Camden heaved a sigh of relief as the trio emerged from the forest, appearing along the edge of a river that divided the woods. The group turned and followed the river southward for about ten minutes before coming upon Ferith lake, the base of operations for the otterlings. As soon as the trio were visible from the lake, three otterlings burst from the water to greet them.

The otterlings were one of the many tribes of beastmen forced to kneel to human influence as their numbers crowded the woodland. They fled south and virtually the entire species lived in the Ferith lake region. The otterlings appearing before the group were all typical otterlings, appearing to have the same framework of humans, though generally smaller in size. Their bodies were covered in their oily fur and their features throughout were that of otters. They appeared as a perfect combination between the size and bipedalism of humans and the anatomical features of otters.

One of the three otterlings extended her paw to Camden, who had emphasized himself as the leader of the three. Camden shook it, familiar with the translator who greeted them. “It’s good to see you Cordelia.”

Cordelia nodded, exposing her canines, a greeting of good faith. “You too, Camden. You brought the boy with the relic, correct?”

Kade cocked an eyebrow in surprise. Camden turned, “Yes. This is my brother, Kade. The other visitor is Ryden. They’re two of our best.”

Cordelia extended her paw to a bridge that led to an elevated wooden structure that hung over the edge of a rock face above the lake. “Follow the shore to the bridge. The entrance will be opened for the three of you upon arrival. We will return to the wharf to confirm your arrival to Daria.”

Without another word the three otterlings slid gracefully back into the water and zipped off back to the wharf. Camden began walking toward the bridge where they had been commanded to rally before Kade grasped his shoulder firmly, stopping him dead in his tracks.

“Why do they know who I am and why was I expected?” Kade demanded.

Camden sighed, “If I had said you were specifically requested you would have been even less likely to go.”

“Damn right! I won’t be used in politics I have no part in,” Kade reaffirmed.

Ryden sighed, “What’s the damage? We’re already here, the sooner we get this done the better right?”

Kade ignored her attempt at logic and continued his standoff with Camden.

Camden rolled his eyes in annoyance, “Kade, the otterlings won’t be happy if we make them wait longer than necessary. This deal is important for both factions and it’s easy for us to accommodate.”

“What’s the deal?”

Camden smiled, “One that you won’t be able to refuse little man.”

◉◉◉◉◉

“You want me to do what?” Kade asked.

Cordelia repeated the request of Daria, their clan head. The group of three had found themselves standing at the highest platform on the marvel of a structure that was the otterling’s wharf. The sprawling wharf overlooked the lake, serving as a spectacular vantage point for the otterling’s territory.

“We’re running out of options, and supporting your efforts is in our best interests. All we ask is that you give our people something to believe in, to rally behind.”

“And the best way for me to do that… is to participate in a display of combat before your entire tribe with your strongest warrior?” Kade asked, completely dumbfounded by the request.

“To gain the support of the otterlings, you must show that your group’s strength is a force to reckon with. If you prevail, we will back your efforts to the best of our abilities,” Cordelia repeated.

Kade looked annoyingly over at Camden, who had a smug look on his face. “And why me in particular?” Kade inquired.

“Our mightiest had heard tell of the boy with the enchanted sword. He specifically requested to meet you in combat.”

Camden raised his hand to speak, waiting to be acknowledged by Daria, who eventually gestured for him to speak. “My lady, there is only one slight problem, Kade is in a state of injury and we are low on time. Jerald has proposed that both he and Ryden fight together to offset his lacking strength.”

Ryden appeared furious at first but quickly considered the opportunity of fighting and then promptly calmed herself. Camden had noticed this and snickered under his breath as Cordelia translated Camden’s request to Daria.

Cordelia turned after Daria replied in a series of chirps and growls. “Daria has agreed to the terms as long as you feel that the added strength of Ryden would accurately capture the challenge our fighter would face if Kade were to be at full strength.”

Camden nodded his head, “You have my word that it would be about as close to an even comparison as possible.”

