Master of Dominion-Chapter 58:Day 4

Drogon glared at the two remaining Tier 3 Iron Fighters he had left. He knew full well that he couldn’t afford to antagonize them because he hadn’t fully healed, nor would he be able to perform his Wraith Palm for a long while.

Even though they feared him, he wasn’t about to stir the flickering flames of betrayal already festering in their hearts.

Instead of his usual response to their treasonous words which would have been to end their lives on the spot he remained unnervingly still,

Knowing he couldn’t allow them to sense even a glimmer of his weakness, Drogon chose to ignore the treachery that had spilled from Kaelen’s mouth.

"How far north are we?" he asked, his hands clasped firmly behind his back as he stepped toward their bowing figures.

Azruk hesitated for a heartbeat before answering. "We are at the beginnings of the Borderlands, my Lord."

Drogon let out a low, guttural growl. "That means human territories are close by."

"Yes, Lord Drogon," Kaelen replied quickly, his forehead nearly touching the dirt.

Drogon squinted his only functional eye, his mind racing. ’Where could those wretches have gone? Without that delusional noble to guide them, they shouldn’t have had ties to any cities and most definitely not to humans. Where else could they be?

Even with the Withered Nights looming just around the corner, he couldn’t easily discard his burning hatred for the elven women. Yet, he would never have attained the status of a Master Acolyte if he weren’t a rational man. He knew he might be forced to postpone his hunt for the sisters until after the Withered Nights had passed ,well assuming, of course, that any of them survived the coming horror.

He reached into his magic pouch and drew out a heavy medallion. It was a dark, golden disc inscribed with the image of a foul creature possessing three arms on each side and a wicked, scorpion-like tail. He gazed at the icon for a moment before speaking.

"We will head further north toward the nearest settlements we can find, while we search for those witches along the way," he commanded, his grip tightening around the metal.

Kaelen hesitated, but the fear of the withered nights clearly outweighs his fear of the man for a brief second. "My... Lord... but the humans. They will never welcome us," he stammered. His words earned him sharp glares from the other three acolytes, but Drogon merely fixed him with a cold, calculating look, choosing to ignore the insolence for now.

"That is why I have this," Drogon replied, holding the medallion aloft. The sight of it caused the acolytes to gasp in collective surprise.

"You should all praise the foresight of our Young Patriarch, for he foresaw our circumstances. With this, we may be able to secure the assistance of our allies within human territories" he finished. His brow furrowed as he looked toward the horizon. "Of course, that assumes we end up at the doorstep of a city where their influence has taken root."

.....

Rael knelt beside the perimeter, meticulously etching a specific rune into the wooden fences using the thick, dark blood of the Colosape. He realized he could use the essence of the beast to strengthen more than just his weapons but also the fences, originally made of simple timber, were a prime candidate for reinforcement. And

It did proved to be a brilliant move. Usually before the runes were active, Rael could have shattered the wood with a single punch. But after designing the fences with the Uruz runes and activating them via incantation, they felt as unyielding as concrete. While he knew they likely wouldn’t hold up against a direct aether-powered assault or the terrors of the Withered Nights, they would at least offer a fighting chance.

He also didn’t stop at the fences, either; he ensured the same runic symbol was carved into every stake and sharp object they had used to set their traps.

After finally etching the last symbol, he leaned in close to the rune and began reciting a low, rhythmic incantation ,well gibberish to any casual observer. But the moment he finished, the blood-red rune flared with a sudden, violent glow before dimming into a permanent, dark stain.

Rael stood and tested the wood with a heavy knock, nodding at its newfound toughness. "Well, that’s all done," he muttered. But as he took a step back to admire the work, he grimaced. "Ehh... why does it look like a cultist shrine?"

And he wasn’t wrong. It did look like one for the entire perimeter was now covered in countless Uruz symbols, varying in size and glowing with a faint, residual heat. Written entirely in blood, the fences looked less like a defensive wall and more like a fetishistic altar a sight that would surely unsettle anyone who stumbled upon it.

