Chapter 3: THE FALSE TRUTH
The three guys sat in awkward silence, their minds clouded with thoughts.
"Hey Leo." Parele decided to break the silence between them.
"Leo?"
Parele muttered an apology.
"No its okay, my bhabu addresses me that way." Leomere blinked, rubbing his eyes with his palm.
"If I heard correctly, you say you've got the gibbers gift?" Leomere asked with a pointed stare.
He had always wanted to meet someone with the gibbers gift, or at least one from gibbs farm.
Gibbs farm was the nation's major producers of food and medicine, as farming was their specialty...
The gibbers gift on the other hand, were mystical powers that was quite rare and not readily discovered in one's early life.
"Yeah." Parele answered. "But I've not yet mastered it."
How did he graduate then? Did he lie just to get in? The royal guard could be right, is he really 19?
This were questions leomere was dying to ask but couldn't.
"Let's assume I lied just to get in." Parele read leomere's mind.
"Why?"
"Serving the princess has been my ultimate purpose in life, since the day I heard she was back." Parele claimed with a serious face.
"You mean last week?" Leomere chuckled.
"Yes, I saw a portrait of the princess. Oh! Holy cauliflower, the princess of beauty does fit her perfectly. I just want to get a glimpse of her."
This guy has gone completely nuts, for risking his life just to get glimpse of the princess. "Bhabu did tell me I'd met people even weirder than him." Leomere thought, a small smile stretched across his face.
"Just so you know, I'm not yet 18." Parele added, playing with the loose hairs on his face.
Parele's face brimmed with innocence, not yet 18 but he lied to get in just to get a glimpse of the princess. He was very cute and tall. His height was what fooled people into thinking he was 19.
At the point he was close to 6ft.4.
Almost as tall as the red headed guy.
His crescent of moon eyebrows were full and thick. The thin sharp nose he carried complemented his perfectly sculpted face.
His big brown eyes were orb round and darted constantly with a gleam of life and the vigor youth.
They shone brightly, like two sapphires dipped in milky pools.
Parele's clothes were a source of amusement to many, probably because they emanated an herbal smell.
A bearded man appeared before them. His hair tightly held in a bun, showed beneath the headdress he wore.
"Mind if I join you?" He asked in a low tone.
The blue gem on his left arm symbolized he was a clipper.
"Sure." Parele noded eagarly, after a bit of silence.
The man shuddered and shifted closer to parele. "The name's Eldermar."
"Parele."
"Leomere."
"And you?" Eldermar inquired as he offered Joz a friendly handshake.
Joz looked into the man's eyes for a while then looked away, without a word.
"Red hair alert, but he's Joz by the way." Parele whispered, as he took Eldermar's hand.
Even though Joz saw the world through a darker lens, he was definitely fed up with everyone talking about fangs and red hairs.
"Typical fang." Eldermar whispered back.
"Eldermar!" A voice called out in the crowd. Eldermar mumbled something to himself, before he rose to his feet and left. Suddenly, he froze, dead in his steps and turned around swiftly. "Perry!" He called out pleased to make your acquaintance!'
"Perry? Hmm...I like it." Parele said.
"This man has the scent of grourei ivy (a type of glue the gibbers use)" he thought.
"What's this?" Leomere asked as he took parele's hand.
"Oh this, its just a bracelet people with the gibber's gift have."
The bracelet on parele's arm was tiny and beautiful. Made out of twigs, and adorned with pink and purple flower petals that stays forever fresh on a gibber's arm.
Joz sat quietly wrapped up in his thoughts. Was he the only one that realized something was wonky about that man? "I shouldn't worry about such things." He muttered to himself.
Being a fang, he knew wasting his time about such things wouldn't do him any good. His only goal was to win the contest for fang peak.
Fang peak a small but mighty village, at the farside of the mountains. Unlike most people in Yhakadei, fangs didn't have much mystical powers. However, they were very much feared because of their brutal strength.
The people harbored so much hatred towards fangs. Their cold, heartless and selfish way of life would make anyone hate them.
Despite of all this hatred the nation couldn't do without them as fangs were particularly gold miners.
Joz looked like a cold vampire lifeless, but he was incredibly good looking. His red long hair which was a fangs identity, gave him even more pride. He had bristly eyebrows, his aquiline nose complemented his defined cheekbones and razor sharp jaw. He never smiles only smirked, revealing his set of pearly whites.
"The great Zagaroth is approaching the great hall! Make way, make way!"
The royal announcer called out at the top of his lungs. "Make way, make way!"
All the men rose to their feet and bowed.
Zagaroth the stringent chief of defense feared by all, escorted by four royal soldiers and Hogalbar; the next in command and Zagaroth's right hand man.
"I welcome one and all to this gathering. For one of you shall become the princess's royal bodyguard. I assume you know all the rules." Zagaroth said swiftly.
The fact that a royal bodyguard never weds, protecting at the cost of his life and getting no off days or leave was known to all. But the men stood still in silence.
Did they really make the right choice?
"Soldiers!" Zagaroth's voice broke the silence. 'The door is open for anyone to leave. Feel free to leave this hall right now, before its too late. Once the contest starts the only way to leave, is by getting ruled out or ELIMINATED.' Zagaroth added as a huge grin appeared on his face.
The men looked at one another with eyes full of questions. Then all of a sudden, some began to leave the great hall. One of the royal soldiers was asked to take account of those who leave, and those that stay.
"Your highness out of the 107 men that came, 27 have left so we are left with only 80 men." He conveyed to Zagaroth.
"Oh! 80, how lovely the first test will knock out at least 30." Zagaroth replied.
"You've had your chance soldiers, there's no going back now." He added and left.
Meanwhile Hogalbar explained the rules of the contest. The men were going through eight series of tests. Which included; horse racing, archery, the water challenge, mountain climbing, survival skills and ultimate search.
For some reason, Hogalbar decided not to say the name of the first test they were going through
"You'll all find out about it tomorrow morning. It is going to be a surprise for you all." Hogalbar announced leaving the men in suspense.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone