Chapter 156. The Ruler of the North (2)
At the plateau in the blue sky.
The seemingly never-ending blizzard finally stopped on the second day of their journey. Mt. Calcarus stood tall and proud, heavily dusted in snow. Its magnificence was overwhelmingly beautiful and majestic. Four tracks of footprints could be made out, stretching a considerable distance along the snowy surface.
“Werewolf in front of us.”
Desir informed his party as he looked far ahead of them. Just as he had said, there was a pack of half-human wolves slowly making their way to them. The Starling Party armed and readied themselves for battle against these monsters.
Before anyone else was ready, Adjest launched a spell at the group of wolves. [Ice Blast]
Spheres of ice froze most of the wolves approaching the party. Adjest walked up to the frozen wolves and sliced them apart with her sword. None of the monsters could offer any resistance when their bodies were frozen stiff.
*Splash*
The blood of werewolves dyed the snow a slick crimson red.
The battle had pretty much been finished in one blow. As the party let their guard down to continue traveling, Pram suddenly shouted:
“Adjest!”
A large werewolf, probably one of the biggest in their pack, leaped out from the rear of the pack and lunged at Adjest’s exposed back. It all happened in an instant. Adjest attempted to defend herself, but it didn’t seem like she would make it in time.
At that moment, a shadow launched through the air, leaving a wave of snow in its wake along with a resounding aftershock when it impacted the werewolf’s head. *Pachang*
The werewolf fell onto the ground with a portion of its head left concave. The silver marble that had caused all of this damage quickly returned back to its owner. This marble spun around Desir, occasionally surging outward and piercing the bodies of any werewolves that neared Desir.
With the presumed pack leader laying dead on the ground, it was easy to knock the rest of the group down. The silver marble gracefully landed on Desir’s hand when the battle had finally concluded.
“I knew that marble was a great artifact.”
Romantica spoke in a casual tone as she was walking over towards Desir. “Well, you deserve it! You worked so hard for it.”
Desir looked at the artifact that was gently resting on his hand. The soft light was radiating through complicated patterns and symbols that had been printed onto its surface. This was the artifact that Desir earned from clearing the Level Three Shadow World.
Runel.
An A Class artifact that was made out of the strongest metal, Blank?um.
It was able to sense any danger to its owner and freely move around on its own accord. It was a terrific shield and also a powerful weapon at the same time. It attacked any hazard based on the owner’s recognition as well as on command from the owner.
Runel was the perfect defensive artifact for magicians that fought from medium and long range, yet might still fight themselves in close combat with enemies. It was the perfect artifact for both Romantica and Desir. However, since Romantica could cast some spells without an incantation, everyone agreed that the artifact should go to Desir. “There are so many of them.”
Adjest noted. Romantica nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. Well. This is an untouched wilderness. Nobody comes here, so there’s no one to keep the population in check.”
The harshness of the mountain environment was well known. The party expected this journey to be tough, but actually, it was beyond what they had imagined. Because there were no hikers, there was no path. They had to explore and find their own path. They were surrounded by monsters at all times, and even frequently had to battle them. This constant state of alertness really drained their stamina. On top of that, the harsh blizzard sapped them right down to their souls.
Their energy level had hit rock bottom. If they didn’t have Zod’s gift, they would not have survived until now.
Before embarking on their journey north, Zod gifted Desir and his party members a Clothes Line; the new third generation Clothes Line, hot off the press. Although it had not been enhanced much in terms of power, a few functions had been added, including a thermal heating function. The party didn’t have to prepare anything special due to this ability alone. They couldn’t imagine climbing the mountain without this version of the Clothes Line. If the current situation could be rated difficult, then traversing the mountain without the thermal heating could be considered impossible.
“Desir, how long do you think it will take?”
Pram enquired as he trudged forward, step-by-step.
Desir looked around and tried to gauge how far they had walked so far.
“I think we’re almost there.”
Around noon of the same day, they finally felt their journey ease in difficulty as the slope itself began to ease.
Romantica panted heavily, but managed to squeeze out some words regardless. “Are we finally here?”
In front of them was the first road they had seen since setting out on their journey. All of the pebbles and large rocks had been pushed aside to form a road wide enough for a couple of people to pass through side-by-side. Compared to the unmarked mountainside, it was a lot easier to traverse. Roads indicated that civilized people lived close by. If the party followed this path, they would probably find a barbarian settlement.
“This is…”
Pram muttered as he stared at something in the distance.
In the direction of Pram’s gaze, there were huge pillars and ruins that had previously supported something in an age long past, the Golden Age of the Barbarians.
It was a rare insight into the history of a great civilization, led by the long-deceased Melger Khan.
