(Gavin)

The wolf beastkin and bear beastkin in this particular region are not particularly interested in stopping the war they have against Naira. Every other tribe was able to come to a peaceful resolution, though there were a couple of forts of the Human side that weren't happy with it, but were asked kindly to comply.

They're complying. For now.

After two months, I've finally made it to the edge of the beastkin territories, and they're perfectly happy waging war on their human neighbors on both sides that human territories touch, waging war against three different nations.

They are complete and utter morons. If the three nations actually bothered to work together and put effort into snuffing them out, this specific region would cease to house any beastborn of any kind.

Or maybe that's me overestimating their power.

Either way, their constant attempts on my life are starting to piss me off, and even Ryan's annoyed to the point that he can't concentrate on his studies. It's not like he's actually learned a spell yet or anything, but still.

I am about damn ready to hit this place with a Shroud of Gardens so fucking big, they're never getting out.

Right now, I'm in a fort, trying to locate my apprentice telepathically, since I can't seem to do so physically. Yet my mind isn't touching his.

"You!" I point at a soldier. "Do you know where my apprentice is?"

"He went with a hunting patrol to the north to catch something for dinner," the soldier answers. "They should be returning soon."

Dammit, Ryan! I told you not to do that, then you do it while I'm visiting the beastkin with one of Naira's princes.

I extend my mental range to the north. Over the last month, I've increased my Resource Pools immensely and kept in mental contact with a variety of people, giving me a vast range and a much-lower expense than I used to have.

Adding on the seven Levels I've gained to Ascended Human since Nies Descended, and I'm quite a bit more powerful than I was back then. And yet these particular beastkin still arrogantly defy me and all attempts to bring peace to them.

They want war, even though Naira no longer attacks unless provoked.

After twenty minutes of pushing my mental powers as far as I can stretch them and trying to find my student, I fail completely.

I can't even find the patrol he went out with…

I turn my mind to the south, blazing through the minds of every beastkin in their tribes until I locate my apprentice and his patrol.

They really think they can use him against me?

Against me?

Fucking morons.

I leave the fort, my rage boiling within me, every mere Tier I Species around flinching from the sheer force of it. Once I'm out of the fort, I strip, my clothes in my ring as I take on my full, true form, my wings spreading out, my Violet Dragon forming, coiling itself against me tightly.

With a single flap of my wings, I'm a hundred feet in the air in less than a second. Another, and I'm soaring over the woods, my Violet Dragon burning it to ashes with a flame so powerful that everything it touches is gone instantly. It reaches far, extinguishing before causing too much damage.

Any time I near one of their caves, I throw a Spear of Frozen Lightning into it, the magic designed to spread within the caves.

Ten minutes later, I'm fifty miles into their woods, and I descend rapidly, slamming into the ground with enough force that I travel through it, leaving a crater above me and a tunnel leading from the surface directly to the chamber I land in.

I stand, glaring at the cowering beastkin.

"Told you this was a bad idea," Ryan says casually. "You do not want to piss off my master. Yo, Boss. How's it going?"

Ryan's currently tied to a chair, while the soldiers are all tied together unceremoniously and tossed in a corner, guarded by a dozen beastkin of both bear and wolf types. Ryan's got a gag, though he managed to get it out of his mouth somehow.

Not surprising. He gets out of mine, too.

Well, my original ones. My current gags are magicked to prevent that.

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"THIS WAR IS OVER!" I Roar, shaking the air, the caves, the tunnels, and even the forest above with the sheer force of my power. "IT ENDS NOW! YOU WILL NOT ATTACK NAIRA ANY FURTHER! SHOULD I RECEIVE WORD THAT YOU HAVE WITHOUT PROVOCATION, THEN I WILL RETURN AND ELIMINATE THE REST OF YOUR MEASLY FORCES! HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?"

The beastkin whimper, several of them relieving themselves in their fear. The Humans are hit by the force of the roar, but not by the power of the Skill. They are not my targets. Simply using it just now brought it from Level 2 to Level 5, amplifying the effects even further by the time I finished.

That part.

"I ASKED A QUESTION, TIER I TRASH! SHOULD I JUST ERASE THE REST OF YOU FROM EXISTENCE NOW?"

They prostrate themselves in front of me, begging for forgiveness. I growl low in my throat, then flick my wrist, performing slices of air to free the Humans.

"Good," I snarl at the beastkin, then look up at the narrow hole leading to the surface. "That's bothersome."

The Violet Dragon immediately flies up, clearing out a path thirty feet in diameter all the way to the surface four hundred feet above, then returns to me, coiling itself around me once more. I gesture for the Humans to come over, and they do, though a bit reluctantly.

