Chapter 30: Awakening
Translated by: Chua
Edited by: TN and Elka.s.sar
This stone basin appeared familiar, it could be said to be deeply engraved into Sheyan"s heart; a deeper lasting impression than Melody"s chest. This basin was placed beside the platform altar previously, it contained a bizarre fuel which reacted in ignition with flayed skin. Once ignited, it was hard to extinguish, resulting in a blood red pillar of combustion fumes..
But the crux of the matter was the strange vile aroma it released, one that was able to attract that terrifying Great Eagle. Yet for some unknown reason, it was tossed down into the valley.
After a simple exploration, Sheyan realized there was nothing to gain within this tiny valley. He only found several additions of that queer black stones.
His head was starting to turn giddy, not sure if it was the fatigue or something else. The sinister feeling still plaguing his heart constantly. There was no time to seek out traces of Reef, he immediately carried Melody as he strode forward with big steps.
Sheyan grit his teeth as he trudged forward amidst the harsh and rugged terrain. Very quickly he left his treacherous place behind…
The nearby blaze finally extinguished, spiralling embers drifted through the night sky along with the spiralling cyan fumes; the charred trees remained unbending as it pointed to the sky. Ashen colored rocks scattered throughout the land, looking like burnt skin.
Still, deep inside the forest were tiny traces of raging flames, but the ocean-freaks could wait no longer. They hurriedly coerced the orcs to lead the way in. The orcs were short and frail, their bodies covered with blood stains as they s.h.i.+vered violently amidst the winter winds.
They were deeply familiar with the danger here, knowing the poisonous fog would only trigger upon a fixed timing. Hence, they sent these dying orcs to probe the way in. If they were poisoned, then the toxicity was bound to flare up rapidly; they could then tell if the danger was present.
Suddenly, an aged old orc collapsed, shrieking out loud in fear. Froth bubbled out from its mouth as the orc rolled around incessantly. Several uruk-hais rushed forward, splas.h.i.+ng the orc with a bucket of icy water. Working together, they subdued and tied the orc up, finally clamping up its mouth.
Soon, the orc regained consciousness as it panted lifelessly.
Abruptly, the rest of the orcs similarly fell to the horrifying hallucinations as they collapsed; most were the sickly and the old. In contrast, the stronger ones only felt a dizziness, and retched from the nauseating feeling. After observing for roughly half an hour, the uruk-hai leader, Lurtz, suddenly appeared. His hands folded on his chest as he spoke to his a.s.sistant.
"It seems like master"s deductions are spot on. The soil of this region of pine forest contains a horrifying hallucination poison. This poison would slowly evaporate when the temperature is higher, and fill the forest with a venomous miasma."
"After the flames, most of the poison has already been exhausted, the remainder is nothing to worry about. Naturally, we can cross it safely now. Give the order, set off!"
Upon Lurtz"s command, the grandiose orc army marched on carrying loads of tools and equipment before halting at the lake. Lurtz gazed upon the lake with a sullen expression, using his rough finger to caress his beloved bow.
At this moment, several orcs shoved in a stubborn looking elf, beside was an exceptionally ma.s.sive ocean-freak. As it approached Lurtz, it started to wave its tentacles and transmitted its mental rays.
"Lurtz, 2 years ago, master had already ordered us to explore the region here. That is why I will temporarily a.s.sume command now."
Lurtz was taken aback as he argued.
"What! Mr Cante, why haven"t I heard of that before?"
The ocean-freak, Mr Cante, replied.
"Because you were still in the midst of experimentations! That previous time, that a.s.sembly of brave pioneers relied on the visor that Yavanna created, and successfully filtered through this forest of epidermal. They even paid an immense price to cross over this Carn Dûm lake. Although they ultimately fell into eternal rest at the opposite bank of the floating forest, they had transmitted back numerous important details."
(TN: Carn Dûm was the capital of Angmar established in the west point of the Mountains of Angmar, near Mount Gundabad in the Misty Mountains)
"Within that information, the most important is that the most menacing beast within the Carn Dum lake is a creature with an appearance of a slug. According to master"s inference, it should be a mutation of a worm. Although their damage isn"t threatening, the poison it releases is extremely astonis.h.i.+ng. Previously, those brave pioneers who had crossed the Carn Dum lake didn"t give attention to the poison from these worms, and were forced to end their skirmish after the poison flared up; dying inside their temporary campsite within the floating forest."
