Master Orshen as soon as Cyril left for Dragon Horn academy, he sent one of his messenger pigeons to the main guild located in Inner Sanctuary and activated a magic crystal signalling the commencement of Javelin Operation. There were two magic crystals, one in the sub guild in Reed Peak and the other one in the main guild, when one is activated, the other one will also activate glowing in velvet hue. This tactic was also used by other institutions and organisations for special and emergency communication between two places.
Master Orshen using his authority as the guild master sent out his messengers to various Masters and Grandmasters out there in range, he also requested Lady Tashrani to join the force as a backup who was staying at the guild quarters, Orshen also anticipated considerable help to arrive from the Capital however, he has to make sure he has enough backup here if it doesn't come.
" Doner, raise the security of the town, place more guards around the town and at the gate, inform the guards to be on high alert and to report if anything suspicious is spotted, " ordered Master Orshen to Doner.
" Yes sir, " answered Doner and left the room.
" What do you think Grandmaster Hensord?, " asked Master Orshen.
" Hmmm... we can't do anything unless a team is assembled, even if I alone went out to investigate the beast, if it's actually the Nightcrawler Lord, hohoho I might not make it alive , " a casual and relaxed old man, his voice resonated no amount of seriousness but folly and unbothered old man. Grandmaster Hensord, one of the legendary slayers of the previous generation, known as the Grim Doctor. He was most known for his unconventional skills of using poisons and biological weakness of the varaes to hunt them, he was also a very skilled doctor along with keen understanding for magic, he was a reputed slayer desired by many to have on their team. However, he has an attitude that doesn't work well with others, he does whatever he wants and wanders off on his own. He was already above 60 years old but he didn't retire like others, some say Grim Doctor is cursed by knowledge and he is forever in pursuit of knowledge of the world.
" How do we locate the Nightcrawler Lord if it has already escaped the tunnel?," said Master Orshen.
" Don't worry about that, a varae of such class leaves magical residue wherever they ago, you said it can speak right?, if it can speak means it has already possessed intelligence, for a varae to evolve consciousness and a humanlike brain means it has an enormous amount of magic, speaking in terms of our Magic capacity, it might even be more than a Zen affinity individual. " said Grandmaster Hensord.
" So is there a spell that can track its magical residue?, " asked Master Orshen.
" Well there is a very high level spell which can track magical aura even the faintest aura to its source however, there are only a few who actually managed to learn that spell and they are all Zen affinity. Even I can't learn that spell but I have an alternative for that hohohoho, " replied Grandmaster Hensord.
" And that is?, " said Master Orshen.
Grandmaster Hensord reached his hand inside his robe and took out a glass container, an insect was enclosed in the glass container.
" What is that? , " asked Master Orshen.
" It's a Xichiha, it's a very rare mutated insect found only at high altitudes. I happened to capture one of them when I went out in search of a herb at Mt Jehhu. '' replied Grandmaster Hensord looking at it with precious care.
" I never heard about it, So How will it help us track the beast?," said Orshen.
" Xichiha are naturally drawn to magical plants and flowers to feed on nectars. This particular insect species has acquired the ability to sense magical plants even from miles away, it will fly until it reaches the source. " replied Hensord smiling at the wonders of the insect. He was originally a Doctor before slayers, his interest did not fall in fame or power but in knowledge and wonders of nature.
" Hooo... that's really interesting but will it work with the Nightcrawler's residue? , " said Orshen, he was a bit skeptical but he also trusted Grandmaster Hensord.
" Hohohoho ancient varae hunters have used Xichiha to track down prey, it should work. Hohoho ," Hensord replied and he had no anxiety whatsoever.
" At Least we have something, I can't express how grateful I'm that you are here, grandmaster Hensord. " Orshen expressed appreciation.
" Hohoho, it's okay, I'm here cause I'm interested in this varae and an opportunity like this to witness such an unique creature doesn't come often. " replied Hensord.
" Thank you, we are still waiting for Cyril to come back from Dragon Horn academy, and some of my messengers have yet to report me. The main guild has already sent me a message that their reinforcement is on the way. " said Orshen.
" Hohoho, Dragon Horn academy? " asked grandmaster Hensord.
" Yes, is there something wrong?, " replied Orshen.
" Archanole and others won't come , hohoho " said grandmaster Hensord.
" Why do you think so?, " said Orshen.
" I know those old beards, they were my colleagues back in the day, hohoho " answered grandmaster Hensord.
" I see but they must have sent one of their grandmasters I believe, " said Orshen.
" I thin- " grandmaster Hensord was interrupted by a noise of door opening.
Lady Tashrani entered the guild meeting chamber, a very old woman with crouching shoulders, white hair and wrinkled skins but elegant manners, and despite the age, a fierceness still remained in her flesh, she was wearing a simple black robe and she carried no weapons. As she entered the room Master Orshen raised from his seat and greeted her respectfully.
" Lady Tashrani! Welcome, we were waiting for you, " said Master Orshen.
She nodded and her sight fell on Grim Doctor who was sitting in the corner and smiling as she looked at him.
" What is a man like you doing here?, " said Lady Tashrani.
