"Aye, if you keep visiting me like this, people are going to get suspicious ya know?"
The King, Aaron, looked at Ran and Ann (they wouldn't allow Fluffy in) as they watched him put a piece of steak in his mouth. He was just comfortably enjoying some "lunch" and definitely was not expecting these two rascals to show up at his door.
"Oh Great Bald One, your head is as shiny as the stars! Your stache woos all who see it! Your bulk can even make mountains quake, shivering like the cowards they are!" Ran praised fanatically with his arms raised as he and Ann were on one knee. I mean, he had to get the information somehow right?
Yet, the next second, the King stiffened as the steak that was heading towards his mouth stopped in midair. He smiled. And he couldn't help but stoke the top of his shiny, bald, head as he spoke:
"Boy… you flatter me! If you keep licking my boots this way, there won't be any gunk left for everyone else!" The two looked at each other, similar grins and expressions were evident on their faces.
"Come. It just so happens that I've gotten a new flavor of tea imported just this morning." The king then gestured with his free hand for them to sit with him. While having tea in the dining hall was a bit off-putting for the king, and not to mention a disgrace for all tea (they have their own rooms for that), he had to treat his guests somehow. Not to mention that this boy's father was also a very close friend of his.
Hehe. Ran rubbed his crummy hands together as he sat down, leaving Ann momentarily stunned by the actions her master had done.
I… how am I supposed to protect your dignity like this!? She was stumped for words and could only curse in her mind.
Wait a minute… how am I supposed to protect my dignity like this!? Oh God, if people found out about this; about the kind of master I had!? She shivered.
***
Slurp! "Ah, dats some good tea!" Ran sipped on dat tea real good; almost like there was no tomorrow.
The bombastic flavor of the mint tea slapped his tongue repeatedly as it burrowed into his taste buds like explorers looking for gold. That s**t was good!
"Phew. Now that we've got that out of the way, why don't we get to the good stuff?" The king responded after everyone finished. Though his words sounded a little off. Good stuff?
However, Rans eyes couldn't help but shimmer. Yes, all of his bootlicking paid off! The real tea time begins now!
"So, I'll get right to it. It starts the day after tomorrow."
When the two heard those words, they shot their mouths off as their jaws locked wide open.
Excuse me, the day after tomorrow!?
"Yes. You know, if you had just stayed in the Academy, they would have told you. But, no, you all came to me, your king!" The king shot off as he spurt a healthy bout of laughter out of his mouth.
S**t! So all this was useless? Ann's brown face went slightly red from thinking of Rans previous actions. Everything was useless! Uncalled for!
"Well now, don't go counting your chickens yet. I've got some more news from our canine friends."
Gosh, I don't even know if I should get rid of this guy! He's the king, can he not be so gossipy!? I don't even know if gossipy is even the right word….
Though, if there was a justification, it would have to be that the king is actually only in his early-thirties. Yet, even that sounds off. What kind of thirty year old (king) gossips to a bunch of kids!? Welp, that's just a plothole for another day I guess.
"Well, they're not trying to start early for no reason. Because apparently, their lion friends out in the desert were completely decimated about a week ago."
"Lion friends?" Ran asked, a bit puzzled. What did they have to do with anything?
"Yes, the Desert Lion, as stated, lives in the desert and they have a fire affinity. Yet, the only reason they're allies with the Dire Wolf tribe is actually pretty simple."
"Simple?"
"Of course. It's because they live next to each other!" the king spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world for such different beings to just so happen to share an environment.
"Though, there's definitely more to the problem. For one, the Dire Wolf tribe is based in the Thousand Mountain range (one which was close to the desert). Furthermore, the tribes in the other mountains nearby dont seem to really like the wolves so much, so they had to get some back up and hence the Lions."
"Yet, boy, nothing is free in life-" the king took this opportunity to give the two a free lesson about life, "and there's always a price to pay."
Ran just stayed there, silent. It wasn't the time to try anything and not to mention he was getting this weird feeling about this story. Strange.
With a solemn look the King spoke, "every year they… discarded their firstborns." The king spoke every word with a bit of difficulty. He was a father after all.
The two of them didn't say anything or even spoke for that matter after hearing those words, but inside, they were irked to their very core.
Wolves can have multiple pups per litter… but to willingly give away a newborn (per litter) every year was just….
Phew, Ran had already pieced everything together at this point.
While in front of the king (whether it was his or not), hiding your face can be seen as disrespectful and Ran didn't mind in front of this man, so his face was visible. And the look on that face was very solemn and grave.
