Altora: The Chronicles Of The Ren Ky Warriors - Volume 4: Book 4: Wolves And Foxes Chapter 153 Augra 18th Wolf

Kratos walked down the stone steps as he was escorted by two guards as he carried food for Fang down in his cell. Fang looked up as he sat on the floor, awaiting Kratos’s arrival.

“So, what is on the menu today, Kratos?” Fang glanced at him as Kratos placed the food outside his cell. He looked over to see the two guards standing on either side of him. “So, now you need escorts to keep watch over me. How childish.”

Kratos glared at him as he grabbed the bars. “Look, I do not know how you do it. But another attack in a guard captions life was erected two days ago. You were seen at the site. Now tell me how you are doing this. As I am losing my patience with you, Fang!?”

Fang sighed as he turned away from Kratos. “I have done nothing. You think it’s me, but you have powerless and trapped. Tell me, how would I be able to get out?”

Kratos growled as he lifted off the bars and stormed back up the stairs. Zero waited for him at the top, wondering where Fang was as he had not seen him since they arrived at the castle. He noticed Kratos as he stormed pasted him. Unaware that Zero was standing at the top. The two guards followed Kratos giving Zero a chance to slip down and see what was going on.

As he made his way down, Fang glanced over to see him looking around at each cell. “Zero, you should leave here at once.”

Zero turned to the cell Fang was in and rushed over. “Wait, Fang, what is going on here? Why are you locked up?”

Fang sighed as he leaned his head against the stone wall. “Kratos thinks I am the attacker in the guards and because I fit the description of the man. He has locked me up until either the king decides my execution date or the real culprit is found.” Fang touched the arma as Zero stared at him. “Look, if Kratos catches you down here, he might think you are a part of the whole thing. I told him what happened, but he does not believe me. As I am part dog type theyan.”

Zero grabbed the bars as he looked at Fang, “Look, I will find this person and show Kratos he is wrong. I will save you. Hopefully, before your execution date.”

Zero ran off as Fang sighed in his cell, “Let us hope you find him before two days as I am scheduled for the twenty-first, at the twentieth hour.”

Zero walked around and asked about the attacker’s target and where he was last seen by the people in town. They all told him that he entered a window and escaped thru the same way as the soldiers entered the room. Zero wrote down every instance and made a map of the attacks and locations. Kratos knocked on his doors as he came in.

“Zero, where have you been all day? The maids came in earlier to bring you for lunch, but you were nowhere to be seen?” Kratos noticed Zero was standing over a map of the city as he walked over. “What is this?”

Zero glanced over at him, “Well, to be honest, the attacker’s attacks and locations of where he enters and was last seen after every attack. Each one seems to lead to this area. As the attacks are too far away for anyone to rush from the castle and gain aid.”

Kratos looked over the area and smirked. “That means nothing but”

“But also the man’s face has been seen by eighteen different people to look like Fang but has a small scar under his left eye. Not a full-on scare that goes over his eye but just under it. I started to look at old photos of Faremin soldier that Dymo gave me that are MIA and found one man fitting this description. A dog type animilain elf hybrid name Tusa.” Zero pulled out the photo and handed it to Kratos.

Kratos raises his brow at Zero, “You met with Fang, I guess? But this proves nothing as Fang as a scar”

“Over his right eye, not under his left.” Zero cut in as he pointed at his right eye. “Besides, this man was assigned to attack all the guard captions by orders of your father. As I did more digging and found that your father was a spy for the Faremin.”

Kratos went pale as he listened to Zero. “You-you are lying!”

Zero turned to Kratos, “Look, the only way to prove this once and for all is to hunt down your father as he went missing at the same time as Tusa reappeared. So, either you use your wolf nose to track down your father and confront him, or you kill Fang, the Ren-Ky of Life. And have the theyan death scent on you or help me prove that Fang is innocent. Your choice?”

Kratos growled as he rolled his eyes, “Fine, but if you are wrong, you will be executed as well.”

Zero smiled as he packed up the information. “Alright then, we head for the east side sewers. As that is where we are going to start our search.”

Kratos sighed as he followed Zero to the location. Zero lifted the cover as he looked down to see the sewer was dry. Kratos stared at the tunnel then looked up at Zero. His face filled with determination as they descended into the sewer system. Kratos activated a light sunstone, as to illuminate their path.

