The lion family was utterly shocked at the way Kael created the artifacts. They couldn't help but stare at the red whistles in their paws with wide, fascinated eyes. This… wasn't how artifacts were supposed to be made.
Even Kiona, who had already been wearing her tunic for a while, had assumed Kael must've gotten the leather armor crafted somewhere else, maybe even stolen it.
Kael gave them a rough, vague explanation about the process, just enough to calm their nerves. They still didn't understand it completely, but it solidified something else in their minds, their master was mysterious—far beyond their current understanding.
After distributing the red whistles, Kael kept a few for himself and decided to store the rest within the Great Storm Tree.
He also created a crimson-red leather armor for himself—a light, flexible set of cloth and pants made from the leftover Flameclaw Lion materials. It wasn't bulky, but it clung well and moved with his body.
The enchantment he chose for it was [Heart of the Sun], a passive skill that belonged to Kiona, something he had acquired after the events of the previous day.
Its effects were simple but effective.
During daytime or near large fire sources, mana regeneration increased significantly, and all fire-based attacks gained a burst in intensity. Moreover, the aura strengthened dramatically when the user was protecting someone emotionally important to them.
It was particularly potent during dusk and dawn, which made sense, given Kiona had chosen to fight Steve in the evening.
Once Kael had settled into the light armor, feeling more comfortable and protected, he headed off to inspect the lion's cave. Stephen had mentioned a bag that supposedly contained a map of the surrounding region.
"It's probably a trap, Master," Seth growled, his tone low and cautious. "I do not trust a human's words."
"It probably is," Kael agreed with a nod. Still, curiosity tugged at him. So he told the three to stay back and ventured into the cave alone.
Soon enough, he reached the branching paths and chose the left tunnel, he had slept in the right one earlier, so this was unexplored territory.
After a brief walk, he arrived at what looked like the end of the tunnel. In the corner, tucked beneath a rock ledge, sat a small sling bag. He gave it a passing glance and sighed.
"I can feel the danger already," he muttered. "He really did leave behind a trap. Tsk… this is why I don't like trusting people."
[… Master, you literally killed him by twisting your words.]
"I didn't lie, though," Kael shrugged casually.
Then, without hesitation, he threw a bolt of lightning into the bag. The explosion rocked the enclosed space as a cloud of purple smoke filled the cave—thick, toxic, and ominous.
Kael stared at it with disdain before turning away and walking out without a second glance.
Later, the group buried the corpses of the Fanged Lions deep underground, ensuring no beasts or necromancers could tamper with them hopefully, though there was still the danger of underground beasts.
Surprisingly, on their way back to the Great Storm Tree, they encountered a few wild beasts. But they dispatched them quickly and used the opportunity to cook up a decent meal.
After all that was done, the group gathered on one of the massive branches of the Storm Tree. Kael had expected the lions to struggle while climbing, but to his amusement, they were surprisingly agile—even with their massive frames.
Once they had all settled before him, Kael cleared his throat.
"Our main goal," he began, "is to establish a Beast Empire. Or nation. Or whatever you want to call it. So… what do you think we should do first?"
Jon scoffed lightly. "We should subjugate the surrounding tribes of beastkin. That way we'll have more members and access to materials and other things we'll need to build the basics."
Seth nodded, thinking for a moment before speaking. "I think we should first find a base where we'll have both food and water available. If we choose this tree and the area around it… we'll need to bring water from that river over there."
Kael nodded, finding both ideas logical and sound but not quite complete.
He turned to Kiona. "What about you?"
"We're weak," Kiona said flatly. "No matter what we build or achieve, it'll be taken away the moment someone stronger sets their eyes on it. This is the land of beasts. Strength is everything. We need to get stronger first."
Kael clapped lightly, pleased. "Exactly. Our immediate plan should be to grow stronger."
He paused, then smiled faintly. "But that brings up another problem. We could go out and hunt other beasts to grow strong… but I don't want that."
He looked around at them all, gaze steady.
"I want to build a Beast Empire, a place where a myriad of beasts can live and thrive together. But if we go around killing other beasts left and right… we'll only be making enemies and cause infighting. There'll be no chance of unity."
Kiona's eyes brightened. A quiet exclamation rose within her heart. That's it. Aside from strength, this is the reason no one ever succeeded in uniting the beasts.
It was a truth she had always known but had never seen clearly until now.
In this world, power came only by killing others and absorbing their Soul Power. It was the only way beasts could grow stronger. Other races, like humans, had Labyrinths and dungeons to train their people. They didn't need to murder intelligent beings for growth.
But for beasts, things were different. Ever since the Beast God had died, they had been barred from entering the Labyrinths. It was said the Labyrinths were created by the Gods themselves and those same Gods had sealed them off from beastkind.
With no other option, beasts were forced to fight each other. And waging war against other races wasn't feasible. They were too disunited, too disorganized… and even if united, they still couldn't match the armies of other races armed to the teeth with magic and technology.
This cycle of conflict and weakness had lasted for centuries.
But now...now her master was most likely offering a solution. And if what he thought worked, then this… this could be the turning point.
Kael noticed the glint of hope in her golden eyes and chuckled. "Don't get too excited just yet. I've only got theories. I need to confirm a few things first before we start dreaming big."
"Confirm what, Master?" Kiona asked, her voice soft with anticipation.
"The Labyrinths," Kael grinned. "I don't think they'll reject me. And if I'm right… then we'll have something no beast has had in centuries—a path to strength without killing each other."
The lion family blinked at him in stunned silence.
He's crazy, they all thought at once.
Who in their right mind dared to go against the will of the Gods?
But… maybe crazy was exactly what they needed.