I followed them quietly as they paced fast towards the main courtyard, Wallan, a secretary of grandmaster Archanole led us swiftly without speaking a word, when we reached there, I was astonished at the spectacle, there were three grandmaster teachers, one unknown slayer, I have seen headmaster Archanole before at the entrance test, the other grandmaster were also there at the Kalaz revelation but I couldn't recall their memory.
" Greetings Grandmaster Arilyne, " greeted the unknown man and bowed in due respect. The other grandmasters just nodded their head. I was standing behind them with her robe and the sword on my chest like an innocent fool, gaping in stupidity, deep inside I was so happy that I was able to be a part of something grand as this, a gathering of grandmasters.
" Greetings, " replied Arilyne.
" Arilyne, I want you to go to Reed Peak with this man immediately and join the Javeline operation, we should at least send three grandmaster from the academy as the rule of Javeline operation demands but unfortunately, there are no here apart from us elders, Grandmaster Yasson and Grandmaster Uranel has set out for an expedition in the east and is due to come back, " said Headmaster Archanole.
" What about Grandmaster Revan? Where is he?, " asked Grandmaster Arilyne.
" He is out in his hometown in the north but he is supposed to come back in three days, I'll send him as a reinforcement once he comes back, " said Grandmaster Quano who was standing beside Archanole.
Arilyne nodded and said, " What really happened?, "
" We were investigating a local rumor in Demon mouth cave, " began the unknown man, " My name is Cyril, me, Master Mayher and Drao, a senior slayer ventured into decay strata and we came across a varae that defied our logics, at first we thought it was a Nightrotter but I have seen no such varae that stood seven feet just like human with gray skin and demonic horns sprouting from its head and it even spoke human tongue.. I ran away to relay the news to the guild but Master Mayher and Drao stayed behind to stop it.. It was a Nightcrawler Lord and I believed it could have left the cave if it won the battle, " explained Cyril.
" A Nightcrawler Lord, isn't that just one of the old legends? how can this be even possible?, " said Arilyne.
" It's not entirely impossible, I have studied the nature of evolution of anomaly varaes, it is not entirely a zero percent, there is always some possibilities of a weaker when conditioned in harsh environment, even though it's one in thousand chance, there is a always a chance for any lower varae to evolve.. I believe that Nightcrawler Lord is of that case, although I have no explanation how could It speak human tongue but it may be one of its abilities, anomaly division varaes are known to acquire strange abilities. " said Grandmaster Tallon. He was an elderly man with grey beards and wrinkled skin.
" Speak to Guild Master Orshen, tell him more reinforcements are coming and head out immediately, we don't have any time to lose, that's all " instructed Grandmaster Archanole to Arilyne.
" Understood, Headmaster " she nodded respectfully and turned to Cryil to inquire about more specific details. Headmaster Archanole finally caught sight of me and it seemed he was surprised that he didn't notice I was there the whole time and that a student was listening to confidential information all the time.
His eyes widened in realisation and I avoided his curious stare, " Who is this kid, you brought along?, " asked grandmaster Archanole finally. " Is he a hunter? I have never seen him before, "
Arilyne turned her body halfway from the conversation with Cyril and answered, " Oh don't worry about him, he is my little secretary from Central Court,"
What little secretary!, I thought to myself, I'm her little secretary? I felt insignificant instantly. At least she could have said, I'm just a young aspiring student from central court who has won a spot in the wingless tournament, such a heartless remark. No wonder she is called Blood Empress.
" Arilyne, you are a respectful grandmaster, what is with such trifle things,,," Archanole sighed in disbelief.
Arilyne turned around and smiled politely, " Its okay, Headmaster, "
" Maybe it's because I was too lax on you because I thought of you as one of my daughters, " He touched his forehead as if he was mourning.
" What is your name, student?" asked grandmaster Archanole to me.
" Lan Gwen Ethren, I'm a first year " I answered politely and bowed in respect.
" You are free to go if you want, you don't need to listen to grandmaster Arilyne all the time, " said Archanole.
