Chapter 122: Daring Demand (1)
"May the spirits of our forefathers bless you, my child!" Skaha’s voice thundered as he acknowledged Adrian and darted towards Ahuli.
Adrian stood outside the cave, his body drenched in the Queen’s blood from head to toe. The tribe members stared at him, a mix of fear and awe evident in their eyes. But they were even more scared when Fenris approached him, licking his blood.
The Queen was a beast they used to fear, and it was said that the one who defeated her would gain unimaginable rewards. Many people tried, but none were successful, and soon Skaha began using the Queen to bait the heroes and then enslave them.
It wasn’t like those who tried were weak. They were by far stronger than Adrian. Unfortunately, none of them could make the connection between the pond and the Queen’s weakness.
Adrian realised the Queen’s weakness and used it to his advantage. But the tribe didn’t need to know about it.
’Though it was a pain to kill her,’ Adrian thought, staring at his newly regenerated arm. ’Severing my arm was a gamble. I’d be screwed if the troll blood didn’t work effectively.’
Severing the arm was indeed a bold and painful move. But it was the only way Adrian could have gotten rid of the poison before things worsened. Besides, he knew he could absorb some creature’s arm if it came to that, so he wasn’t scared of losing it.
’I wasn’t scared... but I can’t say the same for the tribe.’
He was right. Some trembled at the sight of him, while others whispered in hushed tones, admiring him. As Adrian surveyed the crowd, he could sense the strange mix of emotions swirling among them. But amidst the fear and awe, a sense of respect was directed towards him.
"Tal’shira..." One of the tribe elders mumbled as he stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly as he addressed Adrian. "Tal’shira!"
The rest of the tribe soon followed, and the chants of Tal’shira reverberated all over the forest. Adrian had no idea what the word meant, but he knew what Shira meant, "defender" or "protector".