The Saga of Eden

Chapter 2, part 6

Two weeks have passed since the day Eden and his friends managed to kill Narila. A few interesting events have indeed triggered, not exactly like how I expected, but close enough. Let’s go and take a look at them first, and then we’ll return to Eden. He will undoubtedly play a crucial part in how this crossway of history will continue.

Red Apples is a recently established tavern near the Royal Palace. The owner must be an extremely wealthy man to buy out the building and open business in the city center. Usually, very few establishments dare to open a business near the Palace since the buying price for lands around here is so expensive that their revenue may not make up for it. They may go bankrupt if they can’t make enough profits, so it’s a risky investment.  

However, the owner/bartender of Red Apples is one of such daredevils, and he might be able to pull this one off. He was able to import rare and expensive beverages from across the continent. Many noblemen live around this area, and they can frequently be found in Red Apples, trying out the exotic wines, ales, beers, food, all kinds, with absurdly high prices. Most importantly, its owner, the esteemed Mr. Fenri has an exciting secret that he certainly doesn’t want others to find out.

A few hours have passed since midnight, and Red Apples has already closed. However, one can still see people coming to the tavern every few minutes, whispering some foreign words at the door, and are allowed in. Inside, two normal-looking guys are sitting around, doing nothing. Once in a while, they would allow someone in, and that person would immediately go to the basement, not saying anything. 

After what seems to be another half an hour, there are now nineteen people in the large basement downstairs, including the owner. Their voices cannot be heard at all from the outside, the room has been enchanted. Only then, Fenri finally speaks.

“Everyone is here, right? Good, let’s get comfortable a little bit.” He speaks casually, and with that, all nineteen people inside the basement turn into werewolves. Or should I say, revert to their werewolf forms.

“I hope everyone has gotten accommodated around here. It cost me quite a bit, but I hope that pays off.” Fenri addresses the rest of his kind. His voice turns coarser after the transformation, but he still speaks perfect Godian language. 

“Not comfort living with humans, but thanks, boss.” One of the werewolves replies, with much less fluency than Fenri. Werewolves usually speak their native language, but Fenri and his predecessors have encouraged their followers to speak Godian language to better communicate with other species as a means to survive.

“Is that so? Well, do your best, I guess, and don’t draw attention. You all remember the important rules I told you for this mission, right?” Fenri asks. Some of the others nod, but the rest look hesitant, they remember a few, but their versions seem to differ quite a bit.

“That’s fine, that’s fine, don’t worry.” Fenri waves his hands reassuringly at them. For a werewolf, especially a Legendary, he seems… kinder than expected.

“Linzi, can you recite the rules for the rest of us?” He turns to the female werewolf next to him, probably his second-in-command, and asks. Male and female werewolves look very much alike, and their voices sound the same, too. 

To differentiate between male and female werewolves, one usually has to look at a certain body part. It’s not easy to spot and inappropriate to stare.

You guessed it right: their claws.

“Sure thing!” Linzi replies. “Do not draw suspicions. Do not commit crimes unless life-threatening. Do not be seen together. And make sure not to be followed on your way to gatherings... Did I get it all?”

“As expected of Linzi, good job.” Fenri nods while the others look at her with admiration. 

She’s a role model for them all, second to none (to their standard) in terms of intellect and linguistics. While her level is vastly inferior to Fenri, her ferocity and aggressiveness are what a werewolf leader should be in their eyes; some consider Fenri too… soft?

“Try to remember the rules, guys. Write it down if you must.” He continues. “While we’re here, remember this one important rule as well: if you’re ever caught, tell them that this is the gathering of Followers of the Two Gods. I did my research; this religious sect is frowned upon but not illegal here. Here are their texts, keep them just in case.” 

Fenri then takes out a bunch of texts from the chest behind him and hands them each a few pieces of paper about that insignificant sect. 

“We’ll never get caught, our disguises are perfect. We don’t need these.” Linzi says while she crumbles the pieces of paper and swallows them all. The other laughs at her actions. Some even do the same, while Fenri just frowns but doesn’t say anything.

“Do as you please, but be safe.” Fenri continues, disappointed. “Now, the topic you’ve all been waiting for: Why we’re here in Ella.” Only now do the other werewolves start paying their full attention to what he says.

“Emperor Apocalypse, praise be his name, has ordered us to infiltrate Ella for two goals. First, in less than a month from now, Lord Shar will unleash hordes of undead at the city. If everything goes right, Nakano and the other Talented combatants will be too occupied trying to get rid of them, and that’s when we will strike them from behind.” The other werewolves murmur in excitement at this part.

“Our job is to exploit the chaos and kill as many important figures as we can. Linzi, your job is to kill Yaklu, while mine is to kill the Empress herself. Some of the other important targets from the list: Simon, Atrax the Axe, Astraka, Harmani, Nara, Callista,...” Fenri takes out another note from his chest, starts reading around three dozen names from it, and hands out disturbingly accurate drawing portraits of these targets. 

“That’s about it, secrecy is the key here...” Fenri seems hesitant to continue, but he finally says. “The Emperor told you to kill them all, no matter what it takes, even your lives. But personally, I order you to kill only if you’re sure you can make it out alive. Are we clear?”

“Sure thing, boss.” Some of the other werewolves nod and reply, but the rest just stare at him, waiting for Fenri to announce the next goal. 

The leader just sighs and takes out another drawing, this time of various bones, and the paper itself looks centuries old. The bones look unfamiliar, unlike any of the hundreds of species I’ve seen in my life. Especially the head, it looks like it belongs to a lizardman, but the size doesn’t match. It’s gigantic, with a much longer mouth and sharp teeth. I can’t figure out its original structure, but this creature must be enormous.

“For our second mission, Emperor Apocalypse orders us to search for the bones that match this description. It must be ancient and likely to still be in Ella. At least most of them anyway. He promised great rewards beyond imagination for anyone who can find even one of such bones.” The rest seem intrigued at this second mission, entirely ignoring Fenri’s warnings of caution that follow.

“That’s all for today. We’ll have a gathering every two weeks to discuss our plans and progress. Any questions?”

Linzi has been waiting for him to finish to say finally. 

“I’m sure we all understand the Emperor’s instructions, so we’ll be off right away, get some sleep, and start the hunt first thing in the morning. Right guys?” She addresses the rest of the werewolves, and they cheer at her words. 

They don’t even wait for Fenri’s permission to leave. In a matter of seconds, the owner is the only one left in his basement. Fenri just shakes his head and starts cleaning up. It is clear that while this mighty werewolf is a Legendary and their leader, he has failed to earn the respect of his subordinates.

“Please be safe.” Fenri whispers.