Chapter 9: The Strength of an Arcon
A group of weary travelers could be seen trudging through calf-deep snow. They were walking on an unbeaten track, one that had obviously not been used in many years. The mountain pass they were traveling through was quite narrow, and they had to walk in single file. It had already been over three months since they departed the village, and now it was the peak of winter. Although their kingdom was not located in the cold north, the tower was situated deep within a very large mountain range. Crossing through the mountains during winter was not an easy task. It was uncertain if the tower had purposely designed their recruitment to start immediately after the winter to weed out the lacking participants.
"Judging by the description and map, we should be coming close to the tower, and we should reach it in around two weeks!" Feylis called out from the front of the group.
"Grandpa, be careful of yelling too loudly lest we trigger an avalanche again!"
"You are right, my clever girl, I must be wary."
The group had traversed through forest, swamp, grassland, and marsh. There were not many environments they had not experienced throughout the journey. Many minor difficulties had arisen, such as temporarily losing their way, discovering their path to be blocked and impassable, having to circumvent bogs, losing food supplies in the night to monkey thieves, scaring off some bandits, fleeing from swarms of insects, and, most recently, escaping an avalanche. During the journey, the four members had grown considerably closer and more intimate due to the proximity and time spent together.
"Damon, do you need any help with your bag? I can carry much more than I am currently! Raina, how about you? Can I carry your pack for you?" Jon was quite insistent on showing favor to the others, especially Raina.
"Thanks, Jon, but I should be fine with this. Most of the supplies are in Grandpa's storage pouch anyway. We just need to make sure no monkeys steal that storage pouch!" replied Raina.
Jon's face grew heated in embarrassment as he recalled that night. He had been in charge of cooking dinner and had left the bundle of food ingredients unattended while he went to fetch water. By the time he returned, the entire bundle of food had disappeared. This had caused the group to go hungry for several days, requiring them to satiate their hunger with wild berries and fruits found in the forest before finally stumbling upon a village.
"I'll be extra careful next time, I just didn't expect there to be such clever monkeys around at the time…"
Damon had also grown more familiar with the rest of the group, though he remained as quiet as ever. He was growing more and more restless throughout the journey due to being unable to complete his daily cultivation. He could not do so as the group never separated unless they were able to rent their own private rooms in an inn or tavern as they passed through villages or towns. This journey has set back my cultivation progress by quite a bit. I thought I would be able to cultivate during the journey, but I can never find the time alone.
They finished crossing the pass, and the area widened out and descended into another valley.
Feylis said, "Let's find a nice spot to make camp for the night somewhere in this valley. Everyone spread out for a bit, and let's meet back here within half an hour and discuss our findings."
"Yes, Grandpa."
"Okay! Do you want to go this way, Raina?"
"Understood, Grandpa Feylis."
Feylis watched in amusement as the three children went off on their way. Damon had gone off on his own, whereas Jon had followed after Raina, constantly moving his mouth. Although I prefer the temperament of the boy, Damon, he is a bit too reserved and impassive. Jon can be loud and foolish at times, but he definitely has a kind heart, and he is obviously infatuated with my granddaughter. I just wonder which of the two boys Raina fancies, if any. Chuckling at his own thoughts, Feylis also wandered off in a different direction.
After regrouping, they exchanged their discoveries and decided on the location for their camp. It was a small grotto found on the side of a cliff. There was enough space for everyone to fit in without being cramped. They set up the camp and got settled around a small campfire. Dusk had fast approached, and the air grew cold. Raina was in charge of cooking for the night, while Jon helped from the side. Damon was setting up the bedding. Feylis was completing his daily meditation when he prematurely opened his eyes. They were gleaming with a smoldering radiance. He shouted out.
"Children, get back! Come to the back of the cave and stay behind me!"
The three children paused their activities and hurriedly ran into the cave, behind the seated Feylis. They had experienced numerous hardships together and now acted without question at Feylis's call.
"Grandpa, what is it? Is it some bandits again? There's no way they would be this far deep into the mountains,' asked Raina.
