Divine Beast Ascension

“Really? What’s your specialty?” Bradok questioned.

“My specialty? My appetite! I’ll eat everything and anything, especially if it tastes good!”

Itching his bald spot, Bradok sighed and looked at the dragon lord as if Warak was a naive hatchling, “Ahhh... You’ve never had truly refined food.”

“I have had refined food!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll change that.”

The two of them bickered and bantered as they walked to the arena floor. Already, some gorillas were setting up tables and some fire stoves. It wasn’t too hard for them to anticipate such a feast would happen. And that was especially so with Bradok’s unannounced plan that was already in motion.

.....

While the subordinate kings and candidates relocated to the arena to chat or hang out, Treeda and Ania remained in the stands a little while longer.

“What’s he doing?” Treeda questioned, running through every possible motive she could imagine for Bradok’s sudden antics. “I thought he was more collected and wise than that?”

“Clearly, you don’t know my father,” Ania replied, rolling her eyes while looking down at her dad’s bellowing laughter.

Treeda groaned in discomfort, “... Uuugghh. He doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into! Warak isn’t the kind of person he should get involved with. Why would a perennial be making bets with a god?”

‘A great question. One I’m also curious about...’ The man’s voice lulled into their minds, catching the women off guard.

“What?! This isn’t your doing?” Ania blurted, searching for where to find the hidden figure.

‘Up here.’

Ania and Treeda rushed to the lord’s viewing platform and found the hooded man sitting where Kartzal once was. He was hunched over and leaning into his fists in thought. ‘Switch to telepathy, I’ll allow you to create the mental link this time.’

‘WHAT’S GOING ON?!’ Ania shouted, no longer needing to hide her emotions.

Shrugging, the man chuckled lightly, ‘To be honest, I’m not entirely sure...’

‘Then why are you letting-‘

‘First, Treeda, Ania, you must calm down. Or I’ll leave... Thank you.’ The man rubbed his covered face, also trying his best to deduce what was going through Bradok’s mind. ‘Ania, your father decided to make this bet on his own, without my interference. Normally, I would stop it. However, Warak isn’t the man I was expecting him to be... It seems I’ll need to reevaluate both him and his clan. And Bradok’s proposal of an alliance might allow me to do that.’

Reeling back in somewhat shock, Treeda questioned, ‘What? You knew plenty about me and my daughter. Why doesn’t someone of your-‘

‘Careful with your words, Treeda. It’s not just you and I right now. Don’t forget that mentioning any of my identities is strictly forbidden.’

‘... If you knew about me, why not about Warak? Considering our work together and the betrothal of our children, you must’ve looked into him,’ Treeda reasoned, sharing her and Ania’s startlement.

‘That’s true. But you must realize something obvious. Warak, as an elite prefecture lord, tends to visit Virulent City quite often. Being there so frequently makes it far harder for me to keep a close eye on him,” explained the man. ‘But now that Warak is here and away from him, this is a good time for me to see Warak’s true colors. Or, at least get a glimpse of them. I wouldn’t dare assume I understand a god from being the fly on the a for a single day.’

‘So, you intend to let my father fight?’

Nodding to Ania, the man replied, ‘Yes. He even asked me to stay out of it, because he wants to win the bet on his own.’

‘HUH?!’

‘Remember, Treeda, stay calm,’ chuckled the man, wagging his finger.

Ania’s mood suddenly shifted from angry and curious to anxious and depressed. ‘Sir. You do realize what he’s trying to do, right?’

‘Oh, I most certainly do.’

‘Then, you know that he won’t surrender that match until he wins or dies?’ Ania asked.

‘I know that. He confirmed that with me.’

‘Then why are you-‘

The man shook his head and stated, ‘Ania, what your father is wanting to do has more implications than you could ever guess. The reason Treeda is so flustered isn’t because Bradok might lose. Treeda is flustered because your father might win.’

‘Wh-what do you mean?’ Turning to the woman beside her, Ania asked, ‘Is that true?’

Inhaling slowly and deeply, Treeda tried to understand why the mysterious man was so calm. ‘... Ania, do you think it is so simple for the Razor-hide Clan to become allies with someone?’

‘No. I’ve no idea.’

‘When the quadrants were founded, the Razor-hide Clan was being led by a god, Warak’s great-great-grandfather. But, unknown to history, an incident happened that left the dragon crippled and on his death bed. That alone means the Razor-hide Clan was an elite prefecture since the beginning. And Warak is the second god to rise from his clan, making history thousands of years ago.

‘There are a few iron-clad rules we clans must follow, a few guidelines the Western God, God Toseko established since the founding of the quadrant. One such rule is the rule of equality. The quadrant only acknowledges alliances made between clan chiefs of equal realm.’

Ania’s face twisted in displeasure as she heard that. ‘You mean-”

‘Yes. The alliance that Bradok is asking for, and that Warak agreed to bet on, is illegal in the eyes of the quadrant,’ Treeda stated plainly. ‘That’s the reason I never formed an alliance with Warak, because my cultivation is too low. And that’s why Warak joke about it being easier to hide with an ally so weak...’

‘In other words,’ the man continued Treeda’s train of thought, ‘the worst-case scenario isn’t Bradok losing the bet or even dying. It’s winning and getting caught due to Warak’s... friendship with Kartzal.’

Dropping to her knees, Ania glanced back at the jovial, balding ape pushing Warak away from the grill. ‘... You mean, this would make the clan fugitives of the quadrant?’