Chapter 500: Long Held Tradition (1/2)

Chapter 500: Long Held Tradition

The feast continued for quite some time Conversation eventually turned away froe Politics was abandoned in favor of rousing tales of history and legend All up and down the long table, phoenixes laughed with leviathans and basilisks with dragons

But I was not able to release the tension I carried

We mustthe pressure on the aetheric real the aetheric entity called Fate Dicathen needs to be shi+elded fro the next civilization to fall at Kezess’s whim Epheotus has to be stabilized and prepared for the inevitable dissolution of the aetheric real in some kind of is said, again lying in front of the roaring fireplace, his senses turned toward the conversations happening around the table ‘Easy peasy’

Sylvie, who had been drawn into a conversation with Myre, shot lance from the corner of her eye ‘At least we knoe have to do, and e’re up against Mostly’

Mostly…

I let ’s Gambit active I couldn’t effectively concentrate on thosethat only the Godrune could sort out

A tap at my shoulder forcede He had the dark hair, red eyes, and horns of a basilisk, but unlike the Vritra, he also had an easy s to retire from the dinner and speak ht with nerves “We were hoping youyour tiht, he added, “Lady Sylvie, Lady Eleanor, Lord Chul, you would be welcois thought

By asuran standards, I was only a youthI’d been hoping to do And the casual coer lords and ladies would be a balm for my pressured mind Still, not sure of decoruave a very shallow nod, al off to sleep

I excusedbasilisk deeper into the fortress He see that he’d spent a fair bit of time with the phoenixes

“Riven, by the way,” he said, shakingson of Lord Rai Kothan”

“Surviving?” Ellie asked, fidgeting and looking around every corner nervously

“I had an elder brother and sister They both died fighting the Vritra clan,” he announced proudly

“A worthy cause to give their lives in service of,” Chul said sole roo and laughing over glasses of deep red or golden liquid Seated on plush couches or deep lounge seats in greens, golds, and yellows, the asuras all juerly as I entered behind Riven

I was surprised to see Zelyna already there She was speaking to Vireah, daughter of the dragon noble, Preah Unlike everyone else, ore fine clothes suited for a royal banquet, Zelyna was dressed in tight leathers thatfor battle Which, I supposed, in a way she probably was

There was a hter, introduced herself for the second time, and I also met two of her sisters Riven, it turned out, had two sisters as well Chul briefly became the center of everyone’s interest when Vireah commented on his eyes The phoenixes in particular were fascinated to hear everything about him, and I was forced to redirect the conversation Thankfully, they were just as eager to talk about theation was blessedly short, and no one seemed to notice the inconsistencies in our stories

Wearing her a so fairly relevant to your arrival, Arthur” I noticed that, while aer than she had before Instead of feeling dour in contrast to their excite “It isn’t every day so ons, phoenixes, and basilisks are able to coether”

“Zelyna of the Eccleiahs has just challenged us to a great clan hunt,” Naesia continued, biting her top lip Her cheeks were flushed, and sparks seemed to flash and flare behind her eyes

Chul’s eyes burned with internal light, and he gave reat hunt in the lands of ht offor any reaction to his near-slip When no one seemed to notice, I let out a relieved breath and said, “It would be, Chul, if only we could I’s will have to wait for a later tireat hunt”

“Oh, but you have to participate!” Riven said, clapping reat clans? This isn’t a chance that co sheepishly “Well, we’ve all desired to see what you can do A lesser a the asura—a new race! Surely you can understand”

Naesia s, low table and rested her hands behind her head “A chance to get out from under the beaks of these stuffy old lords and ladies for a few days, too”

Vireah plucked at a strand of her long, pink hair thoughtfully “You know, since Lady Myre is here, we may even be able to secure the promise of a boon from Lord Indrath to the winner It is a rare occasion, as Riven said”

There was a great deal of excited chattering and cheering at this, and Riven quickly fetched a handful of lasses for my companions and I

‘A boon?’ Sylvie said directly into ’

‘Maybe, but how big a favor could we really earn just by knocking around a few baby asura?’ Regis thought back from his place near s, but as one of the great lords ht trailed off as I considered the potential i that both of

Ellie, who had taken a seat in one corner, out of the way, smiled up at the basilisk as he handed her a drink, but as soon as he turned away, her face fell She stared down into the h, she brightened My question runed to some kind of barn outside He doesn’t trust all these new smells”

Shouts immediately interrupted her, and our attention was drawn to a sudden wrestling match that had broken out between two of the basilisks Vireah only just saved her drink as an end table was toppled to peals of laughter

“Coy and excite it over his head, he practically shouted, “We cannot turn down such a challenge!”

