The Last Primal

Hearing the strange whispers, Aiden looked at Mary, asking the question that was on the minds of almost everyone.

"Mary, who is that man? Is he the one that will test Galina?"

However, before she could answer, Drake interjected, a frown visible on his face.

"That man is the Roaring Lion himself. He is probably one of the most famous, and one of the strongest knights in the entire kingdom, one of the acting generals in my father's army, and one of the few Rank 6 adventurers still active… Sir Arthur Sonovan, the patriarch of the Sonovan Clan."

"Sonovan?" Aiden's face twisted into a frown as he was reminded of the name of that golden-armored figure, the fly that buzzed around his sister, Sir Michael.

He looked back at the proud-looking heroic figure at the front, basking in the glory and cheer. 

"Is he related to-"

"Yeah, he is. Although it may be hard to believe from a first glance, he is the grandfather of Sir Michael and the current acting patriarch of the Sonovans." Finishing his friend's question, Drake answered. 

"You see…" He continued after taking a breath. "The Sonovan isn't just simply a noble family lording over this backwater city in the kingdom. No, they are a large clan, with lots of side branches in many cities. The Sonovans' as many simply would call them are one of the pillars. One of the Big Four, Aiden, and that man is the leading figure of them."

He sighed as he continued.

"He is not just strong, but also wise and clever. He has this magnetic pull… driving the crowd to him. Behind all the might he has almost the same, if not even higher presence than my father, the king himself."

"What would a man with his caliber do in this place?" After listening to Drake's explanation, Aiden grew even more confused. A man with such stature wouldn't really come for petty reasons, there had to be something behind the scenes.

Mary could only shrug her shoulder at the question, she was just a small speckle, a little dust in the endless sea… She was merely an employee she wouldn't know of such things. However, there were others… that should be in the know, that once again conveniently hid some of these details…

A frown soured Aiden's usually calm expression the more he thought about the details. Why didn't the Mistress say anything? Why was Sara also silent about this matter? They had to be aware, right?

"Well… Whatever he is here for, it isn't just to check up on his dear ol' grandson…. Maybe…" Suddenly his eyes turned wide as realization hit him. "The War Games! Michael was supposed to lead one of the forces. However, now that you dealt with him and destroyed his reputation, he might be here for that matter…"

"For the War Games? Why would he care who will be the leader of Higrove? What does this city even matter?" Aiden asked, still not convinced.

"Well… I don't really know… Still, it's strange… However, more importantly…" Drake turned to look at Galina and Aiden with a stern look. "He most likely wants to dish out some payback for ruining his grandson's reputation… Aiden, what are we gonna do?"

"Why? What does it matter if he conducts the test?" Still seemingly unaware of what Drake was insinuating, Aiden asked with an innocent stare.

"Aiden, he is Rank 6, one of the strongest figures in the kingdom's ranking. He is even on the Top List!" Scarlet chimed in, trying to yell some sense into this oblivious boy.

However, her words caused only further confusion for Aiden. Looking at the siblings with an inquisitive stare he asked, grabbing the wrong keyword from the red-haired princess' words.

"Top List? What's that?"

"The top list is a rank board that the Guild manages and publishes. It's a sort of hall of fame, the strongest 100 adventurers are listed on it. They are all considered legends in the Kingdom Aiden. They are the ones the people refer to as 'Heroes'." From the other side, Mary suddenly spoke up, answering Aiden's question. 

"Getting to the list is whilst not that complicated, is incredibly hard. First, there are a series of so-called 'Ranking Quests' you have to complete… alone." She continued explaining seeing how she got his attention.

"Second, you need to challenge and defeat one of the Ranking Heroes to qualify."

"I understand… But why would anyone care to be listed? What's the purpose?" Aiden asked. Listening to the requirements he only had more questions than answers. 

"What do you mean what's the purpose?!" Scarlet looked at him as if he was an idiot. "Besides the fact that you will be revered and celebrated as a hero, a literal 'god' walking amongst the 'mortals', you will also be a part of the elite. You-"

"What my sister is trying to say here, Aiden…" Drake interjected, taking the word from his sister. "… is that by qualifying on the Top List, you will be counted amongst the strongest and most influential people in the Kingdom. These… 'Heroes' are the strongest forces the Kingdom can ask in times of danger. They would all receive title, land and as you might expect, monetary compensation for their services."

"I see. Thanks, I get it now." Aiden smiled, no longer caring about the matter. To him, this is all just a waste of time. Money? Fame amongst these humans? What's the point?

"Anyway…" Changing the subject, Drake looked at the old man, who by now, turned and walked towards the arena causing another murmur to traverse amongst the crowd.

"Is the Roaring Lion going to fight someone? Here?"

"For the Gods! What an incredible day! Haha, I knew today was going to be special!

"I'm so happy I decided to come today!" 

"But… who is he fighting against? Oh my… Could it be… he came to take revenge on that boy?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"Quick, let's go upstairs! I bet we can all go and watch the duel!"

Soon, the idea began to spread, changing from thought to fact, increasing the excitement of the growing group of people. 

Soon they began to surge towards upstairs. Whoever was the legendary Roaring Lion was going to battle against, was not something that any one of them wanted to miss out on. Some even grumbled that such a grandiose event should have been scheduled and advertised more and held in the Grand Arena in the Noble's District and not indoors.

"Seeing as the crowd flooded towards upstairs whilst Sir Arthur's figure vanished into the Guild's Battling Hall, Drake could only shake his head and smile wryly.

"Once again… whenever something is related to you Aiden, it explodes to such a degree… Even a simple registration test is now akin to a city fare…" 

Although it certainly held some truth, Aiden couldn't help it… It's not like he was looking for trouble at every corner.

Still, he wasn't too worried, even if the new opponent was someone that was such a figure. For one, the test was about testing the qualities of the applicant and not to destroy him or her and crush his confidence. Second, he felt no ill, harmful or dark intent coming from the figure. He truly had a heroic, positive presence. For Aiden's senses, he was akin to a bright white flame, illuminating in the darkness. A pillar of hope and justice, the true definition of what made a knight… well, a knight.

Unlike his spoiled, and lusting grandson, he felt no such traits from the old man, he had a feeling that he didn't need to worry about any harm coming to his girl.

Also, an unbeatable challenge was just what they needed to pull out all the potential and mysteries lying dormant in Galina.

The only thing he was slightly displeased about was the spectating crowd that will undoubtedly watch their fight now. If it was only the old man, he wouldn't be too worried, but with hundreds of extra eyes glancing at every minute detail, they might not be able to utilize the opportunity to the fullest.

In the end, Aiden sighed, as they left their seats and slowly walked through the flowing crowd towards the same door Sir Arthur took. 

Unfortunately, they did manage to grab some of the crowd's attention, earning another round of whispers.

"Hey… Isn't that boy the…"

"Shush! Do you want to grab his attention? You saw how vicious he is!"

"Does this mean that he is the one facing the Roaring Lion?"

"Oh my… Hey, who is in charge of taking bets? I want to place mine on Sir Arthur!"

"Me too, I have a thousand credits to place! What's the odds?"

Drake and the group could only shake their heads as they silently passed through the sea of people, and entered the arena.

As if nothing happened yesterday, if there was nothing to be learned from their mistakes and losses, they acted as if nothing happened… Once again, they only wanted to see the carnage, witness the tale of the 'supposed' revenge, the Legendary Patriarch's Might.