My Shadow Monarch's System
Chapter 36: Ashen Wastes.

Chapter 36: Ashen Wastes.

"Here you go", Ben handed out two silver ornaments to Shadow and Liora. Shadow looked at the ornament, it had three silver swords all crossed against each other like an asterisk.

He held it up in the light, "But we’re just starting" Shadow looked at Ben, expecting an answer. The big man shook his head slightly.

"You deserve it!" He sighed, finding a chair to sit down. "The mission you accomplished wasn’t something that two bronze adventurers could handle, I doubt even two silver Adventurers could defeat Scar and bring back his head for all to see".

Shadow nodded understanding the situation. He looked to his side, Liora seemed content enough with her new ornaments. Her’s were exactly the same as his, with a rope attached to it so it could be worn on the neck.

"Also" Ben said pointing his hands at Shadow. " I’m sure you know how divided the kingdom is. Mere citizens aren’t allowed to reach places that adventurers can, so always wear your silver blades..."

"Is that what you call them?" He sighed.

Ben shrugged. "It looks like a silver blade doesn’t it?"

"What if you get a promotion to gold? A gold blade?" He said with a tinge of sarcasm, but Ben nodded...

"You can’t be serious..." He placed his hand on his head in frustration, not because of the absolute horrendous naming fashion, but because he had to once again, wear another form of identity.

Suddenly Ben stood up, he crossed over the counter and reached for a slip of paper.

He read it and handed it to Shadow. "That’s the Ashen Wastes. The mission is to investigate and stop all the monster raiding that have been happening to the villages that far north".

"Aaahh" Shadow eagerly took the paper from him, reading through its contents.

"Need I say, but be careful. There’s something wrong with the cursed place." Then he pointed towards a spot on the paper. "Well your reward is worth it".

Shadows eyes followed the trail of his finger, upon seeing the rewards his eyes widened.

"One thousand gold?!!" He looked aghast. That was a lot of money, even for a mission. But Ben nodded seemingly pleased.

"I threw in a word for you to the upper ups. Make sure you don’t die warrior... Aaahh. Odd isn’t it?"

"What’s odd?" Shadow looked up at him.

"I don’t know your name yet, Friend?" Ben grinned stupidly at him. Shadow gazed at him for a moment longer and chuckled. Ben was indeed an invaluable resource, both as a friend and as a helper.

"Shadow " he said, he had long abandoned the name of Kael Draven, that wasn’t who he was, that was what he was forced to become.

Shadow had always been him, it had been his identity, his definition, his way of life, his perception. Even his powers spoke of his identity.

"What an odd name... Shadow. I like it" Ben laughed palming Shadow on the shoulder. Shadow stifled a complaint, his collarbone would have shifted if he weren’t strong enough.

Just how strong was Ben...

"Of with you now. I have other matters to attend to" he made a waving motion with his hand. "And when you return, let us drink till our mouths fill to stupor".

Shadow nodded and turned around, grabbing Liora who seemed to be poking and another adventurer’s food. The damn girl.

"Hmmm. Where are we going?" She said with a mouthful of meat.

"You know you’re going to get fat at the rate you’re eating, right?" He looked at her playfully. But she took it seriously, perhaps too seriously.

"I don’t care. They never gave me meat like this in the castle. I’ll eat as much as I want and you can’t do squat about it" she pointed a finger at him.

At this point they were outside so Shadow didn’t have to cringe in disgrace. "Do as you will Liora, we’re going to the Ashen Wastes". He handed her the piece of paper then Ben had given him.

"Oohh. One thousand gold!" she shouted.

"Shut up!" Shadow shouted, ripping the paper from her hands. He looked about and saw some of the eyes of the adventurers looking at him.

Shit!

He hadn’t wanted to draw this much attention but there was no helping it. "Alright, let’s go to the Ashen Wastes shall we!" He said at the top of his voice.

Murmurs flowed through the crowds, as water would down a pile of rocks. He had made the message clear. Although Adventurer seems like dangerous people who would put their life on the line for fame and money.

There was a limit. And that limit Included going to the tombstone of the demon lord that died centuries ago.

"What did I do?..." Liora tried reaching out to grab the paper once more. Shadow glared at her, slamming his knuckles at the crown of her head.

Liora let out a shriek as she doubled down in pain, holding her head tightly. "What the hell! You want to kill me? Just what was that attack and why..."

Shadow could see tears swelling up in her eyes, for once she didn’t look like the brat she was but a little fragile girl... "That, was for revealing our destination to everyone" he looked around at the people who watched them carefully.

This was sure to start a rumour. He sighed.

"Let’s hurry" he looked up at the sky, the sun was rising at a certain angle. On earth this would be around nine in the morning. This mission didn’t have a time limit but he wanted to be done with it as soon as possible.

"But before that, let’s go to an armory shop. I need new weapons!" He grinned happily.

***

Two days had passed as Shadow and Liora walked through the streets leading to an unknown village. They had long left the Capitol, though it was still vastly unexplored by Shadow.

