Novel Full Chapter 550: I SAID CAPTURE HIM!
Chapter 550: I SAID CAPTURE HIM!
A/N: Again, Kael, when talking to Gruumak, is using Stonefang Tongue, and Gruumak, when talking to his men, is doing the same.
…
It was the third day since the Stonefangs came inside the Wall.
And strangely…
The Heights did not collapse.
The tension was still there, of course. It lived in the way Velmourn eyes followed Stonefang shoulders. It lived in the way Stonefang hands stayed close to their belts even when they were working, not fighting. It lived in the silence between two people sharing the same tool and not knowing what word to use for it.
But at the very least…
Nothing surprising happened.
The first collision had already broken the fear of first contact. The second day had shown everyone a simple truth—if you worked long enough beside someone, you either learned to control your hatred… or you drowned in it.
The Stonefangs were learning.
It was not fast by any means, neither was it smooth. Even Velmourn children learned work faster than them. It was almost as if the Stonefangs weren’t built for work.
But…
They were learning.
They asked with gestures. They copied with stubborn focus. They watched the Velmourn workers with the same intense eyes they once used to watch prey. And when they did something wrong, they didn’t laugh or get offended.
They tried again.
That alone changed everything.
A few Velmourns began to look at them differently—not as monsters, but as people who were… trying.
It didn’t erase the past.
But it made the present possible.
In the Six Veins, the work continued like blood through a body.
At the Forge, Stonefang strength turned heavy wheels that usually needed three Velmourn men.
At the Weavers Hearth, a Stonefang woman sat stiffly on a bench, learning how to knot and twist cord without snapping it.
At the Farm Terrace, Stonefang hands dug snow away from the edges of the terraces, clearing paths so the Velmourn growers could reach stored soil pits without slipping and breaking legs.
At the Goatholds, Stonefang youths stared at Velmourn beasts like they were strange, then learned how to calm them with slow hands instead of force.
It was not harmony.
But it was… something.
Something that… mattered.
…
Up at the Wall, Kael was… training.
The wind up there was always sharper, as if the Wall itself dragged cold from the sky and poured it down into the city. Snow piled in the corners. The stone beneath boots was hard and dry, packed by years of patrols and war.
Kael stood surrounded by soldiers.
Ten of them.
Velmourn soldiers.
They formed a loose circle around him, weapons in hand.
It was a spar.
One against ten.
Kael did not use his full power—no flames, no roars that would freeze the enemies. He only moved his body, his feet, his timing, his… technique.
Yes, technique.
Ever since his battle with Aurelia, Kael had realized one thing: while he was powerful, his technique… still needed work.
Something was missing.
And while he couldn’t exactly find what was wrong, that was what he was trying to do, though his efforts until now had… not been very helpful.
Even then, Kael did not give up.
He sparred, ready to increase the number of men he was fighting if required, learning as he watched them move and fight.
A spear came from the left.
Kael stepped inside the line, grabbed the shaft with one hand, twisted his body, and shoved the soldier off balance.
A sword came from the right.
Kael ducked, swept the man’s leg, and the soldier crashed into the snow with a grunt.
A shield bash came from behind.
Kael rolled forward, spun low, and hooked his arm under the shield edge, lifting just enough to break the formation.
Honestly, from Kael’s perspective, his technique was… perfect. Everything he was taught back in Drakthar, it all worked.
Kael even wondered if they had taught him wrong, but he had tried other methods as well—changing his technique—but every change only made him… either weaker or slower.
The techniques that were instilled into his body, first by the instructors the King chose, then Veylara herself, were… the absolute best in every way possible.
He couldn’t find anything wrong with any of them.
And that confused him even more.
How?
If I did nothing wrong, then how did Aurelia overpower me when I am stronger than her?
He wondered in his head as the battle continued.
On the other side, the soldiers breathed hard, smiling in pain and… pride.
After all, even when Kael held back…
He was still Kael. He was faster, stronger, and sharper than them.
“Again!”
One soldier shouted with a grin.
Kael nodded once, the calm, focused look on his face never changing as he lifted his hands again.
The soldiers rushed.
Boots crunched.
Steel met steel.