" Hohoho, I didn't expect to see a ghost of the past either, " replied grandmaster Hensord.
" You know grandmaster Hensord? Lady Tashrani. " asked Orshen politely and helped her seated on a chair around the conference table.
" Yes, he was one of my juniors back then and also the most notorious one, " replied Lady Tashrani coldly.
" Hohoho, I'm honoured, " responded grandmaster Hensord.
" So What do we have here?, " asked Lady Tashrani.
" I'm still awaiting reports of some of my messengers, help from the main guild and Dragon Horn academy is on the way, they are expected to reach here anytime soon, " replied Master Orshen.
" Hmmm,, so you don't have that many grandmasters here?, " Lady Tashrani asked looking around.
" I fear not, one grandmaster is expected to arrive from Dragon Horn, one from the main guild, Order of Echona also promised to send reinforcement and some other Masters that I have summoned and we also have grandmaster Hensord, he will be participating the hunt, " said Guild Master Orshen.
" So I hear it's a Nightcrawler Lord?, " said Lady Tashrani.
" Yes, I believe it is, the descriptions matched the legends, " replied Orshen.
" When I was in my prime, I once fought against an ancient Nightrotter, it was very strong. In terms of strength, it is as strong as a classified division varae. If it's really a Nightcrawler lord, then I fear we might be lacking power here, unlike other varaes, Nightcrawler lord as legends says, it has intelligence and it acquires strength and abilities as it feeds. Now, you can wonder how many varaes it has already fed upon, this is a totally new varae we are about to engage, unknown of strength and weakness. " said Lady Tashrani.
" I understand Lady Tashrani, however I fear it has already escaped the cave and if it happens to come across any human settlements, it is going to be a disaster. We must set out and hunt it even if we are lacking force, if we wait any longer, who knows how far it would have gone. " answered Orshen.
Lady Tashrani just looked at him and turned away, " So, how do you plan to track it?, "
Master Orshen diverted his sight towards Grim Doctor, Lady Tashrani followed his direction.
Grandmaster Hensord lifted up the bottle container and showed it to her.
" Xichiha?, " remarked Lady Tashrani.
" Yes, Hohoho-, " replied Hensord.
" Where did you even get that?, " asked Tashrani.
Grim Doctor just laughed at it and didn't answer.
" Never mind, you are called Grim Doctor for a reason, " she sighed.
The room was filled with the voice of Orshen and Lady Tashrani conversing while grandmaster Hensord in the corner smiling occasionally at them. It was approaching late evening, Orshen was expecting all the reinforcement to arrive by now. Orshen recounted all the help he requested, Dragon Horn academy, Slayer main guild, Lady Tashrani, Grim Doctor, Order of Echona, Serpentine Queen, White Claws, Dual Fangs, Wolferian academy. If both the academies send one grandmaster each then Orshen expectation would have been met, after all luckily grandmaster Hensord has chosen to participate in the hunt and unexpectedly he has already contributed so much, Lady Tashrani will stay as a backup, she won't be a force in vanguard.
In a few minutes, the door to the conference chamber opened and the first arrival was Serpentine Queen, a woman around late twenties with blood red hair, pale complexion, alluring eyes, prideful expression, she came in and bowed at the presence of grandmasters.
" Greetings grandmasters and guild Master, " she said.
" Welcome, Feibe. We are glad to see you here, " replied Orshen and offered her to take one of the seats.
Without delay, in the next five minutes, the door opened again, this time two battle hardened looking brothers with dual swords strapped on their back, leather armor, one of them had a scar on his cheek. They also nodded at the grandmaster's presence, " Greetings, grandmasters ".
" Dual Fangs! I didn't expect you brothers to come, " commented Master Orshen joyfully.
" We were hunting in Stonewood, " said Hebbi, the older brother of Dual fangs, the one with the scar on his cheek.
" It's good to have you guys on board, " smiled Master Orshen. " Take a seat, "
They were surprised at the presence of Lady Tashrani, one of the legendary slayers however they were more surprised at the presence of Grim Doctor, he was not known to hang around people. He was a solo slayer, or even uneasy at his presence. Grim Doctor had an infamous reputation and they feared it but when they looked at him, he just smiled at them courteously.
White Claws came in next, a renowned young Master Slayer, at the age of 24 he had already climbed the rank of Master and that was just a year ago. Handsome and a gentle young man, a fighter-support slayer. Graduating from the Wolferian academy, he was sooner hailed as one of the youngest talent as soon as he entered the world of slayers.
" The famous White Claws!, " exclaimed guild master Orshen. " Welcome abroad, "
" I'm here to help in any way I can, Lady Tashrani and grandmaster Hensord, Greetings!, " He greeted politely and took his seat. He met his eyes with the others and smiled at them, Feibe smiled at him with lustful eyes.
The next arrival was a grandmaster from Wolferian academy, a new grandmaster, around late thirties and his name was Leeben Hestra, a newly recruited teacher in Wolferian academy. He was unknown, no reputation, no rumors or anything. Even Master Orshen failed to recognise him and he hesitated to welcome him.
