Chapter 109: Another great statue and Poneglyph in sight
"I don't know yet who he really is since he uses a mask whenever we would meet him. But I can say with certainty that he is the guardian of Kaysang. He ended the rule of a criminal organization inside the capital city that controlled a big part of the city. Aside from this, he is the one who trained the rest of my colleagues the shape we are right now."
"And such a person wants something from me? What could it be?"
"Nothing that would put your life in danger that I can assure you."
"I understand. Then I will go with you guys and meet this person."
Then as Maisha said that, Bors, who came back with a medical kit, said in a sarcastic tone to her.
"It's not like you had a choice from the start. Valen just likes to take you slowly and is a good boy who doesn't want to place you in a bad spot, but if you were to reject meeting Master Blood, we would be put in a bad spot and have to take you inside."
"Don't worry, you've saved my life, and also, this Blood guy seems to have saved Zeke, so this is the least I should do."
After all of the 8 soldiers came back while holding something in their hands, the group began walking for Tamuin city once again.
Their journey was smooth sailing without having to worry about a confrontation with the islander warriors, but after 10 minutes, they saw the outcome of this battle.
A ground filled with blood and dead people would make anyone not rough enough to vomit their insides.
Looking around the battlefield, they could see islanders taking away from the battlefield the dead bodies of enemies or their comrades as if they were preparing to do a ceremony to send them off.
"My God, what just happened here? There's so much blood and bodies on the ground." said one of the soldiers when seeing first hand the aftermath of a battlefield.
"I feel like puking. Let's continue and help our guys. For sure, some got heavily wounded."
"Damn, don't puke here. Just get used to this atmosphere and smell because, at one point in time, it will be our turn to fight." replied Valen while looking around the bloody field.
Moving around the battlefield, seeing the Islanders take the dead body of their own, they could see in a cleaner part of the field around where there were some tall trees their own mates.
They seemed to be gathered in a circle while waiting in line for something.
"Guys, we brought the medical treatment kit. This is all we 10 could do for you brothers right now." said one of the 10 soldiers while approaching the waiting line.
The soldiers turned to look at the newcomers, and some of them even wanted to say something back, but a young man's voice was faster.
Then a voice of a calm young man was heard by the group of 10 soldiers and Maisha.
"Good thinking, boys, but there's no need. Soldiers make way for the newcomers. I want to see who the little soldier Valen and the girl Maisha are."
"YES, Your Highness." replied the soldiers making way for the group to walk deeper into the center of their camp.
Valen was taken aback by how the soldiers addressed this person, yet he still walks forward with Maisha until he could see a young man who has short jet-black hair touching a wounded soldier while staring forward at the newcomers. On his side was a beautiful woman with white hair who he felt was familiar.
Meanwhile, when Maisha saw his young man, she felt that he was familiar to her.
'This person, why does he feel so familiar to me? Now that I think about it, the ancestor's statue dad showed to me when I was younger is the reason for this feeling. Could this person be related to the ancestors?'
"Master Blood?" asked Valen, a bit skeptical for confirmation of who this young man was.
On the young man's side, the white-haired beauty giggled a bit while looking at Valen's nervous expression.
"That's just one of my names. However, it seems that there's no more need for me holding back my real identity since I can protect you against the strong of this world."
As he said that while holding the wounded soldier and using his blood powers to stimulate the healing of his body, he released the soldier, and the next in line came to him taking a seat on a wooden block while doing a bow to the young man.
Meanwhile, while he was stimulating the soldier's blood healing factor, he kept staring at Valen and Maisha, along with the rest of the group soldiers.
"It's really nice to meet you face to face, little soldier. I heard a lot about you from your mates, and especially about your success in taking out an information source."
"In those types of moments, the rewarding feeling I get knowing that only one or two years ago, some of you were just hoodlums or some thugs aspirants.
Sofiya pushed him a bit with her elbow, making Vlad get back to the subject while she observed the newcomers.
"Ahem, let's drop my rant. My real identity is Vermilion Zagreus Vlad, simply put, I'm the prince of Kaysang."
"We greet you, Your Highness." said the soldiers along with Valen in tandem.
'So this is why he always was wearing a mask when training us? His identity is extraordinary that would make it dangerous if others knew, especially when Kaysang is almost to the point of Civil War.' thought Valen when hearing Vlad's real identity.
"Now, now. Don't exaggerate now. I'm still your instructor. I can even say that I know some of you by your looks, so don't feel burdened to talk to me like a friend."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Vlad shook his head as if he couldn't be bothered with this chance he was addressed and turned to say to Sofiya.
