A King's Legacy Ch. 02

A King's Legacy

Chapter 2: Ousted

Due to the nature of the boy's identity, the only real contact Aster ever had with others was limited to his father, Jagón, an antelope buck named Javis, the head butler of the Venatus household and sole caretaker to the boy, and his two brothers, Talan and Cortist. Cortist was always the boy's closest and only real friend. A friend who considered the human his brother as much as his own father had considered him his son. It was from this relationship that Aster's dream was born.

It was early one winter morning, the large mansion the Venatus family called their own was struggling to keep the cold out, but on the highest floor, in a room deemed off-limits to all visitors and most staff by the head of the house himself, the laughter of children playing managed to ward away the chill. Cortist and Aster were running in circles as Javis silently watched the cubs play. The young panther, who was chasing his brother of three years younger, began exclaiming how he was the great, Amber Dragon, come to raze and destroy all that prospered in the kingdom. Aster, almost seven at the time, paused in his escape from the make-believe threat to ask his brother a question.

"What's an Amber Dragon?" Javis, as being the one responsible for the boy's education, stood from his seat, walked over to a dusty bookshelf, and pulled a book of myths from the shelf, returning to where the boys were playing. He sat between the cubs, and opened the book, flipping through until he came across the old legend.

"The great Amber Dragon was one of five legendary feral beasts etched into the history of Alora. Many scholars argue upon the validity of the claim, however, there is a story of a great king who led the charge against the beasts. Would you care to hear it, young masters?"

Both boys eagerly replied with a 'Yes please!" And so the antelope began telling the epic, both young cubs sitting starry-eyed on the floor, clinging to every word, studying every illustration. Aster perhaps a bit more so, considering his brother Cortist was already familiar with the legends. Upon reaching the end, where the legendary warriors had succeeded in driving back the beasts, resulting in prosperity for all the land, Javis closed the book. The human listener jumped up excitedly before proudly declaring himself a legendary warrior, tied a cloth around his neck for a cape, and returned to the pursuit of his brother, the great Amber Dragon.

After the cubs had nearly exhausted themselves, they both plopped onto the human's bed, breathing heavily.

"Brother, do you think I could become a knight like the legendary warriors from that story were? Like dad is?" The young human questioned hopefully to his older brother. Cortist was a bit caught off guard by the question. At his age, he knew more about his brother's circumstances and the slim chance the boy had at ever living a normal life than the child had yet to grasp. So he only sat up on the bed and grew quiet for a moment, eventually turning to his brother before speaking.

"I want to be a great mage. I want to be able to help people all across this land to live better lives. I want to protect those closest to me. I want to protect you, Aster..." The panther trailed off For a moment, trying to find the words to crush his brother's dreams as gently as possible. None came to him. He stared into the human cub's eyes and saw the hope shining back at him. The young panther's resolve melted, replaced instead by a smile.

"I think I'd be honored to fight with you to achieve those dreams. I think you could become a great hero, brother, just like father... And I think we could become an unstoppable team capable of tackling any foe, Even a legendary beast... You, me, and our brother Talan."

Javis watched on silently, knowing the older boy was simply showing mercy on his younger adoptive brother, but even the buck at the time could hear the true hope and aspirations beneath both children's words. In truth, Javis was enraged when he was first charged as the boy's caretaker, he couldn't fathom what his master could've been thinking, but as the years grew on, so did the fondness the antelope held in regard to the child. He made a decision that day that could've cost him his position, his stature, and possibly even his life.

"The greatest of warriors never hesitate to do what they believe is right, To help people. They never falter in their dreams, young master, nor in their training. Your father is evidence of this. So, Aster... Cortist... Will you both accept those aspirations and the consequences that may come with them? Can you put forth the work load and heavy lifting needed to achieve them? Will you fight tooth and nail to defend those dreams and eachother?" Aster, even at his age, could grasp the seriousness in the buck's tone. He and his brother stood from the bed, and kneeled before his teacher as he was taught to, demonstrating respect, comprehension, and resolve before giving his answer.

