UNDER THE OAK TREE

279 Chapter Riftan surveyed the reservoir, where steaming jade water trickled out of a small canal and into each of the stone houses.

He nodded as if coming to a conclusion. “This natural source of heat is likely what made it possible for them to survive in such a desolate place.”

“I understand how they kept warm, but… what about food?” Ulyseon asked, cocking his head.

“What else could they hunt in such a wasteland but monsters?” Riftan said cynically.

Maxi hunched her shoulders. The consumption of monster blood or flesh was considered an abominable sin even by the Reformed Church. Maxi nervously studied Kuahel’s emotionless face. The Temple Knight pretended not to hear Riftan and calmly steered his horse around to Calto.

“There’s a particular place we’d like you to investigate first,” Kuahel said, nodding in the direction.

As they followed the Temple Knight, the mages’ eyes were alight with curiosity. Maxi trailed behind on Rem, taking in the glimmering, mist-shrouded ruins. Eroding debris was strewn over the ground, and the remnants of a stone wall hemmed the reservoir. Most of the stone buildings had flat roofs with walls of stone and clay, similar to the architectural style seen in the time of the Ancient States.

When they had passed about ten of the stone structures, Kuahel halted his mount. “Through here.”

Maxi turned to face the front. They had stopped before a towering rock wall. Within the chasm splitting it stood two pillars around a wide, arched entrance.

Kuahel dismounted and illuminated the gloomy interior. “Inside, you will find dozens of rooms intricately connected like an ant nest. Each chamber contains what appears to be a magical device and a mural of ancient text. We were unable to enter those that were sealed with powerful magic, but the highly unnatural mana flow we detected from them point to there being magical devices in them as well.”

“Where would you like us to start?”

“Please follow me.”

At Kuahel’s beckoning, the Temple Knights lit torches and secured them to the cave walls. Maxi got down from her horse and carefully peered in. The ceiling was higher than it appeared from the outside, and with numerous stone pillars lining the periphery, the enormous space looked stable. There was no doubt a talented mason had been among the dark mages who had lived here.

Overcome with awe, Maxi was examining one of the entrance pillars when someone grabbed her shoulder. She turned around.

Riftan had walked up behind her without her knowing. He surveyed the arch with a stony expression, then pulled her back and strode in first.

“We should clear the area first,” he said.

“They will be accompanied by dozens of paladins, including myself. There is no need for such caution,” Kuahel said flatly, looking irritated. “If you truly can’t find yourself something to do, you may stand guard out here to make sure nothing gets in.”

“You want me to leave this to you and your men when we have no idea what might be—”

“It appears there’s been a misunderstanding,” Kuahel said icily, his voice low. “I may have begrudgingly allowed you to join us, but I am the commanding officer of this investigation. That means you have no say in this matter.”

Riftan’s face became dangerously still. Worried they might brandish swords, Maxi gulped, feeling the tension reach a boiling point.

Calto gave a deep sigh. “Both of you, please, stop. The church promised to keep us safe during the investigation, and we agreed to undertake this perilous journey because we believed them. And yet, look at yourselves. How can we rest assured of our safety when the people who should be working together to protect us are at each other’s throats?”

Kuahel’s impassive mask slid into place at the elder’s reproof, and a tense silence fell over them. Maxi nervously studied the three men. Just then, Ruth elbowed his way through the mages and placed himself between the two commanders.

“Master Calto is right. Nothing good will come of us being divided in this wasteland.”

Calto shot daggers at his nephew, silently warning him it was not his place to interfere.

Ignoring the elder, Ruth calmly went on, “Both of you should know well the destruction of internal strife. Let’s not waste energy on this pointless power struggle and aim for a compromise. Since the Temple Knights are familiar with the layout, it is right to have them lead the search. In exchange, the Temple Knights should allow a few Remdragon Knights to join. I see no reason any paladin should be against this solution.”

A faint crease formed between Kuahel’s brows. Seemingly tired of arguing, he nodded his assent. “Do as you please.”

The Temple Knight commander then spun on his heels and stalked through the arched entrance. The mages, who had so far been silent spectators, followed suit.

Maxi searched Riftan’s face as she tentatively walked in. Though he was clearly unhappy, he begrudgingly ordered his men to explore the desolate village, then entered the cave with Ulyseon and a few other knights. With a sigh of relief, Maxi chased after the mages.

