bookpub Chapter 48: Found It
Chapter 48: Found It
Chapter 48: Found ItDusk settled over Runewood Forest, the trees casting long shadows as Kael, Joran, and Kiva split up, their wolves padding silently through the grass.
For two hours, Kael
Forty soldiers guarded it, their mismatched armor glinting faintly, and their stances tense. Most were Pre-Awakening, Lvl 15 to 18, their crude weapons loose in their grips. A handful of Primal Warriors at Lvl 19 to 25 stood firmer, their auras pulsing weakly. There were no Primal Adepts, but the sheer number was a threat.
Kiva’s voice was a whisper, her spear steady. "Think we’ve found it, young master."
Kael’s silver eyes gleamed, his mind racing. The cave’s entrance pulsed with a faint, unnatural energy, the bandit’s tale of glowing runes and a bone-metal door vivid in his thoughts.
Charging in would be suicide—the forty soldiers were less of a problem and instead, whoever was inside the tomb might be far stronger than their group. Stealth was his forte. Alone, his Bloodthread Mantle and Eclipse Step could slip him past the guards unnoticed. But he needed backup, and he couldn’t risk them exposing themselves.
He turned to Joran and Kiva, his voice low and serious. "Head to Wolfsgate. Find Ser Gavric and tell him to bring reinforcements. No one else hears of this—especially not Torren. Understand?"
Joran’s brow furrowed, his axe shifting. "Leaving you alone, my lord? It’s risky."
Kiva’s eyes narrowed, her wolf growling softly. "I can stay to keep watch with you."
Kael’s gaze hardened, and he hurriedly formed a lie. "I’ll just watch from here, and track their movements. We need Ser Gavric’s men to secure this. Go, now." His tone left no room for argument, his silver eyes unyielding.
Joran hesitated, then nodded, his wolf turning. "Stay safe, my lord." Kiva lingered a moment, her spear tight, but followed, her wolf bounding after Joran’s. Their forms vanished into the canyon, the faint thud of paws fading.
Kael waited for some time, his wolf’s breath warm against his hand. The soldiers milled about, their voices low as their eyes scanned the clearing. An idea soon sparked in his head and his smirk returned.
He patted his wolf’s flank, whispering, "Time to cause a stir, big guy." He loosened the reins, urging the beast toward the clearing’s edge, then slapped its haunch. The wolf snarled, bursting from the trees, its massive form charging at the soldiers.
"LOOK! OVER THERE!..."
"IT’S A BEAST!"
Shouts erupted, the soldiers scrambling with their weapons raised. "Wolf! Kill it!" a Primal Warrior barked, his axe gleaming.
The Pre-Awakening guards panicked, their spears jabbing wildly as the wolf darted through them, snapping at heels while dodging strikes. The Primal Warriors roared, chasing the beast, their formation breaking as Kael’s wolf led them in circles, its growls echoing off the mountains.
Kael seized the chance in the chaos. His Bloodthread Mantle flared, its aura-dampening fabric cloaking his presence. He slipped from the shadows, his —Eclipse Step— blurring his form, weaving through the panicked soldiers.
A Pre-Awakening guard stumbled past, his spear swinging blindly, missing Kael by inches. Another shouted, pointing at the wolf, oblivious to the ghost weaving through their midst.
Kael’s heart pounded, his —Night Predator— trait guiding his steps, his movements silent as he reached the cave’s entrance.
The darkness swallowed him. The air inside the cave was thick and heavy with primal energy, a hundred times better than the outside. "Cultivating in here would definitely produce more results in less time," Kael muttered, astonished.
The soldiers’ shouts faded from the background, replaced by the cave’s eerie quiet which was broken only by the distant drip of water. Faint runes glowed along the walls, their light pulsing like a heartbeat, casting eerie shadows.
Kael’s bloodline stirred, sensing power deeper within, his —Devour Essence— itching for a taste. The bandit’s words replayed in his head—a door of metal and bone, and a lotus wreathed in flames.
Kael pressed forward with his Abyssal Fang Dagger drawn, its edge glinting in the rune light. The cave sloped downward, the air growing colder, and the runes brighter.
His senses caught faint scratches in the stone—it looked recent, likely from Arveth’s exploration team. The tomb’s guardians, if the bandit’s tale of moving bones was true, were a threat he couldn’t underestimate.
His level—now at 11—was strong for his age, but a Primal Celestial Lord’s tomb could harbor dangers far beyond Primal Adepts.
Joran and Kiva would bring Ser Gavric, but by then, he’d hopefully be inside the treasure hall, claiming the tomb’s secrets for himself—’cough’..sorry, for House Veyne.