章 755: THE OMEGA WHO BECAME A TYGER
27 FEBRUARY, SATURDAY, CONTINUED
I learned something new today. It turned out that the concentration of magic was proportionate to the power of the spell cast, because when Gareth stepped out and asked, "Who summoned me?"
I asked, "Tell me the story about Gareth."
Okay, technically, I casted. And suddenly all the Tygers stopped whatever they were doing.
It was like they had been just hanging out when suddenly some annoying brat shone a torchlight in their eyes.
Gareth folded his arms and kicked back at this point. He looked reluctant, I guess I wouldn't have liked it if I stepped through the void and found myself suddenly the topic of hot tea either.
Opps. I didn't mean to make it awkward for him, honest! I was just curious and thought maybe I could get Heller to enlighten me.
Unfortunately, the spell sort of cast wider than I expected and now the story was told like the kind of friends around the fire making up stories about each other. But here's what I found out:
Gareth was the youngest tyger in the mountains - only less than a century old!
"Everything is more interesting when you're still under hundred." Hajime remarked.
"I don't remember my first couple of centuries any more." Shiro confessed, "Once, I read a book to the end before realizing it was a story about me."
Actually, I'm not entirely sure whether the spell hit at all because at times I suspected some of them were just playing along... Why would a group of tygers even bother? Because it amused them. Maybe being so old can get boring, so these old tygers would take any opportunity for even the mildest entertainment.
Like pouring tea about their "young" king under the pretext of being spell bound.
Anyway, Gareth was originally a wolf from the Blood Lake Pack in the Red Mountains.
"In its prime, the Blood Lake Pack was home to one of the most powerful bloodlines - blade wolves. Perhaps you've heard of them?" Heller prompted.
"Like Alpha Blades?" I asked.
"Who?" Heller asked. And then I remembered that Alpha Blades was from the bedtime stories that Mum told me. He wasn't official lycan legend per say.
I shook my head.
So the Tygers enlightened me:
The blade wolves were one of the fiercest fighting force on the Mountains. Their hair could turn to blades and the wolves could use them both as swords or shields at will. A pup like me wouldn't even being to imagine such an amazing ability. It was beyond what words could describe.
"They were a terror, each warrior wolf a unassailable force. In human form, their blades were the fastest and most silent. In wolf form, they were impenetrable tanks." Shiro explained.
"Sounds like a world of hurt." Bell smirked. I narrowed my eyes at him. Maybe the tygers didn't know, but surely he knew I was part blade wolf! He caught my eye and shrugged rather smugly. I decided to ignore him henceforth. Stupid dumbbell. Let's get back to the story:
Unfortunately, Gareth was born without the ability. He quickly became labelled the omega of the pack. They mistreated him harshly, and one day, he ran away.
Gareth then took the Hero's Path up to White Mountain. He had remembered hearing stories about Tygers and how they might grant wishes. He had wished very hard all his life to be able to manifest his bloodline skill like the other wolves in his pack, but no Tyger had ever heard him.
"If no Tyger would come to me, then I would go to him." Gareth had sworn.
"No, actually, I got lost and accidentally entered the Tyger's Lair." Gareth said.
This did nothing to stop the other Tygers from continuing their story.
Anyway, for whatever reasons, Gareth took the Hero's Path, overcame the trials and tribulations, and thus having proven his worth, he finally entered the Tyger's Lair.
Unfortunately, none of the tygers were in office.
"The atmosphere is kind of overbearing and stuffy there." Shiro, the first wolf, explained, "At any rate, I've retired from tyger duties. It's time for the younger ones to step up."
"We healers have duties." Hajime said.
"True." Haku smiled, "The world does not heal itself."
"Well, I did try it for a few years." Heller said, "But I have kids now. It's not exactly the safest place for a Tyger to raise a family."
Because a famous Tyger lair attracted all kinds of crazies. It attracted desperate wishmakers, tyger hunters, treasure hunters, warlock wannabes, and heroes.
The heroes were the worst because of their noble nature and fighting spirit. They were always focused on defeating evil, which in many cases was the tyger on the throne.
"They always seem to feel like if they defeat the tyger, they would be able to save the damsel and the world would be safe." Hajime grumbled, "I don't know why they paint us in such a bad light."
"If they simply asked, we would have been happy to return the live sacrifice." Haku explained, "Its not like we have any use for a virgin maiden, since all of us are mated."
"We had to abolish live maiden sacrifices." Alpha Gunter said, "After that, the heroes came by less often."
"There was one..." Heller smiled wryly, "Some pack sacrificed the alpha's daughter to me."
"What did you do?" Shiro asked.
"It was really troublesome." Heller sighed, "I had to set up the entire castle, line up the traps and enchantments, it took me all week to prepare for the hero to come. Worse, he turned out quite weak and not very bright. I had to ask Haku's kid to come pretend to be a passing healer and help the hero get through all the tribulations. He took two whole weeks to get the the lair. The poor girl had to wait in her cage all the while. I let my girl pretend to visit her in secret and give her blankets and food. And I had to pretend I didn't notice any of it...and don't get me started on the staged battle..."
"On the bright side, you managed to trick him into believing he defeated you." Haku smiled.
Heller sighed, "I'm really too old to play pretend with pups anymore."
"Hayao told me the girl was so grateful to her hero, they got mated." Haku shared.
"Ah, yes." Heller shook his head, "You Hayao has the patience of a saint."
Haku smiled at that, "He takes after his mother."
"It can't be helped." Hajime was still focused on Heller's anecdote,"Heroes can't be turned away. You can't bribe a real hero, nor do they get tempted and leave the path." Heller explained.