I can't blame them. I gave in to my rage there, and even if it wasn't directed at them…

A member of a Tier I Species could never hope to ignore the sheer force of the aura a higher Tier Species gives off, especially not when enraged.

Once everyone has drawn near enough, I manipulate the air and fly us up, then back to the fort. After we touch down, I release my wings and pull my clothes back on, then take a deep breath and look at the soldiers.

"I will be leaving immediately," I state. "There is business that I must attend to, and dealing with that scum took far longer than necessary. There may be some beastkin coming in the hopes of peace with you – accept the offer. They will not be from these tribes, and are somewhat decent people, like you."

"What… what did you mean, 'Tier I trash'?" One of the soldiers braves the question.

"He was referring to Species," a voice says, and the soldiers turn, immediately bowing before their prince. "He doesn't view all Tier I's as trash, but he does view those like them as trash. I am surprised you hadn't given in to your rage sooner, Lord Jakran. I suppose them kidnapping your apprentice would explain the sudden shift."

"You expected me to go on a rampage?"

"My patron deity informed me that you once wiped out twenty million people a couple of years ago."

Their prince is also a Blessed, and communicates with his patron deity once every few months, which is far more common than most Blessed. His patron's a god of war, so I suppose it's only natural that he informs his Hero when someone around him is capable of performing a one-man war.

"Ah," I say. "Did you patron Divine Being also inform you that it was as part of a quest for another Divine Being? And that it was because that nation had enslaved her followers simply for being the Species they were?"

And that after I dealt with it, she started dating my patron?

"It was a Divine Quest?"

"Didn't think so," I say. "Yes, it was a Divine Quest. She gave it to me when she caught word that I did not tolerate discrimination based on one's Species alone. It is part of why you'll have noticed that I do not treat the beastkin any differently than I treat Humans. I do not see them as 'different' in the same that most do, even if they are more in-touch with their primal nature than we are."

"My patron made it sound like you are prone to bouts of anger."

"I used to be," I state. "I will still suffer from them, from time to time, but for the most part, I am beyond such things. Now, I must be going. Ryan, collect your things. You have five minutes to return here."

Ryan nods, then takes off inside. I wait, the prince and soldiers going about their business, then once my apprentice returns, I float us up into the sky, flying us to various beastkin settlements and locations nearby, informing them of the reason for the rampage, and assuring them that they have nothing to be afraid of.

When I mention that my apprentice had been kidnapped, most of them become understanding. Pack mentality means that they're more likely to understand wanting to teach a lesson to those that make a personal attack on one of their members. As a result of that, they relax a bit more easily.

Now that my job for Naira and Trii is completed, I fly back to Jozan, making my way to the castle.

Ryan looks around as we land, asking me where we are.

"In a place," I say. "Where you will show the absolute utmost respect to anyone and everyone who seems to be above your station. Otherwise, I will delay your learning of actual magic a great deal."

With that, I walk through the doors, ignoring the stunned looks on the soldiers' faces. They recognize me, and thus, allow me through without any hindrance.

Ryan has to nearly run to keep up with my brisk pace, though not as much as he used to. He's getting better at walking quickly, and I'm pretty sure he practices it when he's supposed to be sleeping.

We reach the throne room quickly, where Alyssa and Tyler are discussing a few things with several nobles.

"Whoa," Ryan says in English. He's about to say something inappropriate, isn't he? "Her boobs are really small. Like, they almost don't exist at all."

He's getting better about keeping that inappropriate mouth of his in check. At least this time, he's not commenting about big boobs.

"Gavin," Tyler greets me, giving my apprentice a curious glance for a moment. "Welcome back. Have you finished your business with the beastkin?"

"For now," I answer.

"Len informed me," he says. "That you Advanced your Species to the Second Tier. Congratulations. Are you aware that, as a result of this, your marriage is no longer valid? All effects from while you were within it remain, so you are, in essence, a prince by marriage, though not by blood. You are also still the Duke of Zelar, unless you wish to give that up to my sister, so that you may be a bit more free with what you do."

"Why would Advancing my Species to the Second Tier relieve me of marriage vows?" I ask.

"They were bound between two of the First Tier," he says. "Any marriage bound in the manner ours are – with Divine oversight – are only valid between two of the same Tier of Species. The reason for this is because of the 'aura' you emit, which everyone in here can feel. It would cause the other to be more yielding to them, creating a one-way relationship. As a result, your Divine Oath of Marriage was nullified the moment you Advanced to Ascended Human.

"Therefore," his expression turns stern. "Your only true links to Jozan, now, are the Village of Kar and your status as the Duke of Zelar. You are no longer bound to us by marriage. Will you remain as the Duke of Zelar, Gavin, or will you turn that over to your former wife?"