The ruins encompassed a greater area than they had ever imagined. After going down a long passageway, they found themselves in a vast, circular hall that could comfortably fit hundreds. Dotted along the opposite end of the hall were eight passageway entrances. Kuahel pulled out a folded map and spread it open.

“This is a map of the rooms at the end of each passageway. Please refer to it during your investigation.”

“What are these rooms marked in black?”

“Those are the sealed chambers we were unable to enter.”

“We will start with them.”

“We would like to see what’s written in the murals first,” said Elena.

They split into smaller groups to investigate different rooms. Maxi and Anette were tasked with looking through one that contained a magical device. Ulyseon, Riftan, and the paladin Vinther accompanied them.

Anette snuck up behind Maxi as they walked. She leaned close to whisper, “Have you not reconciled with your husband yet?”

Fearing that Riftan might have heard, Maxi forced an awkward laugh.

“Th-There is no problem at all. You don’t have to worry about us… so please concentrate on our task.”

Anette went to say something before closing her mouth. During the awkward silence that followed, they arrived at a room that stretched ten kevettes (approximately 3 meters) high and thirty kevettes (approximately 9 meters) wide.

When Kuahel illuminated the space by securing a torch next to a small vent, Riftan and Ulyseon searched for any lurking monsters. Meanwhile, Maxi and Anette began their inspection. There were complicated runes and ancient characters etched onto the floor and ceiling. One of the walls, however, was entirely covered in a peculiar magical device.

Geometric shapes carved from hundreds of bones were intertwined in a tapestry. Stones, presumably magic in nature, were embedded into the tips of some of the protruding bone pieces. Maxi decided to start her search there.

She probed the stones but could not feel any magic from them, their mana long exhausted.

“What do you think this is made of? I don’t think these are serpend bones,” Anette muttered as she studied the pieces.

Maxi ran her fingers across the dusty surface, knitting her brow. “If not serpend… then they must be worm or wyvern bones. I read once that a large number of them dwell up here in the north.”

“They’re basilisk bones.”

Maxi snapped her head to the sudden voice. Having snuck up behind her again, Riftan reached out to touch an elaborately carved bone in the shape of a snowflake. He brushed away the caked dust and traced his long fingers down the carving’s length, feeling its texture.

“Only basilisk bone gives off such luster. Still, I wasn’t aware any subspecies of the Red Dragon could be found in the north.”

“Have you ever hunted a basilisk, Commander?” Ulyseon asked excitedly.

Riftan slipped his gauntlet back on and said flatly, “I dealt with them frequently in the past. They fetch the highest price among the monsters.”

“But I heard basilisk bone is like steel,” Anette remarked, gazing up in awe. “It must have required extraordinary skill to carve such detail.”

Though the ancient relics did not inspire the same level of awe in Maxi, she still felt intrigued. Removing her glove, she probed the inner workings of the magical device by infusing some of her mana into the stones. She soon realized the structure was too complex for her limited knowledge. Her expression turned grim. With the device installed deep within a cave, she doubted it was meant as a weapon. It most likely served a defensive purpose or some other type of magic.

She rummaged in her bag for a scrap of parchment and charcoal and began tracing a rough outline of the device’s mana circuit. Anette’s question echoed down to her from the opposite side of the chamber.

“Found anything?”

“Only that this device… hasn’t been used for at least a century,” Maxi replied, shaking her head. “The mana circuit is mostly blocked… so it’s difficult to make out the entire structure.”

“Well, its placement alone is a telltale clue of its purpose.”

...

“It is…?” Maxi said, looking at Anette in surprise.

“It’s a record, most likely. The contraption looks similar to magical devices that store and emit light, albeit a thousand times more complicated.”

“So we could learn what the dark mages recorded if we can somehow activate it.”

Maxi’s eyes glimmered with excitement as she regarded the hundreds of interlocking bone pieces covering the wall.

Anette clicked her tongue. “Repairing this thing will take longer than a day, that’s for sure.”

Vinther, who had been lingering like a shadow along the walls, suddenly spoke. “There are six or so more rooms with similar devices.”

Maxi looked at him in shock, and Anette groaned.

“This expedition isn’t over yet.”

