Mega Dragon: Harbinger of Death

THE CHALLENGE

Zhiyi cursed under her breath as they marched to wherever it was they were going. They had no idea where they were headed and even if they had asked, it might not have made much of a difference. They left the capital when they were around the ages of ten so a lot of things were quite vague. It was almost ten years since then as well. While some things remained the same, a lot of things had changed drastically. And even if they didn’t, their memories of things wouldn’t have been clear enough for them to navigate through the capital themselves. Except for places like the Renoff Manor and the Healers Nest. They were there most of the time. It was quite a shocker that no one recognized them. But most of the healers there looked new so maybe that was why. If the grand healer was there she would definitely have recognized her. And where did the Vice come from? They had never seen her in their entire life. What happened to all those who were next in line? What happened to the former Vice? Well, all those questions would be saved for later. They were on a quest to heal someone important. That was probably why they were so secretive about it.

She seemed very excited to meet them, however. It was nice to get a different reaction from somewhere there. She looked quite young to be a vice grand healer. Most vices were usually at least over the age of forty but this woman barely looked like she was thirty yet. In truth, she was twenty-eight years of age. Ridiculously young to be a vice but just as talented. The only problem was that she looked just as cheerful as Zhiyi. Oh, what a disease.

Everyone at the Healers Nest looked young as well. What happened to all the old people that used to fill the place? Did they get kicked out or something? It wasn’t something the king couldn’t do. He was quite an eccentric figure after all. Of course, she dared not say that out loud. Renoff or not, she could be hanged for that.

Unlike Aroha, Zhiyi had no idea what the problem was and she could tell that it was a bad time to ask, so she just played along. The last thing she wanted to do was look incompetent. Aroha gave her a nudge on the shoulder when she tried to ask her back at the Healers Nest. She wanted her to play along. Was she bluffing as well? Curse you, Aroha! Why do we have to go through so much when we’ve only just gotten here?

Aroha on the other hand was somewhat calm. She didn’t disclose what she perceived on the prince because she could read the mood. They were trying to be secretive. The prince didn’t need to come himself. If they were simply just trying to cover up an incident, he wouldn’t be there. So, it was more than that. Whoever was involved was very important and the prince was there to make sure that they didn’t mess things up. But wasn’t moving in that manner, in such a group; the prince, the vice grand healer, and the royal guards too attracting? If they were really trying to hide things, they should have been a little more covert. So what was it? Aroha couldn’t wrap her finger around it. And it bothered her.

“If you’re trying to make it a secret, shouldn’t you be more discreet? Walking together like this in plain sight is too much overshadowing of a bad omen, don’t you think?” Aroha asked.

“So you’re a daydreamer as well? What gave you the idea that we were trying to be discreet?” the prince teased in such a manner that reminded Aroha why she hated people in the first place.

“Well, I just guessed maybe? It looked that way,” she replied. Why did she volunteer to help? She really thought it was important. The idea of a secret mission excited her. Perhaps she got carried away.

“Well, you’re not wrong. But you’re not right either. It’s something of an open secret. We’re working on something, but they are starting to get out of control. So we need the healers to help. There was rancor so we had to subdue them,” the prince said.

“Chimeras?” Zhiyi asked. Aroha had absolutely no idea what that was. Because she didn’t mingle with others, she never got to hear such rumors. The only things that she heard were the things that Zhiyi told her.

“Yes, the smart, less angry one,” Ara teased. He was clearly taking a dig at Aroha. But she was foolproof against something like that. She heard things like that back at Juza daily. It was a routine. Normally, it would have made her hate Zhiyi. But it didn’t. Deep down, underneath that anger and disdain, Aroha had a beautiful heart. But not one she was ready to show to people.

People exploit weaknesses. That was an ideology that even Gero and Miya; her parents had no idea where she got it from. But she always had that mindset ever since she was little. And it made her toughen up.

“So, if you had no idea about the chimeras, what exactly did you sense that made you want to help?” Ara asked. He could tell from Aroha’s face that she didn’t know about the chimeras. She was poor at hiding her expressions. Well, she never tried. She had no reason to.

“Lycan venom,” Aroha replied sternly. “I can smell it on you. Seeing as you’re still walking, I’m guessing you’re not the one that was hurt,” Aroha said. She had a keen sense of smell alright. No one else picked it up. Not even Zhiyi.

“Oh, that’s interesting. Well, the Lycan was one of the few that didn’t listen to my command, as odd as that is. In my attempt to calm him down, he bit me. So now I need to heal him,” he replied.

