed by the sound of cracking wood.

We turned to the source of the sound to see a graug emerge from the tree line, knocking over trees in its wake. It came to a stop outside the flame wall and we could see its form clearly. It was different from the other graug we had fought earlier. It was smaller in comparison, but still far larger than us. Its hide was coated in what looked like rocks. I had heard of this creature; a Grusgna Graug! If the stories were true the rocks on its hide were actually a natural armour plating. The armour made most conventional weapons useless against them. They were also more aggressive compared to their standard graug cousins; if that was possible to imagine.

"Shit!" Maga cursed as he readied his battle-axe.

"This one will be troublesome!" Juu commented as he readied his bow.

"You got any more fire tricks?" Maga asked me.

"Of course!" I declared confidently with a smirk. It was the truth, but I wasn't sure how effective they would be against that armoured hide.

I once again drew upon the power of the spirit, allowing it to flood my body as I stared the beast down. The beast seemed to react to the spirits power, and immediately charged at me. He charged through the wall of flames with no hesitation, and headed right at me. He reared up and slammed both of its fists towards me. I leapt out of the way in the nick of time, avoiding being crushed by the blow.

In response Maga charged at the beast from behind and buried his axe into the back of their leg. The graug roared in pain and took a swing at Maga as it spun around. Maga wasn't able to get clear and was sent flying through the air before landing hard on the ground. He rolled to a stop and was motionless.

"MAGA!" Juu yelled as he quickly fired off a volley of arrows. Each arrow bounced harmlessly off the graug's armoured hide.

I stared at Maga's still form and felt my anger surge. I quickly gathered some flames while the beast was still distracted and unleashed a torrent of flames at it. It roared angrily, shielding its eyes with its arms and backed away a few steps, but was otherwise unharmed. It's armoured hide seemed to protect it from getting burned.

"Get Maga!" I barked. Juu nodded in understanding as I took flight and began to lure the graug away from the wall.

I made sure that it I had its attention, which I did, and took off through the trees. The graug trundled behind me as I flew through the dense forest. I was grateful for all the time I'd spent parkouring through the forests with Jun'bak and the others at this moment. I had to suddenly swerve to avoid a large tree branch that was thrown by the graug. Knowing I couldn't avoid the trees after swerving, I planted both of my foot-paws against the tree trunk, the impact sent bolts of pain up my legs, and then pushed back, backflipping through the air, grabbing a tree branch and swung myself over to another tree trunk and then jumped down to the forest floor.

As I landed the graug smashed its way through the trees to my position. I dove between its legs to avoid being struck by the tree branch it was using a club. I didn't have time to be scared, I needed to keep moving or I would die! As it turned around to face me, I used one of my few remaining firris stones and fired a stream of flames at its head; hoping to blind it, at least temporarily. My plan seemed to work as it dropped its club, fell back into the trunk of a tree with a resounding crack of shattering wood, and began swiping at its eyes. I flew upwards into the air, into the tree tops and out of sight.

Now hidden from sight, perched atop a tree, I watched the graug; hoping that it would trundle back off towards the nest. After a few moments it seemed to recover from my attack, and then roared ferociously as it looked for me. After a few moments its roars ceased, and it started to grunt and growl in frustration, before eventually calming. Unfortunately, instead of leaving, it starting trundling back towards the town.

"Shit!" I cursed to myself.

I had to stop that thing now. Even if the others had managed to push the other graug back, there would be no way they were prepared for another surprise attack. My flame wall would likely have gone out by now, without me to continuously to feed the flames with my nen. If I was going to stop this thing then I needed to strike while I had the element of surprise. But how could I take this thing down? Its armour like hide made it all but impervious from harm from my flames and wind bending. I saw the trail of blood running down its left leg, where Maga had struck it with his axe. I suddenly had an idea. If I could not pierce its armour, then I would simply strike it where its hide was not so thick.

As I leapt from tree branch to tree branch in pursuit, not using me nen in case it was able to sense it, I tried to work out where to strike. I only had another minute or so before we were at the edge of the forest. A killing blow would not be easy. The only spot I could potentially target was its throat, but its armoured hide covered the back and sides of its neck, so I would have to strike it directly under its muzzle, which meant it would see me.

I would try and incapacitate it. I would strike the back of its knee and hope to seriously wound it, making it impossible for it to move! That was my best option. So long as I didn't get myself killed in the attempt then I could lure it back away from the town.