Ryden furrowed her brow, annoyed at the prospect of Kade being stronger than her, but managed to keep her temperament under control while Camden continued diplomatic efforts with the otterlings. Kade had long since checked out from the conversation, completely uncaring for the result. If all he had to do was to fight a strong opponent he was no longer as peeved. The politics of it had boiled down to a simple outcome that suited what he needed, a recovery fight to restore his wounded pride.

“The battle is to commence in an hour, please have Ryden and Kade follow our guide down to the barracks,” Cordelia concluded, waving to an otterlings who appeared from the dense crowd of onlookers and made his way to the forefront. Camden placed his hands on the backs of Kade and Ryden and lightly shoved them in the direction of the otterling. “Good luck you two, you’ll need it if you’re up against who I think it’ll be. I’ll be here with Cordelia and Daria watching.”

Ryden angrily stomped after the otterling who turned and led the way down a flight of stairs behind Daria's throne. Kade followed in far less of a tizzy, wondering why he had been nominated for the task. Despite holding a large amount of infamy for his weapon, he was far from the strongest warrior among the ranks of the coalition. He was confident in his own strength and he knew his untapped potential with his blade, Spiei. Yet, he was distinctly aware that warriors like Camden and Jerald were both leagues ahead of him in strength. Regardless of his reservations, Kade had completely focused on the short-term goal; winning. The preparation for the coming battle had consumed his mind and it was all he could focus on, the racing external thoughts quickly filtered out of his mind and were subsequently replaced with ideas and strategies to mitigate the downsides of his injuries.

Within minutes, Ryden and Kade were seated on a bench in an enclosed barracks building. The room was almost completely wooden and filled with shelves containing armor and weapons. A handful of otterlings were present, all of them distracted by the two humans who had invaded their space.

Ryden turned to Kade and punched him on the shoulder, delivering a sharp sensation of pain in his frail body. “Now that we’re fighting together, you need to stop being vague about that stupid sword of yours and tell me what you can do. We’re going to need to work together here.”

Kade sighed, yielding to her demand.

“Spiei has five different colors, of which I can effectively and efficiently use two. I’m working on two more but my usage of them is far from effective. My most effective tools at the moment are black and blue, and because of my injuries these will likely be the only two I will use.”

Ryden looked at Kade with narrow eyes, “Get better faster.”

Kade ignored her, continuing his explanation. “Black was the basis for my training, and thus is the color I have the most experience with. Black has numerous different applications, but the basic idea is area control. I can use the ink to create attacks and openings after a period of setup. The attacks can be devastating but, as mentioned, I need to prepare them in advance. Because of my extended use with the color, it’s the easiest for me to keep active as it takes up the smallest amount of my ruaho. In order to shift colors I need to sheath the blade and utter the command of the color I want to switch to.”

“Okay, so break down blue for me.”

“Blue is utility focused, it augments and enhances my defenses and movement options, the ladder of which will be particularly useful in this upcoming fight. I can make barriers on the fly with blue and mitigate damage from attacks. It also allows me to cloak myself in the ink, greatly enhancing my speed, reflexes, and flexibility. I’ve also found that it’s useful when injured, as I can still move at a pace comparable to a fresh version of myself.”

Ryden seemed deep in thought, combat was her forte and as such she took strategy seriously. She had always complained that Kade refused to share details on his sword, but seemed delighted to learn about its function.

“Okay, you know what I’ve got in the tank right?”

Her ruhox, a basic and plain one, but highly effective. It falls under the emitter classification and allows her to extend limbs of ruaho from her body. She can at current manifest up to three and they have limited shapeshifting capabilities. Her range is huge and attack potency can be shockingly high, especially when combined with weapons and clever shapeshifting options.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“Now it’s just a guessing game as to what our competition can do.”

“The test is going to be how fast we can figure it out and adapt,” Ryden replied. “But there’s no way they can take both of us.”

Ryden grinned, rocking back and forth rhythmically on the bench for the remainder of the wait. Not another word was exchanged between the pair as they both mentally prepared themselves for battle in different ways. In contrast to Ryden’s anxious excitement communicated through her inability to remain still, Kade sat completely motionless, holding his sheathed blade tightly. He poured his ruaho into one end of the blade’s sheath, letting it flow through the length of the weapon before looping back into his other arm. The habit was a repetitive one, but it was one that focused his mind and body while further refining his ruaho control.