Both Zhiyi and Aroha were shocked at what he said. Lycan venom was fatal and excruciatingly painful. If not treated quickly, it could become untreatable. Aroha only perceived it for a while when she got close to him. She simply assumed that he was in contact with someone that was poisoned. That was why it was faint. But she was wrong. Ara was poisoned but his body system subdued the poison. Ludicrous. Absolutely ridiculous. That shouldn’t even be possible. The only ones capable of self-healing are the pure-blood Renoffs. The prince was anything but that. The Croft family had strong blood connections with the original Beasts; the other divine creatures that ruled Maori alongside the Druids. That was why they were strong fighters and talented warriors. But if anything like a pure-blood Croft existed, it would be Ara. To be able to effortlessly resist Lycan poison was amazing.

Another question though was how they got their hands on a Lycan. Lycans were especially wary not to come out during the day and they occupied lands that were uninhabited by humans. There were a few around the borders of Croft kingdom. They had trouble with them when they moved to Juza at first, but they quickly struck a compromise that saw Juza village be situated where it was. They had initially settled a lot farther from that area before encountering the Lycans. They were also a dying race and one of the few early mythical creatures. Most of their kinds had long died out, but their species endured.

Lycans were also aggressive as well as physically strong. It was a lot easier to kill one than to capture it. They refused to stay down. But somehow, they caught one. Croft was a powerful kingdom after all. They started the Chimera project a year after the armistice was formed. The king’s advisor and left-hand man; Jerome Leroya was the one who brought up the idea. He was a sorcerer that was keen on reviving the dormant powers of the divine beings that slept within the current humans. There was a myth that that Maori would turn against itself and the only power that could stand against such was a being on the same level as those divine beings; the Druids and the Beasts.

Ara had a proud grin on his face when they asked how they captured it. “Why of course, it was I, the great Ara Croft,” he gloated. He did those hand gestures that Zhiyi loved to do so much whenever she decided to be extra. Aroha was starting to understand why she did it so much.

Zhiyi on the other hand was enchanted by his display. She had seen the girls who came way later than them from the capital make those movements. That was how she learned them. The gestures of prince Ara himself. It was so amazing to see the real deal. It was a lot better than she imagined. A lot better than what she attempted.

Aroha believed otherwise. “I’d say Zhiyi does it a lot better than you do,” Aroha said. While she only spoke the truth from her heart, part of her only wanted to antagonize Ara. Had she found someone she’d rather torment over Zhiyi? Well, Zhiyi was the one who mostly did the tormenting.

The vice grand healer was enjoying the show. It was a relief from all the stress that had piled up on her over the last couple of days. It was a relief to see people so carefree rather than the stuck-up environment she was stuck in mostly.

“Hey, aren’t you awfully too young to be a vice grand healer?” Aroha questioned.

“Well, maybe. But I’m good enough,” she said. The bluntness in her speech was enough to let Aroha understand that she wasn’t gloating nor was she bluffing. She was dead serious. She wasn’t a Renoff like them. Neither was the grand healer if she was still the same. Their parents were vice-grand healers at the time of their stay, but they were known to be the best ever. Even better than the grand healer herself. That fact made Renoffs a lot cockier even though a lot of them were in fact, poor healers. Not because they lacked the talent but because they lacked the required training and exposure. They rode on the coattails of being Renoffs and never took training seriously. And because of that, they were mostly average healers. That was the key reason why Gero and Miya were in support of the girls moving to the capital. If they were going to achieve their potential, they needed the training and the exposure as well. And the grand healer was an even better teacher than they were. They learned a whole lot from her.

Most of the Renoffs now focused on politics, however. They had a high standing in Croft kingdom and they would live a far more comfortable life that way. That was one of the reasons that Gero Renoff moved. He hated the idea of becoming an aristocrat. If he wasn’t in the field, he would rather just relax somewhere quiet and enjoy the bliss of nature. Miya too. Along with all the Renoffs that followed them. The king tried hard to convince them to stay but their mind was already made up and eventually, even he had to respect that.

“Well, I guess if you’re already a vice grand healer, I could be one too in no time,” Aroha gloated. Even though Zhiyi was rumored to be the more talented of the sisters, Aroha was extremely confident in her abilities.

“Oh, is this what I think it is? You’re looking down on me because I’m not a Renoff?” the vice grand healer; Vela teased. She was used to it. being looked down on because she was young and she wasn’t a Renoff. As if Renoffs were the only ones that could be talented healers.

“Of course not. I would look down on you regardless of whether you were a Renoff or not? It’s all the same for me?” Aroha goaded.

“Is that a challenge then? If so, I wholeheartedly accept it, Aroha Renoff.”