In the morning after Ishu's return, Barru Telryn summoned all of the heads of the Clan Factions as well as his wives, belong to three of the four. The central room of the Bastion was where all matters of the Clan were discussed, so everyone had an idea that something important was about to be announced and they all knew it was related to the day's previous events. Toba may have kept the factions from approaching, people saw Barru escorting one of his sons home from the Hovel, something every unlike him.
The Hawk Faction's leader, Oro, knew more than the others as Toba had reported that Ishu had caused the disturbance with his breakthrough and that Firesand and Rainshower had also been present which could explain why Barru and Ishu were seen leaving the Hovel after dusk. The only question left in his mind was just what level had the boy achieved to get special treatment, not only from Barru, but also the Shamans?
Oro sat next to Jolai, both had red-brown skin and brown hair, although Oro's hair had wisps of silver in his. He wore his hunting leathers like a badge of honor, never wearing the robes that the rest of the clan preferred expect in the privacy of his own home. Jolai, however, merely wore a necklace made from the hide of Sand Drake for the cord and one of its fangs as decoration which was her symbol of the Hawk Faction. It had been made from one of her first kills on a solo hunt, so she was very proud of it.
A few seats away is where the Lizard Faction members sat. There was an older man with red skin and hair flanked by two women, both with red skin and orange hair. All three wore fine linen robes of green and yellow and were the only ones who had any form of jewelry. They were Hugo, Head of the Lizard Faction, and Misia and Tula, two of Barru's wives.
There was an empty area left for the Owl Faction, but no one actually believed any of the Shamans would arrive. Past that section though, belonged to the Wolf Faction where a fierce man covered in scars sat with three other women. The man was Anoe, Head of the Wolf Faction and uncle of Barru. The women around him were, of course, the last three of Barru's wives: Dyna, Pazi, and Verla.
The ornate wood doors of the meeting room swung open once again, but everyone was shocked when they saw Firesand cross the room and sit in the chairs reserved for the Owl Faction.
"Brother Firesand, it must be a momentous day for you to come down to the Bastion," Hugo said with a laugh as he was the only person close enough to the Shaman to dare refer to him as 'Brother'.
"Perhaps," Firesand replied as he sat down. "I saw a blessing in the skies this morning and knew it was tied to the future of our Clan, so naturally, as this is the only thing out of occurrence, I assumed this meeting could let me glimpse at its mysteries."
Oro gave a light laugh and clasped his hand in the direction of Firesand. "The Telryn Clan was already blessed to have a Shaman like you, and now you bring tidings of yet another blessing! The gods are smiling on our Clan!"
Anoe's eyes narrowed at Oro's words since he was well aware of the fact that it was Ishu who Barru escorted home. He had a number of guesses about the boy and the events of yesterday, but he was unable to verify anything as Toba had kept nearly everyone from approaching. He could only sulk in silence until his nephew revealed his announcement.
They were not forced to wait much longer as Barru arrived shortly after Firesand. This time, he wore a pair of dark red linen pants held up by a sash of yellow. He wore no shirt, but several golden chains hung down from his neck. He wore a rare, relaxed smile as he crossed the room to his large seat and, much to the surprise of the entire room, except maybe Firesand, he playfully pinched at Jolai's side when he passed by.
"Patriarch (Lord Husband)," everyone called out in unison as they rose to their feet.
Barru nodded his head and sat down, signaling that the other could sit again. He was a straightforward man, so after scanning everyone with his eyes, he began.
"As you all know, the Days of Ascension have been upon us for a time now, but I have loss more sons to schemes than true combat which is the heart of this trial! The Patriarch of the Telryn Clan needs to be the strongest of the whole Clan or how can we expect to survive these harsh desert sands!
"My only son to defeat another in true combat, Ishu, has made a request to end this trial once and for all. In ten days' time, Ishu will challenge each of his brothers to a personal duel and conclude this contest. I have gathered you here to tell you to prepare your sons, the seat for Patriarch will be chosen by the next full moon!"
The room was silent after Barru finished, but the was a variety of expressions among the people. Firesand was the least effected, with a slightly knowing expression. The entire Lizard Faction just gave sad sighs as they had little hope for their heirs. Oro smiled while Jolai gave a sigh similar to the Lizards as she would lose a son, at the least, but she doubted Ishu would manage to succeed, so she would lose both of them.
