章 138: Elementals and Spell-weavers (Full)
The red and yellow hues of the twilight sun slid behind the horizon and winked out of sight, the transition from day to night was almost instant.
Luckily the pitch darkness of night was kept at bay by the mild moonlight sprinkling over the scenery.
The path through the wild weeds and stones were barely illuminated by the glow of the distant full moon.
The wagon, now commandeered by Hartley and the others, rattled forward at low speed over the hard bumpy ground littered with shattered rocks.
Sat behind Hartley who was driving the wagon, were the two girls huddled together, wincing as the wagon wobbled over the rough bumps..
Zhi Ruo was on the opposite side with her back against the side boards.
The ride through the dark and windless night was far from comfortable, at times the sudden jolts of the wagon felt unbearable on the rump.
The two girls kept exchanging looks of uncertainty, choosing to keep their silence. Wondering if they had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.
"How much further?" Zhi Ruo asked softly, finally breaking the silence.
Without giving an answer the freckled face girl who spoke of the old language, pointed towards a dark sprawling forest about half a mile ahead.
From that point on, the silence of the night was only disturbed by the wheels of the wagon grinding over stones or the occasional howling of a beast...
Eventually, after abandoning the wagon, the group were standing at a treeline of giant trees standing tall like soldiers protecting their domain, their canopies disappearing high into the darkness.
"There," the girl said as she pointed at a narrow path leading into the imposing forest.
The twisting vines, shadows and weeds, weaved together around the inky profile of the footpath as if it was the mouth of a giant beast.
The girl inhaled sharply, she had been non talkative ever since Hartley had asked her to lead them to the other people, obviously suspicious about the pair's motives.
As soon as the group stepped foot onto the narrow path leading into the forest, the moon and its mild light seemed to completely disappear. Leaving only suffocating darkness and the claustrophobic cluster of trees surrounding the group.
Hartley and Zhi Ruo moved cautiously behind the girls, staying close while keeping a keen watch for any predators that might be lurking quietly in the shadows.
The group made surprisingly quick progress through the darkness. Despite the tenseness of the situation, the girls led the way with intimate familiarity through the maze of trees and tangled vines, their practiced steps quiet and steady.
Hartley could make out the dark outline of the route ahead but could not see the details of the winding path. He couldn't help but have flashbacks of the dark void he had been trapped in before coming to the pocket dimension.
After another fifteen minutes of walking through the tranquil darkness, they came to a flat open area. Hartley noticed that he could no longer hear the occasional howling of beasts. He wasn't so sure that was a good thing.
The girls unperturbed, led them deeper west, passing a narrow path through two huge rock faces. On the other side of the rocks, the trees were less dense, scattered streams of the moonlight could once again be seen cascading through the gaps overhead and the ground was covered in weeds.
Suddenly shuffled footsteps sounded from the shadowy treeline. Hartley and Zhi Ruo tensed, ready to defend themselves.
After quickly taking cover and standing still for several moments, the girls seemed to recognise something and breathed a sigh of relief. Their bodies visibly relaxed as they exhaled.
The freckled face young girl spoke aloud towards the shadows in the unfamiliar language, after fifteen seconds three men walked into sight with weapons drawn.
The dark silhouettes of the men moved forward cautiously, eyeing Hartley and Zhi Ruo, the girls looked back at Hartley nervously and he nodded at them with a smile.
They then ran forward to meet the newcomers. After a heated debate with one of the men in the foreign language, the freckled face girl turn to the duo and then said "follow us, we need to go see grandpa."
****
The sun rose, spreading its warmth and light over a shabby settlement located deep in the forest.
The busy inhabitants of the town moved with haste and military discipline to complete their tasks.
Hartley awoke beside Zhi Ruo in what looked like an abandoned building. The roof of the concrete building was intact, but the sidewalls were completely missing, replaced with sheets of fabric. The ambient sounds of the unfamiliar language was being voiced by numerous people outside, some passing by, while others were obviously posted outside as guards.
A calm Hartley and Zhi Ruo washed up with a bucket of fresh water delivered earlier by a couple kids.
After waiting patiently for half an hour, a voice from outside announced the arrival of the town's Patriarch.
An old man followed by a couple attendants entered the improvised dwelling soon after.
Hartley could instantly feel it, the old man was certainly an elemental saint. Based on what Kang had told him Hartley expected to meet spell-weavers in the pocket dimension.
"Welcome to Cambridge, I'm Wushang," the old man greeted with a pleasant and amiable smile.
His aged face was filled with natural folds and furrows. His lively eyes sparkled and his short white beard matched the colour of the thinning hair nesting on his head.
"Tea?" the man offered, after speaking to his attendants in the unfamiliar language, obviously dismissing them as they bowed to the old man and retreated from the room.
Zhi Ruo stayed quiet as she observed the man make a table with tea and cups appear in the middle of the room from nowhere.
"Its such a relief to see and speak to other people," said Hartley as him and Zhi Ruo followed the old man to sit in the lotus position around the small table.
"And someone who knows what happened here." Zhi Ruo added.
"Firstly, thank you for taking care of my granddaughter and her friend." Wushang gave a slight bow.
"That was nothing," Hartley answered and waved a hand as if the matter was trivial.
"How long have you been here?"
The old man asked with his perfect Aldoran accent as he lent forward and poured the steaming tea into the cups.
"This is our third year." Answered Hartley as he received his cup of the hot liquid.
The old man nodded as he sipped.
"So what really happened here?" Hartley couldn't resist asking again.
The old man shrugged with a sigh and a rueful smile placing his cup back on the table.
"The same as always, men seeking power and forsaking all else. I'm sure you're no stranger to that concept."
Hartley nodded slowly.
The old man solemnly continued.
" Our calamity lasted for two decades in the form of a war for supremacy between the spell-weavers and elementals, in the end both sides were almost eradicated. The few of us left on both sides have to pick up the pieces and rebuild a once flourishing world from the ashes."
The old man's head panned around the delapidated surroundings and a sigh escaped his lips involuntarily.
"Most of the former world's knowledge and technology were lost with the destruction of the preeminent cities."
The conversation continued in its sad tone until Hartley inquired how the man spoke Aldoran and no one else but his granddaughter.
The old man flashed a smile before answering.
"Someone from the other side brought us elemental cultivation a long time ago and taught us the old language in the process, me and my granddaughter happen to be direct descendants, so we were taught the old language from our ancestors."
"Do you know how to get back to the other side?" Hartley asked.
After a quick thought, the old man stated bluntly, "you're not strong enough, not yet anyway."
He then continued...
" In the dangerous lands of the spell-weavers there's a place where one could cross but you at present wouldn't be able to, not to mention carrying someone else with you."
Before Hartley or Zhi Ruo could enquire further details, the old man dropped some more info.
"The good news is that three years on this side is only three days on the other side, so you might have to stay and practice on this side until you're strong enough to cross. I predict it might not take you ten years."
Hartley thought as much, the reason Kang had suggested this trip was to give Hartley ample time to cultivate into sainthood before King Yulan's second attempt at ascending.
Hartley then asked, "you seem strong enough why do you wallow in this broken world?"
The old man laughed before answering.
"Its a pity we all can't pack up and leave this broken dimension, but all of us who were born here would age rapidly and die of old age within two weeks on the other side.
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