For some reason however, I was the only Dhamphir around, which meant I had to go out there alone...…well I didn't need to go out there alone, I just wanted to because I couldn't wait. There was a lot of argument coming from everyone else, and they were adamant that I had to wait for nightfall.
But I gave a counter argument, we needed a scout, someone to find out what lay beyond the door. I honestly wouldn't take long, just a quick peek and I'll be back. Besides, how long would it take me to take a peek, not to mention, if I meet something I couldn't fight, escaping would be easy for me.
After everyone had given the door a wide enough berth to not be affected by the sun's rays, I opened it, and stepped out. I've grown accustomed to dim lighting and perpetual darkness for the better part of fifteen months. So the moment I stopped out, I couldn't see anything, just a flash of light as it burned my sensitive retinas.
My skin tingled under the heat, almost as if it was contemplating whether to burn or not. But it held, and settled on just feeling mildly uncomfortable under the ultraviolet rays of the sun. And that's when everything began to settled down.
I looked around and noticed I was in some sort of tower. It was dilapidated, old, crumbling and filled with weeds. Through the gaps of the tower, I noticed that there were clouds all over, and air was a little thin. Which means we were probably thousands of feet up in the air, and the ground was a long, long down.
I looked up and saw as the tower stretched upwards, with bridges that if I'm not wrong looked like palms stretching from it's walls. Even though the air was thin here, and really cold; vines and moss had creeper allover the walls of the tower, but even that could not stop me from seeing what this tower was really made of.
The smallest was twelve feet tall, and the tallest about thirty. They were bulky, and well muscled, but they still looked somewhat malnourished as compared to normal giants. Sculptures or something of the sort made up the walls of the tower, and the racial depictions of the sculptures were those of giants.
They were placed one on top of the other, using each others shoulder as a support. But it wasn't just the pyramid of sculpted giants that got me, it was the fact that their eyes were so real! I could swear it was all glassy and teary with moisture, almost as if I was looking at real eyeballs, and not stone sculptures.
I moved forward a bit, Taking notice of the fact that the ground below me seemed to be some sort of mosaic. Of course the pattern on it, seemed to have been worn away; by the elements over the countless years this temple seems to have been here. But the beauty of it's patterns could still be seen beneath the carpet of grass and dust.
Although the giant sculptures had their hands linked together, I saw that some of them actually had their arms outstretched, making the bridges I had noticed before. But the bridges didn't stretch from one end of the tower to another; instead they were all uneven, with some reaching halfway across or a little bit shorter or longer.
I also noticed that some of those arms were broken, separated at the wrists or the elbows, but they were still floating above the ground, stagnant and solid as if they were still connected to the sculptures.
About ten feet after the first ten or so randomly placed arm bridge, I could see a hexagon platform the size of a small dinner table floating in the air. And right on it's surface, were runes, interwoven with actual wards. It wouldn't take a genius for me to know that this was the sealing array responsible for placing the seal on new born vampires.
Given how far this damn thing was from the pit, I couldn't help but wonder how it could be the key and the mold responsible for the shackles that has kept the vampire race captive for hundreds of thousands of years. It was surreal, it I knew that with the power behind runes and with weaving as a whole, creating a new universe was not impossible.
But it was not just the sealing array that I could see, because a little ways up, I could see a case. It was a simple black box about a meter wide and tall, but it was also tightly surrounded by glowing golden chains that had runes at etched on them.
I guess that was it. The sealing array was only here, because this was a convenient spot to keep it hidden. But whatever was in that case, was the real reason why this place was made. It's the real secret that legions of undead, even the gates of hell itself had to protect. But the question that remains, however is that who or what was the final obstacle, what are the old ones.
"You're not supposed to be here Jason! Son of Man." A deep nasally voice said to me.
I stiffened, as a strange pressure suffused the atmosphere. The air had felt thinner, but now there was a sort of heaviness to it, almost as if the gravity had Increased a bit. But then I heard another voice.
"Yes! Jason son of man can is not allowed in this sacred temple, not without authorization from the false leaders of this world. However, Kael Cor of vampire's heart and natures body is destined to be here." Then another voice spoke up.
"He has answered his call!" and then another
"Yesss! Yes he has!" and then another.
"But where is his dragon! Where is it?" the first voice screeched at me.
"His dragon waits, he hungers for the sky, for blood, for the wonders of the soul. He waits for his king!" another voice answered.
"He musts be tested! Yeaaaaaaaah a trial must be had!"
"Combat! He must live or die by his sword, it must be combat!"
I turned around, and saw that I was surrounded by five hooded figures. Their bodies were rather small; well not exactly small. I guess you could say for men, they were quite short, with all five leaking at just five feet. The cloaks they had on, completely covered their bodies, and they each had a staff with rings on it resting on their backs.
Their arrival completely threw me of guard, and even more so the amount of information they seemed to have about me. I turned and looked towards the door that brought me here, and just before my eyes, I saw the wooden door evaporate into dust, leaving me stranded here: wherever here is with five hooded dudes with the knowledge of my past life.
All five of them were standing shoulder to shoulder, and seeing that I had no other place to run to, I face them, preparing for what came next. They all took a step forward, moving at the same time and in such a tailored form, it was as if shadows of the same person were moving in tandem with the original body. There was absolutely no difference.
"Who're you guys? where is this place? And what am I doing here?"
Of course I knew what I was doing here: however, in a situation like this, a little more tact and acting is required. It's always easier to underestimate someone who seems lost and alone, rather than someone who's oozing confidence and resolve in the face of new things and danger.
To be honest acting like that would get you killed, especially when you don't know what you're up against. If Shearath has proven one thing, it's the fact that there's always someone or something stronger than you out in the world. So it was not just better, but also smart for you to tread carefully in the face of new threats, unless you were sure of your opponent's strength.
BANG!
All five figures, pulled their staff from their backs and slammed it on the ground, apart from the loud bang that echoed, the rings on it, jingles in such a manner that made me a little confused and dizzy. Not to mention the staff was weird looking as the end of it, seemed to have golden roots, wrapped around some sort of crystal ball, with the rings hooked into the staff's frame.
"The one called Kael is not allowed to speak!"
"He's not allowed to think!"
"He's not allowed to resist!"
"The one called Kael must prove himself worthy of his destiny!"
"He must prove himself worthy to be called Dragon King of The Soul Elements!"
I'm getting a very weird vibe from these guys, and I feel like they don't like me much. But based on the amount of evidence that has been provided so far, and seeing that the bloody sealing array was right on top of me, I'll say I've finally found the final guardians. This dudes were most definitely the Old Ones.
SWOOSH! BANG! SMACK!
Well ouch, I really didn't see that coming. The bones in my forearm was badly deformed. It was bent inward after one of the old ones, suddenly attacked me from nowhere, and moved at a speed that would put most elders to sham, I guess the trial of combat has officially began.
But after I was hit and thrown backwards, I ended hitting my back against the body of one of the sculptures that made up the tower, and discovered something terrifying. It's body was not made of stone, rather because of how long it's been here, it's body has been covered by a layer of dust and snow, making it seem like a sculpture or statue. But the moment my body hit one of them, I realized that they weren't sculptures, they were living, breathing giants.
I raised my head up and looked at the eye of the giant whose body I just hit and was completely shaken by what I saw. His eyes were moving, begging, pleading and somewhat horrified. He was trapped here, they all were.