Just then, the mage responsible for the teleportation circle piped up, “Hmm? Are there more people in your party?”
With a loud hum, the magic teleportation circle lit up once more. Ecross locked eyes with Cale.
“There are a few more people coming,” Cale said lightly, stepping away from the circle. The count shuffled back in confusion and watched as the magic circle slowly lit up until the entire array was shining brightly.
Whoosh!
Ten hulking figures appeared. They all wore black robes, and each seemed as large as a mountain. Cowed by their presence, the count couldn’t help but groan.
With a rustle of fabric, the one in front tugged down his hood. The old man’s voice echoed through the area. “I am Gashan, shaman of the Tiger Tribe.”
More rustles sounded as the others pulled off their hoods as well. Ten pairs of feline eyes glinted in the darkness. The count had never seen someone from the Tiger Tribe before, but he knew their reputation as one of the strongest beastfolk tribes.
“Lord Ecross,” Cale called out, prompting Ecross to whirl toward him. “I’ll leave the cliffs and other high areas to your mages. We’ll take care of the depths.”
The winds were wildest in the depths of the gorge, making it difficult to pass through with flight magic.
Ecross’s face fell. He had assumed they would only install magic bombs around the edge of the cliff, but Cale was saying they’d place the bombs within the gorge. “You’re going to go beneath the Verge of Death?”
Death Canyon was split into distinct sections. The top portion began at the cliffs and stretched dozens of meters—maybe even a hundred—below the edge of the gorge. The Verge of Death marked the mouth of the gorge, the point where one could see the rough river at the bottom.
Anyone interested in escaping with their lives needed to avoid that area—but Cale planned to go down there?
Cale’s confident voice filled the air. “Yes, sir. That’s where we’re going.”
The count finally took a moment to really look at Cale’s party. All their faces were grim and grave, which made Cale’s composure stand out even more. Cale’s declaration that Rowoon would handle the deep parts of the gorge stuck in the count’s mind. He couldn’t figure out what to say.
At that moment, Fenn stepped in to respond. “We shall leave it to you, then.” His tone polite, he continued, “We’ll figure out the best way for you to descend. Do let me know if there’s any way we can assist.”
As Cale offered Fenn a friendly smile, he thought to himself, I’m going to unload all the magic bombs on these bastards. He intended to install the Dragon’s Rage deep within the gorge; he couldn’t let others find out about that precious pillar of fire. Plus, it’s not like I’m going to be doing the work. All Cale had to do was sit back and watch—how easy was that?
“Then we’ll head out first.”
“Huh? You will?” Fenn gaped at Cale in shock, but the redhead simply turned on his heel and headed toward the gorge.
“It’s dangerous at night,” Ecross cut in. “You should wait till daylight!”
“Do you want the northern alliance to see what we’re doing?”
That shut the count right up.
Ecross had heard about the approaching wyvern knight brigade. They were bound to patrol during the day, so time was of the essence. When the twenty-year-old’s gaze fell upon him, Ecross found himself tongue-tied.
The count said nothing more, so Cale turned back to the gorge. Let’s get this over with and leave.
Plowing ahead, he asked the tigers in his wake, “Is it really dangerous at night?”
Gashan laughed. “We prefer the darkness.” Tigers were nocturnal creatures, and they had brought only their best warriors; it would be easy for them to climb down the gorge.
Brek’s mages rushed over. Cale came to a stop in front of the first cliff and passed a magic bag to Ecross. “There’s a map of where to install the magic bombs inside, along with the bombs themselves. I’ll leave it in your capable hands, Lord Ecross.”
Seeing Cale maintain his respectful demeanor, the count felt strange. He accepted the magic bag. “Thank you.”
Cale flashed a self-assured smile, then cracked out an order for his group. “Let’s go.”
Fwup. Fwup. The black robes all fell to the ground, revealing that the tiger warriors were in their berserk state.
“Ah…” Ecross stepped back; their auras were considerably more overwhelming than before. Each of these tigers had once ruled over a mountain. Their bare bodies shone black and gold in the darkness.
All those huge warriors turned to Cale, who simply said, “Jump down.”
Gashan, the only white tiger, let out a throaty chuckle as he sprang from the ledge. His leap marked the beginning, and soon all ten tiger warriors were hurtling toward the bottom of the cliff.
White snow and golden flares of light captivated everyone watching. Just as the gilded rays began to dissipate, a racket reached their ears.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A rumbling filled the cliffs. The tiger warriors were punching or kicking at the rock walls, their roars chasing the winds up the gorge.
“Groooar!”
Tigers reveled in the thrill of danger.
“Mr. Cale.”
Cale looked over to see Choi Han standing there.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Sure.”
With that, Choi Han also jumped off the cliff. Watching him go, Cale moved his hand. Pat. His palm came to rest on Lark’s shoulder. The wolf boy was now taller than he was.
“Watch closely, Lark.”
Lark stared at the cliff, unable to dredge up a reply. The vivid image of the berserk tiger warriors wouldn’t leave his mind.
That is, until Cale spoke up again. “I need someone to protect Death Canyon until I return.”
As Lark observed Cale’s composed expression, an idea occurred to him. Yet Cale said nothing more. He merely held Lark’s gaze for a moment before turning away. Next, Cale swept a glance around the others present, all of whom were watching him—including Brek’s mages.
Ecross flinched under his scrutiny, and a question popped into his mind: Why do influential people like Rosalyn, the crown prince, and Tunka keep someone like Cale at their side?
He didn’t have long to ponder the matter, however, as Cale made his next request.
“Please get started, if you would.”
Ecross winced, standing there in silence as the others moved away.