Hundreds of elder Granians, rulers, leaders, and other higher-ups were silenced by the presence of the Humans. To some, seeing such soft-fleshed beings was a first-time experience with mixed feelings confusing them. Some were pleased to see the Humans, marveled in fact, and even wished to touch their soft flesh. Others were appalled by their appearance for it was often characterized by weakness. With no exoskeletons, tough skin, or even scales protecting their bodies, they feared that these humans were weak and could easily be scratched in war. The last category was the most interesting, and it consisted of the slightly older, smaller, and smarter Granians. Despite their fellow species who had mixed feelings about the Humans, these were excited to work with them, experiment with them and on them, learn their ways of speech, living, combat, and get to know them on deeper personal levels while devising ways of winning the battle with their contribution. ’How excited I am to be working with other creatures interested in blood,’ one Granian, an old female with an aged body, thought to herself with a gummy smile on her face, ’so many things to learn. So much to know. So much to show. I wonder what type of magic Humans have. Is it the same as ours? Do they even believe in it? Practice it? Ooh!! I cannot contain myself." "What is the meaning of this?" the seven leaders of the seven tribes stepped up from their seats with discontentment written on their faces. While the appearance of the Humans was certainly...something, they were disappointed in how weak they seemed. These were twenty-year-old Humans without significant builds, jacked-up muscles, or even powerful auras. They just seemed...basic. "These do not look like Warriors at all." "Is this what took your tribe years to achieve? Did you spend all that time traveling galaxies to return with these?" Follow current novᴇls on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱 "While they do share similarities with the first, I do not see them ever beating them at their current...level." "I agree. They don’t look that impressive." "I doubt they can do any damage to us." "You there!!" One Granian, a red-scaled one with so many horns on his head shouted and pointed at them. "Tell us, what can you do...." "I assure you, leader, that the Humans are formidable foes," Lord Grim interrupted, having felt the humiliation the Humans found themselves in, "there is so much they..." "I care not for your speech, Granian," he barked back, "HUMANS!!! Do you even understand what we are saying?" With a bit of sass and sarcasm in her tone, Cherry folded her hands, scowled a little, and replied saying, "How would we work with the others if we didn’t understand your primitive tongue?" The younger Granians laughed while the older ones took offense. The Human’s way of speech was certainly unique, given that its voice wasn’t as scratchy and more high-pitched than theirs "What can you do!!" the previous Granian kept questioning, his arrogance getting on the nerves of Lord Grim and Lord Grania. "You do not look like something deadly." "Perhaps a presentation could help calm your restlessness," Jim stepped up with a proposal, mainly at the yapping Granian, "you and she could face each other. Only then will you be able to see what she can do? Does that sound...agreeable?" "Oh please!!" he laughed even though no one else was amused. "I have no time to waste on you Human...." "Why not," Cherry taunted, wearing her signature smug grin, "Are you scared? Is talking the only thing you’re good at? Can you not back up your words? Come on, Granian. Let’s go for a few rounds. You and me. We can..." "SILENCE!!!" the rate at which the Great Gathering was moving off course was too fast, forcing some of the tribal leaders to set it back in order. "You will verse the Human since you want to see what it can do. Human," the Granian pointed at Cherry, "you will learn to know how to address us. We are not your equals." With the growing tension mounting, Lord Grania offered something rather interesting. A small contest of sorts to soothe the Granians and their curiosity. "Would it please all of you to see the Blood Mutants and what they are capable of?" They all agreed and so, Lord Grania allowed for a small exhibition, a chance for the Humans to prove their strength to the tribal leaders. With a simple wave of his hand, the Palace’s structure changed into one of an arena of sorts with a great space opening down below. Cherry and the horned Granian stood while the others watched from above. The rest of the Humans remained quiet and observant, curious about what capabilities these different-looking Granians had. Did they possess weird traits? Weird powers, perhaps? Special capabilities? Either way, they were about to find out. "Since you feel so brave enough to step in this ring of sorts with me, I’ll allow you to have the first move!!" with pride and arrogance perturbing it, the horned Granian cockily allowed the Blood Mutant to strike first, something it was later on going to regret doing. Without hesitation, Cherry darted at the Granian with incredible speed, moving too quickly that some of the others weren’t able to keep up. When she was only inches away from the Granian, her body oozed with blood spreading and turning into identical Blood Clones of herself, only they were blood red. The clones attacked from the Granian’s left and right side while Cherry charged from the front with the Coagulant Daggers gripped in her hand. Once she was close enough, she and her clones drew back their fists, and together, they.... The first clone was decimated into a puddle of blood, the second was blown off from its torso upward, but Cherry, on the other hand, managed to land such a critical hit that everyone else gasped. Her dagger penetrated deep inside the Granian from its back while the horns on its head broke one by one. The Blood Mutant who had initially attacked from the front had managed to come up from behind with a fatal blood to the Granian, causing its body to ache with green blood oozing like ketchup pressed from a bottle. "Satisfied?" she questioned with her dagger drawn out. Folding her fist, Cherry drained an adequate amount of blood from the Granian, creating a Blood Clone of it from its own blood.