Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 115: Meeting the Stone-horn priest

Because they had to wait for the half-moon, Visha was able to spend some time studying and preparing. She made sure to put all the things she needed in her space. Even things she didn’t think she would need were thrown in.

She couldn’t ask the system for a recipe. She had to take what she learned from the Hearth-Keepers book, along with her knowledge from her many uses of her Commune skill, to create an antidote that would help the people of the Stone-horn tribe.

It didn’t take long for the time to pass. As always, they made sure to set out early.

Before stepping into his role of aerial scout, Kaelen made his way to Visha.

"Priestess Visha," he murmured, "you should know that our Leader Uri is popular with the Stone-horn females. They appreciated the strength he had shown when we last went."

Before Visha could comprehend the statement, a wave of fury washed over the bond. Xeno’s jealousy made the air around them feel charged. Uri, who had been checking the spice jars, froze momentarily.

He turned, his eyes narrowing as they locked on Kaelen. There was no anger on his face, only a terrifying stillness.

Kaelen, noticing their expression, took a step back. He was intelligent and understood where he went wrong. He didn’t expect his closeness to Visha to cause such a response in the two men. He expected what he said to be taken as light-hearted banter.

After stepping back, he bowed to show his respect. "Apologies, Leader Uri, Leader Xeno."

Uri’s gaze stayed on Kaelen a moment longer, then he gave a nod.

Visha looked from Kaelen’s bowed head to Uri’s still form. There was a part of her that was flattered that her mates desired her so much. But a larger part of her was protective of their bond. She knew Kaelen meant no harm. But she would not soothe his feelings when her mates were already on edge.

She placed a hand on Xeno’s arm. "He’s just teasing. The one you should be giving the evil eye is Uri. Didn’t you hear? There are females who want our mate." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Xeno and Visha looked over to Uri, who was walking over.

As he stood in front of the two, his expression softened. "No matter how many females want me. I will not accept them."

Visha crossed her arms. "What about males?" A smirk appeared on her lips.

"No males either. You two are enough."

"Good," Xeno said, "because we don’t like to share."

After that episode, the journey to the Stone-horn tribe began.

Gorn greeted them in the square, a flat expanse of rock. "Leader Uri, we meet again."

Visha noticed the people hovering around. It was just as Uri said. Both males and females have horns. Seeing the females with horns was more surprising than seeing the males with horns. Kit once had the ears and tail of a tiger, not being able to completely shift.

The tiger tribe thought of such a thing as a cure, but she can clearly see that it is almost expected that whoever is born in the Stone-horn tribe will have horns.

"Leader Gorn, I am glad we have the chance to meet again." Gesturing to Xeno and Visha, he said, "This is Xeno, he is also a leader of our pack, no less than myself. And this is our Priestess, Visha."

"Leader Xeno, Priestess Visha, welcome to our home." Gorn’s reply was good-natured. Nothing like the man whom Uri had first been introduced to. "This is the priest of our Ston-horn people, Allo."

The trio looked at the man beside Gorn. Like the rest of the Stone-horns, he was of a stocky build. He was also wearing an apron like the rest. The difference was that he was holding a staff.

It looked more like a large polished bone. Except for the fact that it was black and shone when the light reflected on it. To someone who knew the kind of bones, it looked like a tibia.

The trio greeted the man. He was the oldest person Visha had seen since she came to this world. He had a long, white beard, braided. His eyes were a milky blue.

He nodded after receiving their greeting. "Gorn has told me you intend to help our Stone-horn people." He directed his statement at Visha. "If possible, I would like to be there when you start the treatment."

"I have no problem with this. But I am not sure if it will be the kind of treatment you expect." Visha smiled softly.

Visha met Allo’s gaze. The moment she met this priest, she knew he would have many opinions. She didn’t mind someone with opinions as long as he kept them to himself. She might not be as strong as him but she had a mouth that worked very well.

At least he didn’t give her the same feeling the priest from the Tiger tribe did. If he did, she would have refused on the spot.

With the lull in conversation, Gorn quickly stepped in. "Let’s go. I will take you to see the people. It makes no sense to waste time here. The sooner you can help us, the better."

He led them to a secluded dwelling carved in the mountainside. Inside was a young man, lying on a bed of fur. They had heard him before they saw him. A cough, a rattling cough that made his entire body shake. His skin was greyish, and his hands shook.

"This is my son, Korin," Gorn started. "It’s been a year since he has been ill. It was barely noticeable at first. But gradually he became like this. I asked him to stop going to the forge, but he refused. Until one day, he collapsed."

Visha took in the young man who was lying on the bed. She walked towards the bed without saying a word. She gently placed a hand on Korin’s forehead. She closed her eyes. She didn’t try to use Commune or any other skill she had. According to the system, she could only use what she had learned so far on her own.

She sensed the air in the surroundings. She opened her eyes, and she poked and prodded his body. She took note of his response to each touch. She used the knowledge she had gained from the Hearth-Keeper’s book and her own understanding of the world’s toxins.

When she was finished, she looked up at Gorn and smiled.

"I can help him," she said.