The Desolate Mountains (The Divine Elements Book 2) (16 page)

“Oh, by the way, to register as an entrant, you will have to pay two silver squares.”

The guard suddenly yelled out to Calron, just as he was about to turn around.

“You have got to be kidding me…”

Calron groaned.

“Registering as an entrant is free, so ignore that rascal, kid!”

An elderly woman’s voice abruptly burst out from behind the guard, as a small grey raccoon appeared and stomped on the guard’s foot.

“Tch, crazy old bat.”

Muttering a string of curses, the guard left the scene and walked off to the corner where the groups of beasts were still waiting to get to their seats.

“Thank you, madam!”

Calron greeted the old raccoon by bobbing his head.

“Bahaha! A madam… I think you are the first to ever call me that, little birdy!”

The elderly raccoon cackled, as she approached Calron and slapped him on his wings.

“Little… birdy?”

Calron quietly mumbled, as he glanced down at the three foot grey raccoon who was curiously touching his golden scales.

“Oy, birdy, why are your feathers made of metal? How the heck do you even fly? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bird like you…. Which clan are you from?”

As the elderly raccoon pestered him with questions, Calron frantically started thinking of ways to escape from her scrutiny.

“Ah, I should really go now, madam.”

Knowing that any excuse he could come up with at this moment would only draw more suspicion, Calron politely stated a simple farewell.

“Fine, fine, youngsters these days are so impatient to run. Shoo, shoo!”

The old raccoon grumbled, as she waved her paws at Calron.

Inwardly letting out a sigh, Calron gave a slight bow to the small raccoon and began rushing towards the registration booth before the grey raccoon changed her mind.

………………..

“So, he’s a beast of lightning…. interesting. Gahaha!”

The old raccoon cackled, while the passing-by beasts gave her strange glances.

However, in the very next second, faint traces of golden lightning burst around the elderly raccoon and she disappeared in a flash.

………….

“Hi, I would like to register as an entrant for the Arena.”

Calron stated to the large rat-type beast sitting in the booth.

Although the beige colored beast was sitting down, Calron estimated that the rat would be around five feet tall when standing upright.

“Ah, a new entrant! Welcome to the Arena, lad. Please place your forehead against this stone.”

The rat calmly replied by gesturing the black stone placed on the side of the booth’s counter.

Calron immediately touched the stone with his forehead, but he could not tell if anything happened, as there was simply no reaction. Just as he was about to ask if it was broken, the white rat muttered:

“Hmm, first rank of the Vajra stage… not bad!”

The large rat glanced at Calron while raising its eyebrow in surprise.

“Well, since you are in the Vajra stage, you will begin with the bronze badge. What is your name?”

The rat asked, as his skinny claws whizzed behind the counter.

“My name is Calron. Wait, what are the badges?”

Calron curiously inquired as he tried to sneak a peek at what the white rat was doing.

“You entered the Arena without knowing what it is?”

The beast conveyed in astonishment.

“Yeah, I was just curious, so decided to check it out.”

Calron muttered with embarrassment.

Now that he thought about it, his decision to enter the Arena was completely spontaneous and on the spur of the moment.

I guess I really did not want to be a pigeon carrier…

Calron thought in amusement, while he heard a faint snicker in the background.

“The Arena is not a plaything. You get to win an abundant amount of money, but it comes with a great risk. Once you enter the stage, you will have to fight until one of you gives up. Whether your opponent wants to kill you, or you killing him, will be completely up to you both.”

The white rat said while trying to gauge the reaction on Calron’s face.

Seeing no change in his expression, he continued.

“Sigh… there are a total of five badges in our city’s Arena. Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and finally Diamond. The Iron badges are mostly for the participants in the Spiritual stage, while the Bronze badge is for a mix of peak Spiritual stage experts and a few Vajra stage beasts. Silver badges are for the mid-ranked Vajra stage beasts. You don’t need to worry about the other badges as we haven’t seen a peak Vajra or a Saint stage battle in years.”

The white rat exhaled, as he handed Calron a small shield-shaped bronze metal.

Gingerly taking the small piece of metal from the rat’s claws using his beak, Calron fixed it between the scales on his chest.

“However, since you will begin with the Bronze badge, most of your opponents will be at the peak of the Spiritual stage, so you have nothing to worry about for your first battle. After you win twenty consecutive battles in your rank, you will be given the Silver badge.”

The white rat assured Calron, as he handed him out another object.