I drew on my nen, and the spirits power, and began to forge the strongest wind blade I could. I wielded it in my right paw. The beast didn't seem to notice me, and continued its relentless walk towards the town. I leapt from the branch I was stood on, and dove towards the ground, extending my nen bubble and wings, and swooped low to the ground as I closed in on the graug. It sensed my approach and began to turn, but I was already in striking range! I drove my wind blade into the back of its right leg, its softer hide exploded in a fountain of blood and splattered me as I flew between its legs, but as it had begun to turn, my path between its legs had become smaller, and I bounced off of its left leg and tumbled to the ground.

The beast roared out in pain and its right leg gave way, causing it to collapse onto its back, bouncing off of two trees on its way down. It took me a moment to gather my wits and stand up. The graug's roars of pain echoed throughout the forest. Had I succeeded in immobilising it??

After a few moments the beast's howls slowed and it began to push itself back up. Its leg was clearly wounded, it was struggling to put weight on it, but it once again began to move. It limped towards me with angry guttural snarls.

"Damn it!" I cursed. The wound was too shallow. But at least it would be easier to handle now.

I heard the crack of a tree branch behind me, and the rustling of bushes as something approached at speed. I spun around, was it another graug?! A shadow leapt over head and something crashed into the graug. I immediately recognised this beast; it was Khaine!

In his fully transformed state, Khaine's beast form was lithe and slender, especially in comparison to the muscle bound graug, but his strength came from the unnatural toughness of his hide and his razor-sharp talons. But this graug's hide was as tough, if not as tough as his own! He clamoured over the graug, wrestling with it, avoiding to somehow be grabbed by the graug as he grappled with it. He unleashed his fire breath into its muzzle and drove his razor-sharp talons into the softer parts of its hide.

Normally the Graug would have easily over powered Khaine, but with its injured leg it was struggling to remain standing and fight off Khaine's beast form. After a few long tense moments, as the pair wrestled with one another, it managed to pull Khaine free of itself, and hurled him against a tree with enough force to cause the trees trunk to shatter from the impact. The graug fell over after throwing him as its injured leg once again buckled.

"Malakye!" Juu called as he also emerged from the brush with another three warriors in tow. "Are you unharmed?"

"Relatively." I nodded. "It's injured. It can't support its weight properly on its right leg!"

By this point Khaine had picked himself up, and was now stalking the injured Graug. The Graug had a number of blood gouge marks from where Khaine's talons had found the softer portions of its hide. It roared defiantly at us as it used the trees to stand up, the branches creaked and snapped as they strained to support its weight.

"Should we finish it now?" One of the warriors asked.

"It's injured and backed into a corner." Juu observed. "It will be more dangerous than ever if we approach carelessly."

"We need to strike at its throat." I said, pointing to the small, unarmoured portion of its neck.

"Easier said than done." Juu countered. He was right of course. Even if it wasn't armoured a graug's hide was thick. It would take a blow of significant power to pierce it. "Do you have a plan?"

"Yes. But I'm going to need Khaine's help."

Khaine heard me mention his name, and turned his head toward me; no doubt he had heard the rest of our conversation.

"I'll create an opening. You go for its throat!" I ordered.

I knew Khaine wouldn't like me giving orders. But he wasn't going to risk the fight like that. He would likely chew me out later, reminding me that I wasn't the boss of him, but I could live with that. He grunted, snapped his whip like tail against the ground and nodded. I pulled out my last remaining firris stone and flew towards it. It swiped at the air as I narrowly avoided its grasp. I flew into the air above its head and fired a stream of flames down upon it.

"NOW!" I called out.

Khaine charged forwards, into the stream of flames that was engulfing the graug. I didn't relent on my attack, knowing that Khaine was immune fire thanks to the power of his spirits beast form. The graug's roar suddenly ceased. I stopped my attack, the flames vanishing into a cloud of embers just in time for me to witness the graug stumble backwards and then fall onto its back; Khaine perched atop of its chest, with his talons sunk deep into its throat.

Khaine pulled his paw free and clamoured down. I landed next to him. The graug's breathing was now wet, gurgling noises as it slowly bled to death. A few moments later its eyes rolled into the back of its head, and its last desperate, gurgled breaths stopped. It was dead.

"Nicely done." Juu praised. "We should get back."

"How are the others?" I asked.

"A few injuries from what I've heard. But we seemed to have driven them back for the moment."

"Then let's get back before one of his cousins stumbles upon us!" I said.