Clearly, the mountains nearby allied together and wanted to get rid of the Dire Wolf tribe for whatever reason and so the Dire Wolves resorted to extreme means to secure their survival as a whole.
In the desert, food was scarce and many of the available resources were hidden, lying in wait for foolish "predators" to roam about the sand-full land. And the Desert Lions just so happen to live in the desert, and wouldn't you know it, they were close to the Thousand Mountain range; near the wolves.
What better opportunity to gain an EASY source of food than to offer their "services" for a steep price. Very steep. They were worse than bandits.
Alas, the wolves' sacrifice was all for nought when the Lions were suddenly and abruptly annihilated; not a single one was left alive in their dens.
But not all was lost for them, they were already making plans to conquer the nearby human "fortress" and moved up their plans in a panic when their additional protection was lost. You know, the wolves themselves were already pretty strong, strong enough to go against this "fortress" as they call it. But when multiple powers of similar strength want to gang up on you, what choice is left there to have?
What's worse was that all this happened within the last two or three decades, yet something so recent was able to threaten a tribe that had existed for hundreds of years. However, they weren't going down without a fight. If they could conquer this land, and its inhabitants, then this "stockpile of resources" will be theirs for the taking.
***
Phew. After some more speaking and tea sipping (with pinkys raised of course, it's the only way to drink tea), the two left the palace with differing expressions.
Ann's was more neutral with a hint of pity, while Ran's was solemn. No wait, I've already used that word like twice in this chapter… Hmm. Ah, he had a look of dread. An extreme look of dread. He couldn't shake it off either. This story was just so… strange. It left a bad taste in his mouth.
So, the only thing he could do was to put it behind him as he couldn't do anything anyway.
By the time they got back, not just the Academy, the whole city had heard about the campaign happening after tomorrow.
The students had all gotten out of their dorms and spoke freely and loudly of their thoughts about after tomorrow. But these two (and cant forget about Fluffy) had been told much more than these people. Their excitement has dimmed by the cruel truth of this world. But they had to accept it. Things like this happened all the time; in fact, Rans own home had also been the victim of this world.
But, the people had their own lives. Not to mention his own. The people in this city couldn't be harvested! Not if he had anything to say about it!
Yet, Rans self motivation would ultimately be a single drop in the vastness of the ocean.
Anyways, who's that in front of Rans dorm!?
"Bob?" Ran tapped the shoulder of a dark robed, hooded, individual that seemed to want an audience with the residents of this dorm.
"Brother?" The individual asked in return. It had immediately recognized the voice of Ran as soon as he spoke.
The individual turned around, only to find a white-hooded individual and the Rage Queen herself! Everyone had already left the area of this place and didn't get any closer than a few dozen meters from their dorm. Bob, too, flinched upon seeing her, though he still greeted her.
"S-sister-" he bowed slightly to Ann as a form of formal respect, "quick, into the house!" He urged for Ran to quickly open the door and head inside and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. Being around Ann makes him seem like a delinquent! He can't have that now can he!? What about his rep? The students already thought of Ran as her mysterious accomplice and they would be blamed for whenever some hooligans decide to shake things up. These two were already legends in the eyes of others and Bob wanted no part of that.
And so, the day quickly passed and the next day came rolling in.
I would bore you with the details of the trio's conversation, but Bob is just too uninformed and merely wished to gossip to his brethren about information they had already heard. Sorry Bob, maybe next time.
However, that night in the Ocean, an event had occurred.
Well, it was more of a disturbance as the energy and mist within the crystals had begun dimming at an even greater pace. By the time he got out, without even realizing it, he had just consumed half of whatever was left. By then, the crystals were worse for wear as some of them even had some cracks; it was clearly a sign of deterioration.
Furthermore, in that duration, Ran felt something. A strange sensation. A buzz… and a pain? It was slight, and almost disconnected. His cranium throbbed, the neurons in his brain fired messages and caused his brain to light up in strange and unfamiliar patterns.
The axon terminals released a bunch of neurotransmitters, dopamine to be exact. At the same time, the strange and unfamiliar sensation grew multiple folds and he felt a little delirious, yet happy immediately afterwards; he was then kicked out of his dream soon afterwards and a new day awaited him.
Even stranger, a true blue disturbance had been happening the whole time! Above his head no less!
I mean, the entire area was warping and folding in on itself! Heck, even Rans forehead was glowing! Well, it was more of a circular spot in the middle of his forehead and the glowing light didn't seem to be on the surface, but instead from the inside of his brain… but still!!!
Worse yet, when he left, so did the disturbance!
Oh God, what did Ran unleash upon the world!?