His attention was finally drawn to a chorus of aggressive growling as a pack of Bullworgs, all securely bound up, were dragged into the compound by Ayobe and Iyvre, with Yasmin trailing lazily behind them.

"Lazy woman," Rael muttered under his breath before heading toward them to examine their catch.

The Bullworgs lived up to their name because they did look like bulldogs on a monstrous scale, standing four feet tall and seven feet long. Even the unranked ones were very muscular. His gaze shifted to the biggest which he was sure was the Alpha, for the beast stood twice the size of the others, towering over its pack. There were seven in total, and Rael found himself struggling to maintain a poker face.

The truth was, the sisters were far too successful at capturing beasts and way more better than he and Xaphxan. While Rael usually brought back mangled creatures on the verge of death, the sisters always managed to return with their prey intact, healthy, and subdued with suspicious ease. He knew it had everything to do with Yasmin’s specific skills, a fact she made abundantly clear by shooting him a look of pure, unadulterated smugness.

Tsk." Rael clicked his tongue, doing his absolute best to ignore Yasmin’s infuriatingly smug expression. He turned his back on her, focusing his attention on the other two instead

"So," he began, gesturing toward the pack of snarling Bullworgs, "I believe these should do, right?" He directed the question specifically to Ayobe , he had come to trust her expertise when it came to arrays for even though he understood the array much more he did need her opinion.

"Nope," Ayobe replied, her expression grim. "You see, while the beasts we’ve captured might provide enough energy to last the three nights of the Withered, that’s only if the array isn’t attacked at all. Continuous real assaults and we’ll run dry."

"And how many more can we even capture?" Yasmin retorted, gesturing to the woods. "It’s becoming obvious that even the beasts are hiding away. They can probably feel it coming too."

"Well, unless we could find a big one," Rael remarked offhandedly, his tone deceptively casual.

"You mean a Savage Beast? A Rank 2 beast?" Iyvre asked. Her sisters immediately snapped their heads toward Rael, who was leaning nonchalantly against the newly runed fence.

"I mean, it is worth the try, if you were to ask me," Rael added, a reckless glint in his eyes.

"I told you he’s suicidal!" Yasmin spat, turning to Ayobe, who merely shook her head in weary agreement. "Rael, do you even know what you’re saying? We can’t just charge head-first at a Rank 2 beast without any preparation or traps. and even if we were able to set those traps, we’d never be able to capture it alive. It’ll either be the beast dead, or us."

"I mean, that’s true, but..." Rael started, only to be cut off.

"It’s possible," Iyvre said. Her voice was calm, but the words sent shock through both Rael and Yasmin.

"Don’t tell me you’re actually agreeing with this lunatic!" Yasmin questioned, clearly surprised

Iyvre remained composed, her focus seemingly centered on a leaf she was fiddling with ,in her palm. "It is worth the try. Besides, the aether equivalent of a Rank 2 beast would be dozens of Rank 1 beast’s and those we simply cannot find quickly enough."

Yasmin grumbled, crossing her arms tightly. "Tsk. Even if I agree with both of you and his..." she pointed a finger at Rael, "...mad idea, where the hell are we going to find a Rank 2 beast that isn’t the leader of a pack? Or worse, part of a herd?"

"I might have an idea," a voice called out, drawing their attention to the compound gates as Xaphxan stepped forward, his expression a mix of lingering dread and newfound determination as he recalled his harrowing encounter with the Minotaur.

...

Authors note

It seems there might be some confusion when it comes to the rank of beast so I’ll specify the already mentioned ranks

Rank 1 is a feral beast

Rank 2 is a savage beast

And rank 3 is a core beast

I’ll try to be more transparent with the ranks henceforth also if there’s anything confusing,just highlight

Also thank you all for the power stones