There was another round of cheers and applause at that

“Your ward is right, Arthur Tradition dictates that you, as the youngest clan, can’t decline a direct challenge,” Zelyna said, standing and brandishi+ng her glass like a sword “Clan Eccleiah de us To refuse would be to diht of victory

What are you up to, Zelyna? I wondered toeverything together, and I twisted the di as held within it “It seems I have no choice but to accept, then”

The roo asuras hurried to speak over one another as they began to explain the rules

Although the sun shone warh that my breath became visible with each exhale

I clih in the mountains, alreadya nearly vertical rock face for half the day The wind howled, tugging at ive out so it could dragof breath, the hunting party climbed in silence

It was one of the many rules of the hunt that the ascent was ht, at least “in mixed company,” as Riven had explained Had the phoenixes been challenging only each other, they would have prowled the skies in their transforons, leviathans, and basilisks—and archons, I reainst the mountain as their most distant ancestors would have

Riven, Naesia, and the others had wasted no tireat lords had been amused at the turn of events but had sanctified the hunt nonetheless

“A you are the future of your clans, races, and all of Epheotus,” Myre had said as she led the procession out of the city, Lords Avignis, Kothan, and Ecclieah with her Many other h this procession was alreeted our arrival

I understood why

An asuran hunt was not a casual sporting event Like the people of Epheotus, the beasts were starkly powerful When an adventurer delved into a dungeon within the Beast Glades, they knew they were risking their lives An asuran hunt was no different

The young asuran nobles marched solereat clans are represented here in friendshi+p and trust Always, though, the asura have fostered healthy coes that we have faced build strength and cooperation As Epheotus growstraditions of our people—both as th

“Put each other to the test, but most of all push yourselves In honor of your journey, the victorious clan may ask a boon of Lord Indrath and ht for the pride of winning such a challenge against such noble coered on er than all the others

Our ascent had begun a few miles outside of the city There, the phoenixes, surrounded by blazing cere We waited in silence as the song built, growing fierce and raucous The other tea with energy and light and a lust for glory

“May the greatest of these great clans strike the killing blow!” Myre had called out, her voice ringing across the

With a chorus of battle cries, the asuran hunters had flung themselves up the sheer cliff at incredible speed

Noe moved slower, a steady climb instead of a wild clamber

Ahead ofher hands and feet and then pushi+ng theherself firloith inner radiance, her mana more potent and responsive to her will than I’d seen before

Sylvie cli her where to place her hands and feet Chul brought up the rear behind e of concentration

Each clan required four hunters It had been an open question whether Regis was considered an individual in his own right or a ether had decided he was souardian beasts of the titans, a part of ainst the number from my clan

Instead, my sister was necessarily the fourthparty

“Are you sure?” she’d asked when I first told herout for eted in agitation “I just wish I could, you know, help you You’ve done so er, but I’ you have to protect”

“‘Winning’ , so focus on that You've earned a place here, and I want these asuras to see how unique your mana techniques are” My expression softened “And er in a way that I can't”

“You do realize you’re likely one of the strongestEllie’s arm

“Which still rimly She’d slapped herself on the cheeks and fixed herself with a deter to throw ht I’ll do e bead of condensed power in her hand for several longit into her ed almost out of her head only a moment later when the effects of the elixir hit her

It had been theTessia’s life frouardian, that had spurred racious, hurrying to procure an elixir that would do what I needed

In Dicathen, wealthy ularly used elixirs to speed the purification of their cores over a long period of time and practice This elixir would do little to speed up the clarification of her core, but it had filled her with a treive her a big power boost, at least until the entirety of the mana wasused up Combined with her ability to condense and store hout her body, it acted as a teap between her and the rest of the hunters