by Daman
The little monkey tried to quickly escape, but it was pointless in front of Tarnila. Swiftly grabbing a hold of its hind leg, the old raccoon lifted the monkey up in the air and slapped its furry butt until it turned red.
“Gaahhhh Guuaaahh Gaaaahh”
The little monkey cried pitifully, as it desperately trying to wiggle out of Tarnila’s hold.
Haha, I guess the little rascal will learn some manners if Teacher is around.
Calron mused with mirth, while Roran standing next to him snickered with content at seeing the monkey get a thrashing.
………………..
“You sure you don’t want to say goodbye to Laris and the others? I know that she will be upset if you don’t go to greet her. Also, that little wolf pup will throw a tantrum if she finds out that you are leaving her here.”
Tarnila asked in a serious voice.
“That is why Teacher will not tell anyone that I returned. As for Avi, I feel bad for leaving her, but it’s simply too dangerous for her to travel with me to Selior city, as even I do not know what I will face there. Besides, it will be good for her to spend time with the other brats and make some friends so she won’t be lonely.”
Calron stated in soft voice, as he adjusted his new light armor on the chest. Since he was going back to a human society, he decided to change his clothing. The armor was given to him by Tarnila, while she also gave Roran a spatial bracelet of his own upon Calron’s request.
“Hmm, well you’ll have to deal with whatever punishment that little wolf will give you when you return… anyways, I already informed Balis that you are ready, so hurry up. The old geezer is a stickler for punctuality.”
The old raccoon conveyed, as she turned around and waved her claws while walking away.
“Thank you, Teacher.”
Calron bowed towards Tarnila’s disappearing back, and Roran did the same. He had joyously picked up the little raccoon and swirled her in the air when she handed him the special bracelet, and only put her down after she began to punch him on the face with her tiny claws.
Calron did not mind Tarnila’s craziness or beatings, as he knew that the old raccoon was one of the kindest beasts that he had met and he wanted Roran to see this side of the beasts as well.
……………………..
“Right on time.”
A deep voice resounded on the mountain, as Calron and Roran made their way to the top.
Sitting in a meditative pose, Elder Balis gradually opened his eyes the moment the human teens approached him.
Not blinking once at the presence of Roran, the owl-faced Elder abruptly asked a question in a somber tone, stopping the hearts of the two youths.
“Do you both wish to join the sacred Order of the Guardians?”
Chapter 17 – Hidden Plans
“Do you both wish to join the sacred Order of the Guardians?”
“Eh?”
Roran stared dumbly at the owl-headed man while he scratched his head in confusion.
He did not know who the Guardians were and this was the first time that he had even met the Elder.
“Elder must be joking, right?”
Calron frowned, taken aback by Balis’ question. He had not even known the Elder for that long, so it was suspicious for Balis to invite him to join the Guardians. Moreover, the Elder had even invited Roran whom he had just met a few seconds ago.
“No. I would never joke with the integrity of our Order. So, what is your answer?” Balis asked calmly, his emerald irises gazing at the two youths before him.
Calron briefly shut his eyes in contemplation, and replied with another question, “Please tell me the reason why you chose us?”
“Very well. I chose you simply because of your potential. You are young, but you have already reached the eighth rank of the Vajra stage. You might be able to hide your cultivation from Tarnila through the use of your lightning essence, but it’s useless against me. I will not ask how you were able to suddenly breakthrough so many levels, as it defies common sense and I know you will not reveal it to me even if I asked. However, it is clear to see that you have talent.”
Balis slowly stood up.
“The Order of the Guardians is currently corrupted, and I would need help in restoring them back to their original purpose. I can sense that the boy next to you shares the same Martial Legacy as you, hence I invited him as well. Now that I have stated my reason, what is your answer?” Balis inquired in a serious tone.
Roran stood silently beside Calron, leaving the decision entirely up to his brother as he still had no idea what the owl-headed man was talking about, but it definately sounded important.
Calron returned Balis’ gaze and they stood like that for a full five seconds.
Letting out a light sigh, Calron responded, “I apologize, Elder, but we will have to reject your proposal.”
“If you join the Order, you will be given ancient Martial techniques and cultivation arts that even Heavenly stage experts will fight over for. We have medicinal pills and members who have long ago exceeded the Heavenly stage, and they have broken into a realm even above that. Does that change your mind?”
Balis changed his tactics, and tried to tempt the teen with the benefits of joining.
“My answer is still the same.” Calron stated in a resolute voice, as he shook his head.
Balis looked stunned with the answer, as if he never expected that the boy would still reject him after his last offer. Any cultivator in the major cities would scramble at the chance of joining the Order of the Guardians, and some experts would even lower themselves to the status of servants just so they could claim that they were a part of the Order.