" Ahh, I'm okay. I'm here voluntarily, If not grandmaster Arilyne I would have been killed by the Alpha red hound, " I said.
" Hooo, you were with her in the battle?, " He looked surprised and he looked at Arilyne and said, " I haven't heard of you in the report she provided, "
Arilyne turned around and said, " I forgot to mention, among the kids he was one of them and surprisingly as I said the student who helped me in the battle was him. He is quite talented as a student, " she said confidently.
" Hmmm... you must either be stupid or insanely brave to even think of fighting an alpha red hound, " commented grandmaster Archanole.
I smiled foolishly and didn't say anything.
" Alright Arilyne, please dispatch as soon as possible, we will send reinforcement if any other grandmasters come back " said Archanole.
" Okay, Headmaster. I intend to leave as soon as possible, " replied Arilyne.
Headmaster Archanole and the other two grandmasters headed back inside the eastern academy building. Arilyne turned to Cyril, " Do you have a carriage?, "
" Yes, it's outside the academy gate, " replied Cyril.
" Okay, wait for me there. I'll meet you there in few minutes, I just need to inform something to my students." said Arilyne,
Cyril nodded and walked away, Arilyne asked me to follow her, I was still holding her robe and sword on my chest. She led us to the first year hunter class, there they were Jeral, Nyaka, Werem and along with Senior Najaki, they were chattering. At the sight of grandmaster Arilyne standing at the door, the chattering disappeared in an instant, they were more curious about me standing behind her looking like an errand boy. They quickly glanced over at me behind her and Nyaka smiled at me, I know the thought that was going through their heads, " What is he doing there?"
" Alright, listen up kids! I promised to go out with you today for the hunt but I'm afraid I can't, I have been summoned for an emergency mission in the south, meanwhile I want everyone of you to master all low tier spells prescribed in your spell book, this is your assignment. " she said and turned around to leave.
" Grandmaster, why is he with you?, " asked Jeral.
" Do your job, Jeral " she said with a glare and he retreated. I saw Nyaka let out another smile, I responded to her with another smile. " Najaki, meanwhile, would you please make sure they do the job properly?, "
" Yes, Grandmaster " he replied sharply. " I shall guide them properly, "
I exchanged one last glance with Nyaka and we left them to their class, when we were walking towards the eatern court gate, she said, " You are coming with me, Lan "
" Huh? me? but I'm a student, what is the use of me in such a high level mission?, " I said, confused by her command.
" You are here as my errand boy, not as a slayer. What are you thinking? " she said.
" Ehhhhhh, will I not get in trouble if other grandmasters knew of this?, " I replied.
" Who do you think I am?I'm a grandmaster, it seems like you don't have a high opinion of me " she said.
" No, No its just that I feel out of place, " I answered.
" It's okay, you are only here to help me not to join the fight, " she assured me.
Deep down, I was excited for the journey, for the adventure, I couldn't help but submit to the desire. An adventure with a grandmaster, hunting down a legendary monster. What could be even more glorious than this? As a student, I would have a tale to tell.
We went past the eastern court gate, the guard gave me a curious stare and he was stiff as if someone might scold him. They bowed at grandmaster Arilyne's appearance. I smiled on them.
" Grandmaster, at least put on your robe? . " I offered her the robe, a distinct slayer robe that distinguishes grandmasters from other slayers, red in dye with a dragon pattern around the collar, it was a luxury only Dragon Horn academy grandmasters were allowed to wear. And her pitch black sword stood on par with her strength and beauty, I was really curious what ore made that sword, it was a sleek beauty.
" Right, " she said and took it from me and elegantly put it on, with her shiny hair flying on the back. She was a sight to be behold, Blood Empress, one of the youngest grandmasters out there in the world. Her name Blood Empress has reputed to be of great influence, and being one of the four pillars of Pheonix kingdom, no one would dare challenge her. Only a few stood equal to her reputation.
" Lets go, " she declared.