“Why don’t you reveal yourself now?”
Adjest spoke up as she stared at one of the pillars.
A moment later, someone walked out from behind a pillar. Half of her face had been heavily marred with black marks.
“I knew you would find me. Hiding was never really my thing.”
The stranger voiced her thoughts in a somewhat exaggerated manner as she walked down the hill.
“What’s brought you here, noble mainlanders? I can’t let you go if you don’t have a good reason.”
Though she spoke lightly, her voice dripped with hostility. With every step she took, her body oozed a dominating energy. Her posture and stance seemed to indicate that she was ready to pull out the spear on her back at a moment’s notice if the situation deteriorated.
Desir knew her.
Yuria Graves.
A warrior given the title of Black Wolf. In his previous life, she made a name for herself as an incredibly famous mercenary. At the time the Shadow Labyrinth appeared, she had found a good position for herself on Donape’s side, which was how Desir came to know her.
Desir spoke politely.
“By the order of the Emperor of the Hebrion Empire, His Majesty Guiltian Zedgar F Rogfelas, we are here to speak with the esteemed Donape Aslan.”
“And do you have anything to prove that you are an official emissary?”
Desir took out the gold medal and handed it over to Black Wolf. She observed it carefully, as if validating its authenticity. The medal had the symbol of the Hebrion Empire, an eagle, engraved into it. This golden medal was only given to people who the Emperor trusted.
The average layman might not be aware of the significance of the medal; getting an official medal from the Emperor himself was an incredibly rare and sacred event. But Desir, who was well aware of Yuria’s past career as a soldier on the mainland, knew that she would recognize them as legitimate emissaries for the Hebrion Empire.
Yuria nodded her head.
“I guess you’re not lying. Come this way.”
Desir gave a quick signal to his team that everything was okay.
Yuria pushed the big stones nearby to the side and guided the party to the hidden steps that led somewhere deep underground.
‘Soon… ’
Soon they would meet Donape Aslan.
* * *
When the party finally re-emerged outside, their eyes stung as they re-adjusted to natural light. After a few seconds, they could see again and recognized what they were surrounded by. “Woww!”
Pram shouted in glee.
They had finally arrived at Harrowind. The city was full of both nature and man-made structures melded together in harmony, creating a view of sheer beauty… The harmony created a strange charm that was unpolished, delicate, and above all else, authentic.
The unfamiliar patterns carved into the building heightened their attractiveness, while the patterns and color schemes that formed the basis of their design were completely different to that of the vibrant buildings on the mainland.
As Yuria guided the party to a certain place, she opened her mouth and briskly instructed Desir’s party.
“Wait over here.”
She brought them to a place that had an opened dome in its ceiling. The light rays shone down through it, making this place even more mysterious.
Inside, a couple of people sat around a huge fire pit. Every one of them had great physiques, and all of them seemed exceptionally strong. Amongst them, there was a throne made out of stones.
Yuria knelt in front of this throne and showed her allegiance to the person on the throne. The party followed suit.
“Raise your heads.”
Desir raised his head and faced the person speaking.
Just like the others they had seen, the body of this person on the throne was as strong as solid rock and his lips were tightly closed, making him look even firmer. He was wearing a golden earring, adorned with ruby. There was only one person who could wear this kind of accessory in the barbarian tribes.
The red ruby represented the Ruler of the North.
“People from an empire. What made you come here to see me?”
Desir was slightly overcome with sentimentality upon facing an old friend he hadn’t seen for such a long time. However, he soon freed himself from the surge of emotion. He had a mission to accomplish.
“Your Majesty, we are here to propose an alliance under the command of the Emperor of Hebrion, Guiltian Zedgar F Rogfelas.”
“You are here to involve us in the battle.” Donape caught onto what Desir meant instantly.
The people who sat around them did not show any reaction to this conversation. Desir knew that they expected this already. They expected it before he even arrived.
The battlefield where the Outsiders and allied forces were fighting right now was not too far south from Harrowind. It was impossible for them to be unaware of this.
If the person had already figured out your real face, you had no need to conceal it any longer. “You are right, Your Majesty. The Emperor is hoping that you can support us in this battle.” “We also know what the mainland is dealing with right now. If the Outsiders win this war, of course, the continent will fall in chaos.”
“Yes, and the Outsiders will do anything to achieve their goals. If we can’t block them this time, they will surely come after you too.”
Desir was right. The Outsiders would serve as an apocalypse to the barbarians and all other life on the continent. Donape also knew this and it was a good enough reason to support the allied forces.
“I agree with you. We should get involved and fight against them.” *Tak*
*Tak*
The flames in the fire pit surged and strengthened. “But I will not accept this request.”
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