Outcast

"Elders, what a surprise. How can this servant help you?" she asks, clearly nervous

Vanor stares at her, hate clearly seen in his eyes. The clan head looks into the forest as if waiting for something.

"Selena, before I rip you apart slowly. Is there anything you want to say?" says Vanor

"...Hahaha, I guess the secrets out. Your poor little boy was killed by me. Did you know he cried as I cut him apart? slowly, to make sure we extracted everything we could from him" she answers, her eyes showing how insane she really is.

"Are you just going to hide in the trees, or are you finally found to come out?" speaks up the clan head suddenly.

"You saw me? guess I might as well come out. I was hoping to steal this young wyrm while everyone's attention was focused on her" says a voice that sounds faintly familiar to me.

Coming out of the forest is the old steelbacked gorilla king, Solam. With him, is another of the elders who voted against me during my trial, an ancient-looking dire wolf king, his eyes glare towards me with contempt.

"Valaris, do you know these two?" asks the clan head Visarios.

"Yes, I suspect they want to either kill me or kidnap me to blackmail the Crimson Flame tribe."

"You dont know? hahaha like we would need to take you to deal with the Crimson Flame tribe" taunts the dire wolf.

Confused, I start to ask him what he means when Rentil knocks me out of the way of the incoming steel needles being shot towards me with her tail.

Snarling, I look at Solam who had thrown the needles. Smirking, he starts to walk forward before being blocked by Rantil.

"Valoris, you got anything to help you fight this overgrown mutt?" she askes, her eyes never leaving Solam.

Thinking, I suddenly smile before answering.

"Yes I do"

Before pulling out an antler from the corner of my spacial stone. I also activate the Blood Medallion.

"You...where did you get that?" asks the dire wolf king, his voice betraying just how worried he is.

"I won it, two elders of the Blood Pavilion attacking a member of a tribe under its protection. I wonder how Emperor Cernunnos is going to react to that" I say

Then I release the seal on the antler and point it towards the dire wolf king. A blood-red giant stag appears, charging straight towards the dire wolf who attempts to flee. The stag chases the fleeing dire wolf king, not stopping until it's enemy is dead.

Looking back I see that Selena hasn't moved, Vanor has his front limb pinning her down as he interrogates her, He has already ripped her wings off to ensure she can't escape.

"How many other bases are there? Who else knows of your experiments?"

"Valoris! sorry, we took so long" shouts a huge snake slithering through the air landing next to me.

"Lord Tohil, can you send your men to surround the base? we dont want anyone fleeing." I ask the new arrival.

"Already done, I also sent some scouts to try and track the escaped beasts they experimented on." He says before slithering next to Rentil who is still facing off against Solam.

"Valoris, you wouldn't kill an elder of the Blood Pavilion, would you? no matter what Emperor Cernunnos wouldn't stand for that" says Salom, trying to scare me.

"Luckily, he won't have to," says a voice behind him.

Solam's face slackens, his shoulders drop, his entire demeanor just seems to give up before turning to me and saying.

"Don't you think you went a little overboard? I mean if you just summoned him from the start you would have won"

Before turning around and facing the ancient white hart. As intimidating as ever, Emperor Cernunnos stands just inside the forest line. Staring at Solam with disappointment.

"My friend, how could you?" is all he asks.

"You wouldn't understand, we can't all be like the benevolent Lord of the Hunt! what hypocrisy, you have killed more than anyone here!" Solam bitterly replies.

"I have no issue with you killing, I know how you are. No, my disappointment lies in that you assisted these...race traitors in their horrid experiments."

"We can't all be born with the blood of a god flowing through our veins. Some of us have to get power any way we can!" retorts Solam.

"Excuses, there were plenty of ways for you to get stronger. This was simply the easiest way" says Emperor Cernunnos before lightly waving his horns. A blood-red shadow of his horns rushes forth and stabs Solam, killing him instantly.

Turning walking over to me, he inspects me before nodding and saying.

"Well done little dragon, you have gotten stronger then what I thought you would be by now. Though Rell seems to have surpassed you"

"Where is she?" I ask, as unfortunate as it is, she must die. After today her entire clan will fall apart, her master killed, along with her father. All of that will be caused by me, leaving her alive is not an option.

"She decided to follow your lead and went traveling after she evolved. I know what you are thinking, and as much as it pains me to admit it, I must agree.

You cannot leave her alive. After you left, she began to allow experiments to be done on herself. They improved her considerably, but at the cost of her mind. Rage, and power are all she knows now" explains Cernunnos, before sighing.

Looking back, I can see that Selena has broken. All of her limbs have been torn off, she is growing weaker by the minute. Remembering what Rell's father said. I ask Emperor Cernunnos what he had meant.

"You dont know? oh, a young dragon, the time has not been kind to your tribe" he says with sorrow in his eyes.