"Good idea." He nodded in agreement.

We arrived back at the town and reported our success to Captain Ugomi. He congratulated us on a job well done, and gave us our new orders. We were all pretty exhausted after our rushed journey to the town, and then our conflict with the graug immediately upon arriving here, but we still had a job to do, and rest would come later. We were organised into shifts to aid the town guard with patrols, and keep lookout for any further attack.

Fortunately, there was no further attacks that night. And shortly after dawn our reinforcements appeared in the distance. A further two hundred Rukan'dokra warriors, led by Jan'Zar and Garr. There were cheers of joy and relief at the sight of Jan'Zar and Garr. There mere presence allowed the vast majority of the townsfolk, who had lived in abject fear of the graug attacks for the past week, to believe that everything was going to be okay. There were many who actually collapsed in tears now that the tension they had felt was finally lifted from them.

Jan'Zar wasted little time. Immediately the towns guard and the Rukan'dokra were set to work. Teams of scouts sent out to track the graug back to their lair. Other teams set to repairing the damaged walls and a team of fifty craftsmen who had come with the reinforcements set about creating weapons capable of fending off the graug should they attack the walls again.

Before the sun had set that day, four ballistae's had been constructed and mounted atop the defensive walls of the town. These giant crossbows fired large bolts with enough force that even the thick hide of graug could not stop them, and more were under construction. It took the combined efforts of the skilled craftsmen, and nearly two hundred townsfolk to gather the required materials, assemble and mount those four weapons atop the wall, in such a short amount of time. By tomorrows end, there would be at least three times as many mounted. With these weapons, even without the aid of the Rukan'dokra, the town would be capable of fending off the graug attacks in the future. But we weren't here just to give them these weapons. Before we left each and every graug would be dead.

I had joined Jan'Zar on expeditions like this a few times now. But this was the most dangerous one to date. Even hunting down a pack of Jeribu, demonic hounds that had found their way into Aaru from the Underworld, had been far less dangerous than a single graug! Perhaps the difference was that we had been prepared for the Jeribu's arrival, thanks to a premonition that Davina had had a few days prior. As a result, we had deployed warriors, and eliminated them before they could harm a single innocent fur.

In that particular instance, we had also captured the one responsible for opening a way for them to enter. A vile fur, who sought bloodshed and destruction upon the world, as they had felt like the Deities had failed them. Their family had died during another incursion, but the Guardian Deities had not had forewarning as we had that time, and over a dozen rural farmstead had been destroyed; ravaged, burned and the furs living there murdered by the demonic force that invaded.

Apparently, this fur had been recruited by an underground group that opposed the Guardian Deities for some reason. I didn't understand why they would oppose them, but then I suppose the reasons of madmen and lunatics would not make sense normal furs. This group were considered the most dangerous criminals in Aaru.

But despite the power and resources of the Guardian Deities, they could never track them down and destroy them for good. Each time they had found their base of operations, they would find it vacated, sometimes having missed them by mere hours. Callen had explained to me that they believed that this group had an oracle of their own, and that oracle had allowed them to remain at large for this long.

But this groups activity was not limited to demonic invasions. Sabotage, theft, murder and kidnapping; the vast majority of major crime in Aaru was caused by this group. But the most worrisome thing was not the lengths that they would go to, it was the surprising amount of man-power and loyalty they had amongst the people. No matter how many of their members were captured or killed, they always seemed to have more.

That fact had caused me the most concern. How could so many individuals be against the Guardian Deities? The ones who protect this land and hold back the demonic forces of the Underworld! Callen had explained that every living being had a dark side. And that darkness could be used to corrupt their thoughts. But only a tiny number of Aaru's population actually supported them. Even if one out of every ten thousand furs who lived in Aaru supported them, that would still amount to an army of tens of thousands; according to Callen.

Knowing this, I wondered if this graug incident was in some way their handiwork? It seemed pretty farfetched, but Jan'Zar and Garr had come along personally. It was common place for missions such as this to be led by a Champion of the Guardian Deities, but even I knew that this was out of the ordinary for one of the Guardian Deities to appear at an event such as this. If she had arrived with the first group, then you could explain it away due to the urgency of the situation requiring the aid of a deity. But she had arrived with the second group.

Normally the Guardian Deities only went into the field if the situation demanded their attention; but that was not the case here. There were only two possible reasons, that I could think of, to explain it. That she had come along to keep an eye on me, to ensure I didn't over use the spirits power and lose control. Or that they suspected that there was something more behind the graug incident.