At the academy entrance, we caught up with Cyril, he had a guild sponsored horse carriage enough to carry four of us. We mounted on the carriage and headed out for Reed Peak immediately. Cyril looked skeptical when he saw me and he was about to ask something to grandmaster Arilyne but then he stopped.
" So Cyril, Can you recount the incident from the beginning?" Arilyne asked. I was sitting beside her and Cyril facing us, the road was smooth, no bumps for now. Listening to the sounds of the wheels and winds, I enjoyed the moments.
" There was a famous rumor about some classified varae that looked like Nightcrawler that has escaped from Abyss strata to Decay strata going on in the guild and in pubs of the town, those local adventurers and slayers were mostly exaggerating it when they said it could be a Nightcrawler Lord, after all that's what they do most of the time when drinking. Then a few days later, some slayers reported that they were attacked out of the blue in Decay strata by some unknown varae that was humanoid in shape and they fled to dungeon strata, they were terribly injured. These incidents became more frequent and some have also lost their lives, becoming it more and more troublesome, Guild Master Orshen devised a team to investigate the rumor going on in the Demon Mouth Cave, and that was our team, Me, Master Mayher and Drao. We thought since there was a Master slayer, it would be fine even if it was a classified division varae but the thing we met was way above normal classified varae, as I said its the Nightcrawler Lord, it has horns, humanoid body with horns and it spoke human language too, it said, all humans die, something like that. I believed such a varae which has intelligence and strength of a classified division varae, It is impossible for a Master slayer to defeat it, Master Mayher and Drao stayed behind to buy us some time but the fact that they haven't returned means I believe they are already dead by now and if it has already gone out of the cave, we have to start tracking it as soon as possible or else who knows which towns and cities will fall prey to it. "
" Hmmm.. but Nightcrawlers are night varaes, they can't go outside in light, I believe. " said Arilyne rubbing her chin in contemplation.
"I thought so too but since anomaly division varae are known to acquire strange abilities, What if it acquired strange evolution perks that negate this species bound weakness, it won't even be surprising anymore since it can speak, " Cyril sighed in terror.
" That's a strong possibility, so has the Javeline operation initiated?, " She said.
" Yes, as soon I left, Master Orshen sent a notice to the main guild about the commencement of Javeline Operation, Most guild bound slayers will be summoned and assembled in Reed Peak in a few days, " Cyril replied.
" What if grandmasters aren't available? " she said.
" It's likely, many would be already out in missions and hunts so it's impossible to call them back instantly and waiting for them would also waste our time, time is an essence here. Fortunately, We have Old lady Tashrani in Reed Peak, she would definitely help and Master Orshen himself and you. " Cyril responded.
" Lady Tashrani? is she here? , " Arilyne was surprised.
Who is this Lady Tashrani, I thought.
" Yes, she came to visit her friends here. I believe she was also staying in guild quarters since she is a respectable guest. " Cyril said.
" Who is Lady Tashrani?, " I whispered to grandmaster Arilyne, trying not to be rude to our friend Cyril.
" She was one of the Divine Conquisators in her prime, Well if you don't who are Conquisators, they are the highest ranking grandmaster slayers of our continent, They are the most mightiest warriors of mankind and Lady Tashrani was the second Conquisator of her generation. '' Cyril replied instead and explained.
" Woooow, then I think she can handle the Nightcrawler Lord by herself?, " I said foolishly.
" Haha-, I want to think that so but unfortunately, Lady Tashrani is already above 80 years, it's even a miracle that she still can walk, her strength has diminished greatly due to old age, she has the experience and the skill which is unparalleled but right now she can't fight such a strong varae and its shameless of us to let such a respectable retired slayer to take care of our problem. After all she and her comrades have saved our mankind from many threats, she has done service which we will owe it forever. "
" I agree with you Cyril, let the old generation rest. We should take care of our own problems, What about the renowned Masters Slayers? even if we can't get hold of grandmasters, we should gather as many Masters as possible, " She said.
