Preparation For Payback

Gora:

Ugh

Grr

Ahh

The sounds of struggling filled my ear. I used mana sense to check on the condition of my new trainees. I spotted five different Ki users inside my white box. Inside my mana domain, all one sees is white unless you mana sense. With it, I could see the individuals I had trapped inside. There were Four beasts, all with dark grey Ki. They all struggled under the pressure I exerted on them. Three of them were stuck in one spot, struggling to move. The fourth was doing better, but not by much. The beast managed to move a few steps away from the other.

There was also a fifth beast with orange color ki, but instead of struggling in one spot, he steadily moved, albeit slowly. The fifth beast was none other than Canis. The hound had decided to get in on the brutal training regiment. Although he hadn't fully recovered from his injuries against the dark Elvan, he was determined to get stronger. (What am I going to do with him?) I thought as I sat there and examined the training.

Something strange was occurring. One of the beasts, Ki, was acting weird. (It's one of Canis's men.) I thought as I watched the wolf. The mana in its body had started to get small and small until it was just a tiny dot. I quickly canceled my mana domain, shocking everyone.

"Master, why did you stop? Are you out of Ki already?" Canis asked. The hound was drenched in sweat. He stood there staring at me and had stopped mid-swing of his sword. The guardian wore nothing but black pants, so I could see his toned upper body covered in scars.

"No. I think one of them is evolving." I said, pointing at the black wolf. The beast was lying down and seemed to be in a lot of pain. I felt sorry for the creature, but it would have to fight the pain if it was going to evolve.

"It's one of my men! You can do it, Rain!" Canis cheered. (So, the wolf is named Rain.) I thought. Canis told me that he was the one to name the beast. Apparently, Rain was born at the time of an extensive rainstorm.

"That's a fitting name," I said, patting Canis on the head. I could see Canis's tail wagging vigorously. I was happy that the hound had named his troops. They were all outcasts that weren't supposed to reach layer five. Most of them would never receive a name if it wasn't for Canis. Only the beast with the potential to evolve was named by their parents.

"I wonder what he'll choose?" Canis announced as a white dome started to form around Rain. I made my way to a nearby boulder to rest. Using the white box took a lot out of me. Upon reaching layer five, a beast had the choice of becoming a mythical creature or a demon beast. I assumed Rain would become a mythical creature that was the dream of the majority of all beasts. That being said, a mythical creature could still take the human form. It just would be as powerful. A demon beast could take beast form, but they would never be mythical creatures.

Either choice was fine with me. I was just excited to have stronger allies. That was the whole reason for this training. I looked towards the other three beasts that I'd been training. The group consisted of two gorillas and one tiger. All of them were at layer four and on the verge of evolution. All three stared at Rain with awe. Then they glanced at me with the same look.

"Why are they looking at me like that?" I asked Canis. The almond skin man looks at the trio and then at me. I thought about my question for a moment before answering.

"I don't think they expected this to work. None of them were born with high potential, and the most they could dream of was becoming a layer four." Canis stated, still looking at me. My guardian smiled sincerely at me, making me feel a bit uncomfortable.

"To them, you have just created a miracle. Even if they were close to evolution, it would've taken them years to evolve. That's if they survive that long. They can not help but look at you with awe." Canis said. The hound's words made me feel strange. (This is far from a miracle.) I thought.

The evolution of beasts was pretty easy. Well, for me, it was. Beasts are born without a core. Meaning only their body gets stronger. The trick is to train a beast's body to its limits forcing it to evolve to layer five. Once a beast has undergone an evolution, it gets its own core. Sometimes they even get elements, but most just get more powerful. With my void powers, I could force their bodies past the limit. If they could survive the weight, that is.

"Your majesty, a message from shad... Oh! It looks like one of them actually succeed." Frons stated while starting at Rain's barrier. The woman had come from behind us where the rest of the camp was.

"Yeah, and it's one of my men!" Canis announced with glee. The two guardians had a bet on who's disciple would break through first.

"Ya ya.. what's this message?" I asked before the two could start bickering. Frons quickly explained the situation to me. Apparently, The panther had spotted a recon group coming closer. (Damn, they must be looking for the last group.) I thought as I stood up. It had been a week since we survived the previous ambush from the dark Elvan.

"Their main camp must be worried that the other Elvan hasn't returned. We have to make sure this scout team is dealt with." I declared, jumping from the large Boulder I was on. I plan to meet the enemy far from our own base. I still needed another week or so to train the other beast. I needed stronger allies if I was going to go up against an army of Elvan.

"Did Shadow happen to see the rank of their leader and what size force he or she commands?" I asked Frons. The woman nodded before giving me the rest of Shadow's message. I learned that the leader of the Elvan was only a layer five. With a force of about 100 to 200 men. I was impressed by Shadow's work. The kid had turned out to be an excellent scout.

"Good, Frons, get your team ready. Canis, you stay here and protect the rest." I stated. Fron nodded before running off. Canis wanted to refuse, but the hound had yet to fully heal. I couldn't put him at risk.

"Canis, I'm counting on you to keep everyone safe." I declared. The hound nodded with determination. I was happy that he didn't try to argue with me. I smiled at the man before setting off.

********************************** ***********************************

Moments later, we made it far enough from the camp. I had a force of around ten gorillas and three wolves. Although a small group, they were all ranked at layer 4. Alone the beast could handle ten layers 3's. Plus, I had Frons with me. She was a force of nature.

"Frons have the gorillas take to the trees and send a scout to ready Shadow and his men. We will be setting up our ambush here." I explained. Frons got to work quickly, getting her men into position.

I watched as the woman went to work. I couldn't help but think about the kiss we shared days ago. My hand unconscious went to my lips as I replayed the moment in my head. I knew Frons didn't understand the real ramifications of her actions. Still, a part of me wished she did. Another aspect of me felt ashamed. It felt like I was taking advantage of her lack of social knowledge. (Snap out of it, Gora.) I thought to myself.

I had other things to worry about now. The enemy would be passing by soon. I needed to be in top shape before they arrived. I needed to ensure that no Elvan made it out alive to warn the others. Shadow says the main elvan camp consists of at least a thousand soldiers. The way my group was now, we wouldn't stand a chance if they came in full force. That is why I'd been training beasts to evolve. With more layer fives, we might just survive a full-scale war.

"Master, I've done what you asked, but do you think we have enough. According to little Shadow were up against at least a hundred. Frons asked. I couldn't blame her in head to head battle. We might win, but we would also suffer many casualties. But this was different.

"True, the enemy is numerous, but we have the terrain advantage. The forest is our domain!" I said with a large grin. (It was time for some payback.) I thought.

Void: Gora's awakened element. Little is known about the void. We know that it makes things heavier or lighter depending on the user's needs.

Ki senses: This is the art of amplifying one sense with Ki/mana. This allows a person to see Ki in the air. Mana is ordinarily invisible to normal eyes.

White Box: A box made of solid mana/Ki. Although to the naked eyes, the box would appear devoid of any light. When one uses Ki sense, the box becomes pure white, hints the name. The white box is a technique known as a Ki domain.