“Okay, this is sketchy? These sewers were said to back up and overflow thru the slums every time it rained. Yet when you look at these tunnels. It has not been touched for some time?”

Zero turned to him and took the sunstone from Kratos, “See, I know this kind of stuff since I was part of the underground in Gold Heart. Before I met Lovell. Anyway, can you pick up anything?”

Kratos sighed as he closed his eyes and began to focus. He sniffed the air and caught two scents Kratos immediately recognized one of them. AS his face went pale. “Zero, I picked up two scents, one being unknown to me and the other being my father.” Kratos turned to see Zero expression stiffen. “What are you thinking?”

Zero took a deep breath before turning to Kratos, “Follow your father’s scent as the other one disappears from the area as he reaches this location. Plus its at least an hour old. Meaning that he has just left to attack another guard captain.”

Kratos shivered as Zero began to walk forward. “So, he is using a scent blocker? Like Fang does.”

Zero nodded as Kratos followed close behind, “Yes, but he uses hs constantly, and I know Fangs sent as when we trained with his mother he took it off.”

Kratos grabbed Zero’s shoulder, twisting him around, “Wait, you can smell just as fine as me? Why drag me along if you didn’t need me?”

Zero pulled his hand off his shoulder. “Look either, you killed Fang with no concrete proof, or I trick you into coming with me and seeing the truth with your own eyes. I will say thins Fand’s sent smiles way nicer than the attackers.”

Kratos stared at Zero for a moment before blinking, “So, what are you going to do once we find my father?”

Zero sighed as he found that Kratos was slow, “I am going to make him take and take him in and the attacker as well? I noticed that the attacker has never killed anyone unless something came up. They wounded the men as if to end their career?”

Kratos went pale as he remembered his father’s position. “Wait, are you insinuating that my father is trying to regain his old position? Thru attacking those who are in his way?”

Zero nodded as he felt Kratos was finally getting it, “Yes, and if I am right, you should have been at the spa house getting ready for the banquet tonight? But you will not be making it as you are here, and the attacker is lying in wait for you.” Zero crossed his arms as he watched Kratos’s face fill with confusion and questions. “Look, we need to keep moving unless we want to meet Tusa. I suggest we keep heading towards your fathers sent as you know it. Not me.” Kratos nodded as he followed the scent of his father.

Kratos led the way as they came up to an area, well-lived in. Zero glanced around as Kratos looked for evidence. But was cut short as he trigged a trap. Zero turned to see Kratos in a cage while the sound of hands clapping slowly moved closer from behind him.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Kratos turned to see the person talking. “If it isn’t Kratos and a little fox. Sniffing around.”

Kratos grabbed the bars as he looked at his father. “Father, tell me, are you behind the attacks!?”

His father smiled in glee as Zero summoned his weapon. “Oh my, your quite the catch. If I capture you. My general will be most pleased to have you. And for your simple little mind, Kratos, yes. Yes, I am the one behind everything. You were to be my tool for the Inroar assassination, but things changed once Vain took you in. leaving me to grumble as my plans fell apart. “He looked at Zero as he stood his ground. “My dear boy. You will never beat me as my new project is almost ready. With Kratos here and all the other guard captains out of commission, I can kill the king in peace. And the bonus is that this will happen in two days as Fang is executed because of your misguided actions.”

Kratos felt sick as his father began to burst out laughing. Zero lifted his shield as Kratos’s father turned to him and smiled. “You won’t get away with this!”

Kratos’s father turned to his right and threw a rock at the wall. Zero stared at him as h a cage engulfed him. “No, I will as you might be a smart boy but are dum to the point to not think that I had more than one trap? Besides, I applaud you for figuring out all of this in just four hours, where it has taken weeks for Kratos to get this far.”

Zero released his weapons and grabbed the bars. “I will escape and stop you before you succeed!”

Kratos turned away as he listened to Zero. “Zero, no one could stop Curtis except for King Vain.” Kratos turned to his father. “I am right, aren’t I, father?”

Curtis smiled at his son’s intuition. “Yes, that is correct now you two just sit tight as I get ready for my master plan. And don’t try anything as those bars will detect metal magic. So don’t try and escape Kratos.”

Kratos tried a little bit of metal type magic and was sent flying into the bars on the other side. Zero called out to Kratos as he laid unconscious on the ground.