Eventually we began our counter attack. We left a small unit of Rukan'dokra back to assist the town Guard defend the town, but the rest of us followed the scout units report to the beasts lair. It took us less than an hour to make the journey. The graug had made their home in a large cave in the side of the cliff at the edge of the forest to the South-East of the town. Signs of their presence was hard to miss, a large number of felled trees, rotting animal carcasses and trampled ground were obvious a fair distance from the cave itself.

Graug were not necessarily nocturnal, but they had excellent night vision and sense of smell, so it was not unusual for them to be more active at night, especially during the summer months as we were. A small unit of archers were stationed atop the cliff were to serve as ranged support and as look outs during the upcoming fight.

Khaine and I were ordered to join the forward units, who would serve to lure the graug towards the target zones where traps had been set up to eliminate them, and to break apart groups of graug so that they could more easily be taken down. However, I was also tasked with using my fire bending to create barriers to make it easier to break up the graug the moment they emerged from the cave. My ability to fly would make it easier for me to complete this task and escape far safer than the other furs capable of fire bending.

Mid-afternoon we began the operation. The start of the operation was signalled by a scout unit who caused a small explosion using black power at the cave entrance. The resulting explosion shook the ground and caused a loud resonating crack that echoed throughout the valley. A few moments later, loud roars from the graug emanated from the cave, and they emerged shortly after. The moment that they did I took flight, unleashing a powerful stream of fire which separated the pack of graug into two. A group of five and a group of seven. I unleashed another stream which cut the larger pack in half again, before leading the larger group towards the designated spot where the other units would start to lure them apart further.

I was forced to dodge a boulder one of the graug hurled in the air at me, and took that as my cue to back away. I flew towards the rest of the unit I was assigned to, the five graug following close behind. As I neared the tree line where I knew my companions were lying in wait, A huge bolt flew through the air past me, and struck one of the graug square in the chest. It fell backwards; dead. The other four graug didn't hesitate, even after seeing one of their own fall. They kept charging forwards.

That was one of the three ballista we had managed to bring with us and set up for this mission. Each group had a ballista, but they took several minutes to reload between shots, so now it was time for us to execute the next stage of the plan. Just a little further! And just as expected they fell into the trap!

The two graug leading the charge reached the trap at the same time, both of them tumbling as the thin branches covering the trench, we had dug out gave out under their immense weight. The trench was only a few feet deep, but it was enough to immobilise them. The other two graug both tripped over their comrades, unable to slow down in time.

There was a loud battle cry as the rest of the warriors emerged from their hiding spots and charged the fallen graug. Despite their skill and numbers, fighting four graug would be difficult. This was where I needed to keep them in check with my bending skills and high mobility. One of the four graug had already gotten up and began charging towards the nearest warriors. I flew towards them and fired a stream of flames into their eyes. They howled in pain and came to a stop, blinded, they began swiping at the air with one arm and swiped at their eyes with their other.

The warriors descended upon the graug with brutal efficiency. Several of them began scaling the beasts body, while others began hacking at its legs, bringing it to the ground in moments, and the highly skilled warriors targeted its weakest points. I left them to it and turned my attention to the remaining three graug. I flew forwards at speed and unleashed a powerful stream of flames over them.

My flames panicked them, distracting them from the warriors descending upon them. The warriors struck them hard and fast, before fleeing. Grabbing each of the graug's attention and luring them off in different directions. So far, the operation had gone as planned, perhaps even better. The others had already slain the graug I had blinded and were joining the fight against the remaining three.

I looked over the area, looking to see where I could be the most use. As I turned, I watched as two Rukan'dokra were sent flying through the air, after a graug had grabbed them. They landed with a sickening thud. I felt sorrow and rage fill me, and drew on the spirits power. I drew on the flames and flew directly towards the graug. I bathed them in the red-hot flames, pouring as much power into them as I could muster, the flames turning blue with the aid of the spirits power. The graug howled in pain as the flames consumed them, and I didn't let up. It would pay for the blood it had spilled!

I didn't stop my fiery assault until I had used up the spirits power and was breathless from the exertion of using so much nen in a short period of time. But I hovered in the air watching the burnt husk of the graug continue to burn in a pool of flame.

"CALM YOURSELF MALAKYE!"

