Chapter 143: The Shark Chief’s Condition And The Dark Bargain!
Zyreth had Neve and Popi locked in one of the rooms connected to his cave deep beneath the ground.
He had purposely stationed guards outside the room door. Multiple guards. Strong guards. Guards loyal only to him. He did this to make sure his right-hand man, would not do anything stupid to them. Would not try to claim them. Would not attempt to use them for his own purposes.
As long as they were locked away safely under guard, they were Zyreth’s property. His prisoners. His leverage against the world.
Due to the teleportation, both Neve and Popi had fallen unconscious during the journey to the outcast territory. They were not used to traveling that way. Or maybe they were just too weak to handle it. Zyreth did not care about the reason. As long as he had them in his grasp now, especially Neve, nothing else mattered.
He was sitting on his throne in his personal chamber, plucking petals from a black flower. The petals were dark and twisted like everything in the outcast territory.
"Once he tells me how to cure the golden frog poison and gives birth to litters for me, I’ll discard of him," Zyreth murmured to himself, watching each petal fall to the stone floor. "I’ll use him until he’s worthless and then throw him away like trash."
Someone suddenly walked into the chamber and Zyreth felt the presence immediately. It was Jereth, his loyal messenger.
"Yes?" Zyreth spoke without looking up from the flower.
"I’ve called the shark chief here, just as you ordered, my king," Jereth said, his voice respectful and obedient.
Zyreth finally looked away from the flower and turned his attention to his messenger.
"Hmm, let him come in," Zyreth said, his tone commanding.
Jereth pulled away from the chamber and footsteps echoed through the stone halls as the shark tribe chief walked in.
The shark beastman was massive. Tall and muscular with silver skin that gleamed in the dim light of the cave. His eyes were cold and sharp like a predator. He moved with the grace of someone who knew exactly how deadly he was.
"Why have you summoned me again?" Maren demanded, his silver eyes cold with irritation. "I hate it when you call me in here! I hate wasting my time in these caves!"
Zyreth finally looked away from the flower and turned his full attention to Maren, the shark chief.
"Even if you hate coming here, there’s no way I can visit you under the sea," Zyreth said calmly. "Even though I can swim, I can’t breathe well under water for extended periods. My lungs are not designed for it like yours are."
"So?" Maren asked impatiently. "Why have you called me? I didn’t leave my tribe just to listen to you complain about not being able to swim."
Zyreth stood up from his throne, his snake lower half coiling beneath him.
"I finally brought him," Zyreth said, his voice filled with satisfaction and dark purpose. "The one we’ve been waiting for. Now we can commence our revenge."
Maren’s expression did not change.
"Brought who? And what revenge are you talking about?" Maren asked, clearly confused. "I thought we had already decided not to pursue any more plans against Vaelthorn. The Dhole Tribe’s extinction should have been a lesson to all of us."
Zyreth hated that question. It annoyed him that Maren was questioning his plans.
He got off his throne and walked toward Maren. The shark chief was about one and a half inches taller than Zyreth. But that did not mean Zyreth was average in height. He was tall too. Dangerously tall. Powerfully tall.
"I brought the red panda," Zyreth said, his voice becoming colder. "Vaelthorn’s mate. The one with the red hair and the red panda features. I brought him here so we can begin our revenge against Vaelthorn and the other tribes that have wronged us!"
He cursed under his breath, his hatred for Vaelthorn burning in his eyes.
Maren turned away, shaking his head.
"I was never in support of you kidnapping the red panda," Maren said, his voice filled with conviction. "After everything Vaelthorn had done to us, to our tribes, you still wish to get revenge against him. Haven’t you learnt your lesson? Or do you wish to end up like the Dhole Tribe?"
The Dhole Tribe. That was a sore subject. That tribe had been completely wiped out, erased from existence. Not a single member survived.
"Those bastards ended up extinct because of the wrongs they’ve done," Zyreth said, trying to convince Maren. "It’s not because of Vaelthorn’s power. Vaelthorn doesn’t have that kind of power to wipe out an entire tribe. The Dhole destroyed themselves through their own actions. Maybe."
Maren sighed, turning around to walk away.
"Whatever you’re doing, whatever scheme you’re planning, I want no part in it," he said firmly. "The sharks will not get involved. We will not help you."
Immediately, Zyreth shifted his lower half into his full snake form. His massive coils erupted, wrapping around Maren with lightning speed. The thick serpent tail curled around the shark chief’s body, pinning his arms to his sides.
Maren froze. He was not scared. After all, it was not the first time Zyreth had threatened him this way. They had done this dance before. Many times.
With his strength, Maren turned his entire body, not caring how strong Zyreth’s grip around him was. His muscles flexed and strained against the coils.
He glared at Zyreth with absolute fury and grabbed the snake’s tail with both hands. His grip was crushing. His hands sank deep into Zyreth’s skin, cracking his scales. Blood oozed from the cracks.
Zyreth pulled back immediately, hissing in pain and rage.
"You sick bastard!" he cursed, looking at the damage Maren had done to his scales.
"Threaten me one more time and I’ll end your life," Maren said, his voice cold and filled with absolute certainty. "I will rip you apart. The sharks will not partake in your evil plan. We will not help you destroy ourselves."
He turned to leave again, walking toward the chamber exit.
But Zyreth could not let him go. He needed the sharks. He needed their help. He needed Maren’s strength and resources.
"Wait!" Zyreth said, gritting his teeth even as pain shot through his wounded tail. "What if I told you that red panda can cure your mother?"
Maren froze completely.
His entire body went rigid. His hand stopped halfway to the chamber door. His silver eyes slowly turned back to look at Zyreth.
"What do you mean by that?" Maren asked, his voice suddenly different. Softer. Filled with something that sounded like hope.
Zyreth grinned. He had Maren’s attention now. That was exactly what he needed.
"That red panda can cure beastmen," Zyreth said, walking closer to the shark chief despite his injured tail. "I have heard reports. I have heard stories. The red panda has the ability to cure poison. The ability to heal wounds that should be fatal. The ability to save lives that are already lost."
He paused, letting the information sink in.
"Would you like to give it a try?" Zyreth asked, his voice smooth and tempting like a snake’s venom. "If he manages to cure your mother, if he manages to heal her completely, then you’ll join me for the revenge. You’ll help me bring down Vaelthorn and the other tribes. You’ll be my ally in this war."
"And if he doesn’t?" Maren asked, his eyes narrowing. "What if this red panda cannot cure my mother? What if he fails?"
Zyreth smirked confidently.
"Then I will do this alone," Zyreth said, his voice filled with fake confidence. "I will pursue my revenge by myself. You will owe me nothing. The sharks will remain uninvolved."
But inside, Zyreth was secretly praying that he did not fail. He was secretly praying that Neve could actually cure beastmen. He would just have to force Neve to cooperate if it came to that. He would threaten him. He would threaten the leopard beastmen he cared about. He would do whatever it took to make Neve obey.
Maren stared at Zyreth for a long moment, clearly wrestling with the decision.
His mother was dying. She had been ill for years. No healer had been able to cure her. No medicine had worked. She was slowly fading away, her strength leaving her day by day.
If there was even a small chance that this red panda could save her, Maren had to take it.
"Fine," Maren said finally, his voice heavy with resignation and desperate hope. "Let’s do this."