Seeing the expression on the Elder’s face, Calron explained.
“I do not know much about the Guardians, but it is clear that they exist for a purpose and that is to protect the world. I do not have any wishes to fight for the world… the very same world which did nothing when my family was murdered. I only wish to protect my friends and the people close to me, and I am not selfless enough to sacrifice my life just so that the Royalty and Nobles continue to exploit people like me.”
“The Guardians do not work for either the human or the beast Royalty. We are a separate existence who protect the common people of the world.” Balis conveyed, realizing that it was harder to convince the boy than he initially thought.
“Can you guarantee that? Even you, yourself, said that the Order of the Guardians was corrupted. I do not want to enroll myself in such a chaotic organization. Elder, you said that we will be travelling to Selior city. I think we should get started on our journey.”
Calron could instinctively sense that the owl-headed Elder was a good person, but even with that, he would not want to put himself and Roran into a messy situation. Besides, he still had to find the members of the Raizel clan and that took more precedence than the Order.
“Sigh… I can’t refute your words, and the Order is indeed not what it once used to be. Just know that the offer still stands open if you decide to change your mind in future.”
Staring at Calron’s determined face, Balis softly breathed out, knowing that he would not be able to change the young human’s decision.
“I will keep it in mind.” Calron answered politely with a light smile.
“Let’s get started then. It will take us roughly five days or so to reach Selior city depending on our flying speed. I assume you will be able to carry your human friend without any difficulties?” Balis asked with a glance at Roran’s large and muscular frame.
“Hahaha, I will be fine, Elder. Let’s begin.” Calron laughed, as he patted Roran’s back while the other teen simply sulked at Balis’ comment.
*chi-chi-chi*
The sounds of scales grating against each other echoed on the cliff.
……………………….
At a luxurious garden, two people stood standing in front of a colorful flower bed. The birds chirped a melodious tune, as they fluttered about
from one flower to another. Their figures were similar in height, but the man on the right appeared to be slightly bulkier.
“My Lord, the Raizel family seems to be in a frenzy for the past few days. Even Kail Raizel has withdrawn from Millitary affairs and he seems to be busy with something else. Do you think that they are making a move?”
The bulky man asked in a quiet voice, while continuing to gaze at the flowers in front.
“I don’t think that they discovered our plans yet, or they would already be charging towards our clan. It appears to be another matter… However, I am curious as to what could cause such a reaction from the usual quiet clan. Contact some of our spies and see if they can gather any information.”
The thinner man spoke in a husky voice, a sharp glint in his dark eyes.
“I will do so, my Lord.” The bulky man stated in a serious voice, and turned around as he was about to leave.
“Also, tell the red-haired bitch that Master has a new order for her.”
The Lord commanded while letting out a sinister chuckle.
Chapter 18 – Selior City
“Do you remember everything that I said?” Elder Balis inquired, gazing down at the two human youths.
“Yes. We will make sure to contact you after a few days.” Calron replied in a calm voice, continuing to sip his warm tea that the group had made earlier by collecting various herbs.
It had been four days since they began their journey, and now they were only a few hours away from reaching the outskirts of Selior city. The journey took much shorter time than Balis expected, this was mainly due to the astonishing speed that Calron displayed.
Although, Calron could not match the Elder’s maximum speed in the air, he was very close to it. This certainly befuddled Balis, since a Vajra stage cultivator nearing a Saint stage expert’s agility was simply unheard of.
He was tempted to use his soul power to delve into Calron’s mind and uncover his secret, but he restrained himself as it would be counted as simply bullying a junior.
“Leave half a day after me, and make sure not to get into trouble. I’ll see you both soon there.”
A pair of massive feathery wings spurted behind the Elder, as he gave a final nod to Calron and flew away from their camp.
Balis had previously suggested that they enter the city separately, as two unknown youths in company of a Guardian would draw too much unneeded attention. Unlike the Beast city in the Desolate Mountains, Selior city was far larger and multiple factions held authority there. Even the politics of the city were much more complicated, so Balis wanted to make sure that they took all the precautions.
Calron continued sipping his tea, his mind distracted by various thoughts. He knew from Valis’ memory that the Raizel clan was situated in Selior city and they were one of the major factions there. He was nervous at the prospect of finally meeting his blood relatives, but his thoughts constantly coming back to one thing:
Why was his father isolated from the Raizel clan?
It did not make sense how a secretive clan like the Raizel clan would allow one of their members to split away. Unlike the case with Valis’ mother where she was kicked out, the Raizel clan would still secretly keep tabs on her. However, Calron knew that the clan was not even aware of his father’s existence and similarly, his own existence.
