“We’ll move at night and use spells to remove our tracks so they don’t spot us,” Erik said. “Are you sure that this pass will work Qiu Jun?”
“They’re looking to detect people exiting Tareng, not those going in. The formation will detect those going into the valley but along the pass I saw it won’t detect people coming out. I wanted to pass through there but instead had to pass when a patrol was going through so that I looked like part of the patrol,” Qiu Jun answered.
Night came and they moved forward between two sand dunes that created a valley.There was a rock face at the end of it that they scaled down with ropes.
They got to the edge of the detection formation and dug, the sand collapsed back on them and left a gap under the detection formation.
They crawled through the new gap, using spells to mask their progress, stirring up the sand and returning it to how it used to be and passive anti-detection and stealth spells that made it harder for formations to see them and would trick the human mind.
They used hand signals and looks to communicate as they moved on, Qiu Jun leading them past random detection formations he had laid out on a map during his exit.
After clearing the last detection formation, he got back on his mount, the rest of them following on their own mounts as they quickly crossed the desert.
The sands gave way to a landscape that was dotted with massive naturally formed stone pillars that reached into the sky.
The sun was coming down on them as a city appeared between the red stone pillars.
The city had the same red sand-colored walls as the pillars around it. The buildings inside were shaped like pyramids, stretching above the city walls. There were four entrances to the city, each of them large enough for four carriages to ride side by side.
Currently these roads were empty and the gates were closed.
“Not a good sign,” Storbon said.
“Nope. Keep a lookout,” Niemm said. The two of them looked at each other, shifting their worn cloaks so it would be easier to fight.
Qiu Jun used a spell, sending up a signal flare.
Nothing happened as they adjusted in their saddles, becoming more alert.
“What was that?” Erik asked Qiu Jun.
“A signal to let them know who I am,” Qiu Jun said.
Erik gritted his teeth but didn’t say anything, he wiped the sand from his combat glasses and watched the area as they rode up to the massive city.
It was a large city, about a third the size of Vuzgal. The powerful, formation-inscribed walls had patrolling guards and weapon emplacements showing that the city wasn’t empty.
They kept on riding toward the walls but the gates remained closed.
They arrived in front of the gate as it opened.
There were soldiers waiting behind the gate wearing the armor of the Crafter’s association and the Blue Lotus.
“Hands up!” A voice came from above as archers appeared on the walls.
Qiu Jun and the others did as they were told.
“Don’t fight,” Erik said.
They were quickly pulled from their mounts and had chains put on their arms as they were dragged into the city, their mounts growling angrily as they were captured, even the high leveled beast masters had a hard time calming the beasts and pulling them inside.
Erik didn’t miss their surprised looks, the beasts had been fed plenty of monster cores, with the supplies of Vuzgal they had reached the same level as their riders. Mid level forty mounts were expensive and harder to find in the fourth realm.
***
Head of the Tareng Blue Lotus Xue Lin let out a sigh as she heard everything that the messenger Qiu Jun had to say.
“Thank you for your efforts,” Daniels, the Head of the Crafter’s association in Tareng said.
Qiu Jun bowed deeply before leaving the room.
The doors closed and the room remained in silence, feeling desolate. Our own headquarters won’t listen to us and the only people that our messenger met are this mysterious group that have an alchemist who is also a friend of the Blue Lotus.
“What do you think Xue Lin?” Daniels asked. They had worked together for years before this and with the latest issues they had become friends.
“I think we don’t have many options right now, it sounds that at least this Erik has a plan,” she shrugged.
Daniels nodded and then looked to a guard.“Bring him in.”
It was a few minutes before a bound Erik appeared before them.
“What is your full name Erik?” Daniels asked.
“Journeyman Alchemist Erik West, direct disciple of Expert Alchemist Hiao Zen, pill head of the Third Realm,” Erik said.
There was some talk among the leadership as Erik continued.
“If you need confirmation you can look at my emblem, the information is all there. Now I’m not here for small talk, so there are two things I offer. A shot at escaping this trap, and supplies to help you,” Erik said.
Close to reaching level forty but he has confidence and he’s smart. Telling us his qualifications and linking him to the associations and offering options, allowing him to take control of the discussion so we are the ones that have to ask him questions as if he knows everything about our situation already.
“What is your plan?” Xue Lin asked
“Leave Tareng,” Erik’s two words were like a bomb.
“How can we leave the city? There are wolves at the gate and you want us to rush into them! Do you want us to fall on our swords for them too?!”
“At least we have walls here, in the desert we’ll be caught without any defenses!”
“There are ten armies all around us, that can react to cut off our line of advance!”
“I thought you would have more brains than this!”
Daniels cleared his throat, silencing the other voices in the hall.
“The army will intercept us before we get to any of the surrounding cities,” Xue Lin said calmly.
“We won’t be going to any of them. We will be heading east,” Erik said.
“East? There is only the cursed lands there and the remains of the Edar Empire.”
