Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 188: Trapped

Stepping into the Ram tribe, the group felt the shift. The people here were not welcoming in the slightest. They would acknowledge Roc and the other two Ram males, but everyone else in the group was ignored. They had not expected such a reception, and Visha, using their pack link, asked Roc the question.

"Why are they like this?"

"The tribe has never been close to outsiders. The only people who are able to get into the tribe without much fuss are females. And only because they give birth to offspring." Roc explained.

Visha nodded. Since that was the case, there was no need for them to be too hospitable. But she did not want to cause any issues. So she told everyone to make sure they stuck close to each other.

"Leaders and priestess of Warm Pack, I think we should continue our conversation in my tent," he motioned for them to walk with him.

"Go look for your partners and the others. Let them know we leave tomorrow," Uri said. "Stay close to each other. If you encounter problems, you know what to do."

Next, Visha, Uri, and Xeno walked with Joruk into his tent. The first thing they noticed when they entered was that it was spacious and warm. There was a fire pit in the centre of the tent. It was circular, and various pelts and skins were strewn about the room. It was not quite what they expected from a tribe leader.

Inside, there was another person sitting, waiting. He turned when he saw the tribe leader walk in. The smile on his face was wide until he saw the trio stepping in. Then the smile on his face died. Visha mused to herself that Joruk and the priest were really from the same tribe. Their faces changed instantaneously.

"These are the leaders and priestess of the Warm Pack. Roc and the others have joined their pack and have come to pick up their partners." His voice was tight, his teeth clenched.

Visha could see how much effort that sentence took. It was obvious they had not intended to lose any of their people, yet they claimed to send them with the intention of joining the pack. It was laughable.

Visha watched the priest. She could tell there was something different about him, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. He appeared young. Like all the other Ram tribesmen, he had horns, and the colour of his hair was not distinctive. The Ram tribesmen mainly had different shades of brown.

She could not use his looks to tell whether he was young, as she knew that beastmen lived for a very long time. However, from his eyes, it was obvious that he had seen many things. He had the kind of stoic silence that came with age. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"You are strange," the priest said.

"So are you," Visha responded.

The other three people in the tent watched the exchange.

Joruk spoke up, "This is the priest of our Ram tribe, Hekit."

Hekit did not respond; his eye instead surveyed the three people standing before him. He had already told Visha she was strange. Visha felt no offense. Now, he did not speak to acknowledge them.

Whether it was an intimidation tactic did not matter to the trio. What mattered was that they needed to get what they came for.

"Are we here to stare or speak? Visha asked.

Joruk gestured for them to sit down after hearing Visha’s comment.

"The howl. You’ve brought information about it. We would like to know." Joruk appeared sincere.

"And we will tell you," Uri states. "When we know our people are safe."

A sinister look flashed across Joruk’s face, so fast that if the trio hadn’t already been able to use vital energy, they may have missed it.

"They are, of course, safe here," Joruk said.

"They aren’t," Xeno said. "You sent people out to make sure they couldn’t get close to their families. Did you think we didn’t notice?"

"What are you...," Joruk started.

"No need to act confused." Uri stopped him midsentence. "You had no intention of having them join our pack. Now that they have you want to get rid of them."

Visha chimed in, "I hadn’t expected you to actually do it. We were made aware of the fact that you treated them as hostages, but I thought it was an exaggeration. It seems it isn’t."

At that moment, Hekit stretched his hand forward. He had been holding a staff. He pounded the staff into the ground three times. The trio felt the rush of vital energy and stepped out of the tent.

What they saw was a blue shield over the tribe. Joruk walked out behind them, seeing them staring at the shield. He laughed.

"You should learn never to walk into the enemy’s territory," he grinned.

The trio said nothing. Curiosity got the better of them. This was the first time they had seen such a power. They had acknowledged that Visha’s Rite of Vitality came from vital energy, even if she didn’t know it. But now there was another priest adept at using vital energy.

"Why are you doing this?" Visha asked, voice strained.

"Because we can," Hekit spoke. "You are different. You should be blessed by the land." His statement was centred on Visha.

"Blessed by the land? What’s that, and what does it have to do with what you’re doing?" she asked.

"I cannot tell you. You only need to know that you are blessed by the land. She will come for you...soon." Hekit answered.

The trio was completely confused. Who is she? Who is coming? No matter who this person is, they didn’t have time to deal with the priest and the tribe leader. They needed to ensure their people were fine.

Sending a mind link, they were able to quickly find their people. The tribe leader and priest did not follow. In their mind, once the dome is closed, there is no way for them to leave.