Chương 34: Temple of Raging Winds (5)
When Dagon came to, he found himself laying down on a bedroll of scratchy, itchy wool and an old, gross pillow. A faint candle light cast shadows dancing across the small room, which appeared to be a log cabin.
The inside of the cabin was strange to say the least. Hanging on strings from the ceiling were dozens of strange fruits, seeds, plants and animal skins. There was a shelf of old, worn books and a table of strange tools, maps, construction plans-or at least Dagon guessed that's what they were-and other oddities.
Another desk was cluttered with dozens upon dozens of Drakeagen stones, some minuscule and insipid, others large and irregular.
Another bedroll lay on the opposite end of the cabin beside the rickety door.
Dagon also noticed he had what appeared to be bandages all wound about his body holding strange plants to his skin and broken bones.
*Is this some kind of healing treatment?* he wondered. He didn't bother to try an decipher where he was, seeing as it likely didn't matter much. He knew he had to still be somewhere within the temple, as the only way to leave was to die or be granted the privilege by the Dragon God. Though, that isn't for certain either, since no one ever has.
Dagon rose to his feet, his body sore as pain shot through his limbs. Observing the strange oddities of the cabin as he went, he reached the rickety door and grabbed the handle, pulling it open with a long creak.
Dagon squinted, taken aback by the surprisingly bright light outside of the cabin. For a moment, he was confused as to why there was sunlight, but as his eyes adjusted he quickly realized it was not the sun.
He was in an immensely expansive cavern, in which the ground was covered in rich, soft grass and strangely shaped trees with glowing vines wound around their bases were cast across the field. Along the roof were bright golden stones the gave off light similar to that of the sun. It was almost like staring up at a sky of brilliant, glimmering stars.
On the far end of the cavern, Dagon could see a sealed gateway with a luminescent blue stone beside it. He assumed that is where he came through.
His eyes also then landed on a man hunched over seated upon a wooden chair looking over a shallow river that ran down the cavern before falling off somewhere on the edge where there appeared to be a steep drop.
Dagon began to walk towards the man, moving slowly as he winced from the pain of his wounds.
The man seemed to hear him coming and turned to face him. Dagon stopped, staring at the man with confusion.
He had two large, curling blue horns and long black hair with tinges of gray. His eyes were a striking ice blue and he had a scruffy gray beard. His arms were large and his body was fit and lean. The was a strange air that seemed to hang around him.
"Who are you?" Dagon asked, wary of the man, though he didn't think he was really in danger.
"You can call me Ald." The man said, his voice was deep and soft. "I watch over this place. I am also the person that picked you up from out there." He motioned towards the gateway.
"So this is still the temple then?" Dagon asked.
"Indeed it is. May I ask, why are you here?" Ald spoke.
"I'm not sure I should tell you. How do I know I can actually trust you?" Dagon asked.
Ald sighed. "Fair enough. Then let me shed some light. Did you know that the Dragon Gods could forge Kinships?"
"What's your point?"
"My point is that I am a true blood Dragon Kin. I am over six hundred years old and I am the one bonded to Phenor."
Dagon blinked in surprise. Many questions flooded his mind, but one thing stuck out to him.
"A pure blood..?" He asked.
Ald pointed at his horns. "See how I have two horns and you only have one? That means that, at some point, one of your ancestors fell in love with a human and they had a child. Resulting in the single horn. Eventually this became the norm, and half bloods became more and more normal. And now, there are few true bloods left."
"What is that supposed to mean? I don't see why that is important." Dagon said.
"Pure blood Dragon Kin have much more magical power than half bloods. So basically, I'm saying what makes you think you should be the Dragon King when you aren't even a pure blood?" Ald stood, facing Dagon. He was surprisingly tall.
"I thought you didn't know why I was here?" Dagon said. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. I don't care if I am a pure blood or not, all I care about is bringing the Four Kingdoms to their knees."
"Why?" Ald asked. "What purpose do you have for it? Why do you fight? Why do you kill?"
"I won't kill. Not unless I have to." Dagon said. "And my reasons are my own."
"So you are weak?"
"I am not weak."
"Then why don't you kill?"
"Because there is no need for pointless death. A true king won't kill those who do not need to die."
"A true king will do what is right for his people." Ald spoke. "Now I'll ask again, since you never answered, why do you fight?"
"As I said, my reasons are my own." Dagon did not know why, but he felt that he was being challenged, and he instinctually became defensive and aggressive.
Ald was quiet for a moment, staring Dagon down. It was as though he was scrutinizing him, judging his value.
"You want revenge. But for what?"
"It does not concern you." Dagon said, gritting his teeth.
"Oh, but it does, you see I am the one who judges whether you deserve counsel with Phenor or not. So you better start talking, because if I don't find you worthy, you will die here."
Ald moved his hand, pushing his cloak aside and revealing a golden sword at his hip.
Dagon stepped back from Ald.
"You don't seem strong to me. What are you gonna do with one hand? What worth do you have? What is your idea of the future and how do you plan to reach it." Ald's eyes narrowed. "If you don't give me an answer, I will have no choice but to dispose of you."
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