"It's not bandits this time. We have been surrounded by a pack of wolves." Damon surveyed the surroundings and reported. His Mindsense had already picked up on their arrival, even prior to Feylis's warning.
"That is some keen insight, Damon. Yes, we have been surrounded by a pack of wolves, but they are no ordinary wolves. They seem to be Snowfiend Wolves, a species of essence beast. Most of them are only at the early stage, first-tier, with only the alpha being mid stage. Remain behind me at all times and do not panic. I will take care of them." Feylis rose from his position and walked to the mouth of the cave.
Jon and Raina remained half-crouched against the back wall of the cave, quite cautious while looking out at Feylis. Damon, on the other hand, stood tall in front of them, just slightly behind Feylis. By circulating his mental power, any slight fear he had felt disappeared. He was actually more interested in observing an essence beast for the first time. He was also anticipating witnessing the strength of the arcane arts as Feylis battled the wolves.
A staff appeared in Feylis's hand. The staff was gnarled, twisted like an ancient tree root. The top of the staff was adorned with a small, spherical red crystal. He began to chant an ancient language in a distinctive low voice. Several crimson balls of flame, each the size of a watermelon, materialized in front of him, radiating intense heat and lighting up the surroundings.
Multiple wolves emerged from the cover of the brush at the edge of the clearing, entering the light. At one glance, it was obvious that they were not ordinary wolves. They were the size of small horses, with bristling fur tipped with sharp ice, making them look as though they had coats of ice armor. Their glowing blue eyes were all focused on Feylis. There were about 20 of them. One particularly large wolf emerged last and howled in response to the spell. The surrounding environment started to fill with an icy-cold mist. Damon realized that the situation could rapidly turn dangerous and quickly unslung his bow and readied to shoot.
Feylis completed his casting, and the fireballs shot out in every direction like a fan, temporarily pushing back the gathering mist. The fireballs caused a small explosion on impact, engulfing half of the wolves in crimson flames. Ten wolves managed to dodge the spell, including the leader. The rest of the wolves were less fortunate, not even having the opportunity to yelp before quickly turning into unrecognizable, charred husks.
The 10 remaining wolves, although cowed by the ferocious showing of strength, perceived this to be their opportunity to retaliate. The leader of the wolves let out a growl, commanding the other wolves. Seven of the wolves rushed at Feylis while two rushed at the others behind him.
Feylis realized the situation was no longer in his control. A scroll of parchment appeared in his hand, before burning into ash, causing a fiery barrier of light to form around him. With his immediate safety assured, Feylis turned around, only to see a thick curtain of mist shrouding the cave from his sight.
At this moment, the claws and teeth of several wolves clashed against the red barrier. They growled and whimpered in pain as the barrier burned them on contact, as well as protecting Feylis. However, they did not back off and continued to attack with abandon. Unable to see the children, Feylis could only aim to deal with the wolves in front of him first. He quickly began chanting a spell. He could only hope that the artifact he had given Raina would be able to protect her until he was able to come to her rescue.
Meanwhile, two wolves had rushed past Feylis to attack Jon and Raina. They were obviously the easier targets, as they had been huddling at the back of the cave. Just as they were about to reach the two children and begin ripping them apart, multiple arrows flew through the mist. Guided by Damon's mind, they homed in on the gaps of the ice armor to puncture their soft throat or belly. Though their claws and teeth had been strengthened by aura, their flesh underneath was actually not much different from a regular wolf.
One of the wolves died on the spot, but the second wolf had managed to twist its body at the last second, causing the arrows to pierce through non-lethal areas. Snarling in pain, the wolf made a final rush at the two initial targets. A transparent spike shot through the heavy mist without even disturbing its flow. It pierced into the wolf's mind, causing it to let out a sharp whine, before also slumping to its death as an arrow flew over and embedded itself in the wolf's skull.
Damon had been responsible for these wolves' deaths. He was standing with his eyes closed, now focusing on the battle between Feylis and the other wolves. To his Mindsense, the mist did not exist. He could see the exact locations of the wolves with complete clarity.
