Eternal Master: Path to Godlike Status-Chapter 40: Ride Away

Reign clenched his fist, feeling his blood pump faster.

To think Haron was nothing more than cannon fodder to the truly strong.

In this world, there was always a higher peak—mountains so immense they might as well be floating in space.

But it didn’t bother him—the stronger they were, the more his enjoyment would stretch on.

Soon, the carriage turned off the main avenue and descended a gentle slope toward the lower merchant district.

The buildings here were shorter—three, four floors at most—and the street opened up around a broad circular plaza.

"We’re close." Alicia’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

Their destination spanned the entire western side of the plaza.

"That’s Sodalitas Ferae—the largest beast-taming guild on the continent," she added.

It was not what he expected.

He imagined something rough. What he got instead was a low, broad structure built from pale sandstone, its facade carved with reliefs of beasts both elegant and enormous.

The entrance arch alone was three carriages wide, and above it, a bronze plaque read: Franiz Branch.

Their carriage rolled to a stop along the plaza’s edge.

Rain stepped out. The morning air felt cooler here, away from the dense press of the market streets.

He looked up, past the roofline of the guild building, toward the open yard he could just make out beyond its rear wall.

Two shapes moved there, slow and vast against the pale sky.

’Birds?’

But the word barely covered it. Their wingspans swallowed shadow the way clouds did.

Alicia came to stand beside him, following his gaze upward.

"They’re called Sky Riders. The guild breeds them specifically for long-distance travel. The Capital is seven days by road. Just over half a day by air."

"It must cost a fortune to rent one of these," he remarked.

"It does—100 gold coins per ride. Sky Riders rarely grow big enough to be ridden, and even if they do, it takes almost two decades for them to reach that size."

"The ones in the wild are hard to tame, so only those hatched from eggs can be used."

Rain nodded. With that much time and effort involved, 100 gold per ride was a fair price.

Besides, Alicia was filthy rich—such an amount was nothing to her. She could ask for donations and earn it back in a month.

He took one last look at the Sky Riders before following her inside.

The interior was busier than the facade suggested. The entrance hall opened into a wide, high-ceilinged chamber that smelled of leather, beast musk, and something faintly medicinal.

Guild members moved through it—tamers in weathered field coats, clerks carrying ledgers, and so on.

Along the far wall, a long reception counter stretched the full width of the room, staffed by four attendants fielding a queue of clients.

Mounted on the stone above them were the skulls and preserved hides of creatures Rain didn’t recognize—trophies, or perhaps a catalogue of what the guild had dealt with over the years.

He was still looking at one of the skulls—something with four eye sockets and a jaw that hinged twice—when it started.

A clerk near the entrance glanced up from his papers as they walked in. His eyes passed over Rain first, found Alicia, and stopped.

The man blinked. Then he straightened so fast he nearly knocked his inkwell off the desk.

"High Priestess—"

The words weren’t loud. But in the way that certain sounds carry in stone rooms, they reached farther than intended.

A tamer two feet away turned. Then the attendant behind the counter closest to them looked up. Then the one beside her.

Conversations dropped in volume. Heads turned without quite meaning to. The queue at the counter lost its shape as people turned to look.

Alicia walked through it casually. She didn’t slow, didn’t acknowledge it, didn’t perform indifference either. She simply moved forward, as if the hall had always been arranged for her passage.

Rain stayed half a step behind and said nothing.

A junior clerk appeared from a side door—young, slightly breathless. He bowed before he had fully stopped walking.

"High Priestess Alicia. We weren’t informed of your arrival—please forgive the lack of preparation. If you’d allow me to escort you to the lounge, we can arrange—"

"We’re only here for a ride. No need for fuss."

Before the clerk could respond, a door at the far end of the hall opened—wider than the others.

The man who stepped through was built like someone who had spent decades working with large, dangerous animals and had come to resemble them slightly.

Broad through the shoulder, grey at the temples, a short beard trimmed.

His guild coat was a deeper cut than the others—better fabric, brass-clasped—and he wore it with the comfort of a second skin.

He crossed the hall without hurrying and came to a stop before Alicia with a bow that was deep enough to be genuine and short enough to suggest he earned the right to keep it brief.

"High Priestess." His voice was careful. Warm. "Darius Halvorne, Branch Commander. It is an honor we did not expect, and one we are glad to receive."

Alicia offered a small smile. "Commander Halvorne. I’ll spare you the ceremony. I’m sure you’ve already heard what happened to my cathedral."

He inclined his head. "Of course. I’m sorry for the Church’s loss."

"Save your pity. I came here for business. We’re traveling to the Capital and need two seats on a Sky Rider. As soon as one can be arranged."

Halvorne was about to agree, then hesitated.

"High Priestess, could you perhaps wait until tomorrow? The governor’s son already rented our last available—"

"Then tell him he’s the one who needs to wait." she cut him off, her tone showing no sign of backing off.

Silence stretched between the two parties.

"What are you doing?" Her tone sharpened. "Are you implying you’re giving priority to the governor’s son... over me? A High Priestess of the Church?"

His back straightened at once.

A bead of sweat slid down his temple as he raised both hands slightly. "N–No, of course not. That is not what I meant."