The Dark King

by Steffen Schmidt

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  WRITERS NOTES: I've read the comments about people who asked me why all those western names. Let me explain, first of all it is about the background layout and secondly it was not suitable to use Chinese names in a world like that. Such as Lin the alchemist or Yang Xuan the Knight of Light or "Eastern Chinese Wall". It was not feeling right with the style of the story. The world's background is very large, be patient as there will be surprises.

  Chapter 41: The passage

  The next morning at dawn everyone was up and ready outside the castle.

  There were dozens of horses outside the castle. They belonged to Black Horse breed which had a strong resistance to diseases and radiation.

  "Get ready." Peter shouted. He was already on top of a horse and he had the posture of a graceful knight.

  Dudian selected a black horse and jumped over to sit on it. If it had been before the 'God's blessing' injection he would have to use a ladder to climb the horse.

  "Let's go!" Peter shouted when everyone was seated on horses. His legs clinged to the belly of the horse as he was the first to move.

  Dudian, who pulled the reins, followed.

  Even though the horses had massive build and scary appearance, they were very obedient creatures by nature and it was very easy to control them.

  The streets were covered with fog . Crisp sounds of horse gallops were heard as they moved through. Under the leadership of Peter, Dudian and others speed off towards the outer edge of the commercial district. As they moved forward they saw the vague shadow of the giant wall far away in the horizon. The outline was becoming increasingly clear as the distance covered was increased. The giant wall seemed like a creeping monster behind the fog giving people an oppressive feeling.

  Outside the commercial district, same as with the residential district, was a large undeveloped and desolate wasteland. It was not suitable for cultivation or for people to settle.

  As they were passing by the radiation zone the black horses became restless. As if they were excited and manic because of some unknown variable which made them to run faster. After ten minutes of straight ride, the hazy figure of the giant wall gradually cleared up in crowd's vision. The picture that they saw was deeply imprinted in their hearts and minds.

  It was a very tall wall. Almost impossible to see its top. The more close they got, harder it got to grasp its height. It almost reached the clouds. It gave the impression that it was built by gods but no humans. Dudian couldn't diffirentiate the construction's blocks, like it was a complete natural boulder that was put there to divide the world into two.

  This is ... the giant wall!

  Including Dudian, everyone was shocked as they reached the giant wall. The crowd felt like ants in comparison to the giant walls size.

  "Oh God ...it's too high!" Mason looked up. His neck folded almost ninety degrees, but still couldn't see the top of the giant wall.

  Zach stared authentic: "Did our ancestors build the giant wall? "

  Everyone was struck by this great and magnificent project.

  Dudian knew very well that it would be an enermous project to build a giant wall like this one. Even in the old days, it would be extremely difficult to built it. Countless amount of time, manpower and resources would be needed for the construction. The outbreak of the disaster was sudden so there was no time to project and implement such a super shelter. He couldn't imagine how the ones who survived the nucler bombing shower built such an incredible architectural miracle.

  "This is the sanctuary of our Silvian giants! Our ancestors and gods came together to build it." There was a trace of pride in Peter's eyes. He turned and looked at the crowd with a smile on his face: "Come with me, little guys. In about 100 meters we will reach the destination. All of you should dismount and rope your mounts."

  A heavy iron gate was opened by Peter while squeaky sounds echoed. Peter's arm strength was in an incomprehendible level as he alone moved the giant gate. There was a ladder leading to the underground below the gate.

  "Go in," said Peter.

  One by one, the newly appointed scavengers went into the tunnel under the iron gate.

  Peter was the last one to go in so he closed the iron gate. Everyone felt isolated and panicked because of the darkness that was surrounding them.

  "Aren't we going outside the giant wall?" The girl in the back timidly asked.

  Peter smiled and said, "Why are you so afraid of? It seems that Tobu didn't properly train your courage in the last three years.

  "So we are not going to pass from the top. Are there no passages through the top? " Dudian asked.

  "Of course not." Peter urged them: "Hurry up, everyone is waiting for you."

  Dudian surprised: "There are others?"

  "Of course, although you all have graduated from the scavenger camp, but it is the first time that you would be going outside the giant wall. The headquarters had arranged another old-timer team to escort you on your first trip. They are the scavengers cultivated by the families. Their foundation is not as good as yours but they have rich experience from roaming outside the giant wall. Keep your eyes open and learn as much as you can from them." Peter said.

  Dudian froze a moment but did not say anything.

  Step by step they went down the ladder. They had gone down approximately a hundred or so meters. At last they reached the bottom. In front of everyone there was a spacious underground passage. Both sides of the passage were lighted by oil lamps. There were some patterns on the walls.

  "This is the 'goddess of harvest'." Pater pointed to the wall, a graceful woman's picture was carved on the wall:" Pray to her! I wish you lots of harvest in this trip. "

  Everyone had seen the statues of different goddesses at areas designed by Holy Church in the residential district. They were no stranger to them. Following Peter they stopped in front of the goddess of harvest, clasped their hands and bowed to make their prayers.

  "This is the 'goddess of the hunt.' " Peter pointed to another heroic looking woman: "Every time the hunters travel, they will worship the goddess to bless them to smotth hunt." He then took the lead to go forward.