I looked and saw Captain Ugomi staring at me intently. I nodded, indicating that I understood and that I was calm and in control. He relaxed slightly. I heard a loud twang, and the sound of something cutting through the air. I turned in time to watch another massive bolt strike a graug in the leg. The beast crumpled to the ground, and the nearby Rukan'dokra swarmed them. There was no way that graug would be able to use that leg now, it was as good as dead. That left one more!

I turned my attention towards it, it was currently fending off a dozen warriors as it rampaged, not allowing them to get close enough to bring it down. They were struggling! It was only a matter of time before it killed someone! I drew on my remaining strength, drawing upon my last firris stone, and summoned a large fireball and fired it at the graug. It saw my attack coming and narrowly dodged. It then grabbed a small boulder and hurled it in my direction. I flew upwards to dodge it and then dove towards the graug, hoping to keep its attention on me, while the others got into position to bring it down!

I flew around its head, striking it with numerous wind bursts. These attacks did nothing but anger the beast, but that was what I wanted. Using the flow to help predict its attacks, I narrowly dodged the relentless swipes of its powerful arms. One hit and that would be it for me! I once again drew on the spirits power, channelling it into a wind blade in my right paw. As I swerved, narrowly missing the graug's clawed paw, stabbed the blade into his arm and sliced into his flesh all the way up to his shoulder, leaving a large, bloody gash along the full length of its right arm.

The graug howled in pain and I dived in for another attack, this time landing a critical strike on the side of its neck. Blood spurted freely from the wound. It was not a fatal strike, but the beast was immediately panicked, and attempted to retreat. But its retreat was quickly cut short as it fell into one of the other trenches we had made prior to the fight. The warriors of the Rukan'dokra quickly descended upon the graug, and finished it off. Almost as if on cue, we heard a celebratory battle cry from across the way. We knew instantly that the others had succeeded in eliminating the other graug as well. In return we all gave our own battle cry, indicating our own victory!

The battle had fared well for us. Only four of our warriors had been killed in the exchange, four lives too many but some fatalities had to be expected while combating such dangerous beasts. A dozen others had injuries, none of which were life threatening. We scouted the area for any other graug that may not have been in the cave, but saw no signs of them. We began our journey back to the town shortly before sunset. It would be dark before we got back. In the morning we would begin our journey back to the capital. We had eliminated the graug pack, and even if a few still survived the ballista that had been installed on the city walls would be more than sufficient to allow the towns guard to deal with them.

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

We arrived back in the Capital late in the afternoon. We reported to the armoury to turn in our weapons and armour, and we were told that we had the rest of the day to ourselves to rest, and that our regular lessons would resume tomorrow. Khaine and I headed back towards the temple. On the way there I saw Champion Remira waiting by the entrance. She was stunningly beautiful as always. She always seemed to radiate a faint warm light, which only seemed to enhance her natural beauty. It was no secret that many of the males, both from the ranks of the Rukan'dokra and the acolytes, were jealous that she was my Master and received private lessons from her.

There were plenty of rumours that we were sleeping together. She was the first Champion of Pyrrat, the Guardian Deity of Fire, who had a well-founded reputation of being lustful. As such everyone assumed that Remira was that way inclined herself. She wasn't. She had never so much as hinted at the prospect of sleeping together. A fact I was grateful for. I had Callen to sleep next to each night, and while he would certainly not take offense to me sleeping with another for the sake of sex in of itself, I didn't want to betray him in that way. It just didn't feel right to do that.

"I see you have returned safely."

"Yes Master." I nodded.

Khaine bowed his head respectfully towards her but kept walking, leaving us to talk.

"Did you distinguish yourself?"

"I took down one graug by myself, and assisted with others as well."

"Taking down a graug by oneself is not an easy feat. You did well." She smiled.

She was always concern with how well I could distinguish myself on the rare occasion I went to the battlefield. Most warriors did. Gaining renown and recognition on the battlefield was one of the best ways to advance your career. I did not have a career to speak of, but I did have the prophecy claiming that I might one day become a Champion. And the more famous I was the better it was for the Deity who I served. I know from Remira that Lord Pyrrat hoped that I might one day become a champion of his. He was known for only having powerful warriors as his champions. She wanted to make sure I measured up to her Lords expectations if I was to meet the criteria. But deep down I hoped to become Callen's champion.