" Yes, we should and I think with the initiation of Javeline Operation, The Order of Echona will definitely respond, maybe they will send someone strong. It would be better if they send one of the anointed Paladins but I guess it's impossible since many seats are vacant now. Dragon horn is the only academy bound in the contract of Javeline operation but it would be nice if other slayer academies sent at least one of their people. " Cyril said. '' and speaking of renowed Masters, Serpentine Queen, Dual Fangs and White Claws, I wonder where they are right now but I believe Master Orshen must have surely contacted them, if they are nearby they will be forced to respond to the call, White Claws and Serpentine Queen could be nearby , maybe in Greenel Plains or in Stonewood forest, but I'm not sure about Dual Fangs, those two brothers are hardly seen around Reed Peak, Last time I saw them was maybe six months ago. "
" Hmmm... a day is the best we can wait for them, we should head out as soon as possible with whatever we have, " said Grandmaster Arilyne.
" True, " replied Cyril and they both stopped conversing, silence descended in the carriage like a curtain. It was awkward but I endured, Cyril looked at me and just like Headmaster Archanole, he was getting curious about my presence at last.
" By the way, Grandmaster Arilyne, isn't he a student of the academy?, " He asked.
" Yes, he sneaked into my chamber so I brought him along as a punishment, " She said emotionlessly.
" Grandmaster, I didn't sneak- " I was interrupted.
" Hahaha, It's okay I was just curious about his presence. You can learn alot meanwhile since you are going to be slayer one day, " He said with a laugh.
I smiled at him and said, " Thank you, ".
" So, Which year are you in? Have you ever gone out in the wild to hunt a varae?, " He asked.
" Ahh, yes a few times.. Red hounds and Drasentra, " I replied.
" So tell me how do you hunt a Drasentra?, What is the most essential thing you have to keep in mind when you are hunting a Drasentra?, " He said.
" I believe it's stealth and patience, since it can become almost invisible in nature, it's important to be cautious of the surroundings and attack where its lower neck where the hard scales aren't present. " I replied.
" Hooo, " Cyril became even more curious with my answer, " You are not wrong but didn' t they teach to lure it out using Quickflash spell?, "
Grandmaster led out a soft smile and I replied, " Yes Master Senx taught us that way but since I have no affinity for magic, I can't use any magic. So I rely on senses. "
Cyril eyes widened like he saw the ghost of his tormentor, " What?!! You don't have magic?, "
" Haha, yes. I tested a few times, the measurement stone didn't glow nor vibrate, " I answered.
" Oh my-, so it means you can't even use enhanced slayer weapons?, " Cyril was dumbfounded by my discovery.
" Unfortunately, no " I smiled humbly.
" Then, how come you are selected as a student of the Dragon Horn academy?, " He asked.
" Master Senx recommended me, " I replied.
" Haaaa..... In my entire life, I have never come across anyone without magic, I have seen people with very low magic affinity that it's even hard for them to use even a slayer enhanced weapon effectively but never anyone without magic, " he confessed.
" He is an oddball, he doesn't have any magic but he has something which we don't have, " Arilyne remarked.
Oddball?!, I repeated in my mind and looked at her asking why would you say that?, she smirked.
" You must really be talented then, you got accepted in the academy even without magic and I'm very curious how would you compensate for the lack of your magic?, " He said, now they have already forgotten about the Nightcrawler Lord, I, became their topic. I was like an object of interest.
" I have some skills, " I said.
" Very fascinating, " he replied with his eyes full of enthusiasm. " So where did you come from? "
" I come from B-12, " I answered.
" Hoo, B-12?, " He said and didn't comment anything further. He must knew the circumstance of B-12 residents.
" How do you like the Capital?, " he asked as if he was pitying me secretly.
" It's lively and the food are great here, " I replied.
" Right, " He said and smiled sympathetically.
Then the conversation slowly died away like embers, silence and the sounds of the wheels filled the air, we were still hours away from reaching Reed Peak. I looked out the window and felt the wind, it was calm but the wind was carrying a faint stench of ominous feeling, I could just feel in my gut and I didn't like the feeling. Something was about to happen sooner or later.