THUNDEROUS SOUNDS of footsteps from combat boots could be heard from the great hall
where the lord of the castle was sitting on his black throne chair. The great hall
was a rectangular-shaped room with a thick red carpet, a high ceiling, and glass
windows with chairs on both sides. In the top-middle was the black throne chair
that only the lord of the castle could occupy.
At that moment, the lord of the castle had his chin propped on the back of his
clenched right hand, his elbow resting on the armrest, and his eyes closed while
listening to the incoming footsteps.
Alone in the great hall, it only showed how confident the lord of the castle was on
his combat ability that he thought he didn't need the protection of his right-hand
man, the commander of his warriors, to receive their uninvited guests.
Even after the door to the great hall opened, the lord of the castle didn't open
his eyes to greet his uninvited guests. His eyes remained closed.
Without waiting for the lord of the house to greet them, the head of the group that
just entered the great hall introduced himself as he knelt on one knee,
simultaneously bowing his head.
"I am General Adri of the Infernal Empire, requesting an audience with the
warlord."
With his eyes still closed, the lord of the castle, the warlord, spoke, his voice
deep and callous. "Speak."
General Adri immediately revealed the purpose of his visit to the warlord's castle.
"A prisoner of the empire has escaped, and the empire is seeking for your
assistance."
"Oh?" That piqued the warlord's interest. "How do you think I could help? Do you
want to borrow my warriors?"
General Adri answered without a thought, "The empire would appreciate it if the
warlord lent us his warriors, but the empire would appreciate it more if the
warlord himself would hunt the prisoner."
The lord of the castle chuckled coldly at the audacity of the empire to order him
around. "You can borrow my warriors, but I'm afraid I must decline the empire's
request to personally hunt down the prisoner. I have more important matters to take
care of."
General Adri gritted his teeth. He would do anything to get the warlord's help, so
he divulged a secret that he knew would get a positive response. "The prisoner who
escaped is none other than Sollel, Yther's Mistress of Flame."
The warlord's sharp black eyes opened. "The Mistress of Flame?"
General Adri nodded. "Yes. She escaped with a traitor's help, and we found her
outside Beastrela. Unfortunately, she escaped again and burned our soldiers until
they couldn't be identified anymore. But even so, the empire believed that the
Mistress of Flame is still weak, and after spending all her energy fighting our
soldiers, wherever she is now, she's an easy prey."
The warlord straightened his body and looked at the general. "There are strong
warriors inside the empire. Why come to me?"
"Because you're one of the seven remaining descendants of Sappher," General Adri
answered eloquently. "With your strength, weapons, and combat prowess, you could
easily defeat the Mistress of Flame."
The warlord gritted his teeth because he's one of the people who knew the real
history of Sappher with the Ytherians. The Kingdom of Sappher was known for their
proud warriors and their arcane weapons that could grant its owner an ability that
only the owner could wield. And as proud as they were, the warriors of Sappher
declared war against the Ytherians to show the whole Azitera their strength, and it
was a miserable defeat that caused the decline of Sappher, to the extent that only
seven families remained. He came from one of the seven families.
After the decline of Sappher, the seven remaining royal families of Sappher
scattered throughout Azitera to strengthen themselves with a vow that someday, they
would gather again to defeat the Ytherians. And three generations later, the
warlord still hadn't met a descendant of Sappher other than his traveler good
friend, Xeke.
The warlord took a deep breath. "Very well. As one of the descendants of Sappher, I
will hunt her down, but I will do it alone. You and your soldiers will only slow me
down."
The warlord's arrogant tone did not sit well with General Adri. He, too, was a
warrior and shouldn't be looked down upon. Not only that, but the warlord was also
much younger than the general, and the general believed that young warriors should
pay respect to their elders. But even though he felt insulted by the warlord's
arrogance, he still nodded and agreed. The emperor's order was clear, and that was
to ask the warlord's help to drag the Mistress of Flame back to her prison.
The warlord looked at General Adri's retreat as he left the great hall. When the
general was finally out of his sight, he called Gabin, his right-hand man and the
commander of his troops.
"Your excellency." Gabin bowed his head and reached out his hands that were holding
a simple set of garments: a cloak, two unappealing blades, and a slightly worn-out
combat leather boots. "Everything is ready."
The warlord got up from his chair and accepted all the things Gabin was holding out
to him. "I will leave the castle to you, Gabin. If anything happened, you know how
to contact me."
Gabin bowed his head. "Yes, your excellency. May the deities bless your travel."
The warlord smiled. "I'm already blessed, Gabin."
Gabin smiled because he knew the warlord was speaking facts.
♕♕♕
"WHERE ARE we?" Sollel asked for the third time after sensing that they were lost.
Sollel was just following Cira because she said she'll be her guide, but Sollel
immediately regretted her decision after walking on plains for three days and
sleeping on the ground for two nights. And now they've entered a forest and they're
definitely missing.
Cira turned to face Sollel but couldn't look at Sollel's eyes. "This is the
shortcut to the Kingdom of Treterra. I'm sure of it, really!"