"Then how are we going to deal with those worms?" Lurtz had a sunken expression as he continued. "Don"t tell me we have to dry out this dammed lake. Master has already surveyed long ago, this d.a.m.ned lake is connected to a tremendous source of groundwater beneath. Although it seems like a standalone lake, it is actually connected to the underground drainage system of the mines of Moria!"
Mr Cante raised his tentacle and pointed towards that stubborn elf.
"The answer lies in this elf, Mr Lurtz. According to my research, these children of nature emit a soothing aura for those worms, to calm their aggressive nature. As long as we bring along an elf on a wooden raft, we can easily cross this lake with ease."
Lurtz remained silent as he glanced back to wooden rafts behind. Then he drew an arrow and drooped down his long bow. Aiming towards the lake surface, he gradually pulled the bowstring. His thick muscles bulging up, even his hairs were standing as he released!
Within a blink, 30 metres away over the peaceful lake, blood bubbles begun to froth up ferociously, bubbling up like grapes. One couldn"t even see the arrow"s path, not even an after image of its flight!
The lake started turning turbid, the slit beneath frantically rolling up. After a brief moment, a succulent creature, as long as 7 metres with its diameter half a meter, floated up. At round a third of its body was a brutally huge bowl sized hole, flesh hooked against it. Its appearance looked like a roundworm that was amplified a thousand times. Sharp triangular teeth pierced out from its mouth.
"Without the elf, we can still safely crossover this lake!!!" Lurtz didn"t even bother looking at Mr Cante as he declared sternly.
Sheyan continued advancing over the rocky sh.o.r.e. Though he had the physique of a contestant, carrying an elf while travelling was still physically draining. Along the way, Sheyan discovered this rocky path was like a winding canyon. Looking at the sides of the canyon, it should"ve been formed by flowing water. As he advanced, he continue to discover several pieces of those unique black stones. Yet the rocky path continued to stretch out endlessly.
But to Sheyan, as long as he didn"t see any pursuing troops, that was already a huge blessing. The longer he dragged on, the higher his party establishment mission completion rate. He also made a resolution, if he was forced into a desperate situation, he would personally end Melody"s life. Because if she was awakened, she would also support his brutal but merciful choice.
After walking for a dozen minutes later, Sheyan wiped his sweat. He couldn"t help casting secret glances at the slender and delicate Melody, her clothes masking her underripe body was simply impressive to view. Her chest was flouris.h.i.+ng, long legs alluring even her b.u.t.t was simply abundant.
Thinking of such naughty thoughts, he suddenly found his hands wretchedly inching closer to Melody"s b.u.t.t. The feeling was amazing, fueling one"s desire to continue exploring further into the deep valley beside. But as Sheyan decided to seize his chance for a few more probes, Melody suddenly opened her eyes; casting a clear and crystal glare at Sheyan as she suspiciously uttered.
"You really like to touch my b.u.t.t?"
Sheyan stared into that tranquil and serene eyes of hers, feeling extremely guilty towards her. Yet his mouth defiantly refused to submit.
"Why, it"s just a b.u.t.t!"
His heart welled up with a deep shame, as though he had profaned a female G.o.ddess. Instead, Melody very harmoniously and sweetly smiled.
"You"re my protector. If you like my body, I"ll naturally feel happy."
Her reply was bold and unconstrained, combined with her pure and fresh expression, it gave Sheyan an unexplainable resolution. He couldn"t find a word to reply in his embarra.s.sment.
Melody then stood up as she brushed her hair against the rising sunlight. Simultaneously, it seemed like the glorious morning rays were being cut apart. Under the glittering sunlight, her green hair rapidly turned silver; looking somewhat purer. It was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with a refres.h.i.+ng, nature coolness.
Witnessing this transformation, Sheyan felt a huge joy. He suddenly recalled what the elves mentioned before, as he tried to probe further.
"Your fellow elves mentioned an elf of the twilight, are you one of them?"