Soulstream (Rise To Omniscience Book 10), page 39
“I can agree to that,” Morgan said. “I don’t think humans will stop hunting your kind either, and so long as no beasts from these areas attack humans who might wander in by accident, we can agree to keep it. For the time being, can we agree to keep the peace?”
“Until a fortnight after the Pinnacle King has been killed, no beast present shall attack a human,” Inksworth agreed.
“Until two weeks after the Pinnacle King has been killed, no human will attack a beast,” Morgan repeated. “We’ll need a way of marking your kind out so that there are no accidents or mistaken hostility. Maybe a mark on your bodies, or an article of clothing.”
“I don’t think we can trust this human.”
Everyone turned as the humanoid shark, named Teeth, interrupted Morgan.
“We do not need to trust him,” Inksworth said. “Only his motivations. Which, at the moment, are aligned with our own.”
“No,” Teeth said, stepping forward and taking on an aggressive stance. “This human is only looking for us to expose our backs to him. The moment we do, he will strike and kill us all! He has come here, wandering into the maw of his enemy. I say we take this opportunity to finish him for good.”
There was a moment of silence as the other beasts stared. Morgan, though, wasn’t too concerned. Still, he was being openly challenged, which meant that if he didn’t stand up for himself, he would lose respect in the eyes of the others.
“I came here in good faith, on the word of one of your kind that I would not be harmed. Are you really no more than the base animal that you once were? Does the word of a beast truly mean nothing at all?”
There was a collective growl from the group as a whole, but Morgan ignored them, keeping his gaze fixed squarely on the humanoid shark. Teeth was about seven feet tall and covered in rippling muscle. Its skin was a dark purple, highlighted in several areas to show its impressive physique.
“Those are fighting words, human,” Teeth growled, showing the multiple rows of gleaming, triangular teeth – which was likely the source of its name. “You dare question our honor?”
“No,” Morgan said. “Only yours. The others here agreed to join quite readily. Yes, we aren’t exactly friends, but we do have a common enemy. One that neither of us can defeat alone.”
“You call us weak to our faces and expect us to join you?” Teeth scoffed, flexing his talon-tipped fingers. “Well, I say that you are the weak one! You have no right to come in here and offer terms.”
“A challenge has been issued,” Inksworth said, his tone grave. “How do you answer this, Morgan?”
“I don’t follow your rules or customs, so honestly, I could just leave,” Morgan said. “But, if this weakling with a big mouth feels the need to test my strength, I am more than willing to oblige.”
The other beasts quickly moved, and Morgan suddenly found himself facing the shark in an empty space. The others had leaped to the tops of the roots and were looking down on them, clearly waiting for the battle to start.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Morgan asked.
Teeth let out a snarl, then his body began to shift and change. The creature grew to well over thirteen feet tall, muscles bulging and rippling. Dark green fur covered its lower body, sprouting from the skin, and a long, furred tail snaked out from its back. This creature obviously had the ability to suppress its true form, just as the Pinnacle Kings had been able.
This in and of itself was impressive, especially when Morgan considered that the others here were likely doing the same. Morgan didn’t change at all, simply standing with his arms crossed and waiting for the battle to start.
“This a fight for honor,” Inksworth called. “Which means that the winner will be the one still living at the end.”
There was no call to begin. As soon as the giraffe stopped talking, Teeth threw itself at him, the creature moving blurringly fast.
Morgan remained where he was as a black aura burst up all around him. It washed outward, hitting the shark before it had made it halfway to him. The beast staggered as the immense power and intimidation from his Perfect Aura Control hit him like a ton of bricks.
The shark growled, trying to push past its own fear and continue the attack. It was a Pinnacle beast, one of the Seven. He was one of the most powerful creatures on this continent. He would not be intimidated so easily.
“You’re strong,” Morgan said. “The fact that you’re still standing is a testament to that.”
The aura around him thickened, blasting into the shark like a physical force. With a scream, the beast was knocked clean off its feet, landing hard, body twitching and trembling.
“I warned you about starting a fight with me,” Morgan said, teleporting over in a blink and placing a booted foot on the beast’s chest.
His eyes blazed with power, his body radiating so much force that it was difficult for the shark to even breathe.
“You might be a Pinnacle Beast, but I am the King of Eternity. My power is eternal, far more so than yours. I could kill you right now. It would be so easy.”
Morgan exerted a bit more pressure with his boot, the combination of his crushing aura and the strength of his body easily shattering the creature’s defenses and allowing him to damage the beast directly, despite the fact that it was at the pinnacle of power. Its ribs began to creak under the weight of his boot, Morgan pushing just hard enough to cause pain but not actually break anything.
“But I don’t enjoy killing those who are weaker than me without the need to. I’m going to give you one last chance. Give up. Admit defeat and bow your head. Do that, and I will allow you to live.”
The shark stared up at him, eyes so wide and terrified that Morgan wondered if it even had the capacity to understand what he was saying. Then, slowly, the beast nodded. Morgan allowed his aura to blaze for another few moments before reining it back in. The oppressive feeling that had been covering the entire Zone vanished in an instant, leaving the shark free to move again.
