Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 86: The shimmering waters
Visha, lying in the corner of the cave, looked at the system interface flashing in front of her.
[Task: The broken link]
[Objective: Address the resentment of Kael and find a place for Heta within the pack.]
[Reward: 100 EXP, 50 CP, Kael’s trust]
She rubbed her temples. She didn’t expect the system to want her to do such a thing. They had left Heta because of the choice she made. Had she wanted to go with them, they wouldn’t have needed to do any of this. Now, the system wanted her to take Heta back into the pack.
She sighed. Tomorrow would be another day. Whether they decided to accept her offer or not, it was up to them.
The next morning, Visha and Kaelen woke up, had something to eat, and were about to leave the cave. They hadn’t seen Heta and Kael all morning. She thought they decided to leave or were waiting nearby to come back when she left.
As soon as she stepped out, Kael appeared.
Without preamble, he started speaking, "You left her. You said it was her choice, but to me, you left her. You knew she would be considered useless, but you didn’t convince her to leave with you. Why?"
"She wanted to stay. Why should I convince her to leave? It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision on her part. This was something we talked about. Everyone had a choice to make. Even her partner at the time and her child decided to stay with us. Why did she stay with the Tiger tribe? She might be the only one able ot answer."
Vished stared at the man standing in front of her. He seemed to want to make a decision on something, but was unsure of what to do.
"If you want to leave with us, the choice is yours. We don’t throw people away like the Tiger tribe does. We allow people to make their own choices. We will be back when the sun is high. You can decide what to do then."
With that, she walked away. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
As they walked towards the grotto, Visha remembered Kael’s face. She didn’t know where Heta was, and it was unlikely Kael would leave her by herself. If what she saw was any indication of the way he felt for Heta, she must be close by.
A feeling was gnawing at her. Something she couldn’t quite grasp. She looked around, trying to figure out whether there was anything wrong. She stopped and closed her eyes briefly. She listened to the birdsong, the rustle of leaves. She heard insects humming, but she couldn’t feel anything else.
She couldn’t use Land Resonance. It was tied to the caldera. And Commune didn’t give her a wide range, at the moment.
Turning to Kaelen, she asked him fly up and tell her what he saw from the air.
The golden eagle took off and circled the vicinity. Visha waited, still listening for anything out of the ordinary.
When Kaelen came back, he said, "The two people from yesterday are standing with two other men. They seem to be arguing."
"How close are they to our location?"Visha asked.
"They are outside the cave. They haven’t moved," he replied.
Visha took two small bottles from her space. "Rub this on your skin and clothes. It will get rid of your scent. Do it quickly."
The contents of the bottle felt sticky when touched, but after being rubbed on clothing or skin, it would become smooth. After it dries, you won’t be able to feel it until you wash it off. It was one of the plants Visha found when she was exploring. They had been in the caldera, and she never needed to use it.
Luckily, she brought some with her.
After quickly applying the contents, Visha had Kaelen shift, and they flew towards the grotto. It took them no more than a minute to arrive.
Not long after they left, two people came running. They sniffed the air, noting that the scent stopped where they stood.
The marsh was completely different in spring as compared to winter. The water wasn’t frozen, the trees felt alive, and the ground wasn’t frozen and cracked. Rather, it was lush and filled with green.
Visha walked towards the grotto. When she arrived at the place the grotto should be, she noticed a large patch of grass. It grew tall and strong. Her gaze locked onto the grass. She thought to herself that the entrance should be here.
She touched the grass and used Commune. It was an ordinary weed, but she discovered it grew to cover the entrance of the grotto.
Weird. Visha thought before signaling Kaelen to follow her. She also asked him to try not to disturb the grass too much. She didn’t want the grotto to be discovered, so she was grateful to the grass for growing where it did.
They passed through and went into the grotto. Behind them, the grass that had been disturbed swayed without wind.
The first thing Visha noticed when she stepped into the grotto was how much it changed. There was a vibrancy she hadn’t seen during the winter. The air smelled fresh. The interior was lit up by the sun shining inside.
What surprised her was the pool of water.
When they were here during the winter, it was ordinary water. There wasn’t anything special about it. But now, simply by looking at it, she could tell the difference.
The water shimmered like a bed of crystals. At the surface, a delicate veil of blue fog hovered, giving a mystical haze. Tiny glistening crystals rested gently on top, catching the light, adding an ethereal quality.
Her breath caught in her throat as she watched the scene.
"This is..." Kaelen spoke, his voice no more than a whisper as if he was afraid he would disturb the scene.
His eyes turned to Visha, seeing she was in the same state of awe.
"Is this not where you lived during the winter?" He couldn’t help asking.
"It is but..." Visha swallowed. "It didn’t look like this before."
Visha shifted abruptly.
The system notification screen popped up.
[WARNING: HIGH PRIORITY ANOMALY DETECTED]
[ANOMALY DESIGNATION: CONCENTRATED VITALITY SPRING]
[Description: A natural gathering of pure life energy, condensed into a stable liquid form. A strong catalyst for biological and spiritual growth. Currently inactive. You do not have the current energy signatures to use this life force.]
[SECURITY PROTOCOL]
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: Detection by external entities would result in constant wars throughout the continent. Probability of pack annihilation: 97.4%]
[This location must be protected at all costs]
[Task: The veiled Sanctuary]
[Objective: Perform a ritual to conceal the grotto from all who are not attuned to the Warm Pack.]
[The ritual of veiling requires:]
[1. The spring water]
[2. Whisperleaf]
[3. Binder-reed]
[Reward: 150 EXP, 75 CP]
[Accepting this task, you will learn THE RITUAL OF VEILING]
[Do you accept?]
[Yes/No]
This was the first time the system asked her whether she wanted to accept a task. Her heart felt heavy. She took a glimpse at Kaelen, who was now looking at her.
"Don’t tell anyone what you’re about to see. I will talk to the leaders about this. Just know that this must remain a secret until the leaders and I decide to tell the rest of the pack." Her voice was steady and firm. Her gaze locked on Kaelen for any sign of refusal and found none.
He simply nodded.
She silently selected yes.
