Einen swore.
Chapter 708
T heia was the first to jump into the crevice. Swinging her sword as she ran, she widened the entrance enough for the other cultivators to pass through.
Hadjar and Einen went on ahead. The crevice was so narrow that they had to move sideways. Despite their best efforts, the jutting stones kept scratching their faces, leaving deep cuts on their foreheads.
Proximo leapt into the crevice after Theia, followed by one of the Geran warriors. The poor lad didn’t make it — one of the scarlet rays went through his right leg, making him fall to the ground. He was instantly swallowed by the monster; it didn’t even bother to chew.
“Hoover!” Theia shouted, but it was already too late.
She tried to go back out to help him, even though she knew that her friend was dead, but Proximo stopped her. Hoover’s death made the others pick up the pace. The two ice-wielding archers tried to push into the crevice at the same time. Predictably, they got stuck and were ‘helped along’ by a kick from one of the giants of the Eternal Mountain clan.
Galkhad was the last to go into the crevice. Before retreating, he sent an attack at the Crocodile that was so full of energy that it came down on the reptilian like an avalanche and managed to stop it for a couple of seconds. Such a feat would normally be almost impossible for a Spirit Knight to pull off, but the amount of energy Galkhad’s Core had was…
“Faster! Move it!” He shouted.
Noticing that its prey was escaping, the furious Crocodile roared and hit the stone wall near the entrance to the crevice like a battering ram. The ceiling of the crevice shook, covering the cultivators in dust and debris from above. The dust enveloped them like a cloud, getting into their throats and noses, and making their eyes water. Small stones fell on their heads as well, but didn’t cause any harm.
After the Crocodile’s second attack, the crevice was plunged into darkness. They couldn’t hear anything, save for their own breathing and coughing. And even though Heaven Soldiers and Spirit Knights could see in the dark, the tension began to thicken.
“Demons and gods,” Argakhad whispered. He left a trail of blood behind him as he pushed through the narrow passage. “Where did that monster come from?”
“Oh, I have a pretty good idea,” Proximo hissed. He’d given his spear to Galkhad, who’d placed it in his spatial ring. “These two commoners lured it here!”
Hadjar, who’d almost lost an eye because of yet another protruding rock, muttered a curse under his breath. Proximo was starting to get on his nerves. It was a pity that the Stone Crocodile had crushed the wrong spearman.
“Stop being an idiot, Proximo!” Theia exclaimed. “How could they have lured it here?”
“You know how! With the Core of another monster.”
“Do you even understand how powerful a Core would have to be to lure in an Ancient Beast at the fourth level?”
The animals also had a system of cultivation, but theirs had Stages with multiple levels. It seemed a bit arbitrary to Hadjar, but no one had asked for his opinion on the subject. For example, Azrea was at the second level of the Ancient Beast Stage. The gaps between the animals’ levels were much wider that between the humans’ stages.
Human cultivators could neutralize their enemy’s advantage with amulets, talismans, secret Techniques, artifacts, and alchemy. The animals didn’t have access to such things.
“A King Stage Core at the second or third level,” Proximo answered.
The rest of the squad burst out laughing. Even Hadjar and Einen joined them.
“Stop it,” Galkhad wheezed out through tears. “The gorge will collapse on our heads because of you.”
The laughter died down. Cultivators were brave, but navigating through pitch darkness and a narrow corridor full of dust that made it difficult to breathe was terrifying, to say the least. The thought of the crevice leading to a dead-end only made things worse.
“Galkhad, can’t you see these bastards are leading us into a trap?”
Proximo was unknowingly repeating the conversation that had recently taken place between Galkhad and his cousins.
“Proximo,” Theia hissed like a venomous snake, “Where could Hadjar and Einen even get such a Core?”
“Don’t forget, Theia, that we’re dealing with the disciples of ‘The Holy Sky’ School,” Proximo said, making the rest of the squad exchange worried glances. The disciples that came from Einen and Hadjar’s School were normally really powerful. “They’re strong enough to kill such a monster.”
