Grimoires & Masters - Chapter 29. (Patreon)

The cry of an eagle spread in all directions as soon as they left the bounds of the city. 

Simca, carried by Siff, shot to the sky, gaining altitude quickly. 

Elena called out Maya, and together the three riders picked up the pace. The galloping horses moved fastly, leaving a gust of wind in their trail. The adventurers they passed by had several thoughts in their minds, some envious of the beautiful horses, some greedy for strength, and some sighed at the luxury of the others, but no one gave a chase, for they could not keep up with that pace.

Killing someone was not a criminal offense if you were a Master and an Adventurer, and as long as you did not do it in the bounds of the Cities and Towns. The common folk was a little better off, as Masters seldom targeted them. It was an unspoken rule in the code of Masters that they must not kill common people unless provoked. It was a stain on the pride of an Apex Predator that it displayed its might on something incapable of resisting, but nothing could ever stop someone who was hell bent on something.

The fastest way for a Master to gain strength and evolve his Grimoire was by killing the other Masters. The road was the survival of the fittest. Every creature in the world had to keep this law in their mind. 

Novices were not capable of absorbing the Spirit of the dead Grimoires, but as soon as a grey Grimoire evolved into a bronze Grimoire, the journey of a bloodbath was inevitable. 

Regardless of all that, there were still some laws that a person had to follow. Once a guild killed another guild, they entered the Red-List, meaning that a bounty could be placed on that guild by others as a Quest. A guild remained on the Red List for 27 days. 

For individual killing, as long as evidence could be provided against them, a bounty could be placed on the killer’s head. The person remained on the Red List for 27 days as well. 

Once an individual or a Guild entered the Red List and a Bounty was placed on their head, the new Bounty would stack up on the previous one. It was something that stopped things from getting out of control. Ironically, the person on the Red List received a pass for killing as much as they could for 27 days. The period could not be stacked or restarted if they killed someone while they were already on the List.

Every living creature, no matter what it was, had the right to fend for its life, no matter how evil the world considered it.  

Hours passed as their small group of four kept advancing toward their destination before trouble finally caught up with them. 

Elena signaled Simca to stay in the sky. The three of them stopped at a clearing, just outside the forest they were about to enter and waited for their pursuers.

The three of them got off their horses and called them back inside their Grimoires. 

In a matter of seconds, they were surrounded by a group of nine, all Warriors, their Grimoires floating by their sides as they descended off their mounts.

“Kids,” A man with a pale face under a masquerade called out to them in a raspy voice, “We wanted to ask if you are interested in selling that Akhel to us.”

“My Apologies, Mister,” Rumi spoke the lines Aoun had already instructed him about, “He is my Soul-Beast.” He then summoned Rulo out again, whom he had called in his Heart before. 

Seeing the Beast emerge from the Heart of the boy made the group frown. 

“If that was all,” Rumi politely smiled at them from under his mask. “we would like to take our leave now.”

“Stay!” Another man in a black cloak called him out. “We are the Brooker Brigade, a C-ranked Guild from the Blossom City. We want your Akhel for our Guild Leader. Name your price.” 

Rumi frowned when he heard that. 

“He is my Soul-Beast…”

“Kid,” The man with the pale skin smirked. “We saw you summon it from your Grimoire at Central Square.”

“Name a suitable Price,” The man in the black cloak smiled cruelly. 

“Sure,” Aoun smiled. “10 Million Kyrls.”

“Captain…” Rumi worriedly looked at him but received an assuring smile. 

“10 Million?” The man in black frowned. 

Akhel was a King Beast worth more than 10 Million. The price surprised all seven of them.

“You sure?” The pale man asked with a frown.

“If you have 10 Million on you, we can do the trade right away.” Aoun nodded. 

His words made them all smirk, and the man in black shook his head. 

“10 Million is too much.” He spoke shamelessly, and the smiles on the faces of his companions brightened. 

“So you don’t have 10 Million on you,” Aoun sighed dejectedly. “Such a hassle…” A light smile crept on his lips. “Chino..”