The air filled with breath and movement and the hard sound of effort.
But then—
Kael froze, mid-battle.
He wasn’t hit, nor was he trying something new.
He just… froze, like a man who sensed something.
The soldiers stopped without being told. They noticed Kael’s sudden change as well.
“Lord Kael?”
One of them asked, confused.
Was this a new technique?
Something he needed time to activate?
Were they supposed to wait, or were they supposed to attack?
They had countless questions in their heads, but Kael did not answer any of them. Instead, he instantly snapped back out of his reverie, looked at the soldiers and—
“I will return soon,”
Kael spoke in a controlled voice, but the soldiers could sense it—his voice had an… edge.
A new, sharp edge.
Kael did not wait for the soldiers to register what had happened. He just stepped onto the ground and… pushed himself into the air.
Then—
[Draconic Surge]
He activated his skill and increased his speed even further, pushing himself toward a certain direction.
As for the soldiers, they just stood still—in confusion and in… awe.
Because to them…
It almost felt like Kael flew and then… vanished into the air in an instant.
The only thing they could do was keep their mouths open and—
“What…?”
—whisper in disbelief.
“That speed…”
Another swallowed hard, but he couldn’t finish his sentence. He just… watched Kael leave.
“A God…”
…
Kael, on the other hand, flew low over the city roofs, not caring about the soldiers’ reactions—at least not right now.
Snow dust lifted behind him like smoke, his mind moving even faster than his body as he continued to get urgent reports from Imperia.
Then, his hand moved into his Sanctuary and he pulled out the communication crystal he was given.
He squeezed it once, activating it and sending his voice through it like a command.
“Korvath.”
He didn’t even use formalities this time.
“Kael?”
Korvath didn’t mind; he was just… confused.
It was unusual for Kael to contact him like this, and every time it had happened in the past…
It… wasn’t good.
Kael didn’t waste time.
“Get to Gruumak. Now.”
He spoke urgently.
“Yes.”
Korvath nodded and got to Gruumak in an instant. As few of the strongest and most influential people in the city, the two were working together to strengthen the unity of the two armies, so it didn’t take long.
“Flying Man.”
Gruumak answered in his usual deep Stonefang tongue.
Kael didn’t waste time in pointless greetings.
“Capture a Stonefang.
Name is Fraza.”
“What?”
Gruumak narrowed his eyes dangerously.
“Now.”
But from the crystal, Kael’s voice came again.
“Why you take my person?”
Gruumak’s voice turned harsher.
Kael did not explain.
He didn’t have time.
“I explain later.
You do now.”
Kael answered, and this time, Gruumak’s anger flared through the crystal.
“This inside Wall! You grab my blood like thief—”
But before the Stonefang could express his anger even more strongly—
“I SAID CAPTURE HIM!”
Kael screamed, his voice exploding in the entire room, stiffening even Korvath, who was hearing everything from the side.
And Gruumak… he turned silent.
This was the first time Kael had talked to him in that tone and he… did not like it one bit.
But even then—
“…You sound like war.”
Gruumak finally spoke again, his voice lower now.
“Because it is,”
Kael answered, and for a moment, Gruumak froze. Even Korvath froze, and he didn’t even understand the language they were talking in.
Then—
“I do it.
But talk to you later.
You explain me.”
He spoke, his tone this time… far more threatening. Kael sensed it, but he just nodded.
“I will.”
He promised, then he cut the call and flew even faster.
Gruumak didn’t waste time either. Even though he was unwilling, he sensed the urgency in Kael’s voice, and the word War clicked something in him. His body shifted into action mode.
And his thoughts, his feelings—
They were all suppressed.
Without waiting, he activated the crystal he held again. That was the first thing he learned the moment he began working with Korvath.
After all, Gruumak was needed to order Stonefang soldiers, and communication through the crystal was a basic that… most armies must learn.
“Fraza.”
He said the name into the crystal.
“Hold him. Fast.”
He spoke in his tongue, something Korvath did not understand, but the people on the other side of the crystal did.
“Hold?”
One Stonefang soldier answered.
“Fast.”
Gruumak repeated, and from the other side—
“Yes.”
His men nodded.