Hmm, that probably hurt. But he should be able to recover from it. Me on the other hand... this is going to be tricky.
"I greet the Elder" I said as I kneeled onto the sand and lowered my head. The figure that had punched Cret looked at me for a bit before frost shot from his nostril.
This figure was humanoid, it stood far above me, my head only reaching up to its chest. The figure was muscular, their skin as blue and as white as frozen snow and ice. Their shoulders had white fur flowing from them and interconnecting with one another, forming a fur made cape on their back. Their body was littered with scars of various sizes and shapes, but the most significant ones of all were the ones on their chest and on their right eye. The scar on their chest appeared as though they were carved from a beast's claw, three long gruesome lines scratched from top right to bottom left. While the one on their right eye seemed to have tried to pluck out their eye and had succeeded as the eye was full white and surrounded by a scar splotch. On their head, they had two bulky horns that were shaped similar to that of a bulls, but appeared to have been made with black stone, with blue lines on their surface. This stone also appeared on both of their arms as well as their shins, making some sort of brace or guard. Their face was human-like, the only difference was that this figure's jaw had no lips and their white sharp beast-like teeth were out for all to see and their four eyes that belonged to something strong pierced through. Their cold blue eyes gazing and almost freezing.
"Ah, so you are not a Wild Shaper and you even know about us Elders" the figure said, slowly and plainly. You would have thought he was apologizing or going to, but the way he said it and is looking at me showed he wasn't at all remorseful, "is that deformed beast with you as well?"
The figure pointed at Cret, who was flung away and was buried deep in the sand. I don't even think he had time to activate his ability. "Yes, the beast you have just punched is a comrade of mine and is the reason as to why I am here" I said, still kneeling.
"Hmmm, his blood, it's chaotic" the figure said as he stared at the spot where Cret was punched at, "as if they are fighting with one another and can't decide what they truly are. Do you know the reason for this… abnormality?"
"Yes, the reason for his blood, as you said before, being so chaotic is due to him being a Half Breed" I said. I suddenly sensed a change in the nearby surroundings. I felt a strong urge to run away from here as quickly as possible. But at the same time, the urge to stay still if I didn't want to die.
"What is your name, little one?" the figure said, their head looking down at me once again.
"My name is Abberant, the subordinate of my great master, Diveria" I said. Suddenly the urge I was feeling intensified.
"Diveria" the figure said, a hum coming from him as he was pondering something, "I have not heard that name for a year or so. Tell me, how is she doing?"
"She has been eating healthily and resting properly" I said, the urge lessened. It seems that this figure and my master have a history with one another.
"That's good to hear. Tell me, what is the reason as to your arrival to the Birthing. I don't believe someone as Diveria would send out her subordinate to this part of the Eternal Sands for no reason, especially knowing how important the Birthing is" the figure said, frost coming from their nostrils once again.
"My master has sent me to the Birthing in hopes of aiding my Half Breed comrade become a full blooded Shaper,"
"And how will you accomplish this task?"
"By using the nutrients found at the Birthing as well as my ability to fully awaken his blood and give him a body that will allow him to live like one of us."
"..."
Silence filled this dessert. Though it should have been warm, the surroundings seemed to be as cold as ice. And this cold feeling only intensified when I heard the groan of Cret, as he finally came out of the sand. The figure moved their body and faced Cret.
I suddenly had a bad feeling as I quickly stretched my left hand and pulled Cret away.
BOOM*
The sand he stood on exploded as the figure stood on the next to the explosion with their right fist embedded into the sand. The figure pulled their arm out of the sand slowly and whipped the arm at the arm. The sand stuck on their arm flew out and landed on the sand. Though small, with my two eyes I could see the damage that little whip it made using their arm truly did. The small sand that should have landed softly on the surface, but they instead pierced the surface and glided through it so cleanly that my eyes didn't notice it until the last second.
"Hmm, I can now see why someone like Diveria would keep you as a subordinate. That ability of yours seems interesting" the figure said as they stretched both of their arms, "allow this Elder to introduce themself, my name is Vallen and I originate from the Southern Region."
