Meetings (1)

As dusk was gathering, there was a sensation in the lavelian camp. Something unexpected had happened. Just 2 days after the new head took over, he had called for a meeting. These kind of meetings were usually held on the arena grounds or at the settlement's meeting ground.

Problem was, the meeting grounds was at the Arlos' clan, and since they were no longer the ruling clan, then the meeting grounds ceased to be official. Similarly, the kind of meeting that had been called did not warrant for them going to the arena grounds, as those were usually reserved for grand undertaking, such as the festival. So where did that leave us?

Obviously, the new ruling clan's meeting grounds. While Bamboo did not feel right about uprooting the ruling clan from their homes, he still felt that he had to flex his muscles, show he was head. He wouldn't just submit to the former ruling clan, who considered themselves royalty. It was more like putting them in their place, showing them who's boss, that kind of thing.

The message was well received, and as they made their way to the grounds, whether they liked it or not. Many didn't even know why the head had called for the meeting, with many assuming that it was just some useless summon to showcase his power. Whatever the case, they had to attend.

As they made their way to the meeting grounds however, they understood that the call for the meeting to be in the clan grounds had had another reason. Bamboo had a surprise for them.

As hunters, they were well skilled in the art of picking a scent, and as they walked towards the clan grounds, they could feel a deep scent coming from that direction.

One thing about this scent was that it was like nothing they've were had, or felt. Secondly, it had some sort of smoke imbued in it. However, despite all these, their noses were promising that this was the sweetest thing they were ever going to taste, and so they quickened their steps.

Understand something about the lavelian race. They were a hunter race, and as the rule of the jungle, every hunter for themselves. In the vasilian settlements where at least there were the hunters and others did other work, essentially, separation of work. To lavels however, they were all hunters. A kid by the time they were 10 was old enough to take down a hair or a goat, and a quick snack thereafter.

All this meant was that they never had food on the agenda when meeting. They would shout, scream and celebrate together, but never dine together. Only in families and gangs that hunted together did this happen. Therefore, they never expected to find any food or offering by the ruling clan. Yet now their noses were telling them different.

Lavels have never had to cook. They were carnivores by nature, and as soon as the catch was at hand, they were free to consume. The mood lifted up instantly, and there was a wash of excitement.

Soon everyone was gathered up, and an excitement enveloped the gathering. This was because, right at the middle, there were five pyres of fire that had been erected. Beside each pyre, there were five lavels on either side, and a pile of meat beside each team.

On the right, the lavels had raw meat which they were stacking on a pole that ran across the fire. This was after they had prepared it by adding some kind of spices or other. The Meat would then be kept in the fire for sometime as it was being rotated.

It was the work of the other team to wait for the fire to do its work, where they would then take out the meat and begin cutting it up into small pieces. All this did was just make the lavels drool some more, with some even tempted to just rush forward and grab the meal. However, they relented when they remembered who's domain this was. The jades were not to be messed with.

As this was ongoing, the lavels couldn't hold back their excitement. There was speculation about what really was going on, and soon the attention had fallen on a new comer who seemed more at home than most that were present. This was because this particular lavel, who was unknown to most, sat right next to the head, and judging by the behavior of the head towards this lavel, they could tell that this one deserved respect.

He was wizened, but still had kind eyes and a warm smile. He seemed easy, but something did tell the more experienced hunters that there was a threat coming from the lavel. Almost imperceptible, but for those that had trained their skills in the hunt were absolutely sure. This was not someone they could cross easily.

Needless to say, this was much more than your average meeting, and the lavels didn't have much long to wait.

The meat that was had been prepared since the morning was finally served to the people, who enjoyed this delicacy with much contentment, and soon after, a quiet descended over the crowd. This was because at that time, Bamboo had just stood and made his way to the dais.

The dais was was really nothing more than a patch of ground that had been raised artificially by laying more dirt on it. Standing tall, he looked even more impressive than he had during the competition, truly leadership became him.

***

People had been milling in and out of the small village all day long. It wasn't much, and it could be mistaken for just another human village in the continent, but something about this village stood out. This was because every human present there had the marks of a warrior, and apart from a few who were obvious civilians, most people had a look of fierceness about them.

Kedan liked this village and indeed the resistance a lot. Fighting an oppressive regime had always been one of the reasons he loved being a Faction Protector. The fact that he could be there for those that couldn't. Righteous or not, Kedan did not like to see suffering, especially one caused by others that deemed themselves better than the rest. It was a certain pleasant hobby of his to put these seemingly big wigs in their place, and had there not been a resistance, he'd have led one.

This was one of the reasons that confirmed to Kedan that the Quest of Keeling was one related to his mission in this planet. If anyone knew of this character of his, it was big brother, who enjoyed teasing him on how selfless he was. Dane himself wasn't a bad person, and he helped where he could, or more importantly, where he stood a chance to benefit.

At the moment, he was seated in a large hall that served as one of the meeting places. The way it was set up was that at the front, there was a high table that had slightly bigger seats. This was obviously where the leadership would stay, as it was built to face the rest of the hall, where everyone else sat.

To the right of where the rest of the of the resistance sat, that's where a group of unassuming new comers were seated having their supper.

"Is it true?"

"What is?"

"Haven't you heard, someone is actually trying to challenge the Quest of Keeling?"

"Haha, what manner of lunacy is this, are there people that stupid?"

"How could you say that?"

"Challenging is one thing, but actually winning it is a whole different thing altogether!"

"So is coming out alive!"

"I heard the challenger took out 2 wolf packs from Harrow City!" Of course this statement was followed by stunned silence for some time. This was a group of warriors that were within Kedan's earshot, where he was shamelessly eavesdropping. He expected that such conversations were going on all over the place.

Word had quickly been spread, and many could guess the reason for the meeting being called. It wasn't that had of a stretch, and even the higher ups didn't bother to hide the information.

It had to be said, no one in this generation had challenged the Quest. This was because, not only was the Quest hard enough to complete, but even making it out alive and well was a problem. Many had tried and failed, and a great many more had tried and perished.

In fact, this had led to a great division occurring in the Resistance. There were those that were die hard fans of Keeling. The symbol of the man and all he had been able to accomplish was one that kept many going, acting as a reminder that no matter how improbable it looked, humans were still quite capable.

On the other hand, there were those that believed that Keeling had been selfish. If he truly cared about his people, he should have left his treasures instead of putting up an impossible task which they saw was of no value at all beside pumping up his name. There were also those that did not feel like waiting around for some hero to come and save them, they wanted to take matters in to their own hands.

The arrival of Kedan, a real Super, also brought about an uproar on its own. Forget the quest for just a minute, if they had someone capable of dealing with 2 wolf packs singlehandedly, how much of a storm would they raise, that is, if the stories were true.

Finally, there were those who were xenophobic. They did not believe in outsiders coming in to solve their problems, and these problems were indeed theirs to solve. They saw Keeling, and now this new arrival, as nothing more than people who were poking their noses where they didn't belong. Better the devil you know, they thought.

Kedan got all that from listening in to conversations all day long. Many around him were at a loss. The civilians in the group really just wanted to go home. The sailors wanted their ship back, and the fighters could not understand how these people would be content with getting scraps that fell of the table while they could receive so much more if they went for it.

It was not a secret that the lands beyond these shores were a safe haven for humans, but movement of humans was highly regulated, and they barely allowed anyone to just come in and go as they wished.

In fact, Reagan, the captain of the ship Kedan had been on board, had had to work tirelessly to build enough trust to be allowed to trade. He'd worked so hard because he understood that not many could have access to the port, and given all the treasurers in the continent, how could he allow such a moment to go.

As all these thoughts were going on in people's mind, a prominent woman stood up from her seat at the high table. Her beauty was quick captivating but not her most dominant feature. She had a fierce look and the aura that her eyes gave off instantly scared away any would be detractors from approaching. Her long sword tucked by her waist was also a deterrent, especially for those that knew her to be a sword saint.

One last thing, Kedan was no stranger to her. He could still remember that look of horror she had when she realized that she had just walked into a trap. She was not the predator, and like a fool, she had walked into a well laid trap.

It wasn't fear that gripped her, as she did not see or feel any threat from the group, even when the man had arrows inches away from her throat. As a skilled warrior, she had horned her skills to the point where she could sense a threat. She knew that had Kedan wanted to kill her, she'd be dead already.

What she had been feeling all along was frustration. No one had ever gotten the better of her, and judging from her position in the Resistance, if the seating arrangement was anything to go by, there weren't many that got the chance.

She took a moment to look at him, before she finally opened her mouth.