He’d heard about Lord Mancey. Everything he’d heard about this great man had only engendered a feeling of deep respect.“Who are you, young man?” The Lord’s voice boomed. “And why are you stirring up trouble near my fort?”“I beg your pardon, honorable General,” Hadjar bowed even lower. “The long trip here has thrown my nerves into disarray.”Hadjar took the letter out of his spatial ring. As soon as the General saw the seal belonging to Mentor Orune, the expression on his face changed.“Are you a disciple of his?” He asked.“No,” Hadjar decided to add that he might soon become one, however.“That’s good,” the General nodded. “If you’d told me you were, I would’ve killed you immediately.”“Why?” Hadjar asked in surprise.“Old Orune never takes anyone as a disciple,” the Lord snorted. “He refused even my own son! His sworn nephew! However, that doesn’t matter right now, come on in. We have a lot to discuss.”Magnificent Flower disappeared into Frederick’s spatial artifact, he gave a br
What would he be if he told everyone the secrets he shared with other humans and… nonhumans?“I respect your principles,” Frederick finally nodded. “Now I see why Orune chose you.”With that, the General rose and went over to the portrait of the Emperor. Standing in front of it, he bowed deeply, and then took out a golden medallion from beneath the collar of his rich robes. Whispering something and imbuing the artifact with his power, the General pressed it against the corner of the portrait’s frame. The picture burst into a multicolored flame, which soon disappeared. Beyond it was a niche that contained a very ancient scroll. He picked it up carefully and moved away from the wall. As soon as he did so, the picture returned to its original place, hiding the empty niche once more.Hadjar was shocked. If the General had kept the scroll in a magic safe, not even trusting his own spatial artifact, the value of this treasure would be difficult to overestimate.Returning to the table, Frede
In a hollow, hidden from the eyes of the sky pirates by overhanging trees, lay a man. His worn-out and patched clothes had turned into tattered, dirty rags at this point. Every inch of him was covered in blood or terrible wounds. His breathing was irregular. With each breath he took, an unnatural, painful whistle could be heard. Even an unskilled healer would’ve immediately known that his ribs were broken and his lungs had been punctured. He let out a soft groan. Every movement he made and every breath he took caused him terrible pain. Despite the fact he was a mid-stage Heaven Soldier, it was hard to imagine that anyone could’ve survived such a fall.A tiger cub crawled out from the remnants of his shirt. She stretched, yawned, and looked at the poor man. The little tigress cocked her head to one side and let out a low growl. Streams of blue-white energy swirled around her. Flashes of blue fire and white lightning bolts could be seen within them. Suddenly, the vortex of power contrac
She was gesturing toward the path that led into the forest. At first, Derek and the brunette didn’t understand what their friend was pointing at. But, a moment later, they grabbed their weapons and jumped out of the carriage. As soon as the door opened, the six horses stopped and energy shields flashed around the carriage. Magic hieroglyphs and runes swirled over its roof. The light they radiated thickened and covered the trio. The girls both held whips in their hands. Energy that was as red as blood flowed through their weapons. Derek, armed with daggers, clenched a long needle between his teeth. It was an artifact given to him by his father. It could launch an attack equal to that of a peak Spirit Knight’s.“By the demons and gods!” The white-haired girl gasped. “It’s an Ancient Beast!”“What’s a monster like that doing so close to the Darnassian border?”The girls looked at their friend, but said nothing.“And why isn’t it attacking us?” Derek added.The tigress that radiated the a
Gently lifting the man’s head, she pinched his nose and poured the medicine into his mouth.A second later, the wounded man gulped it all down instinctively. He jerked and then stilled. His breathing gradually steadied, and the wound on his chest began to disappear. His bones creaked as they popped back into place, and the pained whistling turned into steady breathing.“Crisis averted,” Alea wiped the sweat from her forehead.“Do you really think it-”A low growl interrupted Derek. The tigress, after glaring at the young man, turned back to Alea.“Seems like it does understand us,” Derek whispered, his face suddenly pale.“We have to take him to Fort Boltoy,” Alea continued, “Otherwise, I’m afraid he’ll die from the injuries that have been inflicted on his energy body. I can maintain his meridians and nodes for some time, but he needs more help than I can give him.”The trio stared at the tigress. She lay on the ground for a while, and then, rising, she growled and covered the thirty
“You’re right,” she agreed. “That’s strange. However, consider this: no spy would ever ride an Ancient Beast. Besides, have you ever seen such a monster be tamed by a Heaven Soldier?”Derek had heard rumors that, in the very center of their vast country, the eldest heirs of the great clans of the Lascanian Empire and their parents had entire menageries of Ancient Beasts. Here in the outskirts, however… Regardless, only a Lord could tame an Ancient Beast, and Derek had never even seen a Lord in his life. The head of their school, the strongest man in the Barony, was a peak Spirit Knight.“Maybe-”Derek didn’t get to finish speaking. He was interrupted by Irma’s cry.“Look! Boltoy!”Among the rocky hills covered with golden grass, at the mouth of a dried up river, an ancient fort stood on a high hill. It might have been surrounded by a deep river once, but these days, the massive bridge that spanned the banks looked like a relic of the past. A winding path led to the second gate, woundi
All three of them were disciples of the inner circle of a martial arts school, but they were all Heaven Soldiers. Moreover, the density of their auras indicated that they didn’t possess much power. They most likely wouldn’t have passed ‘The Holy Sky’ School’s entrance exam.“How… did…?” Hadjar wheezed, feeling like someone was poking his throat with needles from the inside.“Don’t try to talk,” Alea said gently and put her hand on his chest. It became easier for him to breathe. “She brought you here.”She pointed at Azrea, who was sleeping peacefully on the sofa. Hadjar looked from the cub to Alea, and then back again. It was unlikely that the girl was lying to him, but he doubted that the little cub could’ve carried even his sword.“You’ll tell us your story later,” the girl continued, making Derek nod in approval. “I’ve cured your physical body, but your energy one is still in bad shape. I’m keeping your channels from disintegrating for now, but I won’t be able to do so for much lon
“You’re right — urgent care!” Derek, who liked healers just a little bit more than he did Darnassians, shouted.“Of course.” The old man smiled wryly. “Carry him inside. I’ll do whatever I can to help him.”“You’ll ensure he’s all healed up by nightfall,” Derek growled. “I, Derek Le Bria, son of Baron Bria, the Lord of these lands, order you to do so!”The old man’s eyes flashed with an evil gleam. This time, instead of nodding, he bowed low, not wishing to anger someone as powerful and influential as Derek.The doctors, who were all young boys and girls, picked up the stretcher and carried it into the building. The trio followed after them. They breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped out of the midday heat and into the coolness of the interior. However, their relief was short-lived — they soon started coughing and wincing. The pungent smell of dried blood, medicine, pain, and despair filled their nostrils.“This past week has been a stressful one,” the healer said as he opened the