Branze and Aron finally began to have the chance to talk to their father and discuss the many pressing matters.
The three moved to the far end of the city, and they had their men guard the paths to inform them if anyone was approaching. And there, the three began to talk freely of things that had transpired.
"So... the reason I got attacked was because of your carelessness, Branze?" Mezal glared. The pain of going through the attack of a god still lingered.
"Father. We were also attacked! You are not the only one who nearly died!"
"Yes. And if it weren't for my quick thinking, that god would have killed us for real! That god was angry when I met him that he choked me and shook me! Do you know how that feels?!"
.
Branze looked down in shame.
"Anyway, what happened? Why was there a strange force that blocked our message talisman? And where is my grandson? You said he was here in your last message."
"He went out to gather an army of lizards to attack this place. A war will break out here soon. He's in a hurry..." Aron trailed off.
Mezal looked at Aron.
"Someone died?"
"Yes, Father. Hems and Hemsey gallantly gave their lives to save Martha Bowheart."
"Martha Steele. If those two are willing to die so much for someone, it's a Steele. They died serving their lady."
"As a vampire, Kyros said that it could be possible to resurrect Hemsey. But it seems that Hems have died. The death is... impacting Kyros more than I thought it would be."
Branze then began to detail what had happened when they were unable to send messages to each other.
Mezal listened and sighed.
"That grandson of mine carried a certain disposition. He was impatient and rather in a hurry to grow stronger. And it isn't because of his youth. No. Whatever that thing you adopted is, it's been through a lot. Fate has guided him to the Steele family for a reason. And with the recent discoveries about Fate, I'm sure he has his reasons. It seems we also have to put in more effort in our fights. Kyros's strategies are great. But we also have to be able to act on our own."
"We will be fighting once the lizard comes. The Char Vermillion Lizard King has finally emerged. We thought it would attack already, but its withdrawal probably hints at a stronger army coming that even that mighty lizard has no choice but to follow."
"If the Vermillion Lizard King is out, then the Swamp Man-Gator Prime nearby ought to be moving."
"So these are the feral lizard races that obey the lizardmen?"
"Yes. Only a few among them have sentience and intelligence. But those that have intelligence are as smart as us. So we think that these Man Gators and the Vermillion lizards have some way to become monstrous cultivators with the help of the lizardmen. This is probably why they are so subversive."
"Quite a complicated world this is. But we have to act fast. The appearance of that dragon energy will draw more chaos. I refuse to believe that the events and commotion that have happened here will go unnoticed. After all, when we acquired a portion of Hyperion Steel's power, it might have created a ripple of energy that the saints and devils have detected. And my recent actions of how I managed to reveal an orc invasion is bound to escalate and lead to war here. So we have to prepare and take advantage of these fights. And our goal is to get stronger as Fate Challengers. We should become a clan that constantly challenges the curses that have befallen us. And this is where I think Kyros plans to hideous. Once all the Steele family gathers, we have to go into seclusion and try to find a way to hide from this world."
"I see. Kyros intends to disappear inside this lizard world..." Branze deduced.
"Exactly! The human kingdoms will do everything in their power to hide this place. As a result, the world outside will grow chaotic. Kyros's haste in sending an army here is to make things easier for us to disappear. I think he wants us to send all the items I gathered into the Temple discreetly. He can't use his dimensional storage ability, right?"
"Yes. It's not accessible now. We have to bring it inside the Temple manually." Branze confirmed.
"Aron. You mentioned that you found those powerful scale armors the men are wearing inside the Temple, right?"
"Yes."
"And they looked new? Did they even accumulate dust?"
"...Right! I never realized it! The Temple!"
"Yes. The Temple can do much more than cause us to level up. Where would the other physical properties of this item go to once the Temple absorbs it?"
"Woah! Branze! This is amazing!" Aron turned to his younger brother.
"I already knew. I just kept my mouth shut and respected my son's privacy. That Temple can craft powerful weapons and armors. Apart from those scale armors that were clearly made from the hide of the Char Vermillion Lizards, why else, did Kyros request all these herbs?"
"... I feel so left out." Aron sighed.
"He must be building something. I'm guessing that grandson intends to create chaos to make our family disappear. In this chaos, we can grow strong. But a dagger will no longer be aimed at the Steele family." Mezal smiled.
"That's his plan? Things would have been so much easier if he had told us! At first, I'd understand since we wouldn't believe him. But now he should have just told us!"
"He thinks too highly of us." Branze answered.
"He is intentionally keeping things to himself because he knows that if he talked, we would figure things out faster," Branze added.
"Yes. I fear that his secrets could be a calamity if others knew. There is also Fate and Destiny and their battle. He probably has his reasons as to why he hides things. I'm sure his Coven knows more than us since he's making them his elite team. You two shouldn't drag him down. Aron, improve your Path of Molding. That is more helpful if you want the Steele family to rise."
"Something doesn't feel right. I feel that our Path to grow stronger isn't in isolation but in being deployed in conflict." Aron frowned.
"Kyros probably has something that can help us grow. But it will be as you said. The Steele family will disappear in hiding and will be deployed all over this place. After all, we do have to take care of the war outside." Mezal explained.
"Spot on, Grandfather." Kyros suddenly appeared next to them as he undid the darkness that filled his body.
"Kyros!" The trio exclaimed.
Kyros had the two Balefire axes which he had used to through the roof of the cave.
"You used the loud sounds those men are making in preparing for the barricade to move here." Mezal deduced.
"Yes. Anyway, since you found out another secret of the Temple, I don't have to explain more about it. An army of lizardmen consisting of a Commander, several Champions, and a lot of Captains are approaching. We take advantage of that and send anything that we can inside the Temple, including those herbs. After that, we fight with these humans and wait for mom and aunt Martha to arrive. After that... we disappear. I'll take the Tempe and relocate it."
"Relocate the Temple?!" Branze, Aron and Mezal chorused is surprise.
"Yes. I can move the entire Temple and put it in a dimensional space, and place it elsewhere. It's another of the Temple's abilities."
"So we already have a perfect hiding spot!" Branze deduced.
"We have a mobile secret hideout that you can deploy anywhere... That's the perfect place for us to grow." Mezal smiled.
"Yes. The place beyond this mountain is huge. It's really another world beyond this Golem City! We can find some rocky or mountainous areas and place the Temple there where we can safely train without fear of being attacked. And that will mark the Dawn of the Rise of the Steele family." Kyros smiled.
"Dawn of the Rise? Sounds like a Planet of the Apes prequel." Calaminus couldn't help but insert a comment.
Meanwhile... Down the mountain of Airom Logat...
Diana and Martha finally reached the entrance to the fortress.
Behind the two were the rest of the Coven, the slaves, and Mechiel.
The slaves finally sighed in relief as some of them collapsed to the ground.
"Lady Diana." A Champion greeted as he bowed.
"It is good that you are safe."
"Lord Champion, may I request that you prepare a carriage. I have to meet my grandfather! We have so many things to report!" Diana exclaimed.
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