A team

"Master Karmalin, it is my pleasure to see you."

Commander Chen bowed his head for him. Barely they could gain a chance to see him strolling around there. It was a great felicity to see the man who had been protecting them from the dogs of parliament. Besides taking care of the shield and wraiths, he used to watch over the Academy and the court's matters.

"Commander, thank you for being here!"

"What happened to them? Wasn't it supposed to be only a simple quest?" He peered at Delun and Bo.

"Hunters have their own way and we are not in a position to protest against the parliament's men." Karmalin remarked.

As he knew, Aligners and the king's army never could settle with each other through either issue and the shaman always emphasized that Aligners must be more careful about the ethics and don't mess around with the pastorates' men. Anyway, they were able to disband Academies only by putting their fingers up during the meetings.

"You are right, master."

"Well, now that we have things in common let me give you another mission." His hand rested on Delun's shoulder for a second.

"What you wish will be fulfilled in a second." The commander served him an Aligner hail. Punching his fist on his chest, lowering his head and the rest of his men who were in the armored car followed their commander.

"Train these kids with your professional team." His expression went serious and it meant so much. He wanted the commander to bring up the boys as hard as steel.

"But aren't they under your train recently?"

The commander was stunned. The shaman had no joke to let it out in there to entertain them. He was a great fay and in any aspect, there was no one better than him so, what was the point with making a half-bread fay to forge the human boys.

"Yes, I am teaching them what I think is necessary but they need to become tough and experienced men just like you are. They must learn to think and move through actions rather than moving their tongues to stop the threat."

Bo and Delun shared a glance that had shielded many words, having mingled emotions of proud, and thrill! That was a sheer taunt from their master. They couldn't protest or be agreed more because he was right. Their bad-mouth just brought them turmoil.

The fays and those half-bread courtiers considered humans as lowlife beings that destroy nature to make their life convenient, neglecting that without Vita's health they would also die.

The Technology that Las Vita was providing to the world was clean energy so that part could be also jealousy or fear of that human get control of Vita. That was the cause that Vita heads always were careful and had been keeping eyes on human folks and barely allowing them to grow Tec business out of Las Vita and Hekhamen. Therefore, technology companies were all under their hands.

"They must become strong, mentally and physically. I would gladly accept this mission."

He bared his teeth with something that could be called a grin but those fangs were more greedy. Then he would enjoy making them suffer to be as difficult as steel.

Karmalin was a straight man and not a talkative person so they have gotten some luck to catch on to him in this situation. On the other hand, he wanted to make them ready for any possibility. It mattered that from each side the unexpected big occurs might come, moreover, the boys had to hang on.

"Would they stay here or the cells?" Commander Chen asked.

Was it that way of being rough coming from his brutal nature as a werewolf or he just started his training lesson with rough language? Even hearing the name of cells sounded unfair as a jest.

"They are going to the dormitory, thus you can check on at any time you wish."

Delun's mouth dropped as Karmalin incredibly shot the last arrow and sealed it.

"Please make sure that no darkness crosses the fences around the court lands. Set every possible device to recognize the darkness, magic, and any of kind. I would send an ambassador to TECO for their new seekers that they promised us."

Karmalin had scared of something, commander Chen thought. He kept the questions with him as a soldier did always. But there was something wrong. if the rumor among the Aligners were true and a juggler was behind everything then all of them were already breathing under hot water and it wasn't clear how long they could hold their breath.

"Yes, master. I will make sure everything is fine, do you need anything else?"

"You are a great man commander Chen. You can go now! I will take the kids with me for treatments but tomorrow there will be no mercy in their training progress."

Karmalin emphasized and warned that there would be no cure for their wounds and they must bear the irritation to read up how worthy their health was and they couldn't play with their life by using their tongues in the wrong ways.

They bowed their neck and left the place and after them Karmalin turned to the boys, asking, "Any question?"

He began to walk as they shook head in denial and the boys wandered after him.

"No, sir! Just what about my dog? She would die out of hunger." Delun reminded.

"Your dog is under my protection! Call your sister. She is worried about you."

"Was it true?" Delun remembered what the hunters said about her, dating a Lashuka worshiper.

"What, Delun?"

"That my sister was with a Lashuka servant." His voice shivered.

"What do you think?"

"This can be a nasty jest and those jesters might repay for playing dirty." Delun kept holding a grudge toward the hunters.

The moonlight was cast on their faces, saying that the dark and light had gained meaning beside each other.

"Son, this game was dirty from the beginning. If you behave and move the way they do, I see that soon you are one of them."

It wasn't a simple counsel but a warning. He must learn that their enemy would use various strategies to make them bow even if that ways were the family matters.