17 Chapter 17 - Blood Oath Part 1

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Tamer Zao Han Fan (POV)

Day 6 A.F.P

A Transport Drone lands in the Airport of Seward at noon. The image of the flag of China covers half the surface of the vehicle. The rear cargo door opens, and several P.L.A Special forces rush out to secure the perimeter.

Zao Han Fan stands before them, wearing a classic Peal Lapel black suit and ten marines behind him. The U.S marines return to their Gen30 Humvees and leave when Zao gives a hand signal that everything is fine.

Once the Special forces made sure there were no visible threats in the area, they confirmed Zao's identity through his monster app I.D on his phone. Then, he is escorted inside the Transport Drone and led toward a luxurious seat at the front of the flight deck that automatically fastens harnesses around Zao's body when he sits on it.

The soldiers return inside the craft behind him and strap themselves up before their leader issues a voice command to the Autopilot to take them to the 'Agattu Island' in the 'Near Island' Chain located south of the Bering sea.

Unlike Soma's Junkjet, this Transport Drone is state of the art. It vertically lifted off the ground and steadily climbed into the air without generating any vibrations or sound before activating its thrusters.

Zao felt the G-Force slowly increase, but it eventually became bearable in a minute. Fortunately, the Chinese Transport Drone was designed to prioritize comfort and speed.

Zao was almost tempted to ask the soldiers to spare him a similar model Drone for personal use to avoid using the Junkjet again. But then he remembered that he could already fly on his own, even if that method was more taxing on his body when flying long distances and at high speed.

Unlike Dale, he did not need mana to fuel his thrusters. Still, precise body muscle control was required to steer the thrusters while his hands held the conical black lances. Zao envied Dale's ability to create mini jet engines and leave his hands free while flying.

However, Zao was glad to fight up close and personal with his enemies while Dale hid in the clouds and bombed targets below like a dive bomber in WWII.

The overwhelming amount of giant fireballs Dale could summon caused him to be stupefied in the Resurrection Bay battle. But Zao wondered why Dale refused to repeat that feat during mock battles at night after that day. He assumed it could be exhausting his mana by summoning those fireballs. There had to be some cost. Otherwise, that monster skill is broken.

Dale's overweight figure had slimmed down a bit in just a few days already since they both met at the Tamer Union H.Q almost a week ago.

Zao had let go of his Chinese societal manners and traditions during that time. He was finally able to talk freely and form bonds with people that weren't blinded by his lineage or status. He achieved respect from them for his own skills and behavior. There was no need to pretend to be something he wasn't.

Zao had some time to reflect in peace since he had nothing to do until the transport drone reached Agattu Island.

Zao let his mind wander to the day the Council decided to accept the U.G.P proposal.

Initially, the Council wanted to refuse the proposal when they heard it. But, the offer of uniting the five former rivals into one cohesive army that could share resources to go on the offensive was what humanity needed right now.

The other nations and new military alliances played a defensive game while ignoring the refugees' plight due to scarce resources. As a result, no international coalition was formed to help the countries hit by the pink pillars and the monsters.

If the Tamer Council refused to join the U.G.P, that would be the same as turning traitors on their homelands. Traitors deserved death! That scared many Tamers, who felt trapped between saying yes or no. The only reason Tamers were willing to come over to Seward and join the Council was because of seeing a video of him fighting the Ice-Bugs over Rockville. There was no loyalty or oath of allegiance sworn by these people to the Council.

No matter how many Tamers with powerful abilities arrive in Seward, all that waits for them is an old abandoned Bunker and several hundred civilians. Most of the Tamers already there hadn't hatched their eggs or evolved their monsters to the second form, so they weren't ready to participate in combat. Some are not even willing to join in the battle, even if they have a combat-ready monster.

One day they might decide they should be in charge or kick the Council out of the Seward base through force of numbers. Tamer vs. Tamer or Tamer vs. Normie is inevitable as the Monster App clearly states that the only way to level up their skills is by fighting Humans or Monsters. How long before a group of Tamers decide that fighting monsters is risky and fighting humans or weaker Tamers is easy.

Tamer Banditry will spread worldwide in a month if an organized army of battle-hardened Tamers is not created to counter or deter Tamers from following the evil path.

Zao had no delusions that the Council on their own could control the activities of all the Tamers rising up in the Apocalypse. On the contrary, many would try to imitate the Tamer Union and form their own private army of Tamers.

By combining forces with the remnant troops of their nations, the Tamer council can benefit from multinational support, guidance, and training. This would also incentivize tamers to join an organized force than set up their own militias.

The pacific fleet Admiral Arthur Radford held the keys to unlock the heavy-duty storage vaults for combat jets, ships, cannons, and guns, adding to the Tamer council's willingness to submit.

Zao and Sergei had noticed no discipline among the Tamers who were combat-ready. Getting access to powerful abilities seemed to make some think that the Tamer Council rules of engagement and training regime limit their freedom to abuse their new powers. But those types of Tamers were on their best behavior in front of the newly arrived veteran soldiers regardless of whether the soldiers themselves were Tamers or not.

Some people respected the military to the point they venerated them, while others treated them as low I.Q. Bullies carrying lethal weapons.

