Chapter 2
They sat by the side of the road, waiting for James to return. Leia gazed at the concrete, wondering how this road had been made.
"Which world do you think this land comes from? And how did they build this kind of road?" She turned to her uncle, contemplating the efficiency of riding on such a surface.
"I don't know. Maybe the dwarves made this road," Jing replied, uncertain but assuming the dwarves created it because they were known for their large structures.
"Maybe. We won't know until we get there." Leia didn't want to delve deeper into the topic, hoping to avoid an embarrassing conversation.
"You're right, but make sure you behave when we get there," Jing reminded her, emphasizing the importance of being respectful in front of the dwarves.
"Okay, okay." Leia tried to brush off her uncle's nagging, eager to wrap up their conversation quickly.
"And don't start eating like a pig when we arrive, got it?" Jing teased, managing to sneak in one last comment.
"UNCLE!" Leia blushed and shouted back at him.
Just then, as her uncle prepared to tease her further, Maya piped up, eager to ask Leia about the dwarves.
"Hey, Leia, what do you think the dwarves are like? I heard they're good craftsmen and enjoy creating art. Is that true?" Maya was excited about the trip, which was why she had volunteered to join them.
"Maybe, but I don't know. Mother and Father just told me to be respectful towards them." Leia's parents hadn't provided her with much information; they were hesitant to let her go, not because of her safety, but because they worried she might be rude to the dwarves.
"Oh, I heard they like to drink a beverage called alcohol, and they can be pretty rowdy. Many explorers have visited the dwarf kingdom and said that while the dwarves are good people, they're quite strict about their traditions." Maya shared what she had learned from those who had explored this new land. Elven explorers have already visited the land of the dwarves.
"I haven't heard any of that, but I hope we don't do anything to upset them." Leia wasn't particularly interested in the outside world; she just wanted to sleep in her room.
"Did you know that—" Maya began to add more information, but was interrupted by the scream of a little girl.
Their brief conversation was interrupted by a screaming James running toward them. They all looked at him, thinking, Why is he screaming like a little girl?
"AAAAHHH! Guys, I need help!" James shouted, as if he were fleeing from something.
At that moment, a beast emerged behind him and began to chase after James. The bear looked menacing, and its size made the group shiver in fear.
"What is that thing?" Maya asked, drawing her sword and standing protectively in front of Leia.
"I don't know, but it's terrifying," Leia replied, her eyes reflecting a hint of fear.
"Don't worry, princess; I'll handle this beast," Delton said, drawing his sword and stepping forward toward the bear.
"NO! Don't kill her!" James waved his arms frantically, signaling Delton to stop.
"What are we going to do then, let you be eaten?" Delton was confused about why James was stopping him.
"Just scare her away," James shouted toward them.
"Fine, I'll do it." Seeing James's insistence on not wanting to hurt the bear, Leia decided to scare it away instead. She began chanting in an ancient elven language and extended her hands towards the creature.
With a surge of wind magic, Leia struck the bear, sending it flying a few meters back. Though it landed hard, the bear quickly stood up, shook its head, and locked eyes with Leia.
Seeing that the beast was not giving up, she quickly conjured a powerful wind magic that sent the bear flying farther away than before. Realizing it could no longer catch them, the bear eventually gave up and started to walk away.
Seeing the beast retreat, they sighed in relief.
"What was that thing? Why was it chasing you? And why did you scream like a little girl?" Maya asked, concerned about what had just happened, but added a cheeky question to lighten the mood.
"I don't know what that was, but I think it was chasing me because I played with her child. And I DIDN'T scream like a little girl!" James replied, his breath ragged and exhausted from running with all his might.
"I warned you that something dangerous was out there, but you didn't listen. Now look what it got you, screaming like a little girl," Dalton said with a smug look.
"Hey, if you had seen the baby, you wouldn't have been able to resist either. And don't call me that," James shouted.
"Let's keep going before sundown." Jing knew they were taking too long on their break, so she decided it was time to move.
Everyone nodded, understanding that there might be more danger at night in this mountain range. They continued walking along the concrete road as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, painting the sky orange.
"Hey, look over there!" Maya pointed, and everyone turned to see what she was indicating.
On the side of the mountain stood a huge mechanical door that opened vertically, seemingly built into the rock face, as if something significant lay inside. The metal door was halfway closed and had wild grass beginning to grow around its edges.
"What do you think is inside?" Maya asked, her curiosity evident.
"I have no idea," Leia replied, equally perplexed.
"Should we try to look inside and see if anyone will let us in?" James suggested, clearly eager to explore.
"What if there are beasts inside, like the ones we encountered earlier?" Dalton cautioned, concerned about another frightening encounter.
"I doubt that," Jing countered as she studied the structure. "It looks too advanced to have been built by anything other than an intelligent species."
"Should we go in?" Leia asked, looking at her uncle, keen to discover what lay beyond the door.
"It seems like it was abandoned when the Great Merge happened," Jing mused, still considering whether they should enter.
"Then we should camp inside to be safe," James proposed, excitement brimming in his voice.
"I think that's our best choice, especially at night," Jing agreed, intrigued by the advanced technology before them.
The group ultimately decided to enter the facility for shelter as night fell. They all nodded in agreement, believing that encountering a person with whom they could negotiate would be safer than facing a wild beast driven by instinct.
With that, they started walking toward the imposing mechanical door.