“One King Stage monster Core costs several hundred Imperial coins! Look at how they’re dressed. If they could afford to buy such a Core, or had had the chance to sell it, would they be wearing rags?”
“Are you a complete imbecile, Geran? Anyone can wear rags to pass themselves off as a beggar. Do you think an idiot could ever become a Spirit Knight and an inner circle disciple of one of the top martial arts Schools?”
“But why would they do that?”
“Gods and demons, are you truly this dense? It’s obvious that they’re playing their own little game! Doesn’t anyone else want to know where they were while we were busy risking our lives?”
Hadjar mentally cursed. He felt a strong urge to kill Proximo and shut him up forever. Galkhad was already suspicious of them even without him adding fuel to the fire…
“That’s a good question, Proximo,” the giant’s voice thundered from the darkness. “You two, answer him. And if you give us some dumbass excuse, upon exiting this accursed place, you won’t get to see the light of day, but the threshold of your forefathers’ house.”
Einen and Hadjar ran into a massive pile of rocks just as Galkhad said that. Fortunately, the stones had collapsed in such a way that they’d left a two-foot-tall hole for them to crawl through.
In order to give Einen enough space to get on all fours, Hadjar had to stop and back away. Theia ran into him, making everyone else bump into one another.
“What’s going on over there?” Galkhad roared from behind them.
“A pile of stones is blocking our way,” Hadjar replied. “We’ll have to crawl.”
All of them cursed. No one liked crawling, and they liked it even less in such a claustrophobic space.
“Don’t change the subject, commoner,” Proximo continued. “Where were you when we were fighting?”
Hadjar crawled under the rocks, following Einen. The hole was so narrow that he had to squirm like a snake to make any progress. There was barely enough air to take a single breath. Crawling through total darkness, not knowing when the hole would end, the last thing he wanted to do was answer stupid questions.
“We hid behind a rock and hoped that you would all get killed.”
Chapter 709
“I warned you! I told you! Great Mountains curse them! We’re all going to die here because of those two morons!”
“Stop your hysterics, Proximo!” Galkhad’s voice rumbled like he was talking to them from the bottom of a well. The three giants of the Eternal Mountain clan were having a harder time walking and breathing in the crevice than anyone else in the squad. “And you, commoner, explain what you meant by that and... Demons and gods, how much longer till we get out? Stupid rocks, I think I just cut my head. By the mountains, it hurts like a motherfucker!”
“There isn’t much to explain,” Hadjar grunted. “When we saw the monster, we hid behind a rock and waited for it to kill you. The plan was to take the key from your corpses and then look for the tomb.”
His honesty shocked the squad members so much they halted.
“Hadjar, you-” Theia began, startled.
“Nothing personal, Geran,” Hadjar interrupted her. He tried to keep his tone as cold and calm as possible, but he felt awful about it. “We had fun that one night, but that’s all it was.”
Theia swore.
“I shouldn’t have stood up for you, you filthy scoundrel,” she said with obvious hatred.
“Well, if yo
u’d thought with your head and not with your-”
“Watch your language, Proximo,” the giant thundered. “She’s still an aristocrat!”
The spearman fell silent.
Although them coming together had been an accident, he didn’t really want to hurt Theia. However, Hadjar couldn’t allow their relationship, whatever it was, to affect his and Einen’s plan.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, peasant,” the rumbling voice sounded from the darkness once again, “but allies aren’t supposed to try and kill each other.”
“Why are you still talking to him, Galkhad?” Proximo shouted. “We should just kill them both!”
“In case you haven’t noticed, Proximo, it’s a bit hard to breathe in here, let alone fight. But if you’re so impatient to see someone die, I’ll gladly kill you! Your tantrums are getting on my nerves!”
Realizing that he was on very thin ice, Proximo whispered something that sounded like an apology and fell silent.
“Well, commoner? I’m still waiting for an answer.”
