Chapter 322: Inside Grimmark.

"I said that your wife is pregnant." Andrea repeated herself.

Elliot responded with a growl, a few curses and another question. "How?"

On the other end of the line, Andrea blinked at her phone in confusion. She pulled the device away from her ear, stared at it for a second, and brought it back. "What do you mean, how?" she asked, her voice dripping with confusion and mild concern for her boss’s brain cells. "Brother, you’re a grown man. You slept with her, and_ well, that’s usually how babies are made. You have been changing girlfriends on a weekly basis since you started dating in your teenage years. How can you ask me how your wife got pregnant? With your lose morals, frankly, I am surprised woman have not been dropping off babies at our doorstep every day."

Elliot stood frozen in the middle of his ruined office, his brain short-circuiting. I slept with her and she is pregnant? Impossible. Wait_ that night? Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind. His face slowly flushed. Damn, it really happened that night! I actually did it!

Instantly, the dark clouds hovering over Elliot’s head vanished. The burning rage, the urge to strangle Hunter, the heart-demons were gone. A slow, goofy smile began to stretch across his face. A father. He was going to be a father!

For years, the rumors about him had been vicious. People called him a weak and impotent man behind his back. Because of his inadequacies down there, he couldn’t dare to prove them wrong. But now, he could shut them all up. The heavy, dark shadow of shame that had weighed on his chest for half a decade shattered into a million pieces. He was a real man! The medical reports were wrong all along.

Elliot pumped a furious, triumphantly cheerful fist into the air. "YES!" He spun around to face Mason and Orlando, his eyes shining with pure joy. "Guys! I’m going to be a father! A FATHER!"

Orlando, who had been quietly standing near the door trying not to be hit by flying debris, clapped his hands together with a grin. "Hey, congratulations, boss! That’s huge news. You just secured your position as the next heir of your family."

Mason let out a chuckle, shaking his head as he raised his beer bottle in a toast. "Look at you, grinning like a foolish golden retriever. Congratulations, bro."

Mason walked over, clapped Elliot hard on the shoulder, and added in a half-joking, half-serious tone, "Now listen to me carefully: you better treat your wife like a queen from now on. Don’t go yelling at her like you yell at us. She’s carrying your legacy in her belly, man. Keep her happy until that baby is out."

Elliot vigorously nodded his head like a chicken pecking at grain, his wide grin never fading for a single second. "Yes! You’re right! Absolute royalty. Nothing can happen to my heir."

*****

Zyra had reached Grimmark. What the elder had forgotten to tell them or perhaps conveniently left out, was that it was almost as big as a city. So far, it was the absolute biggest settlement Zyra had come across since stepping foot into the wild lands.

The place was surrounded by a ridiculously thick stone wall fence, guarded by armored men who looked like they hadn’t smiled since the day they were born. Security was tighter than a pair of wet leather pants. A huge line of merchants, mercenary groups, and random travelers stretched as far as the eye could see, all waiting to get inside.

Zyra stretched her arms, looking up at the stone iron gate. "Senior, how did you forget to tell us about the fortress."

Taylor turned toward the Senior and poked his shoulder. "Hey, old man, what is this place really? Why are there so many people?"

"Ah, young man," the Senior sighed, stroking his wispy beard. "This is Grimmark. It holds the largest market for wild meat. They have fresh food trading guild branches that operate in other nations. All these people are here to sell meat."

Beauty tilted her head. [What does he mean by wild meat?]

Bullet walked lazily beside Zyra, lifted his snout and sniffed the air. "Wild meat?" His stomach let out a loud rumble. "Wait, like cooked meat? Raw meat? Are we talking about steak? Ooh I would love a barbecue baby."

"Not just any meat," the Senior said, nodding solemnly. His brows drew close, and his voice dropped down to a dramatic whisper as he leaned in closer. "Many powerful people come to Grimmark to buy high-grade beast meat to boost their health. But there is a dark rumor."

Zyra raised an eyebrow. "I’m listening. Give me the gossip."

"They say the leader, the so-called Beast Master and his men sneak into other territories, steal half-life beasts, drag them back here, chop them up alive, and sell the meat. That is why they never run out of meat."

[THAT IS JUST DISGUSTINGLY GROSS!] Beauty screamed directly into Zyra’s mental ear canal, nearly blowing her psychic eardrums out. [Humans are inhumane! What about basic decency?]

"Ow! Beauty, quiet down! You’re going to turn my brain into jelly!" Zyra rubbed her temples. "Besides, we don’t even know if the rumor is true yet."

Without waiting for permission, Zyra activated the environmental scan. "The King Beast isn’t here... at least, not yet," she noted mentally.

[Host! Focus on the priorities here. If this rumor is true, you must save the beasts!] Beauty cried out in her head. Beauty cried out in her head. [Think of the poor, innocent, fluffy creatures!]

"I get your point but such a rescue operation requires heavy preparation." Zyra muttered under her breath. "Do I look like a saint to you?"

Before Zyra could even finish her sentence, Beauty barged straight into the system controls.

[Please host...]

"Do a deep scan first. Let us see what we are dealing with." She relented.

[Deep scan activated.]

Less than a minute later, a response came: [ Found them! Look! Look at this!]

Beauty pointed dramatically at the red dots on the map.

Zyra looked at her crew. "Looks like we have beasts to save but first we get back up and disguise ourselves as traders." She said as she took off the hazmat suit. Today, she would see how good her new gun was.