The three wives belonging to the Wolf Faction were all suppressing an amused expression as the fought to keep their faces neutral. Only Anoe furrowed his brow as confusion stumped him. He knew the boy, and therefore, knew his strengthens and weaknesses. The three eldest sons had all reach 'One with Weapon' stage with their personal weapon-craft while Ishu was still on the 'advanced' stage and they had all managed to achieve a Half-Step Gold Skin during their first bottleneck. Even if he had achieved Gold Skin during his breakthrough yesterday, as his father had, there was still no reason to be this confident.
"I have given you my words. I shall let the entire Clan know, so they can bare witness to the event. One way or another, the Days of Ascension will be over in ten days. If any of my sons die to a plot before the duels, no matter who wins the positions, the culprits will be killed without exception!" Barru said then stood up.
The other stood up and bowed to the Patriarch as he left the room. Firesand left out another set of doors just after Barru. The women of the Wolf Faction finally allowed their amusement to be seen while Pazi even went so far and released a light chuckle. Her son, Bako, was the eldest of all of Barru's sons and was in the later parts of the fifth stage of the Mortal Body as well as mastered his twin axes.
Anoe gave her a weighty look, but did not reprimand her as he understood where her confidence came from. Instead, he simply stood up, waited for the three women to as well, then walked out of the room while he pondered over Barru's decision.
"We pray for your heir's good luck and will ask for his kindness when his placement is secure," Hugo said with a weak smile.
"The Lizard and Hawk Factions will always stand together," Oro promised.
Although the two heads of the factions could remain detached, the three remaining mothers could not. With annoyed and pained expressions, they stood up and left the two men alone in the meeting room. Oro gave an awkward chuckle while Hugo sighed and pulled out a smoking pipe.
"Despite knowing from their birth that their sons would likely all die, a mother's heart can't help but grow attached," Hugo said, lightly up his pipe.
"Too true, I'm afraid, but heartache is just another part of the world," Oro added.
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The next few days passed differently for the various factions of the clan. The Lizard Faction kept their heirs within their homes so that the whole faction could spend time with them, relaxing and enjoying what time they had left. The Hawk Faction only had one remaining son aside from Ishu, who was in closed-door cultivation, so Toba and several other elite hunters took Iteno on a hunting trip that lasted for eight days and nights.
The Wolf Faction, under direct orders from Anoe, took the challenge seriously and spent their time training. The younger sons were pushed into closed-door cultivation in hopes of breaking through before the contest, but no one was expecting a miracle. The three eldest, although forbidden from sparring with each other, sparred against their uncles and cousins who were members of the Clan Forces.
Bako, with his twin axes, was like a wolf himself when he used his [Twin Fang Lunge] and [Sweeping Chop]. He would rush straight into a group of four men, taking down two with his charge then chopping at the legs of the other two as he recovered from his low position. If he had been allowed to use real weapons, and not the blunted wood ones, it was more than likely that there would have been deaths and not just a few broken bones.
Tovao, second eldest son and child of Dyna, preferred a weapon similar to his father's, but it was more of a glaive than a true spear. The blade of the polearm was only one sided and it was heavily weighted to that end, giving it more power with chopping movements. It was a weapon unique to him, so he had been forced to create his own skills, allowing the two dangerous skills to have comical names: [Wagging Tail] and [Rolling Chop]. Names aside, the two skills were able to harness power of the poleaxe, showing his understanding to the weapon.
Peyni, third eldest son and child of Verla, used a large war hammer and known for his impressive strength. He could a man in the seventh stage of the Mortal Body while only being in the fifth, himself. The reason why he was not the favorite to win though was because of his simple nature. He could easily be goaded into a berserk state and then be toyed with until his endurance failed him. It was still a wonder how he reached 'One with the Hammer' to Anoe and most of the other members of the faction who sparred against him.
Anoe had checked on each of them multiple times during the remaining time, but he was still unable to settle his heart. He knew there was no way that Ishu could have reached 'One with the Spear' and there was no way he would consider him achieving Scarlet-Gold Skin, so Anoe was left with a warning in his heart but no way to understand it.