Ultimately the choice was mine. No deity could force me to become their champion. Not even the Deity of Fire. It was my choice to make. Callen and I already had a bond significant enough for the champions bond to be forged; at least I felt like we did. We had been lovers for long enough, and my feelings for him were more than just physical. However, I would be remiss if I lied to myself by saying I had misgivings about becoming a champion at all. If I took on that role, my life would no longer be my own. By becoming a champion, I would take on a life of servitude; an eternal life.

"I only performed so well thanks to your guidance and training."

"Perhaps." She smirked. "But you are an excellent student. Kami was right about you. You learn quickly, you are both insightful and hard working. Excellent qualities that many warriors lack."

"You are too kind Master."

"Truth is not kindness." She stated bluntly. "You are likely tired from your journey."

"A little." I admitted. "Jan'Zar has given me the afternoon off from lessons. But if you wish to, I am more than willing learn from you."

"Ensuring that you are well rested is just as important that ensuring you are well trained. Now off with you. Tomorrow I shall work you hard."

"Thank you Master."

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

"Did you understand all that?" Jasmine asked as we left our class. It had been a difficult lesson to follow.

"I think so." I smiled back at her. "Most of it at least. Politics are not for everyone. And while I may understand the theory, I don't know if I could effectively act upon it."

"You probably could." Kero piped in. "You seem to excel at everything."

His statement itself could have very easily be taken as spiteful, or filled with jealousy, but his tone and bright smile suggested otherwise. Kero seemed to hold my abilities in high regard, far beyond what I felt that he should. I was a good fighter, but I was far from the best. I also managed to keep up with the studies in class, but I was far from the smartest. But still he seemed to be convinced I was able to do anything.

"I've got a headache trying to understand half of what we were told." Jasmine sighed.

"Worry not. I shall help explain it to you." Goku smiled. He wasn't a part of our class, but he had been an acolyte for longer than any of us, and had been through most of these lessons before. He often helped Jasmine with her studies.

"Thanks. But I'm not sure if I will be able to wrap my head around it at all!" She sighed.

There was a commotion ahead of us in the corridor. We all fell silent and moved closer to find out what was going on. Just as we reached the junction a parade of furs marched across our path. I immediately recognised Jan'Zar, Callen, Pyrrat, Kunsel, Shal'Naresh Garr and Remira amongst their numbers. The others around me immediately fell to the ground in a humble bow upon the mere sight of the Guardian Deities and their Champions.

"Malakye!" Callen called out to me, most of the group stopping as they heard my name.

"Yes?"

"Come!" His tone was urgent. I rarely heard him like this. Whatever had happened must be important.

I immediately nodded and walked after them, turning back to wave goodbye to the others as I walked quickly to keep up with the large group. I followed behind them in silence. Whatever was happening had them flustered, and me asking questions likely wouldn't help. I would be told what I needed to be told when they deemed it necessary. We arrived outside the Great Hall, where the doors were already open awaiting our arrival. There were nearly two dozen furs in this group, and I didn't recognise half of them. I quickly came to realise some of their identities after arriving in the Great Hall however; when they sat down in the thrones that lined the room belonging to the Guardian Deities.

I looked round dumbfounded. More than eight of the Guardian Deities and their Champions had assembled! This was unprecedented! In all my time here at the temple, other than Jan'Zar and Callen who remained here to train Khaine and I, there had never been more than a single other Guardian Deity. I had met Shal'Naresh and Kunsel before arriving here at the temple, early on during my stay here. Pyrrat was the only one of the others that I had met previously. I had also met Luna, but she seemed to be absent.

"Malakye." Callen ushered me over to stand next to him.

I stood to the left of his throne and looked around the room. I may not have been introduced to them, but I could identify the Guardian Deities by the seats they took. Hesh'na, the Guardian Deity of Storms, in the form of a powerful avian with gigantic white, feathered wings. Gias, the Guardian Deity of Earth, she was surprisingly small, taking on the form of child; an elven child. She looked like she couldn't have been more than ten winters old, but her eyes were purely white, as if she were completely blind. The final Guardian Deity present that I had not met before was the legendary Gallium; the fabled smith of the Gods. He was everything I would expect from a legendary smith. He had the appearance of a drake, but a species I had never seen or heard of. Thick black scales covered his muscular body, his bulging arms extending from his body that was covered by the most part by a well-used leather apron; something I often saw smithies back home in Zangar use to protect themselves while at the forge. As well as the Guardian Deities a number of their Champions had also assembled, and they all stood diligently at the side of the Deity they served.