Finally, the silence was broken by an otterling who entered the room and chittered at Ryden and Kade. Despite the language barrier, the command was clear. It was time.

The two both got to their feet, Kade rather slowly, still feeling stiff from his injuries. Ryden was chomping at the bit, marching after the otterling excitedly. Kade followed, not far behind, clutching his sheath in his left hand. The two came upon a wooden door which the otterling pushed open, exerting an exhaustive effort in doing so. Once the door was open, the otterling motioned for the two to step out into the open. The sun hung directly opposite from the door, emitting a glaring light that made seeing outside the doorway an insurmountable task. The two stepped into the white glow and found themselves standing on a floating wooden platform jutting out from the wharf.

Kade looked up at the wharf to see hundreds of otterlings crowding the edges of the numerous platforms at different elevations, all watching them with a mix of curiosity and nervousness. Kade turned and looked at the water as a deep rumbling shook the wooden platform beneath them. Numerous other platforms burst forth from the water, all of the same size surrounding a large central middle platform composed of long wooden logs tied together with weathered rope. Once the arena had appeared from the lake, he cast another apprehensive look at the highest platform, locking eyes with Camden who had a gleeful grin painted across his face. Kade frowned and looked back at the other end of the arena as a second rumbling shook the suspended wooden platforms. A massive otterling exploded from the water, launching into the air and landing on a small platform opposite from where Kade and Ryden stood. The wide open platform between them divided the two forces as they eyed each other warily.

The giant otterling stood at over nine feet tall, his build freakishly muscular. The ridiculous size of the thing contrasted the small head of the creature that bared its fangs at the two. It wore a pair of dirty and torn pants that were so tight of a fit it seemed they would burst with the slightest movement along with an unbuttoned vest that exposed its fur covered chest. In its right paw the otterling held a giant oar the length of Ryden and Kade put together. With the arrival of their competition the otterling audience erupted into a cacophony of roars that pierced the calm silence of the pond. Among them they echoed one clear word “Koa.”

Ryden’s mouth curled into a violent toothy leer that was so deeply concerning that it even caught Kade off guard. The audience above hushed as Daria raised her right hand, silencing them. The calm silence returned as everyone held bated breaths. Without any warning, Daria dropped her hand and the massive opponent slammed his oar down beneath him like a pole vaulter, launching himself into the middle platform of the arena. Kade and Ryden leapt forward, following suit of their giant foe. When they both landed, Kade and Ryden were forced to brace themselves as the platform rocked back and forth across the water’s surface.

Koa raised his oar high above his head, slamming the flattened side of his weapon down on the platform, once again shaking the footing that Kade and Ryden stood on. Kade maintained balance, drawing his sword. “Sadat,” he commanded as he drew his blade from its sheath, the silver surface fading into a brilliant blue that matched the ink spilling from the lip of his sheath.

“Veil,” Kade commanded as the blue ink that painted the air merged with his clothes, covering him completely. The pain from the injuries suddenly faded, washed away from the soothing sensation of rain. Kade darted forward, completely blitzing Koa in a matter of seconds. The otterling had no time to react and pick his oar off the wooden ground by the time Kade was on top of him, slashing his sword at the thick muscles of the beast’s ankle.

Koa managed to react to Kade's sudden appearance by slamming his opposite foot down, once again rocking the platform back and forth on the water’s surface, knocking Kade off his footing and causing him to stumble back. Before he had the chance to fall a warm force extended outward and caught his back, keeping him on his feet and allowing him to react to a swipe from Koa’s paw. Kade barely ducked under the swipe and turned to see Ryden rooted to her starting spot, two limbs of pure ruaho extended from her back. The limbs appeared in the shape of long and thick arms, the manifestation of her technique. She grit her teeth in concentration as the second of the manifested limbs rocketed forward and slammed into Koa’s left hip.

