Rise Of The Spatial Dragon

Lavelian sense of scent was extremely powerful and useful in most situations, but even it had its limit. When the assailants had been gone for quite some time, it became quite difficult to pick up their scent. Since it been quite some time since the attack, Alie was sure they couldn't use that method to follow the enemy.

"What do you plan to do?" Oyoo asked. She'd already lost her son once, there was no way she would let him go, not after he'd finally come back. She may have asked, but everyone else was curious.

"I plan to get her back," Alie answered nonchalantly. He may have been carefree with his answer, but the stupefied expressions on his hosts' faces told that only a crazy person would give such an answer.

"Are you insane?" She asked, even beating the boy hoping to knock some sense into the dull boy's brain. Alie dodged her hit.

"Mom, I'm serious!" This only served to antagonize her more, rendering the entire situation comical.

After Oyoo had finally settled, Alie's expression remained resolute. She knew she couldn't stand in the way of her son anymore, so she allowed him to have his way begrudgingly.

"If you are going, you going to need a guide." The leader of the group that had attacked him said, stepping forward.

"No offense old one but I know these lands better than you do."

"Nothing can hold me back, either," Another said, also stepping forward, "She's my daughter."

The actions of the 2 lavels caused a chain reaction, leading to every able-bodied lavel stepping forward and volunteer to go with Alie. Most of these people have had one of their loved ones or themselves healed, and they felt that they owed her more than this stranger. If he was willing to go, why wouldn't they?

Watching all this, a small proud smile came upon Kendar's face. The small lavel he had been grooming in the cave was finally growing up, and what a fine specimen he was. He had the charisma to command the respect of a settlement. This was no mere feat that could be achieved by just words. It had to do with the actual person.

When everyone was done preparing, Alie looked to Kendar.

"Lead the way." Even now, Alie still didn't know how powerful his master was. However, one thing that had become his reality was the fact that, no matter how impossible a request seemed, his master always found a way to grant it to him.

Even now, trying to track anyone using the infrared signature would have been futile if even their scent had dissipated enough to be untrackable. There should have been no way to follow them, but Alie was sure Kendar could. He wasn't let down.

Kendar already knew almost everything there was to know about this planet. Being the most powerful, he had even set up sensors all over to alert him of any Super activities. He knew where every powerful being lived. Of course, Dane had researched Ogola, and while he made a suitable villain in the short term, Dane had felt that his influence was too lacking.

All in all, it was safe to say that they couldn't hope for a better guide than Kendar. And so it was, that only a few short hours since the duo arrived at the settlement, they were off again, this time followed by a group of lavels.

They were nowhere near the kind of warriors needed to take action. They were just simple civilians at best. The bandits had lived the life of war and crime, they would not be easy to deal with especially by a group of hunters. Prey doesn't fight back.

Nevertheless, this force was Alie's to command, and he felt extremely proud. Watching her son take charge of more than 40 lavels, Oyoo could only shed tears. Mixed feelings of pride and panic filled her heart. She had just got him back, but what she had got back was not the small kid she remembered, but a mighty lavel worthy to be followed. How does a mother handle that?

It took 2 days of relentless walking for the group to finally make some headway. On the evening of the second day, they came upon a vasilian settlement. When Alie saw it, he couldn't that he as back here. It was almost like fate.

Not much time had gone since he entered the settlement bound and in shackles. He and several of his former friends and playmates had been snatched from their homes and brought here. Alie knew that among some of the lavels with him, some had lost their children alongside him. His arrival had given them hope, but upon hearing how he had escaped, they doubted their children were alive.

However, these fathers had chosen to volunteer just in case. They hoped to see their children, and maybe even rescue them. No lavel knew what happened after a lavel was captured by a vasil, but they understood that they would become total slaves. That was something that frightened many lavels, hence they avoided conflicts with vasils.

This was not much of a settlement, but a camp. The vasils would descend from their settlement high in the Bayu and conduct business with the lavels, which was mostly trading of lavelian slaves for weapons and equipment. There were a few lavelian sentries on guard. However, to most of the people present, no one in their right mind would dare attack this settlement.

Why? This was one of Ogola's campsites. As the top trader in lavelian slaves, he had a few of such campsites established. He guarded them with an iron will. Moreover, he had several bandit groups under him, and many were deployed to act as sentries and guards, protecting and maintaining the peace. Since they were dealing with criminals, one needed a strong show of hand.

That being said, none of the guards and sentries were as much a deterrent as the name behind the established. Respected and feared, Ogola was like a king in the underworld. Scratch that, he was a king, ruling with an iron will.

