AETHER BEASTS

Chapter 236

The vehicles didn't go anywhere near as slow as they had when they had first entered the city and in only minutes we were back on the main road which the other and I had watched when the expedition had first arrived.

To my surprise, there was no crowd waiting for us, and though there were people out and about, none cheered, or shouted, though most if not all nodded and bowed, which was confusion until I remembered what had been done and they had been told the green court had a hand in it.

The city didn't look much different but that was to be expected. The only thing that stood out was the atmosphere was lighter and buildings and areas were being taken apart no doubt to make space for others, many of which would be facilities to help the common folk out. Like West Vale, there would be free healing for the entire city, bathhouses, and other places to help with general things.

The next time I came back, which wouldn't be for a while, the city would be much changed, though at that time it wouldn't be a shock for me, not after what I was expecting to see in the lands beyond the scar.

"It's very quiet," Misty pointed out.

I nodded. "Yeah, nowhere near the fanfare of the arrival, though I'm not complaining. You know how I am with attention."

"Not used to it yet?" She questioned.

"Nope." I shook my head. "It doesn't make me uncomfortable. It's just very jarring in a way. I'm going to have to get used to it though. I'm the bonded of basically two princesses, and there is going to be a lot of attention on me."

"Politics," Misty replied.

"And that," I said. "I'll have Zirani and hell, maybe even the lost queen can help me. She's been oddly quiet since the fight. I'll have to talk to her later. We do have a deal and I'm going to need to figure out a way to let her stretch her legs and it should make teaching me about my divine bloodline and potentially using her powers, easier."

"That would be a boon." Misty smiled. "Your divine bloodline is what saved us, and even a fraction of it would be a tremendous help."

"Yes it would," I muttered, hoping that my deal with the lost queen worked out.

The expedition continued on and with the speed, we were going it only took an hour to get out of the city. The moment we were out, the vehicles all picked up speed until we were traveling extremely fast, and wind, small rocks, and dirt whipped at my face, not that it bothered me much, apart from obscuring my vision somewhat.

The vehicles made little noise as they traveled across the rocky terrain. The main sound was of the plows which broke apart rock and most obstacles with ease. Nothing even scratched the vehicles which made sense. They'd be pretty terrible for the great scar if simple rocks and some mildly rocky terrain could harm them.

"What do you think it's going to look like?" Misty asked.

"Well, we'll be going through the section known as the burning desert, which is the largest and most raveled area of the great scar according to Zirani," I replied. "I imagine it's going to be a very hot and very large desert, though I also have a feeling there's going to be plenty that's very not usual for a desert. This is the great scar we're talking about after all. You worried?"

Misty shook her head. "Not really. We are traveling down the safest route and it's not like we're going to be hunting in it."

"I wouldn't hold my breath on that," I replied. "You never know what sort of training Zirani might cook up for us."

What felt like less than an hour passed before I first spotted the wall Zirani had told us about a week ago when the expedition had first arrived. To say it was tall was an understatement. It had to be at least two hundred feet tall, but what was most shocking was the enchantments. The entire thing was covered in enchantments. The same enchantments stretched out from miles on either side. I assumed it covered the whole wall. The amount of aether you would need to do such a thing, not to mention the control, and skill.

Either this had been done by many arcanists or a by a single extremely powerful arcanist. My thoughts traveled to the arcanists Zirani had spoken of. Those who lay above the rest. I didn't think or speak their names aloud, especially since we were moving away from the plains and closer to where they would be in the lands beyond the scar.

The wall looked to be made of sandstone, but it seemed to have a slight shine to it, not that it was really noticeable.

I was confused as to how we were going to get past it but as we neared, and I looked up front, a hole opened up in the wall, the stone seemingly melting into itself to make way for us.

"Talk about big," Misty said. "This makes me wonder what sort of beasts lay in the scar."

"The strongest probably," I said. "Remember what Zirani said. It is the most dangerous place in the world and only they can travel through it with ease, and even then apparently not unchallenged,"

"Then let's hope we don't run into any of them," Misty said.

As we passed through the hole, I looked up and around and saw that the wall wasn't just tall, but also thick, very thick as it took a few seconds to pass through the hole, even at the fast speeds we were going.

Once we were through, I got my first look at the great scar, or more specifically the area within it known as the burning desert. The first thing that hit me the moment we were through the whole was the difference in the ambient aether. It was like the tower, but far more, and of a far higher quality than either that of the towers or of the plains, definitely far above the plains.

Misty definitely felt it too as her eyes widened.

The first thing I saw was both exected but also strange. It was a desert as expected, but it was like we'd crossed over some line and went from rocky terrain to desert. There was no gradual change from rocky to sand which made me wonder if the wall wasnt also keeping out something else or if the ambient aether was affecting things.

"Wow it's hot," I said, feeling sweat bead on my skin for the first time in months which meant that there was no way a normal person would be able to survive long in here.

I pulled off the main part of my robe so I was just in a shirt and pants, but even then it still felt far too hot.

"We should have asked for some enchanted clothing," Misty said, not seeming to be affected as much as me but still in obvious discomfort. "To keep us cool."

"Well luckily for you I have some ready," Zirnai said mentally, and I relayed the message to Misty who quickly followed me inside through the side door.

Just as expected it was bigger on the inside and I let out a sigh as I felt the cool air touch my skin. The temperature was perfect, and I saw Zirani and Sandra lying back on comfy chairs, eating fruits.

"Here put these on if you're going to be staying outside," Zirani said. "Though you should also try and develop techniques to counteract the heat. It should be easy for both of you. Misty, you possess the life affinity, and Aiden you have solar aether. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Think of it as your first bit of training. Even you Sandra could counteract it, though it would be harder for you."

The clothes she gave us were similar to our robes but were of a far better quality and held a number of enchantments like self-cleaning and repair among others, but the main thing was the enchantment that cooled or heated up the wearer, though if what Zirani had said was true, they had a limit to them.

"You missed the wall, Sandra," I said, taking a seat next to her on the chair. It was large enough for two and she snuggled into me with a smile.

"I don't really mind," she replied. "I have seen it once before when I first came here all those years ago. It's big isn't it?"

"An understatement," Misty said, picking up a baked treat from a fountain of bowels attached to one another. "It must be over sixty meters in height and several thick. Not to mention all the enchantments."

"How long before the first stop?" I asked Zirani.

"We stop at nightfall," Zirani said and when that happens the burning desert no longer burns with heat but with cold, and you'll need to also develop techniques to counteract the cold because it gets very bad."

"How pleasant," Misty said sarcastically.

"We'll start training in two days," Zirani said. "By then I expect you two to both have techniques to counteract the extreme heat and cold, and anything else you need to. Apart from that, do not get off the vehicles as they're going to speed up soon and it will be very hard for either of you to keep up in this sand. Sandra could because she can flight or attach an anchor to a vehicle."

"I think I'm just going to stay inside for a bit," I said, giving Sandra a quick peck on the lips. "I'm sure we can entertain ourselves."