  Dudian, who finished praying, followed behind him.

  The spacious passage was extremely long. About two to three hundred meters in length. At the end of the pass there was ladder which took them upwards. As they reached the end of the ladder, Peter opened another huge iron gate and they saw the skylight.

  Dudian followed Petter out. There were around 20 people, sitting or standing around 10 meters away.

  "At last Peter. Could you be any more slow? " At this time, a light laughter echoed. A tall, young man in a black uniform wearing two-edged sword and a black mask came towards Dudian's group.

  Peter laughed: "What are you so anxious about? It's still early!"

  Young man's eyes sweeped over the group and said: "I heard in the new batch there is good quality seed. I was told that there is hope for him to become a hunter? "

  Peter raised his hand and patted Dudian's shoulder: "It's him. You gotta take care of him."

  The youth looked at Dudian and laughed: "No problem. We have not much time. We gotta start. When we come back I will find you for a drink, remember it will be your treat!"

  "It's me who always pays anyway!" Peter smiled loudly and looked to Dudian and others: "I wish you well. Remember no unauthorized actions. Do not leave the team. I hope ten days later I will see everyone safe and sound! "Then he turned back into the underground passage to left.

  Dudian looked back and saw the towering gigantic wall behind him. He did not expect the passage to be underground.

  Chapter 42: Area No 8

  "My name is Scott, this is my partner, Mia." As Peter left, the youth in black uniform pointed to a slender tall woman standing next to him.: "I'll be the captain of the team in the next ten days of scavenging. It's best in your own interests if you listen to my commands. Otherwise there will be big reprecussions and penalties when we co
me back to consortia"

  Mason, Zach and several other boys promised to obediently follow the captain after hearing the punishment part.

  Scott said to Dudian: "Little boy, what's your name?"

  "Dean.", Dudian replied

  "You may have potential..." Scott nodded: "But do not be proud and blinded by it. The death maybe waiting around the corner. Stay behind me at all times and I'll tell you what to watch out for"

  "So he is going to be teaching me." Dudian thought. He nodded in to show that he understood.

  Everyone heard the chat between Scott and Dudian as their voices were loud enough to echo around. Most of them were envious in their hearts but avoided to speak out.

  After all, Dudian was first in the course results. He also received two blessings, whether it was by force or identity they couldn't shake his position. Moreover three of his closest bedroom brothers were backing him up too. Even if they acted on anger they couldn't bare the consequences by daring to provoke Dudian, Mason, Zach and Sham.

  "Well, here's your ten days of dry food and water rations. This time we brought them for you but the next time you should go to headquarters to pick them." Scott pointed to the ground where more than a dozen black backpacks were located.

  Dudian looked at the black traveler's backpack. Lifted up one and untied the rope. The backpack was filled with 'mud' balls. He had seen them in Jura's house. They were mashed potate balls, the taste was very unpalatable but easy to eat... Actually if you ate one, you will have no appetite to eat the second...

  Mason, Zach and Sham followed behind the Dudian to pick the backpacks. They choose the slightly larger backpacks.

  Scott saw their selection method and smiled: "No need to make the choices according to their sizes and looks. They all weigh the same. They were provided by the headquarters and they never made mistakes in their portions. "

  Mason, Zach and Sham sinisterly smiled.

  "What are those?" At this point, Scott noticed gunpowder tubes at Dudian's waist.

  "Little stuff, not worth mentioning," Dudian continued: "it won't bother me."

  Scott nodded and no longer said anything. He looked towards distant 20 consotrium scavengers and said: "Come over and prepare for departure".

  Consortia's scavengers were adults. Some of them older than Scott. However when Scott's order echoed all of them gathered as one. They were supported by the consortiums so they had all the equipments and weapons that Dudian's group had.

  "Scott, boss, where are we going today, ah?" A slim young man asked.

  "No. 8." Scott turned to Mia and said: "We should start as soon as possible, right?"

  Mia nodded slightly.

  Scott began to walk in front while Dudian followed after him: "The place where we are going today has been completely emptied and cleant of dangers. So you shouldn't be worried about anything for now and try to save your stamina."

  Hearing this, Dudian and others were relieved. Their tight muscles gradually loosened down and they began to look around the surrounding.

  It was wasteland in the vicinity. Previously Dudian noted that the moss had covered the rear of the giant wall which was totally opposite to the desert terrain on the other side.

  "Outside of the giant wall is totally different that was in my imagination. I thought that desert will be everywhere." Mason who was walking behind Dudian spoke out.

  Zach smiled and said: "At least we shouldn't worry about the water problem. As long as we dig a pit then we could get water!"

  Scott glanced back: "There are puddles on the ground, you do not have to dig pit. Even if you digged out I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to drink"

  "Uh?" Zach was stunned.

  Dudian explained to him: "The radiation level outside is way too high. We can't drink the water even if it was filtered by the soil. If you want to drink you would at least have to dig tens of meters below so that it would be suitable for the human body. Right now we have enough strength to dig that deep without being worried about our stamina. So do not mix this environment with the one back from training days."