"Yes Sir." The antelope smiled.

"Good."

Javis began training the boy in self defense by way of the staff the next day, just as he had once trained the human's older brother, Talan. That was all he could do to aid his young master's dreams at the time, and the buck could only pray that it may be enough to keep the human alive one day.

After finishing his matches disguised as 'Mortum," the first day of Selection, Aster was sneaking his way out of the arena and back to the inn, where Javis awaited him. His father, Jagón, was obviously quite unaware the two had departed the estate behind him after leaving for the capitol, and as no others in the estate really knew much of Aster's existence, none were any wiser. After all, it was nothing unusual for the head butler to depart on errands as needed for the family. He greeted his charge and began stripping the disguise from the boy, who was excitedly rambling on about the experience. The boy sneaking off to take the Selection was only able to be pulled off by his caretaker's assistance, So to say Aster trusted him deeply was an understatement. As Javis removed the last of the bandages and pulled the helm from the boy, he spoke in a caring voice.

"Sounds like you had great victories, my young master, I am glad. I had worries this disguise would limit your field of vision too greatly, but happy to hear it was a success. I only wish I were able to see it, but we couldn't risk the exposure to Lord Jagón. I am quite proud that you made it to the second day still." Aster beamed up at the buck, happy to receive the praise for his hard work paying off.

"I even talked to someone! Besides the event organizers that is. A wolf... Stahl I think? He called me weird, but still, it was nice to be part of a conversation with someone new. I think he might be a noble, he's really good with swords! He even complimented the techniques you taught me!" The buck chuckled at the boy's evident excitement. He was happy the kid was finally getting to experience a bit more in life, but still gave his warning. He didn't want to see him hurt when his identity would be undoubtedly revealed.

"Just remember, until you can earn the right to expose yourself after passing the selection, don't rely on anyone having the same opinion before they learn who, and what you truly are. You very well may only set yourself up for disappointment." The boy smiled beamingly up at the slim buck before nodding in understanding, giving out an enthused, "Yes Sir!"

Upon Aster's arrival at the Selection Grounds the following morning, he found the friendly wolf sitting in the same spot as the previous day, so the currently disguised boy made his way over, the wolf offering up a lazy wave his way in greeting. The wolf in question had a wonderful coat in the boy's opinion, with a dark, ashy gray covering most of his body. His chest area, small strips of his underarms, the tips of his ears, and his brows were coated with a much lighter, silvery-white gray. He had a similarly coated, four pointed star-like jagged patch of fur at the center of his forehead. Aster found himself wanting to touch it for some reason. His clothing was a simple white shirt covered by a leather vest, and plain light brown trousers. The wolf's large paws stuck out the ends of the pants, crossed at the ankle, just as his muscular arms crossed behind his head as he lazed back against the stone seating, his dual swords resting in their sheaths beside him. The wolf almost always appeared to be bored to Aster, but he was certainly imposing, even more so after seeing him in battle. The young human found it all oddly comforting, however.

Aster, or "Mortum," as he was currently, took a seat beside the large wolf, greeting him as well. Much to the disguised human's delight, the more experienced warrior began making small talk with the boy once again. (Keep in mind, this was only the fifth person the boy had ever actually had a chance to converse like this with.) They continued on for a few moments before the sound of thunder signaled the continuation of yesterday's event growing nearer, the great cloud circle forming once more. The gray wolf looked over towards the new odd little friend beside him, and decided to wish him well on his endeavors.

"Good luck out there today. May we both make it through to the finals, even if our blades cross then." Stahl extended his hand towards the beast with his trademark fanged smile. Aster faltered for a moment, feeling guilty about accepting the offer given his current deception, but extended his hand to clasp the wolf's own none the less. With a firm shake, the warriors further solidified their comradery.

A bit later, shortly after Stahl had finished his own third match for the day, the wolf sat watching his new weird friend against his own third opponent. The badger the beast was fighting was putting up a good match, displaying some real power behind his swings in the process, attempting to overwhelm the smaller creature with it's size. At this point in the event, that much was to be expected. As the weaker contenders took their second losses and were removed from the competition as the rounds dragged on, the difficulty of opponents really began to raise for those still vying for a spot at the top, all while the remaining number of warriors fell.