“Eeno?” The little monkey on his shoulder called out quizzically.

“Pick one.” 

“Eeno!” An excited voice called out, and the next moment, Aoun disappeared from his spot and appeared behind the person that was further away from the rest.

A ring of fire burst out of his target as his Soul-beast sensed the danger and retaliated, but the fire mystically vaporized before it could touch Aoun. The cold blade of his sword pierced cleanly through the heart of the man. 

The ray of light that was transforming in the form of a pouncing wolf, scattered away, marking the demise of the Soul-Beast with its Master’s death. And the dead man’s corpse hit the group with a thud.

Everything happened so fast that everyone including Rumi and Simca was shocked. When they heard the corpse hit the ground, Aoun was already behind another man, on the other end of the encirclement.

The Soul-Beast of the man was prepared for the ambush and emerged just in the right time to counter-attack, but a little monkey appeared on its back out of nowhere, and the next moment, the yellow Tiger touched the ground several meters away from its Master. It roared in agony, scattering in the light as its Master had been killed cold-bloodedly.

Another body fell on the ground, carving an inexplicable fear in the hearts of the remaining seven Warriors.

“We have fallen in a Trap!” 

“Runes and Elements are not working! We are inside a formation!”

Two called out in alarm as they huddled together with the other three, forming a tight circle, watching after each other’s back.

Elena signaled to Simca, and the angry eagle, together with its Master, dove right at the group of five warriors.

The warriors called out their Soul-Beasts, some lept in the air to attack the bird, but as soon as a tiger’s claws landed on it, it scattered into a shade. 

A gust of wind hit the Warrior, and then they watched in horror as two of their Soul-Beasts were caught in the angry talons of the bird, piercing through their bodies. Two Snow-Leopards turned to specks of light and returned inside the Hearts of their Masters.

Simca was confused when she realized that her Element of Wind was not working, and she shot up in the sky as another Eagle chased after her.

The bird on her tail was a Desolate-Indigo Mountain Eagle. It was not wise to engage in a battle with that Beast near its Master. 

“Come back!” The man in the black cloak saw through her intentions and stopped his Beast from chasing after her. “Saul…” He was about to call out to the man with the pale face, when he felt danger on his left and immediately ducked, saving himself from the path of the approaching Kunai that was covered in a Blue light. 

The moment he realized that it was the element of Light, he saw the rays of light explode from the Kunai. His heart tightened when he heard an explosion, and an agonizing pain assaulted his right arm, leaving a gruesome wound.

Bullets of Blue light shot at him, making him dodge without getting a chance to even breathe. He still had not realized who was attacking him, the bullets came at him from all directions, and it wasn’t long before some pierced right through him, leaving holes in his body. 

Rumi pulled out a Saber from his ring and attacked the man in black that was in a miserable state. A ray of bronze light escaped his heart, and behind him appeared the form of a majestic Taurus with sharp curved horns and triangular pair of eyes that were shining in an Orange light.

The Beast charged at the group of enemy Beasts, and a large transparent disc-like shield appeared that smashed onto its enemies as it crashed into them. It raised its golden front hooves into the air and smashed them hard on the ground, sending fissures all around, not taking into account allies or foes.

The man in black stumbled under the fissures, another bullet pierced his arm, and then he helplessly saw a cruel saber coming for his head. He mustered up all his courage to use his Element, but the shield of ice that he was forming vaporized. Darkness enveloped him, and the decapitated head hit the ground and rolled before the body fell right on it.

The Eagle in the air turned to specks if light, and sadly cried before it departed from existence.

Rumi left his Grimoire to absorb the Spirit of the dead Grimoire and went forward to engage with another enemy in a head to head battle. A Saber covered in an orange-colored flame clashed against a dagger covered in a layer of grey wind. Sizzling sounds spread every time the two weapons came into contact, but Rumi realized that he shouldn’t have gone head to head. 