“It used to be. We need to move and fast. We have a lot of people to move.”
“How long will it take for us to reach the forest and them?”
“It will take them three days to gather their units and then reach the forest road. It could take us,” Xue Lin frowned, thinking. “Around two days if we go all out.”
She looked to Daniels who nodded in agreement.
“They’ll be right behind us, on the road they will move faster than us and catch up.”
“I have people on the road that are getting ready to greet the Blood Demon Sect. I have a few plans to attacka nd ambush their army along the road and slow them to give us space and time between the two groups,” Erik said.
“You have been able to clear the Edar Empire’s capital Vuzgal?” Daniel’s asked suddenly.
This sent ripples through the room as the different men and women talked to one another.
“Something like that. It’s not important but if we get to the capital, we’ll have defenses and a totem to use. Also, we will have the forests which will naturally funnel the Blood Demon Sect armies. With the right tactics, we can slow the speed of their advance. If we don’t slow them, then we will die. If we go in any other direction, we will die. If you stay here, they’ll wait till you’re at your most vulnerable and everyone will die.”
“We will need to take time to think on this,”Xue Lin responded.
“Don’t take too long. There are supplies of Stamina concoctions and water within some of our storage devices that could help the people of Tareng. The longer you wait, the worse it will be. I hope that based on our associations goodwill that you will release myself and my guards within two days so that we can escape the Blood Demon Sect encirclement,” Erik said.
Xue Lin and Daniels shared a look.
“We will release you in two
days,” Daniels confirmed.
Erik was led out of the council room again as everyone started talking to one another.
“We will take a break,” Daniels said as he and Xue Lin left the room, stepping into a meeting room.
Daniels took a seat in one of the chairs as he let out a sigh.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“I didn’t detect that he was lying, he was confident in what he was saying. What do you think of his plan?” Queried Xue Lin.
“I think that it will be hard to tell others about it. To leave Tareng? The walls are the only thing that people have confidence in anymore.”
“A fish can be flushed out and a crab’s shell broken,” Xue Lin said. “We are running out of time and supplies. His emblems can’t be faked, they’re as authentic as they come. If they really control Vuzgal then they’re not pushovers. There have been generations that have gone there to try and claim the treasures of the capital but none have been able to. If we stay here we will die, if we flee through the desert it might be the only chance that we have,” Xue Lin sighed, feeling the full weight of her position.
“You’re willing to place that much trust in him? It could be a trap,” Daniels said.
“If we get him to make an oath on the Ten Realms would that satisfy you?” Xue Lin asked.
Daniels seemed to be stumped for words.
“I guess it’s not really having an oath or not, more the fact that it feels like we’re just running scared,” Daniels sighed.
“We run today, so that we can fight tomorrow,” Xue Lin consoled him.
Daniels was quiet, thinking if there was any other option. Finally he stood up, “Alright, shall we get back in there?”
They walked back to their seats as Daniels motioned for Xue Lin to speak.
“The Blue Lotus agrees to Erik’s plan, we will order our people to pack up their goods as well as the people of the city to follow us out towards Vuzgal,” Xue Lin announced. This had mixed reactions among the people there. Those from the Blue Lotus kept their mouths shut, there was a strict hierarchy among them so what their head said, they would follow through with.
Daniels cleared his throat and looked at Xue Lin.
“Our two groups have worked together for an unknown number of years. We will stand with the Blue Lotus at this time and listen to your counsel. We are crafters, not people of war. Though I want to raise a few questions. If it is indeed true, what will we do? Our fighting forces are badly affected by the concoction and from what you have said, it will only get worse before it gets better. If the enemy attacks, we will be unable to defend. We have sealed the totem; the seal will remain for another month. Our options are limited. I have wracked my brains and not found answers. I don’t like this plan but out of what we’ve got, it’s the best one.”
He'd brought up other’s fears and showed that he was not deaf or blind to them and was also sympathetic to them.
He might not have fought in any battles but he knew the way of things in the Fourth Realm.
“For this, I hope Head Xue Lin will take command.”
“I thank you for your trust Head Daniels,” She stood and bowed her head slightly to Daniels and looked to the rest of the people in the room. “Gather your people, we leave in two days.”
***
“Sorry about that, I am to escort you all to the Blue Lotus,” A guard said as he undid the chains of Special Team One and Erik, their mounts were there waiting for them.
“Please follow me,” The guard mounted up on a lizard.
They all got on their mounts and made to follow him.The guard waved to someone that opened the gate into the compound. They passed through and walked into the actual city.
Tareng was an oasis in the desert. There was nothing but rocks and sand outside the gates, with the trading road cutting through it all. Inside the walls there were desert plants reaching up to the skies, parks with ponds, streams of water that curved underneath bridges and through the city.
Tareng was made up of tall but thin buildings, like the towering rocks outside of the city. Pyramids rested on pillars, the interior filled with gardens and water features, the pyramid keeping the sand and wind out, while the gardens naturally cooled the interior.