“Sigh… I’ll figure it out once I meet them.”
Calron breathed out while placing down his emptied coconut shell, and glanced at the nearby Roran.
“He’s changed quite a lot in these past few years.”
Calron smiled, seeing his brother cultivating his essence with diligence. Roran had been seated in the meditative position for more than an hour and he remained cultivating. Strands of ice-blue essence orbited him, exuding a faint aura of chilliness akin to that of a calm blizzard.
Each of Roran’s breath oscillated with the wave of nature, his muscular chest softly rising and falling.
I wonder how far he has trained in the Blood Legacy… but sadly, we do not have enough time for a spar right now.
Calron thought while walking towards the seated boy and gently tapping him on his shoulder.
“Time to go, brother. We will be flying much slower this time so we have a few hours of gap between the Elder’s arrival and ours.” Calron conveyed.
“Understood. Big brother, it might be late to ask this now… but what are we going to be doing in the city exactly?”
Roran laughed, as he slowly stood up and patted the dust from sitting on the ground off his clothes.
“Hahaha, I can’t believe that you are asking this now. Well, my main reason for going to this city is to find some clues for a clan.”
“Clan? Are they our enemies?”
Roran cracked his knuckles with excitement.
“No… not exactly. However, I am not sure about how they will react to us either. I do not wish to hide anything from you, Roran, but there is a high chance that this clan is related to my family and shares the same beast blood as me.” Calron answered in a grave tone, waiting for his brother’s reaction.
“You mean that they are big brother’s relatives? That is great! Let’s hurry up, so you can finally meet them!” A bright smile lit up Roran’s innocent face.
Similar to Calron, Roran had a tough and lonely childhood. Although it was not as bad as Calron’s past, it was similarly grieving. His own step-mother had tried to poison him once, which ultimately crippled his meridians. She even prevented his sister from visiting him, so he was lonely most of the time. If it wasn’t for Elias passing on the inheritance of the Blood Legacy, Roran would have remained a cripple his whole life.
So he was naturally happy that Calron had a family, as he himself understood how it felt to be alone in the world.
“Uhn, let’s go.”
Calron smiled back at his brother. Looking at his jubilant expression, Calron did have the heart to tell him that the Raizel clan would not necessarily welcome them as they did not even know about Calron’s existence.
…………………….
“One gold square for one admission, so two gold squares for the both of you.” A skinny and bearded guard stated roughly, his bored eyes staring at Calron and the line behind him, suggesting to the boy to hurry up and pay.
“There you go.”
Calron smoothly placed two gold squares on top of the bearded guard’s palm and he received two pieces of written paper from another guard standing nearby. Balis had already informed them about the entrance fee to the city and he had also given them more than enough coins for staying at an inn as well.
“Keep these papers with you at all times. If you lose them, you will have to pay an additional gold square for a copy.” The other guard spoke nonchalantly and proceeded to deal with the other newcomers behind Calron and Roran.
“Big brother, let’s go find your family!” Roran cheerfully laughed out loud, and passed through the gate while Calron followed behind him with amusement.
“Wow… ”
The moment that they stepped past the gate, both Roran and Calron stared dumbly at the city in front of them.
…………………………..
Deep in the Desolate Mountains.
A small white beast stood still under the heavy force of the waterfall above. The white lion’s silky fur was drenched with water, but the beast continued to keep its eyes shut.
All of a sudden, it flashed its eyes open and stood up on its hind legs while letting out a fearsome punch. A small sound of an explosion echoed near the river in front of him.
This was the explosion of air itself.
It was also the first step of the Blood Legacy… The Formless Fist.
Chapter 19 – A Fateful Encounter
Selior City.
Both Roran and Calron froze on the spot as they stared at the beautiful scenery in front of them. The city was bustling with people, both humans and demi-beasts alike; however, there were mostly humans present. The beasts had appearances akin
to that of Elder Balis, where they had a humanoid body, but lacked the human limbs or flesh like the Elder.
It was strange to see modified beasts with those appearances when they were clearly not in the Saint stage, so Calron figured that it must be something related to a technique or the city itself.
Compared to their city of Vernia, Selior city reminded them of a large, polished set of colorful gems like ruby, emerald and diamonds- while Vernia was like a common iron ingot. The structure of the buildings exuded a sense of lavishness and luxury, and the contents of the stores would cause any merchant from Vernia city to drool with envy.
However, what caused Calron and Roran to stare dumbfoundedly were the monstrous structures located at the far end of the city almost a thousand meters away. Despite the unbelievable distance, an outline of a grand palace could be seen from the city’s entrance, along with the six slightly smaller towers surrounding the palace in the middle.
