The twilight of evening had settled over the Ulfgard Garrison.
This part of the city, away from civilian chaos, was enveloped in discipline.
Faint lights seeping from the windows of the military buildings lining the wide, vaguely illuminated the courtyards where the regular steps of patrols echoed.
As Captain Roric walked forward with heavy steps, a smirk played on the face of the small figure behind him.
As they advanced towards the heart of the garrison, every Guard patrol they encountered would pause upon seeing Roric, swiftly striking their right fist to the left side of their chest in a sharp salute.
"Captain!"
Each time, Roric responded with a short, curt nod and continued on his way.
Finally, they arrived in front of the main building, larger than the others, rising in the center of the garrison area.
Roric slowed his steps. He glanced briefly over his shoulder at Aurelion.
"Are you ready, lad?" he said. Then he added "Don't overdo it."
Aurelion's smile widened. "Don't worry, Captain, I know exactly what I'm going to do. They won't be able to cause me trouble again." He paused for a brief moment, his smile sharpening further. "At least... they'll cause trouble in the way I want them to."
Roric merely nodded. "We'll see," he murmured, then turned forward again.
Together, they passed through the corridors of the building and began to climb the stone stairs.
When they reached the upper floor, a massive door of dark wood. On either side of the door two Silver Guards stood.
The moment they saw Roric, they too saluted with the same military discipline.
Roric turned to the guards. "Have the clan leaders arrived?"
"They have all taken their places, Captain."
Roric nodded again and this time turned fully to Aurelion.
"Let's see what you gonna do."
And he pushed open the door before them.
Aurelion stepped inside right behind Roric. The room, in contrast to the military air outside, was surprisingly simple.
A large, oval wooden table stood in the center, surrounded by comfortable looking leather armchairs. From the wide window directly opposite the room, the snowy landscape of Ulfgard city, now illuminated with lights, was visible.
However, Aurelion's attention was not on the view, but on the figures seated around the table.
His golden eyes quickly scanned the room, etching every face, every posture into his mind. Roric had described them before, and now they were here in flesh and blood.
Viggo Silverfang sat with his usual calm demeanor, his blue eyes focused directly on Aurelion.
Morwenna, sat gracefully in her flawless white dress, her white eyes studying Aurelion with a faint, smile.
The others were new. A man with long, wavy blonde hair cascading down his shoulders and a sharp featured face, immediately stood out with a bluish tinged skin. His sharp bone protrusions, as if jutting out from his elbows and knees, this had to be Einar, the Leader of the Frost-Axe Clan.
Einar's blue eyes were locked on Aurelion, who had just entered the room, with a slight curiosity.
The massive figure seated right next to him resembled a bear. His height exceeded two meters, with thick and muscular arms, and his entire body was covered in almost like a white fur. His short but thick white hair further emphasized his wide and strong neck.
A smile, carrying a glint of intelligence behind its rough features, was on his face.
This was undoubtedly Urson, the Ursine Clan Leader.
Another impressive figure at the table was Valka, the leader of the Ice-Breakers. This woman, almost as tall as Urson, was muscular and well-built. Her dark brown skin was covered in matte, rock-like protrusions in some joint and elbow areas, as if her skin had turned to stone.
Her brown eyes didn't seem very interested in Aurelion's presence, who had just entered the room. Her gaze was mostly focused on the empty table in front of her.
Finally, there was Silas, the leader of the Giant-Bone Clan. Although he had a more normal appearance compared to the others, he also had his own peculiarity. He was about one ninety centimeters tall, and his messy black hair fell onto his forehead. However, his most striking feature was his disproportionately long arms and legs. This gave him an odd dangerous air.
Silas had only glanced briefly at Aurelion out of the corner of his eye, then seemed to have drifted back into his own thoughts.
Aurelion scanned all these faces in seconds, noting who showed direct interest in him and who remained more indifferent or distant.
Roric walked towards the table upon entering. "Clan leaders," he said, giving them all a general nod.
The leaders in the room also nodded in return.
Roric moved to the far end of the table, taking the seat with its back to the city view. Aurelion, without any hesitation, took the empty seat right next to the Captain.
He straightened his back, placing his hands on the table. That faint smirk was still on his face.
The game was about to begin.
Roric rested his elbows on the table, clasped his fingers in front of him.
"Today," he began, his gaze sweeping over each leader at the table, "I contacted the Great Guilds. As you know, monster hunting is one of the main livelihoods of this city and the North. The Guilds have informed us that they will comply with our hunting plan for those insect monsters in Shadow Canyon."
As soon as Roric's words ended, Valka broke silence. "How do you intend to form the hunting parties, Captain?"