Suddenly, the badger swung left, and then right in quick succession. The odd beast managed to dodge both, squatted down, and used every bit of strength he had to buckle the badger's knees from behind him with a quick turn. The beast, while continuing his movement as he stood back up, ended the maneuver by bringing his staff down upon the fallen badgers chest, securing the final point needed for the victory. The wolf grinned to himself as the contenders bowed to each other in respect before his new friend made his way back to their spot, breathing heavily beneath the mask as he took his seat.

"Nice one. Almost had me worried. I'm starting to see why you chose that staff as your weapon. It makes up for your lack of reach." Stahl had noticed small compliments really made his weird little buddy open up when talking, so he tried to work them in when he could. He wasn't exactly expecting the answer he got, but he had managed to get the boy to drop some of his walls without realizing it.

"Haha! I wish I could take that credit, but in truth, it's just the only weapon I was taught to fight with." The wolf immediately noticed what the boy had overlooked.

"Oh? I thought you learned from watching?" Stahl ended his question with a raised brow. He could almost feel the beast lock up beneath the mask, who only looked away, going silent. The wolf was about to leave it alone, until something more caught his eye. He stared for a bit at his discovery before calling to the creature.

"Not my business. Got it... But uh, Mortum..." The beast meekly looked his way again, the wolf finished his statement by raising his arm and tapping on his side. "Your bandage shifted." His odd friend was visibly alarmed, as he quickly moved his hand to readjust the wrapping, re-covering his exposed sliver of tan flesh. The wolf was even more curious now, he'd only seen a color of skin similar to that one on a pinkish pig, and while the possibilities were vast, Stahl didn't believe it was a pig beneath those wraps.

It was about that time, that the wolf really got a good dose of the creature's scent, presumably because the beast had finally worked up a bit of sweat with the exertion last match. The wolf had expected it to smell earthen and rotten, considering the weird helm and bandages, not to mention the ratty looking patches of fur poking out of the disguise, but was happily intrigued instead. The beast had a scent he'd never picked up on before, and the wolf had met many kinds of beastmen. It had a hint of sweetness to it, but a sharp, almost spicy bite to it as well that burned at the tips of the canine's snout, much like an onion. Something about it made the wolf's jaw clench tightly just a bit.

Stahl chose not to pry further yet, considering his friend had all but shut down on their conversation. Their silence was soon broken by an announcement booming across the stadium.

"As the entry pool has now dwindled to less than 15% of entrants remaining, we will be hosting our fourth and final round of the day next! We will rejoin the remaining competitors here tomorrow for their final two rounds!" The crowd cheered in approval. They were getting a good idea of who to keep an eye on, however, they weren't the only ones making observations.

Jagón had an uneasy feeling burning in the back of his mind watching the match between the badger and the strange creature. There was something he was supposed to be realizing here, his instincts were screaming it. Something about the creature's fighting style was eerily familiar to the panther, but he couldn't quite place it. The knight was about to give up on doing so when the beast made a move that finally forced all the pieces to fall into place. A leg sweep rising up into a downward strike. The panther had commonly seen the technique executed by two others, his oldest son, Talan, and the one who had taught it to him, his head servant, Javis. Realization set in as the panther compared the previous techniques displayed in the odd creature's prior battles. Everything lined up, he knew who was beneath the disguise, and for the first time in a very long time, the knight found himself truly afraid for what the evening may bring.

"Riiiing outtt!" The match judge boldly declared, signaling Stahl as the victor for his final match of the day. The wolf had finally had a worthy opponent, but the other fighter was simply outclassed and out maneuvered by the noble wolf in the end. Stahl boastingly soaked up the audience's applause for a moment before returning to his seat.

