"It is true that it would be a problem that could provoke a war, but if the four die, no one will know what happened here"
"Heh, Raiskar, it seems you underestimate our abilities"
"....."
The man's words were just a bluff. He hoped this would intimidate the beasts. If both groups fought, the luphras along with at least 3 Raiskars would die, and the rest would be injured, which could mean a death in the future due to the animals' poison. But the man didn't care about that; those deaths were expendable. What he couldn't allow was for the animals' poison to reach the Raiskars lying on the ground.
The man can think of several reasons why the Luphras are not afraid. The first is that they have a trump card that allows them to flee, the second is that there might be a fifth Luphra hiding and the third option is that the information the Luphra possesses is vital to the king. This is the option that worries the man the most.
Clanck*
Boom*
As the man pondered, one of the luphras turned into a white flash, managing to pass through the 6 Raiskar that protected the two bodies on the ground. All the man's attention was on the leading Luphra, so his reaction was slow and he could not arrive in time to repel the attack.
However, the attack that seemed destined to succeed ended with the Luphra crashing into a tree and one of its front legs severed.
"If you aim your claws at them again, I won't mind killing you and letting your race die out in war"
But the man, far from being satisfied with this result, was willing to burn his vitality to kill the four beasts if they launched a new attack. From his orange eyes, a spiral-shaped pattern contained within his pupils spread throughout his body. His companions, seeing the man's actions, knew that the next attack would be intended to end the enemy's life. Therefore, like the man, patterns of different shapes covered their bodies.
Luphra for his part, knew that at this point he could not push things too far. His idea was to get something from the Raiskar, not to lose his life. He knew that as long as he didn't go too far, the Raiskar in front of him wouldn't kill them, but he had made a miscalculation and his subordinate's attack had nearly crossed that line.
Initially he thought that the fight was between two Raiskar of the new generation who were training and judging by the escort they had, he guessed that they were important youths. His plan was to apply some pressure and have them owe him a favor. However, upon seeing his subordinate's amputated leg, it became clear that he had miscalculated. After all, the wounded Luphra is the fastest Luphra of his race.
His speed is such that even the king finds it difficult to deal with him.
But he could no longer regret it; he had played his cards and couldn't retreat, or instead of gaining something he would lose his life. But not all was lost; with the other party being a big fish, the reward would be greater. However, he had to move cautiously, or by the end of the day, there could be four fewer Luphras in the world.
"Oh! What a pleasant surprise, I didn't think I'd meet the leader of the Aetheris clan"
"....."
The tension in the atmosphere was palpable, with the beast's words, the atmosphere dropped a couple of degrees and all that could be heard in the surroundings was the wind crashing against the trees. But, despite the hostile environment, the three and a half beasts did not back down.
"I had heard that the leader was an elder, but from what I see, he's lost his position"
"What happens in our clan is none of your concern"
"Oh! So it was you? How interesting. If the former head of the Aetheris is acting as an escort, it means these ladies will challenge the king for the throne. It would be a shame if-"
"That's enough"
"Tell us what you wish"
Upon these words spoken by the women, the tense atmosphere vanished as if it had never existed, and everyone present, without exception, concealed their battle intent.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
"Ryhp, first messenger of King Bastal, greets the ladies. I apologize for interrupting your training"
The beast bowed and showed the same respect it showed its lord. Despite what this might imply, none of its subordinates questioned it and also bowed their heads.
"Don't beat around the bush. You saw this as an opportunity to gain something from us, didn't you?"
"Tell us what you wish"
A cold sweat ran down Luphra's body under the attentive gaze of the two women. It was the second time he had encountered a being capable of instilling fear in him, even without showing any killing intent. Ryph's mind stumbled trying to find the next words he should say, it reminded him of the first time he met the king and a ironic smile was drawn in his mind, helping him to stay calm.
'A grave miscalculation' thinks the beast as he watches the guards turn their backs on his group. It's clear that they no longer care about its presence; instead, they hurriedly clean up the blood and tend to the wounds on the women's bodies.
