Divine Beast Ascension

But Bradok didn’t care. His mad grin was wider than ever as he opened a door and even held it open. “After you.”

Nodding, Warak walked in. Bradok followed and shut the door. At the same time, Bradok coughed up mouthfuls of blood, finally showing some sort of weakness.

“Don’t rush! You have injuries-”

“You don’t think I know that?!” laughed Bradok, wiping the blood from his lips. “Why else would I walk into this place, if there wasn’t a means to be healed.”

“He’s right.”

A silent formation activated all of a sudden, startling Warak absurdly. The dragon lord tensed up and shifted his hands into claws, leering all around the room in search of the spy.

.....

“Calm down, bro!” Bradok laughed some more, slapping Warak on the back. “He’s with me. And despite his meticulous plans, I’m glad he’s willing to be flexible for my sake.”

Suddenly, a cloaked man appeared. The man’s hood was stitched from shadows and didn’t let any of Warak’s many senses identify him. Before speaking, the man tossed a large bottle to Bradok. “Here. Remove all the spines and pour this all over your body. It’s more than enough for an early-king.”

Without hesitation, and before Warak could object, Bradok ripped the spines from his body. One by one. Two by two. Or Three by three. He wasn’t at all careful about the removal process. He just ripped them out as fast as he could. Then, Bradok shattered the huge bottle over his head and started lathering the liquid all over his body.

“Ahhh...” Bradok heaved a huge sigh of relief, amazing Warak further. “That hits the spot... It’s like a warm bath in a bottle!”

“Not exactly. It’s far more expensive than a simple bath,” chuckled the hooded man, letting shadows hang over his face to fully conceal his countenance and contort his voice. “In just a few minutes, he’ll be ready for the trip. Are you wanting one for your son as well?”

“... I’m sorry. But I only accept gifts from people I know.”

“But you do know him!” bellowed Bradok, slapping Warak’s back again. “You just don’t recognize him in his disguise.”

Nodding, the man replied, “You know me. And I knew your great-great-grandfather.”

“You...” Warak’s eyes flinched. His entire body shivered once over as he processed the meaning of that statement. “... I know you? And you’re old enough to know my great ancestor?”

“That’s correct.”

“... Well... You’re not Kartzal, and you’re an expert with shadows. Then you must be-”

“Eeole. It’s a pleasure to meet you once more, Warak. You’ve grown a lot since then,” chuckled the man and dropped the hood, not bothering to hide any longer. “And I’m glad you can think on your feet. That means this whole thing will be much easier to explain.”

Staring back and forth between the grey-skinned shadow of a man and the gorilla washing his pits, Warak’s mind was shattered. All of his expectations were dashed and thrown to the wind. “... Then, you’re the reason Bradok wants to meet Great-great-grandpa?”

“Wrong!” mocked Bradok.

“I’m the reason we’ll successfully call out to your great-great-grandpa,” Eeole corrected. “As you can now guess, Bradok’s promise for your clan’s wishes to come true has something to do with me, a fellow ally of the Iron-body Clan.”

“Y-YOU??!!” Warak’s legs turned to liquid rubber as he nearly collapsed. “W-WHAT DO YOU-”

“It’s true. I’m a long-time ally. Welcome to the club,” jested Eeole.

Stammering, Warak asked, “But how? And why meet with-”

“Breathe and steady your thoughts. Overthinking will only slow down your understanding and make things harder to explain.”

“... Right... You’re right...” Warak closed his eyes and started a calming breathing exercise.

At the same time, Bradok shook vigorously to remove the last of that liquid from his fur. But he was surprised to not lose even a single drop. Instead, Bradok was astonished to see it completely seep into his body, not leaving any hint of residue.

“Feeling better? You’re stable enough for the time being, but make sure to cultivate all day tomorrow to cement yourself as the newest king in Toxic-shadow, and one of the few ape kings of the world.”

Nodding to Eeole, Bradok was radiating with pride. He carefully and enthusiastically examined his body. It didn’t seem any different yet Bradok felt like an entirely new person, filled with newfound vigor and boundless energy.

Warak soon finished calming down, asking, “... So, you’re an ally of the gorillas? And he wants to meet my ancestor? Then... Bradok was adamant that someone had kidnapped his grandson, Dioro’s son, and that the boy was still alive. Don’t tell me-”

“Yup. That was also my doing. At least, me taking Oli away was part of my plan. It was that idiot Zrand who dared send kings to a faraway territory without permission. He was practically asking for me to kill his right-hand man, sending the poor king to assassinate a young adept, destined to unknowingly fail,” sighed Eeole. “But, regardless, we have a job to do. So let’s get to it.”

The door quickly opened and closed as a new figure entered, immediately bowing to Eeole. “Master, I-”

“I’ve already told you, Jarrit. There’s no need for formalities. You signed a one thousand year contract because I hope to extend your life far beyond that and become true partners. Understood?”

“Yes. I understand... Eeole.” Smiling, Jarrit chuckled and lifted his head, “So, it’s just us four, right?”

Staring at the human, Warak blinked. “You... I don’t know you. I’m Warak, Razor Prefecture Lord.”

“There’s no need, Lord Warak. I’m Jarrit, Eeole’s new... partner. From this point on, should you agree to side with us further, we’ll get to know each other better,” Jarrit replied.

“Then call me Warak. If Eeole isn’t shown formalities, then I have no right to receive them,” Warak chuckled, shaking the man’s hand. “You’re an early-king. No... almost a low-king?”

Bradok rubbed his eyes in surprise but Jarrit only nodded, asking, “Warak, would you mind sharing the location of your clan with me? Create a mental map and image in your mind and share that, please.”