Tales of the Pearly Kingdom (Pearly Tales Vol. 2)

118. Semblance of Power

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For the next part of the lesson the Nightmares let Sieg and Don sit out as the Nightmares displayed a horrifying combination of skills, abilities, techniques, and magic.

Their display was an exercise in how strong the reinforced magic of a structured party could be.

Vera and the students stared in awe at the terrible symphony of synchronization displayed in front of them.

Don gasped at the scene, he hadn't seen anything so mind numbing since his complete defeat at the hands of Cal or the swift defeat of Shayley and the clan 250 years ago. He remembered a time when he thought the Dravenkin were the pinnacle of all predators in the whole world, and now here he served under Cal, a man who disabled his whole clan without breaking a sweat. He thought he knew... he thought the Dravenkin could only fear the guilds. He was wrong. The Nightmares lived up to their names. To think about 24 of these monsters working in concert under Cal's leadership shook him to his core. What destruction they could wreak if they went all out. The idea of just six of these monsters scared him, imagine what he could do with a city full of these terrifying creatures. Worse, what if they decided to go rouge, would even Cal be enough to reign them in?

Sieg watched his more experienced siblings with wonder. He may have been able to beat Alea, but she wasn't at the top of her game and both she and he knew it. But these elementals were a completely different breed. They were made for war. The earth clan, the one that he had spent the most with, worked in harmony with both elves and monsters in perfect harmony in a different way.

Sure, the majority of the Earth clan were technically Wraith-class brutes, but they weren't unintelligent slouches. They were the big brothers in the clans. They lived in the building and if you tripped they would literally be there to help you up. If a scuffle broke out, they would be there to separate the parties before the light clan or the druids. On the project they were working on, the Dryads hung off of them like they were prince charmings and jungle gyms, while the earth clan elves respected not only their candor and but their calm and reasonable wisdom. Out of all the Elemental clans they were both the most straightforward and mysterious.

The served the purpose of serving the city as their defenders in wars and subtle defenders of the peace, but they were also barely seen unless they were needed. Always helping, always protecting, and always just out of sight. A constant reminder that the city was always watching over its wards.

The other clans had a function both to defend the city and help it prosper. The Nightmares had no such secondary function. They were in every sense of the term a "Raid Party". Born and bred to leave a trail of destruction in their wake, the exact opposite of the City's Clans. Sieg wondered what was in store for the Lightning Clan. Cal called them the Sky Pirates. Were they to fill the role of raider or defenders? Either way he felt the heavy shoes that he and his clan would have to fill.

Vera was overwhelmed. The Calloway Calphius had created these monsters, he had created every elemental in the city, trained them. He crafted this entire city and raised the paltry citizens into a fearsome race of warriors. And these were all just the power of his underlings. Cal was truly beyond the scope of her comprehension. She thought she knew Brother Calloway was great, but the display of the Nightmares fixed in her mind how little she did know.

Then in one moment he had flipped her life around. She wanted to be a hero, she thought that meant that she would someday lead Valkyries in a glorious charge. Instead she realized just what her existence finally meant. She would be the last who would ever have to rot in the catacombs. Because Cal had given her a role, a destiny. He made her a Hero. Only he had the authority to say what might become of them. He never once referred to her as a cursed child. No, by his own declaration she was one of the True Children of Calphian.