" I'm Leeben Hestra, a grandmaster teacher from Wolferian academy. " he announced himself. He was a very calm looking man, unshaved beard, he didn't wear a grandmaster robe but instead a Wolferian academy robe. No sword, Just a beads bracelet he was playing in his right hand.
" Grandmaster Leeben, Pardon my manners, We are pleased to have you here, " said Orshen and bowed at him.
He lifted up his left hand indicating it was okay and took his seat. No one recognised him in the room apart from Grim Doctor.
" Hohoho- Leeben you brat! when did you even become a grandmaster?, " said grandmaster Hensord.
The masters and Orshen were surprised at his provocation, to speak so casually to another grandmaster, they were scared that it might develop tension between them.
" Grandmaster Hensord?, " He was excited, it seemed like he knew him. " Oh my god, I never expected to see you here. " He approached Hensord and sat beside him and they conversed about their old times. Leeben laughed and chatted with Hensord, no one would expect that Hensord was capable of such a friendly relationship, after all he wasn't as bad as the rumors sounds to be.
Following Leeben Hestra came a representative from Order of Echona, a young looking man with full plated silver armor and a broad sword on his waist, femine face, beautiful eyes with a radiant glow of azure, such a handsome man, all of them thought. Master Orshen recognised him, he was one of the most promising rising knights of Order of Echona, just twenty years old but his strength was compared to that of a Master Slayer.
" Knight Rhendy! I was expecting they would send a senior Knight but to think they sent one of their Lancers, such an honour to have you on board. " remarked guild master Orshen.
" Thank you, guild Master Orshen, likewise I'm honoured to be a part of this noble cause. " he bowed with his right fist attached on the left side of his chest.
Everyone was curious about him, they quickly stole glances at him, at the aura he emitted they knew this kid was not be messed with, from his face they knew he must not less than twenty years old and to achieved such level of strength at that age, they were quite envious of him. White Claws, despite his calm and gentle demeanour, he couldn't help but feel a sense of rivalry rise in him.
After thirty minutes or so, the reinforcement from the main guild arrived at Reed Peak, Grandmaster Jenny and the one that followed her inside the conference chamber amazed everyone. Grandmaster Jenny was a reputed slayer, a woman around forties with short black hair, well built muscle body for combat, fierceness still retained in her. She wore one of the grandmaster robes and a sword strapped on her waist. However, the one that followed her was feared and carried a stigma in the country.
" Welcome grandmaster Jenny and- " Orshen was interrupted.
" Don't mind me, " spoke the uninvited visitor, " I'm not here to cause trouble but rather to support your hunt, I heard you might be lacking manpower. Consider me an addition. '' a cold voice, no amount of courtesy but in her voice resonated confidence and absolute strength. She was a cold looking woman but of unparalleled beauty, raven black hair, a black robe with golden patterns of flowers and snakes around the edge of the robe and at the shoulder portion. Beautiful design, that displayed the wealth and the power of the organisation she belonged to. She had a sword with black scabbard and an insignia attached on her robe. Everyone knew her kind and feared her kind too. They are ruthless and overall very powerful, they are rumoured to be as strong as a grandmaster.
" If I may be as bold to ask what is a Royal Inquisitor doing here?, " asked Lady Tashrani.
She looked at her coldly and said, " Don't concern yourself with my presence, as I said I'm here to help, I just happened to be around the Slayer Guild on some of my errands when I heard my friend Jenny talking to guild master about lacking force, "
" Hmmm.. " Lady Tashrani didn't like her presence but she had no choice but to accept her as for now, they were still lacking in manpower and Royal Inquisitors are known to be one of the strongest individuals on the planet, they are even rumoured to be as strong as the strongest of slayers. Maybe an exaggeration, Royal Inquisitors are not slayers but they are capable of hunting varaes if the need arises.
Grandmaster Jenny and The Royal Inquisitor took their seats and waited for the last member to arrive.
" Do we have all the members or are we still expecting someone?, " asked Lady Tashrani.
" Yes, Cyril is yet to arrive from Dragon Horn academy, " replied Master Orshen.
And the next moment the door opened and Cyril came in with two others behind him.
" Master Orshen, Blood Empress is here, " he announced.
And before them stood the famous Blood Empress of Lezzlod Family, White claws, Dual fangs, Serpentine Queen all rose and bowed at her arrival, " Greetings grandmaster Arilyne, " they greeted her and bowed respectfully.
" Welcome Grandmaster Arilyne, " Orshen said politely.
Grandmaster Arilyne paid due respects to Lady Tashrani and the other grandmasters and took her seat. However everyone was very curious about the boy standing behind her.
" Since everyone is assembled, I'll run a debrief of this mission and - " Orshen was distracted by the boy standing there.
" Grandmaster Arilyne, The boy?, " He said dreadfully.
" Ahh- him, don't mind him, just continue, he is with me. " said Arilyne with a laugh.
Orshen coughed to restore the mood, " If you say so.. "
" Since everyone is here, As the guild master, with the authority bestowed upon me, I hereby sanctioned the initiation of Javeline Operation officially, " Orshen Declared in a loud voice.