"I told you that they would react like this once I reveal my identity."
"It's still amusing to see them all respectful when around you, but when outside, they are just like casual people. Some of them even hit on me."
Bors looked at Sofiya as she said that to Vlad and coughed a bit, feeling slightly embarrassed while lowering his head and thinking in his mind.
'Who is this babe next to the prince? Fuck, don't tell me she is his fiance or partner. I hope she didn't mind my advances when I stumbled on her when going to the grand market while she was with those girls.'
Meanwhile, Sofiya just chuckled when seeing some of the soldiers dropping their heads in embarrassment and maybe a bit of guilt.
"Ohh, they did? Sigh, but I can't punish them if it was in their spare time. It would be unfair since they have their freedoms while not stationed on a job."
"Do you want to clear out the confusion for those guys about what's your identity?" asked Vlad while seeing the curious faces of the guys when they were staring at himself and Sofiya.
"Heh, why not. It is not like I would use my title too often. Guys, I'm Selentes Sofiya, heiress of the Duchy of Selentine, Duchess Selentes."
The soldiers bowed their heads at her too, feeling a bit of respect for her, that she a woman who fought alongside them, and to top it off, she was a noblewoman of the highest rank.
Clearing this mystery for the soldiers, Vlad talked a little more with Sofiya about future plans for Rain Island while the soldiers changed turns to stay on the wooden block while boosting their healing factor.
After he finished healing most of the heavily wounded guys, he turned to the tanned young lady standing beside Valen, observing him with keen eyes.
"You should be Maisha, the daughter of one of the leaders of this island. Maisha Moriah. I heard about you from Zeke while I was waiting for you. You suffered quite the injustice indeed and can say that I put an end to one of those. The old man has been killed by me."
When Maisha heard Vlad say that, she took some steps forward and said to him in an agitated tone.
"By the ancestors, you managed to kill that old monster!? Are you sure, lord?"
"Yes, you should check on Zeke. He took his dead body away from the battlefield. He should now be busy talking with the people of the city, telling them the truth of what happened here."
"But before that, I want you to take me to the temple of this island and lead me to where those keys open something."
As Vlad said, he took the ancient-looking keys from the high priest and showed them to Maisha.
Maisha was shocked, yet maintained her calm and nodded her head at Vlad while saying to him.
"Lord, I know where those keys lead, so everything should be fine on my part."
Hearing the girl's confirmation, he rose to his feet together with Sofiya and said to Maisha.
"Let's get going. I don't have all the time in the world to wait since my schedule is hectic."
"Yes, lord. Follow me." saying that, she turned to Valen and nodded her head at him.
"Don't worry, boy, I'll get your little soulmate in one piece. Just talk with Flex, Levon, and Yetty about the next actions."
Valen looked a bit embarrassed by Vlad's comment but kept quiet while nodding at them.
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Soon Vlad arrived at the center of the village while some afraid gazes of the citizens were received.
Meanwhile, Zeke, who talked with some older people, noticed Vlad, Sofiya, and Maisha and turned away from the elders.
"Little Maisha, good to see that you are fine after all those events."
"Hmph, don't talk to me, Zeke. After giving my family and me the cold shoulder, after what father did to you."
"Sigh, little Maisha, I tried to block old Kuljub, but it was too late. When news came to me, master already died, and most of the Moriah clan was decimated. You have to understand that if I were to go to war with the old monster, I would also be killed along with my people."
Looking coldly at Zeke, Maisha finally shifted a bit in her gaze, yet still remaining a bit distant.
"No time for drama. I want to get inside that temple. You solved what I asked you, Zeke? Will those old fools start getting in my way?"
"Prince Vlad, the old men, will not even dare to look at you, but I also have a request. Can I join you? I still don't know what is hidden at the core of the temple."
"Yes, you can join. This is your land. I don't have the right to deny you that." replied Vlad in a calm manner.
As he said that, he looked again at Maisha, who began walking toward the temple, leading the way for the group of 4.
After putting Maisha and Zeke's conflict down, they arrived at the temple entrance, and as they moved on the stone steps toward the inside of the temple, they encountered some older priests who gathered there to meet Zeke and Vlad.
"Chieftain, this is blasphemy. To bring a foreigner inside the ancestor's mausoleum is a great insult to them. They will...."
"Quiet." said Vlad while a dark energy wave was released from his body that shaken the 6 old men and dropped them unconscious.
"Let's move on. Don't worry they are not dead. Those old men will just see some horrifying nightmares."
"Yes, Prince." replied Maisha as she walked forward in the hallway of the temple.