There were markets that filled the interior of the pyramids with color, but remained silent with the plague keeping many at home.
Some of the pyramids were connected by walkways. Between the Pyramids there were streets lined with palm trees, stores, and living quarters. A second city that hid in the pyramid’s shadows.
Erik pulled back his hood and took his sunglasses off, the newly revealed clean skin striking a contrast as the rest of him was covered in dirt.
All of the squad looked hard traveled.
Although the city was a paradise, the people in the streets moved around with fear on their faces, looking around as if skittish.
There were massive trading areas dotted around the city. Entire pyramids were dedicated to different crafts but the forges were cold and the tailors’ needles were still.
The city seemed to have ground to a halt.
They reached the middle of the city. A Blue Lotus building rested in the center of the city. It was massive—about the size of the Colosseum in Rome. Instead of being a pyramid, it was shaped like a blooming Blue Lotus flower, reaching into the sky.
The normally busy doors of the Blue Lotus were open and barren. The wind rolled through the main square, pulling along non-existent tumbleweeds.
The guards standing at the gates of the Blue Lotus building were each level fifty. Their cold eyes watched the group as they dismounted. Someone collected their beasts and they walked passed the guards who stood there like statues.
“Has to suck standing for that long,” Erik thought to himself as they continued into the Blue Lotus. Remembering the parades and the all too long speeches he had needed to suffer through.
A man cupped his hands and bowed to them as they entered. “I am Lee Jung. I will take you to see Head Xue Lin.”
The guide guard cupped his hands and bowed deeper to Lee Jung, backing off, his job done.
Erik cupped his hands. “Thank you.”
The man looked at Erik’s clothes covered in dust and his dirty face.
“I can only allow two of your guards with you,” His smile became a bit more forced as he led them through the Blue Lotus.
“Yao Meng, Tian Cui, keep up. Niemm make sure that those supplies get passed out,” Erik said as he walked up the stairs.
“On it,” Niemm replied.
Tian Cui and Yao Meng followed Erik up the stairs.
“This place is loaded,” Yao Meng said to Tian Cui. She nodded as they passed different cabinets with items on offer and entered a private area with expensive paintings and sculptures.
They passed roaming guards but there was no one trying to auction any items. It was eerily silent as they reached the head’s door.
The guards didn’t seem to have a presence; if Erik didn’t see them breathing, he would think that they were statues.
They moved to open the door as Lee Jung stepped to the side.
“Wait here. Don’t break anything,” Erik said to them before focusing on Yao Meng, who looked hurt.
Tian Cui snorted. “I’ll try my best to keep him out of trouble, boss.”
“Thanks.” Erik headed in.
Xue Lin stood from where she was sitting. She looked delicate and classy wearing a finely made blue dress.
She nodded to Erik, who cupped his hands to her and gave a slight bow.
“Head Xue.”
“Journeyman West, if you are able to get us out of here, then you’ll gain recognition from the Crafters Association and Blue Lotus that few have,” she said.
“I only have one term I need you and Daniels to agree on,” Erik said.
“What is that?”
“That the Blue Lotus and the Crafter’s Association will call Vuzgal a trading city. That I will be able to remain
in control over it. I will offer preferential treatment to both associations, the same terms that I would give to my own alchemist association,” Erik said.
“You have big aspirations,” Xue Lin said. “Though I won’t lie, it is good to know your terms and that you’re not just doing this out of the goodness of your heart. People that do that in the Fourth Realm have another angle they’re working, or they’ll end up dead soon enough.”
“I wouldn’t know, I’m pretty new around these parts,” Erik said and sat forward.
Xue Lin sent a message with her sound transmission device and then pulled out a contract, writing it out in front of Erik and then signing it with her blood and passing it to Erik.
Erik checked the contract and put it away.
A light appeared on her sound transmission device.
“Daniels will have the contract sent over shortly,” She said.
A screen appeared in front of Erik.
==========
Event
==========
You have found that the Blood Demon Sect has poisoned the people of Tareng.
You have chosen to save the people of Tareng.
Rewards will be based upon your end result.
==========
“Can you tell me more about what is going on?”
“We have been trying to pass messages out to the Blue Lotus and the Crafter’s Association Headquarters.Yet it looks like from what you’ve said that we need to send one of our more prestigious people there to tell them in person. They won’t trust outsiders. We have an army of ten thousand here, all of which have been affected by the concoction. We estimate that they have an army of fifty thousand circling us in ten different camps, with a heavy concentration of Elites and Masters. We are swiftly running out of clean water to drink. We won’t get aid for six more weeks but we will likely not last that long. I have a responsibility to my association and to the people here. I haven’t heard of you Erik or your group but you came to help us, are a member of an allied association and a friend of my Blue Lotus.
The Fourth Realm (The Ten Realms Book 4) Page 32