The Southern Region. A land filled with snow and mountains. Those born in that region are said to double the size of a regular Shaper and are born with fur on their body, their eyes the color of blue. I remember from my master stating that those born in those lands are naturally stronger than any Shaper and should be avoided at all cost. That even someone at her strength would think twice before challenging a random born in the Southern Region. Which brings me to a question, why is a Shaper from the Southern Region living in the Central Region, a land of the Eternal Sand. A land so warm that many that come from other regions would avoid. And more specifically, why did they become an Elder?
"Vallen, may this little one be able to ask you a question" I asked Vallen.
"Yes, you may" Vallen said, cold air coming from their nostrils again.
"Why is someone who is born from the Southern Region an Elder of the Central Region?"
"Ah, I have heard that question a lot from my fellow Elders as well. Since you are the subordinate of Diveria I might as well answer your question. I came to the Central Region because of boredom" Vallen stated, a warm smile plastered on their face.
"Bored?"
"Yes, bored. As you might have heard from Diveria or from those wanderers of the Central Region, the Southern is a birthing place for naturally strong individuals. Each one having the strength to take on a pack of a hundred Shapers with ease. Yet, with this strength that we were born with came its downside of never finding a being who was superior in power. For every time we fought outsiders it was always a one sided fight and when we fought each other, we would either end in a draw or just turn each other into paste on the snowy land. But one day, I heard voices speaking about a powerful pack filled with various kinds of Shapers living in the Central Region and claiming that entire region as their territory. I became curious and traveled to the lands to see whether the rumors were true or not."
Vallen paused for a bit before he smiled and laughed, "and these rumors held no signs of falsehood, for the moment I traveled and met this pack of Shapers, I knew I was no match for them. Of course I fought this pack to prove to myself that I was stronger than them all and failed miserably. My blind eye is proof of my failure."
Vallen tapped his right hand on his blind eye and chuckled for a bit, "shockingly, this powerful pack spared me and forbade me from ever leaving the Central Region and to retire from my combat life and become a Elder. I obeyed the winner's punishment and I have stayed here since then."
Well that explains the reason for him being an Elder of this land and got me curious about this powerful pack. Are they still here? Does my master know of them?
"Thank you for answering my question, Vallen" I said, "now, onto my second question, why did you attack my comrade?"
Vallen stared at me for a bit, breathed out, and got into a fighting position, "I don't know what you know or what your master told you about the Birthing and us Elders. But there is a rule we Elders follow and that is no outsiders allowed. Even if they were born in this region, if they are not retired or an Elder, they have no right to go near such an important area. Especially if what they require from this part of the land is inside the Birthing. Unless they prove to us Elders that they deserve the right."
I stared at him and chuckled, "so basically we are doing this by Shaper rules?"
"Yes," Vallen said, his eyes fierce, "now little one, I may be old and retired, but I would like to fight someone who is in their real form and using their true strength. So do me a favor and stop hiding."
"..."
Huh. This is surprising. How much does this Elder know?
"I don't know what you mean Elder" I said.
"Hahahaha, I may have lost an eye, but I can see that isn't your true form" Vallen then dashed at me and threw a punch at my head. I quickly raised my hand up and blocked his punch using my wrist. The punch reverberated along my arm for a bit before launching me some distance away. I tried to stabilize myself when I'm about to land on the ground, but I guess Vallen had other thoughts.
When my feet touched the ground, Vallen appeared right behind me and kicked me in the back while doing a handstand. My body was launched far into the air and my back had blood pouring out. I guess he must have either tore my skin with the kick or actually made a hole in my back.
"I can't believe I need to go all out for one person" I said out loud, a mouth forming on my featureless face. My body began to expand and shrink. Flesh splitting. Bones cracking. Organs melting and rebuilding. Eyes falling out and rebuilding. Fingers cracking and expanding. My tail is growing in size and becoming bulkier. My size is increasing and my mass is swelling.
Vallen looked in the air and stared at me. A smile growing on his face. The sand beneath him jumping around him and the air around him becoming colder. His muscles swelled and his veins burst with energy.
"Good" Vallen said as he stared up to see a figure that looked down at him with yellow eyes and a maniac-like smile on their face.