Beastforged Bond

Showering and changing into a neat set of clothes was quite painful. Not as painful as the silence in the dining room but it was bothersome nonetheless.

No one said anything for most of the hour that followed the emergency proclamation. Instead, Mom teared up now and then, while Dad consoled her, his eyes seeking mine for…answers? Did he expect me to tell him that everything was going to be alright? I had no idea. Maybe everything would be fine, but it was not like getting conscripted had been high up on my bucket list. If anything, it was part of the ‘Fuck No!’- list.

“Grandmaster Heros sent a notice.” Daniel broke the silence. “It looks like I am going to join him. Learn under him while also concocting serums for the military.”

Chloe Zerog looked relieved at that, whereas Peter glanced silently at Lea. She noticed her father and took the cue.

“I will fight. As messed up as this is, the conscription means we are official members of the military. Or should be. Anyway, we will have access to the same contribution system as the army. That includes the Vault. That’s enough reason to fight – other than protecting the Bastion from the Outsiders, of course.” She waved dismissively, but Lea was tense, her poker face cracking, “Whether I fight a Guardian beast or a Master Outsider doesn’t make much of a difference. As long as I defeat one, I can advance without regret. It is as simple as that.”

The last part seemed important to her, not that I understood what it meant.

Peter Zerog tensed at his daughter’s words. His lips were tightly pressed together, fists clenched.

“You could join the defense forces.” He proposed. “There’s no need to join the idiots at the frontlines until you’re ranked high enough to be in charge of yourself. Until they let you lead your own unit.”

Lea’s head flicked to her father, a deadly glare descending upon him. Peter let out a heavy sigh, ignoring her fury. As much as he wanted to tell his daughter what to do, Peter Zerog didn’t have any control over her actions. Lea was an adult and, at this point, she was stronger than her father. He may be a Master but Peter Zerog was no longer a combatant. I couldn’t feel any edge in his presence.

In the past his presence was scary. It had been overwhelmingly powerful, so much I was sure he could crush me easily. Now I didn’t even know if Peter Zerog had ever been a combatant. As far as I could tell, he was more of a businessman than a fighter. Or he was something else entirely.

Do they have to fight as well I wondered, scrutinizing Daniel’s parents with Predator for the first time.

Maybe they’ll help with the logistics?

Putting all thoughts of the Zerogs future aside, I glanced at my parents. Mom and Dad were only Adepts. The Blackbellid Gibbons were still their only Soulkins, which was a good thing. Then again, my parents were anything but combat-hardened. They wouldn’t have been conscripted either way. No one would drag them to fight in a war they wouldn’t survive.

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But where does that leave us…me? I wondered quietly before breaking the returning silence, “We are going to be assigned, right?”

Daniel was safe and all, but Lea couldn’t really decide where she was going to…right? Peter and Chloe looked at each other in a way that was easy to understand; They had contingency plans. Maybe the Zerogs had to join war, but it was not like they didn’t have a string or two to pull.

That left me. My options – if I had any.

What do I want? Even if I couldn’t do anything against the conscription, there had to be a nice department.

“I don’t know if that will work, but Adam can become my apprentice.” A familiar voice rang out from the other side of the room.

Several sets of boots rang out as Beaster Bert, his wife, and Merlin Zerog walked into the room.

“If not, he can join Lea in defending the Bastion.” Merlin said lightly.

Lea straightened her posture the instant her uncle stepped into the room. She stared at him, looking like the expected something, but his eyes were trained on me.

“Or do you want to hunt Outsiders?” He remarked with a smile that didn’t sit quite right with me.

A flash in his eyes caught my attention and it was almost like he looked beyond my eyes. Like he stared at the beyond.

“Hunting Outsiders?” I asked quietly.

Fighting Hunters was no problem. I had already done that before. Several Bakurean fell victim to my blades.

But could I kill Outsiders that hadn’t attacked me yet?

If they attacked me first, it would be as simple as breathing. I was confident in my desire to survive. To live, and to protect myself and those I held dear. Killing those who had the intention to take that away from me sounded acceptable in my head…no matter how much I’d hate it.

“Joining Bert sounds like the best option. If they’ll allow it.” I mouthed quietly, uncertainty creeping into my voice. “The second-best option would be the Wardens or some other military forces focusing on the Bastions’ safety.

The Council would never allow the Pillars of the Grand Camp to lurk in the shadows. They’d made sure we would gather more combat experience and grow even more powerful through adversary. Only Pillars like Daniel were excused. A Grandmaster Beaster’s word carried enough authority. Bert, on the other hand…

Merlin nodded. “Good. I was hoping you’d say that. It’s probably for the best that you stay away from the Strikers.”

Now what was that supposed to mean? I furrowed my brows, which seemed to urge Merlin to speak his mind out loud. And that was bad. Really bad.

“Haven’t you heard? The Raffael Torch has been going wild ever since he lost his arm. I only heard rumours from the grapevine but whatever killed Saphira attacked him as well. But it didn’t kill him. Only crippled him – left him with a mark to remember forever. I don’t presume you know what’s all that about?” Merlin asked, his stare intensifying.

Something reached out to me, grazed across my inner World, setting of a myriad of alarms within me. Instinctively, I raised the protection layers of Fortress and Mindbreaker Shell, expecting the worst, pain zapping through my body as I tensed.

“Anyway, Raffael Torch is part of the Strikers, so you better stay away from them. And the frontlines. Keep your head down or…” He left the rest unsaid, but I knew.

He knows.

There was no doubt about it. He fucking knew!

Merlin Zerog knew about the Elemental Phoenix, and I didn’t believe for one second that he was going to stay quiet about it.

How!?!

[End of Volume 3]