Sollel just nodded at Cira and urged her to move forward. And as Sollel followed
Cira deep into the forest, she left traces of burnt leaves along the way, just to
make sure that they were not going in circles. Hours later, Sollel saw the same
leaves she burnt.
Sollel looked around. All she could see were trees and grasses. There's not even a
single path that she could see. "We're lost, aren't we?"
Cira looked away and pretended to look for a path that could lead them out of the
forest.
Sollel sighed. "What happened to 'I know everything there is to know about
Azitera'?"
Cira looked at Sollel and bit her lower lip. "Azitera...changed while I was in
Beastrela?"
Sollel stared blankly at Cira and was about to scold her for hiding the fact that
they were lost when she heard a rustling sound. Seeing that Cira was about to
speak, Sollel signaled her not to say a word. Cira immediately held her tongue and
readied her bow and arrow.
Sollel felt hopeless while the rustling sound got nearer and nearer. She didn't
have any weapon, and even if she could find a sword, it would melt in an instant
after using her blood of flame. Basically, all she could rely for now was her ball
of flame.
As the rustling sound got nearer, Sollel summoned a ball of flame in her hand while
carefully backing away, not making a sound. And from the thick trees, Sollel and
Cira finally saw where the rustling sound was coming from.
A huge black wolf with red eyes baring its fangs at them entered their line of
sight, saliva dripping from its mouth. Sollel wanted to stay low, not wanting to
make a sound, when she saw how the black wolf was looking at them. It looked
hungry, ready to devour its prey—and they were its prey.
Before the black wolf could attack, Sollel threw the ball of flame in her hand to
the black wolf, and then she started running. "Cira! Run!"
Sollel's worry of Cira's well-being was unfounded when she saw Cira running and
sliding on the tree branches, expertly jumping from tree to tree like an elven
warrior who were experts in forest battles. Seeing Cira safe, Sollel kept conjuring
ball of flames one after another, throwing it to the black wolf while running. But
her flames couldn't penetrate the black wolf's thick fur.
I need a bigger ball of flame, Sollel thought frustratedly. Back in the day, it
would only take one ball of flame to destroy this beast, but now with her current
strength, she was no match for it. All she could do was run and hope that her ball
of flames could somehow distract the beast.
And as Sollel kept throwing her ball of flames to the black wolf, Cira, who was
running and sliding on tree branches, shot her arrows at the black wolf. Cira's aim
was precise that even Sollel was impressed with the elf's agility and aim.
"Head north, Your Highness!" Cira shouted while shooting the black wolf with her
arrows. "I can see an exit!"
Listening to Cira, Sollel faced the black wolf and gathered the biggest ball of
flame she could conjure in her hand. When the black wolf was only a meter away,
Sollel released her ball of flame, blasting the black wolf into the air, a few
meters away. Then Sollel started running north again, relieved to see that Cira was
indeed right—there's an exit. She could already see the trees thinning as she got
nearer and nearer to the exit.
Cira jumped down from the tree and landed beside Sollel. The two ran as fast as
they could to the exit of the forest, while the black wolf—now with an injured eye—
chased them furiously. It was angry because of the damage that Sollel's flame had
done to its left eye.
Hearing the black wolf's angry roar behind them, Cira and Sollel ran faster than
the wind. They both had a triumphant smile when they reached the end of the forest.
Without stopping, the two continued running until there was a safe distance between
them and the forest. Their smile widened when they saw that the black wolf had
stopped at the edge of the forest, glaring at them.
Cira giggled and danced to mock the black wolf, and together with Sollel, the two
turned around at the same time to continue their journey. But their smiles
instantly disappeared when they saw what was in front of them.
There was a wide grayish rocky plain, so wide that they couldn't see the end of it.
Two active volcanos were on each side, both spewing sulfur gases and ash. And in
the middle of the two enormous active volcanoes was a wide path made of flat ash
rock; there were also rock formations out of ashes.
Something clicked in Sollel's mind upon seeing it. "The ash terrain?"
Cira's eyes widened when she heard what Queen Sollel said. The ash terrain was
harmful to any creature in Azitera. No wonder the black wolf didn't continue
chasing them; it was afraid for its life.
The ash terrain looked calm, and the falling ashes from the volcanoes could be
mistaken as a pretty snow, but it was all a lie. The air in the ash terrain was
toxic and harmful to the body, not to mention the heat that would consume them as
they go deeper into the ash terrain. If humans tried to cross the ash terrain,
they'd die in half a day, halflings would probably die within two days, while other
races could probably survive up to four days.
Unfortunately, to cross the ash terrain, seven days were needed.
Sollel and Cira both came from a long-lived race. Sollel could definitely make it
out alive because of her indomitable body, but for Cira, it would be a challenge.
"Let's go back to the forest and kill that black wolf," said Sollel. She'd rather
risk her life fighting the wolf than to cross the ash terrain. Maybe if her
strength was like before, she could even walk slowly and enjoy the heat, but with
her strength and body, not to mention the toxic air in the ash terrain, it would
drain her.
"Ahm..." Cira immediately turned around, eager to go back to the forest, but she
didn't dare take a step when she saw a pack of black wolves at the edge of the
forest, looking at them hungrily. "I don't think that's an option anymore, Your
Highness."