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Koa barely reacted, snarling and grabbing Ryden’s limb. Ryden screamed an obscenity as Koa tugged at the ruaho construct with impressive force. Ryden was hoisted off the ground and flew toward Koa who raised his oar and prepared to slam it into her as she approached. Koa flung his oar forward as Ryden entered his range, but her back sprouted a third limb that grabbed the oar from the air and held it in place, struggling to contest Koa’s strength. As the two remained locked in a struggle, Kade jumped off the platform from behind Koa and prepared to slash at his back. Koa, sensing Kade from behind, tucked in on himself and rolled forward, releasing Ryden from his grasp as he did. Kade ended up slashing at the air, barely missing his swipe. He grunted and used ink from his cloak to propel himself back down onto the platform and in pursuit of Koa. Ryden landed directly in front of Koa and pulled back one of her ruaho constructs and released a punch aimed for Koa’s chest.

Koa, sandwiched between the two, growled deeply, raising his unencumbered paw. Time seemed to slow and Koa forced his paws into forming a symbol. Kade, unable to see the symbol, continued his advance on Koa’s backside. Ryden’s punch landed, but Koa forced himself to remain steady, shrugging off the blow aimed right at his gut. Within an instant a thick black dome formed above the three combatants. Upon seeing the dome, Kade completely froze. Once the dome had fully formed, it shifted from black to a brilliant blue sky, clear of clouds. A harsh artificial sunlight bore down on Kade’s neck from above.

This is bad.

Ryden screamed a curse and used two of her appendages to launch her right at Koa’s head. Her third available limb hung taut above her head before she launched it down onto Koa’s head. It connected, causing him to stumble back, but his intent had already been accomplished. He had successfully trapped both Kade and Ryden within his barrier.

He’s an expander, we’re under his thumb until the barrier goes down.

Ryden landed, continuing her assault, not giving Koa a second to act. She continued to beat down on him with her three limbs, pushing him closer and closer to the water. The setting of the barrier had changed the battlefield from the floating wooden platforms to a sandy island in the middle of a large body of water that extended to the edges of the barrier.

Kade quickly appeared behind Koa, his sword sheathed.

“Vutha!” He roared, drawing his blade and spraying black into into the surrounding air.

“Scatter!”

Black orbs of ink dotted the space around Koa. His gaze glossed over the ink, but didn’t seem to recognize the threat they posed. Kade slid underneath Koa’s broad legs, grabbing Ryden and throwing her to the ground.

Ryden struggled before Kade shouted, “Burst!”

The ink droplets scattered around Koa all suddenly exploded, drilling dozens upon dozens of droplets into Koa’s thick hide. Dots of blood began to appear, soaking through Koa’s fur all along his body. Ryden forced Kade off of her and both came to their feet as Koa heaved heavy breaths at the water’s edge. Kade sheathed his blade, cutting off the flow of ruaho into his blade, giving a moment of reprieve. His exhaustion had grown and he was on the verge of collapsing from his injuries. Ryden quickly glanced over at Kade, scowling as she did.

“He’s hurt, but barely,” Kade stammered through heavy breaths.

“Yeah but you can’t keep this up much longer,” Ryden replied. “Plus we haven’t figured out the imbued rules of the barrier.”

Kade nodded, “I need you to give me an opening. I have an idea but it’s only gonna work once, if we screw it up he’s going to outlast us.”

“Don’t give me orders,” Ryden scorned.

Koa acted before either had a chance to, dipping his oar into the water. Kade widened his eyes in surprise as a jet of water exploded from the ocean and blasted straight into his chest, throwing him further back into the middle of the island. Ryden jerked her head and watched Kade sail out of sight into the shrubbery at the center of the beach before Koa fired another geyser her way. Ryden managed to react in time, blocking the water with all three of her limbs. It took everything in her to remain standing and not get sent flailing along with Kade.

“Kade!” She screamed over the roaring water.

Kade appeared beside her, garbed in his blue cloak. He sprang into the air, right over Ryden’s head, and landed on the geyser of water. Through the abilities provided to him with his cloak, Kade managed to sprint down the length of the outpouring, making it down eighty percent of its length before Koa released his oar from the ocean, causing the water to instantly lose shape and slosh to the ground. Just before, Kade managed to leap off the geyser and position himself in the air above Koa, his sword now sheathed at his hip.

“Vutha!”

The ink switched from blue to black once again. Immediately following the shift, Kade slashed his blade out from the sheath, spraying black ink all over Koa’s fur. Kade plunged into the water behind Koa before the ink on Koa’s pelt exploded, shredding through a layer of skin and spraying blood onto the sand in front of him. Koa roared and whipped around, piercing his oar into the water.

Ryden quickly ascertained the danger of the circumstance for Kade and immediately beckoned two of her Ruaho projections towards Koa’s oar, grasping the shaft and pulling it from the water. Ryden and Koa engaged each other in a struggle, grasping for control over the oar. Ryden’s third construct whipped forward and slammed into the side of Koa’s head, repeatedly beating into him in the attempt to separate him from the oar.

It’s this damn oar! If it touches the water he gains control over all of it.

Ryden planted her feet into the sand, gritting her teeth as she commanded her Ruaho to pull the oar from Koa. Her efforts culminated in one final heave that ripped the oar from Koa’s paws and flung it toward Ryden. The trajectory of the oar launched it right into Ryden’s chest, tossing her into the forest at the center of the island, just like Kade had been earlier. She had managed to recall her Ruaho to block the blunt force of the oar but the motion still sent her flying regardless. Koa roared, kneeling down onto all fours and bounding after Ryden into the center of the island.

Behind him, Kade surfaced, his blue cloak reformed around him. The cloak propelled him to the water’s surface, allowing him to stand on the top as if it were solid ground. Kade grimaced in pain before pursuing Koa into the middle of the island. Like Ryden, he had determined the strength of Koa’s barrier. Koa being drawn further away from the water’s edge was beneficial to the two of them. The longer he remained there the more of a disadvantage he’d be at.

Kade followed the sounds of intense rustling before he came upon Koa slamming down on a shielded Ryden. She had expanded the ends of her physical ruaho so that they covered her entire kneeling body. The edges of the oar stuck out from the shield through small holes, but the center of the weapon remained tucked within the cover with Ryden. Kade slashed at Koa’s heel as he continued to slam down on top of Ryden.

Koa snarled at Kade and quickly flung one of his paws out at Kade. The irregular and sudden strike slammed into Kade’s stomach and slammed him against a tree behind him. Kade gagged and slid down the tree landing on his rear.

I’m reaching my limit. I should’ve been able to react to that attack.

Kade continued gasping for air after having the wind knocked out of him, all while Koa continued pounding away at Ryden. Ryden roared in anger before the shield suddenly exploded outward, knocking Koa back momentarily. Ryden’s three Ruaho limbs all lashed out at Koa, beating him from multiple directions all at the same time, continuing to force him back. One of the three Ruaho constructs retreated and retrieved the oar from the ground before whipped the end of it into the side of Koa’s head, knocking him over onto his shoulder. Despite the efforts, Koa pounded back to his feet and pinned Ryden to the ground. Ryden struggled under his grasp, her Ruaho constructs flailing weakly on the ground around her. Koa opened his mouth and roared down at Ryden as Kade slowly stood up off the ground from behind.

This is it, give it everything left in the tank.

“Charir!”

Hot red ink exploded forth from the sheath, propelling the sword outward. Unlike with blue and black, the ink was not smooth and graceful, it was rough, jagged, and turbulent. It crackled through the air, looking as if the ink tore through the seams of the sky itself. A vortex of red ink billowed around the blade as Kade weakly raised it above his head. The ink itself began slashing shallow cuts along Kade’s exposed arms, each cut sending quivers of pain through his body. Though shallow, it as if each cut was caused by a jagged and uneven blade that left a burning sensation along his wounds.

“Ryden!” Kade roared.

Ryden fearfully winced as the ink continued to spread through the sky. Koa turned, his fury redirected back to Kade, allowing Ryden to wiggle out from underneath his paws. The minute she was free, she used two of her Ruaho limbs to launch her out of the clearing, disappearing into the forest thicket. Koa slowly got onto his two hind paws, grabbing his oar off the ground as he did, raising his gaze to meet Kade’s torrent of ink.

