Bab 82: The Door to the Sleeping Chambers
"It seems another sinister uncle has come to call," Grayson said, rising to his feet and peering ahead into the deepening valley path.
"Is there an uncle more dangerous than you?" Elyra managed to swallow the last of her provisions and grabbed the water bottle from Katheren, taking several gulps before responding.
"At least I'm not as much of a menace as this little troublemaker." Grayson shot Elyra a glance and then addressed Katheren, "Let's move on if you've regained your strength."
"Can't I sleep a bit before we go?" Elyra yawned, her belly content and round.
"Then keep sleeping here, and the creepy uncle will come to snatch you up!" Grayson teased her nonchalantly, turning to walk deeper into the valley. Katheren chuckled at the little sprite, quickly catching up to Grayson in a few brisk steps.
"Hey, are you really going to leave me behind?!" Elyra struggled to her feet and saw their figures growing distant. She hurriedly transformed into an owl and followed.
Grayson, with the little owl snoring tightly atop his head, and Katheren continued along the winding valley under a sky so densely blue, time seemed to stand still.
"How long has it been since we entered this place? It must be day by now, right?" Grayson mused, looking up at the velvety sky that resembled a painted canvas.
"The moon hasn't moved since we came in," Katheren observed softly, following his gaze.
"You're very observant. This valley must be under some powerful magic, creating a realm suitable for the undead, where sunlight can't penetrate, similar to the eternal darkness of the Cursed Lands."
"If that's the case, then whoever created this barrier must be very powerful," Katheren said, her eyes wide with concern, the recent encounter with the Death Knight still fresh in her mind.
"Indeed, if Death Knights are merely gatekeepers here, then the master of this valley must be immensely formidable."
Grayson nodded gravely, then, seeing the unease on Katheren's face, took her hand gently, "But fear not, as long as you don't plan on having dinner here, they can't keep you—there's not much of a feast to be had!"
"I suggest we leave now to find something appetizing; I'm getting tired of chocolate provisions!" Elyra grumbled, curling up on Grayson's hat.
"You're about to eat up all our provisions! Little menace, keep this up, and after we run out, we'll roast you for dinner!" Grayson feigned anger.
"Horrible man, I'll stick with the dumb girl!" Elyra flapped her wings, retreating to Katheren's head.
Sharing a laugh, Grayson and Katheren suddenly noticed a massive white wall ahead, with ornate carved gates flanked by sculptures of serene figures, reminiscent of a palace entrance.
"How can there be such a door here?" Katheren turned and asked in surprise.
Grayson examined the wall and its patterns, frowning thoughtfully. "Those griffins carved above the door are imperial symbols, found in the palaces of the three duchies."
"A palace?" Katheren echoed, looking confusedly at the carvings. "I've never been close to a royal city; those places are filled with soldiers and nobles."
"That's not important. What's key are the carvings on the walls beside the gates. The shield on the left depicts a soaring eagle, while the right shows people raising a flag. Do you know what they signify?" Grayson asked, turning back to Katheren.
She shook her head, lost in curiosity, watching Grayson who looked up at the carvings and spoke, "The eagle on the shield, soaring with resolve, is the emblem of the Deiz Duchy's royal family."
"What?" Katheren exclaimed in surprise.
"Right. The carvings on the right signify the kingdom's name, 'Deiz,' which means 'the people.' The king's subjects raising the victory flag, never retreating!" Grayson returned her gaze, laden with significance. "They are the banners and crests of Deiz."
"But why are they here?" Katheren wondered. "In a place guarded by Death Knights and zombies?"
"Let's go and have a look." Grayson beckoned Katheren to the gates, cautiously approaching the tall white wall that matched the height of the cliffs. He pushed against the gates, but they remained immovable.
Grayson pressed his ear against the door, listening for any signs of life, but the silence was profound. He stepped back, examining the door, then noticed an inscription above it. Squinting, he read off a mathematical equation, (20+1+12) + (19+1+12+1+19) = ?
Below it was written, "Find the result, awaken the sleeper, and the gates of the sleeping chambers shall open."
"This one's up to you, do the math. Even an uneducated little bird can do such simple addition!" Grayson pointed at the equation and lit another cigar for Katheren.
Before she could respond, Elyra protested, "I'm not uneducated! I've just devoured one plus one equals two pieces of provision!"
"You only count what you eat!" Grayson teased her, turning his attention to Katheren, who after pondering for a moment, asked hesitantly, "Is it 85?"
"Correct," Grayson pointed at the door, "Guess we just shout '85' at the door, and it might open?"
Katheren gazed at the door, nervous and unsure. "I don't know..."
"85!" Grayson announced loudly. The door didn't budge, not a single sound.
"As expected, no use." Grayson shrugged.
"Did I calculate wrong?" Katheren asked, her anxiety growing.
"No, it's not that," he said, gazing at the door. "What's the most common way to wake someone up?"
"Pour a bucket of water over their face!" Elyra blurted out.
"Shut it, you little menace; not everyone uses pranks to wake people up like you do!" Grayson glared at her and then looked to Katheren, who timidly suggested, "Naturally, you call their name, telling them it's time to wake up."
"Good girl, so gentle!" Grayson glanced at Elyra and continued, "The inscription says 'find the answer, wake the sleeper,' so the answer must be the sleeper's name."
"But how do we know the name?" Katheren asked, puzzled.
"Just solve the equation!" Grayson squatted and wrote down the numbers: 1, 12, 19, 20. "If the name is formed by these, let's assume they correspond to letters in the alphabet: A, L, S, T."
"Combining them according to the equation, we get TalSalas... Talark's son, the king of Deiz..." Grayson spelled out the name, then looked up at Katheren.
As the last syllable echoed, the ground shook violently, and the white gate swung open with a thunderous roar.
"It seems we guessed right!" Grayson said with a wry smile, puffing on his cigar. Katheren nodded admiringly, charmed by their success.
They stepped through the gate and rounded the corner, only to find a grove of weathered tombstones standing steadfast, their inscriptions worn away but structurally intact, an imposing sight.
"This place doesn't exactly warm the heart..." Grayson surveyed the grave markers, finding they numbered in the hundreds. He inhaled deeply from his cigar, "But there's no other path to take. Unwelcome guests should always meet their host. Stay sharp, darlings."
He tiptoed towards the graves, Katheren with her protective short sword close behind. They cautiously navigated past the tombstones, entering deeper into the silence.
"Wait!" Grayson suddenly whispered, halting in front of an especially large tombstone.
Katheren stopped and looked up at the towering stone as Grayson read the carved inscription with a tremor in his voice, "Talark's son, the King of Deiz, erected in December 1300."
A flicker of fear gleamed in Grayson's eyes, a rare sight that made Katheren shudder. Before she could ponder what scared Grayson, he urged, "We must leave this place, now!"
They hadn't taken ten steps before a deafening crash shook the ground. The monolithic tombstone collapsed, revealing a skeletal figure in a silver robe, topped with a crown, and clutching a staff gleaming with a green light.
Grayson pulled Katheren into a sprint as tombstones toppled around them, skeletal figures in robes rising with staffs in their hands, their hollow eyes locking onto the fleeing pair.
Explosions followed, and green blasts shot from the staffs, turning the ground into toxic sludge where they struck.
"No one escapes my kingdom!" The crowned lich pounded his staff, and a horde of clawing wraiths appeared on the path ahead, sealing the duo's escape route.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone