Seed Of Speed

The party lasted well into the night. With the addition of music, people danced with smiles on their faces, forgetting that they would soon be parting with their loved ones and just enjoying themselves. Eventually, the crowd thinned out, leaving Diego, Celita, Horsin, and five other powerful beastmen.

There was a crocodile-man that stood over three meters tall and was covered in blue and red scales. Another was a fish-woman with pale blue skin and a tall fin sticking out from her raven black hair. The youngest looked to be a teen with black wolf ears and a long bushy tail, but the fur burned with a familiar black flame. The last were a set of twins with unnaturally lanky bodies that were covered in a fine layer of red scales with black markings that were mirror images of each other.

Horsin gathered them all into a large one-room building with a round table of sand. He dug threw some rolls of skin before he found what he was looking for and spread it out on the table. It was a map of the Timpia Expanse with a twisting path to Zivot Tree marked.

"Before we start, let me introduce you to everyone. Tirano," Horsin said, motioning to the wolf-boy. "Nala," he said, pointing to the fish-woman. "Khan," was the crocodile-man. "And the twins, Zajo and Zozo... So, with the pleasantries out of the way, how badly were you exposed?"

"Actually, thanks to the kid, we shouldn't be at all," Celita said.

"I used magic on their minds to erase their memory of us. There is also another surprise... I've laid out some spells to cover our escape in the valley of the Zivot Tree. It might not be able to stop the big guy sleeping in the volcano, but it can hold back a lot of his forces," Diego said.

Horsin and the fish-woman let out a sigh of relief at his words while the crocodile-man gave an annoyed grunt.

Not everyone enjoys a fight like you, Khan. Half of our kin we are escorting are aged and no longer suited for combat," the fish-woman chided.

"Life is a battle, enemies should be confronted," Khan, the crocodile-man, responded solemnly.

"But the Pack's strength is based on our numbers, and theirs are always move. How many Brothers can you protect?" the wolf-man asked with wisdom that did not match his appearance.

"Enough, we have guests!" Horsin said firmly.

The three who had spoken bowed their heads in submission and Horsin nodded.

"The Timpia Expanse is an ever-shifting labyrinth pathway within a festering marsh. Aside from the toxic mists, the Fog Reapers can move through unseen and attack us from within. Certain pockets of the poison fog are flammable which, when they are ignited, the poison becomes corrosive, melting flesh and scale alike," Horsin explained. "This is the most recent path we scouted, but parts could have already changed. What do you remember from your journey?"

"Nothing of the marsh. Diego flew me over the mountains, and we even managed to scout the volcano base," Celita said.

"Just the two of you? How?" Horsin asked.

"Human magic," she replied. "He cloaked us, so that we could pass under their noses, but there is a limit to how much he can hide."

"It would be far too easy if he could just hide our people, but an impressive feat nonetheless. Let me explain the make-up of our group then we can discuss how to distribute our warriors…" Horsin said then started detailing the group they were escorting.

While Horsin talked, Katalina was listening as well. The longer Diego had been connected to her, the easier he could read her mood, so he could sense her concern. The size of the group was four hundred eighty-five beastmen, but there was only a hundred and fifty who were at full fighting strength. The rest were either too young or too old, so while they could help some, their power would half of the warriors.

"I'd recommend that Diego be placed in the center of the group. With his cloning ability, he can become six with the same level of power then make even more copies of himself that can only use magic, but that should be enough to handle any Fog Reapers that attacks from within our group," Celita suggested.

"Hmmm... that is a good idea. With his strength, he should be able to tie down any Fog Reapers, if not kill them outright. Well then, that just leaves the real danger of the demons. You scouted their base, how many Lesser Demons did you see?"

"We saw about twenty, but there could be more," Celita said.

"There won't be much more. The Fire-Acid Demon Snake and the Shadow Scythe Demon had a war about a decade ago, and the snake hasn't left his hole since. His domain has shrank to the marsh and the surrounding mountains," Horsin explained.

"Then it sounds like he won't go to others for help," Celita said.

"While that is true…" one of the snake brothers started.

"It is also true that he is desperate to restore his former power," the other finished.

"And we are escorting a buffet for the demon kind," Katalina said through Diego's body. "Just leading these people through the marsh will likely cause him to mobilize most of his forces to capture as many as possible. The journey will take over a week with limited breaks, giving them plenty of time to ambush us before we can reach the valley."

Everyone, except for Celita, exchanged grim looks as Katalina's ȧssessment was similar to their own.

"Then what would you suggest, Katalina?" Celita asked, able to sense the changes between Katalina and Diego.

"What we need is a distraction, one big enough to draw, not just this Fire-Acid Demon Snake, but other nearby demon nests as well. We can barrow the threat of the other demons approaching to give your people the chance to slip by, and even if we are discovered, the Demon Snake will only be able to send a smaller force because he must worry about the others or risk losing his stronghold," she said.

"That's a fine plan, but what bait do we have to lure all the demons?" Horsin asked.

"Tell me, little wolf, how dangerous was it for you when you awoke?"

The wolf-boy's brow twitched at her choice of words, but he kept his tone neutral as he replied, "I was born on the border of three Greater Demons' domains. Before I found my way to Horsin, I was being hunted by a total of five factions."

"Though I can't create another Guardian-level beastman, Diego has the ability to create a similar phenomenon. Humans aren't born with the type of power your kind has, but they can draw on the energy between Heaven and Earth to strengthen themselves. If Diego advances to the next stage of his cultivation, it will feel like another Hellflame Wolf has been born."

That made the room go silent as they processed her words. As the one most used to Katalina's rare, but impactful statements, Celita was the first to recover.

"So, you are suggesting that Diego should act as bait? Won't that put him in far more danger?" she asked.

"Have you already forgotten your flight here? He can hide in the clouds as he makes his way back. His cultivation grants him the Hell Flames as well as Heavenly Lightning which he can use to mask his power and escape. The only problem is that he is vulnerable while undergoing the ritual, so he needs someone to travel with him."

"I'll go with him then," Celita said.

"Your strength would be better served with the people, and only you have any chance of activating the formations if we are delayed. No, Tirano is the one who should escort him because he could gain something by watching."

"What could I gain from you?" Tirano asked skeptically.

"If you can glean something from the process, your Hell Flames could become much stronger, but it is dependent on your comprehension."

"I know you don't know us, but if Diego's master is saying you can gain something, it is something you should grab," Celita said.

Diego's head swam for a moment as Katalina relinquished control over his body and he gave a loud sigh of annoyance. (This is getting annoying, you didn't even ask.)

::It was simpler to just make my point than go through you::

(Still,) he replied.

"I won't tell you what to do, Tirano," Horsin said after a moment of silence.

"The plan draws attention away from our Pack and someone must protect Diego, so let it be me," Tirano said.