Proofread by Thomas F
"I know your monster's skills are fast, but by god, Lord Silver. This speed is out of my expectation," said Mage Aldridge as Panar came into view.
We could see it bright in the night sky; much brighter than the last time.
Its population is growing steadily, along with its industry. It had become financially independent. Now, it could sustain itself from money produced in its economy.
We are not moving toward it. Our destination is to the north: the Varus Mine.
In the evening, I got a message from General Azalia. She had activated the Ardos Protocol; it's the protocol to be used only when we believe we have found what we were digging for, or something just as important.
I didn't know what they had found, nor had I even discussed it.
Our communications have become safer, but not safe enough for me to take a risk talking about it.
"Thank you, Mage Aldridge," I replied.
Until two days ago, the old man had been in the mine. I would have felt relieved if he had been in the mine when this event had happened.
A few minutes passed, and the lightning across Tempest's legs lessened as we came to a stop at the entrance of the mine.
"Lord Silver," greeted the middle-aged orc. "General," I replied.
"Please," he said, looking toward the group of beasts, which seemed intimidated by Tempest. "Stay close," I said to Tempest and dismounted from him.
Soon, the others and I mounted the smaller beasts and moved toward the mine.
"Any casualties or other concerns?" I asked Irab. "No," he replied. It filled me with relief. I do not know what it is, but I don't want my people to suffer any casualties.
I didn't ask him more, and we rode inside the mine.
Immediately, I saw the heavy security presence; they were on every corner, watching everything with alert eyes. Until we understand this, they need to be alert and ready to deal with whatever there is.
We passed through tunnel after tunnel without a word.
The security is tight both outside and inside. It is even getting tighter as we dive deeper.
Minutes passed, and finally, we reached excavation route three, and what I saw made my eyes widen.
"By the sage!" cursed Mage Aldridge as he looked ahead. The massive area in front of us was covered in tiny runes. There are thousands of them; millions actually, the majority concentrated in the middle where the shape of a gate formed.
Inside the runic gate, there is something, and I scrutinized it for a moment.
Soon, we reached near the gate and dismounted.
"How did this happen?" I asked before the General could greet me. "It was unexpected. The miners were mining as they had been doing for weeks when suddenly these runes popped up," she replied.
"There was no forewarning or sign, nothing?" I asked, and she shook her head.
"The investigation until now did not suggest that, but my people are still investigating," she replied. Seeing that, I sighed and turned to the old man.
He is the most knowledgeable person here. Therefore, this investigation was under his command.
He is looking at the same thing. I was earlier, the thing in the middle of the gate.
"That is script, right?" I asked, looking at it. "Yes," replied Azalia, and she isn't the only one. The Old man, Zela, and a thin soldier, whom nobody seemed to recognize.
All eyes turned to him before turning to me. Seeing, he came with me.
"My people told me, it is Galaid. An ancient language, it was popular among the mages ages past," replied Azalia.
"Can anyone read it?" I asked, and she shook her head. "It was an ancient language; my mistress has some proficiency in it," added Zela.
Well, her mistress is dead.
I turned to the thin soldier. I have the greatest hope for this person. It is for which I have brought them with me from Greltheaven, but she, too, shook her head.
"To those who stand before the cyclic doom: We, the Unbroken Covenant, leave our knowledge and gift. Take it if you are worthy, wield it, and let hope endure where the world fails."
Rang out Mage Aldridge's voice, while the thin soldier sucked a deep breath!
"You can read it," I said, and the old man smiled. "My master was one of the foremost scholars of Galaid," he replied with a smile, before his expression became serious.
"Do you comprehend what it means?" I asked, barely controlling the excitement in my heart.
"Cyclic doom is obvious," he replied. "It's referring to the incursions; Galaidan texts referred to them as such, but I don't know about what Unbroken Covenant is and what gifts they are talking about."
Yes, the gifts.
I am desperate and need all the help I can get to deal with the enemies I have. If something had been left to deal with the incursion, it must be something good, and I already have an idea who could tell me.
I turned to the soldier; there was a sharp breath from her when Mage Aldridge translated.
She met my eyes and looked around.
"Colonel, you and the others move back," ordered Azalia, understanding the expressions. Orok and his men moved back, leaving Aldridge, my bodyguards, Azalia, and Irab.
Within seconds, they are out of earshot. Privacy would have done the job, but we can't take risks.
Still, privacy spells and skills are activated. Including mine, all eyes turned to the thin soldier.
"Unbroken Covenant is an organization formed when all was nearly lost in the Byros incursion. It was led by powerhouses, powerful enough to lay waste across the kingdom single-handedly."
"They fought against the incursion and won after paying a great cost."
"After that, they had left their inheritances across the world. They are found across the eras."
"The last one was recorded a hundred years ago in Oton; even the archmage city had found one at the beginning of this era," they informed.
Silence descended, and the information was heavy, and so are the changes it might bring.
Byros incursion, if memory serves right. Then it was eight thousand years ago, when the terrifying race called Magrads descended. It was the worst in ten thousand years.
By the time it had ended, less than 5% of the world's population had survived.
"What could we find within it?" asked General Azalia; to that, the thin soldier shrugged. "Anything, incursion materials, weapons, artifacts, knowledge," they replied.
It couldn't help but make a sensation of hope rise in my heart. If I could get artifacts, it would immediately increase my chances against the gathering enemies.
"How do we get inside?" I asked. "If the information is right, then touch the hand for several seconds, and the runic gate will lead us in," the soldier replied.
"Though the moment we enter inside, we will have to prepare to deal with the tests they have left behind," they cautioned.
"We should wait, get as much information about it as possible," said General Azalia. It's clear she didn't trust the information, but I do.
If I am right, her kingdom once also got one of these, seeing the confident tone of voice.
"We don't have time, General," I replied and walked toward the gate.
"My lord, don't. Let me do it," said Azalia as she appeared beside me. "There is no need, General," I replied, placing my hands on the runic gate before she could say anything.
She nearly pushed them away before stopping herself.
Seconds passed, and nothing happened, so I doubted that anything would happen when those runes buzzed and shone, which brightened.
Soon, it got so bright that I couldn't see them.
The shocking thing is that even my eyes couldn't see through the brightness. Moments passed, soon turning into minutes, but the brightness didn't disappear.
It does not feel threatening, but given the power of runes, that makes even my skill useless; I do not dare fully trust my instinct.
Still, I didn't move and remained in my place. Though I pulled my hands back and waited in the brightness, it is so bright it feels bright even when I close my eyes.
Another minute passed and then another. It was at the sixth minute that I felt the shine dimming.
Seconds later, it disappeared.
"Wow!"
I gasped when I saw the scene before me. The runes have disappeared, and in their place is a massive black-stone gate with different emblems on each side.
One emblem is a circle with a blazing torch inside. On the other side is a giant face; the emblem is the same size, but the face is such that it makes one feel that it belongs to something giant.
It has a geometric, angular face with enormous eyes.
I looked at it for a moment before I placed both of my hands on the door, before anyone could say anything, and I pushed.
To my surprise, a click rang out, and the doors opened smoothly.
After a moment of hesitation, I stepped inside, and immediately a wide view opened before me. It stopped me in my tracks with my eyes widened.
It is a huge space, and it's not empty. It is filled with things, a lot of things, including a large building, but I barely glanced at it.
My focus is on the things that are in front of me. Magnificent things that made my heart beat wildly.
"Are those?" Jon asked, with awe in his voice. "Golems," replied Aldridge.