"I'm ashamed to say that was the case, Your honor, we didn't know it was about you"
"It's all right. Your bravery deserves a reward"
"But don't let praise get to your head; this will be your only chance"
Before knowing the identity of the girls, Ryph had some ideas of what he wanted, but now things had changed. He knew he couldn't ask for anything excessive or they might simply disappear, but at the same time, he knew this was a golden opportunity and he didn't want to waste it.
"I hope Your Majesty can forgive my lack of respect. I would humbly like to make a request when you ascend as queens of the Raiskars. That is my wish"
"Oh! Do you trust that we can defeat the king?"
"My intuition has never failed me. It's thanks to my intuition that I am alive"
"Did you say your name was Ryph?"
"It's an honor that Your Majesty remembers my name"
"We accept your wish"
"Now go away, as you can see we are in no condition to receive visitors"
"With your permission"
The four beasts disappeared as quickly as they arrived, continuing on their way to their destination while smiling despite the fact that one of them was missing a paw.
"When we arrive, we'll make sure you get your leg back, Cez. For now, endure"
"Alright, it limits my movements but it'll be good training"
"Haha, it seems lady luck is smiling on us. For now, we won't tell the king anything; it'll be our secret, our lifeline"
"I'd be more than willing to sacrifice another one of my paws for another favor"
"hahaha"x4
While the luphras praised their good fortune, the raiskar on the other hand, didn't look too pleased.
"I was negligent. I didn't expect to encounter luphras; we should have brought more warriors"
"We regret not having been helpful"
"You don't have to feel bad"
"Those four must be among the top 10 warriors of Bastal; there's no need to blame yourselves"
"That said, what do you think, Andrey? Do you believe, like that luphra, that we can defeat the king?"
"Impossible, it's still not enough to defeat Draegan. If the two fought together, there might be a chance, but alone, it's impossible"
"We think the same. I don't feel capable of defeating him in a duel, and the moment is approaching. We'll have to improve drastically or give up"
"We'll continue to rely on your experience for our training, Andrey"
"Leave it to me. For now, it's best for us to retreat; you need rest"
"Right, we overdid it. I have all my tendons cut and bones broken; I can't even blink"
"The same here. Selene never holds back, and I'm breathing with the help of nebulaether"
"Your strength and progress is certainly admirable, I thank fate for allowing two talents like you to be born in our clan"
"....."
Selene and Selara, twin sisters belonging to the Aetheris clan. Their story is a bit special. The Raiskar are very protective of their own, so it is very rare for a Raiskar child to grow up without their parents, but they are one of those rare cases.
In their memories, there is no father or mother; all they remember from their childhood is growing up in the church of a peasant village. They were children without a history and yearned to uncover their roots, but all they managed to find was a dead end.
It is said that they were found at the lake by a woman from the village, who later handed them over to the village church where they were raised until they showed their enormous potential and were taken to the Aetheris house to learn the art of ruling and fighting. They tried to trace their parents, but no one in the village remembers a pregnant woman around that time. They thought maybe their parents were in hiding, so they tried to compare their genes with the people in the village in hopes of finding relatives, but that also ended in failure.
Now they are admired by the entire Raiskar race andNow they are admired by the entire Raiskar race and are one step away from becoming the rulers of the entire race, but in their hearts, there are still doubts. They feel they need to clear these doubts to move forward in their lives, but so far, all their searches have ended at the same lake. It's as if their parents were the lake.
"You must not let those doubts cloud your mind. Take my advice and forget the past; now you are Aetheris, you must proudly bear that name"
"All right"
"We understand"
"I must say I'm surprised that being sisters you can show so much bloodlust in your duels"
"It's our secret to improving"
"I couldn't trust anyone else but her"
These doubts, which seemed insignificant to others, had caused the two women to close their hearts and trust only each other. After all, their parents disappeared without a trace. They could have been murdered, and the person who did it has enough power to hide all traces of the crime.
That's the conclusion they reached, and it's also the reason they aim to win the next duel.
"Anyway, let's hurry up, we need to freshen up"
"Right, don't worry about us and go faster, Sema"
"As you command, Lady"
Like the Luphra, the Raiskar also disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only the scent of blood that the wind scattered through the forest.