"Such precise attacking prowess." "Not to mention the way it fooled the tribal leader." "How did it make it to the back?" "It happened so quickly that I was not able to see it." Loud murmurs and chatters from the Granians resonated in the ring with the members of the other seven tribes gasping with amazement, fear, and admiration towards the Humans. Just Cherry’s simple exhibition of not even a quarter of her strength was good enough to gain her favor with some of the Granians. Unfortunately, not all of the tribal leaders were pleased with such a gruesome, quick, and uneventful exhibition. Never did they expect one of their own to exhibit such weakness before a being deemed weaker. Disappointed, disgusted, and a little bit angry, they scoffed at the horned Granian and his people, mocking them for the weakness of their leader. "Well, are all of you satisfied with that?" Lord Grania waved his hand and the room reverted to its original state. While the horned Granian was taken away for treatment, the Humans were ordered to stand in the center. Lord Grania, standing from his throne, faced the six tribal leaders and continued with the Great Gather. Hundreds of topics were covered from the involvement of each tribe to their contribution; battle plans, strategies, and contingencies were also discussed along with fallback plans in case unforeseen problems were to arise. As all of this progressed, the Humans were given tasks to accomplish, ranging from daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. In addition, the egg heads, who were the smartest Granians, were assigned sessions with the Humans to further assess their dietary needs, and biological composition, and discuss more about their abilities. Orıginal content can be found at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 In addition to that addition, the "magicians" of the other tribes were also given time slots to spend with the Humans to see what could be done about their Blood Abilities. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for Ace was struggling with understanding the role of being a Hemomancer. Understanding Blood was one thing, but the magical concept was on a different league of its own. ’Perhaps these ’magicians’ could know a thing or two about Blood Magic. I could copy what they know and amplify it.’ A few more hours passed with the conversations, agreements/arguments, and other topics escalating/de-escalating. For the remainder of the day, the Elders, Council Members, Tribal leaders, and other higherups prepared severely for the War. The severity of their situation could not be further stressed and for that reason, they meticulously planned each step, each attack, and planned for almost every scenario. There could not be room for mistakes at all costs. ********************* As the members present at the Great Gathering dispersed into their chambers for the night, others were quick to start working immediately. Preparations for War were still ongoing and with the extra hands available, the workforce was intensely strengthened. Now, tasks that were scheduled to have been completed in months were shortened to short week periods, allowing for a quick comeback in the war. Meanwhile, as the rest of the Humans decided to call it a night, Ace was intrigued by the Granians whose work was affiliated with the aspect of Magic. Surprised, the Blood Bishop never expected such technologically advanced species to believe in magic. Even Humans didn’t believe in magic to the point where it was used in War. For that reason, he was more than intrigued to see what type of magic the Granians practiced and what he could get from them. "Human!!" the gummy smiling old female Granian approached Ace, her old face wrinkles folded as she smiled at the Ace. The folds on her face, her hands, her legs, and her tail testified to the years she lived. Her face, though lizard-shaped, beamed with immense wisdom and intelligence. Her stature, surprisingly upright for an old being, radiated with knowledge. Just one look was enough for Ace to trust that this Granian knew her stuff. "Granian," he replied with a light bow. The Granian stood before him, her smile somehow growing wider with her wrinkles folding even more. "Please, address me as Glissk," she replied and offered her hand to Ace. "I believe you Humans shake hands up and down as a form of greeting, yes?" "Err, yes. Yes we do," Ace smiled awkwardly. "I have been looking forward to this. I..." "Want to know what sort of magic we Granians do," Glissk interrupted while leading the Blood Bishop outside the Palace and into her small kiosk erected at the walls of the Castle. All around them were other tents, kiosks, and small huts with different Granians preparing different items for war. Just like Glissk, they too were looking forward to working with the humans. "Yes, actually. How did you know?" Glissk chuckled while opening her kiosk. Inside were bottles with different liquids, some glowing others bubbling; pelts of flesh, scales, bones, horns, teeth, and organs; books and papers pinned on the walls and floors decorated with her writings and drawings. In the middle was a little wooden table supported by two large logs. Behind the table was a cupboard with different choochkies, and thingamabobs scattered everywhere. The ceiling of her kiosk had many items, and creatures, dangling in cages and tents, giving it a somewhat awkward homey smell. At the center was a bone chandelier decorated with small hovering orbs lighting the kiosk in a warm, yellow-orange tone. "You’re radiating with Mana," she replied while preparing a seat for her and Ace. "I could sense your oozing mana even before you entered the Palace. Tell me, why is it only you have?" "It’s a Blood Mutant thing," Ace answered, his eagerness to learn evident. "Tell me, how does one sense Mana?" "You don’t," she laughed. "It just happens, you know. Tell me, have you ever been able to sense someone’s immense Eneraflux energy before?" she asked but didn’t let him respond. "The way you can sense that energy is the same way I can sense your Mana. You’re strong, that I can tell. Stronger than the others by a great deal. But answer me this. Why do you want to learn Magic?" Thinking long and hard made Ace wonder why he wanted such power. He already had a small arsenal of Blood Abilities and about nine hundred Blood Warriors at his disposal. Despite this, he did feel that Blood Magic would make a perfect addition to his skills. Understanding its concepts could help him understand his Hemomancer role better. "You already know that I’m a Blood Mutant," Ace elaborated, "while I do possess a certain arsenal of tricks, skills, and abilities, I doubt whether they’ll be enough in case I fight the Ethisian Blood Mutants. Having something as powerful as Magic incorporated with my Blood Skills could do a lot of damage for our enemies." "Blood Magic then," the wide smile on Glissk’s face turned into a grin. "Very well then. I shall show everything I know about Magic, more specifically Blood Magic."