Sollel turned around and gritted her teeth when she saw a pack of black wolves
glaring at them, baring their fangs, as if they were challenging them to go back so
they could rip them apart.
Sollel sighed and looked at the ash terrain in front of them. What choice do we
have? Be eaten or cross the ash terrain while praying to the deities for their
safety?
"How long would it take to cross the ash terrain?" Sollel asked Cira.
"Seven days," Cira answered. She felt guilty for not informing the queen earlier
that they were lost. Maybe if she said anything, they would not be in their
situation now. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I should've told you earlier that
we were lost. I really thought we were going the right way. I just want us to reach
Treterra fast."
"No use blaming yourself," Sollel answered while observing the ash terrain. "Let's
just cross this hellish terrain."
Cira nodded firmly before she took out two leaves from her satchel. "Here, Your
Highness. Eat this. This are areca leaves. It can protect our body from toxins for
a few days. Though you can only consume one leaf every week, or it'll turn to
poison if you took two leaves within the same week."
Sollel did not want to take it since her blood could combat and purify any toxins
that entered her body, but she realized how the plant could help her conserve her
strength. If her blood continued combating and purifying the toxins that would
enter her for seven days, it would have a negative impact on her body, weakening
her, for sure. I can't have that, she thought.
"I will save the areca leaf when we arrive at the center of ash terrain," Sollel
advised Cira. "But you should consume it now. You may be long-lived, but you can
still die."
Cira shuddered at that and hurriedly consumed one areca leaf. "I'm ready, Queen
Sollel."
Sollel nodded and took a deep breath before she bravely took a step forward while
Cira was behind her, following her lead.
Sollel led the first day of their journey to cross the ash terrain. They didn't
stop to rest or sleep. On the second day, still far from the center of the ash
terrain, Sollel started to feel the heat, while Cira already felt the burning
sensation of the two active volcanoes sandwiching them in between.
On their third day, Cira's body was begging for rest, and the effect of the areca
leaves was fading, but she kept going. Cira couldn't voice out her complain, seeing
how the queen caught her breath from time to time, tired just like she was.
On their third night, Sollel finally wanted to rest for a bit, but the problem
was...where? Everywhere they turned, all they could see was a mountain of ash rock,
and if someone touched it, they would burn.
The two enormous volcanoes were hundreds of kilometers apart, but the heat on the
center between them still felt as if the craters were nearby. It was blistering
hot. Well, for Cira it was, but for Sollel, she could only feel a little.
Sollel took the areca leaves she was hiding and ate it, and then she turned to
Cira. "Are the areca leaves still in effect?" The toxic in the air was getting
thicker.
Cira shook her head while trying to dry her sweat. "Don't worry. I'll try to use
the essence in my body to heal myself, but it'll slow me down."
"Do it," Sollel ordered Cira. "Dragging your dead body will be more arduous than
slowing down."
Cira looked at Sollel flatly and spoke with sarcasm. "Thank you for your worry,
Your Highness."
Sollel nodded. "You're welcome."
Cira just sighed at how earnest Sollel sounded.
Stopping for a few minutes, the two realized that they wouldn't be able to rest
even if they wanted to, so they continued walking until they reached the ash rock
mountain—the center of the ash terrain.
Sweating, dehydrated, and exhausted, Sollel and Cira started climbing the ash rock
mountain. The climb took a whole day and half a night. When they reached the top,
Sollel and Cira expected a hellish temperature, but to their surprise, the heat was
not as high as they assumed and anticipated. Still, they didn't stick around and
continued climbing down after they ate Cira's dried meat provision and drank a
little water from Cira's water canteen.
Cira was full of blisters and burns; if not for Sollel's fire essence being wrapped
around her, she would've died—but Cira didn't know that. She had no idea that
Sollel was spreading her fire essence to protect her from the blistering heat of
the ash terrain.
On their fifth day, Sollel and Cira were already at the foot of the mountain. Their
hike continued. On their sixth day, the two finally started seeing vegetation. And
when Cira saw a tree, the elf climbed it and slept on one of the tree branches
without a care in the world. The temperature already dropped down, and they could
finally rest.
Seeing that Cira would be asleep for a couple of hours, Sollel sat on the ground
and leaned on the bark of the tree that Cira was sleeping on and closed her eyes,
not to sleep but to plan ahead.
This can't continue. To safely reach the Kingdom of Treterra, we need a proper
guide that can also protect us, she thought. If Sollel was not mistaken, beside the
ash terrain was a human settlement, the small town of Ashmire. And if her memory
served her right, there was a guild of hunters in that town.
Maybe we could employ someone from the guild of hunters. It was the only plan
Sollel could think of at the moment since she was still weak.
Sollel took a deep breath and concentrated to feel her flame. After six days in ash
terrain, after being immersed in high temperature for six days, Sollel's strength
did not change. I wonder where I can find a fire stone. Its essence can definitely
help me recover a bit of my strength.
Sighing, Sollel thought of a plan since her elf guide was not reliable. To get to
Gatria, Sollel needed to think ahead and prepare.