Morgan removed his foot from the shaking beast’s chest then took a step back. He crossed his arms once more, then waited.
The shark – now that the pressure was gone – felt some of its confidence return, and along with that, its dislike of the human before it. Still, the creature’s body still remembered the pain and terror of what had just been done to it. The beast got to its knees and bowed its head. Morgan stared at the creature for a few long seconds, then turned his back.
“That’s good enough, I guess,” he said, looking up to the other beasts.
They would have felt the effects of his aura as well, and while terrifying, it wouldn’t have been nearly as bad for them as it had for Teeth. He had concentrated the aura directly on the shark. What the others had felt was merely the backwash of that power.
“Does this satisfy your code of combat?” Morgan asked, looking around to the other beasts. “Have I defended my honor?”
The others hesitated for a moment, but slowly, began to nod. It seemed that a display of power like that was universal. Whether he had to cow humans or beasts, the same could be accomplished with enough strength. Thankfully, he had plenty to spare.
Morgan sensed the movement from behind long before it happened. Despite what the attacking shark seemed to think, he wasn’t an idiot. He’d known that the instant he was free, the beast would regain its confidence, and the moment he presented an opening, it would attack. The others were too far away to interfere, and Morgan was wide open.
There was a collective shout as the beast attacked, the others clearly not liking the sneak attack. But they had little to worry about. The attack never even came close to landing. In a blink, Morgan was in front of the beast, standing inside its range.
His hand flashed out, slamming into the center of its head and bearing it to the ground with enough force to crack the bones beneath. The beast struggled and flailed, launching skills and strengthening its body to try and break free. But Morgan was more than twenty ranks above this creature and a Supermage to boot. Holding it down was as easy as subduing an unruly child.
“I gave you a chance,” Morgan said. “And you blew it.”
He released the shark’s head, only to plunge his hand through the beast’s chest. His fingers closed around the core, and with a spray of blood, Morgan ripped it free. The beast thrashed for several moments, still desperately trying to attack, before it went still, a pool of blood beginning to spread around its cooling corpse.
“Now,” Morgan said, turning to appraise the others. “Do we have anyone else who wishes to challenge me?”
The beasts took one look at the monster standing below. The one who stood calmly, holding the gore-covered core of one of the most powerful beasts in their entire group. As one, they all shook their heads, unanimously agreeing that no, they did not wish to challenge him.
“Good,” Morgan said, absorbing the core and letting it crumble to dust between his fingers. “Then let’s get down to business.”
63
Morgan waited as the beasts all came down from their perch. That shark had had a good deal of energy in its core. It was not even close to what he needed to get to the next rank, but it was a start. The new fear and respect in the eyes of the others was what he’d really been going for with that little display.
They’d obviously expected him to be strong when he’d come here, but just how strong he truly was was a complete mystery. Sure, they could guess, but guessing and actually knowing were two completely different things. With that display, where he so casually butchered one of their strongest, he knew he’d nipped any ideas of betrayal of double-crosses in the bud.
Now they could plan as true allies, without the need to worry that they would be stabbed in the back.
“Will you allow us to move the body of our once-ally before we proceed?” Inksworth asked as they climbed from their perch.
“Go ahead,” Morgan said. “I can wait a few minutes.”
He could have demanded they leave the body there, but showing respect for the dead didn’t actually cost him anything, and it would win him some points with the rest of the Seven.
Or the Six now, Morgan supposed.
He watched as they began dragging the body away, only for a light buzzing to come from his chest. He’d ignored the last couple of attempted communications, as he’d been busy, but seeing as he had a few moments, he decided to answer.
“What is it?” Morgan asked, depressing the small button on the communication amulet.
“Thank the gods I got through to you!” Katherine’s voice sounded in his mind.
Morgan thought that was an odd turn of phrase, thanking the gods for him, seeing as he’d already killed three of them and had been responsible for the death of another. Still, with the way she sounded, he figured that now was probably not the time to be cracking jokes.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, sensing her distress.
“We’re under attack,” Katherine said. “Everyone is, as far as I know. The monsters are flooding out of the dome, and we are woefully undermanned. The traps are slowing them down a bit but won’t keep them at bay forever. We’ve called for more troops, but I have no idea how long it’ll take for them to get here. Please tell me you can help!”
Morgan hesitated for a moment, his mind racing as he tried to think up a valid strategy or a way to quickly get help there. As far as any backup Katherine might call, he had no idea where they were or how scattered they might be, which meant that his best bet would be to get the beasts here to help.
“I might be able to do something, but it’ll take at least a few minutes for us to get there. Can you hold out for that long?”
“Do we have a choice?” Katherine shot back.
“Not really,” Morgan replied. “Just hang tight and we’ll be there as soon as we can.”
His mind then went to Grace and the others. If the beasts were swarming out, it would have to mean that their groups had to have come across these monsters.
