NOVEL SIMPLE Book 1 – Lesson 58 “Be Brave, and walk forward.”
Yutu took a deep breath to calm his nerves; despite how confident he’d explained his plan to the Head Priest, part of him questioned if this would work. The memories shoved in his head were old. Older than even the Wandering Cities. A lot of things could change after such a vast stretch of time.
Things broke or degraded.
People messed with things they shouldn’t.
Even the changes in the environment or topography could have shifted the parameters in unexpected ways he had no way of accounting for. All he could do was trust what he’d been given and move forward. If he didn’t…
Yutu shook his head and focused on the task before him. He stood before the small torii that marked the entrance to the Earth Elemental’s territory. The thick braided rope covered in small talismans circled the area to either side, held up by tall stone pillars every 50 meters. The pillars marked the original boundary zones, while the rope and torii were later additions by the Prima temple to keep people out.
A sudden hand on his shoulder made Yutu flinch, and he turned to see Ulagan standing beside him. Despite only being a few years older than himself, Yutu couldn’t help but admire Ulagan. Not only was the man far more powerful, nearing the upper-mid [Silver Spirit] step now, but his talent, confidence, and wisdom were all things Yutu had been envious of ever since the graduation trip.
That it was Yutu standing here, and not Ulagan, felt… wrong to the younger man. This was a job for the brave and strong, not for someone like him. Yutu turned and held up his shaking hands, clenching and unclenching them repeatedly to get the blood flowing again.
Ulagan grinned at him and asked, “Nervous?”
Ha! Yutu laughed, not taking his eyes away from his hands. “Nervous? No. Terrified? Absolutely. What if I’m making a mistake here, Ulagan?” Yutu turned and looked at the older man. “There’s no guarantee this is going to work. People could die, and it would be m—”
Ulagan punched Yutu in the arm. It was a light hit, and the young man’s armor absorbed most of the blow, but it was still enough to make him stumble. Ulagan stared down at the young man with a frown as he spoke. “None of that, Yutu. Not at this point. Too many people are relying on you now. It will break morale if they see you breaking down and second-guessing yourself.”
Yutu shook his head and whispered, “That’s the point. I… why me?”
Ulagan folded his arms and raised a brow as he asked, “Why not? What happened to the brave young man who was willing to face down the Beast Lord?”
Yutu turned back to stare at the wandering Earth Elementals. After a moment, he muttered. “That was… different. Ganaa was right. That wasn’t bravery, that was desperation. That was knowing I was going to die and wanting that death to mean something. Even if just a little bit. I was a terrified trapper trying to buy some time, not some hero.”
Ulagan laughed heartily, throwing his head back. Yutu’s face went red, and Ulagan looked down at him and grinned. “Kid, let me tell you something. There’s never once been a sane man who’s stepped on the battlefield and not been scared. You should see the new recruits quaking in their boots the first time they go on a Guardian patrol. Fear can be a good thing. It keeps your mind sharp and lets you spot dangers before they become a problem.”
Ulagan turned and looked at the elementals as well as he continued. “Fear means standing in the enemy’s path because you know those behind you will die if you don’t. Bravery doesn’t mean not having fear. It means doing what you must, despite your fear.”
Ulagan patted Yutu’s shoulder again, saying, “You stood in front of an enemy far more powerful than you could ever have hoped to defeat. Yet, you didn’t cower or plead or run like many lesser men might have. Knowing you would die, you fought to give those you loved just a few more moments. If that is not bravery, then none in this world has ever been truly brave.”
Yutu’s face turned a deeper shade of red. He knew the older man was exaggerating. He sure as hell didn’t feel brave. Nonetheless, Yutu stood a little taller, and his hands were a little calmer. The young man took another deep breath and nodded.
He would do this. Not because he thought he was special or because he thought only he could. But because he had to. Because it needed to happen.
“The Guardians are ready to move out. Are you ready, Yutu?” a voice called from behind. Yutu and Ulagan turned to find Juatan, Artemis, and Kallik approaching. Behind them, a platoon of 48 Guardians and the four Scions stood at the ready. A small squad of Akh’lut Guardians stood off to the side in their own formation. This was Artemis’ own squad and would act as both guide and their elite strike team once they arrived at their destination. Each was a powerful combatant that could have given even the Scions a run for their money.
On the other side, the Head Priest stood with several other high-ranking clergy members and a dozen Jadewalker nobles. Most of the powerful families were on the wall, fighting, so of course, those nobles left were those unwilling to step on the battlefield.
Though apparently not unwilling to stick their nose into business, especially after the four Scions had been recruited to the mission.
Yutu stared at the gathered force, knowing not all of them would make it home, but pushed the thought out of his mind the next moment. He turned to look at Juatan and nodded before saying, “Yes sir. I’m ready.”
