8
The elder's tent was very easy to find amongst the other tents, it was much bigger and crimson red. To call it a tent was an understatement, at least ten people could comfortably sit inside the place at once.
Around the tent stood a group of new warrior's guard, most like seventeen or so and clearly not fully grown adults yet. The biggest one, a tall muscular girl with very green eyes saw Ace and held out her hand.
"stop! Wait where you are until we tell you to enter"
Ace stopped and looked confused at her before doing as she said and sat down, the big red tent was completely silent, and the group of young guards stood completely motionless. It was clear to Ace that the green-eyed girl was the leader of the group, and the others would look over at her from time to time, like they were waiting for to be ordered.
After a while came a boy waltzing out of the tent, his face was pale and he was covered in wounds, the young guards seemed to completely ignore him, as he walked towards the green-eyed girl. When he got a few meters from her, he stopped and held out a piece of bone.
"Go to tent number thirty-four and await departure in around nine days, don't go anywhere outside training grounds or we will leave without you when the time comes"
The pale boy just nodded slowly and walked towards the other tents, as the boy moved past Ace he made a snorting sound, and walked by. Shortly after the boy had left came the girls clear voice again
"kid! get in the tent"
Ace jumped forward in surprise and hurried inside the tent, inside was a small carpet tainted by blood both fresh and old. The moment Ace saw the carpet he knew what to do and put the head on the carpet before he backed away and sat down. Nothing seemed to happen, but ace remembered the guard's words and sat in total silence.
The inside of the tent was terrifying, skulls and bones lay everywhere on the ground, while a big table to his right had become a nesting place for three eagles. Each eagle was as big as a six year old child, and one of them was twice that even.
The birds icy stare reminded ace of hunters looking at prey, and it made him feel very uncomfortable.
"very well child, let's see what you have brought me"
The voce didn't seem to come from anywhere, and greatly surprised Ace who did his best to pretend he wasn't startled. A sound of flapping followed by a loud "thump" made ace raise his head, before he almost fell over backwards in surprise.
One of the three eagles had landed right in front of him, the eagle had dark brown feathers with golden stripes coiling around like snakes, and it had landed right on top of the bear lords head.
"my, my… A fine specimen of a bear lord you have here, he sure is a big one, but what is this? Poison? what an unusual way to take down an undead beast. Seems like you had help, or came late to the hunt maybe? Doesn't matter to me, a kill is a kill and there is no doubt you were the one to kill it, your eyes says it all"
Ace was flabbergasted at how the voice could know all this, and how accurate it was, almost like it had seen the whole thing happen. He wanted to ask how the voice knew all this but stopped as he knew it would only lead to punishment for speaking without permission.
The eagle atop of the bear lords head was busy investigating the remains, when a new voice came from inside the tent, and Ace was starting to worry for his own sanity, since he still couldn't see any people.
"The boy has no ether, why are you wasting your time on him master Liam? How are we supposed to make him a warrior if he's so terribly weak"
The brown feathered eagle seemed to respond to the voice and flapped it wings a few times.
"enough Sky! Do not speak to me like we are equal, or I will have to remind you what I do, when people disrespect me!"
One of the eagles on the table, the smallest one and covered in blue shimmering feathers jumped off the table and landed next to the brown feathered eagle, before lowering its head to the ground.
"I am sorry master, I spoke out of turn. But what would have we do about the boy, are you really going to make a boy who can't even use ether into a tribe warrior?"
The brown feathered eagle went back to observing the head for a bit while ignoring the blue eagle, then it walked off the head and towards Ace. Birds had always made Ace nervous, and having an eagle so close without being able to move, was nerve wrecking.
"he might not have ether, but he still took down a bear lord which is no easy feat for a fully-grown warrior. You are right, making him a warrior would be careless given his physical limitations, but Necron doesn't care about strength alone, they value cunning and guts just as highly. This one will be sent to the Kingdom of Necron, maybe they can find a proper use for someone like him"
The blue eagle raised its head and began to grow rapidly, in the blink of an eye the eagle had grown to the size of and adult person, and the blue feathers had becom long blue hair. Instead of the blue eagle stood a tall slender woman with ocean blue hair, a narrow face and wearing a jet-black robe. Her voice was cut through the silence like thunder
"what is your name child?"
Ace stood with his mouth open wide and starred at Sky in complete disbelief not hearing what she had said, after waiting for Ace to respond and him just starring mouth wide open, it started to bother Sky and she asked a second time, but with more aggression than she had actually wanted.
"I do not have the patience for this, Speak! What is your name boy!"
"Ace! Its Ace great elder!"
Ace yelled the words by pure instinct to the commanding tone, his face red from embarrassment and fear of having ignored an elder's words.
The brown feathered eagle started chuckling lightly as well as the eagle still on the table, even Sky drew a smile on her lips.
"I am not yet an elder boy, you may address me as commander if we meet again. Take this to the soldiers outside and they will give you a tent as well as inform you of what you need to know, now leave"
Sky took out a piece of bone and ace stood up to receive the item, he bowed his head to sky and left the tent in a quick pace. Sky looked at his back as he left the tent and then looked at her master with a puzzled face, Liam looked away like he was trying to ignore her until she finally spoke.
"he brought back a bear lords head and there was a bow on his back, that kid is surely the archer Jung was talking about. Do you really think keeping quiet about him is a good idea? Jung is too important to the tribe now that he synchronized, if the tribe chieftain finds out Ace is not only here but going to Necron it will be trouble for sure"
Liam didn't seem to care what Sky said and had begun pecking at the head once again.
"you worry too much sky" came a deep voice close to Sky.
"the trial elder is much too important for the tribe to fear a children's squabble, no matter the child in question"
It was the last eagle, a jade green and very angry looking bird, nearly double the size of Sky in her bird form. It held its head with pride and looked at Sky with a hint of mockery.
"shut it Grail, don't make me beat you up like last time! We might be the same rank, but I am still much stronger than you"
It seemed like Grail wanted to rebuke her, but when he saw Sky's cold eyes, he knew it would end badly for him and lowered his head while his eyes stared at her full of spite and anger.
"that's enough you two… i swear, sometimes it's hard to see who's the children and who's the adults around here"
Grail and Sky both looked over at Liam in shame, bird and human alike while mumbling out.
"sorry master"