He knew he had to be acquainted with the happenings in the Capitol. It was the seat of power in the kingdom of Vryanthia, as well as one of the three great kingdoms in the continent, Eryndor.

"Liora?" He called out absentmindedly.

"Hmmm?" She skipped up to him, seemingly excited for her next mission. He didn’t understand her and the way she thought at times, being excited while the possibility of inevitable existed ahead?

"Tell me something about the Capitol and the politics, also the system of ruling amongst the guild and the association of mages" he finished. She perked up at that.

"Well I’m not so interested in the old broads and the way they talk politics and all that, I mean I am aware. But it’s boring..." She sighed.

Shadow shook his head. Spending time with her was comparable with walking with a foot lodged all the way up his arse.

"Tell me what you’re interested in then..." He pushed further.

She skipped further ahead as though in thought, then turned around with a smile. "Well about The Arcanum Order, there are different factions that exist. Even within the adventurers guild but they’re not so prominent" she fell to his side and walked side by side.

"What do you mean, factions?" He asked.

"Yes well... In the Order, there are different factions that are blessed with divinity. From the gods..."

Shadow stopped in his tracks... How hadn’t he known this? Different gods? Syl was the fragment of a god, a forgotten god at that.

But why didn’t he think that other gods would also exist and have their influence over humans? He shook his head and continued walking. He truly knew nothing.

"Go on..." He urged. Liora looked at him doubtful, shrugged and continued.

"There are different factions you see, as many that represent the gods that exert their power on this plane of existence. With each faction that exists, they bear the mark of their god. An innate attribute specific to only them" Liora said.

"And when were you planning on telling me this" Shadow eyed her annoyed, not at her at but at himself. He should have done better.

"Whenever you decided on asking, sometimes I think you are an illiterate. How can you not know anything?" She flung her arms in the air, frustrated.

Shadow grimaced at that. She was right, he couldn’t blame his negligence on her or anyone else.

"So what are these factions?" He asked, wanting to change the topic to safer waters, his ego was taking a huge hit.

"Well they are ten... No wait, nine?" She corrected herself.

Odd!

"Mercurius, Venus, Terra, Mars, Luppiter, Saturnus, Uranus, Neptunus, Pluto." She counted off the tops of her fingers.

Shadow looked at her abruptly. "That’s Latin!" He said a bit shocked.

"Latin?" Her eyes perked up, "What does that mean?".

"It’s an ancient language as old as time itself used to depict the descriptions of gods" he answered, then realized how foolish he had been.

"What are you saying? That word, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard it" she protested. But Shadow shook his head, not wanting to continue the conversation anymore. He was already tired.

"You’re really weird!" Liora said, storming off into the human settlement that lay ahead. He nodded in agreement, he really was weird.

Upon reaching the village, it seemed abandoned, farm shed tools lay about as cattle groomed on their own with no owners to keep them in line.

"Is this a ghost town?" Liora asked, staying closer to Shadow, just in case something inevitable happened.

"No, look over there" he pointed. The village seems to be a small one, with a travelling path in the center, settlements and houses lay on both sides of the road. Which meant this village wasn’t lacking when it came to resources.

On the left side of the road, just in front of a house lay piles of wood stacked together to make a Pyre. Shadow moved closer, keeping his guard up.

He saw lamb meat, set up above the pyre, the problem was that, the fire had died out and the lamb was burnt to cinders. He felt at it as pieces of the lamb blackened by the fire broke off easily.

He sniffed at it.

"Two days, there was someone trying to cook here two days ago..." He looked around him, the village seems like it was recently abandoned.

Beyond the village, further down, he could see the Ashen Wastes. A red looking mountain exuding abnormal waves of mana. He felt it down to his bones and knew, he wasn’t ready. Not in the slightest.

’Hey you!’

A voice had spoken into his ears, he looked around shocked but saw no one, perhaps it was Liora.

"Don’t play dumb games like that, I’m not in the mood" he warned her. Liora looked dumbfounded.

"Excuse me? Not in the mood? You’re never in the mood dear brother. And what games are you talking about?" She shot back at him.

’Help me. Please. The villagers and I are in the trouble’

He heard the voice again, this time he knew it wasn’t Liora. She wouldn’t be so foolish to play such dumb games at a time like this.

"Who are you? Where are you? Show yourself this instant!" Shadow shouted, looking around.

Liora looked at him, completely aghast, rubbing her face in frustration. "I knew you’d eventually lose it. But not right now brother, it’s too early to lose your sanity" she cried out. But Shadow ignored her.

He listened, trying his best to find the location of the voice, it said something about the villagers.

’Come to the Ashen Wastes, the valley before the red mountain. Save us!’

Shadow calmed himself down, he couldn’t feel the trace of any other mana users around him, even after using his shadow sense.

He turned towards the mountain. And swallowed.

"Hey Liora?" He called out.

"Hmm? Done being crazy?" She gested him.

"I hope you aren’t scared of dark and creepy places..."