"What's going on?" I dared to whisper to Callen. "Why am I here?"

I felt extremely out of place here among the Guardian Deities and their Champions. Many of them seemed to be staring at me, while some of the others sat waiting impatiently. Before he could answer the doors to the hall opened once more and the sound of metallic footsteps echoed throughout the chamber.

I turned to see the Dark Knight, the same one who Khaine had fought during the Hakar, along with Luna, the Guardian Deity of the Moon whom he served, along with Davina. I went wide eyed as I realised that that meant that nine of the twelve Guardian Deities had gathered! And now Davina was here as well! Just what the hell was going on!?

"Apologies for my tardiness." Davina apologised, but her tone made it quite obvious that her words were just lip service.

"I'm not here for your apologies!" Hesh'na snapped. "Tell us of the prophecy!"

"Of course." She smiled, and casually sauntered up the chamber between the Deities and their Champions. "It is a grave situation. Kibu will return!"

Her words sent a ripple of worry through the Deities and their Champions. Whoever or whatever this Kibu was, it was bad news if it had them this worried.

"That's impossible! Kibu was sealed away!" Gias declared.

"Nothing is impossible!" Callen countered. "We have long known of the possibility that he would return one day! There is a prophecy declaring as such!"

I remembered the wall of stone tablets in Davina's tower. All of them were prophecies of events that would come to pass. Even the best efforts of The Guardian Deities and their Champions would not be able to prevent these events from happening, at best they could simply delay them.

"How soon?" Luna asked.

"Soon."

"Have you divined a way to stop this from happening?" Kunsel asked.

"The events are already in progress. A Curi'nakra has been born. And if left unchecked they will bring about a series of events that will bring about the destruction of the world as we know it!" Davina declared. Her words left a heavy silence over the chamber. One that felt like it would choke me of I tried to take a breath.

"Will stopping this Curi'nakra will prevent Kibu's return?" Pyrrat asked.

"I never said that." Davina smiled. "But there is a chance that it will. Who we send will have dramatic effects on the potential future that will unfold!"

"We cannot allow a Curi'nakra to freely roam the Mortal Realm!" Hesh'na declared. "But even more so, Kibu must not be allowed to return! If he is resurrected, he will be more dangerous than a thousand curi'nakra!"

"Agreed!" Kunsel chimed in.

"We will send whoever is required!" Jan'Zar declared. "Even if we have to send every single Rukan'dokra into the Mortal Realm!"

"There is no need for that." Davina smiled softly.

"Then what do you recommend?" Shal'Naresh asked the oracle.

"I have looked into this quite thoroughly. While many would successfully stop the Curi'nakra, only one individual has the potential to stop Kibu."

"Dammit! Tell us already!" Hesh'na snapped, striking the arm of his throne with his fist in frustration.

Davina simply turned and pointed; at me.

I looked around in confusion for a moment before realising what she was insinuating. There was just no way! She wanted me to go and hunt down this Curi'nakra!?

"Him?" Hesh'na snarled, standing up from his seat and marching over towards me. He looked me up and down, his eyes full of judgement. "Why him!? He is not even a member of the Rukan'dokra!"

I immediately understood his concern. I did not serve the Guardian Deities in an official capacity. I was here in Aaru purely to be trained as a wolven k'tan. I had not even finished my training, and now Davina wanted to send me back to the Mortal Realm to carry out an incredibly dangerous and difficult task?!

"I must agree Davina! Malakye is at a critical point in his training!" Callen objected. "It would dangerous to send him to fight a Curi'nakra!"

"And yet if you want to stop Kibu, it must be him, and him alone!"

"Alone!?" Callen repeated that word in disbelief. I was as shocked as he was.

"Yes. Sending anyone else on this mission with him will change the potential future where Kibu is stopped!" She stated confidently.

"You said that others could also stop the Curi'nakra!" Kunsel interjected.

"Yes. But in all the other futures I've seen, they will stop the Curi'nakra, but not Kibu. If you want to stop Kibu, then you must send him!"

Another silence fell over the room. It lasted for well over a minute, with nearly everyone staring at me as they pondered the situation. That minute felt like an eternity as I considered the ramifications of what was being said to me.

"Davina's prophecies have prevented countless disasters over the centuries." Kunsel said, breaking the heavy silence. "We all know what Kibu's return must be stopped at any cost! Even if it means entrusting our futures to a single drake."

