Rastel walked along the slowly trudging cart with very tired gaits while trying hard to ignore Myra's happy splashing with the other children.
After Vars had fallen asleep, he had used a golem to carry the large Baluu while he himself had carried the smaller Vars back to the cart.
Roxanne had walked beside him without any burden on her as she had refuted strongly when he asked for her help, saying she was a lady so she wasn't as strong as he was.
She had settled with dropping occasional words of encouragement on the way back.
'This girl definitely has a higher strength stat than me, so shameless!'
Although he felt wronged, he had struggled with Vars's sleeping body under the rain until they reached the cart.
He had promptly dropped his body into the cart when they finally caught up along with Baluu's unconscious form.
The children had to come down to make space for the two friends which they happily obliged with as they were eager to play in the rain.
He hadn't asked Myra to check on Baluu any longer as he felt that since his life was no longer under threat, there was no need to reveal her abilities.
They walked through fields of grain surrounding the road that lead to the town's gates.
It wasn't long before they passed the large fields of grain and started making their way up to the gates that seemed to be set on a small elevation.
Tired of walking, Rastel climbed onto the top of the cart where Roxanne was already perched on all this while.
He found her sitting comfortably with her legs crossed and her leather hoodie still valiantly protecting her from the rain.
He plumped down beside her and laid flat on his stomach, turning his back to the weeping sky.
"You're tired?" she asked without looking back.
"Hmmm…." He mumbled back a reply.
She took a quick glance at him before raising her hand after a bit of hesitation and patted his back before giving it a rub.
"Mhmmm...." Rastel had his tail wave happily in response to the gesture.
"Stop that! I'm only doing this because I feel a little guilty." She whacked his head.
"Ah…" he stopped moving his tail as it laid limply by his side.
Roxanne showed an expression of satisfaction as she continued slowly rubbing his back.
They reached the town soon enough and Rastel turned around to look at its large imposing metal gates.
The tall walls aside, the gates themselves seemed to be about 20 meters tall and looked as thick as three men standing side by side.
It seemed to be made of a dull silver metal and there was a huge relief of a large hand holding a piece of ingot on it.
The gates were currently shut but it wasn't long before a group of guards opened up a smaller gate that Rastel hadn't noticed before to ask them some questions.
The old man had proceeded to talk with the guards and with their familiarity with him and knowing of their origins, the guards didn't give them much trouble and let them in after they paid a small fee.
The entire town was dark and they could barely see anything when they entered. Only the stone paved main road that lead into the town square at the end.
The old man called out to Rastel.
"I will lead the cart to grandmaster Vulcan's workshop so we can take care of the young ones. Knowing him, he would welcome us with shelter at the very least.
With no other option, Rastel had agreed.
He had no knowledge of Eadon and looking for an Inn would cost time and money, he would happily go for the free accommodations.
The old man had then led the cart down the empty road before taking a left to the eastern side of Eadon.
They took a few minutes to reach their destination before the cart finally stopped.
The children that were running along the cart with the other adults yelled with joy when they were told the journey was over.
Rastel on the other hand was staring at the large building they had stopped in front of.
Even though the weather outside was cold with the falling rain, steam covered the outside of the house and the heat emitted from the inside was very much noticeable.
Even from his position on top of the cart, he could feel occasional waves of heat blowing at his face.
The building had two floors and was considerably large. The entrance sported two large doors made of what was apparently gold with the same insignia of a hand holding an ingot that he had seen on the town's gates.
The building itself was made from baked bricks and it seemed the rain didn't affect it at it was as dry as bone.
They all alighted from the cart, taking their supplies with them. Rastel took hold of Vars again and a couple of men from among the settlers carried Baluu on their shoulders.
The old man led the way with Rastel right behind him holding Vars and Myra clutching Amba was looking around curiously while holding on to a side of his robe.
Roxanne stood behind Rastel too but anyone who saw her could tell that she was trying to hold back her excitement.
She was about to meet a dwarven grandmaster!
The old man gave the golden doors a few solid knocks to announce their arrival. He had barely dropped his hands when they heard a deep gruff voice sound out from just in front of them.
"Who are you?"
'Where is the sound coming from?' Rastel looked around curiously.
'They have sound systems?' he doubted that theory, he hadn't heard of such before as far as he knew.
The old man turned his gaze towards the door before answering.
"Yer don't recognize me, yer old drunk!"
Looking towards the door, Rastel saw something that froze his mental capabilities for just a second.
Right on the golden door, just below the insignia of the hand holding the ore, a HUGE mouth had appeared!
Myra and quite a few other children had their mouth opened in shock!
A mouth that seemed to have being carved into the doors had magically formed and it seemed to be currently pursed in irritation.
Not only that, just a bit above the mouth, a pair of eyes which seemed to be staring hard in irritation had appeared on both sides of the large insignia.
"Oh, it's you. You bastard I expected you a few days ago. Couldn't recognize you because there's no light, I'm old now you know."