Roric turned to Valka. "I've considered forming versatile hunting parties against these monsters, Clan Leader Valka. I've planned for each group to have one Wild Guard who knows the area like the back of his hand, two Guild members experienced in monster hunting, and two Clan members who will support the group with their own strength. The Wild Guards will give us an advantage in terrain mastery and tracking, the Guild members know the monsters' weak points and hunting tactics, and our Clan members will be the striking force of the group."
Valka, silently nodded in approval. Though there was still no expression on her face, it was clear the plan was logical. No obvious objection came from the other leaders at the table either.
This time, Silas spoke. He pushed back his messy black hair with his fingers and fixed his gaze on Roric. "How will the spoils be shared, Captain?"
"All profits obtained from the monsters hunted by the groups, after deducting expenses, will be divided into five and distributed equally among each member."
Silas's face soured slightly upon hearing this answer.
Just then, Urson's voice echoed in the room. "Don't be so greedy, Silas! The primary goal here is to defend the city and our borders, after all!" He let out a slight laugh with his last words.
Silas rolled his eyes at Urson's comment but didn't press further. "Whatever," he muttered. "I accept, Captain."
It was Einar's turn. "Well, Captain, Do we have other plans for these insects? They seem like they can emerge from that pit forever. Just hunting them won't be enough, something needs to be done."
Morwenna looked obviously bored during these conversations. Her pale eyes were locked on Aurelion.
Aurelion's relaxed demeanor had caught the attention of the White Frost Clan Leader. The smile on her face grew slightly, as if she had understood something about Aurelion.
Aurelion noticed Morwenna's gaze. For a moment, his eyes met the woman's pale ones.
However, Aurelion was not at all disturbed. In fact, he gave Morwenna a slightly challenging nod before turning his attention back to Captain Roric.
"The monsters' corpses are currently being examined by our alchemists and sages, Clan Leader Einar. They are trying to understand their weak points, their reproductive cycles, and how those hive minds work. I believe much more effective methods against these monsters will be discovered soon."
Urson was excited by this news. "Excellent, Captain! Let's prepare at once and enter those damned insects' dens, crush them all!"
Viggo Silverfang, spoke for the first time at this point. "If we rush, our people will suffer unnecessary casualties, Clan Leader Urson. We must be patient."
Urson grumbled at Viggo's cautious words. "If we don't act, our people will suffer casualties too! Have you forgotten Ashstone Village, Clan Leader Viggo! How many of our brave men did we lose in that trap!" The two leaders' gazes locked for a moment.
Just then, Morwenna's voice was heard.
"Aurelion."
All the other leaders and Roric stopped their conversations and turned to the White Frost Clan Leader and the young Elf she had indicated.
Morwenna continued, "You surprised me" she said.
When Aurelion heard these words, he thought Morwenna had noticed him performing lightning manipulation before coming here. But he showed no sign of unease outwardly, maintaining that relaxed expression on his face.
Morwenna continued "Perhaps you'll surprise us regarding this Shadow Canyon matter as well, and these men's confusion won't trouble us further."
Urson and Viggo, not fully understanding what Morwenna meant, looked at Aurelion. Einar and the other clan leaders also awaited what the young Elf would say.
Aurelion rested his elbows on the table, and opened his mouth. "These creatures, if they have hive minds, and, If these abilities of theirs are similar to those of ants we know... their communication can be disrupted with a strong scent source, their organization can be broken."
The leaders looked at the child. The first reaction came from Ursine Clan Leader Urson. He let out a booming laugh.
"Hahaha! Look what this whelp is saying! Do you want us to spray perfume on the insects, lad? We need more than that!"
However, Urson's comment was immediately cut off by Silas "No, That's quite logical."
Urson turned to Silas in surprise. Valka, also joined the conversation "We've used similar methods against scent sensitive creatures while hunting before. It's not entirely ineffective."
Einar, turned to Roric. "If we convey this to the alchemists, they might find something, Captain."
Viggo also joined the discussion. "But do we know if these creatures are so sensitive to scents? Do we have any definite information?"
Roric had listened calmly to all this exchange of ideas. "I've already conveyed this information to them, Clan Leaders, Alchemists and sages are examining the creatures' corpses. They will give us more definite news soon."
With Roric's answer, the topic seemed to be closed for a moment, but Einar turned to Aurelion again. There was a curious expression on his face. "Good plan, well done, lad."
Aurelion smiled faintly at Einar's praise. "Thank you, Clan Leader Einar. Thanks to all of you, I'm making much better plans now."
Einar's eyebrows furrowed slightly at this unexpected reply. The smile on Morwenna's face became more pronounced. Urson grumbled. "What do you mean, child?"
This was the moment Aurelion had been waiting for.
