14. Elder Kane
The Red Guards are protecting the Elder in his annual pilgrimage to the Red Dawn Temple for his annual faith refreshing and cleaning of his sins. The temple is maintained by a set of twelve priests alongside with twenty four apprentices who would understudy under to replace the dying or dead masters. This has been going on for decades and if need be, they would open their doors open for capable new apprentices. The temple itself is placed on a hill with a steep ascent made mostly of stones and some sparse vegetation on the hillside. This was why the road to the temple need to snaked up in a coiled like design. But the road is well protected with four gates that is manned by the two priests or their apprentices. No guards are allowed beyond the first gate where a camp has been built to house the guards. No one actually seen the temple but its rumored to be large and filled with treasures.
They were in the foot of the hill watching the Elder arriving at the first gate with his personal group of twenty guards. The Elder stopped before the gate as his guards all rode to the camp nearby. They saw the gate opened and a priest came out to greet the Elder. The Elder was then invited inside and then the gate closed again. That was the last Cedi could see the Elder for now.
Cedi and Medi crawled back to the deep forest and then they convened their discussion on the next move. It was nightfall when they move out of the trees to a nearby clearing. He whistled out and the Gryphon crawled out of its hiding place. Both of them mounted the Gryphon and it took off for the night skies.
It was a moonless night and their shadow would not be seen by those below.
It flew up along the steep hillside till we were near the top. The Gryphon then land them at what may appear to be a garden. They got off and he sent the Gryphon back to the forest. They were gathering their things to move on when he find himself approached by a priest holding a short stick. The priest is a shorter man dressed in a simple gray cloak and wooden sandals. Cedi recognised the headgear with the red emblem of the snake coiled around the hill.
"I am Sadai. I am a priest of the Red Dawn Temple. Welcome and please follow me." The priest turned his back to them and walked to from where he came from. They find ourselves walking towards a large and tall white tower that can be seen now but not from the foot of the hill. The tower is high to topple some tall trees yet there are no windows on it. At the top of it is a rounded structure that resemble an egg resting on the pole. The priest led them to the high doorway in the tower side and the door opened by itself.
The priest stopped at the doorway and asked that they proceed inside.
"Please go in. The Elder waits you."
The priest walked back the same way he came with them. Medi hesitated on going in but a voice was heard from inside.
"Come in, Dark Elf. I been waiting for you. There is no trap here but a quiet abode of a man who seek to relinquish his sins." The voice was very inviting and they found ourselves convinced to walk through the doorway.
Once in the doorway, they find themselves drawn into a long tunnel that sink down instead of going up. Their steps were slow but the journey seems to be fast as they find themselves sliding on the flooring.
"Hold my hand", Cedi reached out to Medi with his left hand while his right hand draw out out the Elven sword Excab to stab into the flooring but he find the sword sink in without any resistance as if he am on stabbing at nothing. He raised up the sword and swing it at the sides but still nothing could be felt.
"Medi, your bow. Shoot an arrow out now."
Medi did as asked but the arrow shot into the wall and went missing. Then they themselves stop sliding and all movement came to an end as they seem to be near an opening at the end of the tunnel.
"Come in, Dark Elf." The voice again.
They stepped out to find themselves in a hall with a circular ceiling that reached down on all sides. In the middle of the hall is a round table that looks like a mushroom head that grew out out from the flooring. There seated facing him is the same man he met years ago in the creek.
"Which one of you is with the wolf? It can't be you, Dark Elf, as I do not see how your kind can associate with a wolf. I know of the Jhitai from the House of Genoe who associate with the creatures. So then I guess its you, young female one." He point to Medi and she nodded.
"You stole from Lord Netsu and I can see why. The Guardians are not known for their protective nature but their stealth are also equally formidable. So tell me, Dark Elf; was that a Gryphon I saw tonight." The Elder glared at him.
Cedi nodded at him.
"A rare creature thought to be extinct. They used to occupied the world with dragons and large serpents. Now I am seeing one again, and that is a wonderful feeling. Dark one, would he come again if you called it?"
Cedi shook his head and the Elder sighed in regret. He then stood up and spread his hands out wide.
"Twice you mocked me. Not many could had that opportunity. You asked me not why, but I would show you now."
The Man who stood up now grew taller as his body elongated into a narrow strip and soon his clothing was laid crumpled on the flooring. What Cedi is seeing is not a Man anymore but a magical serpent creature which stood twice twice his height but the body is longer than that with more twice or more in length behind. More to it, the creature opened its jaw and show its set of long fangs.
"I am <hiss> the Master of this Sanctuary. The Man you knew < hiss> as Elder Kane has perished years ago and I have been standing in for me. I am the <hiss>few of my kind who has influenced these wars between Man and the other creatures. <hiss> Now its time for you to die." The serpent strike forward with its fangs but Cedi had stepped back pulling Medi with him.
The serpent body coiled in its head and posed to strike again.
"You are fast <hiss>, Guardian. I may need some <hiss> reinforcement." The serpent hissed its long tongue out above it head and then looked at him. "They <hiss> will come."
