Chapter 105: The Outcast King’s Discovery!
While all of that was happening in the leopard tribe cave, Jereth had gotten to the outskirts of the outcast territory when it was already dark.
The sun had completely disappeared below the horizon. The sky was black.
Jereth shifted back into his human form as he approached the border guards.
Two guards stood at the entrance to the outcast territory. One was from the snake tribe. One was from the shark tribe. They looked at Jereth with recognition and nodded, letting him pass without question.
He walked past messy men. Outcasts who looked like they had not cared about their appearance in years. They were scattered around eating raw meat, and talking in low voices. The outcast territory was disorganized and chaotic compared to the civilized tribes outside.
For years they had been isolated from the rest of the world. Cut off completely. They had all been living together in this one area with the third tribe who had somehow gone extinct a few months ago. Just vanished. No one knew why. No one knew how. But now only the snake tribe and the shark tribe remained in the outcast territory.
Jereth found his way to the king’s cave by following the natural path through the settlement. The cave was larger than the others. More decorated. It had a certain prestige to it despite being in the outcast lands.
Two guards stood outside the cave entrance. They recognized Jereth and stepped aside, letting him pass.
Inside, Jereth found the king’s right-hand snake waiting for him. The man was the king’s cousin. He was always hanging around, acting like he was important and in charge.
"I’m here to see the king," Jereth said respectfully, lowering his head slightly. "I bring urgent news."
The right-hand man looked him up and down lazily.
"How urgent is it?" the man asked, his voice carrying arrogance. "Tell me and I may relay the news to him. There’s no need to bother the king with every little detail."
Jereth forced himself to smile, trying his best to act respectful toward him even though he knew the truth about this man.
"I apologize, but the king himself sent me on this mission personally," Jereth said carefully. "So I must report back to him myself. It wouldn’t be right for me to tell anyone else first."
The right-hand man was not a good person. Everyone knew it but no one said anything. He sneaked around to other tribes, kidnapping their females just for fun. He did not care about their feelings or their families. He just took what he wanted.
It was one of the reasons the snake tribe was dying out. They had no females. Not for over ten years now. No litters. No mates who were female. Even the few mates they had died before or after laying eggs. Maybe it was a curse. Maybe it was just bad luck. No one really knew anymore.
The right-hand man was part of the problem, but no one could stop him because he was related to the king.
"Sure, Jereth," the man said finally, smiling in a way that made Jereth’s skin crawl. He stretched his hand toward the main cave. "Go ahead. The king is waiting."
Jereth glared at him as he walked further into the cave, away from that disgusting man.
He arrived at the king’s inner chamber and immediately knelt down in front of the throne.
"I have returned, my king," Jereth said, his head bowed respectfully.
The outcast king was sitting on his throne, plucking flowers that had grown at the corner of the cave where only sunlight shined through. The flowers were beautiful. White and delicate. The king was plucking the beautiful white flowers off one by one, looking impressed by their thorns.
"Welcome back, Jereth," the king said, his voice calm and measured. "What news do you bring? It better be something mind-blowing. I did not send you all the way to the leopard tribe just to come back with ordinary information."
"It is, my lord," Jereth said, keeping his head bowed. "It’s about the dragon king’s mate."
The king continued plucking flowers, not even looking at Jereth directly.
"Go on," the king waved his hand, gesturing for Jereth to continue.
"According to what I gathered from multiple sources, he is more special than we initially thought," Jereth said. "He managed to cure his mate of my poison. The poison that should have been fatal. The poison that kills within minutes."
The king finally turned to look at Jereth directly.
"His mate?" the king asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You poisoned someone? And this red panda cured him?"
"Yes, my king," Jereth continued, speaking carefully. "Turned out he has so many mates around him. Not just the dragon king. The red panda has many mates. A whole collection of them. Multiple beastmen bonded to him. Perhaps."
The snake king almost wished to laugh, but he held it back. He waited to hear the rest of the news as he continued cutting the thorns from the flowers carefully.
"And the most important one of all," Jereth said, his voice dropping slightly with the weight of what he was about to reveal, "he is able to cure the golden frog poison."
The words hung in the air.
The outcast king’s hand froze.
A thorn pierced his finger.
Blood dripped from the small wound, falling slowly onto the white petals of the flower he was holding. Red blood on white flowers. It was almost beautiful in a twisted way.
The king just watched the blood drop on the stone floor beneath him. He pulled the thorn out slowly, deliberately, watching his own blood fall like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"My king," Jereth called with a worried voice. "Are you alright?"
The king turned to look at Jereth with an expression that was unreadable.
"Jereth," he called, his voice soft but carrying absolute power.
"Yes, my king?"
"Is what you say true?" the king asked slowly. "About the golden frog poison? Can this red panda truly cure it?"
"Yes, it’s true," Jereth said firmly. "Someone from the leopard tribe told me herself. She’s also the princess of that tribe. A girl named Bella. She poisoned someone deliberately to frame the red panda, but he cured the victim anyway."
The king smiled.
It was a smile that did not reach his eyes. A smile that suggested he was seeing possibilities. Opportunities. Power.
"Ha," the king said, a low chuckle escaping his lips. "Seems like we’ll be kidnapping him not just to threaten the dragon king and hold him ransom, but also for our own gain."
He stood up from his throne, the flowers falling to the ground.
"If he can cure the golden frog poison, then he can help us. He can help the snake tribe. He can help us survive. He can help us thrive."
The king walked toward the entrance of his cave.
"Inform the shark king I’d like to see him," the king commanded. "Send word immediately. We have to start planning on how to get him. We have to figure out how to capture this red panda before winter is over. Before anyone else realizes how valuable he is."
"Yes, my king," Jereth said and burst out of the cave.