He calmly stood up from his seat. All eyes turned to him again. "Thanks to you," he said, his gaze sweeping first over Viggo, then Einar, Urson, and Morwenna. "Haven't we been playing a nice game together for a long time?"
He pointed to Clan Leader Viggo. "Clan Leader Viggo has been observing me since the first day, trying to improve his relationship with me by inviting me to his clan."
Viggo, though maintaining his composure at the child's words.
Silas and Valka were now watching with obvious interest.
Aurelion then turned to the other leaders. "And you too, to prevent me from getting too close to the Silverfang Clan, you hastily abducted my friends from the orphanage after I entered Captain Roric's protection."
He shook his head slightly, a contemptuous expression on his face. "It was a very foolish plan."
Einar's eyebrows furrowed deeply at this last sentence. "Are you aware of whom you're speaking to, lad?"
Aurelion's smile widened. "Of course, I'm aware, Clan Leader Einar,"
Then he continued as if nothing had happened. "After, adopting my friends, you then dare to sent me an invitation letter as if you were doing me a favor." He laughed, looking directly at Einar. "Your plan didn't work." He glanced around again. "Of course, I can't deny your efforts, you didn't know what kind of person I was."
The smile on his face vanished "But you probably understood, more or less, when I visited the Silverfang Clan right after this incident, that I wouldn't fall for your foolish plans."
"CHILD!" Einar's patience snapped. He slammed his hand hard on the table.
Just then, Morwenna's calm voice was heard. She smiled at Einar. "Clan Leader, let the child speak. What he has to say is becoming interesting."
Viggo also supported her. "Yes," he said with a slight smile. "I'm also curious about what he's trying to say." Urson also shot Einar a look, signaling him to calm down.
Valka was slightly surprised, while Silas was now clearly enjoying the situation. Roric was still calmly watching, not intervening.
Aurelion took a deep breath and continued. "Where was I? Oh yes, I remember. You tried to draw me to your side by adopting my friends, and of course, it didn't work. So I visited Clan Leader Viggo to point this out to you, and we had a little chat." He looked at Viggo.
"However, I felt that Clan Leader Viggo was also hiding something from me, so this time I made a plan against him." Viggo's curiosity grew even more. "This plan I made was something that would harm not only the Silverfang Clan but also this fragile alliance of yours." He turned to Morwenna. "On the pretext of caring a lot for Elara, I went to the White Frost Clan to visit her."
Morwenna interjected. "If you didn't care for my daughter and the other children, Captain Roric wouldn't have spoken to us about this, Aurelion."
Aurelion smiled. "We'll get to that too, Clan Leader, just wait." He returned to his general speech. "With this visit I made, I prevented the Silverfang Clan's plans which they made by hiding things from me, and I harmed this alliance of yours. Then I thought a little more. Just this much wasn't enough. I felt like something was missing."
As the smirk on his face spread even wider, he continued. "So, to teach you a lesson, Captain Roric and I gave you a warning about how you should treat these children."
"WATCH YOUR MOUTH, ELF WHELP!" This time it was Urson who jumped to his feet.
His white fur bristled, his eyes shining with anger. The air around him began to visibly tremble, a heavy pressure filling the room.
Aurelion was clearly affected by this pressure, but he maintained the smile on his face.
Viggo's eyebrows were furrowed. Morwenna's smile widened. Valka's interest had intensified, while Silas was now openly laughing.
Einar was looking at Aurelion with cold anger. "Where do you get this confidence, lad? You're playing with fire!"
Just as Urson's pressure was about to crush Aurelion, Roric didn't move from his seat, but an intense, dark silver aura suddenly emanating from him filled the room, instantly neutralizing Urson's pressure. Urson growled, looking at the Captain.
"Captain!" Einar roared. "This arrogant whelp deserves a lesson, don't interfere!"
Aurelion, maintaining his composure under Roric's protection, turned to Einar. "The only ones who can teach me a lesson," he said in a cold voice, "are Captain Roric and War Chieftain Varkas Silverfang."
At these words, everyone, including Urson and Einar, paused for a moment. The mention of the War Chieftain's name had somewhat eased the tension.
Aurelion continued. "Alright. So what will you do now? Will you continue with these foolish plans? When you're clearly afraid to even harm me, do you think these plans will work?" He paused. "Maybe... But it won't be easy."
"I understand you. I really do." His gaze swept over those at the table. "But these plans and counter plans... don't you think it's absurd? Wasting time on such empty and unnecessary things..." He seemed lost in deep thought. "I'd rather focus on my training than deal with such meaningless things."
Then his eyes locked onto the Clan Leaders again
"So... show me the most important thing in this life! This is the best way we can resolve this matter!"
"I CHALLENGE ALL OF YOU!"