They examined the devices until their torches were almost out, after which they were forced to leave the room at Riftan’s insistence. When they stepped out of the cave, they found the knights and the other mages preparing supper, the camp already set up.

Calto was listening to the other mages’ findings. He spotted Maxi and called over in his solemn voice, “Were you able to learn anything?”

Maxi showed him her illustration of the mana circuit and described the room to him. After studying the sketch closely, Calto motioned with his head for her to rest. She let out a tired sigh and looked behind her. Riftan, who had stuck close to her like a shadow within the cave, had already rejoined the Remdragon Knights. He was currently listening to Elliot’s report.

...

After sneaking glances at his grim face, Maxi settled by the fire with her supper. She was filling her empty stomach with baked sausages and potatoes when Sidina came running toward her.

“Max! Anette! Guess what I found!”

Maxi chewed through a mouthful of potato, eyes bright with curiosity.

Across from her, Anette furrowed her brow. “Did you make some grand discovery?”

“A bath! I found a bath!” Sidina exclaimed, clapping her hands. “There’s a large spring bath inside that building over there!”

She flung her arm in the direction of the stone structures by the reservoir. The mages and the knights, who had been expecting a more startling discovery, looked deflated as they resumed their meals. The only one who seemed to match Sidina’s excitement was Maxi. To her, the discovery could not have been grander.

Though she had made do with melted snow and a towel throughout the journey, lately, she had not been maintaining herself as frequently due to the freezing weather. After having given up on staying clean, the prospect of a warm bath was music to her ears.

Swallowing dryly, Maxi glanced about. No matter how enticing, however, she still felt averse to the idea of stripping bare so close to all these men. She nervously searched the faces of the mages and knights.

“I had a look around. It was fairly clean,” Sidina said eagerly, coaxing her on. “You’re dying for a bath too, aren’t you, Max? Come, let’s take one together!”

“What’re you fretting over? Come, come,” said Anette, picking up her bag without a hint of hesitation.

The temptation finally won. Maxi followed Sidina, a change of clothes and a bar of soap tucked under her arm.

The bath was in better condition than she had expected. The building was relatively clean, and the large, stone-tiled tub was filled with hot spring water that trickled in through a small waterway. The women quickly slipped out of their dirty garments. A blissful sigh seeped out of Maxi as she submerged herself up to her chin.

“I wouldn’t mind staying here until Ignisias (the season of fire, equivalent to summer),” Sidina murmured contentedly. “We’ve never had such lavish baths, even at home.”

“But… there might be another war if we don’t locate the main base of the monster army as soon as possible,” Maxi reminded her despondently. “And it’s not as if we have infinite supplies to last us until summer.”

“Ugh, you wet blanket.”

Looking deflated, Sidina splashed her. Maxi grimaced and retaliated with a bigger splash. After more playful carryings-on and bathing to their hearts’ content, the idea of climbing out was almost painful. Eventually, her overwhelming drowsiness made her haul herself out of the tub. She hastily pulled on her clothes to prevent the chill from setting in. Meanwhile, Sidina and Anette opted to stay a little longer.

Maxi stepped outside to find it snowing. Whiffs of vapor seeped from her mouth as she hurried back along the reservoir. With her firestone choosing that moment to die out, she had no way to fight the cold. Trembling, she was glancing around in search of her tent when something warm and heavy fell across her shoulders.

She whirled around. Riftan, dressed in nothing but a woolen tunic and black coat, was wrapping a fur cloak around her.

“The women have decided to take that house over there,” he said curtly, pulling the cloak’s hood over her wet hair.

He raised his chin toward a small stone building that looked relatively sturdy. Securing the cloak around her, he began leading her to the house.

She studied his blank face as they walked. His hair was slightly damp, as though he had also taken a bath. She stuck close and surreptitiously breathed in his masculine scent, which smelled faintly of soap and musk. It was how he smelled when they bathed together.

Her heart began to pound painfully as the memories came flooding back. The tip of her fingers tingled with the urge to run them through his damp hair. She longed to fill her lungs with his scent and caress his smooth, taut skin. She leveled an imploring gaze at him, begging him to take her somewhere they could be alone.

However, Riftan escorted her to the house where Elena and Miriam were resting and left for the knights’ barracks without so much as a word goodnight. Her face shadowed in the hood of the fur cloak, Maxi stared resentfully at his back as he walked away.