Hadjar had just crawled past another sharp piece of stone protruding from the floor. If he’d been a little less careful, it would’ve easily ripped his stomach open. With every movement, with every foot of ground they covered, the passage grew narrower. He’d lost count of how many cuts and wounds he’d received, despite the fact that he and Einen were using their Calls, which, luckily, had remained unnoticed until now.
“You are right, Galkhad, allies don’t do that. But ever since we joined your squad, you’ve treated us not like allies, but like prisoners. And what does any prisoner want to do? Escape. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with trying to take advantage of a chaotic situation to save yourself.”
“So you just hid while we were fighting?” Theia hissed. “One of my clan members died because of you! I won’t forgive you for this, Hadjar Darkhan! My brother was wrong about you!”
“Darkhan… Darkhan...” Argakhad repeated as if he was trying to remember something. “I’ve heard that name somewhere before… In Fort Darigon, the people still talk about a warrior who came from the Lascanian steppes. And his name was... Hadjar Darkhan.”
“The Lascanian steppes aren’t a very friendly place,” Galkhad said. “And I’ve noticed those orc feathers in your hair, commoner. To get them, you would’ve had to fight, not sit behind a rock-”
“Found the exit!”
Einen fell out of the crevice first. As soon as he got out of the way, Hadjar closed his eyes. After they’d spent so much time in the darkness, the dim light ahead felt brighter than the midday sun.
After waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light, he finally crawled out of the rocky crevice and found himself in what was clearly a manmade tunnel: it had a flat floor with a rectangular hole in the center, and oval walls that came together beneath a wide arch. Once upon a time, this had been a sewage system running underneath an ancient city. And now there was nothing left but moss and sparse vegetation.
Moving with Einen to the opposite wall, Hadjar called the Black Blade to his hand and filled it with Sword mysteries. The tunnel was instantly filled with dense, suffocating air. Einen followed his example.
Theia was the first to emerge from the crevice. Getting to her feet, she was taken aback by the sudden explosion of Hadjar’s power, but then she raised her heavy blade in front of her.
“This seems like a fitting tomb for scum like you, Darkhan,” she growled, her voice oozing hatred.
The rest of her squad gradually emerged from the crevice. Galkhad was the last one to come out. He seemed surprised by what he saw.
“So, the sword you’ve been wearing at your belt all this time was just a toy,” he said thoughtfully.
“Be careful,” Argakhad said. “I’ve heard rumors about his sword. They say that it can drain all your energy with a single cut. The blade is poisoned.”
“A poisoned blade?” Theia spat. Her eyes shone with the same kind of hatred that she’d just recently felt for Proximo. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone without honor.”
Hadjar remained silent. He saw no reason to explain how the Black Blade actually worked.
“Let me go first.” Proximo licked his lips. “I’ll tear out his heart and put his head on a spear. And when we find the tomb, I’ll place it at the entrance. That way, the rest of ‘The Holy Sky’ School’s disciples will get to see what the ‘Quick Dream’ School is capable of.”
With a ferocious grin, he assumed an offensive stance. Streaks of midnight black energy began to swirl around Hadjar in response, but then Galkhad stepped forward. With a slight nod of his head, he extended his hand.
“My apologies, Hadjar Darkhan and Einen of the Islands,” he said, shocking everyone present. “You came to us with a plan, no doubt about it. But we also have our own plans. I can’t promise you friendship, or a proper alliance, but while we are pursuing the same goal, I can assure you, honorable cultivators, that I’ll treat you as equals.”
Hadjar cursed under his breath.
“Did your plan account for that, my barbarian friend?” Einen whispered so softly that only his friend heard him.
Chapter 710
“D id you really just shake hands with them?” Argakhad asked, coming closer to Galkhad.
The third giant was walking ahead of his cousins. The Eternal Mountain clan members were bringing up the rear while Hadjar led the group forward. He’d hoped to hear Galkhad confessing his treachery, as it was much easier to use a dishonest and evil person than it was to abuse an honorable one’s trust. During his time as a General of Lidus, Hadjar had done a lot of shameful things.