Then she continued to walk forward in the hallway until she stopped at a wall with some engravings. A bird, fish, and elephant were drawn around that wall in a circular pattern that made to believe it was just aesthetics.
Maisha looked at the wall with a serious face, then she began touching the wall at different points as if checking for the right spot.
Vlad looked at the wall with his eyes turned crimson red and moved behind Maisha to push a brick that looked like the others.
"Right, it was that one. How did you know Prince Vlad?"
"Better eyesight." said Vlad while looking at the wall that began shaking a bit and forming an opening that was leading down on some stairway.
"Anything I should keep in mind? Traps, weird opening mechanisms?"
"Nothing that I know about Prince, I know the way until the ancestors' grand statue. Past that, I don't know what's hiding."
Vlad nodded his head and took the lead, accompanied by Sofiya, while on the back were Maisha and Zeke, who seemed to be talking something in their native language before turning quiet.
They had to walk a poorly lit walkway that made Vlad remember the first dreams he received from the dark entity that still doesn't want to reveal a name.
--"Hah, this makes me remember about the good old times when I still had so little power and barely had the power to wake your dormant power."--
'Hmph, awaken, you say? You just sent me some bad taste dreams and kept screaming at me like an idiot for no good reason.'
--"That's so rude, after I helped you so much, giving you my power unconditionally."--
'My power that you keep on feeding yourself and still have the guts to say it's yours.'
Silence ensued after Vlad said that in his mind and suddenly saw a large door that made him remember the temple hidden inside the mine.
He stopped the group in place as he watched the gate, which seemed to have a giant fish-like creature engraved that looked more like a sea dragon when noting all of his body.
"Leviathan." said Vlad in a quiet tone that was picked up by Sofiya, who remembered the stories of Great Kingdom Atlas of the Sun King.
"No way, the guardian of the sea?" asked Sofiya in a whispering tone.
"I think so. I've seen something like this when I was younger. The same carving and engraving, but only its head remained inside."
Then taking the ancient keys from his coat, he placed them inside, and finally, the door opened by itself as if it had a mechanism inside.
Entering inside, the fires on the torches began lighting up by themselves, lighting this large chamber. With the help of the light, the group could see a giant statue that was exactly like the one Vlad encountered when he explored the underground temple.
On the sides of this middle-aged man behind him were standing proud three statues of dignified-looking beasts. This giant-looking gryphon had its four wings spread out, looking behind the crowned man standing proudly at the center.
Another one of those beasts standing at one side of the middle-aged man was a dragon-looking creature that had the lower body of a serpent looked down on the visitors with a sinister gaze that showed his ruthless nature.
While on the opposite side was an elephant that seemed to be a mix of creatures from an elephant to a hippopotamus.
Their faces looked shocked except for Vlad, who looked around himself in case something like dead spirits would appear to fight him again.
"So this is the statue that the old man kept saying that he will show it to me?" asked Zeke when moving toward the giant statue of the crowned man who held in hand a sword similar to what Vlad had.
"Indeed, I only hear stories from my father and mother. Our people arrived inside Tamuin and found the temple still standing, but it looked to have suffered from damage caused by a great earthquake.
"My clan ancestors wrote down their thoughts of what could be hidden when they first arrived here with their clansmen. The temple was still a big mystery for them, until after one generation, my old ancestor stumbled upon the temple keys inside the canal system of the city when he was a young boy."
"They found out that this key matched well with the entrance of the door we just passed. Those same keys you are holding are exactly what my ancestor first found."
"When the ancestors spotted those statues, they were left speechless. They never imagined that someone would leave behind such buildings, such as the canal system or this grand temple."
"Since then, the statue of this crowned man is believed to be our first ancestors who gave birth to our city Tamuin and our people."
Shared Maisha a story that her parents told her about how their people arrived at this island and stumbled upon those grandiose constructions that didn't feel to be of their age and using the same technology.
Sofiya, who was likewise shocked to see those statues, stared intently at the crowned man and then at Vlad. She continued doing that until her mouth opened up.
"Dear, that statue is?"
"It is as you probably guessed Sofi, that person is Vermilion Louis, the Sun King, Ruler of Atlas, and lastly, my ancestor. The other three are Aerius, who you already know about, Leviathan and Behemoth, or how in the story they are known as guardians of Atlas."
"I see, I see. Wait... What? Aerius, that little guy one of those majestic creatures?"
"Hmph, majestic is only his older form. The younger one is just a lazy cat."
Meanwhile, Zeke and Miasha looked at Vlad and were confused while pointing at Louis's statue.
