Chapter 165 –

Alexander steered the skyship into this open-mouthed mountain. Down below he could see a lake inside. The lake was sparkling blue, there white pebbles and boulders. There were vines hanging around the edges of the mouth. They were pushed away by the thrusters of the skyship.

“I can’t enter any further. Do you want to jump? Or should I steer the ship to any plausible entry point?” Alexander radioed with a hoarse voice.

The three near the ramparts could hear him. Joshua stood with a voice communicator ready. “What do you want him to do?”

“We’ll take a leap here,” Eiya said. She turned to Archie. “Can you do the jump? Are your runes able?”

“Yes, they are,” Archie moved his shoulders. “Let’s jump then!”

Eiya nodded. She mumbled something and she gently descended down to the lake as if the wind was carrying her. Archie took a jump. His foot produced a whirl of wind as slowly descended down too. Joshua took a glance at them before taking his rifle and slinging it to his back.

“I’ll be following them,” Joshua told Alexander. “Is there a problem with that?”

“Not at all,” he radioed back. “Godspeed mate,”

“Roger!”

Joshua spread his hands and leaped down the ramparts too. He freefalls down and gestured at Eiya who was already down. She pointed her coiled root staff at him. There was a blast of green energy that wrapped around him. He swayed down and he landed one of the rocks.

“Thank you,” He said to Eiya. “I rather not have all my munitions wet.”

“No problem,” she smiled. She turned her eyes to the entrance. It was dark and the mushrooms inside the entrance were the only thing there. The light was dim. There was a cold wind coming inside the cave entrance. Joshua took a step forward and produced a scope. He looked inside and could see nothing.

He looked down. There were fishes of different kinds swimming in groups. There were water grasses and reefs. The water was so clear that it was like looking through a mirror. “This is a peculiar place,” Joshua commented.

Archie looked at Joshua. He scanned the area and reacted. “Indeed, this is rather a beautiful and hidden place. Is there even another path down there?”

“I don’t know,” Eiya said. “I’ve not been here for hundreds of years. There was supposed to be a shrine there.”

Joshua looked at the direction Eiya was gazing. There was a crumbled ruin of wood and stone. The moss and the wild grass around the area made the ruined shrine looked like just it was another boulder and a rock formation. He wouldn’t have noticed either if Eiya didn’t mention it.

“Once upon a time there were many shrine maidens here. Most of them would converse with nature and hear the spirits of the mother planet. We were earth speakers. We communicate through offering our souls to the planet. We receive omens and blessings, allowing us to know the warning of this planet.”

“I see,” Joshua nodded. “So do you know where the obelisk is? We should get going.”

“Yes,” she turned her face to the entrance. “I can feel the energy of the obelisk. I shall lead the way now.”

She made a solemn expression. She trotted towards the entrance with soft steps. Archie raised his shoulders before following. Joshua draws his rifle and held it tightly. He followed the two while focusing his mind on the words that were floating above him.

...

While the three were looking for the obelisk, Alexander was surveying the area around the place. The open-mouthed mountain was located deep inside of the forests of the Holy Midland. He knew that there would be fewer bandits and thugs with the Templars being gung-ho in eliminating them.

“There seemed to be no problem,” he thought. “I should be able to land my skyship at the place.”

He looked at the clearing. He gripped the steering wheel and slowly made the skyship land on the clearing. If the skyship was a normal plane or a helicopter, then there would have been problems landing the ship. But the skyship had thrusters that could be rotated. So he was able to land the ship without any problem.

Alexander checked the meters and gauges of the ship. They were still at passable levels and the fuel and power source of the ship was still feasible for a good trip back and forth. Satisfied, he tapped the control panel and locked the landing legs of the skyship. He then stood up and walked outside to feel the air. He has been inside the cockpit for too long.

Getting some fresh air was something that he wanted right now. He yawned heavily. He spread his arms and stretched his upper body. He moved his limbs and was about to do some shadow boxing when he heard the sound of a blade being unsheathed from its scabbard.

“Got you!” he pirouetted and caught a curve blade between his palms. The pale warrior wearing a Shemagh looked at Alexander with a surprise for a while. He tried to move his blade but Alexander crooked his fist and struck the pale warrior right in the throat. The pale warrior staggered back. He tried to breathe only to feel his curve blade entering his chest.

More people then came out from the shadows. One of them turned their gun at Alexander and shot him right in the forehead. Alexander was hit right in his glabella. His body arched and there was blood dropping. The man who shot him thought he got him. But to his surprise, Alexander poised his back straight and pointed his left palm at the man. The man suddenly felt an unknown force dragging him to Alexander.

On the back of Alexander’s left hand was a tattooed number. The number was originally one hundred but it lowered down to ninety-nine. Around the number were four dots. These dots represented the ‘power’ he mastered in five years. He used the gesture of pull to grab the man’s throat. He then used the gesture push to produce a shockwave on the man’s chest that ruptured the man’s lungs.

The ambushes shot at Alexander. But he produced a thin barrier that shielded him from the gunfire. With the bullets stopped he made the gesture of illusion and disappeared from sight. The attackers panicked. But before they could retaliate they were slowly killed.

The leader of the ambushers was the only one left. He tried to shot Alexander dead but he didn’t even budge. The only thing that changed was the number on the back of his left. “Bastard,” Alexander lifted the man easily with one hand. He was a mutated being. His eyes dilated and looked like that of a beast.

The leader tried to struggle but his neck was shattered. Alexander let the man’s neck go and he sat down. He glanced at his shirt and cursed. Although his ‘power’ allowed him to negate the pain and reduce the damage. He was still mad that his shirt was now riddled with bullet holes. Still, what need was there to weep over things that have already happened? He could only be stoic about it. At least the tattooed number on the back of his left hand returned back to one hundred points.