"Only those who stayed on the true path would find what he was looking for. " Alpha Gunter quoted. I knew this quote. Lycan 101.
Anyway, Gareth was neither tempted nor scared off the hero's path. He was a real hero.
"I just wanted to get out of the rain." Gareth explained, but the older tygers ignored him.
But since live maiden sacrifices had been abolished for years now, no one was expecting a hero to arrive, so there were no enchantments or traps or anything to greet him. Gareth made it into the large halls and realized no one was home. In fact, the Tyger's Lair looked completely abandoned.
"Since there is no tyger, I will become the tyger and grant my own wish!" Gareth declared.
Gareth shook his head again, "I went inside to get out of the rain. A black mist attacked me and I accidentally fell into a blue fire."
And then he said, more quietly now, "It was my soul mate who saved me. She had followed me secretly, and healed me until I transformed."
"Gareth's mate is a powerful healer." Haku explained.
"From Haku's pack." Heller chipped in, "Her family were guests at the Blood Lake Pack. A few highly respected healer families lived there because of the good income and status being a guest healer at Blood Lake Pack afforded."
Unfortunately, her family had forbidden her to associate with the omega. Still she loved him and on the night he ran away, she slipped off to follow him.
When Gareth came to (he had passed out from the pain of turning Tyger), he declared, "I wish upon myself! To be the most powerful blade wolf in the world!"
And that was how Gareth became the most powerful blade wolf in the world.
Wait, wait, that was way too sudden. It was like the tygers were skipping right to the ending suddenly.
"Wait, but what did you have to give up in exchange for your wish?" I asked.
Suddenly, everyone became quiet. Did they not know the answer? Or did they not want to answer?
"I paid with the blood of my pack." Gareth said at last.
"He slaughtered them." Ignatius said.
"Oh, you're back." Heller noticed then.
"Did you just come?" Haku smiled.
Ignatius shook his head, "I've been here for a while, but go on. Don't let me interupt a good story."
He said it in a very sacarstic way.
So the other Tygers were decided they did want to drag out the story as long as they could just to spite him.
Gareth's power does not require hair to form blades.
"My hair... it's length cannot extend." Gareth explained, "Nor can it harden."
Gareth sounded sad, almost ashamed. I felt like someone should point out that self extending and hardening hair was not the norm nor the standard to look up to.
But what Gareth gained was a power even cooler. He now wielded spirit blades, and he was as powerful as the blade wolves he killed.
"I killed everyone." Gareth said quietly.
By the end of the night, the blade wolves were officially extinct. Every single last one of them.
Oh.
"Like this." Gareth picked up an apple from one of the golden bowls on the side table. He held it a moment in his hands and suddenly, the apple looked like it was going through an invisible blender in his hand.
Gareth showed me the juice. There was no container, but the juice remained held in a sphere on his hand.
"Gareth's spirit blades can be used as an airtight forcefield, or as blades in it." Alpha Gunter felt it would be a good idea to point out to us puppies, "It's a deadly combition. Even if you are able to live without air, you would not survive his blades."
"He's also immune to poison." Hajime kindly warned us, "I tried poisoning him when he challenged me, but it didn't work."
"I'm just good at enduring pain." Gareth said, "My mate's healing power neutralizes poisons."
"In other words, Gareth's invincible." Ignatius boasted.
Gareth drank his juice from his invisible forcefield cup.
"Cool." I said.
"I challenge you." Bell said.
"Okay." Gareth said.
"Wait!" This was definitely not how Alpha Gunter had planned our conversation to go, "Young Tyger, please consider the consequences of your death!"
Heller smiled, "Don't worry, if he dies, my Fluffy would be happy to stand by the Alpha Princess."
Bell growled lowly at him, "Mine."
Heller only laughed, "Of course. She is yours as long as you live."
Bell stalked off to the concave arena without another word. Gareth went with him.
"Young Tyger, please reconsider." Alpha Gunter warned once more before promptly giving up. He turned to Heller, "You've found your son?"
"Be careful!" Ignatius yelled, "He can cast pretty nasty diseases."
Bell smirked as he faced Gareth, "I also carry weapons."
A black doorway appeared. Bell put his hand through and retrieved a short sword and a gun.
Gareth waited patiently for him to put on the upholster.
"My shield cannot be penetrated by sword of gun." Gareth informed Bell.
"There's always a first time." Bell said, "You say you're a blade wolf right?"
Gareth nodded, "My father was an elite warrior."
"So besides the fact that your spirit blades are invisible, they behave just like a blade wolf's blade, don't they?" Bell asked.
I'm not sure why Gareth was answering him, but Gareth didn't hold back, "Somewhat, but they are not rooted to my head, so its also different."
Bell smirked, "I will shatter you today."
"If you can shatter one of my blades or shields, I will let you be King." Gareth decided.
"No. Gareth! You have to kill him!" Ignatius yelled from our platform, "That guy is dangerous!"
"He also seems very bossy." Hajime pointed out, "I'm sure he would only make our lives troublesome."
"He's not much more than a pup, but his fire is already a millennia old." Heller reminded everyone, "He'll be impossible to kill later."
"Why do you want him killed?" I flared at Heller, "He's my mate!"
"Exactly." Heller smiled, "It would be easier if Gareth got rid of him for Fluffy."
"I see." Haku smiled, "Using a borrowed knife."
"Shh... they're starting!" Shiro called over, and then facing back at the arena he grinned, "This is going to be good! I can feel it."
I narrowed my eyes at my new tyger friends. These tygers... So this was what happens if a wolf got too powerful and lived too long. They all became stoooopid!
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