They did, as Cedi counted twelve more large serpents slithering in. They are not as large as the one he just encountered; but they are still twice his size. They surrounded him and Medi looked nervous although she is holding her spear but her hands are trembling. Then he remember that she feared snakes as one bit her once when she was in his care. She almost died from that bite but the healers pull her through the sickness.
"Its okay, Medi. If they come at you, use your spear like a club. I would be there with you." As I was talking to her, I was removing my shield from my back. I am facing magical creatures and the best way to kill them is by using the shield. The Challenge Shield can block any magical creatures and these looked like one.
They did but not in singular attack but a concentrated attack formation. Cedi swing his shield in an arc and that stopped the attack. He grabbed Medi' hand and pulled her with him again. They ran past the startled serpents and went for the tunnel doorway. But now the doorway is disappearing into a wall like that in the hall. They both ran around the wall while been chased by these serpents except for the Main One.
"Stopped!<hiss> Elves, there are no exits from here. I created his hall and I know how it works." The twelve serpents stopped their pursuit and slitter back to their master side.
"Is that the Challenge Shield? <hiss> I heard of it from your Council. I take it that you got it from the Spirit Guardians. <hiss> They gave it to you. What did you promised them?"
Cedi did not answer it as he slowly inched his way around with Medi at the walls. It was then Medi whispered into his ear.
"I think I know a way out. This place is an illusion. The doorway is not moved but the room has moved. We have tilted by a few feet down. The door is above us at the original spot. I marked the doorway when I came in." She did not wait for him and this time pulled him along.
"They are escaping. They found the doorway. Move the flooring." They were running and then Medi jumped up and grabbed at something. She is hanging on the wall and she shouted back.
"Hit your shield with the wall." Cedi did as she said. Cedi used the shield and slammed the edge of it against the wall.
The whole wall dissipate and the real wall reveal itself. They were standing on a tilted floor and Medi is holding the bottom of the doorway. Everything is showing the real thing and even the serpents are now gone.
Cedi can see Elder Kane standing in front of a large statue of a serpent with a long stick in his hand. He is controlling the illusion. The other twelve serpents are still the priests but now they are holding a long handed sword each.
Medi jumped down and withdraw her spear to faced the priests. There are no more snakes now, so she is back to her normal self. She ran towards them and leap up into a somersault into the priests with her spear coming down hard on one of them. They are good as they took first blood on her also; she had her left thigh cut.
Cedi was charging at the Elder as the one he want.
A priest came to block his way, and lunged at him with the long handed sword. Cedi block the attack with the shield and placed his sword into priest' lower chest. Cedi drew out the sword and stepped over the dead priest.
There was two more who came at me, but he had his sword cleared a way towards the Elder. Elder Kane still stand there in defiance holding his long cane.
Cedi stand before him and he tapped his cane on the floor. The statue behind him vibrate and then it came alive. Its alive like a real serpent and its large like the one which we saw earlier as an illusion of the Elder.
"Meet my real self. Or shall I say my other self. We share some lifeline together but I can assured you that the Serpent is very powerful." The Serpent lunged at Cedi with its fangs and he had to used the shield to block it. Cedi swing with the Elven sword Excab, but the sword could not cut into the serpent.
"The Serpent is coated with a special powder on its scales that even your magical Elven sword cannot cut. I taken special consideration. It fear your shield as I did not anticipate that. But the serpent would kill you first." The serpent strike again and Cedi used the shield again.
"I taken care of the priests, and now I am here to help." Medi limped over on her injured leg using her spear as a clutch. "Remember my request."
Cedi charged forth at the serpent with his sword swinging at the head. The serpent recoiled back with every slash when the sword is near its jaw but it did not stopped when the sword hit the head or the body. Each strike he hit had not penetrated the scales. Then he went for the head again but he slipped on the floor; his swing hit at the jaw of the Serpent and it coiled back in pain.
This time he could see the blood seeping out.
Medi is fighting the Elder but he is quite a fighter for his age. His cane is more than for tapping; it has now a long thin blade at the edge now. The Elder is not swinging it like myself but he is using it like a rapier. Medi is younger and more agile. She jumped and somersault over the Man and then swing her spear backwards between her legs. The spear caught the Man in the back of his neck.
Medi dropped down next to the dead Man and picked up the cane.
"Cedi, the cane is poisoned. Use it against the Serpent." She threw the cane sword at me but instead of picking it up; Cedi kicked out his leg to push the cane towards the serpent. The cane sword hit at the serpent at the opening of the jaw and sticked itself to the inside of its mouth. It hissed out in extreme pain and coiled further back.
This time he followed up with his sword but he keep on slashing at it until he got it into a corner. The serpent now tired out or weaken by the poison fell down on the floor with its jaw open. He walked up to it and pulled the cane out. He drew his sword and thrust it into the mouth of the serpent then pushing it up to what he perceived was the brain.
He stepped back to see the dead serpent.
"Cedi, its time to leave."
Medi pulled him away. They walked to the doorway, and then they heard the clanging of the bells. The alarm has been raised and we stopped at the doorway. He peek out and saw the place outside is swamped with Red Guards. There are about a hundred of them.
Their escape route is blocked.
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