  Zach who had heard Dudian's words was puzzled.

  Scott looked back at Dudian, did not say anything and continued to lead the way in front. It didn't take ten miles when they came to place where vegetation was unsubstantial. To be exact they had come out to ruins.

  Dudian was perplexed as he saw the ruins.

  This ... ... was actually a collapsed city?

  There was a cracked asphalt street in front of him. There were moss and lush vegetation covering the roadside and coming out of the cracks. Broken and dilapidated concrete walls left from the buildings could be seen. It seemed they were remnants of two or three floor shops. Vines and moss had covered all of them. Over the years they had been covered and buried under dense growing plants.

  There were broken and scattered clothing in these desolate streets. Obviously over the time of three hundred years, rain dropped over and dust envoloped them. They had turned to black and hard stone-like objects. Only the rough outline of their shapes was left.

  Dudian was shocked.

  This ... was the appearance of an entire ruined city!

  Are these the results of the outbreak of the distaster that Earth faced three hundred years ago?

  Once humanity was prospering, civilization had expanded all over the world ... ... Only the shell body of the original civilization was left.

  His chest hurt and his breath became raggard. There was moist in his eyes.

  "Dean, Dean?" Mason saw Dudian suddenly stop, couldn't help but pat his shoulder.

  Dudian recovered and saw Scott and Mia had already walking in the streets. He walked a bit fast to catch up with them. When his feet touched the vegetation which covered the asphalt streets, all sorts of feeling arose in his heart. He thought of his parents and sister. Flame like explosions and their aftermath were passing in front of his eyes bit by bit. He was sad that everyone had died. Moreover they will never be able to come back. This was the reality, just as the ruins that he saw in front.

  "This is area No 9. It had been throughly scavenged." Scott saw the people behind him did not keep up with his pace so he beckoned: "Speed up we are tight with time... We shouldn't waste it in here."

  Dudian kept his head down.

  Along the way, Dodian saw that the streets have been scavenged very clean. Basically in addition to collapsed concrete walls there was nothing left, no residual items. The streets were spacious back in time, there should be many scrapped cars but there is nothing to see. As Scott said everything that was left have been taken back.

  But if the technological products of the old were picked up then why the giant wall's technology is so backward?

  Was there a serious corrosion because of nuclear radiation that no valuable object of research was picked?

  He followed behind Scott and Mia, as if a ghost, looking at this once familiar rowdy world but silent.

  Chapter 43: Monster

  "Was there anyone living in here?" Mason and the others who were looking all over the streets could see the ruins covered by the vegetation. The architectural style was totally different but from these vestiges they could vaguely understand that most of the things were the remnants of broken residential buildings.

  "Of course." Scott looked up at the surrounding ruins and continued: "Our ancestors had lived in this place until the disaster destroyed it. As a result it is desolate now. As everything that is here was made and build by our ancestors, our role is to take back these things to the consortium"

  "Where our ancestors lived ... " Mason exclaimed in excitement as he heard words Scott said. Everyone was curiously looking around.

  Dudian saw a map drawn on sheepskin in Scott's hands. He peeked at it and saw the crooked routes sketched on it. In the centre of the map a huge sqare pattern was depicted. 'The giant wall of Silva' was written close to it. Outside the giant wall there were outlines of irregular curved circles marked with numbers above them.


  "Zero, one ... " Dudian eyes sweeped over them. He saw that these numbers were repeated in different places. There was 'area 0' at one place and in another one. The numbers went up to seven. Each area were dyed in a different color. The map looked like a rainbow.

  Scott saw that Dudian was observing the map: "This is the scavenging map of the giant wall. The outside areas are divided by consortia in advance and marked accordingly by number and color. For example our Mellon consortium's areas are colored in blood red. The green and yellow that you see close by to our area belongs to others. Green areas area owned by military while yellow refers to Huasheng consortia's area. Each consortia sends their hunters in advance to clean out the region before sending scavengers"

  Dudian nodded slightly as he undertood the meaning behind circles and colors. Zero to seven referred to military and 6 consortiums. He asked:"What is the gray are outside?"

  "This is place that hunters haven't gone through yet." Scott spoke in a serious tone: "We absolutely can not enter these gray areas. They are extremely dangerous. Even hunters are likely to die in there if they are alone"

  "Dangerous?" Dudian was curious: "What is the source of danger?"

  "Monsters!" Scott whispered.

  Dudian's heart jumped: "Monsters?"

  At this time, they came up a corner. There was a traffic light which had collapsed on to the street. As everything else it was covered by vegetation and surrounded by vines. It was not collected by scavengers.

  "The area No 8 is in front of us" Scott looked at the corner of the street. There was less vegetation in here in comparison to other areas as it was close to the city center. Traces of cracks were on streets that had been caused by the earthquakes.

  "From now on all of us should be on alert! " Scott looked dignified as he pulled out a dagger from his waist: " The hunters have just cleaned out area No 8. We are the second batch to enter this region. Although the harvest will be very good, but it is likely that we will encounter monsters that weren't killed by hunters. Be calm and try not to be attacked by monsters otherwise you may get infected."