His opponent was quicker, and the menacing dagger came onto him, leaving him helpless to defend it. A transparent shield clashed onto his opponent at the last moment, tossing him several meters up in the air before he heavily fell on the ground at an awkward angle.

“Good Job, Ronny!” Rumi praised his Soul-Beast and went after the enemy that was getting back up on his feet. 

A wolf growled and lept at him from his right, but a bullet of blue light intercepted it. The poor beast lifelessly dropped on the ground.

Waves of Wind Blades shot at him, but he intercepted them with his Fireballs, the two of them engaged once more, but his opponent could not concentrate fully on the battle. In a matter of a minute, his saber bathed in his opponent’s blood.

Rumi ran his determined gaze to look for another enemy, but what he witnessed made his heart tremble in an inexplicable dread. He watched in horror as Aoun cut Beast after Beast in a gruesome manner. There were parts of bodies of Beasts and men all over the place, and the last living enemy was on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, watching the slaughter unfold before him.

Simca dropped down from the sky right behind the man that was in a daze, and she mercilessly slit his throat with her dagger. She looked pensively at Aoun that had ended his battle but was still covered in a black flame. 

“Are you okay?” Aoun looked at Rumi and asked. 

There was a cut on Rumi’s shoulder, and his cloak had blood on it.

The little boy panicked, but nodded, and only took a sigh of relief when the menacing Aura surrounding Aoun vanished.

“All done…” Elena smiled as she threw the corpse of the man with the pale face. “I am surprised he thought he could outspeed me.” She giggled cheerfully. “Chino..” 

The little monkey happily listened to her command and gathered all spoils of the battle. And after everything was done, Simca and Rumi had absorbed the Spirits of the dead Grimoires, Aoun asked all of them to fall back. 

He crouched down and pressed both his hands on the ground. A sea of darkness sprouted from under his hands and expanded until it covered a radius of nearly 15 meters. And then, under his command, it devoured the corpses, the blood that had stained the ground and the grass, and every evidence of the deceased in its reach.

The process took well over five minutes and Aoun finally allowed the tiredness to shroud his senses. He had not used the Primordial Purgatory for longer than half a minute, but it still left him quite tired. 

“Shuvi…” He called out the little fox. “Handle the rest of it.” 

The little fox obediently got to work and devoured the remaining corpses of beasts and blood in its darkness. Shuvi took less than a minute to finish the task and happily flew over to him and nudged its little face and tails against his face.

“Elemental Beast?!” Rumi, who slumped on his ass, trembled uncontrollably as he stared at the little transparent fox.

“Mhm…” Aoun smiled at him. “Meet, Shuvi. She is my Soul Beast.”

The Taurus slowly approached them, and then under the astonished eyes of Rumi and Simca, it politely lowered its head in a bow to the little fox of Choas. 

“Aegitaurus,” He smiled in admiration for the magnificent King Beast.

The Taurus was all brown, the mane was of a darker shade than the rest of his body. It had a rounded black muzzle, on its head was a golden crystal crown in the form of a rosary, and there were golden curved horns on its head that were more than two feet long. The Muscular Beast stood nearly six-feet tall and had all the majesty of a King Beast.

Shuvi happily approached it and inspected it before nuzzling in its lush mane.

“Two King Beasts,” Aoun smiled at Rumi. “I am impressed.” 

Rumi rolled his eyes when he heard that, but still blushed at the compliment. 

“Good Job, everyone.” He smiled at Simca, Elena, Rumi, and the bird that was circling in the sky, looking out for anyone who approached them.

“Let’s get out of here,” Elena told them and called out Maya before getting on her.

Simca nodded to her, and Siffina came down to the ground to pick up her Master and flew high up in the sky with an excited cry.

Rumi summoned out Rulo and called back Ronny. 

Aoun gave Shuvi some love before calling her back in his Heart and summoned Ray to set out.

They traveled southeast inside the forest and came across a small clearing in the middle of it with a stream flowing by, where they decided to get some rest and prepare for their lunch.

