Chapter 1876 The Sacred Order
—Crogil Coastal City, Eastern Regions, Laboon Empire, Tenola–
. A painter's brush could hardly capture the night's beauty these days. The night's canvas was filled with mesmerizing blue and purple swirling lines of gasses swimming around the many twinkling stars. Words alone couldn't describe how breathtaking the skies truly were. In many parts of Tenola, such a night would continue like this for the next few weeks. But while many basked in its beauty, danger was fast approaching many.
Tip, tip, tip, tip~
The faint near-non-existent stream of footsteps echoed across the port. There, 100 men in full dark attire, calmly but stealthily followed behind a slender but broad-shouldered man who was also dawned in all black. His belt was black, his pants black, his assassin attire black, and his shoes black. The many layers of fabrics wrapped around his knees and hands were also black. He also wore a black mask that covered his mouth and face, leaving his eyes and hair exposed. But, he then dawned a dark crimson red, hooded outerwear that flared lightly with every step he took. Part of the red hooded cloak was wrapped around his neck severally like a scarf. The man slowly raised it higher, covering the old but striking slash mark on his neck. ~Fheeew~
The man gave a silent whistle that sounded similar to faint early Spring winds. And just then, 20 others vanished ahead like shadows. An hour and a half later, everyone now found themselves in an old, lone thatched somewhere in peasant-areas close to the woods. The home was surrounded by small farmland. As the group stepped through the door of the old, lone thatched home in the peasant-areas close to the woods, they were met with a deceptive appearance. The outer structure, made of sticks, twigs, tree wood, and hay, gave the impression of a simple, two-room dwelling. However, this was merely a facade.
Yet, Underneath the bed, a trap door revealed a stony stairway leading down, hinting at the true nature of this place.
Don't be deceived! In truth, this entire room was made of stone. It was only lined and masked with sticks, wood, and hay to appear ordinary. .
"Welcome." A thin old man in farm wear with a hunched back and a stick, now stood up straight without discomfort. And right before everyone, the man turned into a vibrant 30 year old after a few movements across his face. No one seemed shocked by his sudden transformation.
One by one, many others followed the lead man down the stairs, while the rest of the group stayed behind. Descending the stairs, the group found themselves in a room entirely constructed of stone, cleverly masked by the rustic exterior.
After descending, they found themselves in a man-made underground colony, filled with several others just like themselves.
Clearly, they were now in a well-hidden sanctuary… a sanctuary for their people.
In silence, they followed the man in farm wear, deeper and deeper along a cluster of maze of pathways, traversing towards the direction they believed to the underneath the forest regions.
Up, down, round in circles, straight, you name it. They sometimes came face to face with many similar and confusing pathways that clashed and left the untrained eyes perplexed. But who were they? TOEP Men!
It was extremely hard to spot, but there were faint signs telling of which path led to which. There were no symbols on the walls or carvings. And though the paths looked roughly the same, somewhere actually narrowing by an eyelash long, and others were slightly widening instead.
The heights for the paths might look the same, but even the inch finger tip nail tall difference made them aware of the path they were taking.
Sure enough, the trained eyes, senses, and mind were unfathomable once one honed their skills.
.
As the group ventured deeper into the underground complex, they were met with an intriguing sight. Before them lay a massive, open structure that could only be described as a colossal, man-made ant colony.
Soon, they reached what could only be described as a massive open ant colony, showing more than 10 rows of spiral pathways along the walls that led downwards towards the uncountable carved doors like openings along the walls.
They went down to the 5 level, before picking the 9th open hole and moving on that path.
The path they had chosen led them through a series of bends and twists, the dimly lit passages creating a sense of disorientation. Finally, they emerged into a massive clearing, devoid of any visible guards.
Yup, no guards in plain sight were spotted.
The word "plain" seemed to echo in the air, hinting at the deceptive nature of this place.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared before them, opening a grand, double-sided door with an expressionless face. Yet, a flicker of awe and respect could be seen in the figure's brows.
"We've been expecting you, leader of the Sacred Order. Please go in and wait a while… Master Obiwan is currently on another floor, attending to other matters. He will be joining you all soon."
"Hmmm…"
The doors opened, revealing a well furnished but dimly lit room. The many candle hues brought out a natural hallowed golden glow to the walls, bookshelves and wooden surroundings. .
-Silence-
The room was quiet… maybe too quiet. The leader narrowed his eyes, scanning the scene until his eyes got drawn to a figure seated in the shadows.
"Have you had enough?"
Muh-heheheheheheheheheh~
An eerie stream of laughter bellowed from the darkness. Soon followed the faint footsteps belonging to a sturdy man. "Forgive me, I was just a little curious to see just how powerful the famous leader of the Sacred Order was."
With the sort of stealth skills he displayed, none of his men could ever find him when hiding in the shadows, yet, this Sacred Order leader spotted him in a mere 10 seconds after entering the room.
Obiwan soon appeared in the corners where the dimly lit ethereal glows could touch, allowing everyone to glimpse at his bear-like towering physique.
"You have your orders, and I have mine. I shall help you in anyway fit. Just say the word and it shall be done. Now then, let's get down to business."
"Indeed…" Leader spoke calmly. "The 2nd Key… Where is he now?"
"Not so far off as you would think."
Obiwan grinned broadly, rolling out a large map flat on the table. "Richmond Town. 3 weeks from here."
"Good." This time, it was the leader's time to grin. "Indeed, the distance isn't far off."
The earlier they get the job done, the faster they could unlock the Holy Core's true potential!
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