"Congrats. I'm glad you made it through..." The beast hadn't spoken much the last hour or so, so Stahl was a bit surprised he had resumed doing so. Still, he thanked the other fighter. A while later, the judge called out another two names.

"Mortum Ambula, Oust Candori."

The wolf's ears perked as the creature's opponent's name was called. Oust was of a noble bloodline, and a well known one at that. Stahl admittedly felt a bit put off by the odd beast's recent coldness and silence towards him, and he considered remaining quiet, but as the creature behind the disguise stood to take his place on the stage, the wolf gave him both a bit of advice, and a warning.

"Don't let him close enough to grab you. You will lose. The Candori family is not to be underestimated." The beast halted a second, nodded in thanks towards the experienced wolf's warning, and walked onto the stage opposite of an imposing white tiger. All eyes in the stadium were on the pair.

Aster knew of the Candori line from his studies per Javis on the famous houses of Alora, and so he knew of their renowned severity in battle. Most of the family fought with their hands, and by the looks of the tiger's studded gauntlets he was wearing, it seemed that held true for Oust as well. Oust was an intimidating opponent. The large cat towered over Aster, nearly as tall as Stahl, but far more stocky. The tiger's arms were like massive pillars, rippled and corded with powerful muscle. The tiger's well defined body was covered in a white fur, with black stripes running horizontally along his arms, tail, and back. Along the nape of his neck, and up to the tips of his ears, the tiger's white fur took on an orange tint, Something that had plagued the warrior since his birth.

Aster took a different stance this time, spreading his feet apart and bending his knees a bit, bracing himself as he held his staff in front of him at an angle. This match-up HAD to be taken seriously, and the human planned on giving it everything he had.

"May the superior reign. Fight!" before the judge's outstretched arm had even finished dropping, the tiger had began advancing. He closed the gap between the fighters at lightning speed, swinging his left fist directly at the human's helm. Aster barely avoided the blow, only to be caught in his midsection by the cat's right gauntlet, the bluntness spell spreading out the force of the blow as it landed, sending searing waves of pain over his ribcage. Aster was rocked backwards by the attack, barley able to keep himself on his feet by taking a step back along with the force. As the judge called out the tiger's point, the human was still trying to get some of his breath back, a bruise was already forming where the impact landed. If the tiger got in another hit like that in a vital area, Aster knew he would lose.

The judge gave the command to continue, and the boy immediately found himself being rushed by the tiger again. Aster managed to dodge his first blow again, and brought his staff down with both hands just in time to knock away the second fist. Aster made the most of this opportunity by stopping mid-swing, and essentially backhanding the large cat with the end of his staff, earning himself a point as well, and eliciting a snarl from the tiger. The judge gave the fight command again, but the cat didn't charge forward this time, instead choosing to size his opponent up for a moment, taking the boy a bit more seriously now.

Aster found himself worried, the brute strength his opponent brandished was hard to deal with, the human had nearly lost purchase on his weapon from parrying the last attack. He would have to use his wits if he had any plans on securing the round. He tightened the grip on his staff in anticipation. The cat suddenly charged again, crouching down and leaping into a pounce this time partway through, Aster scrambled to sidestep from his trajectory, and barely managed to do so before the metal claws on the tiger's gauntlets slashed the air beside of the boy's helm close enough for him to hear a whooshing sound as it passed by his ear. Aster took the opportunity to take a step forward after, and swung his pole with his right arm, connecting with the tiger's ribs.

"Point! Mortum!" The crowd surged at the judge's declaration. Aster kept a cool head as the fighters reset their positions, Oust, though, was apparently starting to lose his composure.

As the battle progressed, the ferocity and force behind Oust's attacks rose, Aster soon found himself struggling to even defend himself against the Cat's relentless onslaught, never mind countering it. The tiger won another two points on the boy, bringing him to three. Aster still only remained at two, body aching where the attacks had landed, with his hopes of receiving another point growing more grim as the battle moved forward. He had managed to keep the tiger from getting a solid grip or vital hit on him so far, but that was only the bare minimum required to survive this bout. But sometimes surviving something can take everything you've got.