Either way, both types knew what would happen if those men suspected you as a trouble maker.

The Council may have once represented the leaders of powerful nations, but people were starting to realize those leaders were gone, and so were the governments that supported them. How long could the council demand respect from hundreds of civilian Tamers without using force to subjugate those who broke the rules?

They would turn into a group run by the dictatorship of the strong and be the very thing they feared the military rule would be.

After considering all these scenarios, the council members decided it was best to support the U.G.P while the military was friendly. Saving their asses in Ressurection Bay had done wonders to change the military's view of employing Tamers in battle.

According to the Admiral, his men were forced to tolerate working with Tamers before arriving in Ressurection bay. But now, they treated Tamers as comrades in arms, and some were even willing to get Tattoos of a Black Phoenix, Pink Unicorn, White Cobra, Blue Axolotl, or a Gold Bee on their bodies.

According to the Navy men, any Tamer that proved themself in a battle to save their brothers in arms were no longer civilians playing at war in their eyes.

With this kind of attitude towards Tamers, it was not hard to convince the Council's followers to accept the proposal by the Admiral and his counterparts in the U.G.P. Not all of them joined willingly, of course.

Zao sensed at least thirty Tamers hated the idea of serving the military of a fallen power.

They considered themselves more than capable enough to fight independently and openly discussed plans to find a new place to hide out before taking revenge on the monsters in the cities.

"We are here, honorable Zao Han Fan! Please enter that villa, and have a seat."

Zao's thoughts were interrupted as the leader of the C.C.P special forces made the announcement. The landing was so smooth that Zao failed to realize they had already landed on Agattu Island.

He thanked his security escort before walking off the transport drone and heading into the villa that looked like it belonged to a famous Hollywood movie star.

The rooms were luxurious spacious, and fresh snacks were laid on the table in the living room. An elderly woman in her late sixties is seated on a sofa in front of the indoor firepit.

"Zao, my Dear Nephew! Thank you for coming to meet me."

Zao. "It is good to see you alive and well, Aunty Fei Hong! I was worried no one in our family survived."

Zao greeted as he took a seat on the sofa opposite to her.

Fei Hong. "I chose to visit our ancestral village in the southern farmlands when the pillars fell on our cities."

Zao. "Are there any others who survived?"

Fei Hong. "I am afraid those reptile monsters around pillars of light have made it impossible for us to investigate the hidden bunkers of Beijing."

Zao. "Is it really impossible? I had no problem destroying the Ice-Bugs here in the Americas. Maybe I can go there and check."

Fei Hong. "Almost everyone in China has seen the video of your heroic fight, Zao. You looked splendid in that Golden Armor and Black Lance Swords. But those monsters you fought against were sadly just the insignificant portion of the monster forces that appeared out of the pillars. You must grow stronger and evolve to the next form before we can attempt another probe into Beijing with your followers."

Zao. "My followers? Are you referring to my aides and guards, Aunty Fei Hong?"

Fei Hong. "No, dear Zao. Your true followers are the ones who have followed your example and become Tamers to fight alongside you in future battles. If you die, then they too will die, or they will be executed on-site."

Zao. "They took the Blood-Oath? How many of them are there?"

Fei Hong. "There are ten who declared eternal loyalty to you, but only one is worthy of your attention right now. So turn around and meet Jia Li Wang."

Zao turned his head and saw a beautiful Chinese woman from West Asia with blond hair and dark grey eyes. She bowed deeply first before taking a knee and holding out a golden blade.

Jia. "I swear on my life that I will serve and protect the future Chairman Zao Han Fan with my life. If I fail to do so, I pledge to end mine to continue serving him in heaven."

Zao was speechless. He took the knife but did not cut his hand to draw blood.

Zao. "Chairman? What is she talking about? Grandfather, Uncle, and father are not confirmed dead!"

Fei Hong. "You are the only one who can fill up the position of Chairman in our family. Their fates are unknown, but I know in my heart they would want you to inherit the position of leadership. Our citizens are also in support of this promotion since you are the legitimate son of heaven."

Zao. "But... I am a Tamer now. I am going to fight the monsters. There is a chance of me not coming back alive."

Fei Hong. "That is why Jia Li will be returning back with you to U.G.P H.Q. She is a Tamer that has been assigned to your Air Cavalry Squadron. One of her monster skills has the power to restore vitality to her or another. So if you are ever in danger of losing your life, she will be there to heal you or take the death blow in your place instead."

Zao. "We can't force her to do that!"

Jia. "Chairman Zao Han Fan does not need to worry. Ever since I was born, I knew my fate is tied to you."

Zao. "What are you saying?"

Fei Hong. "The followers who are willing to take the blood oath with you have been raised since birth to protect the heirs of our family. Their families were not coerced into it if that is bothering you. It is an honor for them to make this sacrifice. The only reason we did not share this information with you before is that we didn't expect your grandfather, father, and uncle to go missing at the same time."

Zao took a few minutes to process the information.

Zao. "If they had not gone missing? Then wouldn't Jia Li and the others continue on with their lives?"

Fei Hong. "The others would have, but Jia Li Wang was also selected to be your wife. You did not think we would let you turn thirty without having a wife in waiting for you, now did you?"