Although the voice was deep and still had a trace of irritation, the tone softened quite noticeably.
"Well hurry up and open the door then it is freezing out here and we have children. Oh, and we have yer son also."
"That idiot!? What was he up to!?" the carved mouth yelled out in quite a loud tone and the door swung open immediately after.
The old man walked in with a humph and the settlers followed him into the hot building while looking around with eyes filled with curiosity.
Rastel stayed back a bit to look at the door for any traces of the mouth or eyes but found none. He turned to the side only to see Roxanne doing the same.
She noticed his gaze and turned to face him.
As if it was practiced, they shrugged their shoulders in confusion at the same time. It seemed even she had never seen such a thing before.
Myra was also still behind Rastel, refusing to move without him. Amba's sleeping figure was still in her arms.
Looking down at her, he encouraged her with a nod.
"Let's go in Myra, you need a hot bath"
"Me too" Roxanne sighed tiredly as she went in.
With Myra holding Amba right behind him, Rastel entered into the residence of the renowned dwarven grandmaster Vulcan, the doors shutting close automatically behind him as he entered.
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In one of the forests surrounding Eadon, a vicious battle was taking place.
No, instead of saying a vicious battle, it would rather be more appropriate to regard it as a one-sided slaughter!
EUAHHHH!!!
A loud cry echoed out of the forest that shook the surrounding trees and mana around it.
The figure of a badly injured Bulee was standing around a field of corpses.
The bodies of bulees of all age and sizes were strewn across the forest floor.
Some cut cleanly in two, others with numerous injuries on their bodies and some looked like mummified corpses that had been dug from a tomb, empty husks.
All previously members of its herd.
Numerous trees around the scene of the battlefield were taken down and the forest floor had many huge ridges torn out and scattered bushes.
The rain washed out the blood from the bulee's injuries and mixed it with the soft mud at its feet.
Of the bulee's previous two elegant horns, one was cut in half and it had even lost one of its eyes.
The bulee looked around at the bodies of its herd and with a painful show of emotion, raised its head to the sky and released another loud cry.
EUAAAHHHHHH!!!
This cry was filled with pain, fear, regret, rage and most of all, helplessness.
It glared hatefully at the despicable red moon that was occasionally peeking through the clouds as if mocking its plight.
The root of this was ultimately this god-forsaken moon!
It had failed its herd, it couldn't protect them from the evil of the accursed moon. And now, it would redeem itself with the ultimate price.
Looking back down, it glared hatefully at the black cloaked figure that was in front it.
Although the cursed moon had created the problem, this figure was ultimately who had slaughtered its entire herd.
"You poor thing" a low silky voice passed through the sound of the storm and reached the bulee.
"It must be hard, a really cursed existence you live. I shall make sure I relieve you of this painful burden."
The cloaked figure cooed as it extended a hand out of its dark cloak. Droplets of blood suddenly emerged from the mud soaked ground and congealed at the pale white arm.
A pair of eerie red lights appeared from underneath the hooded cloak.
EUAAAAAAAHH!!!!!!
The bulee cried once more, but this time, it was filled with boundless hatred and resolution. The resolution to kill this hateful person in front of it!
A burst of mana suddenly erupted from the bulee's body and wrapped around it. With a show of strength, the bulee stomped on the ground hard and a clump of earth tore out of the ground!
DUM! DUM!! DUM!!!
The pieces of earth revolved around the bulee's body as they lost their form and started taking the shape of the bulee.
Clumps upon clumps of earth kept tearing out of the earth to join the fray as the magic kept pouring out of the bulee's body.
The bulee clenched its teeth tightly as it dug out as much power as it could muster.
Suddenly in that moment, blood colored light shone unto the forest floor and the bulee felt its mana reserves expand significantly.
It felt the immense power flowing though its body as its eyes turned a vicious blood red.
It had gone berserk!
The cloaked figure calmly watched all this without making any sign of moving. The blood that had congealed at his hand had formed into a solid red blade.
The clumps of earth finally stopped emerging and the final form of the bulee's transformation appeared in front of the cloaked figure's eyes.
A 5 feet tall earthen avatar of the bulee had covered the bulee's original figure.
The avatar rippled with immense power as the mana around it swirled chaotically, the place where the eyes should be glowed a deep blood red.
"That is much better, fight with the best you have so you would have no regrets when your soul reaches Aralid." The cloaked figure's voice came out like a doctor consoling a patient.
EAUGHAHAAAA!!!!!
The avatar let out an unearthly roar as its large body seemed to vanish, leaving a trail of earth as it pounced towards the cloaked figure.
Raising his blood sword, the figure also leaped into the air to meet the massive figure of the avatar in midair.
"I will liberate you from your suffering...." he whispered in a low voice to himself as he neared the berserk magic beast.
".....In the name of the Yellow Sovereign!"
CRACKLE!
BOOM!!!!
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as the two figures met each other in a deadly clash.