The Primeval Era-Chapter 54: Beast’s Mantle! II

The interior of the hut was dim but not dark, light filtering through gaps in the thatch and through a smoke hole in the roof that also served to vent the central fire pit. A few miscellaneous items were scattered here and there: weapons mounted on the walls, containers of remedies and supplies, pelts and furs arranged for sleeping.

But at the central area, dominating the space, was a stone table that held something far more valuable than any weapon or remedy.

A map.

It was drawn on stretched and treated beast hide, the leather scraped thin enough to be almost translucent in places but durable enough to survive years of handling. The lines had been etched with charcoal mixed with rendered fat, creating marks that were dark and permanent against the pale surface of the hide.

The edges of the map were weighted down with smooth stones, and the surface showed signs of frequent consultation: smudges where fingers had traced routes, areas where additional marks had been added over time, corrections and updates layered upon the original drawings.

Mountains were depicted as clusters of triangular shapes rising from the hide, some with additional markings that indicated the presence of Primal Beasts or valuable resources. Rivers were shown as winding lines with small waves drawn along their length. Tribal territories were marked with crude symbols that represented each tribe’s identity: a purple stone for the Purple Stone Tribe, a golden circle for the Golden Tribe, and others that Damian didn’t immediately recognize.

Grandmother Essun took her stick and pointed to the map, the bone rings on her staff clicking as she brought it down on the hide.

"Here is where we are, Tokoloshe."

She tapped a spot near the center of the map, where the purple stone symbol sat in the shadow of a mountain that could only be the Roaring Stone Mountain.

"In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by multiple other Unbound Tribes."

Her stick moved to indicate a golden circle some distance away.

"This is where the Golden Tribe resides. We’re actually shielded by two tribes in our vicinity, the Broken Fang Tribe here and the River Stone Tribe here."

She tapped each location in turn.

"These tribes sit between us and the Golden Tribe, which is part of why that bitch Lady Morgana’s forces have been moving outward rather than directly toward us. She should have been absorbing tribes in a spreading pattern..."

Her ancient eyes grew more serious.

"I tried to find out as much information as I could regarding the Iron Serpent Tribe. The most that I could make out is that it lies in the southern direction..."

Her stick moved toward the top edge of the map, into territory that held fewer markings and more empty space. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"...and is potentially a Vassal Tribe to..."

Her stick seemed to shake as she pointed toward an area of the makeshift map that even she seemed cautious of, a region marked with symbols that indicated vast territories and immense power.

She didn’t even want to utter the name of the Neolithic Empire that was near them, as the thought of it alone was too heavy for her tongue to bear.

Damian looked at the map, his mind already processing the implications.

He knew Uncle Adam held far more knowledge regarding the layout and influence of the larger Neolithic Empires around them. The old soldier had served in the Vakochev Empire’s military intelligence, had studied maps of territories that dwarfed anything drawn on this simple hide.

But that was too far and too distant from them right now.

They could worry about empires later.

What mattered most at this moment was knowing exactly where the surrounding tribes were and what to watch out for in the immediate vicinity.

"Let’s-"

HUUUUM!

He’d begun to speak when all of a sudden, the roars of crackling thunder and lightning echoed over the entire tribe, a sound so vast and so powerful that it seemed to vibrate through the very stones beneath their feet.

Damian frowned alongside everyone else in the hut as they rushed outside and looked up to see clear skies stretching in every direction.

But they had undoubtedly heard the sounds of thunder and lightning.

The cause...

"Phew, I thought we were dead."

Grandmother Essun’s voice held palpable relief as she shaded her eyes and looked into the far distance.

"It’s just a passing beast. It should be a Behemoth Primal Beast..."

She pointed toward the horizon with her gnarled stick.

In the far distance, many miles from here, one could barely see a tiny dot of what looked like clouds of thunder and lightning that were moving across the skies of the Lands of Stone.

This was called the Beast’s Mantle.

It was a manifestation that appeared whenever Primal Beasts of extremely dense power and Mana moved across the Lands of Stone. Their power was mighty enough that they formed natural phenomena around them, their very existence warping the world to reflect their nature.

One could see vibrant or dark clouds suddenly gathering in one area where none had been before. Or lightning and thunder collected in another, crackling and roaring as if a storm had been born from nothing. Or even sparks of fire shooting into the air above, trails of flame that marked the passage of something terrible and beautiful in equal measure.

All of it represented something utterly powerful and terrible moving across the Lands of Stone.

It was also a sign for anyone with sense to make absolutely certain they stayed far away from whatever could cause such a phenomenon.

The Beast’s Mantle was both warning and wonder, a reminder that the Lands of Stone held creatures whose power dwarfed anything that mere humans could achieve.

Damian looked at the distant phenomenon that didn’t even seem to be moving in their direction, and he wondered: would he soon have the power to even think about hunting such a thing?

Because if there was one thing that Warriors loved, it was Primal Beasts.

Every single inch of a Primal Beast was a panacea to Warriors, filled with extremely pure concentrations of Mana that could be absorbed to enhance cultivation. The flesh could be eaten for strength. The bones could be ground into remedies. The hide could be fashioned into armor that held protective properties.

But most valuable of all was the Ancestral Heart of a Primal Beast.

This was the core that formed within every Primal Beast of sufficient power, a crystallized concentration of Mana so pure and so dense that it seemed to glow with its own inner light. The Ancestral Heart held the purest concentrations of Mana that Warriors could absorb, allowing them to rapidly increase their power in ways that normal cultivation could never match.

Wars had been fought over Ancestral Hearts.

Tribes had risen and fallen based on who controlled the Mountains where the mightiest Primal Beasts roamed.

A single Ancestral Heart from a Behemoth Primal Beast could advance a Warrior by an entire Circle if not more, transforming them from one tier of power to the next in a matter of days rather than years.

Damian knew that all of this would come in due time.