“This book has all the rules and information about the Arena, so after reading it, you can start your first battle tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you for all this help, but is there any chance that I can enter a battle right now?”

Calron inquired as he sent the book into his storage bracelet.

“Uhh… let me see what I can do…”

The white rat’s claws whizzed as a flash of various colors glowed behind the counter.

What is that?

Calron wondered, as he once again tried to peek at what was in the booth.

“Alright, I got you a battle with another entrant with a Bronze badge. Your fight should start in the next five minutes, so hurry up to the stage. Once they call your name, show your badge and you be good. Be careful, Calron.”

The white rat solemnly stated, and then immediately resumed his work.

“Oh, I forgot to ask something. How much do I get for winning a Bronze ranked battle?”

Calron eagerly asked, and even the quietly sitting Avi on his back leaned forward to hear the large rat’s words.

“For a Bronze ranked battle, you get a sum of hundred coppers, or a single silver square as the reward.”

The white rat absentmindedly responded while continuing with whatever task he was currently doing.

“woof, woof!”

Avi excitedly let a series of cheerful barks, as she lightly hopped on Calron’s back. The little pup did not know how much value those coins had, but judging from her companion’s mood, it seemed like it definitely was a good amount.

“Haha, we won’t have to worry about food for a while! Isn’t that great, Avi?”

Calron yelled in equal excitement, as he energetically charged to the entrance of the Arena’s stadium.

A bird’s cry and a pup’s cheers echoed in the Arena’s building, causing a faint smile to appear on the white rat’s face.

…………………….

—A Few Minutes after Calron had left—

“Huh? This is… impossible!”

The large rat abruptly exclaimed as his claws started to uncontrollably tremble.

Swiftly taking out a small crystal, the rat frantically yelled into it.

“Someone has tampered with the system! One of the Bronze entrants was replaced with a Silver badge holder! Cancel the next match immediately!”

“Karab, it’s orders from above. Leave it.”

A tranquil female voice sounded out from the crystal.

“If this is found out by the people, it will cause a havoc in the city! No one can bypass the system, unless it’s… “

The large rat’s eyes widened in shock as a sudden realization hit him.

“Yes, these orders are from the Beast King himself.”

The female’s voice stated, as the glow on the crystal faded away a second later.

“What in the heavens is going on here…”

Karab despondently muttered as he put the crystal away, and gazed into the direction that the two companions had disappeared to.

“Haha, Avi, look at the stadium!”

Calron exclaimed as he stood at the top entrance of the Arena and gazed down at the stadium.

“Awooo!”

Avi excitedly howled, as her head darted around to look at the countless beasts seated around her.

Compared to the small stadium of the Red Boar School, the one before Calron was many times larger and bustling with people.

The seats were structured in a semi-circle fashion with the massive stage at the center of the Arena. A fight seemed to be currently taking place, as two beasts ferociously fought against each other.

Two giant illusory bronze shields hovered in the sky on opposite sides of the stadium with each floating shield displaying the name of the contestant.

“Please make your way to the stadium. Your battle will begin shortly.”

A fox-type beast wearing an official garment quietly approached Calron from the side, and beckoned for him to follow.

“Oh right! Let’s go!”

Calron cheerfully replied as he treaded behind the fox.

Any idea on how many people are tracking us?

Calron asked his Teacher in a serious tone.

I’m not sure about the exact amount, but there are definitely over twenty beasts concentrating on your every move. Kid, this will be dangerous, especially since you have never fought in your beast form before.

Ezkael nervously stated within his student’s mind.

There is no running from this, Teacher. I need to know why these people are tracking me. I can’t have them following me back to the baby beasts when I return to the outer range.

Calron firmly responded, as his azure eyes glowed with a fierce determination.

I’ll try to help out during the fight if the Azure Lighting tries to emerge, but other than that, you are all on your own.

Ezkael conveyed as his presence slowly dispersed from within Calron’s mind.

“Haha, it’s been quite a while since I last engaged in a fight… ”

Calron silently chuckled as he gazed up at the sunny sky.

“Did you say something?”

The fox tilted its head and glanced at Calron from the corner of its eye.

“No, just admiring the clouds.”

Calron charmingly replied, as he continued to walk behind the irritated fox.

……………

“THE WINNER OF THE BATTLE IS… FAROG!”

A loud booming voice bellowed within the Arena, while Calron neared the stadium with the fox walking in front of him.

