Divine Beast Ascension

Feast

Yeter ran behind Oli and followed him back to the gorilla settlement. After reaching the doorstep and entering the large hut, Yeter was blown away by the structure and luxury their home had compared to his villages makeshift lean-tos.

When Oli introduced Yeter to his mother, who had been waiting for them anxiously after hearing word that Oli would bring a new friend, Yeter was too busy staring at the home to say anything.

“Yeter!” Oli slapped Yeter’s side, forcing him to realize the situation.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Yeter bowed his head in fear of angering a divine beast. “I’m Yeter, the young master of the Thick-skin Stallion tribe. After Oli saved my life and helped me out, I’ll always treat him as my best friend!”

“My boy saved your life?” Ania didn’t care about the formalities of the young stallion but was very interested in hearing the praise of her son. “I want to hear all about it, but first let’s sit down. If we don’t eat now the food will get cold.”

Following her example, they all sat down around the large mat covered in different dishes. Both Yeter and Oli were in shock at how many things Ania had made, especially Oli because he had never seen his mother prepare any of these dishes before.

“Go ahead and have whatever you want. Vloz said you’d bring a friend Oli, so I made sure to make all kinds of things to make sure there was something he’d like,” boasted Ania.

“Don’t worry, Master Ania. We Thick-skin Stallions are omnivores, so I’ll make sure to try everything,” Yeter’s eyes flashed with excitement as he scanned over the feast in front of him.

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“Thanks, Mom!” Oli didn’t wait for anyone and immediately grabbed a couple of things.

One dish was a large millipede that was roasted inside its shell and was cut into numerous pieces, revealing its white flesh that resembled lobster meat. To go with it, Ania prepared a rich dipping sauce from the jrabda fruit that the gorillas began to farm. The second dish was grilled rabbit ribs that Vloz had searched for at Ania’s request. It was glazed in a sweet jrabda sauce that was absorbed into the meat. Oli was in heaven after trying them

Yeter lost all sense of control, having never been offered such an amazing meal. He began to eat a salad prepared with a light jrabda dressing, meat from wild macaws, and wild herbs she had gathered. His brain shut off as he enjoyed himself and thanked her while calling her “Mama Ania” in process.

She didn’t mind at all, actually preferring it. “I hope both of you enjoy yourselves and make sure not to waste anything,” Ania insisted they finish it all as she began to eat as well.

It didn’t take them too long to finish and clean the mat with their appetites. Oli sat up while bracing his arms to the ground behind him, letting him lean back comfortably. Yeter was laying down, still experiencing bliss with the flavors of the food lingering in his mouth.

Ania stood up and began to gather the wooden trays that once held their food. She was overjoyed to see that both of them loved the meal.

“Thanks, Mama Ania! The only thing that could make this any better would be some of that wine Master Rathe had,” said Yeter without thinking anything of it. This comment made Oli stiffen in thought about what his mom might do if she found out about their drinking and Rathe’s drunk weapon testing.

“You know what, you’re right Yeter,” Ania activated her void bracer and removed a large bottle of the very same wine that Rathe had shared with them. “Hurdo filled me in on Rathe’s celebratory drinking and his new gauntlets. Rathe followed Hurdo and pled forgiveness, eventually gifting me most of his wine and something else that convinced me to let him off easy, but I’m sure you’ll see that later.”

Oli stared at his mom in confusion. He knew that she would get on Rathe’s case for what he did, but taking his wine and sharing it with him and Yeter made him question if she was an imposter. “Mom… I thought you said that you were against drinking…”

“I am if you’re trying to get drunk, but when you’ve got such a fine tasting wine, having some with a good meal is a perfect pick-me-up. Besides, if it weren’t for wine, I would’ve never met your father,” said Ania casually.

“What!?” shouted Oli.

“I first met your father in a bar while I was out on my own journey. We got to know each other after talking and eventually we made a bet that whoever could drink the most got to request one thing from the other,” she explained. “After I won the bet, I asked him for his cultivation technique and, surprisingly, he handed it over without any resistance. Then, he asked for permission to travel with me, which I rejected. After his constant begging, I finally let him join me for a single sun and since then we stayed together.”

This was a lot for Oli to take in, not only because it was his parents’ first meeting, but it also revealed his mother’s supposed ability to hold her own when drinking. He struggled to take in the thought of her beating Rathe in a drinking contest, especially with the drunken Rathe fresh in his mind.

“Either way, since you’ve already had your first drink with Rathe, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind sharing a drink with your mother, right Oli?” Ania removed two cups and a bowl from her bracer’s void gem and filled them all with the wine. She placed the bowl in front of Yeter and passed Oli a cup while beginning to sip from her own. “Also, I wanted to make sure you were okay with the next step of the plan. You do remember it right?”

“Oh yeah, of course, I do,” Oli shook off the surprise and accepted the cup reluctantly. “As long as no changes in the plan have been made, I’m pretty sure that I can handle it.”

“I know you’ll do fine in the chiefs council tomorrow, Oli. Other than Vloz no one else could handle this, and it can’t be him because he’s not a gorilla. Though we’ve officially brought him on as an advisor of the clan, it’s not the same as having you as the clan’s young master take the reins at the council meeting. And we certainly can’t let Rathe do it, who knows what my idiot brother might say.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that,” Oli nodded and let out a deep breath. “I’m sure some won’t like it, but that way we find any possible conflicts of interest at the beginning, right?”

“Yup, they’ll just have to accept it coming from you. If not, they’ll be dealing with us, so just stick to the plan and don’t worry about anything, okay Oli?” said Ania, trying to set Oli’s heart at ease while they drank.

Oli looked over at Yeter, who hadn’t been listening too well thanks to his obsession over the wine that Ania gave him. He chuckled let his worries slowly trickle away with every sip wine.

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