"Prince, the ancestor's statue here, is really blood-related to you? Doesn't that mean that you are the rightful ruler of Tamuin?"
"I might be blood-related to that dead guy, but don't jump too quickly to place responsibility on my shoulder. There's already too much for me. Now, let me see if there's one of those hidden here too."
The 3 looked a bit confused at Vlad, who began roaming this grand chamber while his eyes were shining in red lights from the usage of his blood powers.
'There's no room that hides a poneglyph? Or this time, they placed bigger protection on this thing since it could be important?'
--" Heh, I don't know what those stones are all about, but all I can say is you better look carefully at every corner of this room since there seems to be no message for you like the last time"--
As the dark entity in his mind reminded him using its genderless tone, Vlad began looking around the room for almost 15 minutes.
He was still looking for a clue after all this time. He spotted on the roof of this chamber what seemed to be a mechanism masked in the shape of eyes belonging to decorations among hundreds.
'Those fucking ghosts really thought of how to mess with people? An activation mechanism on the eyes of some decorations?'
--" What if it's not the eye?"--
'Shut up. I already spent like 20 minutes going around in circles.'
"Dear, is everything fine? You've been staring at the roof for quite some time." asked Sofiya when she saw Vlad stop in place and look at the roof.
"It's fine. I just have to test my luck to see if something happens."
Then after he ended saying that, he raised his hand in the air, and blood began to flow toward the roof, starting to touch the different decorations in their eyes.
'Damn it all, I really wish I could strangle the one who built this temple. There's still no clicking to be heard inside the room.'
--" Try it more, you fool, you already wasted 30 minutes of your life here. What's more time to you?"--
Vlad's eyes began to darken a bit when hearing that comment, but he still kept his focus on the roof, looking as if he was playing some sort of game of touching around decorations.
This continued until something clicked in the room.
"FINALLY!?"
Clicks began to be heard inside the room until more steps began to show up at the end of the chamber, leading down even more.
Sofiya walked closer to Vlad, who had a satisfied smile on his face, and asked him.
"Now what, Vlad? You said there should be something hidden. What is hidden?"
"That's something you will have to see for yourself." replied Vlad in an obscure manner.
Looking at Zeke and Maisha, he saw their eagerness to discover what was hidden inside a place that not even their ancestors found out since arriving inside Tamuin.
"Do you really wish to know what is hidden down there?"
"Indeed, Prince. That's something that probably any people of Tamuin would wish to find out, something that maybe not even our forefathers found out." said Zeke in a confident manner while looking at Vlad, who stopped at the pathway entrance.
"Well, that's appreciable, but what if the thing you would find out is something that could possibly lead to your land's demise if found out?"
"This. Prince, I'm confused. Why would you say something like that? Still, suppose the thing inside would possibly lead to Tamuin's destruction. In that case, I swear right now in front of the ancestor's statue and to my own clan forefathers name and future generations of people that this information will be kept secret."
"Good. You sound genuine, Zeke, but what about you, Maisha?"
"Don't look down on me lord, while Tamuin treated my clan and me in a cruel manner, I still hold this place close to my heart, and any secret or thing that could possibly lead to such an outcome will be kept sealed inside there and with our mouths shut." replied Maisha while staring at Vlad's crimson eyes without batting an eyelid.
Vlad nodded his head and began walking down this pathway. After everyone stepped on the stairway, he used his blood powers to seal the entrance.
Walking down, he could hear the sound of a water stream flowing, and then came his much-awaited discovery.
A dark-blue cubic stele seemed to be placed next to a tree that had its branches around it.
"So we finally meet another one of those poneglyphs."
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A/N: Took me some time to write this chapter (still one day) but I couldn't focus as much as I wanted because school projects start pilling on my head and with the exams session grabbing me by the throat I found it a bit hard to split myself and still write on the story.
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Overall, this chapter is more like a conclusion to this mini-arc (Conquistadors Vibes), hope you enjoyed it.
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Also another update for you guys. My schedule, of releasing I think I will change it. I found it more relaxing to release it later in the night because there's the time I'm the most productive. So in this sense, the days would remain the same, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. (with possibility of bonus - but not now when I have exams and projects)
However the time will shift, I usually released my chapters at the around 17:00-19:00 GTM+2, but now I found it better for me to keep it later at around 21:00-23:00 PM GTM+2 (you make the conversion of your own time zone since I'm Eastern European, can't be bothered for place a time for USA, but if I remember it should be around 15:00-17:00 PM for you guys)
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Take care and thanks for reading my story.
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