The military district smelled of blood and fear.
I noticed it before we even entered the compound—a thick, metallic scent mixed with something else. Something primal that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Sera had insisted on accompanying me, and now I was grateful for her presence as we approached the iron gates.
Two guards stood at attention, their expressions hardening when they saw us approach.
"Priestess Sera," one acknowledged with a stiff nod. His eyes flicked to me with barely concealed suspicion. "And the... summoned one."
"We're here to observe the beast tamers," Sera said calmly. "By order of the head priest."
The guard's jaw tightened but he stepped aside. "Commander Vane is expecting you. Training yard three."
The compound was larger than I'd expected—a sprawling complex of stone buildings, training grounds, and what looked like reinforced cages. Lots of cages. As we walked deeper into the facility, I could hear sounds that made my stomach churn. Snarls, yelps of pain, the crack of whips, and harsh shouting.
"This way," Sera said quietly, leading me toward a large open area surrounded by high walls.
Training yard three was a bloodstained arena. That was my first impression—the sand was dark with old blood, the walls scarred with claw marks. About a dozen soldiers stood in formation on one side, watching as a massive beast thrashed against its chains in the center.
It was a dire wolf, easily the size of a horse, with matted black fur and eyes that glowed an eerie red. Foam dripped from its jaws as it strained against the thick iron chains binding its neck and legs. The chains were attached to posts driven deep into the ground, and even with those restraints, the creature looked like it might break free at any moment.
A man in dark leather armor stood just outside the wolf's reach. He was middle-aged, scarred, and held a whip in one hand and a branding iron in the other. The iron glowed with an unnatural purple light.
"Commander Vane," Sera called out.
The man turned, his cold eyes assessing us. "Priestess. And this must be the summoned hero." His tone made it clear what he thought of that designation. "Come to see how real tamers work?"
"I'm here to learn," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the nausea rising in my throat.
Vane smirked. "Then watch and learn, boy."
He turned back to the dire wolf and cracked the whip. The sound echoed across the yard, and the wolf flinched, snarling louder. Vane moved closer, the glowing brand held out.
"Subjugation magic," he announced, apparently for my benefit. "Pain is the only language beasts understand. Fear is the only leash that holds."
He pressed the brand against the wolf's flank.
The creature's howl of agony was unlike anything I'd ever heard. It wasn't just pain—it was a sound of something breaking, something fundamental being torn apart. The wolf thrashed so violently that one of the chains snapped, but before it could lunge, Vane raised his free hand and purple energy crackled around his fingers.
The wolf froze, its body going rigid. Its eyes rolled back and it collapsed, panting, shaking uncontrollably.
"The brand creates a magical anchor," Vane explained, his voice clinical. "Combined with domination spells, it forces the beast's will to bend. Break them hard enough, fast enough, and they become weapons."
"For how long?" I asked, my voice tight.
"Three months, maybe six if we're lucky. Then they die or go mad and have to be put down." Vane shrugged like he was discussing broken tools. "But in that time, they kill effectively. One tamed dire wolf can take down a dozen demon-spawn soldiers."
I watched the wolf struggle to breathe, its body still twitching from whatever magic Vane had used. This was worse than anything I'd imagined. This wasn't training. This was torture weaponized.
"And this is your only method?" I asked.
Vane's eyes narrowed. "You have a better one, summoned hero? You going to defeat the Demon King with kindness?"
"Maybe I am."
The soldiers around the yard laughed. Vane didn't. He stepped closer to me, and I could smell blood on his armor.
"Listen well, boy. I've been taming beasts for twenty years. I've lost three fingers, an eye, and more men than I can count to these creatures. The only thing that keeps them from ripping us apart is making them fear us more than they hate us." He gestured to the wolf. "You want to try your way? Be my guest. But when that thing tears your throat out, don't expect sympathy."
"What if I could make it work?" I met his gaze. "What if I could tame a beast that doesn't die in six months? That doesn't turn on its handler?"
"Then you'd be a miracle worker," Vane said flatly. "But I don't believe in miracles. Only results."
Sera touched my arm gently. "Marcus, perhaps we should—"
"I want to try," I said. "Give me a beast to work with. Something young if possible. And time. I'll prove it can be done differently."
Vane studied me for a long moment. Then he smiled, and it wasn't pleasant.
"Alright, hero. I'll give you a beast. Something special." He turned to one of his men. "Bring out the shadow panther cub."
Sera's intake of breath told me this wasn't good.
"Commander, that creature killed two handlers last week—"
"Exactly," Vane interrupted. "If the hero wants to prove his methods, let him prove it on a beast we were going to execute anyway. Win-win situation. Either he succeeds and I learn something new, or he fails and we solve two problems at once."
My mouth went dry, but I nodded. "Fine. When do I start?"
"Tomorrow morning. We'll have everything ready." Vane's smile widened. "I hope you've made peace with your gods, hero. You're going to need their blessing."
As we left the training yard, I could still hear the dire wolf's labored breathing, still smell the blood and fear that permeated everything in this place.
Sera was silent until we were back on the main road.
"Marcus, a shadow panther cub that's already killed handlers... that's practically a death sentence."
"I know," I said quietly. "But I can't let them keep doing this. I won't."
"Even if it costs your life?"
I thought about Luna, Thor, and Maxwell back in the temple. About every dog I'd ever trained, every animal I'd ever helped. About the dire wolf shaking in its chains, broken and dying.
"Yeah," I said. "Even then."