During that time, Feylis had finished casting his spell, upon which several thick roots emerged from the ground to entangle the seven wolves surrounding him. He switched his focus onto the alpha wolf who rushed past him, leaping over the top of his barrier.
"Watch out! The alpha is coming your way, too!" Feylis shouted before starting his chanting once more. A large ball of fire was quickly expanding in front of him.
However, Feylis did not get the chance to use the spell. The thick mist dissipated just as quickly as it had formed, upon which he saw the remains of two wolves lying in front of Jon and Raina. The two smaller wolves had been skewered by many arrows, whereas the alpha, lying at Damon's feet, had only been pierced through the eye by a single arrow. Unknown to the others, Damon had used a mind spike to halt the wolf's advance, giving him the opportunity to shoot it cleanly in the head.
Feylis had reeled in shock at the scene he witnessed, before dispersing the power he had gathered to form the last fireball. Ignoring the snarling and whimpering of the seven restrained wolves, Feylis approached Damon and looked him over with narrowed eyes.
"A single arrow through the eye? You are an even better marksman than I had anticipated... Thanks to your actions, we were able to come out of this unscathed. Good work, Damon."
"Thank you, Grandpa Feylis. The magic spells you cast were magnificent. They were much more powerful than I expected. The barrier is incredibly useful as well."
Jon and Raina approached the other two, now that the danger had abated. Raina was worried about her grandfather and inspected him very carefully to make sure he was uninjured. Jon approached the trapped wolves and kicked at them a few times.
Unaware of the extreme peril he had just been in due to being blinded by the mist, Jon was not afraid at all. He asked, "Grandpa Feylis, what caused these wolves to attack? They seemed very determined to harm us even after witnessing your magic."
Looking down at the slightly dilapidated and emaciated body of the alpha wolf, Feylis replied, "It appears these wolves have experienced some hardships lately and have been unable to hunt and assuage their hunger. They must have grown desperate enough to trade their lives for a chance at filling their stomachs. Let us clean up the remains quickly to avoid attracting more desperate predators. The body of the alpha and those seven wolves should be worth something if sold at a cultivator market. Finish off the wolves and bring them to me to store in my pouch."
Jon felt a bit squeamish at the idea of killing the wolves and hesitated, while Damon went forth to deal the final blows. Unwilling to be outdone by the other boy, Jon also drew a dagger and helped. The group quickly cleaned up as many of the traces of battle and blood as possible before withdrawing back into the grotto for the night.
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The rest of the journey was relatively uneventful, and the group finally arrived at their destination. Climbing over the final ridge, they beheld a scene they would never forget.
Below the ridge was an enormous crater, so large that the opposite side could not be seen and deep enough that the bottom disappeared into a dark abyss. From this abyss rose an imposing, cylindrical stone structure, larger than anything they had ever seen, stopping at the height of the surrounding ring. The stone was riddled with veins of glowing silver light, pulsating with arcane energy. From their location, they could see a large pass carved into the side of the crater, allowing for entry from ground level. Beyond the ridge, there was no sign of snow, and there were instead steady streams of steam rising up from various locations in the crater.
"We will need to descend this ridge and go to that pass over there. That should be the southern pass. The crater has four routes of entry, one at each cardinal direction. That structure you can see rising from the crater should be the famed Arcane Tower of Argent Flame." Feylis gazed at the tower with a look of yearning.
The group descended from the ridge and entered the pass. After walking for a surprisingly long amount of time, they finally exited the pass and set foot in the crater. Everywhere they looked, there were either pools of magma and lava or fissures emitting smoke. Most of the smoke was white or yellow in hue, but some vents were releasing smoke of various bright colors.
"Finally, it makes sense as to why a tower of flame was established deep within a snowy mountain range," Damon commented.
Everyone cautiously and slowly walked between the different hazards, careful not to breathe in any smoke. They could see the colossal tower looming above their heads, but it did not grow closer no matter how much they walked. Just as they were beginning to feel apprehensive, a voice rang out.