Elena and Simca headed out in the surroundings to hunt for some Mortal Beasts and returned an hour later with some Orange grade rabbits.

Rumi and Aoun spent that time in sorting out the loot from the battle, and they were quite satisfied with their gains.

“Other than the weapons and shields, there are some Red and Orange Beast cores. And one of the contracted Beasts left a Green Desolate Beast core. There are a handful of Potions as well, and then this…” He pointed at the piles of coins. “2,000 Copper Coins, 5,000 Silver coins. 523 Gold Coins, and 99 Platinum Coins. In total, 1.715 Million Kyrls!” He excitedly laughed.

“The weapons and Shields are all Orange Grade, and so we would make some money by selling them as well.” Aoun smiled and added. “The Potions are all Elementary, but some are of Unicorn quality, and there are two Orange Healing potions with Phoenix quality.”

“Good.” Elena happily nodded and reached over to the piles of coins. She divided them into five portions, stored three, and left the other two. "These are for the two of you. 400k each.” She smiled at Simca and Rumi. 

Her words scared both of them who readily shook their heads. They did not want to take that much, but how could anyone refuse Elena? The princess convinced them to take their portions, and only after that did she lazily sit down and ordered Aoun to prepare lunch for her. 

There were still four hours left in the nightfall, when the four of them set out once more, toward the Red Canyon. They reached their destination just in time for the Sunset, and the entire Canyon was even redder under the light of the setting sun. 

“The Zamrakh River…” 

The River flowing throught he Canyon was the Northern Continent’s longest river. It originated from somewhere in the Land of Ever Storms in the Wild North, and it divided the continent in half as it passed through, the Kingdom of Dreams, Empire of Superia, Kingdom of Monglania, Braveheart Empire, the Empire of Cresselia, Celestia, the Draegor Empire, and into the unclaimed Eastern Aisles.

The reflecting shades of dusk on the flowing water made the scene even more mesmerizing for them, and the majesty of it all made the four of them feel inexplicably small and weak before the Mother Nature.

“We will rest here tonight, and will descend the Canyon at dawn,” Aoun informed them and got off Ray.

He decided against descending right away because he believed that their group had enough for the day. They were not ready for another battle, right after basking in the rays of the setting sun. It would have spoiled their mood if they met some trouble on the way down, and besides, the sky filled with stars looked more vast and divine from up here.

Aoun set up a normal camp and dropped right on the mattress after entering it. He lazily took off his clothes and changed into sleepwear before falling asleep in a matter of minutes. The little monkey was just as lazy as him, as she nestled in his embrace and yawned.

“Eeno…” She called out softly before closing the eye and falling asleep.

Elena stayed up for a couple of hours with Rumi and Simca, and she helped them reflect on their coordination and mistakes during the battle. 

“You should never leave your Grimoire to absorb the Spirit while you run off to fight more enemies,” She severely looked at Rumi, “Grimoires can be harmed, and it takes a lot of time for them to heal.”

Rumi apologetically lowered his head. In the heat of the moment, he had forgotten such a basic thing, and it could have proved a dreadful mistake. 

“I will ask him to help me learn swordsmanship.” He recalled how effortlessly Aoun wielded his Longsword in the battle. It had left a lasting impression on his mind. 

“Good idea,” Elena smiled at him. “We are both good at Swords, but he can teach them better. And Simca,” She turned to look at the girl that was lost in some thoughts. 

“I am useless in the air without my Element and even my Rune…” 

“I will teach you Archery,” Elena smiled at her. “We will start tomorrow.”

Simca nodded her head. 

“Don’t know if I can be good at it, but I will try my best.” She replied confidently.

“Don’t worry…” Elena got up and looked at the shining stars in the sky. “Ray, Maya, keep a look out for the night.” She smiled at the two horses that were sitting not far away, nestling against each other. 

They both nodded to her, and after bidding Simca and Rumi good night, she entered the tent and fell asleep by the side of Aoun.