“I know you’re in a bind, and it’s probably hard to think right now, but do you know what happened with Grace and the others?”
There was a short pause from the other side before Katherine’s voice came to him once more.
“Grace and the rest of Garrison Blue are fine. They’ve discovered the location of the source powering the dome. It’s located in Heraldia Minor. They and the team from the South Kingdom are headed there now. Additionally, the Pinnacle King was found to be in the capital, so it won’t be guarding the source itself. This was reported by the few survivors of the East and West teams, who’ve decided to head back and report that information, along with that of the approaching hordes.”
Although not ideal, Morgan had to admit that they’d likely made the right choice. Still, despite the fact that they now knew where the source was, there were two teams less. Though perhaps he could do something about that.
“Is there anything else?” Katherine asked, her voice sounding a bit out of breath. “Because it’s hard to concentrate on talking and giving orders at the same time.”
“No, you can go,” Morgan said. “Oh, and one last thing,” he added.
“What?” Katherine asked.
“Don’t panic and attack us when we show up.”
There was a moment of silence from the other end as Katherine processed what he said.
“Why would I-?”
“No time to explain,” Morgan said as the six beasts returned. “Hold on. We’ll be there soon.”
He released the button, effectively ending the communication. It sounded like they were in serious trouble, which meant it would be up to him to get these beasts organized as quickly as possible and come to Katherine’s aid. To do that, he’d need to hammer out the details of their alliance with these beasts quickly.
“I just received a communication from the North Kingdom near the dome,” Morgan said as the beasts approached. “The Pinnacle King’s minions are pouring out in droves. Apparently, they’re attacking all of the borders at once. They are undermanned, which means we’re going to need your help.”
“As allies, we will be more than happy to join in the battle,” Inksworth said, baring his teeth. “But how will we all reach the dome in time so that we may be of assistance?”
“You let me worry about that,” Morgan said. “What I want to know is how many able-bodied fighters you can spare at this time. Remember, they also need to be able to resist the call of the Pinnacle King. Additionally, I want you to separate two teams of five beasts, who are powerful, fast, and good at moving around unseen. Ideally, there should be one in each who can communicate in our language.”
Inksworth turned to the others, several of the beasts throwing out similar numbers of those who could fight.
“I would have to agree,” Inksworth said. “We have maybe fifteen thousand at our disposal. But they are all strong, able-bodied, and have powerful wills. They will not be swayed by promises from the Pinnacle King, no matter how tempting they may be.”
While the number might have sounded small, Morgan knew what a terror beasts could be on the battlefield. A single rank 30 beast was equivalent to at least five humans of the same rank. That was because they were specifically designed to hunt humans, who tended to fight in groups. Thus, their constitution and overall power tended to be higher.
They also fought more ferociously, so dropping a pack of some three thousand beasts into the middle of Katherine’s battle should hopefully sway it in their favor.
“What about the beasts for the other job I have in mind?” Morgan asked.
“Well, that would depend on the mission,” Inksworth said.
“There are two teams of humans heading for the human city of Heraldia Minor in the Central Kingdom as we speak,” Morgan said. “They have located the power source of the dome in that area. But I have a feeling that they won’t be able to destroy it on their own. We had four teams and expected at least two to reach the area. But now, the chances of that happening are slim at best.
“The source will likely be under heavy guard, though the Pinnacle King itself will not be present. At least, according to the information I have.”
“Your request for fast, stealthy, and strong beasts makes sense now,” Inksworth said. “Thank you for the explanation. We will pick the right beasts for the job. That cursed dome will fall and the Pinnacle King shall be vanquished.
“Great,” Morgan said. “Are your beasts ready to fight right now?”
“We are always ready to fight,” Inksworth said, standing tall – which for him, was quite tall, seeing as he was a giraffe and all.
“Excellent,” Morgan said. “Then I need you to make this announcement. Get the beasts below to separate into four groups of roughly three thousand each. I know there will be those who are left over, but that’s fine. Having reserves is never a bad thing. This way, we can see who needs the backup the most. Make sure that the two teams we’re sending in are in the ground going to the North Kingdom. How quickly can you arrange all of that?”
The beast thought for a moment, then replied.
“Perhaps a quarter of an hour, maybe a bit longer,” he replied.
Morgan nodded, gesturing to the beast to get moving. He only had to hope that the others would be able to hold out long enough for them to arrive.
Watching the beasts slowly gathering was an almost-agonizing process. Still, it helped that there was something that he needed to do in the meantime. After estimating the area in which the beasts would be standing, Morgan reached deep into the earth and began splitting it apart underground.
He created artificial fault lines, so that they would break easily once pressure was applied. Then, he began packing the earth in tighter, until it solidified into hard stone that wouldn’t fall apart beneath the combined weight of all the beasts.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, he saw Inksworth give him the signal that everyone was ready. He quickly drifted down from the sky, landing before the beast so he could be told which groups were going where.
“One of us are going with each of these groups,” Inksworth said. “All except Banana and Sparkles. They will each be leading one of the two teams heading into the dome.”