Kade stumbled, letting his arm drop from exhaustion, the billowing pillar of ink dropping toward Koa along with his arms. Koa roared as the pillar dropped on top of him, consuming him in the thick red hellstorm. Within an instant, the ink stopped, cut off as Kade stopped pouring Ruaho into his sword. The intense crimson hurricane ceased, revealing a heavily wounded Koa who gasped for air, pressed against the sand and dirt. The sky barrier above Kade cracked before the blue canvas returned to black. The barrier shattered fully, revealing the previous battlefield before Koa had opened his domain. The sound of the otterlings gasping at the sight filled Kade’s ears as Kade dropped down to his knee, keeping himself up with his sword pierced into the ground.

The otterlings roared with a mix of excitement and anguish as Koa’s mangled body was revealed. He looked up at his kin weakly, flashing a toothy smile with his fangs in efforts to reassure them. Two otterlings burst from the water near the platforms and bounded to Koa’s aid, each of them beginning treatment with healing based Ruhoxes.

Kade exhaled as Ryden appeared beside him, slowly pulling him to his feet.

“I had no idea you could do that,” Ryden murmured.

Kade chuckled weakly, his entire body fighting his every command. His body’s previous injuries had worsened as well as become host for a second variety. Kade initially tried to push himself off of Ryden, insisting on standing himself, but determined that he was physically incapable of doing it himself.

The pair looked up at the crowd of viewers who all yet to quiet down. Kade’s eyes immediately met Camden’s. Camden winked at Kade, a sign of approval. Kade gave a weak grin before another set of humans caught his eye.

Two girls looked down at Kade from the platform below Camden. One of them had a head of brilliant blonde curly hair and piercing green eyes. Her expression was completely flat, the only indicator of emotion being the inquisitiveness in her eyes. Unlike her counterpart, she was tall, likely taller than Kade. The girl beside her was an entire foot shorter and had straight black hair tied back in a bun that matched her reddish brown eyes. Both were dressed in combat attire, but most eye-catching was the shorter woman’s sword. Like Kade, she wielded a blade of a similar style, one that was completely unique to this world.

Ryden noticed Kade’s fixated gaze and turned to look at the two girls. She cocked an eyebrow and punched Kade’s shoulder causing him to shudder in pain. “You got a staring problem?”

Kade coughed, rubbing his bruised shoulder. “No you idiot, there’s other humans here!”

“Oh I guess they would stick out, wouldn’t they?”

Daria raised her head back and released a call that caused a sudden hush to come over the crowd. She bowed her head, her eyes focused on Ryden and Kade before turning to Cordelia and saying something in otterling. Cordelia stepped to the edge of the platform.

“Kade and Ryden of the coalition! You have proven your people worth the support of the otterlings! Be proud, for your prowess was enough to challenge and best the mighty Koa!”

The tribe of otterlings roared in support and respect as another platform rose from the depths of the water beneath. The grand wooden staircase construction of the platform continued to rise until it was tall enough to bring the pair right up to the platform where Daria and Cordelia watched. Ryden and Kade gave one last look of respect to Koa, who nodded weakly in approval. With his approval, Ryden and Kade began to traverse the stairs slowly, moving at a crawling pace.

After an agonizingly awkward passing of time, Kade and Ryden had returned to take their place at the top with Daria. Kade was forced into a chair where two more medical otterling specialists began to treat his wounds. They used some kind of ruhox that involved placing warm water over Kade’s wounds. The cuts running along his arms instantly sealed with the warmth of the water. Ryden similarly was being tended to by otterlings. Cordelia had just enough time to inform the two that the Ruhox was an inherited trait that nearly all women in the royal otterling house were gifted with. Her communication was swift as Daria cut through the conversation and began to speak directly to Camden. Cordelia swiftly changed the focus of her attention back to translating for Camden.

“Camden, your pleas for medical support have been accepted, as of today you will be returning to your people with four of our best healers, the ones you see tending to your wounded.”

Camden bowed his head, “Your assistance is greatly appreciated.”

“We will furthermore begin sending our goods down the river to the location proposed by your leader, Jerald of the coalition. Along with goods, we will provide information gathered by our surveillance unit. We believe the information regarding the emperor’s naval activity will be of use for you.”

Camden remained bowed in place, listening to see if Cordelia had any more to communicate through Daria.