“I was wrong, my dear cousin. The pursuit of our goal blinded me. What does it matter if these two wear different tokens? They came to us with an offer, which I accepted, so it’s my duty to make them feel like our equals.”
“But they’re probably going to use us.”
“And we are going to use them,” Galkhad retorted. “Those are the laws of politics, my dear cousin. When my oldest brother becomes Head of the clan and I become his right-hand man, you, as my advisor, will have to learn to understand politics. Otherwise, the Eternal Mountain clan will not fare well.”
“I’ve always believed that our clan relies on the army.”
Galkhad laughed and slapped Argakhad on the shoulder.
“And what do you think, dear cousin, who will the military support? The Marnil clan, or the Eternal Mountain clan?”
Argakhad remained silent because the answer was obvious: the army would support House Marnil. Weapons and armor were important, but healers were in high demand.
“So, we’re all just playing our own games?”
“That’s right. Let’s see who wins. We know that they want to use us, and they know that we want to use them. All’s fair, dear cousin.”
Argakhad swore.
“I hate politics.”
Galkhad laughed.
Hadjar agreed with the giant.
Their journey through the sewer tunnel was mostly quiet. Sometimes, they’d run into monsters below the King Stage. A cross between reptile and rat, they didn’t pose much of a threat to the elite disciples. Hadjar and Einen spent almost no energy on finishing them off and putting the beasts’ Cores into their spatial artifacts. No matter how their quest ended, they’d need the Glory points eventually.
“Found an exit!” Einen shouted.
They climbed up an old, crumbling stone staircase and finally reached the surface. The silvery light of the moon and the bright stars were a refreshing sight after the dimness of the sewer.
“By the gods and demons,” they all whispered.
They were standing on the edge of what appeared to have once been a central square. Back in its heyday, it had probably been bursting with life. Columns and pillars had been erected along its edges. In the distance, one could see the domes and towers of once majestic castles.
The entrance to the sewer had once been covered with a cast-iron grate,
but after so long, only a few fragments of it remained. Everything around them was in a similar state. The former grandeur of the ancient Kingdom’s capital was no more. Only ruins remained, poking through the sand, earth, ivy, or red moss. Nothing, not even a majestic Empire, could survive the onslaught of time.
“Buremir!” Galkhad called the archer over.
The man nodded, craned his head back, and spent a few moments studying the stars. Einen looked skeptical, but no one noticed.
“We shortened our trip by about twelve miles. Maybe a little more.”
“It’s not much, but given that no one else knows where to go, it’s not bad at all. So, where to now, Hadjar?” Galkhad asked as he turned toward him.
“Do you agree to follow our map?”
The giant smiled wryly.
“Lead on, barbarian. Just make sure that we don’t end up in a situation where everyone is fighting while you and your friend are hiding. Equality works both ways…”
Hadjar took the hint.
“Einen, what does your map say?” He asked and leaned toward the islander. His friend didn’t swear this time, but hummed some vulgar tune instead. Hadjar was surprised to find that his friend had a very good singing voice, although his repertoire was… Well, Nero would’ve liked it. Enough said.
“We’ll have to wait until morning.”
“Why?” Proximo asked.
“The next landmark will only appear in the light of the midday sun,” Hadjar explained.
The map that the neural network had copied showed not only the landmarks, but also some of the descriptions attached to them. Hadjar didn’t know the ancient language, but the network had managed to provide him with a loose translation after spending a few days studying the poem at the entrance to Greven’Dor. And that was despite the fact that the last time he’d interacted with it, Hadjar had been directing at least ninety percent of its power toward the analysis of the Sword’s seal. He still wouldn’t be able to train until he returned to the School.
“We need a place to spend the night…” Galkhad looked around and pointed at a crumbling house made from stone. “We’ll camp there. I hope everyone will devote their free time to meditation and recovery this time. Who knows when we’ll get another chance to rest for an entire night?”
Dragon Heart: Land of The Enemy. LitRPG Wuxia Series: Book 8 Page 30