Many of the others seemed to agree, if reluctantly, with his words. Words which fell upon my like a ton of bricks. I wasn't sure if I could do this! I just stared into the distance. Considering the burden that was being thrust upon me.

"While I cannot argue your logic brother, there is something we must take into consideration." Shal'Naresh chimed in, her soft voice calming me slightly.

"And what is that sister?" Kunsel asked.

"As brother Hesh'na pointed out, if somewhat brashly, Malakye does not serve us as a Champion, or as a sworn member of the Rukan'dokra. He has every right to refuse our request, and none of us could hold it against him if he chose to do so!"

I felt the weight of everyone's gaze fall upon me. But her words took off much of the pressure I had been feeling up until that point. I hadn't even considered refusing the request! Up until now I felt as if I didn't have a choice in the matter!

"My dear drake." Shal'Naresh smiled softly at me. "You have heard the words of everyone here today. We have our concerns, but ultimately, we cannot fault Davina's suggestion, as she has never led us astray in situations such as this. I must admit she has rarely been so insistent on the one who must carry out a task such as this. So, we must ask, will you take on this immense responsibility?"

Everyone was silent as they waited for my response. I glanced around the room until my gaze met Callen's. He was worried. I couldn't tell whether or not he wanted me to do this. But then... did I want to do this? Reasonably, no one would want this responsibility. No one wanted the future of the worlds resting squarely on their shoulders. Only those with an immense sense of responsibility, or devotion, would do this. But if I was the only one capable of doing so, didn't that mean I had the obligation to try? As I lost myself in my thoughts, I couldn't feel my legs, as if I'd forgotten how to use them. But thankfully they stood strong, holding me steadfast under the immense weight of everyone looking upon me expectantly

I looked at Callen once more. How many times had I thought about what becoming his Champion would be like? To serve him and be with him for eternity? This moment right here, would likely happen time and again, and it may fall upon me to take on a task such as this again. If I refused then I might ruin my chances of becoming a champion in the future. Davina never said what tasks I would have to complete in order to become a champion.

"I will!" I replied before I realised. But I knew that this was the answer that felt right in my heart, and over thinking it wouldn't change the truth.

My answer seemed to be met with a mixed reaction. But no one objected to my decision. Callen bore a pained smile. He was worried for me, but was also proud. That fact alone was enough for me.

"Excellent! But if we truly want his to succeed then there are some requirements..." Davina began but was suddenly interrupted.

"I am not convinced!" Hesh'na declared, his fierce gaze met mine and I nearly collapsed under the pressure of his presence. "As far as I am concerned, he is untested!"

"He may not be fully trained, but he is not without talent!" Lady Remira chimed in to my defence.

"Remira is not wrong." Jan'Zar agreed. "However, I understand your concern brother. I'm sure all of us do! I can hardly argue against Davina's prophecy. She has proven herself to be right time and time again. But we must ensure he is ready for this challenge!"

"And what do you suggest?" Kunsel asked.

"A challenge to test his skill to its fullest extent! If he passes then no one will argue his undertaking of this task. But if he fails, then we will choose another in his place. But we must all agree."

"I shall agree to your proposition!" Davina smiled.

"Really Davina?" Gias voiced her confusion. "I had expected you to object full heartedly to this."

"You think I did not foresee this turn of events?" She smirked.

There was a rumble of intrigue throughout the room.

"If that is the case then I don't see how we can object to Jan's suggestion." Kunsel stated, and the following silence from everyone else just confirmed everyone else's agreement. "So how shall we test him?"

"The Trial of the Hunted." Jan'Zar declared.

"Interesting. Who shall his opponents be?" Hesh'na asked with a smile.

"Opponent." Jan'Zar stated bluntly. "He shall have a single opponent. Me!"

"What!?" Callen exclaimed. "Jan..."

"An excellent suggestion!" Hesh'na declared.

"I oppose this." Kunsel objected. "A single fur taking on a Guardian Deity? It is not a fair test, if it can even be called a test. It would be an execution!"

"Agreed." Gias chimed in. "However, I trust Jan's judgment. If he can pass this test there is no way that any of us could object to him undertaking this mission!"

One by one the other Deities agreed to the suggestion. Callen seemed to be only one to not agree with everyone else, but it was clear he was out-voted on this matter and fell back into his seat; a look of deep concern etched onto his muzzle. I had listened to them agree to my fate in disbelief, but now it was striking me full force that if I was going to have to defeat Jan'Zar in a fight! Was that even possible?