Vale imagined an army of red-furred Blightfur, with their howls and massive jaws, and himself with infernal fire billowing around him at the head, leading them. ’It’ll make my conquest rather easier,’ he thought.
"I don’t know where they are. No one does. They vanished, saying they were looking for the Crimson Lord when he stopped answering prayers," Algar said.
Vale grunted. ’There goes my plan of leading a band of Blightfur warriors.’
But he had learned a lot today, more than he expected. Now he knew the inheritance he held was related to the figure he had seen. ’Maybe collecting the full inheritance will make me into a g...’
He shuddered and discontinued such thoughts. Instead, he asked, "This Crimson Lord, does he also have a Hellbound and a Duskmire as guardians?"
Algar’s eyes widened. "How do you know something like that? They are the other creatures under his command!" He swallowed. "Are you really his Blessed?"
Vale opened his mouth to deny it, but then thought better of it. ’In some way, I have his inheritance. Wouldn’t I be considered his Blessed?’
He cleared his throat. "The Crimson Lord’s Blessed are still out there, awaiting his return."
The way he said it neither denied nor confirmed it, but Algar looked as though he’d just seen his favorite food after starving. His figure trembled slightly. "I see." At the very least, he’d have something to report back, not just failure!
Jenna gritted her teeth. She couldn’t believe things had turned out like this. And what a joke, too, a Blessed? As if there were any gods in the first place! ’This Vale is out to make a fool of everything, but I can’t deny the power I felt... it makes me want to draw my sword and test him myself.’
"Very well. You can come to the Core in five days for your meeting with the Ten," Jenna said, loud enough for her voice to reach the whole garden. Then she turned and walked out, not bothering to wait for Algar.
The man struggled to his feet by himself, grimacing with pain, but his hand had stopped bleeding, the wounds wriggling. "This will take some agonizing days to grow back."
When Algar saw Vale’s surprised look, he laughed. "It’s part of what makes Blightfur difficult to beat. If it were a true Blightfur, the limbs would have regrown already."
Vale’s eyes shone when he heard that. ’They’ll make the perfect army! Maybe I can turn the Forsaken Tribes into my personal frontline army. They look as if they’ll be able to take and deal a lot of damage... wait... I’m not going to start thinking about all that now!’
He cleared his throat. "We had a deal. You can keep your life. Now get lost."
Algar didn’t wait to be told twice, stumbling away through the broken wall and then outside. Vale watched him leave with a satisfied expression. His plan to make a name for himself was going perfectly. ’I’ve added Team 16 to my list. I wonder how the Ten will react now. I’ve put them in a difficult position again!’
The others came closer now that the fight was over. Slya’s eyes were glittering. "Vale, you always amaze me with every fight. It’s like you’re growing with each battle! I almost jumped in there to fight with you!"
Tiber nodded, though there was a slight frown on his face. "I agree, but I’m also worried about their next plan."
"I won. Now they have to give me the meeting I want," Vale said as he put on the clothes Xan had brought him. "I’ve put them in a difficult position. Again."
Tiber cleared his throat and began to speak. "No doubt, but they won’t like this and might lash out. They probably had no intention of ever allowing you to form any teams, but they can’t just... kill someone who defeated a whole team. So they sent Team 16’s leader to take care of this without losing face.
"But now that you’ve defeated this one as well and your fame has spread, they’ll have to find a trap you can’t escape from. Something that won’t make them look bad but will be terribly bad for us."
Vale looked at Tiber, thought about his analysis, and shook his head. ’I wonder what type of position he truly held and why he had to steal. With that strategic mind of his, he should have been snatched up by some lord. But then again, not many lords prioritize an ordinary human.’
"Then what can we do to offset this? We have no way to know what they are planning, yet we must go to the meeting," Vale pointed out.
"There’s nothing we can do," Slya said flatly. When they all looked at her, she shrugged. "Why think so hard about something you can’t change? What we should focus on is how we will react—like sending an assassin to them."
Vale barked a small laugh, a smile on his lips. ’The difference between the two is like still water and stormy seas. No wonder they got along so well, but what she said isn’t bad when you look at it from a certain angle.’
"Then we will do just that. We will react aggressively to any moves made toward us. But only after the enemy makes a move. We won’t react to anything meant only to annoy us into a fight. Slya, you heard me right."
Vale smiled. "My plan is orderly, one step at a time. Go and pack. We will begin the journey to the Core today!"
☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆
"You think he’s a Blessed?" A voice rumbled out of a mirror smeared with blood. Algar stood in front of the darkened face of the mirror.
"Yes, Elder Manefor." Algar was in a study in one of his flag’s bases. His hand was wrapped in loose bandages that would not hamper the growth of new flesh. "He’s using the red fire of legend, and although that might be a trick, I definitely felt something that drew me to him. It was subtle, but it was there!"
There was silence, then Manefor spoke. "I will have to see this Vale myself. Then I will tell the Chief. Even the True Ones did not use the red fire."
"You have done well, Algar. After all, you still hold your life. Busy yourself with treatment for now before you bother about the Core."