Juatan nodded and turned away, yelling orders. Ulagan grinned and followed him. Artemis stared at the young man in silence for a moment before nodding and turning away as well, walking toward her squad. Kallik was the last to turn away. She walked toward him and hesitated. She wasn’t great at these kinds of things. Finally, with a frown, she stepped closer and embraced the young man.
As she stepped away, she softly spoke, “I’m… sorry. For dragging you kids into all of this. For… not being strong enough to protect you like I should have been. Whatever happens, I wanted you to know, as your teacher, I’m proud of how you all have grown.”
Yutu stood frozen as the older woman pulled back and turned away. As she walked away, she called out over her shoulder. “Now go show them what a Slatewalker can do.”
Yutu snapped out of it a moment later and nodded. Yeah… he would do just that.
——————
Everything was in order. The platoon moved into position behind the torii while the Akh’lut squad spread out on their perimeter. If something did happen, their strongest would be the first to meet the issue.
Yutu stood directly inside the torii, working up his nerve. The night was eerily quiet. Not even the sound of the wind could be heard, let alone the constant clash of battle beyond the distant walls. It was as if the entire world had paused to witness this moment.
Yutu took a deep breath, then stepped past the archway.
The effect was immediate.
Under Yutu’s feet, a large array appeared. Its flowing runes circled and shifted until finally locking into place with Yutu at its center, his eyes glowing with flickering white and black light. The torii lit up in a spiraling pattern of runes ignited by white flames. As the flaming runes passed the rope tied on the sides, they, too, caught fire and raced along its length.
The gathered Guardians tensed. This was definitely not normal…
As each talisman caught fire, the flames strengthened until they reached the first supporting pillars. The white flames engulfed the pillars and ignited hidden runes along their surface. When the flames reached the top of the pillar, they shuttered, then slammed into the ground, like spikes being driven in, leaving behind a small stone platform with a complex array on its top.
At the same time, the white flames reached the next set of pillars, and the process repeated again and again. All along the perimeter of the Earth Shrine, pillars ignited and slammed into the ground, the process speeding up as time passed.
Finally, the last pillar on the other side of the shrine slammed into place.
All was silent for a brief moment before the arrays on each of the stone platforms that had once been pillars started to spin. As one, each array unleased a blinding beam of white fire directly toward the main obelisk. The dozens of beams struck the very tip of the obelisk, and the earth began to shake.
The Earth Elementals all froze their eternal patrol and turned to stare at the obelisk. Then, with one mind, they bowed.
The shaking ground intensified, and many struggled to stand. Throughout the city, sound returned as chaos and confusion spread. Then, slowly, things began to push themselves from the ground. Various buildings, some tall, others short, some simple and humble, others grand and looming, pushed their way upward until, after a few moments, what had once been an empty field was now a small stone city.
Zolzaya and the other Slatewalkers recognized it instantly; it could have been the twin to the ruined city they’d found with the Lord Protector.
Had this… had this been here all along? Just waiting to be reawakened?
Most of those gathered stared in awe at the site, and several clergy members were already running around or sending messages back to the temple.
Few missed the greedy murmurings and glares of the gathered nobles, though thankfully, the Head Priest was sharp enough to know how to handle that lot.
Once the new city had settled and the rumbling stopped, the array under Yutu flashed, then vanished. Yutu crumpled to the ground, panting. Ganbaatar and Zolzaya rushed to his side and gently lifted him up as Juatan approached.
Juatan smiled down at Yutu and patted him on the back as he spoke. “Good job, lad. Never doubted you for a second. What we’re looking for should be at the obelisk’s base, correct?”
Yutu, still out of breath, took a deep swig from the waterskin that Zolzaya had passed him and nodded. “Yes… Yes sir. The main complex should hold the teleporter node. If we can get it back online, it should take us directly to the Prima Temple… or at least somewhere in the city. There were several arrival points for pilgrims, but most of those might not be active any longer. There’s… just one problem.”
Juatan frowned and sighed. “Of course there is.”
Yutu flushed and turned away as he continued, “I… wasn’t able to deactivate the defenses. Whatever’s happening at the Prima Temple has the system in chaos, and it’s not listening to any remote commands. We’re… we’re going to have to fight our way through.”
Juatan’s frown deepened as he stared at the moving shadows filling the city. “I’m not looking forward to fighting an army of Earth Elementals inside a stone city…” he said.
Yutu shook his head and responded, “It’s not as bad as it sounds. The system has decayed to where it can’t recognize friendly from hostiles. That might mean we can’t just waltz in, but it also means the Elementals can’t bring the city down on us, either. It’s protected from that kind of manipulation. If anything, the tight streets will help us deal with their numbers.”
Artemis made her way over and finished the thought, “And if any of the big boys show up, I and the lads will show them a good time.”
Juatan was still frowning but nodded nonetheless. He turned to Artemis and said, “That sounds like a plan. Let’s get this show on the road. The quicker we can get to the teleporter, the quicker we can rescue your sister and put an end to whatever the hell this all is.”
Artemis nodded, grinning ear to ear, then led the charge into the sleeping stone city.