Spirit Taming

Chapter 709: Making An Ally

Having Clark explain the exact situation that had led to over thirty prisoners being taken and also being found unconscious right after being imprisoned put the matriarch on edge. She had never had something like that happen, and now a stranger had arrived telling her that he had more details.

"I see that you understand that I am not lying now?" Clark knew that he was now considered extremely suspicious. The entire chamber had gone silent. Every elder just glaring at him while trying to discern what he was going on about.

"Then I can finally explain why I came here to someone who will listen to me." Clark sighed out loud and gave a casual glance toward the captain that had brought him in. It was a little odd seeing him prepare to attack if need be, but that was just the situation they were both put in right now.

"The blood moon cult has been infiltrating the corrupted families of Nova City for years. I was a leader of a battle to overthrow the corrupted families. When we defeated them, the ingested vials of monster blood infected with demonic energy." This caused a few whispers and murmurs to go through the room again.

"It caused them to become monsters. To fuse with their beasts. As our scouts left to find the connection these families had with the cultists. But, another general had discovered their small base. After defeating them, the escapees from the base and our city went to multiple hidden caches. They had communication bracelets that they used to send warnings to the main cultist.

Then they were killed by another item within that cache."

"We discovered that the bases should all have these communication bracelets located around them. Therefore, if we use unique beasts to track the energies that communication bracelets have, we can find their bases and eliminate the blood moon cult completely. Unlike years ago." Clark felt a little lighter seeing that he finally was able to speak fully.

"I can understand all of that. You wish for an ally. However, you have not explained the worst portion you have spoken of." The matriarch was listening now. Her eyes full of threat. Not because she was angry with Clark, but because she now was beginning to understand that he was telling the truth. His entire demeanor said that he had been the entire time.

"When my group reached the Nighthawk family grounds to take a beast over the violent forest to save time coming to you, I spotted a suspicious man. I found that he had supplied the blood moon cult with green grasshopper eggs. Many of them. Small enough to be swallowed."

"What do you think happens to them this time of year when they hatch?"

"This is the artificial beast wave you mentioned. A wave of brown spiked locusts that could consume the tree we live in. the entire city at that. And you believe that the prisoners contain an egg and a mineral glass vial which will dissolve and release this demonic energy potion that will create a monster that wishes to consume the city as well."

The matriarch did not guess, she spoke the facts clearly. She had begun to piece everything together that Clark had said. "They are experimenting. They want to test more while also getting the resources to test more. They are responsible for destroying Solar and Lunar human cities. Most survivors were rescued, but it's believed that some who perished may not have.

They just live on as…" Clark didn't want to say his theory out loud.

Until recently, he had imagined that the two cities had lost the majority of their population to the attack. Nothing more. However, seeing those vials and what else the blood moon cult had done, he understood something much worse. That some of those deemed dead, would actually have been captured as fodder for experimentation.

He didn't have time to dwell on that though. As time went on, there was a lesser chance that those people could be saved. A lesser chance that the cultist's bases would be destroyed. All of that was riding on this situation now.

"That's why Aphelion City and the Universal alliance is asking you to join them. To eradicate the blood moon cult that believes that all of us should become monsters." The room again became filled with conversations. So much so that Clark could only wait to see what they had all decided on since the matriarch appeared to be sitting still and taking in every single word.

"Silence!" The matriarch cut off all conversation. She focused on Clark having made up her mind.

"A month ago, we had the first patrolling group return with evidence that there was someone burning the plains. We dispatched more groups and found a monster. This made us feel that something was wrong, so we created more frequent guard patrols through our territory. That just found more monsters."

"Various areas were poisoned, burned, eaten, and one area was even uprooted entirely so that something could burrow in to the ground. That monster was later killed by another one of my elite archers." The matriarch was sharing this for a reason, Clark did not stop listening.

"As you saw walking the plains, that only increased. We began a greater effort and locked down the city entirely. That was when the mad humans began to arrive. They all wear rags and collapse unconscious after being captured. Now we know why and how."

The room still focused on her as she stepped toward Clark. "I assume you came here because you are the boy from their tournament. The one that my connections spoke of. That Star City lord has remained in contact with us for some time. Since his city focuses on water very much, he asked for assistance keeping it clean for his people and the beasts.

In the last letters, he mentioned the human tournament and promising young tamers that may travel beyond human territory."

"It appears that happened faster than he or anyone expected." The matriarch having connections to Star City would have stunned anyone else. However, Clark could see how this was the case. The Star City lord was a good man. He cared for his people and the idea that he could reach out to the elves for advice on protecting their nature wasn't far fetched at all.

"We will be allying with you and your group. Prepare to enter our city so that we can begin preparing for an attack on the cultists. We lost many of our fellow elves to their attacks some years ago. I refuse to see that many return to the roots of the mother tree ever again."

The collective anger blooming on the faces of the elders was clear. They remembered such a time. The battles that took their brothers and sisters. The monsters that the blood moon cult had brought to life from nightmares. Now, they had a lead on how to defeat them completely, why would they ignore this chance at revenge.

"Then I will be with you at every step. With my eyes, I can see more than normal people can. I should be able to tell you how to handle these prisoners without killing them. It is very likely that they are controlled by some form of monster that controls their minds. A brainwashing that should be undone."

With Clark taking the initiative, the matriarch began walking toward the passageway that Clark had come from. However, Clark could feel everything shifting. The entire branch he had ended up on was now connected to another place. But this place was larger and even more stunning.

The smell of medicinal herbs filled the air as he realized that this was a medicinal hall. Set up to heal and care for many injured at once. "We began preparing this hall for active use as more of our guards were injured from those monsters. Now, we will use it to rescue those pawns from the cult. After that, we can begin attacking the cultist's base.

If they are creating a beast wave, they are nearby."

The force of wood energy that radiates around the matriarch made Clakr wonder if he could even fight her if he had no choice. She could have crushed him. Not many people were able to feel this sort of pressure. The city lords and their direct defenders would be the only ones that could compete with the elven matriarch.

"I have a healer in my group, Maria, she will be able to help. I helped her beast grow in to an empress jellyfish. Well above what a glow sting jellyfish normally can grown in to. The healing capabilities are above many other beasts. I can provide beast plans for your healers too if we have the time. It's a business one of my other companions runs.

We do a lot." the matriarch looked at Clark and nodded. She had to begin telling the healers arriving in line before them what they would be doing.