Looking at the campsite, Alie counted at least 8 sentries. Kendar knew there were 18 guards. Amazingly, this campsite looked more like a lavelian settlement. There were shelters in the far right, where the lavelian bandits and merchants slept. The distinct difference was that the center of the campsite had stalls instead of shelters. There were also huts where the slaves were kept. Alie remembered how he had escaped.

"How do you want to play this?" Kendar.

"I'm thinking we should go in, have a look," Alie's reply stunned many, but not his master.

"They won't just allow a group of lavels and a kid to just stroll in," Markath, one of the lavels said.

"And why not, isn't that what they do all day?" Alie asked. Realization dawned on the lavels with them, they could just go in masquerading as bandits. As these thoughts were going through their minds, Alie decided to dash them.

"You are right, all of us going in is a bad idea. Master and I shall go in, the rest of you shall surround the campsite. When I give the signal, you will come in loud."

"But Alie, what's the signal?"

"You'll know it when you see it!" The lavel smiled excitedly. Having been a student under great master Kendar, he had to learn how to read and write. Afterward, when he needed to alleviate his boredom, he would pick up a book and start reading. One would say Alie was quite well-read.

Dane had translated all his literature to the local languages and made it accessible. It was like a treat for his students, although only Alie seemed interested in reading. Furthermore, Dane had changed the descriptions of the individuals in the book to be either lavels or vasils or both. As such, these characters became relatable. Little did Alie know he was reading galactic fairy tales.

Given Alie's age and what he had been exposed to, one could say that he was an absolute genius by all standards of this world. Dane could confidently say he was only second to himself on the entire planet. Not even Bamboo and his group could touch him since he had been groomed while still young.

In a nutshell, one could say that Alie was both well-read and very powerful. With his master tagging along, the campsite was facing its most destructive enemy ever, yet they seemed as innocent as an old lavel and a youngling, presumably here to be sold. It was not uncommon for some lavels to snatch kids and come sell them. Others would sell those they found wandering around lost.

Watching as the duo walked into the camp, the army they had come with couldn't help but shiver. Who walks into the valley of the shadow of death without a care in the world? If Alie was there to hear that question, he'd answer as his master had taught him, if you are the scariest monster in the valley of the shadow of death, you have nothing to fear.

As the settlement warriors took their positions, they couldn't help wonder. They had just seen a child do what even they were too afraid to do. Was it the innocence of youth? The look of utter confidence in the boy's face told them otherwise. Those that had ambushed him had also witnessed their strength. They couldn't help but wonder, just who is this kid?

***

"Molly, Molly!" Alie said as he ran to one of the slave girls. She was tied along a procession of other slaves. Seeing this, a lead vasil cracked his whip, causing the boy to take pause. What was even more disconcerting was that the fact the girl, despite having known each other all their lives, did not recognize him.

"Hey you, control your slave!" The vasil with the whip shouted angrily at Kendar, then as an afterthought, "Get him on some leash or something."

Alie never had a plan, to begin with. He loved the fact that he was strong, stronger than most here. His youthfulness made him impulsive, and that was not entirely a bad thing. Right now, he was seething with rage and hatred.

It felt like an avalanche. The feeling he had kept bottled down deep inside was bubbling. Now he saw what would have happened to him had he stayed. More importantly, he saw what happened to those he left behind. Those he couldn't help since he was too weak to do a thing.

Hatred to the vasil was already at a tipping point long before he said those words, but once he spoke, even Kendar knew he was doomed.

Something was forming around Alie's right-hand side, extending from his hands. Kendar immediately recognized what it was. It was amazing just how similar fire and water elements were. They were both flowing, making their users quite adept at the whip. This was also their preferred weapon, that was why Kendar took special care to train Alie in wielding it.

As Alie formed his 3-meter long whip, Kendar realized that this was not the signal the others were waiting for. The kid actually wanted to fight it out.

While the large vasil saw the weapon being formed, he couldn't have known what it was. What shocked him was the fact that this kid was making fire from nothing. Looking at Kendar, he envied him for having a magical slave. He assumed the old lavel was taking the chance to market his new catch, hoping to get some few parties intereste...

He didn't finish his thought. His head rolled next to his body.

Alie turned his eyes left and right. Not with wariness and fear, but with bravado.

"I want to send a message to Ogola that a new player has come into town, and I would like all of you to help me send it," Alie shouted. His action of beheading a vasilian slaver had already caused a ruckus, but following his speech, there was no way he was coming out alive, or so they thought.

Seeing himself surrounded, Alie a smile as he formed his second fiery whip. He had one on each hand and a very wicked smile on his face.