The stadium appeared to be even larger than Calron had initially thought, as each side of it measured at least thirty feet. This size was not surprising, as some of the beasts that Calron had seen in the city were simply enormous.

The victor of the match, Farog, was a giant black lion with protruding ivory spikes on its paws. Ferociously roaring into the sky, Farog prowled around the stadium as it circled the defeated aqua-blue lizard.

With a height of nearly six feet, the black lion was not much shorter than Calron.

Several beasts suddenly entered the stadium and carried the unconscious blue lizard away from the stage. Letting out a final roar, Farog descended down the stadium and walked towards the exit of the Arena.

A serious expression flickered across Calron’s face when he saw the numerous cuts and wounds spread across the lion’s body.

Meanwhile, the audience lazily clapped their hands in a half-hearted applause, along with a few occasional cheers from the seats.

Based on the audience’s response, Calron assumed that the previous battle was not the excitement that they had been waiting for, as even the fox in front of him appeared to be slightly embarrassed about this.

“This next battle is something special, my dear beasts, as it is the debut fight of a new entrant!”

The invisible announcer’s voice resounded in the Arena.

Hearing that it was the first fight of a new entrant, the crowd immediately hushed up. The first fight of a beast was usually exciting, as it often involved an intense battle of survival.

“Please welcome our new entrant….. CALRON!”

The audience erupted in a wild frenzy as they howled and roared with excitement.

Avi let out a small whimper as she covered her ears with her tiny paws.

“Avi, stay here and don’t wander around. I will come back after the battle is over.”

Calron softly muttered as he lowered his body to the ground for the little pup to dismount.

“woof?”

Avi asked in a small bark as she stood on the ground and gazed up at Calron.

“I will be fine… so just make sure to cheer for me!’

Calron jovially replied as he gave the little pup a quick wink.

“woof, woof!”

Avi barked with enthusiasm, joining the crowd behind her.

“Good girl.”

Calron whispered with a smile, as he outstretched his metallic wings and leapt off into the air.

Calron…

Ezkael’s voice abruptly sounded out within his mind.

Yes, Teacher?

Don’t get hurt, kid.

Ezkael’s said in a worried tone

Haha, I will definitely try not to.

Calron laughed as he landed onto the stadium, causing a torrent of gust to burst from his wings.

Standing on the empty stage, Calron patiently waited for his opponent to arrive.

Glancing back one final time to make sure Avi was alright, Calron pushed away any stray thoughts within his mind and mentally prepared himself for this battle.

He knew for a fact that this would not be a simple fight like the previous match on the Arena.

A hazy image began to appear in the sky above Calron’s position, gradually forming into the bronze shield with his name etched onto it.

The audience continued with their howling and screaming as they eagerly looked forward to the start of the battle.

Just then, a massive humanoid shadow fell across the stage as a towering figure stepped onto the stadium.

With dark green skin, reptilian eyes, and unnatural muscles bulging all over its body, the bizarre looking beast entered the platform.

Standing at a monstrous height of over eight feet tall, the green beast easily loomed over Calron’s figure.

The crowd abruptly turned silent the moment that they saw the green beast enter the stage.

“woof!….woof?”

Avi stopped cheering when she sensed that the crowd behind her had strangely turned quiet.

“It’s… the goblin variant… what is going on here… isn’t this supposed to be a debut battle… someone go and quickly tell that bird to get off the stage…”

As the audience silently whispered amongst themselves, Calron remained standing still as he solemnly gazed at the illusory image above the green beast.

It was a silver badge.

“Sigh… this complicates things a bit.”

Calron muttered as his claws dug into the floor of the stadium.

A goblin variant, and it’s a big one at that. This beast is at the fifth rank of the Vajra stage, kid. Are you still sure about this?

Ezkael whispered, as his soul energy spread within Calron and restrained the Azure Lightning.

No. But, I don’t want to ever run away from a fight.

Calron slowly stated, as the golden scales covering his body began to lightly vibrate.

This was going to be the first time he had ever used the full strength of his beast form.

“GRRAHHH!”

The monstrous beast slowly bent down its scarred head as it breathed onto Calron’s face, while its murky eyes viciously bored into him.

Suddenly, a raging torrent of golden lightning surged around Calron as his azure eyes flashed with a cold fury.

Raising his head to face the towering green beast, Calron let out a challenging roar that caused the very air around the stage to crackle with sparks of lightning.

*SCREEEEEEEE*