“Finally, our home will be ready to host any number of coalition troops in the event military operations are to be conducted in the region. The only request we demand for our services is a permanent unit dedicated to reinforcing our hold in this region, especially following the defeat of Koa the mighty.”

Camden raised his head, “I will personally insure that your demand is fulfilled. Jerald and the coalition are thankful to your people for the support.”

Cordelia bowed her head along with Daria. “We would like to receive the reinforcements in two moons. I’m sure you will find the allotted time to be fair.”

“You three will be welcome to sleep here before making the journey back. I will show you to your lodgings.” Cordelia stepped down from her spot next to Daria’s throne before turning to Kade. “Kade, there are two humans who wish to speak to you. I have informed them that once you are treated and shown to your room that they are welcome to seek you out. Is that tolerable?”

The image of the two women who looked down at Kade with piercing gazes instantly returned to the forefront of his mind.

“Yes, thank you Cordelia,” Kade said, bowing his head as low as his body would allow while remaining seated in the chair. The otterlings treating his wounds worked diligently as Camden broke off from the throne and strode to Kade’s side. “I’d say that was a fun viewing experience but the minute the barrier went up all we got to see was a black orb in the middle of the lake.”

“Figures,” Kade replied, gritting his teeth as a wave of pain rippled through his anatomy.

Camden knelt down and looked at Kade, “Did you use red?”

Kade nodded weakly as Camden pursed his lips. “You’re lucky to be standing!” He chuckled. “You’re getting better at wielding that thing,” Camden emphasized by motioning to the sword on Kade’s hip. “Mom would be proud.”

Kade beamed as Camden stood back up, “Gotta say though, I’m jealous that I don’t get to wield one of Mom’s works. Shame that it’d kill me.”

Ryden gagged in her chair next to the two, “Great! I’m glad you two aren’t at each other’s throat anymore. Can we cut the icky family love though, I’m gonna puke.”

Camden sucked in a breath and looked over at Ryden who struggled to remain still in her chair. The otterlings working at her seemed unaware that she was forcing herself to not fly out of her chair and stomp around from the excitement of winning. Ryden turned to Kade and bared her teeth like she was a wild animal. “You couldn’t have done it without me, you got that?”

Kade sighed, “Yes, you’re right Ryden. Does that make you happy?”

“Don’t patronize me!”

◉◉◉◉◉

After an hour of treatment from the royal otterling retainers, Cordelia welcomed Ryden, Kade, and Camden to the room they’d be staying in for the night. It was a suite of high quality constructed in the platform before where the royal house lived. The view of the lake was beautiful, giving them a perfect view of the western sunset.

Kade and Ryden’s injuries had healed spectacularly, though nothing could heal the couple of exhaustion and soreness. Kade couldn’t even sit on the edge of the bed without his body protesting. Ryden and Camden had both left to eat, leaving Kade alone in the room, waiting for a knock on the door. Cordelia had said that the two women would seek him out, so he anxiously awaited in the room, refusing to join the two for dinner.

As he waited, Kade focused on recalling the day’s events as a way to keep his mind occupied.

My use of Charir was a pretty risky last gambit. It worked, but most opponents wouldn’t have faced that head on like Koa did.

Vutha has a pretty decent attack potency, but pales in comparison to Charir. Plus it takes time to prepare any attacks, it’s far better serving as an area control tool that punishes careless movements. I need to stop relying on the same two colors and actually work to develop the other three.

A loud knock on the door shattered Kade’s train of thought. Kade murmured a curse as he got up from the bed and weakly opened the door. Sure enough, the two women from earlier stood at the entrance to his room.

Kade wordlessly stepped aside and beckoned them in, an invite which they accepted. The woman with black hair thanked Kade with a nod while the blonde woman gave no indication of gratitude. They both seated themselves in a table in the corner and waited for Kade to sit at the end of the bed facing the table.

“Can I get you both something to drink? All we have is water,” Kade said, motioning toward the faucet.

The girl with black hair curtly denied his request. Once denied, Kade finally took his seat at the bed and looked at the woman waiting for either to speak.

“Kade, let me give this to you straight, I think you deserve as much. We know about the origins of Spiei. We can’t allow you to continue using it.”